The Cowboys Offensive Line, How Did It Improve?

[RiggoReincarnated]

Ok, when I look at personnel, it would seem Dallas' offensive line should have been downgraded from last season:


LT: Upgrade. Flozell Adams is better then Torrin Tucker, but not as good as he used to be.

LG: Downgrade. Kyle Kosier got pushed over by Lavar Arrington. He sucks. Larry Allen was a perennial All-Pro

C: Same. Gurode was here last year and this year.

RG: Same. Rivera was here last year and this year.

RT: Downgrade. Colombo hasn't played football in years, and Petitti was rapidly improving at the end of last season.

So overall it would seem this line should be worse, not better.

How did they improve, and our line downgrade even though we kept the same personnel as our dominating line from last year?

[Art McDonough]

I confess I do not know what is wrong with our offensive line this year. They should be at least as good as last year and one year's experience combined with reasonably good health ought to translate into being better. Here are some things, however, I have thought about.

1. When Gibbs returned and brought Bugel with him, there was a return to man-on- man blocking like back in the days of the Hogs. Gradually, the line improved despite being hit with injuries each year. But Al Saunders brought his brand of zone blocking which generally requires smaller, quicker linemen. When that happened with Spurrier, the line suffered. Now it appears to be suffering again so I wonder whether these guys are suited to the zone scheme.

Just some thoughts.

2. The five starters have never had any competition for their positions. These guys were slated to be the starting five well before preseason. I have always heard competition in camp is a good thing. And there is no one waiting in the wings to take any position should a starter's performance deteriorate.

3.

[Who Del]

Don't know you can say they improved. The Jags did a good job of pressuring Bledsoe. The Redskins don't have any pass rush to speak of right now.

[RiggoReincarnated]

Don't know you can say they improved. The Jags did a good job of pressuring Bledsoe. The Redskins don't have any pass rush to speak of right now.

But why can't we pass rush when we have the same defensive linemen as last year?

[Isifhan]

Through their strength and conditioning program.

[RiggoReincarnated]

Through their strength and conditioning program.

Now you're finally starting to think the way I am.

[WeownU]

But why can't we pass rush when we have the same defensive linemen as last year?

You didn't get any pressure against dallas last year. At least not in the first game.

This was the lineup in the first game....

Flozell
Allen
Johnson/Gurode
Rivera
Pettiti

Pettiti was by far the weakest link. They doubled his side with either a TE or a RB on passing plays. Basically gave Pettiti help whenever they could

This was the lineup for the second game

Tucker
Allen
Johnson/Gurode
Rivera
Pettiti

Because Flo went down, we had to give help to Pettiti AND Tucker. Problem is, you just can't do that effectively. It was one too many leaks and not enough people to plug up the holes.

Remember Tucker and Pettiti were HORRIBLE. I'm talking GOD AWFUL here. Didn't phillip Daniels get 3 sacks in the second game against Tucker? That is pathetic. Daniels is simply not that good and you guys even know that.

[Isifhan]

Now you're finally starting to think the way I am.

Not quite

[DCsportsfan53]

The whole thing revolves around Flozell. Before he went down last year Bledsoe was lighting people up. Larry Allen is a loss but at this point only in terms of drive run blocking. He's not an efficient pulling guard anymore. As far as Kosier, that was YEARS ago that Lavar knocked him down, you know, when Lavar was actually athletic and hungry. RT is definitely an upgrade, Pettiti was not improving, we made him look like a fool in the second to last game. Now, Flozell looked out of it against Jax but Carter actually did test him last week and Flozell responded very well and played an excellent game, it wasn't just that Carter stinks (I don't think he does, anyways, he definitely made Flozell work).

As far as the comment about it being the same defensive line. Ok, sure, but when was the last time a Redskins D-line could rush the passer? I'm pretty sure I was in elementary school at that time and the guys doing the rushing were named Mann and Manley.

[Chachie]

Don't know you can say they improved. The Jags did a good job of pressuring Bledsoe. The Redskins don't have any pass rush to speak of right now.

Exactly.

[WeownU]

LT: Upgrade. Flozell Adams is better then Torrin Tucker, but not as good as he used to be.

Maybe not, but even Flo at 80% is 10 times better than Tucker. Its a HUGE improvement.

LG: Downgrade. Kyle Kosier got pushed over by Lavar Arrington. He sucks. Larry Allen was a perennial All-Pro?

I'm still not sold on Kosier, but Larry Allen was WAY overrated. He should have retired 3 years ago. Still a good runblocker, but couldn't do anything else.

C: Same. Gurode was here last year and this year.?

I don't know why, but Gurode is playing great ball right now. Much better than he ever had. Steroids maybe??? Who knows, but keep it up.

RG: Same. Rivera was here last year and this year.?

Not even close. Rivera had major back trouble last year prior to training camp even, it lingered all year, but he is healthy now

RT: Downgrade. Colombo hasn't played football in years, and Petitti was rapidly improving at the end of last season.

Pettiti was a BUM. Lets get this straight. He SUCKED. There was NO improvement in his game late last year....NONE. Columbo was a former 1st round pick by the bears who gave up on him after some injuries. He's healthy now and playing some pretty good football for us.

[WeownU]

Don't know you can say they improved. The Jags did a good job of pressuring Bledsoe. The Redskins don't have any pass rush to speak of right now.

They did a good job, but only sacked him twice on I believe 33 passing attempts. Thats not too shabby.

How many did they get against Pittsburg monday night?

[DCsportsfan53]

They did a good job, but only sacked him twice on I believe 33 passing attempts. Thats not too shabby.

How many did they get against Pittsburg monday night?

ehhhh, I was with you on everything up until this one. 2 sacks doesn't begin to describe the pressure Bledsoe was under after the first quarter. Like I said though, I think Flozell was just shaking off the rust. He looked a lot more athletic and comfortable against us and Carter has a lot more speed to test him with than any of the Jag's rushers.

[Who Del]

They did a good job, but only sacked him twice on I believe 33 passing attempts. Thats not too shabby.

How many did they get against Pittsburg monday night?

They sacked Roethlisberger twice. But you don't have to get a sack to disrupt the play.

[Ken]

Ok, when I look at personnel, it would seem Dallas' offensive line should have been downgraded from last season:


LT: Upgrade. Flozell Adams is better then Torrin Tucker, but not as good as he used to be.

LG: Downgrade. Kyle Kosier got pushed over by Lavar Arrington. He sucks. Larry Allen was a perennial All-Pro

C: Same. Gurode was here last year and this year.

RG: Same. Rivera was here last year and this year.

RT: Downgrade. Colombo hasn't played football in years, and Petitti was rapidly improving at the end of last season.

So overall it would seem this line should be worse, not better.

How did they improve, and our line downgrade even though we kept the same personnel as our dominating line from last year?

he upgrade at LT cannot be understated. We had a guy starting 9 games there who is out of football right now. He was atrocious. Reinsert a 2 time pro bowler, and you can see how that might solidify things. Also, while Adams is not where he will be in a few weeks, his limited self is 3 times the player that Tucker was.


LG- This is where the thinking is skewed for a lot of people. Everyone assumed Kosier was garbage because they never heard of him or they saw a clip of Lavar destroying him. They ignored the fact that the Football Scientist had him rated among the best OL at making his block. Or the fact that the Sporting News Scout guide had him as the 8th best G in the entire league. Or the fact that our scouting department obviously did their homework and made him a priority once FA started signing him the first day. Now, I have evaluated his play closely through preseason and the first two games. I understand WeOwnYou may not be sold on him yet, but I am. The guy is nastier than I thought and is very adept at getting to the second level and pulling wide. Both of these areas are where Allen was becoming increasingly useless. Allen still is a dominant player one on one, but as soon as that target moved, he was horrible.


C- Gurode has immense talent. His problem was always concentration. They have apparently figured that out and now he is really fulfilling his potential. He, dare I say, dominated the interior of the Jaguars and I think you saw what happened to the Skins… The Cowboys will wait a few more weeks to make sure it stays this way, but watch out for them to extend his contract in the next month or so. He has been our best lineman so far this season.

RG- Rivera is healthy now. Last year he had the back injury that limited his strength and mobility. Not that he has been worth his contract, but he has been solid. Still gets overpowered far to much for a guy that is supposed to be as good as him.

RT- Columbo is playing solidly. Petitti wasn’t improving rapidly last year, if anything he started strong and petered out. Columbo is a guy who had nerve damage in his leg and wasn’t even able to lift weights with his legs because of it. The Cowboys took a chance on him middle of last year and allowed him to rehabilitate himself with the idea he could compete this year. He was able to finally lift and it has made a big difference for him. He is not amazing by any means, but he is playing very solid and should only get better with each passing game. Remember, this is a guy who is massive, tough, and a former first rounder.…