Introducing the “Three Studs on the O-line” rule.

[Blue and Gold]

https://jimkanicki.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/introducing-the-three-studs-on-o-line-rule/


Introducing the “Three Studs on the O-line” rule.


NO RUNNING BACK EVER RAN BEHIND BETTER BLOCKING.

Emmitt Smith’s 164 rushing TDs are the most in NFL history. His 175 TDs are second only to Jerry Rice’s 208. (Smith’s eleven receiving TDs in 15 years says something unkind about his versatility but we don’t intend to go there.)

He also brought the NFL’s most classless touchdown celebration to all 175:

After every touchdown, Smith trotted behind the Cowboys bench and carefully tucked the touchdown football into a secured locker.


DALE HANSEN.
THE LAST HONEST COWBOYS ANNOUNCER.

From Jeff Pearlman’s Boys Will Be Boys (p. 227):

“Emmitt would score a touchdown from the two-yard-line, keep the football, and sell it at his souvenir shop back home in Pensacola,” says Dale Hansen, the Cowboys radio announcer. “I thought it was both odd and selfish.”

Me too Dale. Me too. Glad I wasn’t the only one.

I always thought he should give the ball to Larry Allen. Mark Tuinei. Nate Newton. Jay Novacek. Mark Stepnoski. Erik Williams. Moose Johnston. Ray Donaldson. Flozell Adams. Andre Gurode. Hell, add Michael Irvin to the list, he was a great blocking WR.


A LINK TO PRO-FOOTBALL ASS-HATTERY, YOURS FOR $800+.

All of these blockers in front of Smith went to multiple pro-bowls, many all-pros, and Larry Allen is now in the Hall of Fame.

They’re why Emmitt Smith gets to append his signature with ‘HOF.’

It was painfully obvious just through the eye-ball test that Emmitt Smith was the beneficiary of one of the greatest offensive fronts ever assembled. But his 175 incidents of douche-baggery prompted me to dig in and prove this thesis: Emmitt Smith is the least special running back in the HOF and owes all to his offensive line.

[Here’s the link to HOF by position and by my gut take, in the RB group, I think it’s Smith and Thurman Thomas in the, ‘Really?’ category.]

After looking at the Cowboys’ impressive o-line, I started looking for other great lines with a view toward seeing whether other running backs benefitted as magnificently. I didn’t find that. But I did notice that great offensive lines were, generally, attached to a dynastic team.

That led me to a greater thesis which I first shared with Frowns in an email a couple years back:

“If you find a team with 3 probowl OLs, they’re pretty much in the SB; probably a dynasty. The 90s boys were incredibly stacked. ALL FIVE on the line plus TE and FB. (This is why i never dug Emmitt Smith’s act.)”

To put a finer point on it, the postulate being proposed is this:

If you assemble an offensive line with three or more pro-bowlers, you’re likely going to a Super Bowl and probably more than one.

Or, more safely:

A great offensive line is an excellent indicator that you have a playoff team.

.

Of the sixteen greatest Super Bowl era teams, fifteen had great offensive lines.
In the data below, we find sixteen great teams. All of them were in at least one Super Bowl. All of them had a win-loss percentage over .700. Most won multiple Super Bowls. Only one of these teams did not have three all-pro linemen.

Of the twenty-three teams with great offensive lines, seventeen went to Super Bowl.
We found five six teams (so far) with great offensive lines who did not get to a Super Bowl. However all made the playoffs; all were very good. The worst of the bunch were the Vermeil Chiefs (tops in total offense two years in a row) and the Mangold Jets (won four playoff games).

.

If the worst that can happen is becoming the 2008-2010 Jets with their 4-2 playoff record… and if the price of great/dynastic team-building is a great offensive line… doesn’t it become a no-brainer to invest in your offensive line?

For our purposes: great offensive line means three or more pro-bowlers. We track any outstanding Tight Ends and Fullbacks, but the 3-stud rule applies to the linemen only.

Here comes the data.

.

____
The great teams, the dynasties, and their offensive fronts.


ROBERT BROWN AND FORREST GREGG HOF.

1. Lombardi Packers. Two Super Bowl wins in 66-67. Won the 1965 NFL Championship (over the Browns).
Forrest Gregg HOF, all-pro x7; Jerry Kramer, all-pro x5, Bob Skoronski, all-pro; Fuzzy Thurston, all-pro; Bill Curry, pro-bowl x2; Carroll Dale, pro-bowl x3; Jim Taylor HOF; Gale Gillingham all-pro x2.

.

2. Early 70s Dolphins. Three consecutive Super Bowls, 71-73; SB wins in 72-73. 36-5-1 in that span.
Larry Little HOF, all-pro x5; Norm Evans, pro-bowl x2; Bob DeMarco, all-pro x2; Bob Kuechenberg, all-pro, pro-bowl x6; Larry Csonka HOF; Jim Langer HOF, all-pro x4.

.

3. Bradshaw Steelers. Super Bowl wins in 74-75, and 78-79.
Mike Webster HOF, all-pro x5; Franco Harris HOF.
This team is the outlier. The 70s Steelers are the only team that breaks the model. (Kolb and Mullins never made a pro-bowl.. weird.) (Thinking more about this, I suspect Steeler-fatigue set in among the Pro Bowl voters. I mean. The 78 Steelers had TEN Pro Bowlers: Bradshaw, Harris, Swann, Webster, Greenwood, Greene, Ham, Lambert, Blount, Shell. They gotta draw the line somewhere. Sorry Jon Kolb and Gerry Mullins and Ray Pinney.)

.


RAYFIELD WRIGHT HOF AND BURTON LAWLESS.

4. Staubach Cowboys. SB wins in 71, 77; SB losses in 75, 78.
Rayfield Wright HOF, all-pro x3; Blaine Nye pro-bowl x2; John Niland all-pro x2, pro-bowl x6; Ralph Neely, all-pro x3; Herbert Scott, all-pro x2; Billy Joe DuPree, pro-bowl x3; Pat Donovan, pro-bowl x4.

.

5. Tarkenton Vikings. Lost three SBs, 73, 74, 76. From 73-76, Vikings were 45-10-1 (.820). It’s too bad this line and the non-Gary-Cuozzo QB wasn’t in place during the prime years of the Purple People Eaters (my pick as best front four ever).
Ron Yary HOF all-pro x6; Mick Tingelhoff, all-pro x6; Ed White, pro-bowl x4; Grady Alderman, all-pro, pro-bowl x6.

.

RICH SAUL, MSU.

6. 70s Rams. Lost 79 SB. From 73-80, Rams were 84-31 (.730).
Jackie Slater HOF; Dennis Harrah, all-pro, pro-bowl x6; Rich Saul, pro-bowl x6; Kent Hill, pro-bowl x5; Doug France, pro-bowl x2; Tom Mack HOF; Doug Smith, pro-bowl x6.

.

7. Madden Raiders. SB win in 76. 47-9 (.839) from 74-77.
Jim Otto HOF, all-pro x10; Art Shell HOF all-pro x2; Gene Upshaw HOF, all-pro x5; Dave Casper HOF, all-pro x4.


UPSHAW AND SHELL.

.

8. Montana Niners. SB wins in 81, 84, 88, 89.
Keith Fahnhorst, all-pro; Randy Cross, pro-bowl x3; Fred Quillan, pro-bowl x2; Charlie Young, all-pro, pro-bowl x3; Russ Francis, pro-bowl x3; Jesse Sapolu, pro-bowl x2; Harris Barton, all-pro x2; Guy McIntyre, pro-bowl x5; Brent Jones, pro-bowl x4.

.

9. Theisman Redskins. SB wins in 82, 87. SB loss in 83. 66-22 (.750).
Russ Grimm HOF, all-pro x3; Joe Jacoby, all-pro x2, pro-bowl x4; Mark May, pro-bowl; Jeff Bostic, pro-bowl; R.C. Thielemann, all-pro, pro-bowl x3.

.

10. Simms Giants. SB wins in 86, 90. 55-24 (.696).
Bart Oates, pro-bowl x5; Brad Benson, pro-bowl; Jumbo Elliot, pro-bowl; William Roberts, pro-bowl; Mark Bavaro, all-pro x2;

.

11. 90s Bills. Four straight SBs, 90-93. All losses. 49-15 (.766).
Kent Hull, all-pro x2, pro-bowl x3; Howard Ballard, pro-bowl x2; Jim Ritcher, pro-bowl x2; Will Wilford, pro-bowl x3.


LARRY ALLEN.

.

12. 90s Cowboys. SB wins in 92, 93, 95.
Larry Allen HOF, all-pro x6, pro-bowl x11; Erik Williams, all-pro x2, pro-bowl x4; Mark Stepnoski, pro-bowl x5; Nate Newton, all-pro x2, pro-bowl x6; Mark Tuinei, pro-bowl x2; Jay Novacek, all-pro, pro-bowl x5; Daryl Johnston, pro-bowl x2; Ray Donaldson, pro-bowl x6.

.

13. Young Niners. SB win in 94. From 92-97, 73-23 (.760).
Steve Wallace, pro-bowl; Jesse Sapolu, pro-bowl x2; Harris Barton, all-pro x2; Guy McIntyre, pro-bowl x5; Brent Jones, pro-bowl x4; Roy Foster, pro-bowl x2; Ray Brown, pro-bowl; Kevin Gogan, pro-bowl x3.

.


MANKINS AND LIGHT.
PATS’ LEFT GUARD AND TACKLE FROM 2006-2011.

14. Late 90s Broncos. Two SB wins 97, 98. From 96-98, 39-9 (.813).
Gary Zimmerman HOF, all-pro x3; Shannon Sharpe HOF, all-pro x4; Tom Nalen, all-pro x2, pro-bowl x5; Mark Schlereth, pro-bowl x2; Tony Jones, pro-bowl.

.

15. Brady Pats. Five SBs; three wins, 01, 03, 04; two losses 07, 11. From 01-12, 146-46 (.760).
Matt Light, all-pro, pro-bowl x3; Damien Woody, pro-bowl; Dan Koppen, pro-bowl; Logan Mankins, all-pro, pro-bowl x5; Brian Waters (old), all-pro x2, pro-bowl x6.

.

16. Manning Giants. SB wins in 07, 11.
We’ll allow that this is the sketchiest ‘great’ o-line among the 16. But we’ve already covered that these Giants’ SB wins were due to great defensive front fours which held Brady’s Pats 17 points under their season averages.
Chris Snee, all-pro, pro-bowl x4; Shaun O’Hara, pro-bowl x3; David Diehl, pro-bowl; Jeremy Shockey, all-pro, pro-bowl x4.

.

____
Not a Super Bowl team but worth a mention.

The Real Browns. 1950-1965. 125-54-6 (.703). Nine championship games, won four.
Frank Gatski HOF; Lou Groza HOF; Chuck Noll HOF (ok, ok, settle down, this is for fun); Mike McCormack HOF; Gene Hickerson HOF; Jim Ray Smith, all-pro x3, pro-bowl x5; Dick Schafrath, all-pro x4, pro-bowl x6; Abe Gibron, pro-bowl x4; John Morrow, pro-bowl x2; John Wooten, pro-bowl x2.

FIVE HOF OFFENSIVE LINEMEN FOR THE REAL BROWNS. AND THAT DOESN’T COUNT SCHAFRATH.

.

____
What about the converse? Were there great offensive lines who didn’t make the Super Bowl?

Yes. Several. And while they fail to reach the ‘great’ mark, all have a decent record of success.

1. Gabriel Rams. We touched on this team in our Front Four piece. We can’t explain this Rams team; probably the best team never to make a Super Bowl. 32-7-3 from 67-69 (.798).
Tom Mack HOF, all-pro, pro-bowl x11; Bob Brown HOF, all-pro x5; Charlie Cowan, pro-bowl x3.

.


CORYELL CARDINALS OFFENSIVE LINE. DIERDORF HOF, DOBLER, BANKS, YOUNG. ALLOWED SIX SACKS OF JIM HART IN 14 GAMES.
WINNER OF THREE KANICK AWARDS: BEST LINE NOT TO MAKE SB; MOST FORGOTTEN LINE; MOST BAD-ASS 70S-LOOKING LINE.

2. Coryell Cardinals. The Coryell Cardinals were 31-11 from 74-76 (.738).

Dan Dierdorf HOF, all-pro x3; Conrad Dobler, pro-bowl x3; Tom Banks, all-pro, pro-bowl x4; Bob Young, all-pro, pro-bowl x2; Jackie Smith, pro-bowl x5.


ANOTHER FORGOTTEN GREAT LINE.

.

3. Red-right 88 Browns. We know what happened in the end. But we forget how this line enabled ‘noodle-arm’ Brian Sipe to win the MVP in 1980.
Joe DeLamielleure HOF; Cody Risien, pro-bowl x2; Tom DeLeone, pro-bowl x2; Doug Dieken, pro-bowl. Plus Ozzie Newsome HOF; Mike Pruitt, pro-bowl x2.

.

4. Late 90s Vikings. The 98 team was 15-1, lost NFC Championship to Falcons in OT. From 98 to 2000 they were 36-12 (.750).
Randall McDaniel HOF, all-pro x7; Korey Stringer, pro-bowl; Jeff Christy, pro-bowl x3; Todd Steussie, pro-bowl x2.

.


SHIELDS, WELBOURN, WATERS, ROAF HOF, WIEGMANN.
IF ONLY ROAF AND SHIELDS GOT TOGETHER TEN YEARS EARLIER.

5. Vermeil Chiefs. From 03-05 the Chiefs were 30-18 (.625). But their Trent Green offense was 2nd in yardage in 03, first in 04-05.
Willie Roaf (old) HOF, Brian Waters, all-pro x2, pro-bowl x6; Will Shields all-pro x2, pro-bowl x12; Tony Gonzalez, all-pro x6, pro-bowl x13.

.

6. 2009 Saints. Won SB. Even though this team has the SB win, I can’t quite bump them into the ‘great’ category above.
Jahri Evans, all-pro x4, pro-bowl x4. Jon Stinchcomb, Jonathon Goodwin made pro-bowl that year. Carl Nicks, all-pro, pro-bowl x2; Jermon Bushrod, pro-bowl; Jeremy Shockey, all-pro, pro-bowl x4.

.


MANGOLD.

7. Mangold Jets. 29-19 (.604). No SBs, 4-2 in playoffs.
Damien Woody, pro-bowl; Brandon Moore, pro-bowl; Nick Mangold, all-pro x2, pro-bowl x4; Alan Faneca, all-pro x6, pro-bowl x9; D’Brickashaw Ferguson, pro-bowl x3.

.

8. Current Ravens. Won 2012 SB, lost AFC Championship in OT. From 2010-12, 34-14 (.708). Like the Saints team above, can’t quite bump this team into ‘great.’ But shows again what assembling a great line can do.
Marshall Yanda, pro-bowl x2; Matt Birk, pro-bowl x6; Ben Grubbs, pro-bowl; Bryant McKinnie (old), pro-bowl; Andre Gurode (old), pro-bowl x5. Plus Vonta Leach, all-pro x3.

.

____
Come on Kanick, those are old teams. The Ravens’ line stretches your ‘great’ premise… McKinnie didn’t even start most of the year.
This crap doesn’t work in today’s league. (paraphrasing badly Kolonich’s question below.)

I am glad — nay, thrilled! — that you asked that. Please see exhibit 8a that illustrates that investing in your line always … ALWAYS … is a good bet, even today:

8a. Current Niners. 24-7-1 in 2012-13. Lost NFC Championship in 2011. Lost Super in 2012.
Mike Iupati, all-pro, pro-bowl; Joe Staley, pro-bowl x2; Vernon Davis, pro-bowl.

“Hey Kanick — this team doesn’t have three pro-bowlers. They don’t fit your model.”

No they don’t fit the model. But the current Niners are the prototype for in ‘invest in your o-line’ concept I’m forwarding this post. They have three first round picks on the o-line (Anthony Davis, Iupati, Staley). It’s actually four if you count first round TE Vernon Davis. They actually took TWO lineman in the 2010 draft. We don’t even see the second rounders David Baas (taken in 2005, now starting for the Giants) and Chilo Rachal (taken in 2008, now starting for Bears).

Put another way, from 2005-10 the Niners had twelve first and second round picks. They used five on the o-line. (Six if you count V. Davis.)

Because owning the line of scrimmage is still the most reliable way to win football games.

.

Back to the data…

____
Near Misses.

There were a couple HOFers who had one good partner on the line with him. But their teams never got the third stud and their teams never became great.

Grogan Pats.
John Hannah HOF played with Leon Gray and has Russ Francis as Tight End for the good Pats teams in the 70s.

80s Oilers.
Mike Munchak HOF and Bruce Matthews HOF played together on the 80s Oilers. Another good, not great team.


RESPECT.
BEST EVER.

2000 Steelers.
For one year (2000), 35 y.o. Dermotti Dawson HOF played with Alan Faneca and rookie Marvel Smith (one pro-bowl). This meets the ‘three pro-bowler’ criterion… but it subverts the spirit of the law and so I’ve left them off the list.

80s Bengals.
Anthony Munoz HOF (the best lineman I’ve seen) played with Max Montoya (pro-bowl x4) throughout the 80s. But they never got their third stud on the line. Closest they got was Rodney Holman (pro-bowl x3) at TE. And note that that team got to two SBs.

.

____

Will Mitc

 

[Ballhawk]

Great post! Those that don't understand the need for a good or better line don't understand football.

 

[Blue and Gold]

Well, to get to the 3 Pro Bowl level
LT G-Rob has to improve. May never be O. Pace, but maybe can be close, Willie Roaf who was not as good a pass pro but good run blocker
LG Saffold has to stay healthy, would prefer him on right, but either way, he has to play every week, he did this season but was nicked
C boy, hole. Barrett Jones would be ideal. Many drafniks liked him, but back injury set him back after foot injury the year before.
RG . . .
RT Barksdale better in 2013 than 2014, but can be solid, has talent.

Need to get a Zack Martin, Warford-type in draft, best case Scheiff . . . to play RG or RT . . .
Need a center to insure against Jones . . . not a fan of Barnes.

The way I see it is we have 3 starters and need a C and G re-sign Barks and hope Rob and Rog can be players.

Of course, hindsight, but I'd rather have Zack martin than this years #`1 and Joyner. Oh well.

Maybe we can offer our #1 and change to Bears for Kyle Long . . .

 

[RamFan503]

I'm in for using whatever resources available in forming the best O-line in football. IMO a QB and receivers can look pretty damn good when they have time to work the field and a RB that has holes to run through.

 

[LesBaker]

Emmitt Smith’s 164 rushing TDs are the most in NFL history. His 175 TDs are second only to Jerry Rice’s 208. (Smith’s eleven receiving TDs in 15 years says something unkind about his versatility but we don’t intend to go there.)

He also brought the NFL’s most classless touchdown celebration to all 175:

After every touchdown, Smith trotted behind the Cowboys bench and carefully tucked the touchdown football into a secured locker.


DALE HANSEN.
THE LAST HONEST COWBOYS ANNOUNCER.

From Jeff Pearlman’s Boys Will Be Boys (p. 227):

“Emmitt would score a touchdown from the two-yard-line, keep the football, and sell it at his souvenir shop back home in Pensacola,” says Dale Hansen, the Cowboys radio announcer. “I thought it was both odd and selfish.”

Me too Dale. Me too. Glad I wasn’t the only one.

I just snooped around the web to see if this was in fact true, and it's not.

http://a.espncdn.com/nfl/news/2002/1114/1460831.html

Thursday, November 14

More than 50 items going on the block
Associated Press
IRVING, Texas -- After every one of his touchdowns, Emmitt Smith has kept the ball tucked under his arm for safekeeping rather than spiking it in celebration.



Through 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Smith has amassed quite a collection of footballs and other memorabilia while becoming the NFL's career rushing leader and scoring a record 150 rushing touchdowns.

Emmitt's Auction Items
A partial list of about 50 items of Emmitt Smith memorabilia that will be available in an online auction for charity. Bidding on the items begins Nov. 25, and the sale ends Dec. 13. The entire list can be viewed at www.mastronet.com, where bids can be placed.

• Footballs from his first, 100th and 124th rushing TDs, the latter breaking Marcus Allen's NFL record of 123 rushing TDs.

• Football that Smith carried to surpass 15,000 yards.

• Game ball from Super Bowl XXVII, the first of three Super Bowls for Smith.

• Game ball from Jan. 2, 1994 game against the New York Giants, considered by many the greatest game Smith ever played.

• Several commemorative footballs.

• A jersey, helmet, cleats, mouthpiece and even the tape Smith wore Oct. 27, 2002, in the game he broke Walter Payton's career rushing record.

• Helmets from the 1996, 1998 and 2000 seasons.

• Shoulder pads Smith wore the first eight seasons of his career, which included four rushing titles, three Super Bowls and two MVPs (one regular season, one Super Bowl).

• Used game gloves and cleats.
  
  
  -- Associated Press

Now he's ready to share some of his prized possessions, for a good cause.



Smith is offering for a charity auction about 50 items, including a jersey and helmet worn in the Oct. 27 game when he broke Walter Payton's rushing record. Among more than 30 footballs are his first, 100th and 124th touchdowns, the last which broke Marcus Allen's scoring record, and ball from his first Super Bowl.



"There is a lot of good stuff going in there,'' Smith said. "There are a lot of folks who might want to hold on to something of that nature because of the scarcity of it. Someone else might have more enjoyment out of it instead of me trying to retain all of it.''



The memorabilia will be part of an online sports auction conducted by Chicago-based MastroNet. Bidding begins Nov. 25 and continues through Dec. 13. Among the non-Smith items will be Barry Bonds' 600th home run ball and a bat used by Shoeless Joe Jackson that has an estimated value of $500,000.



All of the money raised from Smith's memorabilia will be given to The Open Doors Foundation, a nonprofit organization Smith created to provide academic assistance for underserved youth.



Doug Allen, MastroNet's president, said it is hard to determine how much money will be raised from Smith's items, but he said the collection is unique because of the significance of the record, the timing, and because Smith is directly involved in the process.



"The offering we have in terms of Emmitt Smith's career, the depth of his career, is pretty significant,'' Allen said Thursday. "It's unprecedented that football memorabilia or any memorabilia had been put aside the way Emmitt meticulously has through the years.



"We sell a lot of stuff from dead guys, vintage older stuff,'' he said.



An ensemble of items from the Oct. 27 game against Seattle is likely to be the most valuable of Smith's memorabilia. There will be a $5,000 starting bid for the set that includes one of four jerseys he wore that game, along with a helmet, cleats, mouthpiece and even the tape that had wrapped his ankles.



There also are game balls from Super Bowl XXVII, the first of the three Super Bowls in which Smith played, and the 1993 regular season finale against the New York Giants that many consider Smith's greatest game.



Smith played through a separated shoulder in that game against the Giants on Jan. 2, 1994. He had 229 total yards and a touchdown on 32 carries and 10 receptions -- the heaviest workload in team history -- in a 16-13 overtime victory that propelled the Cowboys to their second straight Super Bowl title.

 

[BonifayRam]

I was introduced to the NFL in Lompoc CA watching TV every Sunday & those Ram OL'ers 1966 to 1969 teams. It ruined me for life. It all starts with the OL & DL's.

Rams have just one complete OL'er & he just had his shoulder reconstructed. It will take some time for Rodger to back full range & strength in that left shoulder. Robinson has a good ways to go in pass protection yet....that's where it end boys. IMO the rest is just pure speculation & a bunch of wishful hopeful stuff. JB will never be a full complete OL'er.

So lets go draft some more WR's on day one & two to help block so we can say we took the BP'sA.:huh:

 

[LosAngelesRams]

Boss lines win games!

 

[Blue and Gold]

Not that I care, but that Foundation of Emmitt Smith is run by his relatives (a common practice) and they don't sell all the items for charity, his parents sell a lot of stuff on Ebay. It shouldn't be a big deal, the stuff is his. And he he sells some of it for a good cause, fine.

 

[RamFan503]

Not that I care, but that Foundation of Emmitt Smith is run by his relatives (a common practice) and they don't sell all the items for charity, his parents sell a lot of stuff on Ebay. It shouldn't be a big deal, the stuff is his. And he he sells some of it for a good cause, fine.

I don't care because he is a former cowgirl. But I like to think that people in general are decent and if he is doing this for charity, I would rather believe the stuff Les came up with than someone trying to tear him down. Not saying you are trying to do that, but the person quoted in your post.

 

[TheDYVKX]

We really need to invest in our OL, and this is proof. I honestly wouldn't care if we did the entire draft OL, no other positions. Just fix the line.

 

[RamFan503]

We really need to invest in our OL, and this is proof. I honestly wouldn't care if we did the entire draft OL, no other positions. Just fix the line.

I know it sounds extreme but as fans, that is allowed - right? You wouldn't get any complaints out of me either.

 

[Memphis Ram]

CORYELL CARDINALS OFFENSIVE LINE. DIERDORF HOF, DOBLER, BANKS, YOUNG. ALLOWED SIX SACKS OF JIM HART IN 14 GAMES.
WINNER OF THREE KANICK AWARDS: BEST LINE NOT TO MAKE SB; MOST FORGOTTEN LINE; MOST BAD-ASS 70S-LOOKING LINE.

2. Coryell Cardinals. The Coryell Cardinals were 31-11 from 74-76 (.738).

Dan Dierdorf HOF, all-pro x3; Conrad Dobler, pro-bowl x3; Tom Banks, all-pro, pro-bowl x4; Bob Young, all-pro, pro-bowl x2; Jackie Smith, pro-bowl x5.

Those were some Bad Boys there. Jim Hart was a statue. He almost made Kurt Warner look like Vick.

 

[jjab360]

We really need to invest in our OL, and this is proof. I honestly wouldn't care if we did the entire draft OL, no other positions. Just fix the line.

Yeah, I'd be fine with the first 3 picks being OL.

Our defense is amazingly without a single glaring hole, and the only thing we really need on offense other than OL is QB competition for Bradford. I don't want more stopgap Olinemen in Free Agency either we need a heavy dose of young talent there asap.

 

[ReddingRam]

I was introduced to the NFL in Lompoc CA watching TV every Sunday & those Ram OL'ers 1966 to 1969 teams. It ruined me for life. It all starts with the OL & DL's.

Rams have just one complete OL'er & he just had his shoulder reconstructed. It will take some time for Rodger to back full range & strength in that left shoulder. Robinson has a good ways to go in pass protection yet....that's where it end boys. IMO the rest is just pure speculation & a bunch of wishful hopeful stuff. JB will never be a full complete OL'er.

So lets go draft some more WR's on day one & two to help block so we can say we took the BP'sA.:huh:

I been preaching this for some time. I wholeheartedly agree witht he premise that the best teams start in the trenches

 

[RamFan503]

I been preaching this for some time. I wholeheartedly agree witht he premise that the best teams start in the trenches

C'mon man - you wanted Sammy Watkins with our first last year - admit it.

 

[WestCoastRam]

The single greatest thing we can do for our offense this offseason is upgrade the oline. There is no quick fix at QB but there are a lot of good options on the oline. If we get the oline settled, we can help out every facet of our offense. Dallas (ugh!) should be our blueprint right now.

 

[Jorgeh0605]

An interesting addition to this data should be the dates which each player went to the pro-bowl. Had they achieved Pro-bowl status before the superbowl or did they simply gain notoriety after winning (or even coming close) the superbowl? Would be an interesting thing to look into.

But I digress because I agree that OL is a very important key that we need to invest into. Get whoever you think is can play!

 

[jjab360]

An interesting addition to this data should be the dates which each player went to the pro-bowl. Had they achieved Pro-bowl status before the superbowl or did they simply gain notoriety after winning (or even coming close) the superbowl? Would be an interesting thing to look into.

But I digress because I agree that OL is a very important key that we need to invest into. Get whoever you think is can play!

Good point especially with a position as low-profile as the OL where there aren't any fantasy football statistics and basically the names the announcers draw the most attention to are the ones who make it to Hawaii.

 

[jrry32]

https://jimkanicki.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/introducing-the-three-studs-on-o-line-rule/

I always thought he should give the ball to Larry Allen. Mark Tuinei. Nate Newton. Jay Novacek. Mark Stepnoski. Erik Williams. Moose Johnston. Ray Donaldson. Flozell Adams. Andre Gurode. Hell, add Michael Irvin to the list, he was a great blocking WR.

All of these blockers in front of Smith went to multiple pro-bowls, many all-pros, and Larry Allen is now in the Hall of Fame.

They’re why Emmitt Smith gets to append his signature with ‘HOF.’

It was painfully obvious just through the eye-ball test that Emmitt Smith was the beneficiary of one of the greatest offensive fronts ever assembled. But his 175 incidents of douche-baggery prompted me to dig in and prove this thesis: Emmitt Smith is the least special running back in the HOF and owes all to his offensive line.

It's funny. I've always felt that Emmitt Smith is the most underrated HB in NFL history and I think that's being proven again. Lets analyze this situation a bit more logically and look at some of the names mentioned:

• Andre Gurode - Played one year with Emmitt Smith during the 2002 season as a rookie OG...wasn't named to his first Pro Bowl until 2006 as a Center...what exactly does Emmitt owe Gurode?
• Ray Donaldson - Played two years with Emmitt Smith at the tail end of his career(37 and 38 years old)...he was named to the Pro Bowl in both years(1995 and 1996)...the last time before Emmitt that Donaldson was a Pro Bowler was 1989.
• Larry Allen is obviously one of the greatest OGs to ever play the game...but Emmitt Smith had won back to back to back rushing titles in the three years before Allen was drafted...Emmitt's best season of his career in terms of yards per career came the year BEFORE Allen was drafted.
• Mark Tuinei, Nate Newton, and Mark Stepnoski - A combined 12 years of NFL experience before Emmitt Smith and in those 12 years, not one Pro Bowl appearance for any of the three players. After Emmitt Smith? 13 Pro Bowl appearances between the three players.
• Erik Williams - Clearly a great RT but Emmitt Smith won the NFL rushing title in 1991 before Williams became a starter.

In fact, lets talk about the 1993 Dallas Cowboys. Emmitt Smith chose to holdout and that caused him to miss the first 2 games of the season. The Cowboys lost both games. Emmitt Smith returned for the third game but only carried the ball 8 times as he was not yet in game shape. The Cowboys went 1-2 in those 3 games and averaged 14.3 PPG. Emmitt was also injured against Atlanta and only carried the ball one time in that game. The Cowboys scored 14 PPG in that game and lost. So in those 4 games more or less without Emmitt, the Cowboys averaged around 14 PPG and went 1-3 in 1993.

What do you think Emmitt Smith and the Cowboys did in the other 15 games(includes the playoffs) he played that year? The Cowboys went 14-1 in those 15 games, averaged 27.6 PPG, and Emmitt rushed for 1720 yards, 5.1 yards per carry, and scored 14 total TDs.

It's quite a bit hard for me to believe that Emmitt Smith owes all his success to his OL. Seems to me that while his OL was certainly great, the guy was incredibly successful even before guys like Larry Allen and Erik Williams with OLs like Tuinei and Newton who weren't highly rated until Emmitt arrived.

IMO, like with any team sport, they owe their success to each other. Smith helped his OL out and they helped him out. He may not have been flash but the guy was all substance when it came to picking up yardage.

 

[Dodgersrf]

I've read where Snead says he gets obsessed with certain positions when drafting. (Paraphrasing)

I hope the o line is this year's obsession.