Photo: George Walker IV, USA Today Sports

With ten weeks in the books, the weather is taking a change for the worse and it is often at this time of the year when offensive lines can mean the difference between winning and losing. Let's get into the details:  

MIA - LT Branden Albert lost for the season, shuffle ensues.

To quote the injury guru of Footballguys, Dr. Jene Bramel, in his Monday Injury Rounds, “Branden Albert suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sunday. It's been reported as an ACL and MCL tear, a PCL and MCL tear, and an ankle injury. Any of those combinations are concerning.” Albert was playing at a Pro Bowl level and this is a serious setback for the Dolphins’ line. To replace this player, the team will shuffle Ju’Wuan James over to left tackle and Dallas Thomas to right tackle. Neither one of those players are natural fits at those spots and it could be a tough task against the aggressive Buffalo defensive front this Thursday night. There’s more bad news as LG Daryn Colledge is listed as out of this weeks’ game with a back injury and Shelley Smith is likely to take his place. Rookie Billy Turner could also be a factor in that situation. Turner is actually an interesting small school prospect but in the short term, all of this adds up to a serious loss of talent, and a massive cohesion problem. Be aware of this when setting your fantasy lineups this week.

DET – RG Larry Warford and RT LaAdrian Waddle suffered knee injuries.

Right guard Larry Warford injured his knee during the first series last week against Miami. Warford did not return to the game and has already been ruled out for this weekend’s contest at Arizona. This is a significant loss against a strong defensive unit. Warford had an MRI but the team has not been forthcoming with the results. Reading the tea leaves, this is a serious (multi-week) injury and could eventually land him on the injured reserve. Warford is the Lions’ best lineman and the rare impact guard. While third round pick Travis Swanson played well in his absence, teams will likely be game planning to attack the rookie going forward.  Swanson is an oversized center known for his run blocking and considered the long term heir to Domonic Raiola’s position. In related news, right tackle LaAdrian Waddle also left the game against Miami with a knee injury. Waddle’s availability for this weekend is in doubt but his injury sounds far less serious than Warford’s.  Corneilius Lucas has pushed Waddle for this job in preseason and his substitution shouldn’t present a big problem at this time. However the entire line is undoubtedly worse without Warford in the lineup and missing him for several weeks would be a significant downgrade.

DEN – Unhappy with their right tackle, shuffling the lineup.

As of the quarterly re-ranking of two weeks ago, the Denver Broncos were the highest rated offensive line in the rankings. This was primarily due to their ability to protect the quarterback. However the team was not happy with the run blocking of the unit and looked to upgrade the right tackle position. Chris Clark is considered a bit of a finesse player, who would probably start at left tackle for other squads. The team went with Paul Cornick, who is considered more of a mauler. However, Cornick injured his shoulder and the team turned to All-Pro right guard Louis Vasquez to slide out to right tackle. Manny Ramirez moved from center to right guard and Will Montgomery got the nod at center. The reformed unit played decently against the Raiders but more change could be in the air as the team worked out (but did not sign) infamous former Dolphins guard Richie Incognito this week. Vasquez has been told he will not move back to guard, which could leave right guard as the true question mark on the unit. This is a mixed bag for the Broncos’ as they certainly want to improve their run blocking. And it is good news to have a natural center in the lineup (hoping to avoid any more wild snaps in the Super Bowl).  It's good to see a team aggressively try to get better. But it’s questionable how much all this moving around will affect the cohesion of the unit, especially as they are getting ready for the stretch run and probable playoffs. There is no downgrade at this time but certainly a situation that bears further observation.

Other News

Disclaimer: It's tough to speculate on what level of injury NFL offensive linemen will play through at this point in the season. 

OAK - LG Gabe Jackson injured his knee, RT Menelik Watson suffered a concussion, both could miss this week's game. Khalif Barnes and Matt McCants would be the next men up. Jackson especially would be a loss for this unit, as he has played most of his rookie season at a high level. 

GB - The team signed Jamon Meredith.  This could be a sign the team is concerned about Josh Sitton, who is reportedly playing through a "severe" toe injury. The trainers told Sitton that if he played any other position he would require immediate surgery. Meredith wouldn't start for Sitton but he would be the swing tackle if J.C. Tretter had to play. 

CAR - RG Trai Turner returned to practice this week, which is positive. Andrew Norwell took his place but was beaten badly several times in Philadelphia on Monday Night. Unfortunately Norwell could be in the lineup again as LG Amini Silatolu could be in doubt for this week's contest against Atlanta. Silatolu's knee swelled after the game and the team was concerned enough to order an MRI. 

NO - C Jonathan Goodwin was back in lineup last week against the 49ers. Goodwin was rusty, rolling a shotgun snap back to Drew Brees at one point, but he should be better given another week to practice. The line as a whole gave up 17 pressures last week, which is high for that unit.

BUF - There are press reports that second round draft pick Cyrus Kouandijo could see time at right guard for the struggling Erik Pears. Kouandijo was active last week and saw his first action of the season on the field goal unit.

CIN - RT Andre Smith returned to practice this week, which is positive news. Marshall Newhouse was not great in his place.

JAC - RG Brandon Linder appears ready to play next weekend after the bye week. Linder has been the best Jaguars linemen and one of the best rookies this season.  

PIT - RT Marcus Gilbert returned to the lineup last weekend against the New York Jets. Gilbert had a rocky day as he was beat for a sack.

STL - C Scott Wells and G Rodger Saffold are back in the lineup for the Rams.

NYG - G Geoff Schwartz has been practicing this week and the team will have until Monday to either activate him or put him on season ending IR. Signs point to him playing, which is good news for the Giants' running attack.

BAL - Backup tackle Jah Reid broke his hand. He's not a regular in their lineup but he could be available to play with a cast.

TB - The Bucs have put backup guard Kadeem Edwards on injured reserve.

And finally, a rant about Tennessee:

I often get asked about how an offensive line can affect an offense. The answer is often complicated, and ever evolving.  It depends on the circumstances and context. Like asking a poker pro how to play a hand, the context of situation really makes a difference. There are some teams where the line can be awful and still create tons of points because of the strength of the skill positions. There are others where the line needs to be great for the team to have any chance to win a game. 

There's been a thread in several media sources lately that the Tennessee Titans offensive line is playing below average, which is why the team can’t run the football on offense. This thread is promoted by the coaching staff, who mention the line in press interaction. It's also a common thread from seasons past and easy to pick back up. 

But that’s not really what’s happening. Even without Michael Roos, this is not a bad line. Relative to other lines, they have a ton of talent and upside. There are many teams throughout the league who would be thrilled with Taylor Lewan, Andy Levitre, Chance Warmack and Michael Oher. Astute readers will note that I didn’t include center Brian Schwenke in that list, he is certainly a part of their recent struggles. But still, the other four players are better than average starters in this league. A couple of them could be Pro Bowlers on a different squad.  

What's happening in Tennessee is as follows: The Tennessee quarterback (whoever that may be from week to week) is playing below average, causing other teams to stack the box, and forcing Titans the offense to win via passing. Pounding away at stacked fronts on Sunday and blaming the line in the press conference is weak sauce. . 

A pet peeve of mine is when a QB holds the ball for over 4 seconds and then Joey Armchair complains about the line. Wonder what’s wrong with the offense? Ok who thought Jake Locker was a good idea? Or that Zach Mettenberger was a viable alternative. Why aren't there more reliable wide outs, how did Kendall Wright become a number one? That's who should get the blame. Not the offensive line, which is actually pretty decent.

Once upon a time, the run set up the pass in this league. These days, it’s switched. If the other team knows you are running, they can stop it pretty much at will. Offenses have to demonstrate that they can pass to have any chance at the run. Even with several good offensive linemen on the roster. 

The Titans are a good offensive line, they aren't great. But they cannot save the offense without support from the skill positions. 

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