Is our offensive line the real story so far?

by JayrodT on Sep 28, 2010 2:32 PM CDT

Through the first 3 weeks of the season the majority of bloggers and columnists out there have gushed about Romeo Crennel and what he has done for our defense. And it HAS been remarkable what he has accomplished with essentially the same front 7 that was such a problem area a year ago.

But the real surprise turnaround so far in my eyes is what Charlie Weis has done with the offensive line.

The offensive line has been the bane of our offense since Will Shields retired. We've given up an average of over 40 sacks per year the last 3 years. When Cassel came in things looked even more dire as he had a tendency to tuck the ball and fall over whenever his first or second read wasn't there. Add to that the wasted years of Larry Johnson behind this offensive line and you can see how the offense has been so dreadful.

Things started turning around after Jamaal Charles took over last year. Fewer sacks due to the threat in the run game, being able to convert on 3rd and mediums both in the air on the ground. Brandon Albert finally finding his rhythm again after losing all of his offseason weight.

And then enter Charlie Weis. Three weeks and three wins in to his tenure as offensive coordinator and the Chiefs not only lead the league in rushing yards per game, but they have also given up the second fewest sacks with just 2. Only two sacks given up against defenses who ranked #3, #8, and #13 in total sacks last season.

Some of the credit really has to go to Matt Cassel who has proven that he doesn't HAVE to freeze up in the pocket and has made a few passes under duress. And quite a bit should go to Scott Pioli for bringing in Weigman and Lilja, two castoffs from their former teams who fit perfectly in to our blocking scheme. But the majority I would place on Charlie Weis and his offensive game plan. Every game so far I've felt that the Chiefs were the better prepared of the two teams on both sides of the ball.

The most remarkable feat that Weis has accomplished while getting this offensive line to perform like a group of pro-bowlers though has to be the fact that he's doing it with only modest help from Jamaal Charles, one of the most electrifying backs in the NFL.

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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good post, and not a knock on Weis or the OLine, but ...

40% of the OLine is new from last year (Weigmann and Lilja) so if there was no improvement concern would be in order … to me the OLine is doing what it should, of course, but especially given the infusion of new talent (let’s add Moeaki to the mix as well)

compare that to the DLine and LB’s which is by and large the same group (with the exception of Shaun Smith) … I think it’s more surprising that the Front 7 has done what they have against the run with almost completely the same group of players as last year

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by upamtn on Sep 28, 2010 2:45 PM CDT reply actions

Weig and Lilja have been excellent

I love my wife, my kids, and the Chiefs. In that order. Except on game days.

by MNchiefsfan on Sep 28, 2010 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions

The reason that I'm so impressed with the o-line

is that they’re dominating so far in both the running and passing game. The Defense is bottom half of the league in passing defense. A lot of that is due to 4th quarter drives, but they’re still giving up some big plays.

by JayrodT on Sep 29, 2010 12:04 AM CDT up reply actions