Denver Broncos vs Bears: Breaking Down The O-Line Film

by Bewsaf on Dec 13, 2011 11:39 AM MST

Week #14

The Denver Broncos beat the Chicago Bears, 13-10. Denver moves to 8-5 on the season and the Bears fall to 8-5.

That offensive line is just getting better and better. Many Bronco fans might have noticed that it was hard to move the ball against the Bears...and it was hard. The Bears have a good run defense.

But what you see when you grade them is some nice pass blocking improvement. Many times, Tebow had more than enough time to survey the field to find open receivers.

Orlando Franklin ends his day with a 80% run assignment grade, +2 dominance score, and a 85% pass assignment grade.

Those number are a lot more consistent through the course of the game than many past performances.

Let's take a look at the rest of those grades...

Team Run Blocking		Power Blocking		Power Blocking Score		2nd Level Blocks
Did the lineman get the job done or not? These grades are good for understanding value for a team and not necessarily for comparing across teams. A game in the mid 80s to 90% is a decent score.		How often did the offensive lineman dominate the block or how often did he get dominated? These scores are good for comparing across teams and finding the most dominant lineman in the league.		Anything over zero is a good score. The more over zero the more the lineman dominated the defender. Each lineman is scored a minus for being dominated, a zero for a draw, or a plus for dominating the defender.		The number of successes over failures for the lineman when blocking linebackers and safeties on the second level. The lineman must be athletic to accomplish a high second level score.

Run Blocking Grades

Percent

Grade Bar

Power

Pull

2/Level

Grade

http://profootballspotlight.com/wp-content/uploads/100-rating-run-bar.png

Blocking

Blocks

Clady

76%

http://profootballspotlight.com/wp-content/uploads/70-rating-run-bar.png

Beadles

76%

Walton

95%

http://profootballspotlight.com/wp-content/uploads/90-rating-run-bar.png

Kuper

76%

Franklin

80%

http://profootballspotlight.com/wp-content/uploads/80-rating-run-bar.png

Clark

30%

http://profootballspotlight.com/wp-content/uploads/30-rating-run-bar.png

Run Blocking Notes:

Orlando Franklin ended the day with an 80% run assignment grade, +2 dominance score.
At 3:06 in the 1st quarter, Chris Kuper gets beat on a run play. He ends the day with a 76% run assignment grade.
At 11:02 in the 2nd quarter, Orlando Franklin has a nice pull block to spring the running back for some yards. You can see him in the pic, below. The running back is just heading into the hole on the left side of the formation, around the left guard area.

**Pic from Sunday NFL game

At 10:22 in the 2nd, Zane Beadles has a nice pull block to help the runner get the first down.
Orlando Franklin seals the edge of the formation to get the running back to the outside at 1:18 in the 3rd quarter.
If you would like to see where the Broncos ran the ball and where they were getting their yards against the Bears, then go here Broncos Week #14: Post Game Tendencies and Performances.

Team Pass Blocking		Passing Power Blocking		Pressures		Combo Help
Did the lineman get the job done or not? These grades are good for understanding value for a team and not necessarily for comparing across teams. A game in the 90% is a good score for pass blocking.		How often did the offensive lineman dominate the block or how often did he get dominated? Each lineman is scored a minus for being dominated, a zero for a draw, or a plus for dominating the block.		How often did the offensive lineman give up pressure on the quarterback? Every once and a while a lineman can do his job but give up pressure on the QB. This stat will help glean more info from the line grades.		How often did the offensive coordinator provide help for a tough defender or a struggling lineman. Yea, two lineman ended up with the same grade...but how much help did either of them get?

Pass Blocking Grades

	Percent	Grade Bar	Power	Pressures	Sacks	Combo
	Grade		Blocking	Allowed	Allowed	Help
Clady	94%		+7	2	1	5
Beadles	90%		-1	4	0	14
Walton	91%		-3	2	0	21
Kuper	91%		-1	3	0	15
Franklin	85%		-2	5	0	11

Pass Blocking Notes:

The Broncos do a very good job at pass protection this week. For a large part of the game, Denver did not keep in a tight end to help block.
At 13:54 in the 2nd quarter, Zane Beadles and Ryan Clady are both beat in pass protection. Clady's defender ends up getting the sack. Despite this sack, Clady had a pretty good day pass blocking. He ends the game with a +7 dominance score. You can see Clady in the pic, below.

**Pic from Sunday NFL game

At 13:34 in the 4th quarter, Tebow has over 5 seconds to get the ball out. The protection soon breaks down and Tebow must scramble.
At 6:16 in the 4th quarter, Orlando Franklin demonstrates nice control and awareness as he picks up a looping defender in pass protection. You can see him, below. He has already picked up the defender and has slid him deep and out of the play.

**Pic from Sunday NFL game

You can check out the line performance in past games, here.

Check out the Tight Ends & Backs Film Breakdown!

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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Comments

Moaning About Beadles Unjustified

I don’t put much stock in O Line evals that don’t come from OC’s because O line play is the hardest thing in football to evaluate unless the evaluator knows what each assignment was on the play that was called or changed at the line. In addition, O Line play has to be evaluated using All-22 film, which isn’t available to third parties.

That being said, I do read these post each week and find them interesting. Once again it looks like all the pissing and moaning about Beadles is unjustified. For some reason a handful of fans have focused on Beadles as the source of all Bronco problems. Not even close.

They also advocate using high round draft choices to replace Beadles with their version of a “real mauler”. What! Using high round draft choices would be a waste of assets. Denver has a lot of holes to plug and the O Line ain’t one of them. The Denver O Line as a unit performs around the median point of NFL O lines. The time to worry about building a better O Line is 2 years from now when the other holes have been filled.

The O Line has worked well this year. It’s rationally balanced, and it’s done well under pressure. And next year, it will be even better. Let’s hope Tebow is too.

by FormerUMP on Dec 13, 2011 12:24 PM MST reply actions 8 recs

As a former pisser and moaner.....

I stand corrected! i was down on Beadles early season, and saw Franklin as more of a guard than a tackle. Good thing I don’t coach as a living. I think recent events show me that CB is the most dire need, and we may need more than one draft pick at this position. DT/LB would also be nice.

The good news, we should be able to run the ball against a weaker Patriot front 7. We got a shot to steal this game. Go Broncos!

by atwater27rules on Dec 13, 2011 5:06 PM MST up reply actions

Seeing the light

Welcome to the light side. I think the Broncos would be much better off filling the needs you mentioned than screwing with the O Line.

by FormerUMP on Dec 13, 2011 5:19 PM MST up reply actions

Vince Wilfork will be front and center for the Patriot front-7.

Just saying.

It is what it is

by Middlesex on Dec 14, 2011 7:15 AM MST up reply actions

And at 5,280 feet :P

W-L record doesn't matter to me.... I just want to see a team on the rise at the end of the year!

by Broncotodd on Dec 14, 2011 8:31 AM MST up reply actions

Yeah, Wilfork definitely has endurance issues.

A pessimist sees the difficulties in every opportunity.
An optimist sees the opportunities in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

First (and only, in our lifetimes) team to three consecutive SB wins (perhaps and then some)!!!! ( =

by PearlJamBroncoGFunk on Dec 14, 2011 10:00 AM MST up reply actions

You just stated

very lucidly what I have been trying to point out for several weeks now. Good job and thank you.This should go green.

It all starts in the trenches - HT 11/11/08
Leave the hateful vitriol to the uninformed - HT 3/16/09

by firstfan on Dec 13, 2011 10:06 PM MST up reply actions

The only thing we need to be drafting for the o-line is depth.

We’ve been very, very lucky thus far, and I shudder to think what would happen in the event Hochstein or Ramirez have to start a game or 3. I say we go BPA…. hopefully on defense again. A CB… a MLB…. a DT…. hell, even a Safety (TJ McDonald) if EFX deems them an instant upgrade and the best where we pick.

If it’s not a defender who’s the best at that time, we go either RB, WR, TE (yes, Tebow used TE’s in college…. think Hernandez), and then o-line. The thing is though, we need to stockpile talent, and if the #1 OG on our board is there as opposed to the #5 DT, EFX won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

"If you went to the Fair with this guy and you played that game where you have to throw the ball through the hole..... HE may never get it through the hole, but he's still gonna be walking away with all the stuffed animals" Prime on Tebow!!!

"As iron sharpens iron, so will one man sharpen another"

"If I had to choose between an abundance of football intelligence, or football wisdom, I'd choose wisdom 100% of the time...... Foxy has this in spades!!!"

by PaleHorse78 on Dec 14, 2011 3:48 AM MST up reply actions

Couldn't agree more.

Let’s not forget how the 2nd o-line looked in preseason.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -Winston Churchill

by Kronis on Dec 14, 2011 11:09 AM MST up reply actions

Very clearly stated, UMP.

I like your mindset. I agree, the O-line is so dynamic and does so much, it’s hard to determine what their assignments really are unless one knows the back story. I come in and read these columns quite often, but rarely post on them as I think it’s easy to answer these questions with opinions rather than facts, myself included.

Green shortly!

I agree with PaleHorse — CB is our pressing need, with DT, RB, LB, versatile DB (SS/CB) rounding out the rest. I agree, rotation in the O-line should be addressed, but probably in FA. I think, if we can find the rare late-round talent, another WR wouldn’t necessarily be a terrible thing. I like Willis, and we’ll see if Royal returns or not, but with DT, ED, and MW, I think we really need someone that can rotate. I really like ED in the slot, as he’s often a speed mismatch for LBs and has great size and strength to make catches up the middle, and block when necessary. That being said, I don’t know if Willis is a solid #2 – He could line up in 4-wide or play slot in place of ED sometimes, but we need another large speedster in the mold of DT (hopefully with better hands) to line up on the other side and give Timmy some big, mobile targets.

by H-bizzle on Dec 14, 2011 7:09 AM MST up reply actions

don't forget that Thomas and Green will have had a full off-season and a full season

so we might get some offensive production out of them in 2012 as well.

Win the individual battles at the LOS - all else flows from that.

by DE_BroncoFan on Dec 14, 2011 1:10 PM MST up reply actions

That will be HUGE.

I think that Green and Thomas are athletic enough to be the next Gronk/Hernandez combination. Not saying it’ll happen, but the potential is certainly there.

by H-bizzle on Dec 14, 2011 1:50 PM MST up reply actions

agreed

but until EFX actually sees it with their own eyes, those guys are nothing more than depth. IMHO, Fells could be upgraded.

"As iron sharpens iron, so will one man sharpen another"

"If I had to choose between an abundance of football intelligence, or football wisdom, I'd choose wisdom 100% of the time...... Foxy has this in spades!!!"

by PaleHorse78 on Dec 17, 2011 1:07 PM MST up reply actions

There is no F-ing way Beadles had a good or even okay game Sunday. He made 5 critical mistakes that lead to sacks, lost yards or busted plays. I’ve rewatched the game and I focused on Beadles. He really struggled in several instances. He whiffed twice on blocks, missed two blizters than ran right past him as he just watched them and looked for someone else to block as the blitzer hit Tebow. He got rag dolled a few times.

I’ll piss and moan all I want. Zane isn’t a good NFL starter. He’s not even decent. he is below average and when the Broncos use one of their first four draft picks on interior O-line in 2012, I’ll say I told you so. Beadles will be the 6th O-linemen and this unit will improve.

Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you.

by McGeorge on Dec 14, 2011 7:29 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs

Wrong side of the bed?

You don’t seem to be in particularly good humor this morning McG. We are on a fantastic streak here, let’s just enjoy it. Not all five linemen are going to be equal and opportunity for upgrade will always exist, but I feel we have some chemistry starting to work here and the outcome may be far greater than the sum of the parts. I just dfon’t feel O Line is a major priority in the off season.

It all starts in the trenches - HT 11/11/08
Leave the hateful vitriol to the uninformed - HT 3/16/09

by firstfan on Dec 14, 2011 8:48 AM MST up reply actions

Broken Record

Pay zero attention to McGeorge. He’s an incorrigible broken record who hate posts on Beadles constantly.

Mc you can watch the game fifty times and you’re only going to see what you want to see. Even if the OC and Fox told you you were wrong, you would argue. Keep up the good work McG.

by FormerUMP on Dec 14, 2011 10:16 AM MST up reply actions

I have this mental immage

of McGeorge as this brilliant but grumpy old curmudgeon sitting in a stuffy old office with piles of papers around and stale pipe smoke in the air. He has a pot belly and thick, bushy eyebrows and is wearing a worn cardigan.

In reality McGeorge very well might be a gorgeous female Emma Stone look-alike with all of the football acumen of an NFL head coach. (By that I mean more than Josh).

It all starts in the trenches - HT 11/11/08
Leave the hateful vitriol to the uninformed - HT 3/16/09

by firstfan on Dec 14, 2011 1:05 PM MST up reply actions

I have followed MHR for several years

and over time my impression has changed on McGeorge. At first I thought he was just a being negative for spite, but after following the general conversation over a period of years it seems that he has often been proven correct in my opinion.

Therefore, I tend to pay more attention to McGeorge than FormerUMP. After all he starts out his post saying how you cannot really evaluate O-Line play if you are not the OC, but that does not stop him from giving his opinion. That is fine of course because that is what this website is about. However, then he proceeds to basically be an A-hole to someone who disagrees with him.

Whatever? I guess we will see what the actual OC (who I agree is in a much better position to judge) has to say during free agency and the draft next year. I personally wonder if FormerUMP is not Beadles’ dad or something.

by Quietone on Dec 14, 2011 2:26 PM MST up reply actions

Former has a severe problem with people citisizing the o-line. Its pretty funny I wish I could show you some of our conversations.

McGeorge is absolutely right here. My only concern is continuity on the o-line, I dont want it to mess up the chemistry there. But from a skill perspective Beadles is our weakest lineman.

by ShyandObese on Dec 14, 2011 6:33 PM MST up reply actions

I'll throw in my 2 cents here

to all of the conversations on this page.

I watch every play of every game 6-7 times for every AFC West team. I see a lot of offensive lineman, lots of blocking, and lots of situations where fans think their line is doing worse than they are.

It’s really not that hard to grade a lineman, if you know what you are doing, from the side camera. I did it for years coaching high school football until we got the endzone shot. Yea, there are time you cannot tell who blew the assignment. But those are limited. If you know about line play and line calls then simply looking at the rest of the line will tell you who went wrong.

One thing I have found is that everyone thinks their line is horrible. All the fans: Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos, and the Chargers. And that is the exact reason I grade the offensive line. Because some don’t understand that if you miss 5 blocks out of 35…you just scored an 85%. In regard to consistency, only missing 5 blocks is pretty good. Now the lineman might not look good when he is getting the job done…but that is another matter (at least for me).

I have also found that a lot of fans think that if their lineman is not dominating a defender just about every play (and never getting beat) then he is no good. When even the pro bowl players get beat.

Anyway, to address Beadles. From my reviewing every play of every game (and keeping a recorded tally of what he has accomplished and not just speaking from simple observations and isolated instances) Zane Beadles is an average left guard. He is good enough to focus the Bronco attention to other more pressing needs in the draft and offseason if needed…but he (in my assessment) will be the first position looked at on the offensive line if the Broncos choose to upgrade the line.

Pro Football Spotlight
Bewsaf@comcast.net

by Bewsaf on Dec 15, 2011 6:15 AM MST up reply actions

That is what I’m saying about Beadles. He isn’t horrible, but he is the weakest player on our O-line. It’s pretty clear when you watch the games and the sample size increases.

And when he gets beat, it really doesn’t look good. It’s one thing for a DT to get the best of a G and all the G can do is slow him down for a moment, but there are A LOT of plays where Zane just outright whiffs on the DT. Where if blocker were a game of two hand touch, the DT isn’t down. It’s almost amazing that Zane has plays were he doesn’t even lay a hand on a DT that gets by him.

I won’t deny that Beadles has above average pull blocking skills. He seems good at that… But his pass protect can leave me in complete shock at how bad he can be.

Zane is more hit/miss than any of our other linemen. Including Franklin. I hope Denver upgrades here because other than starting #2 CB and starting MLB, Zane is the worst starter on the team. Zane is the worst starter on the offense. No question about it. Well, unless DT has another 4 drop game.

Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you.

by McGeorge on Dec 15, 2011 7:25 AM MST up reply actions

That is what I’m saying about Beadles. He isn’t horrible, but…

I’d be satisfied with that statement. Take a look at the offensive lineman the Chargers had to bring in due to all their injuries a couple of weeks ago…now those guys are not NFL starters. And Beadles is far better than those subs for the Chargers.

But competition is always good, for the current players and the team as a whole. And if the Broncos want to upgrade the line instead of something else…then the left guard position would be the first to be evaluated (IMO). And if they draft a lineman in a lower round and bring him in…and Beadles gets a little better due to the competition and continues to start…then great.

As a very simple observation and evaluation…you are correct when you say

And when he gets beat, it really doesn’t look good

At times he appears to have slow feet…which makes him look bad on occasion. But I would caution fans to not overreact to Beadles just because when he misses a block he “looks bad”. I’ll take a guy who has a 85% blocking average and looks bad on just a few blocks than a guy who has a 75% average but never really looks that bad.

Some lineman fly under the radar because they are good enough to engage (which is when you can look really bad) but the defender consistently gets off the block (the part missed a lot of times). Those guys are rarely notice by the general observer….and just as much of an issue that needs to be addressed.

So, if you are saying that Beadles is not an NFL starter…then I disagree. I’ve seen to many backups come in…and he is better than normal backup. But if you are saying that Beadles is “average” and left guard is a position that might be the first looked at on the Bronco line when it comes time to upgrade it….I agree.

Cheers

Pro Football Spotlight
Bewsaf@comcast.net

by Bewsaf on Dec 15, 2011 7:52 AM MST up reply actions

Beadles is not average for a starter. I think he is a below average starter. The kind of guy that should start for a 5-11 team, not a playoff team.

But I did say below average starter. Starter being a key word as much as below average.

He is the weakest link on our O-line and those many really bad whiffs make me think he doesn’t have the same kind of upside as other young O-linemen. Those really bad whiffs means he has certain shortcomings that are glaring.

Beadles would be one of the best utility backups in the NFL. I hope that is what Zane is for us in 2012. Would this be a luxury? perhaps, but I don’t want him getting Tebow hurt with one of his WTF moments when seem to happen often vs good D-lines.

Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you.

by McGeorge on Dec 15, 2011 8:27 AM MST up reply actions

Beadles has been alright recently but I do notice his struggles with better D-lineman

To be on honest, I was a little skeptical with this formula for grading o-lineman because earlier in the season we had many struggles, particularly with Beadles and Franklin, but its been mostly positive reviews here.
I realize what your saying, missing 5 blocks out of 35 isn’t bad, however I think when it happens in critical junctures you notice it more. To be frank, I dont watch the o-line a lot, mostly at the snap until Tebow steps up into the pocket or on a run play. From what I have seen this line has done a better job at blocking on runs and protecting in pass (though Tims feet help). I mostly notice really good things and really bad ones. I tend to think Beadles is slightly below average because I see him struggle a lot against more talented competition. I want to be careful with my rhetoric because I am much less adverse to him starting as I was earlier in the season.

Finally to be clear, Im not saying we need to draft a lineman high, its not a top priority.

by ShyandObese on Dec 15, 2011 1:44 PM MST up reply actions

I also agree with McG, and here go my 2 cents...

Especially when he says Zane is not horrible. Exactly, he is not… he is an average for good ZBS left guard! He creates push and sometimes leads his defender several yards down the field. Unfortunately, to protect Tebow, sometimes he looks too raw and it’s too easy to beat him. I mean, of course he is not Lord and it’s normal to get beat a few times, however the way it happens is so disgusting…

On the other hand, what a great back up we have no Zane huh! He can be an all-instance 6th lineman! He can play the 3 available spots. Many dudes can say it means nothing since he is not on the field and anyway we need more backups to the OL. Ok, I get it… but I argue back saying at least he can keep other roster positions active to each game, instead of more OLinemen, for example!

Anyway, considering these 2 views, I just disagree he is our worst starter. Not even close to Goody or Mays! That’s where we really need to adress a pick early, besides the RB position (we all know the low durability they have). I said several times I’d like to draft a 1st round RT (still remembering in our case he fights for Tebow’s blindside) and move Franklin to LG…. however for now, I think we should wait 1 more year to do it, if until there we still see the things how they are today.

This signature was sacked by Von Miller.
I bleed Orange & Blue. GB².

by Fabio Broncos on Dec 15, 2011 12:47 PM MST up reply actions

I think Zane could play RT, LT, RG, LG in a pinch. 4 spots as a super sub.

Zane is our worst starter on offense. Does that work better for you.

Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you (including you Elway).

by McGeorge on Dec 16, 2011 10:53 AM MST up reply actions

I’m actually a svelte 6 feet and in my early 30s. Big on board shorts and a T-shirts. But I’m not Emma Stone hot… Not even close.

Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you.

by McGeorge on Dec 14, 2011 2:44 PM MST up reply actions

To firstfan, supra,

other than the “brilliant” part that grumpy old guy in the stuffy old, paper stacked office, and cardigan sounds like me.

If this be Hell, let us make the most of it!

by Trinidad Jack on Dec 17, 2011 8:56 AM MST up reply actions

There is no way you can convince me Beadles is not the weak link in our O-line. If he is not pulling, he is often getting schooled. He holds up okay vs okay and lesser talents (think KC’s D-line), but Zane gets owned and owned often by the above average DTs and DEs. Zane doesn’t even fair all the well vs the mediocre D-linemen.

Beadles is a below average starter in the NFL and the worst of our 5 O-linemen. I think he gets a mid to high draft pick to compete with for the 2012 season.

With Zane, the effort is certainly there, but the talent is not. This shows up too many times in games vs teams like Chicago and the Jets.

Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you.

by McGeorge on Dec 14, 2011 2:41 PM MST up reply actions

Yeah. He'd make a great backup and could replace the worst member of our team

Hochstein

by ShyandObese on Dec 14, 2011 6:34 PM MST up reply actions

Zane Beadles is infinitely better than Hochstein. Watching Hoch get pushed 3 yards back on most running plays last year was impossibly painful.

Man I hate McJedi

Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you.

by McGeorge on Dec 15, 2011 7:27 AM MST up reply actions

Me too

His struggles in St. Louis are a cherry on top of this season :)

by ShyandObese on Dec 15, 2011 1:47 PM MST up reply actions

I stand corrected too...

If there is one thing the past 8 weeks has taught me it’s how important scheme is. Beadles and Walton are both way better in the scheme McCoy has devised for Tim than (IMO) they were before. At any rate, you are entirely correct, they are definitely not the biggest problem issues the team needs to address going forward…

by patrickf on Dec 17, 2011 8:09 AM MST up reply actions

This seems to match my impressions from the game

Running was tough sledding. Passing had a couple breakdowns and a few plays that lasted too long and eventually broke down, but overall was pretty good. I felt like we got pushed around up front in the run game a lot. These grades are higher than I expected for the run game, but consistent with the overall view.

Thanks for posting

by Da Bum on Dec 13, 2011 12:34 PM MST reply actions

Agreed

This signature was sacked by Von Miller.
I bleed Orange & Blue. GB².

by Fabio Broncos on Dec 13, 2011 12:48 PM MST up reply actions

I thought we would see something like this Bewsaf

The run blocking, while far from perfect, I think had more to do with the Bears D and McGahee hurting than it did us sucking.

The pass blocking was good to great…. as I thought. Many times our line straight up stoned that Bears front and gave Tebow plenty of time to make a play. Tim and the WR’s did the line no favors at times.

"As iron sharpens iron, so will one man sharpen another"

"If I had to choose between an abundance of football intelligence, or football wisdom, I'd choose wisdom 100% of the time...... Foxy has this in spades!!!"

by PaleHorse78 on Dec 13, 2011 12:35 PM MST reply actions

Out of interest...

What do you guys make of ProFootball Focus’ offensive line grading? They seem to think that the Broncos have the 30th-ranked OL in the NFL and struggle in run blocking (although based on the rushing success we’ve had over the last few weeks this can’t be solely attributed to undisciplined defences).

On the other side, Merrill Hoge claims that the Broncos OL has been the best in the NFL over the last month (which is obviously untrue). Interesting that there’s such a disparity OL evaluation – it’s eerily similar to the scrum in rugby where so few people (including referees) truly understand the mechanics and technicalities of the area.

by Muse_Cubed on Dec 14, 2011 4:56 AM MST reply actions

I trust PFF.

PFF excels at identifying assignments and grades the players individually. Keep in mind though, they’re grading based off the entire season whereas Hoge is using only the past month which includes only Denver wins.

There is also context. Denver’s clutch running may be more a result of Tebow than run-blocking, especially when Tebow is forced to scramble when the OLine is thinking “pass protect”. Haven’t seen enough film to comment on the more traditional aspects of Denver’s run-game.

As I understand it, the Denver O-Line is better in the interior than at the edges. Paging Dr. Wilfork…

It is what it is

by Middlesex on Dec 14, 2011 7:24 AM MST up reply actions

nope

the edges to me have seemed strong, especially as Franklin has matured (he was a bit scary in pass blocking early season)… he’s a total mauler in runblocking, so you better hope your strongside DEF front is stout.

Clady isn’t the top LT in the NFL anymore since his injury, but he’s still solid. Kuper similarly is solid. Beadles/Walton are inconsistent, and the reviews on them are decidedly mixed… some folks think they are fine, others think they are liabilities. Both are probably better in pass blocking than run.

As pointed out above, opinions on our o-line range from great to terrible… truth is probably somewhere in between. TT certainly helps by forcing the DEF to play slow in passrush and pursuit, but we also are much more traditional than major media likes to say. Option plays are the exception, not the rule.

The oline is also very young, which contributes to inconsistency, as well as improvement in the current win streak vs. struggles early.

Our lack of depth scares me, so adding some talent in the offseason to compete with the current guys is certainly on my radar, but no individual strikes me a “must replace” either.

by cjfarls on Dec 14, 2011 10:35 AM MST up reply actions

O Line Evals

PFF is much better at evaluating other football related performance than they are at O Line evals. That’s true of every rating group.

As I said above, I don’t put much stock in O Line evals that don’t come from OC’s because O line play is the hardest thing in football to evaluate unless the evaluator knows what each assignment was on the play that was called or changed at the line. In addition, O Line play has to be evaluated using All-22 film, which isn’t available to third parties.

All-22 film is closely guarded by the NFL. It is mostly only released to NFL teams for the coaching staff. It’s wide angle film shot from the top of the stadium. It shows all 22 players on the field and what they are doing. It is far different than looking at other game film. I have used A-22 film many times and there is a huge difference in what someone sees who knows the game. None of the folks doing O Line evals, with the exception of the coaches, have A-22 tape.

There are so many variables in O Line play for everyone but the line coach and OC, it is hard to really rate O Line guys. Sometimes an O Line guy looks like he missed an assignment because he doesn’t seem to be blocking anyone. In reality, he is doing exactly what he is suppose to be doing. The D line guy may have pulled to stop an expected end around or maybe an LB has changed positions substantially so the O Line guy can’t get to him. The OC knows what happened on any particular play especially when looking at A-22 film.

Another situation that is common is the detention time. Maybe the OC wants the D Lineman held off for 5 seconds. An O line guy can do that, but if the QB takes 8 seconds to make a throw or moves out of the pocket, the D line guy make get passed the O Line guy for a pressure or maybe even a sack. The question is what was the cause of the pressure. Was it a missed block, an unexpected move by the D Line guy, did the QB take too long to find a target, or did the WR’s take too long to get open.

There are so many variable in O Line play it’s tough to evaluate for those not on the team. PFF has had to change sacks, pressures and other stats when O Line guys challenged their interpretation. So PFF isn’t the be all end all of O Line evals.

I based my opinion that Denver has an average NFL O line on an array of stats compared side by side with other NFL teams. Stats speak for themselves. As does the W/L

by FormerUMP on Dec 14, 2011 12:55 PM MST up reply actions

Thanks Ump

’preciate the perspective. I have been fortunate enough to travel all the way from alaska twice this year for games. San diego and the Jets. I was able to see the entire O Line and while I missed a few outstanding plays by “skilled position” players, I really got a feel for the line. I felt there was improvement. I just love watching the big guys up front.

It all starts in the trenches - HT 11/11/08
Leave the hateful vitriol to the uninformed - HT 3/16/09

by firstfan on Dec 14, 2011 1:14 PM MST up reply actions

Clark at 30% this week. That is putrid when you consider he is coming into the game as a 6th OL for running plays.

failing to get the job done on 7 out of 10 times is only acceptable in baseball.

Win the individual battles at the LOS - all else flows from that.

by DE_BroncoFan on Dec 14, 2011 1:15 PM MST reply actions

O Line Backups

Yeah, Clark wasn’t having his best game. I think Denver should use a couple of late round draft picks or small free agency money to pick up some better O Line backups.

Injuries on the O Line could be a huge problem.

by FormerUMP on Dec 14, 2011 1:40 PM MST up reply actions

Thanks so much, Bewsaf. I love this posting

Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime.
"As a quarterback, all you want is an opportunity to lead your team to victory" - Tim Tebow

by azbroncomaniac on Dec 14, 2011 6:00 PM MST reply actions

Genius

by McGeorge on Dec 14, 2011 1:41
There is no way you can convince me Beadles is not the weak link in our O-line.

Exactly, no one can convince you. That sums it up.

The bottom line regardless of anyone’s opinion is if the coaching staff replaces Beadles, or anyone else on the O Line, then they agreed with your evaluation. If they don’t, then they don’t agree with you. Obviously the only thing to do then is try to get them fired.

by FormerUMP on Dec 14, 2011 7:45 PM MST reply actions

You need to work on the reply button homeboy. And Bewsaf agrees with me by the way.

So take that.

Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you.

by McGeorge on Dec 15, 2011 7:27 AM MST up reply actions

And I made it very clear that I think our staff most certainly will bring in stiff competition for Beadles spot in 2012. Thanks to McJedi’s rotten mid round picks, Denver has no one on the roster to compete with Zane (the Olsen twins and the C we took in 2009…. all cut).

Tim Tebow is Denver's 2012 starting QB. I'm not even kind of sorry that offends some of you.

by McGeorge on Dec 15, 2011 7:29 AM MST up reply actions

tim tebow

ok, now that that’s out of the way, the o-line. our interior players are all 305 lbs. or so. this is a problem, sometimes, depending on what you’re trying to do. play smash-mouth football and run it up the gut in the I-formation when the entire stadium knows the play? i think you need more size in this case-giving up 30-50 lbs. a man is a tough hurdle to overcome in that style.

i am not averse to improving the size in the interior, perhaps moving franklin inside if pass-protection for the qb’s blind side isn’t sufficiently improved. beadles looks to me like another ben hamilton. good, tough player, but if we aren’t zone-blocking, there is a problem, like getting blown into the backfield. being this is the most important unit on a team, i would love to add a lineman or two, chemistry be damned. beadles for 6th-man, i say

taste my blintzkrieg!

the 3-man rush is an admission of lunacy, cowardice, and defeat.

by davecheffy on Dec 15, 2011 10:12 PM MST reply actions