“Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North” brought us a special moment between Roger Rosengarten and Myles Garrett.
We’ve known since the summer announcement that HBO and NFL Films’ “Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North” would bring us some special moments.
This is certainly one of those, as Ravens rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten asked Browns defensive end Myles Garrett for his jersey during the regular season-ending win over Cleveland.
Rosengarten did so in a very humble manner, and Garrett gladly obliged.
Garrett is right—Rosengarten is anything but a nobody. He played in all 17 regular-season games for the Ravens this season, starting 14 of them. He’s played exceptionally well, too, as he’s only allowed four sacks in 933 snaps.
None of those sacks came from Garrett, one of the league’s most fearsome pass rushers. Rosengarten was undoubtedly a huge and quite notable player when he entered the league.
The Ravens drafted him in the second round out of Washington, where he anchored the line for what many regarded as the nation’s top offense. However, it’s easy to understand why an offensive lineman might feel substantially obscure.
They do not receive the media coverage that offensive skill position guys (especially quarterbacks) receive. While some statistics measure an OL’s effectiveness and performance, they are known only to the absolute hardcore football fans.
These stats are not mainstream like passing yards or rushing touchdowns. For most OL, it’s the team stats and how they contribute to achieving those stats that matters.
University of Illinois center Josh Kreutz, son of six-time NFL Pro Bowler Olin, Kreutz said it best, when he discussed goal line packages that bring in additional offensive linemen.
“Just get as many of those guys on there as possible,” Kreutz said in an exclusive with RG. “It gives a little bit of juice when all those guys come in, especially when it’s working right, and I think that helped.
“Just pushing that down the field and getting us a few more yards and a touchdown like that, it means a lot to us.”
Instances like this, where the “barge” formation of nine blockers, the quarterback and one running back led to a rushing touchdown, means the world to an offensive lineman.
It’s always fun to interview an offensive lineman who discusses the pride he takes in his craft. However, “Fewest sacks allowed” or knockdowns (a.k.a. pancake blocks”) do not move the needle like a flashy defensive back achieving a pick-six or a quarterback breaking passing records.
But they’re important nonetheless. Your offense can only be as good as the line you have leading the way. The big boys up front are the unsung heroes of any good football team.
