bfiner Mock (2025)

[Whatever]

(03-31-2025, 06:22 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Maybe I just never fully understood how OL blocking works, but I never saw a huge deal in IOL athleticism unless having to block laterally or at the 2nd level.
If Bengals need/want their Guards to do a lot of that, it may make a difference, but if they're primarily staying home to pass block or driving north-south, guys like Booker would be perfectly fine.

Well, a lot of the modern run game is predicted on the OL having to make reach blocks and,/or climbing to the second level and getting blocks there.

Like, Larry Allen's name has been invoked in this thread, but the game was a lot different then.  The FB was still considered a starter and much of the responsibility for getting a second level block fell on them instead of the OL.  RB was also a much more valuable position because a lot of the responsibility fell on them to win one on one's, break tackles, and get yards after contact.  If a RB went Top 5 in those days, you didn't bat an eye.  Teams would trade up for them.  

Denver was really the first team I remember going heavily to zone blocking with athletic OL that could get out on the second level consistently.  This also devalued the RB because they had to win fewer one on one's, and they usually relied on later draft picks and rode the hot hand, which gave rise to the philosophy that "you can always find RB's later".  Unfortunately, folks try to marry unathletic OL with that philosophy and it just doesn't work.

The screen game is also a big part of the game that suffers when you have an unathletic OL.  It asks your linemen to get enough of a piece of the DL that they can't be immediately in the QB's lap, then release and get second level blocks down field.  When they can't do that, the screen gets blown up.  And we've been a bad screen team for awhile.