Thread: Bad offensive lines in the NFL (good read)

First, there aren't enough good left tackles to fill 32 teams.

This is interesting if true.

First, there aren't enough good left tackles to fill 32 teams.

Originally Posted by JustAnotherBearsFan99

This is interesting if true.

I believe it's 100% true 99. A player like Webb wouldn't even be starting if there were. At best he'd be playing swing tackle for two or three years learning the game instead of starting ever since he was a rookie first at RT and now at LT.

I think what the Bears see in him is the perfect physical specimen for a LT whose a little light of a full load as far as his football intelligence goes so they hope that eventually with enough repetition that he'll turn out OK. Not a bad theory if you have the time to wait it out and the ability to survive until then.

Personally I think we've passed the period of time where we can wait and it's time to go buy a LT off someones else's roster next spring if we can. If we can't then we'll continue to have less than the best manning that spot.

The rest of the article is also 100% true. Unlike defenses like ours that rely on smart players with great tools racing to the ball and playing in the most opportunistic and most physical way they're able offenses are all about timing.

That line play is like synchronized swimming or a trapeze act. Everybody needs to be in the exact spot they need to be when they need to be for a running play to work. In pass blocking it's all about recognition of stunts and blitzes and knowing whose gonna take who when the rush comes. We get beat more by other teams cleverness than we get physically out manned.

I think Carimi and Louis can only get better as a pair. Both have the potential to be Pro Bowlers in another year or two. Now if Rachal can only live up to the promise he showed in college and we can solve that LT spot on way of another by this time next year we may actually have one of the better lines in the NFL rather than one of the poorest.

Originally Posted by soulman

First, there aren't enough good left tackles to fill 32 teams.



I believe it's 100% true 99. A player like Webb wouldn't even be starting if there were. At best he'd be playing swing tackle for two or three years learning the game instead of starting ever since he was a rookie first at RT and now at LT.

I think what the Bears see in him is the perfect physical specimen for a LT whose a little light of a full load as far as his football intelligence goes so they hope that eventually with enough repetition that he'll turn out OK. Not a bad theory if you have the time to wait it out and the ability to survive until then.

Personally I think we've passed the period of time where we can wait and it's time to go buy a LT off someones else's roster next spring if we can. If we can't then we'll continue to have less than the best manning that spot.

The rest of the article is also 100% true. Unlike defenses like ours that rely on smart players with great tools racing to the ball and playing in the most opportunistic and most physical way they're able offenses are all about timing.

That line play is like synchronized swimming or a trapeze act. Everybody needs to be in the exact spot they need to be when they need to be for a running play to work. In pass blocking it's all about recognition of stunts and blitzes and knowing whose gonna take who when the rush comes. We get beat more by other teams cleverness than we get physically out manned.

I think Carimi and Louis can only get better as a pair. Both have the potential to be Pro Bowlers in another year or two. Now if Rachal can only live up to the promise he showed in college and we can solve that LT spot on way of another by this time next year we may actually have one of the better lines in the NFL rather than one of the poorest.

I see that too Soul. Sometimes it's physical, but often not.

If the best lines are the one's that are together 40-50 games then it's not going to happen for this line next season. Most likely one of the 3-Webb, Chilo, and/or Garza will be gone by then. And as the #32 ranked pass blocking team I'd say 2 will be gone. Consistency is important, but for this line it's far overrated when compared to needing actual talent.

Originally Posted by MPBears68

I'm surprised you would even doubt it at all. The reason good ones earn so much and rarely hit the open market is precisely because they're so scarce. The position requires a rare blend of size and athleticism that few possess. Looking across the NFL there are perhaps 5 elite LTs, another 5-10 good ones, and the rest are pretty much serviceable to mediocre. Several are truly awful. All we have been hoping for is for Webb to get from the awful to serviceable category.

I guess I knew it wasn't easy to get a great LT, but it was a "reality check" for me to think that most teams don't have solid LT's. It must be similar to getting (and keeping) a great franchise QB - everyone wants one, but they're tough to find.