How the Best Offensive Lines Were Built

[*SHRacerX*]

(01-09-2020, 12:58 AM)bfine32 Wrote: First off: Rep to the OP for putting in the work.

Secondly: Looking at the top six 5 of them have mobile QBs, so maybe that's an asset.

My Bengals Board New Year's Resolution:  read all the posts before responding to the OP.  You beat me to it.  Absolutely, that is a huge part of this equation, a mobile QB:  Of the playoff teams remaining, you have THE most mobile QBs:  Wilson, Jackson, and Watson.  Rogers, Tannehill, and Garrapolo are pretty mobile as well.  The only team with an insanely mobile QB that didn't make the playoffs was AZ.

The other side of the coin is the Cam Newton story....as big as that dude is, his body began to break down from all the hits.  So, there has to be a balance with a rushing attack as well (from sources other than the QB).  

I was surprised that Indy wasn't on this list.  Maybe they had injuries?  And they had to go with a backup QB that was also injured during the season, but their line is one of the better, I believe.  

New England was a perennial top offensive line team, and they didn't have but one first rounder on their offensive line.  They did have some serious issues at tackle this year with injuries, but I believe they have shown that the coaching of said line also is a huge factor.  Brady is not one to get the ball out quickly.  At least not over his career.  He could sit back there and pat the ball all day.  Some of that was the offensive line (a lot of it...plus they can hold  ) but some of it has to be the weapons around him that can generate quick separation.  That forces defenses to generally avoid the blitz.  I would love to see how often this ranked group faces the blitz vs. the rest of the league.  

Most relevant to home, I think this is one of the biggest single issues with the Bengals.  The ball is designed to come out so quickly that opposing defenses will be up near the line of scrimmage and only have to defend a smaller portion of the field.  I only recall a very small number of deep shots this year (and the past few years, for that matter).  I was hoping Ross would impact this greater than he has, although the complete disregard for how teams adjust when he is on the field is maddening.  

The Bengals have a find in Hopkins at Center.  The OT positions are in flux...we don't know what he have in Williams at all, and Bobby Hart is below average.  The guard position play is some of the worst in the league.  I am hopeful there is a Bobby Williams-type out there...drafted by a poor team that had few offensive weapons and the Bengals got him as a FA and he became a fixture at G for some time.  He was a mauler of a RG.  A free agent there, and at LEAST two draft picks (RT and G) will go a long way to opening up this offense.