Position Ranking: The Offensive Line
by Khaled Elsayed
31/7/2009
So far the Colts, Vikings and Cardinals have won top spots in the Passers, Rushers and Receivers categories and now with a little help from our good friends over at the addictive www.profootballfocus.com Khaled Elsayed moves onto looking at the front line whose job it is to open up holes and keep the QB up right.
Each unit is broken down before a cumulative set of results are provided to determine who in my opinion are the best teams heading out of last season and into this. This involves looking at the starter, and then who will be backing them up as and when this looks like becoming a factor.
32. Indianapolis Colts
This line doesn’t get the credit it deserves for being as bad as it is. Jeff Saturday isn’t quite the player he was and he remains the best player here by quite some distance. Tony Ugoh characterises the play of this line as sloppy but saved by Peyton Manning’s ability to read defences and react quickly before and after the snap.
31. Arizona Cardinals
Their inability to run the ball stems from a general ability to not get any consistent push up front. They’re not much better in passing situations as the amount of times Kurt Warner was hit last year would suggest. The shame is they have invested picks and money on the line but the players have let them down, and it’s starting to look like an overhaul is going to be needed if they’re to capitalise on their other talents.
30. Oakland Raiders
They signed Khalif Barnes. And apparently thats an upgrade. Considering how bad he was last year you wonder if that’s possible. The interior isn’t too bad at all, with Robert Gallery finding his natural position and Cooper Carlisle being a generally good guard, but the tackles are arguably more important and this is an area where they’re extremely weak.
29. Buffalo Bills
So you trade away your overrated but still talented Left Tackle and replace him with Langston Walker. In a division with as many pass rushers as they’re going to face? Walker struggled on the right side and is going to need plenty of protection if he’s not going to look worse this upcoming year. Dockery may not have been great but the radical overhaul this line has gone is a major work in progress and some continuity should have been maintained. Trent Edwards is a durability concern heading into the season ... what will he be at the end?
28. Detroit Lions
Surprising the Lions may have the makings of something. Jeff Backus isn’t worth the money but he’s isn’t the worst tackle in the league and you’d hope that Cherilus will continue to improve as he showed towards the end of the year. The interior isn’t great but is serviceable and should be good enough to get some push. Bringing in Brandon Pettigrew should upgrade their blocking outside the tackles no end, and I’d look for him to become one of the best blocking tight ends sooner rather than later.
27. San Francisco 49ers
Joe Staley isn’t a great player. Not yet anyway, and I doubt this is the season he turns into a consistent performer. The rest of their offensive line is just massively underwhelming. They seem to have got rid of some of the dross that masqueraded as an offensive line last year and so in some ways its addition by subtraction ... but there’s nothing about this new line up that screams things are going to get much better.
26. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks would be a lot lower if their future hall of fame left tackle, Walter Jones, wasn’t still playing at a high level. Charles Spencer has never lived up to expectations and he sums up a pretty mediocre (at best) offensive interior while Sean Locklear was terrible last year. They’re going to need to get better in a hurry and you wonder if they wouldn’t have been better served picking up an OT as opposed to Aaron Curry.
25. Houston Texans
Duane Brown was maybe as bad a left tackle as there was in the league, but in fairness to him he is a project player and he should be better for having taken his lumps. The strength of this line comes in their interior which did a good job of not allowing pressure up the middle and allowing the QB to step into their throws. It’s a developing line and considering past Texans lines it’s an improvement.
24. Cleveland Browns
This would be a lot lower if it wasn’t for Joe Thomas being the premier young tackle in the game. Seen as a strength heading into the season they quickly dispelled this theory and are now in rebuild mode. The good news is they picked up possibly the most NFL ready player in the draft in Alex Mack and he should have an immediate impact. That said he’s not surrounded by players who have played well recently so it may take more than one season to get this line playing to the levels it did in 2007.
23. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs problems last year can’t really be attributed to an offensive line that should get better with the addition of Mike Goff and the continued development of Brandon Albert (presuming Brian Waters doesn’t retire at some point). The potential is there to be a good unit.
22. Atlanta Falcons
Smoke and mirrors and Matt Ryan hid the problems of this line, but with teams having more tape the Falcons left side of the line is going to need to get better in a hurry. Baker looked overmatched while Blalock looked like the game was moving far too quick for him. It’s a shame because the right side of the line is one of the better partnerships in the league and they have some of the best blocking tight ends around. A major concern that drops them lower is they have practically no depth, and one injury could really hit this team hard, especially at left tackle with an injury prone Baker.
21. St Louis Rams
The signing of Jason Smith offers an immediate upgrade, even if they play him at right tackle. Alex Barron moving to left tackle is an interesting one. Barron isn’t a bad player but he gives away far too many penalties and hasn’t shown any sign of eliminating this from his game. The interior got better with Jason Brown coming in, and in Jacob Bell and Richie Incognito they have guards that could be a lot worse. Something for Bulger and Jackson to work with.
20. Chicago Bears
Bringing in Orlando Pace should improve their pass blocking, while a real concern is how Chris Williams comes in as he’s essentially a rookie because of the last years injury. Olin Kreutz is still one of the better centres in the league and leads a decent interior that is one of the better pass protecting interiors in the league. Its solid but unspectacular and if Pace continues with his injuries it may need Cutler to be at his sack avoiding best.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers
Not as bad as people would make out, the Steelers still have some issues especially when it comes to their interior. Justin Hartwig is probably one of the worst centres in the league and Darnell Stapleton is a complete liability at guard but the tackles performed a lot better than they are given credit for. If only they were a little more consistent.
18. Cincinnati Bengals
A few years ago they had one of the best lines in the league and now they’ve somewhat rebounded to about average after a couple of years of poor performance. Andre Smith is a great fit and if he’s already gone through the character concerns chapter of his life than he could quickly become one of the league’s most dominant tackles. Bobbie Williams has never really got his due as a fantastic guard, but who’s handing the ball to the QB?
17. Dallas Cowboys
On name reputation they’re probably top 5. But the tackles are getting old and ineffective, while its only really Leonard Davis that is playing to a decent level. Andre Gurode has moments of looking like a top tier centre especially when it comes to his run blocking, but like the rest of the line he struggles in pass pro. Tony Romo’s BFF is also a good friend to the running game with his run blocking.
16. San Diego Chargers
Marcus McNeil has never been as good as he was in his rookie year and Jerome Clary is something of a liability on the right, but on the plus side they play in the AFC West so at least 6 games a year they won’t have to worry too much about that. The strength is in the interior with Dielman and Hardwick being extremely talented and consistent linemen, although if they opt to play Kynan Forney you wonder if the system will suit.
15. Green Bay Packers
The Packers have a lot of players fighting over a lot of positions on their line, and it remains unclear who will be starting where. We can assume Chad Clifton will be the left tackle, but age is really started to affect his performance and at this stage he’s reaching that liability phase of his career. None of the contenders for the right tackle spot fill you with any confidence, but the interior has some talented players and their tight end group has the look of better blockers than receivers.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs got great play out of their offensive tackles last year with Donald Penn looking like a great find, and Jeremy Trueblood being a completely different player than what we saw in 2007. Getting rid of Jeff Garcia should make life easier but it will be interesting to see if they can maintain their high level of performance. The interior is shaky, and their young guards need to improve. Revamping their Tight End corps has made them better receivers, but worse blockers.
13. Carolina Panthers
Jordan Gross is a very good right tackle who makes a pretty poor left tackle. He did well to earn himself such a big contract. The interior is good, though Ryan Kalil needs to improve. The running game is a focus for this team, and so Jeff Otah on the right side is a punishing blocker. Look for Duke Robinson to push out Keydrick Vincent and create one of the most imposing right sides of any offensive line.
12. Denver Broncos
While Clady and Harris got a ton of praise for their work, its becoming common knowledge that Jay Cutler had more to do with this than their sack allowance counts. That said neither man was shoddy, and the interior was extremely impressive last year, which should stand them in good stead ... although with all the changes McDaniels is implementing you wonder if a change in blocking schemes could hurt this unit.
11. Miami Dolphins
The signing of Jake Long was the right move for this franchise, and gives them one of the best set of tackles in the league with it being a real bonus getting Vernon Carey tied down. The interior is a concern especially when they’re hoping Jake Grove can improve this. They got good blocking from their tight ends and with the number of 2 tight end sets these use that should prove helpful.
10. Washington Redskins
As maligned as he was for not living up to his price tag in Buffalo it was a good move to bring back Derrick Dockery, and on paper the Skins have a decent (but ageing line). Chris Samuels is a good tackle at this stage of his career, not the player he was but better than most. Stephen Heyer struggled last year and it would be wrong to be overly confident in him being the natural replacement for Jon Jansen. No players that blow your mind away with their ability or potential, but nothing that hurts too much.
9. Baltimore Ravens
One of the shrewdest moves in recent times may be the Ravens using the supplemental draft to pick up Jared Gaither who has all the tools (and is demonstrating) an ability to be a franchise left tackle. Coupled with the pickup of Michael Oher (right) the Ravens seem set for a long time here. Ben Grubbs struggled, and Matt Birk isn’t the player Jason Brown is, but there’s enough in the interior to stop defensive tackles being overly penetrating.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars
After the struggles of last year the Jags got rid of some dead weight (Barnes) and invested wisely in two tackles to man their lines for years to come, and they got great value with both of them. Whether Britton and Monroe start is unclear, but even in Thomas and Pashos they have guys capable of doing a decent job. Having Manuwai return is big and they have enough talent and depth to have one of the best lines in the league and deal with all bar the worst injury crisis.
7. Minnesota Vikings
This unit looks built to run but you’re not filled with tremendous confidence in pass protection situations. Fortunately they have about as talented a line when it comes to assisting the running game and they do have the best blocking tight end in the league in the portly shape of Jim Kleinsasser. It would also seem rude not to mention future HoF Guard Steve Hutchinson and the impact he has. As dominant a lineman at any position.
6. New Orleans Saints
Let down slightly by their tackles the Saints have done a great job finding talent late in the draft in recent years. While Jamaal Brown is overrated and Jon Stinchcomb is merely serviceable, in the shape of Evans, Nicks and Goodwin the Saints have an extremely strong interior. Even their depth is exceptional and they’re primed to cope with injuries. If Brown can play up to his reputation this unit would be challenging for the top spot.
5. Tennessee Titans
Michael Roos is the trendy pick as best left tackle in the league who is living up to this billing with his partner in crime David Stewart starting to garner the attention his performance deserves. The interior raises some questions, and with Mawai getting older these question marks are only going to get louder. Alge Crumplers’ effectiveness as a receiver is diminishing, but on the plus side we’re getting to see just how good a blocker he is.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
Jason Peters hasn’t been the player the hype has suggested the past two years, but he’s still a very good tackle and the Eagles really upped an ageing o-line and got it much younger and stronger. Stacy Andrews has yet to really prove much, but how much of that was down to being in Bengal country? The interior is extremely good, with all players having Pro Bowl potential. It wouldn’t hurt to get some better blocking out of their tight ends however.
3. New England Patriots
So close to being the best, the Pats have developed a tremendous line with very good play from Logan Mankins (the heir apparent to Steve Hutchinson as best guard in the league)and Matt Light (one of the most savy tackles in the league). They aren’t the most consistent in pass protection but they’ll be made to look better just for having Brady back there.
2. New York Jets
And we have a New Jersey top 2! Brilliance throughout the line the main problem they experienced last year was Brett Favre holding onto the ball, but in pure pass protection and run blocking they were tremendous. It’s safe to call Nick Mangold the best centre in the league while D’Brickashaw Ferguson may very well be the best pass protecting left tackle in the league. Damien Woody was a signing that received a lot of criticism but he’s been phenomenal on the right, and when the worst player on the line is perennial pro bowler Alan Faneca you know you’re not doing too badly.
1. New York Giants
Even with David Diehl this line is still the best. Every offensive interior pales in comparison to the continued brilliance of the Giants 3 headed monster that has been dominant for the past few years. Kareem McKenzie is a very good right tackle and they even got a steal of a prospect on William Beatty who could conceivably challenge David Diehl sooner rather than later. You could put a 160lbs kid from London behind this line without looking at a playbook and he’d probably average at least 4 yards per carry.
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