What O-Line Problems?

by trentchiefsfan on Apr 30, 2010 7:42 AM CDT

Now that the draft is over and Scott Pioli hasn't drafted an OT, I thought I might answer all the "experts" out there who thought he would go OT in the first round. The answer? We don't have any problems on the O-line. Not anymore at least. Listed below are some stats on where exactly all the sacks last year came from. I've found a better site now and have updated the numbers to the end of season total.

Player	Sacks Allowed
Branden Albert	7
Sean Ryan	2
Ryan O'Callaghan	8
Wade Smith	5
Larry Johnson	2
Mike Goff/Andy Alleman	6
Mike Cox	2
Rudy Niswanger	1
Brian Waters	1
Jake O'Connell	1
Total	31

http://www.profootballfocus.com/by_player.php?tab=by_player&season=2009&page=4&surn=S&playerid=1393

Now let's take out the players that were cut and replace them with the player who was picked up in the offseason to replace them.

Player (replacement)	Sacks Allowed
Sean Ryan (none)	0
Branden Albert	7
Ryan O'Callaghan	8
Wade Smith (Jon Asamoah)	3
Larry Johnson (Thomas Jones)	0
Mike Goff/Andy Alleman (Ryan Lilja)	1
Mike Cox	1
Rudy Niswanger (Casey Wiegmann)	1
Brian Waters	1
Jake O'Connell	1
Total	23

Note: I replaced Wade Smith's stats with Asamoah's college total last season. The same with Thomas Jones but with last year's stats.

While most of these numbers came from Albert and O'Callaghan, they are young and started to show promising signs in the second half of the year. Pioli decided he'd see what Albert and O'Callaghan can do with a year's experience in the Zone Blocking Scheme. He then went to the next trouble spot, the RG position, replacing six sacks to one. The one being Ryan Lilja. He then replaced Wade Smith's 5 sacks with Jon Asamoah's 3.

On paper that's 7 fewer hits on Matt Cassel. But we could also do a lot better than that. Albert will improve and reduce his amount of sacks. So will O'Callaghan. This total could easily get as low as 15. Also considering Pioli didn't spend big to make these improvements says a lot about Pioli's expertise as a GM. Spending small but getting good reward.

This, with the improvement to the WR corps, we should see Cassel and the entire offence have a great year in 2010.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.

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Comments

good stuff and nice work

assumes a lot, of course … let’s see what happens but as the returning players are used to the scheme now (it was all new just 2 wks before first game a year ago) should be much better this season just because (most) od them don’t have to learn it all over again

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by upamtn on Apr 30, 2010 7:51 AM CDT reply actions

Exactly

Albert clearly got used to the ZBS as the year went on. just a few games killed him early on wrecked his stats. Hopefully he continue on from his good form in the last 6 games last year. But like I said even if you add 4-5 more sacks overall to take into account players might need to get used to the scheme, you’ve still got a vast improvement

Welcome to the chiefs community Eric Berry. Don't screw it up.
Pioli's one mistake, not taking Terrence Cody

by trentchiefsfan on Apr 30, 2010 8:00 AM CDT up reply actions

Wow that 2nd sentence made no sense lol.

meant to say:
Just a few games earlier on wrecked his stats for the year

Welcome to the chiefs community Eric Berry. Don't screw it up.
Pioli's one mistake, not taking Terrence Cody

by trentchiefsfan on Apr 30, 2010 8:02 AM CDT up reply actions

We will be better up front

Even without Lilja and Wiegmann, they will have an entire offseason and traiing camp with the same offensive coordinator and scheme. The entire offense was screwed when Gailey was let go right before the start of the season! It took them more than half the season to get on track (with the help of JC). The offense will be vastly improved over last year, it’s the defense that really has to improve!

by Dallas Chief on Apr 30, 2010 8:28 AM CDT reply actions

I think it'll be closer to 10-12...but maybe less than that.

2nd half of season last year sacks were reduced to nearly nothing. I expect that trend to continue.

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by giftedchiefsfan on Apr 30, 2010 8:45 AM CDT reply actions

Albert allowed 9 sacks

Don't Fuccop Succop

by chicks_love_chiefs on Apr 30, 2010 9:32 AM CDT reply actions

And Cassel was sacked 42 times...

Did you just make numbers up?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=8644

http://www.nfl.com/players/mattcassel/profile?id=CAS541133

Don't Fuccop Succop

by chicks_love_chiefs on Apr 30, 2010 9:34 AM CDT up reply actions

Yes....I should have read the whole post first.

Don't Fuccop Succop

by chicks_love_chiefs on Apr 30, 2010 9:35 AM CDT up reply actions

As I said the site I got this off was from the start of december so their was still a while to go in the season

I swear it’s impossible to find a site on a individual player sacks allowed numbers

Welcome to the chiefs community Eric Berry. Don't screw it up.
Pioli's one mistake, not taking Terrence Cody

by trentchiefsfan on Apr 30, 2010 9:35 AM CDT up reply actions

Try this one

http://www.profootballfocus.com/by_player.php?tab=by_player&season=2009&page=&surn=A&playerid=4329

by cpa913 on Apr 30, 2010 9:41 AM CDT up reply actions

Yes. This was the page I was looking for. Thank you

I had seen this before, But could not for the life of me find it

Welcome to the chiefs community Eric Berry. Don't screw it up.
Pioli's one mistake, not taking Terrence Cody

by trentchiefsfan on Apr 30, 2010 9:49 AM CDT up reply actions

Wow

This site shows how bad Tyson and Ron accually played on the D-line. Dorsey was pretty good compared to those two. Hoping Tyson gets better this year.

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by mysonmylife on Apr 30, 2010 11:07 AM CDT up reply actions

Dorsey was still among the worst according to that site.

Don't Fuccop Succop

by chicks_love_chiefs on Apr 30, 2010 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions

Last 6 games

If you just look at the last 6 games when our line really improved and played well we only allowed 2 total sacks. (this is with the 2 new lineman Wiegman and Lilja) Here are the complete numbers Sacks = 2, QB hits = 8, QB Pressure = 27. Very good numbers for any team. And our best overall lineman even though he wasn’t on our team last year would have been Wiegman with 1 sack, 1 QB hit and 14 QB hurries all year. I think he still has some left in the tank……

Offical member of the Eric Berry Fan Club

by mysonmylife on Apr 30, 2010 11:03 AM CDT reply actions

It's funny, our O-line should be good and Denvers

Well, look at what CBS Sports says about Denvers:

All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady suffered a partially torn patellar tendon playing basketball, according to multiple reports, and will miss three-to-four months. He could be ready for the regular-season opener.

“It’s an unfortunate situation with Ryan,” Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said on the NFL Network. “We’re hopeful everything will be OK for the season.”

The news of Clady’s injury came right after the Broncos bolstered that group in the draft.

The Broncos were oddly quiet this offseason when it came to the offensive line. The biggest move they made was subtraction, cutting starting center Casey Wiegmann.

Unable to land any high-profile free agents for the offensive line, the Broncos hit the position hard in the draft. Although Denver traded down in the first round, passing on the chance to take someone like Florida center Maurkice Pouncey or Idaho guard Mike Iupati with the 11th pick, the team used the middle rounds to improve.

Utah’s Zane Beadles was selected in the second round with the 45th pick. Then Denver drafted a true center — there was none on the roster before the draft — in the third round with Baylor’s J.D. Walton. Notre Dame center Eric Olsen, who will start his career at guard, was taken on the third day of the draft.

If Clady misses some time, Beadles could fill in. He was a three-year starter at left tackle for Utah. The Broncos think he can play either tackle position, or guard. The Broncos also have some experienced depth at tackle, after Tyler Polumbus played extensively last year following right tackle Ryan Harris’ injury.

by cpa913 on Apr 30, 2010 12:21 PM CDT reply actions

Looks like Denver did the sort of things I would've in this draft. Or pretty close.

I’d’ve worked the positions pretty much in the order they did, too. I like seeing O-Lines built in the 2nd and 3rd like this, anchored by an elite LT like Clady ~~used-to-be~~.

by hmills110 on May 1, 2010 7:55 AM CDT up reply actions

just think if

they had actually used those 4 picks on 4 players instead of Timmie Tebow

New body. Same soul.

by kabrink on May 1, 2010 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions

I was mainly responding to all the OL picks. Your point is well-taken.

by hmills110 on May 1, 2010 9:26 PM CDT up reply actions

I can never find this site again after i leave it.

But anyways i was looking around and found an interesting stat. All of the people saying we don’t have an elite pass rusher should bite their tongue considering Tamba Hali had the second most QB pressures last year at 36. So we had one guy getting pressure consistently we just need that guy from the other side getting pressure.

You can draft defensive line to stop a player at the line.
You can draft linebackers to stop a player 3-4 yards down the field.
Or you can draft a safety to tackle him 15 yards down the field.
I'll take the first two any day.

by ChiefsfanJon on Apr 30, 2010 1:14 PM CDT reply actions

What?

Your starting OT’s give up over 15 sacks and there isn’t a problem?

The fact of the matter is that Pioli passed up the opportunity to draft the premier OT in the 2010 draft for a safety.

Eric Berry is a good player but there are three things that every team in the NFL covets: a premier QB, a premier pass rusher, and a premier LT. KC had the perfect opportunity to address one of those issues superbly with Russell Okung and they passed. For a safety. At the five slot.

Given the nearly complete whiff of a draft that Pioli’s first effort produced in 2009, he had better strike gold with nearly every pick in the 2010 selections or his (short) future in KC is already written.

by GhostintheMachine on Apr 30, 2010 10:22 PM CDT reply actions

OK

But how many of those 15 sacks were in the last 6 games? Its called being young and adapting to a new system and improvement.
And did you see our defense last year? I know the value at 5 is not very high for a safety, but that was the pick he had to make, considering he was maybe the best player in the draft.
How can you say the entire 2009 draft was a whiff? They were rookies!
I’m sorry to come off like a jerk, but that whole comment just baffled me, Ghost.

by Royals Time on May 1, 2010 2:02 AM CDT up reply actions

I think those stats pages DO provide information, but they don't allow for

situational reasons for the poor stats. The stats are an attempt to assign numbers to real phenomena. They generally reflect reality to some extent, but are always an imperfect measure of the actual phenomena.

To my eye Albert wasn’t a weak link. While Pioli didn’t directly address the entire OL in the draft, he did address interior line in the draft and in FA. Asamoah might be less than some of us might’ve wanted to see, there’s little question that he will start sooner, rather than later, and be a real asset for many years. Definitely a step forward on the OL.

Lilja is almost certainly going to be a big help in ZB scheme. I think the Colts’ decision to go GIGANTIC on OL is less a strike against Lilja than an attempt to extend the career of a great QB with declining mobility. Colts don’t want to roll Manning out as much, and it’s getting easier to gang up on HIM, since Marvin’s decline-and-departure.

by hmills110 on May 1, 2010 8:12 AM CDT up reply actions

Like the player...hate the pick.

I don’t mean to spread doom and gloom as, IMO, Pioli did improve the interior portion of the OL in the offseason. Lilja is a quality addition to the interior of the OL as is (or will be in time) Asamoah. Wiegmann adds insurance, leadership, and depth which will also improve the landscape at C from last year.

However, despite those steps forward at OG and C, what can not be overlooked is the glaring lack of talent and depth at both OT spots and the fact that both LT and RT were ignored in both free agency and the draft.

Pioli has his QB of the present and future in place. He also has a potentially formidable one-two punch at RB and WR. The bulk of the salaries invested (and future hope) of the KC franchise lie therein.

Because of the perceived stability at the skill positions, Pioli’s decision to not use the five slot to attempt to ensure the best chance for those skill players to succeed…by not facing 40+ sacks and near constant pressure on the pocket…still shocks me. The fact that he passed the opportunity to do so in order to pick a safety even further befuddles all sensible logic.

The defense needed help. I agree. The safety position needed addressed at some point in this draft. I agree. Eric Berry is a good player. I agree.

But for me, when it comes to the NFL draft, one can like the player but hate the pick. One doesn’t build a defense around a safety as the game of football – at any level – is won and lost from the inside out (i.e., OL / DL).

In my mind the NFL careers of Russell Okung and Eric Berry will be forever linked with the tag of “what if…”.

by GhostintheMachine on May 1, 2010 11:45 PM CDT reply actions