Offensive Lines Analysis- 2006 Season

By: Chris Smith

 

Ask the casual fantasy football owners about the top running backs for this upcoming season and they are sure to mention Larry Johnson, LaDainian Tomlinson and Shaun Alexander.  For receivers, they will be able to spout off Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Terrell Owens.  At the quarterback spot, even the most casual fans are aware that Peyton Manning is the best option.

 

For the prepared, dedicated fantasy football owner, they will know that Marion Barber III has a chance to see significant carries in the Dallas Cowboys offense in '06, that Michael Clayton has looked back to his form that helped him put up great numbers as a rookie in 2004 and that it is currently WR Reggie Williams who has taken over Jimmy Smith's spot in the Jaguars offense.

 

However if you really want to dominate your peers, be ahead of the curve and manage your team to the best of your ability it is best to look at all areas that can have an impact on your fantasy team.  That includes offensive schemes, strength of schedule, positional battles and finally a significant part of a team that perhaps has as much impact on the offense as any other positions.  Of course, reading the title above, it is easy to figure out that I'm talking about the offensive lines.  No matter how talented a running back is, he will have difficulty running the ball if the offensive line in front of him cannot open the holes (unless his name is Barry Sanders). In addition, a quarterback may have a cannon of an arm and the accuracy of an archer but it's hard to complete a pass while lying prone on your back.

 

This season, there are some offensive lines that are clearly a cut above the others, many that are mired in mediocrity and others that are pretty putrid.  This feature will take a look at each of the 32 NFL teams offensive lines, break down the individual player's that make up the unit and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each group.  Included in this feature is a total score out of 50 for each unit as well as a letter grade from A (excellent) to E (terrible).  Also, we sort the statistics from the 2005 season into separate tables for both rushing and passing and rank the teams in order of effectiveness last year. 

 

Are you ready?  Sit back, get comfortable and grab a nice, cold beverage as this article will take awhile to get through.  I assure you by the end of the article you will have a really good feel on which teams are blessed with the most effective offensive lines this season.

 

2006 Grading Table:

 

Rk

Team

Run

Pass

Depth

Cohes.

Exp.

Score

Grade

Comments

1

Cincinnati Bengals

9

9

10

10

10

48

A

Bengals offensive line now the dominant unit

2

Denver Broncos

10

8

9

10

10

47

A

Always amongst best OL units in the NFL

3

Pittsburgh Steelers

10

8

9

10

9

46

A

Right up there with the top groups in the game

4

Chicago Bears

9

7

8

9

9

42

B+

Emerge as an upper-tier group in 2005

5

New York Giants

9

6

7

9

8

39

B+

Tremendous run blocking

6

Washington Redskins

9

8

4

8

10

39

B+

Great starters but questionable depth

7

Minnesota Vikings

8

8

7

6

9

38

B

Adding Steve Hutchinson makes group much better

8

Miami Dolphins

8

8

7

6

9

38

B

Unit blessed with great coaching (Hudson Houck)

9

Kansas City Chiefs

9

7

6

7

9

38

B

Slipping a little. Question marks at both tackle positions

10

Seattle Seahawks

9

7

6

7

9

38

B

Loss of guard Steve Hutchinson will hurt

11

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

8

8

8

6

7

37

B

This group is quickly ascending the charts

12

Jacksonville Jaguars

8

7

6

6

9

36

B

Underachieved in 2005 but should be improved this season

13

Atlanta Falcons

9

6

4

7

9

35

B

Suspect talent overshadowed by brilliant coaching/schemes

14

Baltimore Ravens

7

7

7

7

8

36

B

Really disappointed last year but should return to 2004 form

15

Philadelphia Eagles

8

6

7

6

8

35

B

Good young talent will slowly implement into group

16

New England Patriots

6

8

6

7

8

35

B

Keep losing good talent but find ways to re-tool

17

St. Louis Rams

7

6

6

7

7

33

C+

Getting a little long in the tooth but still have OT Orlando Pace

18

Dallas Cowboys

7

7

5

5

8

32

C+

Cowboys looking for better play out of the OL in 2006

19

San Francisco 49ers

8

5

6

5

8

32

C+

This unit is better than most realize.

20

Indianapolis Colts

6

6

5

8

7

32

C+

Not as good as some people think.

21

Oakland Raiders

7

7

5

7

6

32

C+

There is talent here and Art Shell's presence makes them better

22

Carolina Panthers

7

8

5

5

7

32

C+

Some good young talent here but needs to come together

23

Houston Texans

8

5

6

6

6

31

C

The Texans offensive line has potential if they can come together.

24

San Diego Chargers

7

7

5

5

7

31

C

Have enough young talent to climb the ladder

25

Detroit Lions

6

6

5

5

8

30

C

Lions appear to be average at best along the OL

26

New York Jets

6

8

5

5

6

30

C

Will take awhile to come together but looks great for 2007

27

Arizona Cardinals

5

6

6

5

7

29

C-

Not good but better than they showed last season

28

Cleveland Browns

6

6

5

5

7

29

C-

Crushing injury to C Bentley destroys promising season for OL

29

Tennessee Titans

6

7

5

4

5

27

C-

Two young, inexperienced tackles offers hope for the future

30

New Orleans Saints

6

6

3

5

6

26

C-

Unsettled offensive line could struggle at times this season

31

Buffalo Bills

4

5

5

4

8

26

C-

Have a couple of good players but are in a transitional period.

32

Green Bay Packers

3

4

5

3

5

20

E

This group is in a mess.  Have yet to replace the departed starters

 

Team

/10

/10

/10

/10

/10

/50

 

 

 

 

2005 OL Statistical Score:

 

Rnk

NFL Team

YPC

Sc1

RuY

Sc2

RTD

Sc3

RuFD

Sc4

SA

Sc5

PA/S

Sc6

Total

1

Denver

4.7

2

2539

2

25

3