Tribal Warfare
04-07-2008, 01:46 AM
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/04/07/building_an_offensive_linepart_1/ (http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/04/07/building_an_offensive_linepart_1/)
Building An Offensive Line-Part 1
Apr 07, 2008, 2:13:49 AM by Bob Gretz (http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/bob_gretz/) - FAQ (http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2004/01/19/bob_gretz_faq/)
http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/18FC7C13214445BE8D3E93442FB4005E.JPG?0.3082108219438455 The most important task immediately ahead for the Chiefs is rebuilding their offensive line. That group’s poor performance last year was the major reason the team slumped to a disastrous 4-12 season. The ability of the franchise to bounce back into the role of AFC contender depends on what happens with the big guys upfront.
How best to make that improvement? The Chiefs have made it plain they will do it through the NFL Draft, as they’ve not spent any money in the free agency market signing blockers. But is that the best way to go with this vital unit when there are so many holes to fill at one time?
A bit of history in how the Chiefs have built their offensive line in recent seasons. Through eight seasons (2000-07) they had 14 blockers start along the line in more than a fill-in role. In 2000, four of the five starters were Chiefs draft choices. By the 2007 season, no starters were selected by the Chiefs in the draft.
Among those 14, five were draft choices (John Tait, Tim Grunhard, Will Shields, Victor Riley and Jordan Black), two came in trades (Willie Roaf and John Welbourn), two were signed as unrestricted free agents (Casey Wiegmann and Damion McIntosh) and five were added off the waiver wire (Marcus Spears, Jeff Blackshear, Brian Waters, Kyle Turley and Chris Terry.)
In the eight drafts of this decade, the Chiefs have selected nine offensive linemen, with the highest choice being a fourth-round pick. Seven of the nine were taken in the 6th and 7th rounds. In the previous eight drafts (1999-1992), the Chiefs selected 13 offensive linemen, including three in the 1st round and one in the 3rd round.
That’s the recent history of the Chiefs building their line. Over the next 10 days, we are going to take an in-depth look at the 12 best offensive lines in the league last year, where the personnel came from and how each team put the group together.
We will run through the O-Lines in alphabetical order, three at a time. Each player’s experience level is for the 2008 season:
http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/87861617DED04F2CBC36876EA7E6AF2E.GIF?0.8916253700550112
2007 Offensive Overview: Last year, the Browns broke through with a strong offensive performance, finishing eighth in offensive yards (351.3), 10th in rushing yards (118.4) and 12th in passing yards (232.9). Browns running backs averaged 4.3 yards per carry and the pass protection allowed a sack every 29.7 passing plays. That was the fourth best pass protection in the league. Cleveland finished the season at 10-6 but missed the playoffs.
Left Tackle: Joe Thomas was the third player taken in the 2007 NFL Draft and became an immediate starter for the Browns. Thomas played the position well enough to earn a spot in the Pro Bowl. At the University of Wisconsin, he started 37 games. He will not turn 24 years of age until December.
Left Guard: Eric Steinbach joined the Browns as an unrestricted free agent from Cincinnati. He came into the NFL in 2003 as a 2nd-round choice (33rd player) of the Bengals out of the University of Iowa where he was a four-year starter. He was an immediate starter in Cincinnati, opening 62 games in his first four seasons. He’s 28 years old.
Center: Hank Fraley joined the Browns in a September ‘06 trade with Philadelphia for a 5th-round choice in the ‘08 Draft. He originally entered the NFL as a college free agent in ‘00 with Pittsburgh. Released by the Steelers before the start of the regular season, he was claimed on waivers by the Eagles. Fraley started 71 games in Philadelphia. He’ll turn 31 in late September.
Right Guard: Ryan Tucker/Seth McKinney. For the season opener, Tucker was on an NFL suspension, so McKinney started the first eight games. Signed that year as an unrestricted free agent from Miami, McKinney entered the league as a 3rd-round choice (90th) of Miami in 2002. He played four seasons with the Dolphins, starting 34 games. McKinney will be 29 years old this season.
Tucker started the final eight games. He came to the Browns as an unrestricted free agent from St. Louis in ‘02. He originally entered the league as a 4th-round choice (121st) of the Rams in the ‘97 Draft. After three seasons as a backup, Tucker started two years at right tackle for St. Louis before joining the Browns. In Cleveland he’s been the Browns starter at right tackle with the exception of injury, an NFL suspension and time on the Reserve Non-Football Illness list due to what was described as a mental disorder not related to football. Tucker will be 33 years old this season.
Right Tackle: Kevin Shaffer joined the Browns in 2006 as an unrestricted free agent from Atlanta. He started 16 games at left tackle in Cleveland in the ‘06 season. Shaffer entered the NFL as a 7th-round choice (244th) by Atlanta in 2002. In four seasons with the Falcons, he started 39 games at left tackle. He’s 28 years old.
Line Overview: the Browns opened last season with three new starters, all three players new to the team: McKinney and Steinbach at guard and Thomas at tackle. Thomas was the only rookie among the new faces. Although the line has been built largely through unrestricted free agency, it’s still a young group with only Fraley and Tucker over 30 years old. This year in free agency they signed Rex Hadnot, who had 55 starts at three different positions for Miami over the last four years. He’s just 26 years old, a former 6th round choice (174th) of the Dolphins in 2004. In the last five NFL Drafts, the Browns have taken five offensive linemen, including two in the first round (Thomas and C Jeff Faine.).
http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/6A0AE390EA62429993F7C702E77372EA.GIF?0.09051256946761055
2007 Offensive Overview: The Cowboys had one of the NFL’s most powerful offenses last season, finishing third in yards per game (365.7), 17th in rushing yards (109.1) and fourth in passing yards (256.6), while finishing only behind New England in points scored (455). Dallas runners averaged 4.2 yards per carry and the pass protection ranked ninth, giving up a sack every 22.2 pass plays. The Cowboys were 13-3 on the season and made the playoffs.
Left Tackle: Flozell Adams earned his fourth spot in the Pro Bowl in ‘07. He joined the Cowboys as a 2nd-round choice (38th) in the 1998 NFL Draft. As a rookie he started at right guard, before moving to left tackle in his second season where he’s been ever since. Adams started 16 games last season. He will be 33 years old this season.
Left Guard: Kyle Kosier joined the Cowboys as an unrestricted free agent in ‘06 from Detroit. He originally entered the league as a 7th-round choice (248th) by San Francisco. He played three seasons for the 49ers, before spending a year with the Lions. Kosier joined the Cowboys with 41 starts at both guard positions and right tackle. He opened 16 games in ‘07 and will turn play this year at 30 years old.
Center: Andre Gurode was a 2nd-round (37th) choice of the Cowboys in ‘02. He’s played both center and right guard for Dallas over his career. He took over the center position in ‘06 and has made the Pro Bowl the last two seasons. Gurode started 14 games last season. He celebrated his 30th birthday last month.
Right Guard: Leonard Davis was the Cowboys biggest free agent signing before the ‘07 season, coming over from Arizona. Davis was the second player selected in the 2001 Draft, taken just after Michael Vick. His first three seasons with the Cardinals were spent on the right side of the line, at both guard and tackle. Davis moved to left tackle in ‘04. He started 16 games and made the Pro Bowl last year. He will be 30 years old in time for the ‘08 season opener.
Right Tackle: Marc Colombo came to Dallas off the waiver wire late in the ‘05 season. He came into the league as a 1st-round choice (29th) of the Chicago Bears in ‘02. He played 10 games with five starts at left tackle as a rookie, but then missed the entire ‘03 season recovering from a devastating knee injury. He played in only eight games the next season and the season opener of ‘05 with the Bears before he was released. Colombo earned the right tackle job in ‘06 with the Cowboys and started 16 games there last season. He will be 30 years old in October.
Line Overview: With three Pro Bowlers last year, Dallas has used the waiver wire, free agency and the draft to build their group. They concentrated on big, big players, with their starting group averaging 6-6, 324 pounds. Four of the five starters were taken among the first 38 players in the Draft. All five starters are 30 or older this season. In the last five drafts, the Cowboys have selected nine blockers, including four in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/CA05652627C04E77AA21261F748A17E3.GIF?0.3437610875749828
2007 Offensive Overview: In Brett Favre’s final campaign, the Packers had a huge offensive season, finishing 2nd in yards per game (370.7) and 2nd in passing yards per game (270.9). They were only 21st in rushing yards per game (99.8). Green Bay was 4th in points scored (435), with runners averaging 4.1 yards per game and the pass protection was ranked 3rd in the league, giving up a sack every 31.4 pass plays. They were 13-3 and made the playoffs.
Left Tackle: Chad Clifton was a 2nd-round choice (44th) for the Packers in 2000 and ended up starting at left tackle midway through his rookie season. Other than illness and injury, he’s held down that vital left tackle spot ever since. He played well enough in ‘07 to earn his first trip to the Pro Bowl. At the University of Tennessee, he was a four-year starter. He will be 32 years old for the coming season.
Left Guard: Daryn Colledge was a 2nd-round choice (47th) for Green Bay in 2006, coming out of Boise State where he started 52 games at left tackle. As a rookie, he started 15 games, with 14 of those at left guard. He followed that up with 13 starts at there in the ‘07 season. He turned 26 years of age back in February.
Center: Scott Wells joined the Packers as a 7th-round compensatory selection (251st) in 2004 out of the University of Tennessee, where he started 49 games. He was waived in the pre-season of his rookie year, added to the practice squad and returned to the active roster, where he would up playing five games with two starts. He became Green Bay’s starting center in ‘05 and has been there ever since. Wells opened 13 games in ‘07 at center and he’ll play the coming season as a 27-year old.
Right Guard: Jason Spitz was selected in the 3rd-round (75th) of the 2006 Draft and immediately became a factor, starting 13 games most of those at left guard. He moved to the right side for the ‘07 season and started 12 games there. At the University of Louisville, Spitz was a four-year starter. He will not be 26 years old until December.
Right Tackle: Mark Tauscher was a 7th-round pick (224th) in the 2000 Draft and moved into the starting lineup as a rookie, opening 14 games at right tackle. Other than injury, he’s been there ever since, starting a total of 107 games in that position. This summer he’ll turn 31 years old.
Line Overview: The Packers have built their unit entirely through the draft and have not relied on early choices to do that. With a pair of seventh rounders starting, it speaks to Green Bay’s scouting department’s ability to identify players like Tauscher and Wells. The top backup is Junius Coston a former 5th-round choice in ‘05 who has played at both guard and tackle. He’s just 25 years old. Although their tackles are over 30, the Packers line is a pretty young group. In the last five drafts, Green Bay has selected eight offensive linemen, but only two in the 1st-2nd-3rd rounds.
Building An Offensive Line-Part 1
Apr 07, 2008, 2:13:49 AM by Bob Gretz (http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/bob_gretz/) - FAQ (http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2004/01/19/bob_gretz_faq/)
http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/18FC7C13214445BE8D3E93442FB4005E.JPG?0.3082108219438455 The most important task immediately ahead for the Chiefs is rebuilding their offensive line. That group’s poor performance last year was the major reason the team slumped to a disastrous 4-12 season. The ability of the franchise to bounce back into the role of AFC contender depends on what happens with the big guys upfront.
How best to make that improvement? The Chiefs have made it plain they will do it through the NFL Draft, as they’ve not spent any money in the free agency market signing blockers. But is that the best way to go with this vital unit when there are so many holes to fill at one time?
A bit of history in how the Chiefs have built their offensive line in recent seasons. Through eight seasons (2000-07) they had 14 blockers start along the line in more than a fill-in role. In 2000, four of the five starters were Chiefs draft choices. By the 2007 season, no starters were selected by the Chiefs in the draft.
Among those 14, five were draft choices (John Tait, Tim Grunhard, Will Shields, Victor Riley and Jordan Black), two came in trades (Willie Roaf and John Welbourn), two were signed as unrestricted free agents (Casey Wiegmann and Damion McIntosh) and five were added off the waiver wire (Marcus Spears, Jeff Blackshear, Brian Waters, Kyle Turley and Chris Terry.)
In the eight drafts of this decade, the Chiefs have selected nine offensive linemen, with the highest choice being a fourth-round pick. Seven of the nine were taken in the 6th and 7th rounds. In the previous eight drafts (1999-1992), the Chiefs selected 13 offensive linemen, including three in the 1st round and one in the 3rd round.
That’s the recent history of the Chiefs building their line. Over the next 10 days, we are going to take an in-depth look at the 12 best offensive lines in the league last year, where the personnel came from and how each team put the group together.
We will run through the O-Lines in alphabetical order, three at a time. Each player’s experience level is for the 2008 season:
http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/87861617DED04F2CBC36876EA7E6AF2E.GIF?0.8916253700550112
2007 Offensive Overview: Last year, the Browns broke through with a strong offensive performance, finishing eighth in offensive yards (351.3), 10th in rushing yards (118.4) and 12th in passing yards (232.9). Browns running backs averaged 4.3 yards per carry and the pass protection allowed a sack every 29.7 passing plays. That was the fourth best pass protection in the league. Cleveland finished the season at 10-6 but missed the playoffs.
Left Tackle: Joe Thomas was the third player taken in the 2007 NFL Draft and became an immediate starter for the Browns. Thomas played the position well enough to earn a spot in the Pro Bowl. At the University of Wisconsin, he started 37 games. He will not turn 24 years of age until December.
Left Guard: Eric Steinbach joined the Browns as an unrestricted free agent from Cincinnati. He came into the NFL in 2003 as a 2nd-round choice (33rd player) of the Bengals out of the University of Iowa where he was a four-year starter. He was an immediate starter in Cincinnati, opening 62 games in his first four seasons. He’s 28 years old.
Center: Hank Fraley joined the Browns in a September ‘06 trade with Philadelphia for a 5th-round choice in the ‘08 Draft. He originally entered the NFL as a college free agent in ‘00 with Pittsburgh. Released by the Steelers before the start of the regular season, he was claimed on waivers by the Eagles. Fraley started 71 games in Philadelphia. He’ll turn 31 in late September.
Right Guard: Ryan Tucker/Seth McKinney. For the season opener, Tucker was on an NFL suspension, so McKinney started the first eight games. Signed that year as an unrestricted free agent from Miami, McKinney entered the league as a 3rd-round choice (90th) of Miami in 2002. He played four seasons with the Dolphins, starting 34 games. McKinney will be 29 years old this season.
Tucker started the final eight games. He came to the Browns as an unrestricted free agent from St. Louis in ‘02. He originally entered the league as a 4th-round choice (121st) of the Rams in the ‘97 Draft. After three seasons as a backup, Tucker started two years at right tackle for St. Louis before joining the Browns. In Cleveland he’s been the Browns starter at right tackle with the exception of injury, an NFL suspension and time on the Reserve Non-Football Illness list due to what was described as a mental disorder not related to football. Tucker will be 33 years old this season.
Right Tackle: Kevin Shaffer joined the Browns in 2006 as an unrestricted free agent from Atlanta. He started 16 games at left tackle in Cleveland in the ‘06 season. Shaffer entered the NFL as a 7th-round choice (244th) by Atlanta in 2002. In four seasons with the Falcons, he started 39 games at left tackle. He’s 28 years old.
Line Overview: the Browns opened last season with three new starters, all three players new to the team: McKinney and Steinbach at guard and Thomas at tackle. Thomas was the only rookie among the new faces. Although the line has been built largely through unrestricted free agency, it’s still a young group with only Fraley and Tucker over 30 years old. This year in free agency they signed Rex Hadnot, who had 55 starts at three different positions for Miami over the last four years. He’s just 26 years old, a former 6th round choice (174th) of the Dolphins in 2004. In the last five NFL Drafts, the Browns have taken five offensive linemen, including two in the first round (Thomas and C Jeff Faine.).
http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/6A0AE390EA62429993F7C702E77372EA.GIF?0.09051256946761055
2007 Offensive Overview: The Cowboys had one of the NFL’s most powerful offenses last season, finishing third in yards per game (365.7), 17th in rushing yards (109.1) and fourth in passing yards (256.6), while finishing only behind New England in points scored (455). Dallas runners averaged 4.2 yards per carry and the pass protection ranked ninth, giving up a sack every 22.2 pass plays. The Cowboys were 13-3 on the season and made the playoffs.
Left Tackle: Flozell Adams earned his fourth spot in the Pro Bowl in ‘07. He joined the Cowboys as a 2nd-round choice (38th) in the 1998 NFL Draft. As a rookie he started at right guard, before moving to left tackle in his second season where he’s been ever since. Adams started 16 games last season. He will be 33 years old this season.
Left Guard: Kyle Kosier joined the Cowboys as an unrestricted free agent in ‘06 from Detroit. He originally entered the league as a 7th-round choice (248th) by San Francisco. He played three seasons for the 49ers, before spending a year with the Lions. Kosier joined the Cowboys with 41 starts at both guard positions and right tackle. He opened 16 games in ‘07 and will turn play this year at 30 years old.
Center: Andre Gurode was a 2nd-round (37th) choice of the Cowboys in ‘02. He’s played both center and right guard for Dallas over his career. He took over the center position in ‘06 and has made the Pro Bowl the last two seasons. Gurode started 14 games last season. He celebrated his 30th birthday last month.
Right Guard: Leonard Davis was the Cowboys biggest free agent signing before the ‘07 season, coming over from Arizona. Davis was the second player selected in the 2001 Draft, taken just after Michael Vick. His first three seasons with the Cardinals were spent on the right side of the line, at both guard and tackle. Davis moved to left tackle in ‘04. He started 16 games and made the Pro Bowl last year. He will be 30 years old in time for the ‘08 season opener.
Right Tackle: Marc Colombo came to Dallas off the waiver wire late in the ‘05 season. He came into the league as a 1st-round choice (29th) of the Chicago Bears in ‘02. He played 10 games with five starts at left tackle as a rookie, but then missed the entire ‘03 season recovering from a devastating knee injury. He played in only eight games the next season and the season opener of ‘05 with the Bears before he was released. Colombo earned the right tackle job in ‘06 with the Cowboys and started 16 games there last season. He will be 30 years old in October.
Line Overview: With three Pro Bowlers last year, Dallas has used the waiver wire, free agency and the draft to build their group. They concentrated on big, big players, with their starting group averaging 6-6, 324 pounds. Four of the five starters were taken among the first 38 players in the Draft. All five starters are 30 or older this season. In the last five drafts, the Cowboys have selected nine blockers, including four in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/media/images/CA05652627C04E77AA21261F748A17E3.GIF?0.3437610875749828
2007 Offensive Overview: In Brett Favre’s final campaign, the Packers had a huge offensive season, finishing 2nd in yards per game (370.7) and 2nd in passing yards per game (270.9). They were only 21st in rushing yards per game (99.8). Green Bay was 4th in points scored (435), with runners averaging 4.1 yards per game and the pass protection was ranked 3rd in the league, giving up a sack every 31.4 pass plays. They were 13-3 and made the playoffs.
Left Tackle: Chad Clifton was a 2nd-round choice (44th) for the Packers in 2000 and ended up starting at left tackle midway through his rookie season. Other than illness and injury, he’s held down that vital left tackle spot ever since. He played well enough in ‘07 to earn his first trip to the Pro Bowl. At the University of Tennessee, he was a four-year starter. He will be 32 years old for the coming season.
Left Guard: Daryn Colledge was a 2nd-round choice (47th) for Green Bay in 2006, coming out of Boise State where he started 52 games at left tackle. As a rookie, he started 15 games, with 14 of those at left guard. He followed that up with 13 starts at there in the ‘07 season. He turned 26 years of age back in February.
Center: Scott Wells joined the Packers as a 7th-round compensatory selection (251st) in 2004 out of the University of Tennessee, where he started 49 games. He was waived in the pre-season of his rookie year, added to the practice squad and returned to the active roster, where he would up playing five games with two starts. He became Green Bay’s starting center in ‘05 and has been there ever since. Wells opened 13 games in ‘07 at center and he’ll play the coming season as a 27-year old.
Right Guard: Jason Spitz was selected in the 3rd-round (75th) of the 2006 Draft and immediately became a factor, starting 13 games most of those at left guard. He moved to the right side for the ‘07 season and started 12 games there. At the University of Louisville, Spitz was a four-year starter. He will not be 26 years old until December.
Right Tackle: Mark Tauscher was a 7th-round pick (224th) in the 2000 Draft and moved into the starting lineup as a rookie, opening 14 games at right tackle. Other than injury, he’s been there ever since, starting a total of 107 games in that position. This summer he’ll turn 31 years old.
Line Overview: The Packers have built their unit entirely through the draft and have not relied on early choices to do that. With a pair of seventh rounders starting, it speaks to Green Bay’s scouting department’s ability to identify players like Tauscher and Wells. The top backup is Junius Coston a former 5th-round choice in ‘05 who has played at both guard and tackle. He’s just 25 years old. Although their tackles are over 30, the Packers line is a pretty young group. In the last five drafts, Green Bay has selected eight offensive linemen, but only two in the 1st-2nd-3rd rounds.