SI - Ranking the Playoff O-lines...

"It could be said that the Seahawks won the Super Bowl last season in spite of their offensive line, not because of it, and that's been just as true this season. It's a line that relies tremendously on Marshawn Lynch's ability to break tackles and create openings, along with Russell Wilson's knack for escaping pressure and making big plays. That said, Wilson is also responsible for a lot of his own takedowns, as any mobile quarterback will be. The two stars on this line are left tackle Russell Okung and center Max Unger, and both players have missed time this season due to injury. Overall, it's a decent run-blocking line with some unique challenges given Seattle's schematic constraints, but in a general sense, this line hurts more than it helps. Rookie right tackle Justin Britt has allowed 49 total pressures this season, second-most among any lineman on the remaining playoff teams."

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/01/05/nfl-pl ... ns-broncos

Sums it up nicely, I wonder sometimes what Pete REALLY thinks of the line, this is certainly the style that he wants to play with the run game and the extended play. I just wonder if he expects them to pass protect better, or if he's comfortable with the sheer volume of the risky boom-or-bust style extended broken pass plays.

How many tackles did Marshawn break when he waltzed untouched into the end zone against St. Louis due to a fantastic combo block by Sweezy and Britt?

This piece fails to give the line any credit as an elite run blocking unit. For every bustling run by Lynch dragging tacklers the extra few yards, he also benefits greatly by fantastic execution up front.

Football Outsiders grades the line at #4 for run blocking and #24 for pass pro. Dallas' much vaunted O-line is #1 for run blocking and #17 for pass pro. Pretty similar. I bet Pete can live with that.

Marshawn gets hit in the backfield far more often than he gets a huge hole to run through.

This line isn't elite in any phase.

Seems unfair that this line that just put up a historic season in terms of rushing has been thrown under the bus so relentlessly. Farrar includes some minimal commentary on run blocking, but his rankings look like they're based entirely on pass blocking stats. We run ZBS and are fully committed to it. Some give on pass-pro comes with the territory.

It's not all Lynch. Beast Mode is animal at the second level, but he can get stuffed at the line as frequently as anyone. Turbin and Michael are running for a collective YPC that is comparable to Lynch's and both have looked very good running behind the line this season. Seahawks are #1 in explosive runs. That's what this line is built to do.

DavidSeven":2d3q2ucj said:

Seems unfair that this line that just put up a historic season in terms of rushing has been thrown under the bus so relentlessly. Farrar includes some minimal commentary on run blocking, but his rankings look like they're based entirely on pass blocking stats. We run ZBS and are fully committed to it. Some give on pass-pro comes with the territory.

It's not all Lynch. Beast Mode is animal at the second level, but he can get stuffed at the line as frequently as anyone. Turbin and Michael are running for a collective YPC that is comparable to Lynch's and both have looked very good running behind the line this season. Seahawks are #1 in explosive runs. That's what this line is built to do.

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Seems silly to give credit to an o-line for Russell getting massive yards on broken pass plays and RO runs and an elite running back the likes of which will probably not be seen again any time soon.
The line is decent at run blocking and terrible at pass pro. I get that's what they have decided to run with as a team but lets just call a spade a spade. This team would be royally screwed without Marshawn and Russell.

I agree with English...

It's almost as if people want to pay no attention to Run Blocking when evaluating the OL. We are a running team...why is anybody surprised that Pass Blocking is of lesser importance? Probably of even more importance, OL is not a position in which people see "good plays." They tend to only see the "bad plays."

Don't get me wrong, I'd love an all world OL, but it's just not happening these days. The better athletes on the the Defensive line. I'm not sure many of you really want to see what happens to this team, if they switch their emphasis to pass blocking, yet want to maintain a dominant run game. Lastly, as much as we all love RW, let's not pretend for a minute, that he is an easy QB to pass block for. There's a lot of mobility, prematurely leaving the pocket, offensive scheme/design, etc.

I've slept much better at night, knowing that arbitrary OL rankings are pretty meaningless for the most part. We are a running team, who is dominating the run game at historic levels. Yes, RW contributes greatly to that, but isn't that part of his skill set that makes him special and the Seahawks unique?

Lazy article is lazy. Dude doesn't even mention the fact that Chandler has been replaced by journeyman Mike Remmers, who has played excellent at RT since he took over five weeks ago.

''Right tackle Nate Chandler gave up seven sacks and 31 total pressures in just 703 total snaps."

We have an elite run blocking line and a average to slightly above average pass blocking line that looks worse because of Wilson. He is constantly on the move and doesnt dump the ball off when the protection breaks down.

Britt has been amazing for a rookie in run blocking and has looked like a rookie in pass blocking.

Carp has been a bit disappointing this year and has made some really bone headed plays, especially when Unger hasn't been there to keep him in line.

For the most part, I agree with SIs rankings although I would give the nod to Baltimore for the top spot.

-bsd

Pretty terrible article. Anyone who says the Hawks have anything but an elite run blocking OL clearly isn't paying attention.

Hawkfan77":22ibi7oq said:

Pretty terrible article. Anyone who says the Hawks have anything but an elite run blocking OL clearly isn't paying attention.

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I mean it's Doug Farrar, I think it's a stretch to say that he isn't paying close attention to Seahawks games.

theENGLISHseahawk":vjvfio86 said:

How many tackles did Marshawn break when he waltzed untouched into the end zone against St. Louis due to a fantastic combo block by Sweezy and Britt?

This piece fails to give the line any credit as an elite run blocking unit. For every bustling run by Lynch dragging tacklers the extra few yards, he also benefits greatly by fantastic execution up front.

Football Outsiders grades the line at #4 for run blocking and #24 for pass pro. Dallas' much vaunted O-line is #1 for run blocking and #17 for pass pro. Pretty similar. I bet Pete can live with that.

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And the football outsiders grades pass the eye test too. We are pretty solid run blocking but too many holes on pass plays. I think that can be attributed to lack of continuity too. Playing 4 different centers, Okung and Carp in and out all season makes for problems in pass protection for sure. Nice to have evryone back in time for the playoffs.

Anyone know how many games this season all 5 starters have played in agame together?

MidwestHawker":1zd30f8h said:

Hawkfan77":1zd30f8h said:

Pretty terrible article. Anyone who says the Hawks have anything but an elite run blocking OL clearly isn't paying attention.

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I mean it's Doug Farrar, I think it's a stretch to say that he isn't paying close attention to Seahawks games.

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I didn't read the article and didn't know who wrote it.

Saying that, I don't know how he could come away with barely glossing over our run blocking to call them "decent". He should be better and more in tune than that.

bigskydoc":337bv1eg said:

We have an elite run blocking line and a average to slightly above average pass blocking line that looks worse because of Wilson. He is constantly on the move and doesnt dump the ball off when the protection breaks down.

Britt has been amazing for a rookie in run blocking and has looked like a rookie in pass blocking.

Carp has been a bit disappointing this year and has made some really bone headed plays, especially when Unger hasn't been there to keep him in line.

For the most part, I agree with SIs rankings although I would give the nod to Baltimore for the top spot.

-bsd

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So to you the oline is good at pass blocking and it is Wilsons fault they look so bad. Hmm makes you wonder why we are even thinking about resigning him. Or put TJ in instead if our oline is so good at pass blocking as you said he should be fine in there after all it is really all about the defense and Lynch anyway. Hmm seems like if you are correct they should save their money and let Wilson go and find a QB that can take advantage of this above avg pass blocking oline.

peachesenregalia":3b5s7k6y said:

Anthony!":3b5s7k6y said:

bigskydoc":3b5s7k6y said:

We have an elite run blocking line and a average to slightly above average pass blocking line that looks worse because of Wilson. He is constantly on the move and doesnt dump the ball off when the protection breaks down.

Britt has been amazing for a rookie in run blocking and has looked like a rookie in pass blocking.

Carp has been a bit disappointing this year and has made some really bone headed plays, especially when Unger hasn't been there to keep him in line.

For the most part, I agree with SIs rankings although I would give the nod to Baltimore for the top spot.

-bsd

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So to you the oline is good at pass blocking and it is Wilsons fault they look so bad. Hmm makes you wonder why we are even thinking about resigning him. Or put TJ in instead if our oline is so good at pass blocking as you said he should be fine in there after all it is really all about the defense and Lynch anyway. Hmm seems like if you are correct they should save their money and let Wilson go and find a QB that can take advantage of this above avg pass blocking oline.

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Literally laughed out loud here. Anthony! is to Russell Wilson what MysterMatt used to be to BFS.

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ukeface:

Anthony!":wkfebhjh said:

So to you the oline is good at pass blocking

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Yes, the O-Line is pretty good at pass blocking. Currently right at or just above league average.

Anthony!":wkfebhjh said:

and it is Wilsons fault they look so bad.

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Russel Wilson, and his receivers, make the o-line look and grade out worse than they actually are.

Anthony!":wkfebhjh said:

Hmm makes you wonder why we are even thinking about resigning him... seems like if you are correct they should save their money and let Wilson go and find a QB that can take advantage of this above avg pass blocking oline.

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Because, our goal is winning games, not making the offensive line "look" good or grade out well in pass protection. Wilson gives us the best chance at winning games. 36 wins in 3 regular seasons speaks for itself.

The offensive line would look better with a traditional pocket passer standing in a predictable place behind them and throwing the ball when the protection starts to break down. We would lose more games, and have more interceptions and incompletions, but the line would look better.

Anthony!":wkfebhjh said:

after all it is really all about the defense and Lynch anyway. Hmm

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Nope, it is really all about the wins, and Russell Wilson is the QB who gives us the best chance at earning them even if the tradeoff is making the O-line look worse than it actually is.

Of course, the BIGGEST reason the offensive line "looks so bad" is unrealistic beliefs of what an average NFL offensive line looks like when facing off against the NFL's top defenses.

- bsd RPA

Anthony!":1xsvmaki said:

So to you the oline is good at pass blocking

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Yes, the O-Line is pretty good at pass blocking. Currently right at or just above league average.

Anthony!":1xsvmaki said:

and it is Wilsons fault they look so bad.

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Russel Wilson, and his receivers, make the o-line look and grade out worse than they actually are.

Anthony!":1xsvmaki said:

Hmm makes you wonder why we are even thinking about resigning him... seems like if you are correct they should save their money and let Wilson go and find a QB that can take advantage of this above avg pass blocking oline.

Click to expand...

Because, our goal is winning games, not making the offensive line "look" good or grade out well in pass protection. Wilson gives us the best chance at winning games. 36 wins in 3 regular seasons speaks for itself.

The offensive line would look better with a traditional pocket passer standing in a predictable place behind them and throwing the ball when the protection starts to break down. We would lose more games, and have more interceptions and incompletions, but the line would look better.

Anthony!":1xsvmaki said:

after all it is really all about the defense and Lynch anyway. Hmm

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Nope, it is really all about the wins, and Russell Wilson is the QB who gives us the best chance at earning them even if the tradeoff is making the O-line look worse than it actually is.

Of course, the BIGGEST reason the offensive line "looks so bad" is unrealistic beliefs of what an average NFL offensive line looks like when facing off against the NFL's top defenses.

- bsd RPA

Natethegreat":2l56bemv said:

DavidSeven":2l56bemv said:

Seems unfair that this line that just put up a historic season in terms of rushing has been thrown under the bus so relentlessly. Farrar includes some minimal commentary on run blocking, but his rankings look like they're based entirely on pass blocking stats. We run ZBS and are fully committed to it. Some give on pass-pro comes with the territory.

It's not all Lynch. Beast Mode is animal at the second level, but he can get stuffed at the line as frequently as anyone. Turbin and Michael are running for a collective YPC that is comparable to Lynch's and both have looked very good running behind the line this season. Seahawks are #1 in explosive runs. That's what this line is built to do.

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Seems silly to give credit to an o-line for Russell getting massive yards on broken pass plays and RO runs and an elite running back the likes of which will probably not be seen again any time soon.
The line is decent at run blocking and terrible at pass pro. I get that's what they have decided to run with as a team but lets just call a spade a spade. This team would be royally screwed without Marshawn and Russell.

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Yeah, lets just go to one extreme or the other in judging them. We've had good-to-great run blocking thoughout the last third of the season, against some very good D's. The pass pro, although spotty at the worst times, has improved, overall, despite lack of continuity brought about by the lack of experience and patchwork arrangement.

If Unger and Okung stay healthy enough, I'm sure some of us will notce a definite improvement that others will continue to ignore. I salute Patrick Lewis' overall play considering the circumstances, and Britt is a run-blocking beast who will continue to improve his pass blocking.

Anthony!":21ulo7i9 said:

bigskydoc":21ulo7i9 said:

We have an elite run blocking line and a average to slightly above average pass blocking line that looks worse because of Wilson. He is constantly on the move and doesnt dump the ball off when the protection breaks down.

Britt has been amazing for a rookie in run blocking and has looked like a rookie in pass blocking.

Carp has been a bit disappointing this year and has made some really bone headed plays, especially when Unger hasn't been there to keep him in line.

For the most part, I agree with SIs rankings although I would give the nod to Baltimore for the top spot.

-bsd

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So to you the oline is good at pass blocking and it is Wilsons fault they look so bad. Hmm makes you wonder why we are even thinking about resigning him. Or put TJ in instead if our oline is so good at pass blocking as you said he should be fine in there after all it is really all about the defense and Lynch anyway. Hmm seems like if you are correct they should save their money and let Wilson go and find a QB that can take advantage of this above avg pass blocking oline.

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Wilson himself said that he needs to improve with getting the ball out on time, so let's not absolve our young QB of any fault.

That said, 2 to 3 defenders instantly popping into the backfield has happened all too often. If he threw the ball away every time that happened, instead of extending the play with his legs, we would have had MANY more stalled drives. How many times did we hear an opposing head coach talking about having a play covered perfectly, only to have Russell create something on the move? He has bailed us out countless times in that manner, so you can't just broad sword it as a 'mistake evey time he takes off. Unless our OL and WRs become all-world, this will always be a balancing act with Wilson.

Who are you accusing of "broad swording" it? Hopefully not me, because nothing I said disagrees with your analysis.

I never criticized Wilson's game or said that his moving around and not getting rid of the ball is a mistake. I just said that those aspects of his playing style will make an offensive line look worse than it actually is.

Perhaps you were responding to Anthony! and I am confused.


-bsd RPA

bigskydoc":2zvd3yiz said:

Who are you accusing of "broad swording" it? Hopefully not me, because nothing I said disagrees with your analysis.

I never criticized Wilson's game or said that his moving around and not getting rid of the ball is a mistake. I just said that those aspects of his playing style will make an offensive line look worse than it actually is.

Perhaps you were responding to Anthony! and I am confused.


-bsd RPA

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I guess for me the way you said and worded it made it come across like you were putting most of the blame on Wilson for the oline being really bad in pass blocking. While I agree at times Wilson does contribute to them looking worse than perhaps they really are, he more than counters that and then some with the number of times he makes them look better then they really are. I do not agree they are slightly above avg at all. I believe at best they are avg and that is being kind. However I do not think they are the worst, I say slightly below avg. If I were to say were the biggest areas of improvement need to be it would be on the oline itself first and foremost.