Two Good SI Pieces

I'm not sure how long it will last, but new SI.com contributor -- and former NFL player -- Ross Tucker has written back-to-back thought-provoking columns about offensive linemen the last two weeks. 

The first piece criticized teams that "overspent" on high-end, free agent offensive linemen.  Tucker's thesis:

As much as I love my big-bellied brethren and enjoy the increase in salary they have been given, I cannot honestly say I would pay a lineman these types of contracts. I just am not convinced the amount of cap room they eat up is equal to their ability to go a long way towards definitively determining the outcome of a game. I think there is a much greater likelihood that a cornerback or wide receiver, not to mention a quarterback or kicker, will ultimately have a greater impact on the final score.

And David Akers says: "Amen!"

The interesting thing about Tucker's argument isn't that he thinks offensive linemen are unimportant.  He just argues that the difference between the average lineman and an All Pro really isn't that big a deal:

One of the things I tell fans that often blows them away is how minute the differences are between average players and great players...

For argument's sake, let's round up and prorate my performance over the course of a 16-game slate and assume I would have given up three sacks and 10 pressures over the course of the season. I was fairly solid in the running game, and typically there is not that much separation among lineman in the running game in terms of actual production. The greatest separation among offensive linemen is typically related to their work in the passing game.

As a matter of comparison, an elite player like Hutchinson may go through an entire season and only give up one sack and five pressures, assuming he has an outstanding season. In addition, let's factor into the equation the reality that Hutchinson may be able to use his talent to make one more block in the running game every other Sunday than I would have.

Strictly by the numbers, that means that an upper echelon player would give up two fewer sacks and five fewer pressures, and probably make one more block in the running game in eight games over the course of the season. That means the difference between one of the highest paid guards in the league like Hutchinson and a journeyman interior backup like me is approximately 15 plays over the course of the season, give or take a few.

It's all very interesting.  I'd highly recommend reading the whole thing, even if, like me, you don't find it wholly convincing.  After a few years of watching Shawn Andrews blowing someone up and then jetting to the second level to seek and destroy linebackers, it's a little hard for me to believe there's not that much difference between him and, say, Scott Young.

And that's a great segue to the column he wrote this week, when he ranked the five offensive line positions in order of difficulty.  The order isn't that surprising, but some of his observations are:

Picking the left tackle at the top of this list was not as easy as one might think. Most teams in the NFL often slide their protection to the quarterback's blind side, which is almost always the left. The center is able to provide inside help for the left guard and the left guard is able to protect the left tackle's inside as the three work in concert to block the two defensive linemen while eyeing their other responsibility, the weak-side linebacker. That often leaves the right guard and right tackle one-on-one. For this reason, I briefly considered putting the right tackle at the top of this list.

And:

Without question the most difficult of the interior line positions, right guards are most likely to be left one-on-one with an elite inside rusher. The predominance of teams to slide their center to the left to protect the quarterback's blind side creates a greater value for the right guard position. Fourteen-year veteran Todd Steussie, currently available on the free agent market, says, "Right guard is definitely harder than left guard." Recently-retired lineman Todd Fordham, a 10-year NFL vet, agreed: "The left guard always has help."

The problem with too many of these former athletes is that they start out strong, but then run out of things to say that are beyond their comfort zone.  I hope that doesn't happen here, because Tucker is off to a great start.