The Offensive Line - Better Than We Think?
by TexansDC on Jun 21, 2010 7:01 AM CDT
in News
47 comments
Writer's note: I had planned on writing this up this weekend but failed. Tip o' the hat to AllenOU for bringing this up in the awesome t-shirt thread. It definitely merits its own article and discussion. Onto our regularly scheduled program...
I'm going to say this outright: Yahoo! Sports has to be on Bob McNair's payroll. It's the only way I can justify all of these positive articles and interviews lately on that website. McNair must've bought Yahoo! when we were sleeping. Yup, that's my conspiracy theory for the month.
What brings about this conclusion you ask? The latest rankings from Yahoo! Sports writer (and Schaub interviewer extraordinaire) Jason Cole has him looking at the offensive lines. The page has links to his quarterback, wide receiver, and running back rankings so you can find those there if you haven't seen them on your own or in the OTA reviews.
Back on track...so where does Jason Cole rank your Houston Texans offensive line? Join me after the jump for the ranking, justification, and reaction.
Holy crap, we're sixth! I got to say that again: A national sportswriter believes the Houston Texans have the sixth worst best offensive line in the NFL. For those wondering, the line is only behind New Orleans, New England, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Miami. It looks like those 76 sacks are a distant thing of the past! Seriously, I'm a bit stunned given how much we've griped about the offensive line here. Going into the article, I expected to have to scroll past the Jets, Vikings, and even the BE-SFs. I expected to find the Texans in their usual spot - middle of the pack where mediocrity is our friend. Let's see why Cole puts the Texans sixth, shall we?
"Despite putting Baltimore and Miami in the top five (mostly because of personnel and not necessarily execution), I can’t harp on this enough: The most important objective in the NFL today is to keep the quarterback clean. Houston ranked eighth in the league last season despite the fact that the running game was mediocre and quarterback Matt Schaub's mobility was limited because of an ankle injury. There’s not a household name in the bunch and offensive tackles Duane Brown and Eric Winston are both limited physically. Still, they don’t let people touch Schaub and the running game could really improve with better running back play." - Jason Cole
Well, I'd disagree with the whole they-don't-let-people-touch-Schaub line as he does see his fair share of pressure. Matt Schaub dropped back 626 times, according to ProFootballFocus, and took 42 hits and 25 sacks - including that vicious one in Jacksonville that let us see the Sex Cannon in all his big armed glory. That's an 11% hit rate. The number is astounding when you consider the lack of a running game, but is that praiseworthy for the wrong reasons? The pass blocking gets a bit of a pass because the running game was never a factor sounds a bit like a backhanded compliment.
Let's not forget about that 30th best (read: third worst) running game. You know, the running game that struggled to get one yard on multiple occasions. Should we have spit bleach-induced rage at Slaton? Are we all really buying into the fact that Steve Slaton's regression was the key culprit to the running woes? That's been suggested by a lot of the stat guys, such as K.C. Joyner in his interview with TexansChick. Could it be all on the back and not the line?
Statistically speaking, there is something to these lines of thought. Schaub's hit/sack rate was 4.19 per game, which isn't that bad compared to Peyton Manning's rate of 3.5 (43 hits, 10 sacks). Of course, Peyton's rate is lower because he generally gets rid of the ball on time, not because of his offensive line. That's why the Colts' offensive line is ninth on Cole's list. Well, that and the fact that they are worse at running than we are.
As for the running game, Slaton averaged 3.4 yards per carry and 39.7 yards per game. Ex-Texan Ryan Moats upped that to nearly 4.0 YPC while the Pterodactyl smashed that with 4.8 YPC and 108 YPG in his two starts. It's a small sample size (Slaton to Moats/Arian Foster), but maybe the poor running game was on Slaton's regression, injury, and weight gain. Are we beginning to understand why Rick Smith was hellbent on grabbing a high-round running back as opposed to an offensive lineman?
Depending on how you look at things, it does make you wonder if we, the debauchery loving upstanding denizens of Battle Red Blog, are too critical of the offensive line. Does this zone-blocking thing actually work? Do we just obssess on Duane Brown's beatings at the hands of LT Destroyer Dwight Freeney? Did Kris Jenkins blind us to the (takes a drink...takes a second drink.....takes a third drink) awesomeness that is Chris Myers (backed up by his massive amount of PFF love)? Is Kasey Studdard serviceable? Do we not show Eric Winston enough appreciation?
These are simple questions really in an effort to fill a few days in the summer gap: What do you make of the offensive line? What are your thoughts on the ranking? Have we graded our offensive line a bit too harshly? Are we not critical enough here? Is Bob McNair the secret owner of Yahoo? Have at it in the Comments, you intellectual enthusiasts of the gridiron.
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No.
I have two rules when it comes to peoples names: nobody named Todd can be cool, and nobody named Cole can be trusted.
- Rivers McCown, From Mom's Basement | Twitter
what about people with two last names?
I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?
I'm hoping some day...
you meet a guy named Todd Cole. Just for shiggles of course.
"Lord, beer me strength."
I would like to add one
All women named Regina are ugly…like me in a dress ugly.
"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair
I can't disprove this.
- Rivers McCown, From Mom's Basement | Twitter
by riversmccown on Jun 21, 2010 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions
I have conducted extensive research
…every Regina I have ever met has been a hag. Both of them.
"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair
I had to google that
…and I’m sincerely hoping you did too. Fictional name. Doesn’t count.
"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair
I didn't get it when he first posted it but I do now.
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
I doubt I can find a picture....
but there was a Regina I went to high school with that, while she could easily have wadded up a 200lb man and thrown him in the corner, was very attractive. She threw shot put….was first alternate for the ’88 Olympics if I remember right….but then I like attractive athletic women. She may have been too muscled for some.
Just my $.02
Even duct tape can't fix stupid
That's what happens when I talk about well-muscled women......
I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?
by Rip Jersey on Jun 22, 2010 10:03 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I saw this artcle the other day, and didn't repost it for a number of reasons
The main one was that it didn’t seem well researched. Look at some of the other teams, not necessarily where he ranked them but why. I didn’t understand any of his reasoning. An at least some of the blame must go to the O-line for the horrid running last year, that said with the injuries last season to our normal starting line, it is really hard to have an effective running game in the zone blocking system with guys who are not totally used to playing together. I think the improvement at the end of the year was finally getting all of the o-line guys working together, at the same time adding foster, who seemed to put out 3x more effort that Moats.(I love guys who play with a chip on their shoulder)
You can't fix Dumb or being a VYFB
I thought Moats' effort was good and the same with Foster
What I saw that helped the rush game improvement towards the end of the season, from the aspect of the RBs, was not giving touches to Chris Brown.
I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?
by Rip Jersey on Jun 21, 2010 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
“What I saw that helped the rush game improvement towards the end of the season, from the aspect of the RBs, was not giving touches to Chris Brown”.
True that, my brother! True that!
"...and if I claim to be a wise man, well, it surely means that I don't know". SL
by Southern Lion on Jun 23, 2010 10:20 AM CDT up reply actions
His line of reasoning did fluctuate back and forth
I mean, if his reasoning for Houston was they kept Schaub up and had bad RBs then San Diego should be higher than 14. There’s a lot of inconsistency on his part.
I do think it’s a tale of two lines: The line inside the division is garbage and the line outside of the division was respectable which just ties into the 1-5 and 8-2 records.
"Lord, beer me strength."
by TexansDC on Jun 21, 2010 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I do think we are tougher on the line than they probably deserve
That being said this guy is just pulling stuff out of his ass. This line sealed it for me, “If the Colts were at least some kind of threat on short-yardage situations, then they’d be ranked much higher”. The Colts are ranked three spots lower than us, despite being the, “best pass-blocking unit in the league last year,” because they were ineffective on short yardage. Does he realize how many games we lost because we couldn’t get one yard?
I thought there were often times when the RB’s had holes that they just didn’t see. Running in the zone scheme is all about vision and decision making, and slaton in particular didn’t do a good job on that front last year IMO.
In all fairness most things about this team aren’t as good or bad as we act like they are…the fan in us tends to exaggerate our opinions.
"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair
by papabear on Jun 21, 2010 11:39 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Yeah I pretty much Twittered the same thing to Steph when she brought this article up.
Agreed on all points.
- Rivers McCown, From Mom's Basement | Twitter
by riversmccown on Jun 21, 2010 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec's for the namedrop
I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?
A couple of things that probably should be talked about...
1) Chris Myers is a lot better than most people in Houston are willing to give him credit for. Yes, he may have been on the receiving end of the most embarrassing play for an offensive lineman in 10 years, but the center’s job is of utmost importance, and Myers held that line together—including the astounding pass-blocking—despite a rotating door at the guard positions on either side of him due to injuries. He got lit up by Kris Jenkins, but held his own for basically the rest of the season. And let’s be honest, the Jets game was AJ’s fault for getting dominated by Revis; Pitts’, Myers’, and Brisiels’ fault for getting dominated on the interior rush; Slaton’s fault for critical fumbles; Diles’ and Williams’ fault for not making those INTs; Frank Bush’s fault for starting Brice McCain, Dominique Barber, and Nick Ferguson; and most of all, Kubiak’s fault for not having the team ready to play that game.
2) As was mentioned in the article, both Joyner and PFF have fairly high ratings in terms of pass and run blocking. Slaton was slow and injured, Brown was terrible, but showed flashes here and there, and Moats did what he could with what he has. When Foster came in, the team tore up two otherwise-stout defenses on the ground. That doesn’t happen without a good offensive line.
3) Kasey Studdard. Everyone knows he’s extremely limited in terms of physical ability, but the guy showed improvement every game. I’d go so far as to say there wasn’t much difference between his play by the end of the season and standard Chester Pitts performance.
4) A little-talked-about fact is that we probably have the two best tackles in the game at setting up for the screen. I don’t know what the author of this article was talking about in saying our tackles are “limited physically.” Duane Brown is an impressive athlete for the position, and both he and Winston are the two best there is right now at getting to the perimeter and throwing blocks on shifty defensive backs. They are fantastic at getting to the second level in this regard.
5) Depth. Wade Smith was decent as a starter and provides good depth. Rashad Butler has never allowed the line to miss a beat in the few plays he’s been in. He’s a great swing tackle. Chris White, despite being undersized, knows the system well and looked much better than any of the other guards we rotated in last season. Cole Pemberton and Shelley Smith have both received good marks so far. They both have the athleticism to succeed in the scheme and desirable size to be effective, as well. We’ll leave the CSU nepotism/elephant in the room regarding these two alone.
You know...
a lot of this I find myself either agreeing with or coming around on, but the one I don’t get is Studdard essentially being on-par with Pitts.
When I look at Studdard, I see a guy who (according to PFF) is top 10 (11th in one area) in sacks, hits, and pressures allowed. Using their rushing breakdown, running between him and Myers is where the weak link is at 3.3 ypc. You have to wonder what a better LG would do for Brown and Myers….cause I just don’t see Kasey Studdard being a NFL starter anywhere. He’s decent depth, but on par with where Pitts was? Don’t see it.
"Lord, beer me strength."
I think that a lot of the time, we fool ourselves by way of sentimentality into think Chester Pitts was anything more than an acceptable starting guard. He was a team leader and one of about two positive things to carry over from the Capers era, but he was never elite. At his very best, he was perhaps above average… but Pitts fit right in with the rest of the team’s aura: mediocre.
I think that’s a perfectly adequate account of Studdard, as well, who probably has a job on this team for two reasons: his dad played with Kubiak and he’s one of the only guys on this team with anything approaching a nasty demeanor.
I think you first point is missed alot
I’m not an overall fan of how the line preformed last year but Myers was better than given credit for, it was just the video of him getting bitch slapped in the jets game early in the season colored his performance most of the year.
You can't fix Dumb or being a VYFB
by Texans-Brocos on Jun 21, 2010 10:47 PM CDT up reply actions
He gets dominated by any big NT
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
HOLLY CRAP THIS HAS TO BE KUBIAC.HE HAS A SCREEN NAME ON BRB
better make the playoffs this yeah gary.
This one goes to Kubiak
Schemes, my friends, are why Matt Schaub was kept amazingly clean despite having damn near the worst rushing attack in the league to spell his arm. Admittedly, the Oline performed miraculously given the fact that 0 teams we faced should’ve respected any threat of us running at all and henceforth should’ve been in our backfield with regularity..so you have to give those guys credit. But the mastermind that is Kubiak and his very complex offense gets the praise here. It’s time tested and proven. Elway was much slower, less mobile and alot older then Schaub when he creamed the league for a Superbowl title with Kubiak calling the shots.
Now, I don’t pretend I know Kubes’ system back and forth, but he REALLY understands coverage, pressure and all the little details that make an offense click and I think our line, under his tutelage, did what they HAD to do in the absence of a running back at all and ended up contributing to the 6th most pass yards in a season all-time and a first winning season for your Houston Texans.
by leacheatsbabies on Jun 21, 2010 12:23 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Our o-line got a lot better the day Schaub arrived.
And it’s probably true that Slaton sucking made it look worse than it actually was. But it’s also important to note that the guys that did well didn’t exactly face the Ravens when they were putting up the stats. Moats had his 100 yard game against Buffalo. Foster did it against a Wilfork-less Patriots.
So it’s probably a case of us underrating our team (as I suspect we do more than we should, but can you blame us?) and this subjective rating system overrating us.
I'll eliminate you like I eliminate gluten from my diet.
by tehGrindCrusher on Jun 21, 2010 1:19 PM CDT reply actions
I think we may have to thank Jacksonville a bit for some pass protection improvement
After Schaub got hurt, the line seemed to hold up more, and Schaub seemed to throw the ball more quickly. He began to take what the defense gave him as opposed to waiting for something to open up (read: forcing bad throws). There’s some statistical evidence to back it up: 2.08 sacks/gm, 2.57 hits/gm, and 7.57 pressures/gm in the 12 games pre-injury to 0.5 sack/gm, 1.5 hits/gm, and 5.25 pressures/gm in the 4 post-injury games. It’s the kind of performances that hopefully can be built upon.
"Lord, beer me strength."
Thanks for the props
But mr PK from espn afc south blog deserves the credit. I hope y’all all hot a big laugh out of our #6 ranked oline. I guess
no one ever told chris brown we were that good in the trenchs…..
by AllenOU on Jun 21, 2010 1:31 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
We don't have the 6th best line in the league
But it’s not the 6th worse either… Overall i’d say the Texans have about an average offensive line, with the potential to be slightly above average with the new additions and hopefully lack of injuries next year…
I think the line gets ragged on more than it deserves on both sides of the ball, but that’s only because when people can’t find an obvious culprit to a team’s woes they pick on the obvious unseen culprit, right or wrong.
And let's be honest
Our offensive coaching staff is not as nearly as easy a target as Richard Smith/Frank Bush.
I'll eliminate you like I eliminate gluten from my diet.
by tehGrindCrusher on Jun 21, 2010 3:05 PM CDT up reply actions
True.
Myers> Busing. The offense can’t compare to the defense’s level of suck. It’s worst moments (Chris Johnson wide) pale in comparison to the offense’s (Chris Brown, NFL QB). Mostly because the offense is typically competent enough that its failures are an aberration, rather than an expected event.
Nicely put
Let’s hope this year we are saying less about how or lines suck. We just need average play
by AllenOU on Jun 21, 2010 4:59 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
tough call...
since we haven’t even seen em in action yet. ask me about a week before the regular season… AFTER preseason is over.
"don't taze me bro!!!!!!!!!!"
http://www.twitter.com/doobieman21
Let me ask this question
Ifan after four games into the season the run game is running lights out, will the credit be going to the O-line, the RBs, the coaches, or all of the above? And, will anyone be saying, “I knew the O-line could do it!”
If that happens, I will be waiting for the implosion, because I think it will be coming.
Actually, what I think will happen is that it will be a mixed bag of success, depending on what team the Texans face.
I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?
by Rip Jersey on Jun 22, 2010 12:50 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
If that were to happen
(and I hope it does) I think I’ll blame Richard Smith.
I'll eliminate you like I eliminate gluten from my diet.
by tehGrindCrusher on Jun 22, 2010 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions
I believe we'll be able to run on Indy and Washington....
They’re not big run-stuffers, so who knows…as for credit, not sure as I’m only used to blaming coaches, the line, or the RBs.
"Lord, beer me strength."
If the Texans can run
What will be the reactions from the other teams?
…“Well, the Texans DO have the 6th best O-line, afterall…”
I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?
by Rip Jersey on Jun 22, 2010 1:39 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
If the Texans can run the ball
We’ll see widespread panic from fans of teams they’ll be playing against since they know Schaub can carve up the secondary if they’re even slightly worried about the run game
I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed.
by The Night Owl on Jun 23, 2010 12:15 PM CDT up reply actions
I think the line will be good enough
We only need to be a average running team. If we can do that with our aerial might there will be none who can withstand our offensive onslaught!
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
This.
Add an average defense, and we’re a playoff team.
I'll eliminate you like I eliminate gluten from my diet.
by tehGrindCrusher on Jun 23, 2010 4:20 AM CDT up reply actions
Offensive Line Rankings?
Does it really matter to anyone where the O-Line ranks? I believe we should be concerned with performance. And the bottom line is the Texans O-Line got pushed around on several ocassions last season. Some of the teams that pushed them around had poor defensive fronts (Jacksonville being one of them). The zone blocking scheme that the Texans run calls for undersized linemen. Which is why we can look forward to them being pushed around by big D-Linemen like Kris Jenkins. There was a reason why the play calls on the goal line last season were more pass than run. The Texans do not have the offensive linemen the move the defense around the goal line. And that was the one thing that kept them from being a playoff team in 09.
There was a reason why the play calls on the goal line last season were more pass than run.
That’s because of Chris Brown being a great HB option passer.
Duh.
I'll eliminate you like I eliminate gluten from my diet.
by tehGrindCrusher on Jun 23, 2010 4:21 AM CDT up reply actions
#6? wow iono about that one
iono if a line that was next to last rushing the ball is an ovrall top 6 line.. Ill agree if it was solely about the passing yds
Rockets-Texans-Dynamo-Longhorn fan.. used to be Astros too, but not sure there a pro team anymore
iono.....beledat!!!
I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?
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