This Line is Offensive

How does one distinguish a true football fan from the legions of suitors? In the old days it was simple; you were considered a football expert if you talked about wide receivers. But that was then. The passing game (and the world) has changed. Now, when stats, driving graphs, and other data are just a click away, how does the true fan show his knowledge at the water cooler? Talking about quarterbacks, running backs, or members of the other so-called “skill positions” is old school. The expert of the new millennium analyzes… Offensive linemen.

Why offensive lines? Soccer, more than any other American sport, is a team game. Even a team with a brilliant quarterback is stuck if it lacks a strong offensive line, a good receiving corps and a solid running back. Unlike baseball, which is often viewed as a series of one-on-one matchups, each player must be present for every play on the field. Rarely in football do you see players running a sub-par team; this contrasts sharply with basketball, where such an occurrence is commonplace. (Garnett’s Timberwolves, Jordan’s Wizards and Wade’s Heat come to mind.)

Offensive linemen must do their job correctly on every play for their team to succeed. Whether it’s stopping the pass rush or blocking a running play, every opportunity hinges on the actions of the offensive line.

However, the line is only as strong as its weakest link. This is why we cannot rate individual linesmen, but rather a whole team.

Looking at the stat sheets at Pro Football Reference (an invaluable resource), one might think that there are no stats to measure offensive line contributions. However, this is not the case.

Think about it; What are the duties of an offensive linesman?

1) Block for runners
2) Prevent the quarterback from being captured.

Therefore, we can rate offensive lines based on how well they accomplish each of these two feats. We can rank each team with just two stats: rushing yards per attempt and sacks per attempt.

As part of their seminal work The Hidden Game of Football, Bob Carroll, John Thorn, and Pete Palmer created a rating system for each facet of the offensive line.

Fast degree = 120*(RYA / 5.75)
Bag grade = 1.20*(100 – (4*(%Sk – 1.7)))
Total Rank = (Rush Att / Total Att) * Rush Rank + (Pass Att / Total Att) * Pass Rank

This grade makes it easy to compare run protection and step protection. Also, it gives us a simple score that we can use to easily answer the age old question “Who is the best?”

Let’s take a second to learn the names of the players on the top five offensive lines of 2009:

#1 Tennessee Titans:
C Kevin Mawae
G Eugenio Amano*
Jake Scott*
Michael Ross*
David Stewart*
*On the list for 2010

Notes: Look for Chris Johnson to have another great year running behind the best line of 2009.

#2 New Orleans Saints:
CJonathan Goodwin*
Carl Nicks*
G.Jahri Evans*
T Jermon Bushrod*
T Jon Stinchcomb*

Notes: Every piece of the Super Bowl winning lineup returns for what should be a riveting 2010 season. Drew Brees should get excellent protection next year.

#3 New England Patriots
C Dan Koppen*
G Logan Mankins*^
Stephen Neal*
T Matte Light*
T Sébastien Vollmer*
^ Pro Bowl selection

Notes: It’s a Belichick team, what do you expect? Unless you live in New England, you probably won’t recognize any of these names, but this group made sure Tom Brady was one of the most protected quarterbacks of 2009.

#4 Indianapolis Colts
C Jeff Saturday*
Mike Pollack*
Kyle DeVan*
Charlie Johnson*
Ryan Diem*

Notes: In his record-breaking third MVP season, Peyton Manning was the most protected quarterback of 2009.

#5 Dallas Cowboys
CAndré Gurode*
Kyle Kosier*
Leonard Davis*^
T Doug Free*
T Marc Colon*

Notes: Only the Titans and Cowboys earned a 100+ rating in both the running and passing categories.
Full data can be found here.