Offensive Line Statistics
by steeler.lifer on Feb 11, 2009 1:46 PM EST
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PrintOne of the beautiful aspects of football is that team success often defies statistical data, to a larger degree than any other team sport. A big play, a lucky bounce, unquantifiable aspects like team unity, the ability to perform at the right time, good coaching have a tremendous impact on each game.
Perhaps no football position defies statistical analysis more than the offensive line, and the linemen on it. Line success depends on teamwork among the five players and offensive unit success depends on how the game plan plays to the strengths and weakness of the unit up front.
All that said, statistics do serve a purpose. In light of the recent heated debate on these boards about the offensive line I thought I would post the only two sources of data (that I'm aware of at least) about offensive lines and linemen. One, is a breakdown of sacks allowed by individual lineman that is widely available. The list includes 32 players at each position (ie, the player who got at least eight starts at that spot for his team). The second is an analysis of offensive line performance by Football Outsiders www.footballoutsiders.com ...
I'll post the full table of individual sacks allowed below. Relevant to Steelers' discussion, LT Max Starks ranked 16th (out of 32) with 4.0 sacks allowed in 11 starts (tied for 14th with two other players who had more starts); LG Chris Kemoeatu ranked 31st with 7.5 SA (just behind Alan Faneca at 7.0); C Justin Hartwig ranked 32nd with 6.5 SA; RG Darnell Stapleton ranked 26th (out of 30, because two teams did not have a player with at least eight starts) with 5.0 SA in 12 games (the four players behind him had 2-4 more starts); and RT Willie Colon ranked 17th with 5.75 SA in 16 starts. In general the individual stats confirm what we should already know: the line gave up a lot of pressure up the middle against bigger, stronger D-tackles and NTs, and also failed to identify and pick up stunts up the middle. Let's not forget that while Ben's style may contribute to extra sacks, his escapability has in all likelihood prevented FAR MORE from being added to all these individual totals.
Football Outsiders is the best statistical database available. They break down their offensive line stats into two general categories, running effectiveness and pass protection effectiveness. On running plays, the Steelers O-line ranked 25th; In passing, the Steelers O-line ranked 29th. Only two teams, Oakland and Detroit, ranked worse than Pittsburgh in both categories. Only one team ranked behind Pittsburgh in either category (Arizona, run blocking) made the playoffs. There are further breakdowns about run effectiveness in different direction. The Steelers had their highest run ranking behind LT (8th) and around LE (10th). They ranked 24th in running between the guards and were 32nd in runnng behind RT.
In short, the sack totals and FO statistics portray the Steelers offensive line as bad in run blocking, horrible in pass blocking, and that the combined performance qualifies them as one of the 3-4 worst O-lines in the NFL this past year, along with Detroit, Cincinnati and Oakland.
As always, draw your own conclusions.
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
LT
1. Ryan Clady (Broncos) 0.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
2. Michael Roos (Titans) 1.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
3. Tra Thomas (Eagles) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
3. Orlando Pace (Rams) 2.0 sacks allowed (14 starts)
5. Jake Long (Dolphins) 2.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
6. Jordan Gross (Panthers) 3.0 sacks allowed (15 starts)
6. Jammal Brown (Saints) 3.0 sacks allowed (15 starts)
6. Jared Gaither (Ravens) 3.0 sacks allowed (15 starts)
6. Marcus McNeill (Chargers) 3.0 sacks allowed (14 starts)
6. Tony Ugoh (Colts) 3.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
6. Chris Samuels (Redskins) 3.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
6. Todd Weiner (Falcons) 3.0 sacks allowed (11 starts)
13. Walter Jones (Seahawks) 3.5 sacks allowed (12 starts)
14. D’Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets) 4.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
14. Bryant McKinnie (Vikings) 4.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
14. Max Starks (Steelers) 4.0 sacks allowed (11 starts)
17. Joe Thomas (Browns) 4.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
17. Branden Albert (Cheifs) 4.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
19. Levi Brown (Bengals) 5.5 sacks allowed (11 starts)
20. Mike Gandy (Cardinals) 6.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
21. David Diehl (Giants) 6.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
22. Flozell Adams (Cowboys) 7.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
23. Khalif Barnes (Jags) 7.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
23. Matt Light (Pats) 7.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
23. Chad Clifton (Packers) 7.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
23. Kwame Harris (Raiders) 7.5 sacks allowed (11 starts)
27. Joe Staley (49ers) 8.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
28. Donald Penn (Bucs) 8.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
29. Jeff Backus (Lions) 9.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
30. John St. Clair (Bears) 9.75 sacks allowed (16 starts)
31. Duane Brown (Texans) 11.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
31. Jason Peters (Bills) 11.5 sacks allowed (13 starts)
LG
1. Kris Dielman (Chargers) 0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
1. Charlie Johnson (Colts) 0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
1. David Baas (49ers) 0 sacks allowed (9 starts)
4. Carl Nicks (Saints) 0.5 sacks allowed (13 starts)
5. Todd Herremans (Eagles) 0.75 sacks allowed (15 starts)
6. Brian Waters (Chiefs) 1.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
7. Josh Beekman (Bears) 1.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
8. Robert Gallery (Raiders) 1.75 sacks allowed (16 starts)
8. Reggie Wells (Cardinals) 1.75 sacks allowed (16 starts)
10. Eugene Amano (Titans) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
10. Chris Chester (Ravens) 2.0 sacks allowed (11 starts)
12. Chester Pitts (Texans) 2.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Ben Hamilton (Broncos) 2.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Travelle Wharton (Panthers) 2.5 sacks allowed (14 starts)
12. Jacob Bell (Rams) 2.5 sacks allowed (13 starts)
12. Justin Smiley (Dolphins) 2.5 sacks allowed (12 starts)
17. Rich Seubert (Giants) 3.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
17. Pete Kendall (Redskins) 3.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
17. Justin Blalock (Falcons) 3.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
27. Eric Steinbach (Browns) 3.0 sacks allowed (14 starts)
21. Floyd Womack (Seahawks) 3.5 sacks allowed (14 starts)
22. Edwin Mulitalo (Lions) 4.25 sacks allowed (11 starts)
23. Arron Sears (Bucs) 4.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
23. Uche Nwaneri (Jags) 4.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
23. Cory Procter (Cowboys) 4.5 sacks allowed (11 starts)
26. Logan Mankins (Pats) 5.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
26. Andrew Whitworth (Bengals) 5.0 sacks allowed (10 starts)
28. Daryn Colledge (Packers) 6.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
29. Steve Hutchinson (Vikings) 7.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
29. Alan Faneca (Jets) 7.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
31. Chris Kemoeatu (Steelers) 7.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
32. Derrick Dockery (Bills) 8.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
C
1. Olin Kreutz (Bears) 0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
1. Todd McClure (Falcons) 0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
1. Chris Myers (Texans) 0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
1. Kevin Mawae (Titans) 0 sacks allowed (15 starts)
1. Ryan Kalil (Panthers) 0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
6. Brad Meester (Jags) 0.25 sacks allowed (10 starts)
7. Lyle Sendlein (Cardinals) 0.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
8. Duke Preston (Bills) 0.75 sacks allowed (11 starts)
9. Casey Wiegmann (Broncos) 1.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
9. Jeff Faine (Bucs) 1.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
9. Jonathan Goodwin (Saints) 1.0 sacks allowed (13 starts)
12. Nick Mangold (Jets) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Andre Gurode (Cowboys) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Shaun O’Hara (Giants) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Matt Birk (Vikings) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Jeff Saturday (Colts) 2.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
12. Dominic Raiola (Lions) 2.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
12. Nick Leckey (Rams) 2.0 sacks allowed (10 starts)
19. Jason Brown (Ravens) 2.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
19. Jamaal Jackson (Eagles) 2.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
21. Hank Fraley (Browns) 2.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
21. Nick Hardwick (Chargers) 2.5 sacks allowed (13 starts)
21. Jake Grove (Raiders) 2.5 sacks allowed (12 starts)
21. Chris Spencer (Seahawks) 2.5 sacks allowed (11 starts)
25. Rudy Niswanger (Chiefs) 3.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
25. Scott Wells (Packers) 3.5 sacks allowed (13 starts)
27. Eric Heitmann (49ers) 4.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
27. Eric Ghaiciuc (Bengals) 4.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
29. Samson Satele (Dolphins) 4.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
29. Dan Koppen (Pats) 4.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
31. Casey Rabach (Redskins) 5.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
32. Justin Harwig (Steelers) 6.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
RG
1. Chris Kuper (Broncos) 0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
2. Jake Scott (Titans) 0.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
2. Max Jean-Gilles (Eagles) 0.5 sacks allowed (10 starts)
4. Chris Snee (Giants) 1.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
4. Harvey Dahl (Falcons) 1.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
4. Jason Spitz (Packers) 1.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
4. Ikechuku Ndukwe (Dolphins) 1.0 sacks allowed (15 starts)
4. Brad Butler (Bills) 1.0 sacks allowed (13 starts)
4. Davin Joseph (Bucs) 1.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
4. Adrian Jones (Chiefs) 1.0 sacks allowed (10 starts)
11. Rex Hadnot (Browns) 1.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
12. Deuce Lutui (Cardinals) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Brandon Moore (Jets) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Mike Brisiel (Texans) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Jahri Evans (Saints) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
12. Mike Pollak (Colts) 2.0 sacks allowed (13 starts)
12. Stephen Neal (Pats) 2.0 sacks allowed (9 starts)
18. Roberto Garza (Bears) 2.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
19. Randy Thomas (Redskins) 4.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
19. Robbie Williams (Bengals) 4.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
19. Cooper Carlisle (Raiders) 4.0 sacks allowed (15 starts)
19. Stephen Peterman (Lions) 4.0 sacks allowed (14 starts)
19. Tony Wragge (49ers) 4.0 sacks allowed (10 starts)…RFA
24. Leonard Davis (Cowboys) 4.5 sacks allowed (16 starts) *PRO-BOWL*
24. Mike Goff (Chargers) 4.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
26. Darnell Stapleton (Steelers) 5.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
27. Ben Grubbs (Ravens) 6.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
27. Richie Incognito (Rams) 6.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
29. Dennis Norman (Jags) 7.25 sacks allowed (14 starts)
30. Anthony Herrera (Vikings) 7.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
RT
1. Ryan Diem (Colts) 1.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
1. Jon Stinchcomb (Saints) 1.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
1. Ray Willis (Seahawks) 1.5 sacks allowed (10 starts)
4. David Stewart (Titans) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
4. Mark Tauscher (Packers) 2.0 sacks allowed (13 starts)
6. Ryan Harris (Broncos) 2.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
6. Tyson Clabo (Falcons) 2.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
8. Langston Walker (Bills) 3.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
8. Nick Kaczur (Pats) 3.0 sacks allowed (14 starts)
10. Willie Anderson (Ravens) 3.5 sacks allowed (11 starts)
11. Kareem McKenzie (Giants) 4.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
11. Vernon Carey (Dolphins) 4.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
11. Kevin Shaffer (Browns) 4.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
14. Jeff Otah (Panthers) 5.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
15. Tony Pashos (Jags) 5.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
15. Marc Colombo (Cowboys) 5.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
17. Willie Colon (Steelers) 5.75 sacks allowed (16 starts)
18. John Tait (Bears) 6.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
18. Jeremy Trueblood (Bucs) 6.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
18. Ryan Cook (Vikings) 6.0 sacks allowed (14 starts)
18. Gosder Cherilus (Lions) 6.0 sacks allowed (13 starts)
22. Damien Woody (Jets) 6.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
22. Jeromey Clary (Chargers) 6.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
22. Jon Jansen (Redskins) 6.5 sacks allowed (11 starts)
25. Jon Runyan (Eagles) 7.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
25. Damion McIntosh (Chiefs) 7.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
27. Cornell Green (Raiders) 7.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
27. Alex Barron (Rams) 7.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
29. Eric Winston (Texans) 8.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
30. Stacy Andrews (Bengals) 9.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
31. Adam Snyder (49ers) 9.5 sacks allowed (13 starts)
32. Levi Brown (Cardinals) 11.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
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We got the same production
for less money
"The team that scores the most points wins."
John Madden
(Master of the obvious)
Faneca made the pro bowl this year, I don’t know if he got in only by reputation but I would venture to say he’s clearly better than Kemo. Sack numbers I think are misleading. No way Justin Hartwig is the worst Center in the league. He did an admirable job considering he had 2 below average Guards next to him.
Dude
Kerry Collins made the probowl.
"The team that scores the most points wins."
John Madden
(Master of the obvious)
Guys,…there’s a difference between a QB making the pro bowl and an OG making the pro bowl. QBs are mostly media/glamour picks. Alan Faneca > Kemo.
Ok
I wasn’t debating whether Faneca was better than Kemo. I am however saying that you saying Faneca made the Pro Bowl means exactly dick.
"The team that scores the most points wins."
John Madden
(Master of the obvious)
Most of the people who voted for the probowl this year didn’t watch a goddamn single jets game, and if they did they were slobbering all over Brett. Just like it was evident at the end of the year that almost no one had watched a steelers game. Faneca sucked this year, there was no excuse.
Don't worry about the haters. Haters only hate.
Which Means...?
I honestly think Faneca was a bit over-rated… but in his defense, you can’t be a line all by yourself. Even if you do everything right, the line can suck.
Just that keeping him for a much larger contract would have been a mistake. True, he can’t do it all by himself, but based on what I heard about his season, it sounded like he was doing better this year than he actually was. Now, he’s on a better OL (by all indications that I’ve heard anyway), and he’s still giving up just as many sacks as Kemo, for LOT more money than Kemo.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Feb 13, 2009 12:06 PM EST up reply actions
Ben
lol
"The team that scores the most points wins."
John Madden
(Master of the obvious)
by PixburghArn on Feb 11, 2009 3:43 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Good Question
I guess if there was no smoking gun, no one gets blamed?
That sort of calls into question the whole list, doesn’t it?
TEs, RBs?
I like Moore, but I can definitely remember a few pickups he missed.
simmons and smith before they got hurt….that’s about 10 sacks right there
Why should I change my name? He's the one that sucks!
by NoCal-SteelCity on Feb 13, 2009 12:35 AM EST up reply actions
Good question
Between Simmons and Smith, there are nine other unaccounted-for starts. There would also be times during the games when Essex played. Perhaps the stats don’t take into account when Starks or Stapleton played as substitutes early in the season. Just speculating, but if a defense brings more pass-rushers than there are blockers, it would be difficult to assign blame to an individual. Perhaps there is a “Team Sack” category to account for that.
Maybe Bruce Arians led the league in “Coach” sacks.
Some sacks
are attributed to no one. I believe, I may be wrong. Also some sacks are put on TE’s, HB’s, FB’s, and very rarely a WR who is kept in tight to the formation, if a DB brings him down.
I could be wrong on some of these though.
LOL
great call on Faneca next to Kemo. Clearly, Faneca is better but for the $$$$ we saved I still say it was the right move to not sign him.
Kemo…I know some are really down on him and think he will be replaced…Imo, I think he did a credible job for a first year starter…yes, I’m well aware of all his screw ups (I only missed the Titan game this year) but I really think he will continue to improve.
Value. It’s all about value. If we can re-sign him to a cap-friendly contract and he keeps making strides, like i think he will, he will be a great value. Btw, I really think Tomlin loves the guy.
We’ll find out shortly…
Faneca is still an excellent run blocker
According to Football Outsiders, the Jets offensive line ranked No. 4 in run blocking, and the team ranked No. 3 at running between the guards and No. 1 at RT and around RE, to which Faneca would contribute as a pulling guard.
Can make it better
I think comparing these stats with Y/A would be helpful, especially Y/A in the air. For instance: Colts linemen will always be near the top because Peyton gets the ball out so quick.
Plus, Ben not only holds the ball longer than most QBs (not that it’s a bad thing), but the Steelers don’t throw many screens. I would venture a guess they are near the bottom of the league in % of passes that are screens.
Point: Steelers are not going to be near the top of the league in this analysis even if they had one of the best lines. Still a very good analysis, but take it with a grain of salt.
by CarlWeathersMustache on Feb 11, 2009 7:55 PM EST reply actions
Agreed Carl
Ben is always going to have a relatively high number of sacks, the question is how much is acceptable. Sacks, both on defense and offense, can be a misleading statistic. Tomlin has made this point himself many times about the defense, saying he doesn’t care about sacks, he cares about putting pressure on the QB. Ben makes the same point on the other side of the coin, admitting he accepts sacks as part of the price he pays for trying to make a play long after any other QB would have thrown it away or curled into the fetal position. But if we’re going to celebrate our defensive sacks (and why not) and claim it as further evidence of a strong defense (which we should), then we have to accept the other side of the coin, too. Ben is hit too often, period.
The real issue
The most important issue is the RUN BLOCKING!!!!!!! Especially in crucial short yardage situations!!! How many times did we struggle to punch it in from inside the 5 this year. ugggghhh! Example.. i think the refs got Tone’s TD catch vs the Ravens correct. It was Russ’s 1st down that we got lucky on. How many times did that happen at the goal line during the season? Looking back on it, almost once per game. It was nauseating! I don’t know what the answer is but I’d like to see us at have a major focus on the OL in the next 2 years at least. Improving the running game alone eliminates a good number of hits on 7. I say go for it FO and get some beefy talent in here while Ben can still walk.
It's always tempting
to assunme that statistics tell the whole story, but there are a helluva lot of factors that simply can not be measured. Things like stunts by a defense, substitutions, one-day tendencies certain players develop(basically bad habits), broken plays due to fumbles or poor timing or tripping or anything else, failure by another lineman to properly pick up a block or shift according to scheme, crowd noise, various flu’s/colds/illnesses etc etc…
There is simply too much happening on the field of play that involves far too many seperate human beings for any numerical dataset to tell a complete tale. By the numbers on this post the Steelers offensive line should’ve caused the team to finish in the bottom third of the league, but that didn’t happen. Again- by NO means am i saying this offensive line is great, but we would survive(and succeed) IF it remained exactly as it was this year(which won’t happen, so things can probably only improve).
As far as the goal-line and short-yardage game goes: we got spoiled by having outstanding center’s and Big Red(Faneca) for so many years, along with Jerome Bettis. MOST teams in the league struggle on goalline and short-yardage. Pittsburgh was lucky to have dominated in those situations for a long time. I’d love to see our team develop a short game again, as long as we don’t come to depend almost exclusively on short runs and killing the clock again. That same short-yardage dependability that we miss so much was the biggest shortcoming of Cowher’s era: we weren’t much of an offense beyond “three yards and a cloud of dust”.
And Ben DOES get hit a lot, but he certainly does NOT get rid of the ball nearly as fast as Brady or Manning. Until he starts mastering those quick-timing throws no offensive line will keep him upright. Period.
It’s always easy to criticize a given group, especially when most everyone else is criticizing them too. The trick is to understand the realities of the game well enough to know for yourself what is(and what isn’t) wrong, and if it can be fixed. There is a hell of a lot more to correct on our offense than simply replacing players.
Surprised about Hartwig?
Dude is 32 in the league in sacks allowed. I think we really should get Mack if he is there, because we have deal with people like Ngata and Rogers and possibly B.J. Raji for years to come.
by TrueSteelerForLife on Feb 12, 2009 1:56 AM EST reply actions
And HOW
was this offensive line so “terrible” when they gave up about the same number of sacks that they’ve given up the last few years? And- against the best defenses in the league(with our tough schedule)?
Ben’s sack numbers are almost identical the last three years.
I agree that the true issue at hand is NOT the sack numbers but the struggles in the running game. As i remember the season, most of Ben’s come-back wins came from this exact same offensive line doing at least adequete pass-blocking. At least- good enough to let Ben get the ball to recievers….
When was the last time you felt good about 3rd and 1?
Yeah… sacks are a problem. We need to keep Ben healthy.
But when you have Tomlin kicking field goals in the Super Bowl because he has no faith in our line being able to pick up a TD on 4th and a foot… I think it says all we need to know about where this O Line is — stats be damned.
In 2005 it was never a question of what we would have done there… With the Bus in the backfield, and that line driving forward, 3 and 1 was a given. (Well, OK, Cowher liked to play Marty ball, so he probably kicks the FG anyway… but if Tomlin had faith in the line, we would have gone for it.. .and if we make it, we have 8 more points on the board and Larry Fitzgerald’s TD would have been a mere blip on the way to the coronation…)
This year, we call Ben roll out and run instead of smash it up the middle — and just try to stop us… It’s embarrassing it what it is.
Parker was right about one thing: That’s not Steeler football.
Haa
You guys going down with this OL ship crack me up. Big question is this… which one of these mediocre guys do we keep vs the $$ we need to sign some of our other FA’s or guys with 1 year left or even someone like Tone? Answer that please and lets forget about 08, 07, 06 & 05. As i recall we won the F’n superbowl 2 x’s, both times with different linemen except for Starks. No question we need 2 or 3 OL through the draft and/or FA. Personally i won’t be sad to see any one of them go vs some of the other guys we can sign. tobiathan the OL wasn’t “terrible” and as i recall the Cowher era of “3 yards and a cloud of dust”.. refresh my memory…. who was our QB(s) then? O’donnell, Cordell, & Tommy gun didn’t seem to have any problems behind those OL’s. Who cares if 7 holds on to the ball or doesn’t get it out quickly enough, i wouldn’t pay a pint or urine for Brady or Manning with our OL’s of the past 3 years. they would have been running scared as well. Why can’t we just all agree we need some options on the OL and leave it at that?
Did you misunderstand me?
Becuase i was supporting the exact point you just made.
Not sure how it could seem otherwise, but i’m on the O-line’s side: they were NOT “terrible”.
They struggled, had trouble on short-yardage downs, but otherwise performed pretty darned well against the best line-up of opposing defenses in the NFL’s last 25 years. How everyone ignores that fact i don’t know, but ANY rag-tag bunch of back-ups, replacements, 2nd-stringers and journeyman C’s who go 12-4 w/a SB win are OK in my book.
Point is the middle of the OL is weak
Arizona and every team after this will attack up the middle. Kemi, Hart, and Stapleton were constantly pushed into the backfield on run plays, ran over on pass plays and confused on lineman running X stunts. X stunts are the first stunts u learn in pee wee football. I saw Stapleton and Colon give up a 2 second sack on an X stunt. I can’t belive these 2 don’t know how to communicate. Why r u going over to Hartwig’s house to watch more tape?
Yeah but
teams have been doing that for the last two years. In the second half of this year, we finally saw (as maryrose put it) an inch or two of improvement.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Feb 12, 2009 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
Props to Starks
for being, statistically, our best lineman…and still ranking in the middle of the pack amongst the rest of the NFL LT’s. I still say we re-sign him.
Why should I change my name? He's the one that sucks!
by NoCal-SteelCity on Feb 13, 2009 12:50 AM EST reply actions
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