One of the key factors that can really help your decision between two seemingly equal players is reviewing the quality of the offensive line
for those players. All things being equal, a player that plays behind a very solid line brings more stability to the table
relative to a player that plays behind a suspect line. Coupled with a Strength of Schedule Analysis, you can significantly
stack the fantasy odds in your favor for having a very successful draft. At the end of day, it is these subtleties that
can help provide a big boost to your fantasy football draft selections, helping you select players with favorable circumstances while
avoiding potential duds that can crush your team.
How did the Docs create the FootballDocs 2008 Offensive Line Rankings?
Similar to our other fantasy football projections, a very intense level of detail and analysis has been carefully built into the FootballDocs
projected 2008 offensive line rankings. This provides an extremely comprehensive evaluation of each and every line in the NFL.
Every effort has been made to separate the offensive line contribution to its 2006 team offensive success. The evaluation goes well
beyond just looking at total sacks allowed and other traditional, first-level factors. For one, assuming every team in the NFL had exactly
the same offensive line, simply the teams that had the most pass attempts would yield the most aggregate sacks allowed. Consequently,
although sacks allowed can be an indictor of line quality, it is not a true, accurate reflection of line quality. Similar examples can
be made with other first-level pass blocking ratings as well as run blocking ratings. Rather, ratings were normalized between each and
every team in the league. Long runs were discarded from rushing yards per carry in an effort to extract line contribution to the success of the play. Several
other factors were included to provide a baseline rating in both run and pass blocking based on 2006 performance. Next, 2008 run and
pass blocking projections were made for each and every offensive line. Factors that were considered include key additions, key losses,
changes in offensive line coaches, and other statistically significant considerations. The end result is a very detailed, thorough
evaluation and projection for each offensive line.
The Docs have broken down our 2008 projected offensive line rankings in a very clean, user friendly format. Both projected
2008 run blocking rankings and 2008 pass blocking rankings are given, as well as an in-depth commentary for each team, highlighting
key additions and losses. These include Pro-Bowl level talent, other experienced talent, significant NFL offensive line rookies,
and key offensive line coaches.
CLEVELAND BROWNS: (2008 Run Blocking- #13; 2008 Pass Blocking - #12)
Head Coach Romeo Crennel has done an incredible
job turning around a storied franchise from the pits of despair. Across
the board, the Browns were pretty much awful prior to Crennel joining the
team. Now the Browns are fairly solid across the board, particularly
in their offensive line. Rookie Joe Thomas proved to be a force, and
he landed a Pro-Bowl accolade in just his first year in the league.
The feat cannot be overstated and is a credit to Thomas' skill and work ethic.
Four of the five starting lineman for the Browns return having started all
16 games for them last year. The off-season acquisition of Rex Hadnot
from MIA was a nice fill for this team, and Hadnot should earn the starting
G slot for the Browns. All of this news is very good for Derek Anderson,
Jamal Lewis, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winlsow, and the rest of the offense.
It all starts with the line.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: (2008 Run Blocking - #2; 2008 Pass Blocking - #3)
Welcome to the impenetrable fortress otherwise
known as the Colts' offensive line. Year in and year out this group
is the gold standard for the rest of the league and the foundation of what
Tom Moore and Peyton Manning want to do offensively. It is no wonder
every offensive skill position in Indy is a sought-after, fantasy commodity
on draft day, and the Colts' offensive line goes a long way to ensuring consistent,
high-quality play from those high draft picks. The group has and continues
to be led by C Jeff Saturday, who has racked up three Pro-Bowl appearances
in as many years. It took a little while for public perception to acknowledge
how good of an offensive line existed in Indy, and Saturday will not be alone
in future Pro-Bowls. From a fantasy perspective, the Indy o-line can
be considered the ultimate insurance policy for fantasy production.
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