Quantcast
  1. 24 DEN 27 MIA
  2. 24 DAL 28 CAR
  3. 0 KC 0 JAX
  4. 0 PHI 0 WAS

Red Zone's Official Offensive Linemen Breakdown - SZ70 Edition

by AST1N | 3 years ago | 0 Comments

"Defensive and offensive lineman control the game and true sports fans know that." ~ Dante Hall

"When you hang with a bunch of 300-pound linemen, you tend to find the places that are the greasiest and serve the most food." ~ Tom Brady

"The only qualifications for a lineman are to be big and dumb. To be a back, you only have to be dumb." ~ Knute Rockne

"Football linemen are motivated by a more complicated, self-determining series of factors than the simple fear of humiliation in the public gaze, which is the emotion that galvanizes the backs and receivers." ~ Merlin Olsen


Offensive linemen are the unsung heroes of today's game. With a bad line, you are in line for a bad time. Running holes just aren't there. Your quarterback is constantly under duress. And that's not even mentioning that today's defenses are becoming faster, stronger, and smarter. And yet, here we sit today, undervaluing and under appreciating these big men. 

With Season 70 of Red Zone just on the horizon, I think it is time we give these men the credit due. And by that I mean we judge them and talk about who is great... and who is not. And who is better for that kind of evaluation than some guy on the internet who has never played a snap of offensive line in his life. However, one thing I do know is numbers don't lie. 

Today, we are going to look at two factors to determine who are really the kings of the trenches, and who are the little sisters of the league. We are going to look at both our average starter for each club, as well as analyzing who is set up for the future based on factors such as current overall ratings mixed with their age to give us a Future Outlook Score (FOS). Finally, we will combine both ranks to really determine who are the top dogs. 

 

AVERAGE OVERALL RANKINGS

 

Ah yes, the Browns. While they haven't done much as a Franchise as a whole (they did win a playoff game last season!), this group as a whole is elite. When your 5th best starting lineman is 79 OVR Jack Conklin, you are in great shape. To put that in perspective, there are 5 teams in the league that Conklin would be THEIR BEST LINEMAN. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt should expect to see holes for days, and Baker will get very comfortable in the pocket. 

Now for the bad. I'm looking at you Steelers and Giants. Here are the Steelers across the board: 64, 71, 66, 79, 64. Pray for Ben/Haskins. If Trai Turner goes down (79), they might as well hang up their cleats for the season and just forfeit.

The Giants are better distributed across the line (70, 73, 68, 68, 70), but that line is like doing a line a coke on a dirty toilet seat. Sure, you can be happy to say you have a line, but it's also pretty shitty. It's nothing to write home to Mom about. 

 

FUTURE OUTLOOK SCORE RANKINGS

 

Future Outlook Score is all about both the now, but the future as well. Maybe you were one of those teams that recognized your line needed improvement and you went out and drafted some young guys who have the chance to develop. Your overall average in the previous image may be lower than you'd like, but if you see improvement in your ranking on the FOS ranks, don't hang your head. Things can get better. However, if you see a big drop between the two, your team may have some older veterans who are likely going to either decline in the next few seasons, or potentially even retire on you, leaving you a giant hole in the middle. 

One team to keep an eye on is the Detroit Lions. Penei Sewell is only 20 years old and already is a solid starter (75), and C Frank Ragnow (88) anchors this line at only 25 years old.  

Seattle is not so fortunate. Their line is shaky already, and their two best OL Duane Brown (83) and Gabe Jackson (80) are 36 and 30 years old, respectively. That is going to be some big drop off soon. The Giants and Steelers, mentioned earlier, aren't looking much better either. 

 

TOTAL RANKS

Alright, you've made it this far. So who are we going to crown the top dogs? Or should I say top dawgs. 

 

That's right, the Dawg Pound takes the crown, or at least this one. They don't have much to be excited for ever since LeBron arrived... and then arrived again. We will let them hang this banner and give them some hope for the future.