OL buzz, week 9

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  • November 3, 2017 at 7:23 pm #76859
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    https://www.yahoo.com/news/cowboys-picked-top-offensive-line-ap-steelers-2nd-181309111–spt.html

    November 4, 2017 at 1:18 am #76876
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    LA RAMS Rams improved offense led by O-line

    link: https://www.fanragsports.com/rams-improved-offense-led-by-o-line/

    Few saw the 2017 version of this team coming. The Rams lead the NFC West at 5-2 with a potent offense led by Goff, Gurley, and a revitalized offensive line. Significant credit goes to new head coach Sean McVay, who replaced the fired Fisher and has transformed the offense from one of the most uninspiring units just a year ago to one of the most innovative this season.

    Improvement after a historically bad offensive year in 2016 was to be expected, but not to the degree the Rams have shown thus far. Their total offense has risen by more than 100 yards per game (369.1), third-down conversions are up to 49 percent (second) and the line has only given up 10 sacks (tied for fourth). Additionally, the line ranks third in run-blocking and fifth in pass-blocking DVOA.

    Aside from McVay, the biggest factor in the Rams rectifying their offense is 35-year old left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who was signed as a free agent from the Bengals. He has been magnificent, locking down Goff’s blindside in pass protection and playing his notable technique in the running game.

    The Rams’ offensive staff, led by McVay and OL coach Aaron Kromer, have put tremendous faith in Whitworth — particularly in pass protection, often sliding their protection away from his side, leaving him alone on an island.

    The Rams often slide their left guard, center, right guard and right tackle to the right at the snap. Whitworth works the opposite direction, tasked with blocking the left side of the line by himself, or with alignment help from a running back.

    Context: The Rams have RB Gurley aligned to Whitworth’s side, helping to keep Cardinals pass-rusher Chandler Jones from initially bolting up the field to win the edge, allowing Whitworth to set flat toward Jones. This lets Whitworth work inside-out on Jones, cutting off any inside rush potential. Whitworth demonstrates efficient footwork in his pass set to win the half-man relationship, showing excellent patience and placement with his hands, running Jones past the quarterback with ease. The right side of the line blocks the remaining three Cardinals pass-rushers with four, providing Goff a firm, spacious pocket to work through his progressions:

    Sliding the bulk of the protection away from a single player is uncommon for most NFL teams, unless they have a premier left tackle. Whitworth allows the Rams to get into those four-on-three scenarios often this season, which is a testament to his reliability:

    The Rams’ running game received a major boost from Kromer, who was brought in from the Buffalo Bills after crafting the NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense in 2016.

    Context: The Rams open the third drive of their Week 7 matchup against the Cardinals by running “duo,” with two double-teams on the front of the formation — between the tight end and left tackle and between the left guard and center. This is a really nice job by TE Tyler Higbee of releasing to pick up linebacker Karlos Dansby, and by Whitworth of securing defensive end Josh Mauro inside. The movement on the LG/C double team to the weak side linebacker is also very good; Gurley has plenty of room to read his keys and find a crease in the C gap for a 9-yard gain:

    The Rams offense uses a heavy dose of both inside and outside zone, with “duo” being one of their favorite power runs. Duo has multiple double teams, relying on movement generated at the point of attack. The releasing blocker must make quick decisions to pick up flowing/scraping linebackers over the top. Not only do these schemes suit Whitworth’s skills very well, but also those of Los Angeles’ new center, veteran John Sullivan, who was signed from Washington in the offseason. Sullivan is back healthy after a season-ending back injury in 2015 and, with more than 100 career starts, he has the experience needed to solidify the interior of the line. Sullivan has been very good this season, particularly working double teams with both guards. He has shown the mobility to work underneath defensive lineman and the nastiness to finish with authority when needed:

    Whitworth and LG Rodger Saffold have formed one of the most underrated left sides of any line this season, with Saffold healthy after multiple years of battling injury and filling in at various positions. Finally set at left guard, he communicates very well with Whitworth to handle DL stunts in pass-protection. Here they decipher the E-T stunt quickly, passing it off seamlessly, and help to secure another stout pocket for Goff:

    Timely play-calling out of diversified personnel groups has been a staple of this offense this season. The Rams come out in 00 personnel here against the Seahawks’ dime defense with a single LB in the game (Bobby Wagner). The Rams have WR Tavon Austin lined up in the backfield and they run a stretch play to the right. They block it like outside zone, with the interior three linemen the key on this play. RG Jamon Brown gets around 3 technique Michael Bennett, taking a good track to the second level to cut off S Earl Thomas from pursuing from the backside. Sullivan kicks out Bennett, and Saffold gets to Wagner to seal him inside. Austin simply follows these blocks, going nearly untouched for the easy TD run:

    The development of third-year RT Rob Havenstein continues to trend upward. He is showing a smooth pass-set to intersect rushers in pass protection and a keen understanding of angles, hand usage, and nuance in the run game. Havenstein jump-sets the edge rusher here, immediately transitioning to a snatch-and-trap technique to take away the defender’s leverage, sending him to the ground:

    Sullivan went down in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals, prompting backup center Austin Blythe to play. I evaluated Blythe when he came out of Iowa in the 2016 draft, and I thought he could develop into a quality starter given his outstanding leverage, wrestling background, toughness, experience (51 college starts), and football intelligence.

    The initial word on Sullivan’s knee injury is that it is not that serious, and the Rams are off in Week 8, so Blythe might not get a chance to start long-term this season. Still, he remains a key backup capable of filling in anywhere along the interior of the offensive line.

    Blythe played just 40 percent of the offensive snaps in week 7, but his leverage and hand usage to gain control of defenders was on display in the run game. Here Blythe gets underneath Cardinals DL Frostee Rucker, driving him nearly 10 yards off the ball:

    The Rams have a talented, well-rounded offensive line, so McVay has the flexibility to call five-man protections rather than keeping excessive receiving options in to block. He has a diverse set of blocking concepts to keep the running game fresh and unpredictable. McVay has received much of the credit for the Rams’ success this season (deservedly so), but without the performance of the offensive line, led by Whitworth, the pliability of the play-calling to keep defenses guessing would not be as evident it has been.

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