Tag: offensive line

Irish in the NFL: Ronnie Stanley Key in Lamar Jackson’s MVP Caliber Season

Not only has Stanley not allowed a sack through fifteen games but he’s only allowed his quarterback to be pressured six times all season.

When you hear about Notre Dame players in the NFL you usually hear first about offensive linemen and then about tight ends. Or first about tight ends and then about those on the o-line.

When discussing the linemen, Quenton Nelson is seemingly always the first player brought up because he’s downright nasty and has the attitude that matches his play.

He’s not the only dominating offensive lineman from Notre Dame in the pros this year, however. And in fact, he might not even be the best Notre Dame lineman in the pros this season.

That title may just deserve to go to former Irish star and current Baltimore Raven, Ronnie Stanley.

Pro Football Focus did a fine job breaking down his play this season after Thursday night’s dominating win over the New York Jets.

Not only has Stanley not allowed a sack through fifteen games but he’s only allowed his quarterback to be pressured six times all season.

Yes, against the best pass rushers in the world Stanley has not only held his own but entirely dominated.

Listen, Lamar Jackson is lights-out on the field and easily the NFL MVP this season. He would probably still be more than just passable even behind an average or so offensive line.

It’s worth praising Stanley however for having his young quarterback’s back, literally, and helping to create one of the most memorable years we’ve ever witnessed by an NFL quarterback.

Broncos injuries: 2 starting offensive linemen ruled out

The Broncos and Chiefs have revealed their final injury reports for Week 15 of the NFL season.

Denver Broncos guard Ron Leary (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Vic Fangio announced Friday. Right tackle Ja’Wuan James (knee) has also been ruled out, leaving Denver thin on the offensive line.

With Leary and James out, Austin Schlottmann (guard) and Elijah Wilkinson (tackle) will likely serve as fill-in offensive linemen this week.

In addition to Leary and James, wide receiver Juwann Winfree (hamstring), defensive end DeMarcus Walker (ankle) and defensive end Adam Gotsis (knee) have also been ruled out.

Elsewhere on the Broncos’ injury report, defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones (ankle), inside linebacker Joe Jones (back) and tight end Noah Fant (hip/foot) are listed as questionable.

Outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu (foot), inside linebacker Alexander Johnson (knee), outside linebacker Von Miller (knee), nose tackle Mike Purcell (shoulder/knee), and cornerback Isaac Yiadom (shoulder) have been cleared to play.

For the Chiefs, cornerback Morris Claiborne (shoulder) and cornerback Rashad Fenton (hamstring) have been ruled out. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (hand) fully practiced all week and will play on Sunday.

Sunday’s game will air on CBS at 11:00 a.m. MT (view the TV map here).

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Roderick Johnson or Chris Clark: Who is the Texans’ answer at right tackle?

The Houston Texans have a choice between Roderick Johnson and Chris Clark at right tackle. One stands out far above the other.

The age-old quandary: Chris Clark or Roderick Johnson?

With their starting right tackle on injured reserve, Tytus Howard (meniscus), the Houston Texans have taken an unorthodox approach to the position.

Recently, those tuning in can get accustomed to seeing Chris Clark, No. 77, and Roderick Johnson, No. 63,  rotate through the position.

Since the Texans placed Howard on injured reserve before Week 13, Clark has played in 60% in both games, while seeing starts in each. Johnson has taken the remaining 40%. That’s odd.

One of Houston’s right tackles stands as a massive upgrade over the other. It’s the 24-year-old Johnson, who has out-paced the 34-year-old Clark as the candidate that should secure the job heading into a vital three-week stretch.

According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson is playing the part of one of the best tackles in the NFL. While Clark receives the majority of the snaps, Johnson is 12th in the NFL in overall blocking grade and 11th in pass-blocking in those last two weeks.

Though Johnson’s analytical prowess has come while playing minimal stats, it remains a promising number. It’s also one that many expected.

In the preseason, Johnson warranted legitimate consideration to be the Texans’ starting left tackle of the future. Ultimately, that didn’t happen. Houston traded for Laremy Tunsil, who is playing the part of a top-5 player at his position. Howard, a first-round rookie, settled in at right tackle.

Johnson’s performance in exhibition games and training camp earned him a fan in quarterback Deshaun Watson.

“He’s a guy that works his tail off; he plays hard; he has a lot of effort; he’s very disciplined and he doesn’t make too many mistakes,” said Watson on Aug. 17. “He’s been doing a heck of a job and I’m comfortable sitting in the pocket with him at left tackle.”

Johnson, according to PFF, hasn’t allowed a sack since Week 2, a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 252 snaps, he grades in at a 67.3, 17.1 points higher than Clark.

Clark is 10 years older than Johnson. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Johnson will be a restricted free agent.

In his limited playing time, Johnson has proven to be a productive and promising member of the offensive line. Clark, not so much. If the Texans want to do what’s best for their blocking unit, it’s clear who will get the start in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans.

Texans OT Tytus Howard lands on NFL.com’s 2019 all rookie team

Houston Texans rookie offensive tackle Tytus Howard earned a spot on NFL.com’s 2019 all rookie team.

Houston Texans rookie offensive tackle Tytus Howard’s season may be over after just eight games, but the first-round pick from Alabama State was impressive enough to earn a spot on an all rookie team

According to NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling, Howard and Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Jawaan Taylor were exemplary enough to claim spots on their 2019 all rookie team.

Veteran pass rushers began the season taking advantage of Taylor as a Day 1 starter, but he hasn’t been charged with a sack since Week 6. The second-round pick joins guard Andrew Norwell as the only Jaguars to play every snap this season. Billed as a high-upside project out of Alabama State, Howard ended up solving Houston’s long-standing problem at right tackle before an MCL tear ended his season last week. Fellow first-round picks Andre Dillard and Kaleb McGary have disappointed in Philadelphia and Atlanta, respectively.

What helped Howard was being able to man the right tackle spot after the club traded for Laremy Tunsil on Aug. 31. With a proven veteran protecting quarterback Deshaun Watson’s blindside as opposed to Howard, it allowed the rookie to grow into his role as an edge protector and ease into the pro game.

A knee injury knocked Howard out of the Texans’ 31-24 Week 6 win at the Kansas City Chiefs. The 6-5, 322-pound tackle returned in Week 9 in London as the Texans beat the Jaguars 26-3. Ahead of the Texans’ 28-22 win over the New England Patriots in Week 13 on Sunday Night Football, Houston placed Howard on injured reserve because of that knee injury. Howard has since had knee surgery, and he is expected to be good to go once the Texans commence their nine-week offseason program in April.

Twitter reacts to Georgia’s big time hiring of Matt Luke as OL coach

Georgia football made a big splash hiring Matt Luke and UGA Twitter reacted.

Matt Luke, who was fired as head coach of Ole Miss on December 1st, has accepted the position of offensive line coach at Georgia.

Luke fills a void left by former o-line coach Sam Pittman, who took the position of head coach at Arkansas.

For Georgia, this was about as good of a hire as possible. To get a head coach from an SEC school to come coach a position group is a big move, and Kirby Smart pulled it off.

A few hours before the news, former Georgia offensive linemen David Andrews and Brandon Kublanow both tweeted about how good of a hire this would be if Georgia were able to make it happen.

Now, with the hiring being confirmed by Georgia, Bulldog fans can breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to picking up where we left off with Pittman.

Here are some social media reactions to the news.

Broncos QB Drew Lock a big ‘Toy Story’ fan

Broncos quarterback Drew Lock is a big fan of the ‘Toy Story’ movies and he has embraced his “Buzz Lightyear’ nickname.

Broncos quarterback Drew Lock showed off a Buzz Lightyear-inspired celebration after scoring a touchdown against the Texans on Sunday. The celebration was a playful jab at himself after teammates made fun of him for wearing a big armband to help call plays.

“It was definitely a lot of fun with Buzz Lightyear this week — blew up on Twitter to where the offensive line was, ‘We should shoot the laser after you score a touchdown,'” Lock said after a 38-24 win. “All right, you want to do it, we’ll do it. We fully embraced it.”

Broncos center Connor McGovern came up with the idea.

“The o-line just [gave] me a bunch of crap when I came in here with the big thing on, so I think it was probably our walkthrough on Saturday, I think it was Connor that said something to me about maybe doing the laser as a celebration,” the QB said. “And we did it. We made it happen.”

Buzz Lightyear is a character from the ‘Toy Story’ series. Lock said he’s a fan of all four movies and noted that the first one is the best and the fourth one is “kind of sad.” ‘Toy Story’ was released in 1995, one year before Lock was born.

“Buzz is older than me,” the quarterback noted. We’ve got to bring back some legends sometimes.”

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The good, the bad, and the ugly from Seahawks’ loss to Rams

The Seattle Seahawks were on the receiving end of a stunning blowout on the road as the reigning NFC West champs sent them packing, 28-12.

Division games are never a sure thing, as the Seattle Seahawks found out on “Sunday Night Football” after a punishing 28-12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks had the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth with a loss or tie, but instead fell to second in the NFC West due in part to the 49ers’ win over the Saints earlier in the day. This week, Seattle boasted one star but unfortunately fielded much more to criticize – here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Seahawks’ prime-time outing at the Coliseum.

THE GOOD

Quandre Diggs: The trade for Quandre Diggs looks more and more like a steal as the safety picked off Rams quarterback Jared Goff in two consecutive drives, bringing life to a Seahawks team that trailed by 18 at the beginning of the second half. He brought the first interception back 55 yards to the house for six points on the first drive of the third quarter, then surprised Goff deep in the red zone on the next drive to save another Rams touchdown and give Seattle the ball back. Diggs has been involved in five turnovers this season, having notched three interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in just four games with the Seahawks.

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Texans coach Bill O’Brien: We have to fix LT Laremy Tunsil’s penalties

Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil is one of the best in the NFL. However, his penalty issues have been a liability.

Laremy Tunsil leads the NFL in false start penalties with 12. Though he says there is a target on his back, it’s clear that starting prematurely has been the Houston Texans left tackle’s crux.

On Sunday, Tunsil took three false start penalties in a 38-24 loss to the Denver Broncos, all in the first half. Postgame, Bill O’Brien stated the obvious: he has got to fix that.

“Laremy’s — he’s played very well, but he’s had too many penalties,” said O’Brien. “He would be the first one to tell you that. We’ve got to try to fix it. We’ve got to continue to try to help him to fix it. I think nobody feels worse about that than him. He’s a great guy. He’s a great player, but we’ve got to fix that.”

Tunsil has played the part of an elite tackle. Entering Sunday’s game, Pro Football Focus rated him as the second-best pass-protecting tackle in the NFL. However, no matter how good he can snap-to-snap, his false start issues are a liability — similar to Jadeveon Clowney’s offside tenancies.

Houston has time to get Tunsil in sync with Deshaun Watson. They have three more games before the playoffs, presuming they make the postseason. The final three games, including their two-game series with the Tennessee Titans, could write the ultimate fate for the 2019 team.

Broncos OL Dalton Risner gives QB Drew Lock ‘a lot of crap’

Broncos guard Dalton Risner playfully gives quarterback Drew Lock a hard time in the huddle.

Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay describes offensive guard Dalton Risner as a “character.” He likes to talk smack — even to his own teammates.

Risner and quarterback Drew Lock were both selected in the second round of this year’s NFL draft and they roomed together in the spring. They formed a friendship and Risner, being the jokester that he is, has carried their banter into the huddle.

“Dalton Risner likes to give me a lot of crap in the huddle, especially in practice,” Lock said with a smile Wednesday. “He’ll go up to the ball after I call a play, he’ll ask me, and say the exact opposite of the play pretty much. ‘No, Dalton.’ He’s just trying to get me all riled up.”

Lock did not play calls in college while at Missouri so he has been wearing an armband to call plays. Risner couldn’t let that slide.

“That first time out there where I was in the huddle, Buzz Lightyear was used,” Lock said. “‘To Infinity and Beyond,’ with the play calls on my arm, they got all of it ready for me. It’s been fun. It keeps things light for sure in practice. Dalton likes to talk.”

Lindsay believes Risner’s talking is good for the team.

“Dalton gives everybody grief, but that’s just who he is,” the running back said. “That’s great when you have good character guys. You need that in the huddle, and you need that for your team. That helps build a franchise into being successful. You have to have different personalities.”

Through the first 12 games of his career, Risner has been penalized three times and has allowed 2.5 sacks. Not a bad start.

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Report: Texans OT Tytus Howard undergoes successful right knee surgery

Houston Texans rookie right tackle Tytus Howard had successful knee surgery and should be ready for the club’s offseason program.

The road to recovery is off to a good start for Houston Texans rookie offensive tackle Tytus Howard.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the first-round pick from Alabama State had successful surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee. As such, the 6-5, 322-pound offensive lineman will be on track to participate in the team’s offseason program.

Howard started eight games for the Texans, but dealt with injuries throughout the season. In preseason, Howard broke his hand and it kept him out of the club’s season opener at the New Orleans Saints.

In Week 6 at the Kansas City Chiefs, Howard sustained an MCL sprain that knocked him out for the next two games until he returned in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

On Nov. 30, a day before the Texans hosted the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football at NRG Stadium in an eventual 28-22 win, the club placed Howard on injured reserve, ending his rookie campaign.

In the absence of Howard, the Texans plan to rotate Chris Clark and Roderick Johnson at right tackle.