While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. Over the course of a couple weeks, I'll break down every NFL team's offensive lines into five tiers: the crème de la crème, the highly competent, the serviceable, the grim, and the bunk.
It's important to note that the "grim" group is not the worst of the bunch, but rather just the 2 stars out of 5 where you give an extra star because you are friends with the production assistant. To paraphrase the words of a wise old sage, this group offensive lines is "like a slot machine, they pay off once in a while but then they'll rob you clean." If you really have faith in a skill player on one of these teams, go ahead and pull the trigger. This does not necessarily imply impending doom for all those involved, but tread gently down this path for these units are not very good.
The Chicago Bears: All you Matt Forte missionaries might want to rethink your calling. The Bears line is awful. The front office invested in first round manbeast, Chris Williams, to shore up the line with a strong left tackle, but he just went under the knife for a herniated disc in his back. If he can play, which will be half a season at best, the Bears cannot help but improve from last season. If not, things look pretty much the exact same: the worst run blocking in the NFL. Center Olin Kreutz, despite his age, remains a top player at his position. The rest of the spots would be equally well served with a roll of fiberglass insulation.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 43
2007 Yards Per Carry: 3.1
The Washington Redskins: On paper, this is a decent bunch, particularly with five-time pro bowl left tackle, Chris Samuels anchoring the left side. The problem in Washington is this is a crotchety old group of 30+ year olds whose bodies are ready for shuffleboard. Jon Jansen is coming off a broken ankle (nagging injury), Randy Thomas tore a triceps last season, and Pete Kendall has perpetual knee problems. If they stay healthy, the group should be solid enough, but don't hold your breath.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 29
2007 Yards Per Carry: 3.8
The Seattle Seahawks: When Steve Hutchinson departed after the 2005 season, so too did Seattle's offense. Walter Jones - coming off his second consecutive offseason shoulder surgery - and Chris Gray are nearing the end of their respective tours of duty. Seattle invested in some young talent, Rob Sims (RG) and Chris Spencer (C), but it remains to be seen if they are ready for prime time.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 36
2007 Yards Per Carry: 3.8
The Cincinnati Bengals: This group presents an anomaly: top pass blockers, terrible run blockers. Levi Jones went under the knife last year for, gasp, his knee. Willie Anderson also missed a lot of time as well. Look, I know what you are thinking: why does this guy keep downgrading these units based on potential injuries - an utterly un-predictable prediction. With any other position, I would agree, but when 300+ pound men's bodies start to go, they go fast. The shelf life is not the same as a quarterback or wide receiver. Furthermore, choosing who will fill the holes in Cincinnati is like choosing from a bag of Skittles full of only grapes and lemons – lose, lose.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 17
2007 Yards Per Carry: 3.7
The Denver Broncos: Denver's line is in the thick of a transitional period. Left tackle Matt Lepsis announced his retirement, so the Broncos selected the high profile Ryan Clady with the number 12 selection of the '08 draft. There is a lot of pressure on the youngster to deliver as he should start from day one. Two key cogs, center Tom Nolan and guard Ben Hamilton, finished their respective '07 seasons on the injured reserve with torn triceps and serious concussions respectively. If they cannot go, the replacements are not great.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 32
2007 Yards Per Carry: 4.6
The Houston Texans: Houston also nabbed a first rounder in left tackle Duane Brown, but he is not expected to start right off the bat. He will likely undergo mentoring from incumbent Ephraim Salaam until he earns confidence as the starter. The Texans also attained center Chris Myers from Denver, an immediate upgrade who knows Gary Kubiak's system. Right guard Fred Weary returns from a leg injury, but is expected to start. Right tackle Eric Winston and guard Chester Pitts provide some experience, but not a ton of skill at their respective spots. The remaining positions are up for grabs between a group of green linemen, Michael Brisiel, Brandon Frye, and Kasey Stoddard. Finally, Charles Spencer is attempting to return after major knee surgery in 2006. Overall there's just a lot of moving parts, but things could potentially fall into place. By the way, your team name is stupid.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 22
2007 Yards Per Carry: 3.8
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-25-2008 @ 5:04PM
Scott Walsh said...
I am glad to see a discussion take place about O-Lines. I met John Mckay many years ago and he said to me that good running backs are common but there are so few good offensive lineman that can both run block and pass block. He told me that he recruits athletic linemen who can run block and pass block well. If he has good lineman that can do that, then the team usually wins. I am surprised more coaches do not go after the best lineman period. It is a QB or RB that gets the first call---too bad.
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