O-Line Perceptions

by baltimore A-Train on Jan 14, 2009 9:35 AM EST

Can Blitz or somone help me with a question I have? I sick and tired of hearing from Sportscenter, mike and mike etc, about how many sacks we gave up this year. They all seem to think that putting that pressure on BB will cause him to have flashbacks because of the concussion he had. My thoughts seem to be that since the Pats game, our o-line has really been doing a credible job, except for the tenn. game. My own thoughts are that if I had to take a guess, I would say since that game our "Average" sacks per game has been between 2.5 and 3.5. If I'm not mistaken I don"t think the ravens were in the top five with sacks and WE led the AFC in sacks. Thoughts?

A-Train

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Sack totals

We got 51 sacks on the year, Baltimore had 33. Rankings, I’m not sure. Sacks allowed really didn’t change a whole lot towards the end of the season, with the exception of the last week of the regular season, when we didn’t allow any. I do think the O-Line played better as a group towards the end of the year, despite the lack of a change in sacks allowed. It didn’t seem the gaping holes were as big as they were at the beginning of the year. But we did give up about 3-5 sacks a game.
For the record we allowed 49 sacks this year and Baltimore allowed as many as they gave, 33. Including post season.

by NYSteelersFan4 on Jan 14, 2009 12:40 PM EST reply actions

Not sure about that

I may be in the minority on this one, but I lay the teams offensive woes squarely on lack of protection.

Our sacks since the new england game:
Dallas 5 Sacks – 1 fumble – Big ben also ran 5 times….
Baltimore – 3 Sacks -1 fumble – Big Ben ran 4 times
Tennessee – 5 Sacks – 4 fumbles – 2 interceptions
Cleveland – 0 Sacks – Spinal Concussion

there is no question in my mind that this falls squarely on the shoulders of the 0-line. Some blame should also be reserved for Bruce Arians for not calling great games.

I don’t buy that this is on Big Ben. Yes he doesn’t make super quick reads at times, but I don’t think that any QB has been subjected to the level of pressure that he faced over the past three years. Ben is an elusive, strong guy and he can make one guy miss. He can’t make three guys miss.

by SteelerBuddha on Jan 14, 2009 12:42 PM EST reply actions

I completely agree

The weakest part of this team is the o-line. We can’t deny it. Until we improve that unit, we won’t be a good team offensively. Too much falls on the shoulders of the o-line. They are a huge factor in our running game, and our passing game. The question is how long can our defense carry the team? And will their be a good line next year (via free agency, or draft)?

by TrueSteelerForLife on Jan 14, 2009 1:53 PM EST up reply actions

I think we need to keep things in perspective here ..

“..we won’t be a good offence..” We’re already have a good offence, we’re 12-4 and hosting the AFC championship game people .. Yes the O-line can improve and if it does we’d move into the category of DOMINANT offence .. !

But O-lines need time together and this years has been put together with glue & sticky tape .. we lost our starting LT and RG, the 2 most experienced members of the O-line. We have a new centre, a first year starter at LG and a first year started at RG. That is a tough set of circumstances to deal with .. plus we have a QB who is not a dink & dime check down artist ..

The O-line has dealt with a tough set of circumstances and done an ok job .. good enough to get us to the Superbowl …

by Rash92 on Jan 15, 2009 5:44 AM EST up reply actions

HUAW! Good ...

point. 12-4 under the less than adequate circumstances in all areas of the game is pretty dang good, make that great.

by tenthmtnman on Jan 15, 2009 8:43 AM EST up reply actions

Sacks by Game

vs. Texans- 2
vs. Browns- 2
vs. Eagles- 9
vs. Ravens- 3
vs. Jaguars- 3
vs. Bengals- 0
vs. Giants- 5
vs. Redskins- 4
vs. Colts- 2
vs. Chargers- 4
vs. Bengals- 0
vs. Patriots- 1
vs. Cowboys- 5
vs, Ravens- 3
vs. Titans- 5
vs. Browns- 0

No real pattern or any signs of improvement, really. These numbers are pulled from
www.pro-football-reference.com

by NYSteelersFan4 on Jan 14, 2009 12:48 PM EST reply actions

Sacks alone not indicative of pressure

There are no stats kept for the number of times a QB is hit, hurried or harassed. The Ravens are mid-pack in sacks but put a ton of pressure on the QB, which is why they led the league in interceptions, as QB’s tend to get rid of the ball too early because of their pressure. In both games, Ben was hit, sacked and beaten up a lot more than the Steelers did to Flacco. There is every indication so far in the post season that regardless of the outcome, this trend should continue. That is just part of the reason that Ravens fans are optimistic.

Rexx

by Rexx on Jan 14, 2009 1:02 PM EST reply actions

Not sure about that either

The San Diego game was a turning point for our O-line. I am not saying we are sure to see the same performance from them, but it does seem that they improved a great deal. I think part of it was a commitment to running the ball which greatly relieved pressure on Big Ben. We also got to see what Ben looks like with half decent protection and a running game (answer: Great!).

Flacco, is having a good rookie campaign. His numbers in the regular season have been good. His two playoff wins have been very impressive. He deserves a lot of credit for getting this team as far as he has. Still he has not looked particularly good against the Steelers. He will have to have a mistake free, effective game for the Ravens to win.

by SteelerBuddha on Jan 14, 2009 1:22 PM EST up reply actions

There was no FWP

in the first game and he ws not helathy in the second. Having a legitimate rushing attack/threat will help to somewhat neutralize the harrassment, even if it’s only marginally effective yardage wise. Ben is big and strong enough to get the ball downfield with accuracy if he catches the Ravens in a blitz.

"Whaddya' mean all the beer is gone..?

by OhioYinzer on Jan 14, 2009 1:46 PM EST up reply actions