O-Line analysis

[milkman]

Saw this posted eleswhere.
Took a quick look around and didn't see it here.
If it's repost, then that's just too damn bad.

Frankie gets to give me shit, though, if it is.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3...-line-analysis


With the addition of what should be two new starters, I thought I would give you a few facts that the public is not aware of, along with some personal reflection on my part.

The Chiefs have made some positive moves this past week, but the team knows a lot more has to be done. They need a right tackle and depth.

I thought I would expand a bit and give some statistics you will rarely see anywhere.

First of all, this OL was bad last year, but that's in the past.

Lets look at the starters at this point.



BRANDEN ALBERT

Albert did not have the greatest of seasons in this year's rankings. His overall ranking was in the bottom 20 percent among offensive tackles in the league. He gave up seven sacks and 18 QB pressures playing left tackle. He was also guilty of being called for 13 penalties—that was more than any tackle in football.

I think a lot of the problem with Albert was that he played hurt. He started the year injured but was still willing to play. One would have to wonder if that in any way hindered his performance. I believe it did.

Albert is too gifted to not succeed at that position. We have not seen Albert at his best.

As a straight-ahead run blocker, at the line, he has average strength. It's when he's on the move that he is most dangerous.

At Virginia, Albert pulled frequently from his left guard position. The longer he ran, the bigger the impact. He was a BEAST when it came to blocking on the move—I mean he exploded into guys on the second level and drove them into the ground. That was the big reason for his success—his explosion on the move.

I would think that with Charles and Jones, who are better in space, Albert should find more confidence that will help him from being measured only by his ability to pass block. If healthy, he'll get a lot better. He has the feet to protect the quarterback.

One more note about Albert: Many have said that he was a natural guard in college and that he didn't play tackle because Eugene Monroe was better. That is totally untrue. The reason he played guard is because Monroe refused to. Albert made that move inside because he was an unselfish player. So before people jump to conclusions, they shouldn't speak at all unless they know the whole story.

The people involved in this falsehood were fellow divisional "bashers" not Chief bloggers



BRIAN WATERS

Waters had a very poor season as well, mostly because of aging. He ranked 20th amongst players at his position, and most of the reason he was that high was because of his excellent pass protection. For the season, he was charged with only giving up one sack. In addition, when blocking straight ahead, he opened a few holes. But his mobility is the problem at this point in his career.

His other problems? Penalties.

Like Albert, he was the most penalized player at his position in the game.

Despite those figures he's still a very good player—just not one of the best anymore.



CASEY WEIGMANN

Weigmann ranked 23rd out of the 32 starting offensive centers last year. At his age, his better years are behind him, but that doesn't mean he can't play. He was only slightly better at pass blocking than Niswanger, but he graded out much better as a run blocker.

Weigman, of course, played in a zone-blocking scheme in Denver and played extremely well these past few years, proving that he was not as washed up as the Chiefs thought. He still excels in making line calls and adjustments, and he can still pull.

Remember those classic sweeps that Priest Holmes ran under Vermeil? It was Weigmann that was the first guy down the field, not Roaf or Shields. The problem now, however, is how much does he have left?



RYAN LILJA

Well, we all know his story, so I won't repeat it. Lilja graded out at 14th at offensive guard—which is very good. It is by far the best grade of any Chief lineman last year.

Despite being 290 pounds, it is his run blocking that stood out more than his pass protection. He was in the top five out of 64 guards when it came to screen blocking—great news for the Chiefs with both Albert and Weigmann excelling in that area.

He did not give up many sacks, but you have to take into account the quarterback that was behind him all these years.

Indianapolis usually leads the NFL in pass protection, but its not because the line is that talented. It's because they have Peyton Manning. It is Manning's intelligence, ability to get rid of the ball quickly, short drops, making quick reads, and throwing the ball away that skewed their stats favorably.

Without a doubt though, Lilja will play as well as Cassel plays, which means that Cassel needs to play well.



RYAN O'CALLIGHAN

Do you really want to know? I didn't think so.

Actually I thought he did OK, but looks are deceiving. He finished 57th. He played less than 850 snaps and still gave up nine sacks and was responsible for 24 QB pressures. His run blocking was just as bad, and he got flagged a lot to boot. Its very clear with this guy—bad starter, but decent, experienced backup.



As for the backups, well, if everything was great in Kansas City most of the guys mentioned would be the backups. Niswanger provides depth at center. Ndukwe played out of position at tackle, but is really their depth at guard. After that, all bets are off.

So where does that leave the Chiefs?

They need to get a stud right tackle for sure and a few guys they can groom for the immediate future.

Many people now feel that Bulaga and Okung don't seem to fit at this point.

But they're wrong.

Both of those guys are outstanding run blockers and would be great right tackles. In addition, that player would provide depth at left tackle, should Albert get hurt. Last year, they played the season without one.

No matter how you slice it, the Chiefs now have a better line, and that's good news.

But it's not rebuilt yet. We'll see where they are after draft days.


(Props to HG at HoTC)

[orange]

Originally Posted by milkman

Well then, he (Al Groh) was talking out of both sides of his ass, wasn't he.

Actually, YES - but understandably so.

The interview you heard he was probably fluffing Albert before the draft.

The next year he was fluffing Monroe.

But don't kid yourself - they weren't ever going to put the #1 recruit in the country on the bench or out of position (or transferred out) for Branden Albert.

[aturnis]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I'm sorry but you've said absolutely NOTHING.

You're speculating and have provided NO facts.



Coming from you, I expected as much.

Do us all a favor and keep your mouth shut unless you actually have some proof of your allegations.

That is, unless you enjoy embarrassing yourself.

Actually, that's pretty well all fact. I guess it just depends on how you want to read certain information and what you believe. If you have any facts to the contrary of what I have posted, let me know.

[aturnis]

If he can make the change in footwork, he should be fine. RG is the fourth most demanding spot on the line. So it's kind of a LT to RT type argument. It should be easier to play, so again, if the footwork pans out. No problem.

This is no less factual than you saying b/c he WAS a LG, he can't play RG.

Apparently the explanation floating around in the Indianapolis media is b/c they want to go to more of a power blocking scheme. Need a bigger body.

And your proof that this isn't the case? Adam Caplan is the one who reported he failed the physical, all other reports I've seen have cited Caplan. I believe there are a few articles quoting the need to go bigger. Don't know if they cite the same source. Prove it wrong.

Paint it however you want. Who cares what he gets paid, really. Does it matter? He grew up here, his family is here. Maybe he really did have a chip on his shoulder before he came to meet with Pioli, but apparently he didn't have that same chip when he left. Did you mention that his mother lives at Lake Quivira, and he is getting married this summer and is building a house, also at Lake Quivira?

Which part isn't fact there? Disprove it.

Never said it was. Must not have been too bad last year though. My post you quoted should explain why.

Did he not start 19 games including the superbowl?

So being on a poor running team makes you a poor run blocker? I mean, he was handily the best run blocker on that line, which is obvious if you look at where the RB's had the most production. Also, they didn't run the ball nearly as much as most teams do. They have Manning and a glut of receiving talent.

That doesn't excuse them from sucking as much as they did while running the ball, but then again most running games get stronger as the game goes on, and Addai only carried the ball 14 times a game.

You can't simply look at an o line that has a poor run game, and say that every player sucks at run blocking. That's just arrogant.

Alright, you may have me here. He does come from a poor running team, and I can't disprove that he's not the problem. While he may not be the best run blocker on that line, he's definitely not the worst. Whatever.

You have you're opinion, I have mine. I don't think this fixes everything, but it is DEFINITELY an improvement. Wade Smith could have been just fine at this spot I agree. He did get some jack though. Lilja is an upgrade to what was on the roster once Smith left, and his contract allows him to be replaced. It's a good move.

[BossChief]

I wonder if they are gonna cut Waters....

[Slainte]

Originally Posted by BossChief

I wonder if they are gonna cut Waters....

Why would you say that?

[spanky 52]

I have thought they'd cut Waters also. They paid him a 1.5 million roster bonus that was due by the l5th of March. So I figured they'd keep him. But Indy also paid Lilja a roster bonus before they cut him so maybe that was insurance in case the Chief's didn't sign a replacement for Waters.

If that's the case then we're okay at LT, LG and RT. I know O'Callahan leaves much to be desired but I think he can play another year at RT. I don't know if Weigman can handle another year at C and who's the RG. I have serious doubts about Brown and Ndukwe.

That's what I like about Saffold of UI. He's versatile and could probably start at RG and than move out to RT next year. Only problem is the Chief's would probably have to take him with the 36th pick as he's rising fast on most draft boards.

[TheGuardian]

Is Mawae still on the market? I don't understand why we haven't signed him or brought him in.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by TheGuardian

Is Mawae still on the market? I don't understand why we haven't signed him or brought him in.

If Mawae was ever on the Chiefs radar, I highly doubt he's on there any longer with the addition of Weigman.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by TheGuardian

Is Mawae still on the market? I don't understand why we haven't signed him or brought him in.

He wouldn't do anything different than Wiegmann.

Wiegmann is only there to buy us a year or two until we find someone younger who can be a solid long-term option.

I don't see any reason why we'd bring in Mawae. Wiegmann probably wins the job this season and the #2 Center is hopefully a bright young prospect.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by aturnis

And...? If he can make the change in footwork, which I don't know if he will, but I can only hope, he should be fine. RG is the fourth most demanding spot on the line. So it's kind of a LT to RT type argument. It should be easier to play, so, if the footwork pans out. No problem.



Apparently the explanation floating around in the Indianapolis media is b/c they want to go to more of a power blocking scheme. Need a bigger body.



Paint it however you want. Who cares what he gets paid, really. Does it matter? He grew up here, his family is here. Maybe he really did have a chip on his shoulder before he came to meet with Pioli, but apparently he didn't have that same chip when he left. Did you mention that his mother lives at Lake Quivira, and he is getting married this summer and is building a house, also at Lake Quivira?



Never said it was. Must not have been too bad last year though. My post you quoted should explain why.



So being on a poor running team makes you a poor run blocker? I mean, he was handily the best run blocker on that line, which is obvious if you look at where the RB's had the most production. Also, they didn't run the ball nearly as much as most teams do. They have Manning and a glut of receiving talent.

That doesn't excuse them from sucking as much as they did while running the ball, but then again most running games get stronger as the game goes on, and Addai only carried the ball 14 times a game.

You can't simply look at an o line that has a poor run game, and say that every player sucks at run blocking. That's just arrogant.

And you're just plain dense.

Lilja failed a physical.

Aturnis: I HOPE he's fine.

Lilja's been a left guard his entire career.

Aturnis: I HOPE he can play right guard.

The only team that wanted to sign Lilja was 4-12 last season.

Aturnis: THIS team believes in him.

Lilja was released AFTER given a $1.5 million dollar roster bonus.

Aturnis: They wanted to go bigger.

----------------------------

Your entire stance is based off of HOPE, not fact. You couldn't dispute even ONE point that laid out for you.

But please, continue to embarrass yourself.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by aturnis

Lets stay away from sister ****er and hope that Kyle Calloway is still there in the 4th. Then get a center in the 5th/6th.

Yea lets draft the guy who sucks more.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by Slainte

Why would you say that?

I don't think they signed Lilja to play right guard, to me that doesn't make sense. I wouldn't be one bit surprised to see them trade Waters for a 6th or 7th rounder during the draft and start Lilja at LG.

I can say this, if we do play him at RG, we are asking for it to backfire on us in multiple ways.

1) I dont think Lilja benefits our young emerging superstar in Jamaal Charles in the running game.

2) I dont think he can just be inserted into a new position that has totally different responsibilities and excel or even hold par. I think he would get blown up at RG.

3) I think that even though WE dont like Rudy, that doesn't mean the staff/team isnt in love with him, he was voted the ol mvp http://www.kcchiefsblog.com/brandon-...efs-com-awards . I think they have in mind what some of us do and that is moving him to the right side where he was very effective a couple years ago in limited action. but what do I know, I thought Herb Taylor would stick too...

This scenario doesn't really have a home for Waters unless he comes in next year rejuvenated.

I dont buy the argument that Waters is done either. I think that having us roll out without a true center and right guard (till Wade solidified right guard) made the left side suffer because of having to "protect the gut"....that left the edges as an area the line got beat in by speed rushers early in the year, consistently. The line has to be one whole cohesive unit and if it has two major weaknesses to account for, it wont work no matter how good the other three are. This is exactly why the line started coming together once Wade Smith entered the starting lineup late in the year.

If we signed Lilja to play a position Wade Smith played quite well at, that is a big mistake.

I just think they signed Lilja to play left guard for us.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by billay

Yea lets draft the guy who sucks more.

Kyle Calloway doesn't suck.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by BossChief

Kyle Calloway doesn't suck.

He's not really an answer, either.

If we used a 5th on him I'd be OK with it. Nothing higher though.

[BossChief]

Ive watched a lot of Bulaga and Calloway and think both will be solid starters that help their teams.

I just dont like Bulaga as high as they are talking about him. I see him as a good value somewhere between 10-15 and I would take Calloway anywhere after the third round.

If we didnt already have an excellent young left tackle, I would probably be backing the trade down and take BB in the first bandwagon and if we came out of the draft with both, I wouldn't be crying in my beer.

I think both get a bad wrap on here