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  1. #1

    Is having a great LT overrated?

    the Ravens won the SB with a pair of mediocre pass blocking tackles in the playoff. Flacco made a number of big plays in the playoffs when he got outside pressure but stepped up in the pocket. The line change solidified the interior pass blocking of the Ravens, and that IMO, was the most important thing. QBs can deal with pressure from the outside, they cannot deal with pressure up the middle. I would draft a pair of guys to compete at LT.

    Just my 2 cents(full value).





  2. #2
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    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    You need a QB who can help in his own protection. That could be because he's mobile or because he makes quick decisions and gets rid of the ball. I think Flacco has a little bit of both.





  3. #3
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    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    I don't think it's a popular opinion on this board but I don't think a stud LT is as important as it was in the past. Teams use the interior of the field so much more now and with the no huddle, shotgun, roll outs, there are ways to compensate. You need a solid player, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't spend a high 1st on a LT anymore...

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  4. #4

    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    This may be paid content, but PFF (Steve Palazzolo) put together some analyses on pressure and the result on QB play.

    https://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...ning-pressure/

    Essentially, over the past five years, QB numbers on completion percentage and rating show a very small disparity when comparing pressure from LT vs. RT. Additionally, over the past five years, again, more sacks came from over the LT, but there's only a 1.2% difference vs. sacks from over the RT. Still, many questions can come out of this, which demand further analyses, and I'll leave that to Steve with his follow-up piece (well after the draft, I'd assume).

    A nice summer project would be to compare Joe's performance vs. pressure during the season and then during the playoffs. Our eyes tell us what the differences were, but maybe a breakdown of each instance would reveal other factors were more or less important than we thought we saw.
    "The Ravens are not taking Jimmy Smith at 26!" -- Me, the day before the 2011 Draft

    "On their way to the podium, the Ravens FO is going to collectively step over my dead body and select...Breshad Perriman." -- Me, the day before the 2015 Draft

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  5. #5
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    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    Case and Point:

    The New Orleans Saints, the New York Giants, and the Green Bay Packers. Not one of those teams during their SB runs had outstanding LT play. It is all about the offensive game plan and the QB getting rid of the ball quickly.

    Jermon Bushrod is not a very good LT. In fact, I actually think he and Oher are probably pretty comparable. However, because Brees is able to step up into the pocket consistently and functions in an offense designed to get the ball out as quickly as possible, Bushrod looked a lot better than what he actually is. Same with William Beatty (though he has improved substantially), and Marshall Newhouse in Green Bay.

    I keep saying this and I know 1 game doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but Oher really held his own at LT in the 2nd game after Cam was fired (the Giants). Oher faced off against JPP and Osi for most of the game and those guys aren't bums by any stretch of the imagination. Oher played well and I attributed 95% of that performance to a good game plan and good play calling. Unlike Cam, Jim Caldwell seems interested in exposing a defenses weakness whilst playing to the strengths of the Ravens' offense. THAT is why I think Oher (or KO) at LT would not be the end of the world next season.

    Not perfect, but not the end of the world either.

    Furthermore, in order to get a top flight LT you have to be picking in the top 10. Last year I looked at all of the LT's in the NFL, ranked them, and what I found was that outside of a few anomalies (Jared Veldheer, for example) most of the top flight LT's in the NFL were picked in the top 20. It is rare to find an OT after pick 20 that can legitimately start and play really well.
    Disclaimer: The content posted is of my own opinion.





  6. #6
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    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    A great LT isn't really essential, but if you can get one, take one regardless.

    I'd rather have a good center and two good guards, rather than a great LT and an average interior. Bringing back McKinnie would not only give us solid (but not spectacular) play at LT, but would more importantly allow us to have a very good interior line.





  7. #7
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    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    You can win without one but I don't think having one is overrated.
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  8. #8

    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle View Post
    I don't think it's a popular opinion on this board but I don't think a stud LT is as important as it was in the past. Teams use the interior of the field so much more now and with the no huddle, shotgun, roll outs, there are ways to compensate. You need a solid player, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't spend a high 1st on a LT anymore...
    I think you're right.

    Back in the fall, me and few other cats (Leach, Arnie IIRC, and a few others) were kicking around the "3-man wall" idea as what's really required to have an effective and efficient passing game (provided your QB is not a bum).
    Three-man wall => G-C-G or T-G-C or C-G-T. The thought behind it relates to...
    1) QB comfort and where he's confident that he can step to/scramble to if he feels and/or sees pressure, (<-- can make a reasonable conclusion with data)
    2) It's easier for your blocking back to execute, and (<-- hard to prove with data)
    3) You can scheme a focused game plan around it (<-- impossible to prove with data)

    I don't know what we'll have at C, but Gino looks to be well-regarded by the FO, so we're only looking for depth there I'm figuring. T is a roster hole, so that is what's driving my draft strategy of getting the best T as early as possible. Looking at McKinnie's reliability and Oher's poor performance, someone who didn't play there in 2012, is likely to play most of the snaps there in 2013. That's a big deal to me.

    To your point, there's value from Armstead in the 2nd on through to Nixon, Mills, Bakhtiari, etc. in the 4th and 5th. I'm very interested to see what we do.

    Referencing Steve's article and follow-up article that's coming, I'd like to take that info and then map it against some tape from Joe, Rogers, Cutler, and maybe a few others to see if the "3 man wall" has any validity in the real world.
    "The Ravens are not taking Jimmy Smith at 26!" -- Me, the day before the 2011 Draft

    "On their way to the podium, the Ravens FO is going to collectively step over my dead body and select...Breshad Perriman." -- Me, the day before the 2015 Draft

    Missed it by That Much: The story of 'Get Smart' and the modern day Baltimore Ravens

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  9. #9
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    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle View Post
    I don't think it's a popular opinion on this board but I don't think a stud LT is as important as it was in the past. Teams use the interior of the field so much more now and with the no huddle, shotgun, roll outs, there are ways to compensate.
    One thing we might keep in mind is that the Ravens haven't gotten even average blocking from the TE position since Heap left. I have a feeling that signing a good-blocking TE (via draft or camp cuts) & putting him to the left side of the formation would make mediocre LT play look a lot better. I also have a feeling that there are plans to make Leach a major part of the protection scheme on pass plays (maybe even Flacco's bodyguard), which is the main reason his sizeablesalary is still on the books.
    You need a solid player, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't spend a high 1st on a LT anymore...
    IMO they'll try to make a virtue of necessity this year while drafting one or two LT prospects in the middle rounds, hoping to coach them up to start in 2014.





  10. #10

    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    Quote Originally Posted by wickedsolo View Post
    Furthermore, in order to get a top flight LT you have to be picking in the top 10. Last year I looked at all of the LT's in the NFL, ranked them, and what I found was that outside of a few anomalies (Jared Veldheer, for example) most of the top flight LT's in the NFL were picked in the top 20. It is rare to find an OT after pick 20 that can legitimately start and play really well.

    Truth...and seconded. One boring work day, I went back three years, based upon PFF's ranking on LTs and RTs. Vast majority was 1st round.
    "The Ravens are not taking Jimmy Smith at 26!" -- Me, the day before the 2011 Draft

    "On their way to the podium, the Ravens FO is going to collectively step over my dead body and select...Breshad Perriman." -- Me, the day before the 2015 Draft

    Missed it by That Much: The story of 'Get Smart' and the modern day Baltimore Ravens

    @BigPlayReceiver





  11. #11

    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    Quote Originally Posted by lobachevsky View Post
    One thing we might keep in mind is that the Ravens haven't gotten even average blocking from the TE position since Heap left. I have a feeling that signing a good-blocking TE (via draft or camp cuts) & putting him to the left side of the formation would make mediocre LT play look a lot better. I also have a feeling that there are plans to make Leach a major part of the protection scheme on pass plays (maybe even Flacco's bodyguard), which is the main reason his sizeablesalary is still on the books.IMO they'll try to make a virtue of necessity this year while drafting one or two LT prospects in the middle rounds, hoping to coach them up to start in 2014.
    Interesting. Never thought about that.
    "The Ravens are not taking Jimmy Smith at 26!" -- Me, the day before the 2011 Draft

    "On their way to the podium, the Ravens FO is going to collectively step over my dead body and select...Breshad Perriman." -- Me, the day before the 2015 Draft

    Missed it by That Much: The story of 'Get Smart' and the modern day Baltimore Ravens

    @BigPlayReceiver





  12. #12
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    Re: Is having a great LT overrated?

    Boys, the whole thing is not winning without outstanding LT play...it is winning without Cam Cameron. Solid interior Oline, strong FB, and decent TE blocking, but mostly superior play calling that is tailored to your QB (Caldwell - Flacco)... Bc





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