There have been several key offensive line developments over the past week. Without further ado, let's get after it.
NE: C Bryan Stork starts, lineup is coming together.
It was just last week that I was ranking the Patriots as the worst line in football, pointing out that the staff needed to find a lineup and stick with it. Well, they sure showed me. With a lineup of (from left to right) Nate Solder – Dan Connolly – Bryan Stork – Ryan Wendell – Sebastian Vollmer, the Patriots’ line has finally stabilized, and played very well against the Bengals, not allowing a single sack of Tom Brady. There actually was a sack during the game but the blocker was a tight end. Even bigger news than the pass protection was the reappearance of the team's running attack. New center Bryan Stork (fourth rounder out of Florida State) especially has been key to this lineup and he is garnering praise from his teammates. Assuming this line does not undergo any further change, the Pats are due to for a quick five slot upgrade (to about 28 overall in the league) with easy potential to move back into the mid tier, as the cohesion score rises.
SEA: C Max Unger Could miss time with a foot injury.
Pro Bowl center Max Unger was in and out of the game last week against Washington on Monday Night Football. Unger returned to the game briefly but was ruled out in the fourth quarter. This week, head coach Pete Carroll labelled the injury a “sprained foot” and Unger's availability for this week’s contest against Dallas could be in doubt. Stephen Schilling filled in for Unger during the game, and it was his first action at the center position in the NFL. Schilling had been working on center while on San Diego’s practice squad, and he appears to be the first option for Unger off the bench. Patrick Lewis was poached from Cleveland’s practice squad and could also be in the mix, should Unger not be ready to go. Signing a player like this to the active roster guaruntees his salary, so it is not entered into lightly. This is a situation without a clear downgrade at this time (Unger could actually gut it out) and the Seattle line still ranks among the leagues best with him in the lineup. Still, this bears careful observation, and should Unger be inactive on Sunday, feel free to lower expectations for the Seattle skill players. He's a key part of that line's success. Also of note are the six penalties suffered by the offensive line in last week’s game, which could be an issue that hurts the team against more competative opposition (such as the Dallas Cowboys, coming to town this week).
TEN: LT Michael Roos undergoes season ending knee surgery.
This week it was announced that Michael Roos will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. It is not known at what point during the game Roos was injured, but he played through it and saw trainers on Monday. Roos is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of this season, and his Titans’ career is most likely over. In his place steps first round pick Taylor Lewan, the 11th overall pick out of Michigan. Lewan is a natural left tackle and should play at a relatively high level quickly. Lewan's known for a mean streak and could be a fun player to watch in this week's upcoming "burn-burner" against Jacksonville. Roos is a ten year vet and it’s technically a small downgrade for the Titans’ line but not nearly as bad as if this injury had happened to another team. The Titans have a starting left tackle on their bench; there are no other teams that can really make the same claim. The team had been anxious to get Lewan into the lineup and the opportunity has presented itself.
SD: RT D.J. Fluker injured, unlikely to play against Oakland.
Right tackle D.J. Fluker, considered by many to be the Chargers’ best offensive lineman, suffered a sprained ankle in last week’s win over New York. Fluker was seen on crutches after the game and has not practiced this week. It is unknown how severe the injury is, but it could be a multi-week injury. Journeyman Willie Smith subbed in for Fluker during the game and is likely to take his place this weekend, should Fluker not be available. In other Chargers’ line news, Trevor Robinson was added to the roster, in place of Doug Legurksy, who suffered a season ending injury last week. Robinson might not know the plays and the team might not need him, as Rich Ohrnberger returned to practice and is likely all systems go for this weekend. after Legursky went down, Chris Watt also got some reps at center, but is likely to start at right guard over Johnnie Troutman, who also suffered an ankle injury last week. Watt and Troutman had been rotating, with varying degrees of success. All of these injury news sounds scary for fantasy owners but there’s something about Philip Rivers where he doesn’t actually need competent line play to be very productive. Rivers makes quick decisions and gets the ball out accurately, despite pressure. Among all of last week’s chaos, and against a pretty good defensive line, Rivers went 20-28. Rivers will take some shots and that could effect him down the line but there’s currently no downgrade for the Chargers line (currently sitting at 20 overall). It is a situation to watch closely.
SF: RT Anthony Davis has a sprained knee, could miss several games.
Anthony Davis’ injury woes continue this season. He was seen using a cane after last week’s game and has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL. The rankings already have Davis’ previous injuries baked in, so this is not necessarily a downgrade. Jonathan Martin has proven to be a key pickup last offseason and he has been decent in relief of Davis. The team is likely to take a conservative approach with Davis, and could rest him until their bye in three weeks, hopefully getting him healthy for a stretch run. Since we are talking about the 49ers’ line, the biggest difference from last season hasn’t been the tackles, it’s been the interior positions, where they replaced Jonathan Goodwin and have been getting below par play from guard Alex Boone, since his return from hold-out. Still, even with these issues, the 49ers' line remains a top-10 unit. Maybe that says more about the state of the league's other lines but they should be effective without Davis in the near term.
