| With apologies to the glamorous QB position, there is a
saying around the NFL that "it’s what’s up front that counts." Whereas
the QB spot can become a position of strength with one effective player, it takes much
more work to build up strength in the trenches. It takes a lot of quality players to build
strong offensive and defensive lines. Although being strong in the trenches does not
guarantee team success, it is one of the best ways to build a quality team.
What follows are the bottom 11 teams in the NFL in terms of combined OL-DL play:
21. New England Patriots — DE Willie
McGinest is a very good player but hasn’t become the superstar many expected he would
become. The Patriots are quite strong in the middle of the defensive line with Chad Eaton
and Henry Thomas. The offensive line is an area the Patriots need to improve if they are
going to make noise this season. In its dream scenario, New England would like OT Bruce
Armstrong to find the fountain of youth and first-round pick Damien Woody to be a quick
study and a big-time answer at center.
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22. Chicago Bears — You’ll find a number
of decent players for the Bears in the trenches, but star power is tough to locate. On the
offensive line, the Bears have solid players at the OT spots with Blake Brockermeyer and
James Williams, as well as Todd Perry at guard. It will help the cause if youngsters Olin
Kreutz and Rex Tucker can develop quickly. The defensive line is strongest at the DT
spots, where Jim Flanigan and Mike Wells are both coming off nice seasons. The problem is
that the defensive ends provide more questions than answers heading into this season.
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23. New York Jets — The Jets deserve to be
viewed as a Super Bowl contender off of last season’s results, but if they fall
short, it will probably be because of their play in the trenches. The offensive line is in
great shape at center (Kevin Mawae) and is solid at offensive tackle (Jumbo Elliott and
Jason Fabini). The OG spots hold nothing but uncertainty, though. On the defensive line,
Anthony Pleasant is a solid player, and Jason Ferguson is among the top 20 interior
defensive linemen in the NFL, but there isn’t a big-time pass rusher to instill fear
in opponents.
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24. Baltimore Ravens — Each line has a major
star. The defensive line is the better unit. DE Michael McCrary doesn’t get the
publicity he deserves. He has become a terrific pass rusher and is one of the top
half-dozen defensive ends in the NFL. The offensive line has one of the three best tackles
in the game in Jonathan Ogden but suffered serious free-agency losses when Wally Williams
and Orlando Brown went elsewhere.
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25. Cleveland Browns — The Browns have
quickly built what appears to be a very good offensive line for an expansion team. OTs
Lomas Brown and Orlando Brown, OG Jim Pyne and C Dave Wohlabaugh should do a very
effective job protecting QB-of-the-future Tim Couch at whatever point the young
signalcaller takes over the No. 1 job. I love the concept of drafting a franchise
quarterback and committing heavily to building a line that will take good care of him. The
defensive line isn’t quite as good as the offensive line, but there are still some
capable players there for an expansion team. DE Roy Barker has been a very productive
player. DE Derrick Alexander should be a solid sidekick. DT John Jurkovic gets the job
done against the run.
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26. Washington Redskins — I have a
feeling that DTs Dan Wilkinson and Dana Stubblefield will really step up their play this
season now that they have a year with the Redskins under their belts. The offensive line
is a potential problem area. The Redskins need the offensive tackles to at least play well
enough that they don’t get QB Brad Johnson killed.
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27. San Francisco 49ers — If Bryant Young
weren’t coming off such a serious injury, the 49ers would grade quite a bit higher in
the trenches. I don’t rule out him returning to play at a high level, but the
seriousness of his injury requires that he be graded out as a question mark for the
moment. My money is on him coming back impressively, though, because of his incredible
work ethic. He was the best defensive tackle in the game before he got hurt. Fellow DTs
Junior Bryant and Reggie McGrew figure to play very well if Young is playing at a high
level next to either of them. Defensive end will be a big problem unless Gabe Wilkins
lives up to his hype. The offensive line does not look very strong on paper, although the
49ers often seem to get it done with mirrors in this area. I have a feeling, though, that
this unit might really struggle this season. The 49ers ranked a poor 23rd in
the NFL last season in QB percentage allowed.
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28. Philadelphia Eagles — DE Hugh Douglas
is a terrific pass rusher. DE Mike Mamula needs to live up to his press clippings. OT Tra
Thomas looks like the real deal, but the offensive line continues to be an area the Eagles
need to improve.
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29. Pittsburgh Steelers — The offensive
line has been a key to Pittsburgh’s success in the 1990s, but this unit has started
to slip. C Dermontti Dawson is not a problem, though. He is still the best center in the
NFL. There are a lot of interesting pieces to the puzzle on this unit, but will they all
fit into place quickly enough this season? The OG spots appear to be stronger than the
offensive tackles. The defensive line doesn’t make many headlines for the Steelers,
as the linebackers are the playmakers in the front seven. NT Joel Steed does a nice job
vs. the run.
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30. Cincinnati Bengals — The Bengals are
very weak in the trenches. The defensive line does not excite. Like the Steelers, the
Bengals’ defense is designed to have the linebackers make the plays. The Bengals need
the offensive line to return to the level it showed two seasons ago. OT Willie Anderson
has the tools to be an outstanding player, but his ranking among offensive tackles has
really dropped off from where it was a year ago at this time.
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31. Carolina Panthers — Opposing defensive
linemen have to be salivating at the prospect of facing the Panthers’ offensive line.
The Panthers ranked a sorry 26th last season in average gain per rush and
percentage of QB sacks allowed. Plus, the Panthers are without OT Blake Brockermeyer, who
left via free agency. Tony Wise is one of the better OL coaches in the NFL, but he
doesn’t have a heck of a lot to work with. The defensive line has a little more to
offer. Sean Gilbert will always have a bull’s-eye on him because of how much money he
is paid, meaning he will probably always be criticized for not doing enough, but he still
ranks among the NFL’s dozen best defensive tackles. The Panthers have used a first-,
a second- and two third-round draft choices on the defensive line over the last two years,
so there is young talent. Nonetheless, the defense ranked 26th in the NFL in
rushing yards allowed last season, and no defensive lineman had more than six sacks.
(Kevin Greene was the only big-time pass rusher, and he did it from a LB spot.)
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