Arkansas Bengal Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 Offensive Line Review & Ratings John Tuvey, @jtuvey July 15, 2015 Part of the genesis of fantasy football was the desire of fans to be owners—Joe Average becomes Jerry Jones. And this article will help you live that dream. How’s that? Jones obviously understands the importance of offensive line play. What other possible rationale would there be for the Cowboys investing three first-round picks in his offensive line, then letting the NFL’s leading rusher leave via free agency while banking on Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden to replicate that success? These rankings, and the team-by-team capsules that follow, are designed to help you unleash your inner Jerry. By understanding the big fellas up front you’ll have a better grasp of what LeSean McCoy’s move to Buffalo means for his stats, why both Tom Brady and Derek Carr don’t go deep that often, and what top fantasy rookies like Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, and Jameis Winston are up against—or stuck behind, as it were. While the trove of metrics and statistical data measuring offensive line play continues to grow, keep in mind these rankings are subjective. They take into account past performance, continuity, scheme, and personnel as well as the data available from sources such as Football Outsiders (FO) and Pro Football Focus (PFF). Also noted is the predominant running game scheme each team uses—though every NFL team employs both man and zone concepts to varying degrees. Among the stats referenced include the following: Adjusted Line Yards — an FO stat that assigns responsibility for rushing yards to the offensive line based on where those yards were gained in proximity to the line of scrimmage Power Success — an FO stat that tracks the percentage of runs on third or fourth down with two yards or less to go (or first or second down and goal to go from two yards and in) that resulted in a first-down or touchdown Stuffed — an FO stat measuring the percentage of rushing attempts where the back is tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage Adjusted Sack Rate – an FO stat measuring sacks per pass attempt tweaked for down, distance, and opponent Rank Team Overall Grade Rush Grade Pass Grade Regulars Returning 1 Cincinnati Bengals A A- A 5 2 Dallas Cowboys A- A A- 4 3 Baltimore Ravens A- A B+ 5 4 Philadelphia Eagles B+ B A- 3 5 Pittsburgh Stealers B+ A- B- 5 6 New Orleans Saints B+ B+ B 3 7 Green Bay Packers B B B 5 8 New England Patriots B B+ B- 4 9 Cleveland Browns B B- B 5 10 Minnesota Vikings B- B+ C+ 4 11 Seattle Seahawks B- B+ C- 4 12 Denver Broncos B- B- C+ 1 13 Miami Dolphins B- B- C+ 3 14 Houston Texans C+ C+ B- 4 15 Arizona Cardinals C+ C+ C+ 3 16 New York Jets C+ B- C- 4 17 San Francisco 49ers C B D+ 3 18 Indianapolis Colts C D+ B- 3 19 Carolina Panthers C- B- D+ 4 20 Tennessee Titans C- B- D+ 4 21 Detroit Lions C- C- C 4 22 New York Giants C- C- C 3 23 Washington Redskins C- B- D 3 24 San Diego Chargers C- C- C- 4 25 Atlanta Falcons C- C- C- 4 26 Buffalo Bills C- C- C- 3 27 Chicago Bears C- C- C- 4 28 Jacksonville Jaguars C- C- C- 3 29 Kansas City Chiefs C- C- D+ 2 30 Oakland Raiders C- D+ C- 4 31 St. Louis Rams D+ D+ D+ 2 32 Tampa Bay Buccaneers D D+ D 3 CINCINNATI BENGALS (Man/Power) The Bengals continue to field one of the league’s better lines; it helps when you can plug Andrew Whitworth into either a guard or tackle slot and still receive elite production. Last season it was tackle, where Whitworth graded out as the top tackle in pass blocking efficiency—and second overall—according to Pro Football Focus. And the rich get richer, as Cincy spent its first two draft picks on quality offensive tackles. Cedric Ogbuehi may not be ready to contribute this season, but with Whitworth at left tackle there’s no need to rush. Andre Smith is a standout run blocker on the right side—the team ranked second in yards per carry off the right side, according to Football Outsiders—so Jake Fisher should get a year to acclimate from college to the pros as well. The Bengals’ guard play is solid as well, with second-year center Russell Bodine the only weak link in the group. But the rest of the unit covers for him admirably; Cincinnati ranked third in pass blocking efficiency according to Pro Football Focus and also ranked third in both stuffs (indicating success in the power game) and open field yards (showing they created space for backs to break off big runs) in the ground game. PROJECTED STARTERS LT Andrew Whitworth LG Clint Boling C Russell Bodine RG Kevin Zeitler RT Andre Smith GRADES Run: A-Pass: AOverall: A http://www.thehuddle.com/2015/articles/offensive-line-review-and-ratings.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scharm Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 The Bengals continue to field one of the league's best lines...........:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 The Bengals continue to field one two of the league's best lines........... :) The D-line will be back this year! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredtoast Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 Funny how much hate Paul Alexander gets around here. To listen to some people we have the worst O-line in the league instead of one of the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 All four AFCN teams in Top-10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluhartz Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 The D-line will be back this year! :) I think/hope so.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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