Interesting discussion of the OLine and how various teams lines rated compared to where the teams ended up at the end of the season. Not a huge correlation. Suggests elite QBs compensate for OLine problems. I remember how Eli got pounded throughout the year, but especially by SF in the playoffs, and kept coming back. Wonder how he would do with an elite OLine at this elevated stage of his career?
How much does the LT matter? - (
New Window )
the franchise has a large percentage of its salary cap tied up in one player. if that player goes down, the season is essentially over (nod to Jeff Hostetler for creating the exception to that rule).
this is one of those argue-the-opposite-of-conventional-widom-to-create-web-hits articles.
And what makes the left tackle more important is an offensive coordinator who calls long pass plays that require the QB to hold onto the ball longer.
So the Giants have a bit of both. It's a wash.
Accorsi's stated draft philosophy for O linemen, which seems to be more or less shared by Reese, is that he didn't believe in drafting offensive line in the first round "unless it's a stud tackle." That pretty much fits what the Giants have done since EA arrived. They'll draft a tackle pretty much anytime and a guard in the 2nd if they think he's really good (Snee). Otherwise they tend to look for undervalued prospects later in the draft, then develop them, or they sign veteran free agents.
Notably, going the other way is a recent NYTimes Blog piece titled "N.F.L. Evolution: The Eminence of the Left Tackle and Other Myths" (see link). The author makes the argument that the quick strikes, spreads, shotguns etc. have lessened the important of the position (though the author doesnt concede that LTs were ever as important as some argued). He points out that the best teams have just okay LTs, while the best LTs are often on bad teams -- informative, but not proof IMO. He further argues that interior OLs have gained in importance with the new-fangled offenses and more up the middle blitzing; I generally agree that we hear a lot more about Guards than we ever did before, and the notion of paying Guards like LTs is pretty new (other than Hutchinson, who has been paid that way for a while now).
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/24/n-f-l-evolution-the-eminence-of-the-left-tackle-and-other-myths/ - ( New Window )
I didn't find the statistical analysis entirely convincing--for example, it didn't take into account about double teams. However, it did make me think, and if you watch where the Giants' got sacks last season, even the RDEs got a lot of them stunting over the middle, where it is shorter to get to the QB, he is less able to escape and you are generally facing an interior lineman who isn't as good a pass blocker as the LT. Perhaps the case should be made for balance across the OL, as teams can often force the weakest link.
With the way blocking schemes can be set up with double team blocks or a TE helping, etc, I don't feel a elite LT is a necessity.