I actually managed to watch all of Monday Night Football last night. The Raiders so-called "offensive line" provided a performance for the ages. I truly felt bad for Andrew Walter when they went 3 and out on 3 straight sacks. The game really felt like the world's slowest head-on collision. If you look at the Raiders o-line, Robert Gallery was the #2 overall pick while C Jake Grove and Langston Walker were 2nd round picks. The entire line's average age is close to 27, so they're not over the hill but not they're not exactly green rookies. And this year they are abysmal.
What does this have to do with the 49ers? Well I've got two numbers for you: 44 to 18. The Raiders have given up 44 sacks, while the 49ers have given up 18. Alex Smith is clearly a little more mobile than Andrew Walter. We can all agree on that. However, outside of Kwame Harris, I must say I'm quite pleased with the 49ers o-line performance. Adding a Hall of Famer in Larry Allen certainly helps, but the free agent pick ups are gelling with the various draft picks to form a cohesive, solid line.
I'd like to think that at the end of the season, Frank Gore and Alex Smith will do something real nice for the linemen. Solid offensive line help is and will be a key component of their development.
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2 comments:
as much as i love to see the raiders fail, it's hard to blame the raider's offense line for all those sacks.
first off, it's the quarterback's responsibility to read the coverage and adjust the play as he sees fit. all walter does is hike the ball, takes a 5 or 7 step drop, scans the field for 5 hours, then gets sacked. if you are holding onto the ball for over 3 seconds, expect to get hit. make quick reads, and get rid of the ball for crying out loud! there are times the protection breaks and there's nothing much you can do about that.
second, there is no variety in the playcalls. it was predictable if anything. i hardly saw a 3 step drop and pass, they stopped running the ball, no rollout plays, everything was executed poorly.
third, andrew walter is not mobile as you stated. if a play breaks, he is not elusive enough to make a defender miss. i hate to say this but aaron brooks (as boneheaded as he can be) gives the raiders the best chance to win games since he can keep plays alive.
back to the niners, adam snyder is a gem especially getting drafted late in the 3rd round last year. IF jonas jennings and larry allen can remain healthy the rest of the season (and that's a big if), i'd love to see snyder beat out harris at RT.
i hope the niners continue to build the o-line through one of the 7 picks in the first 4 rounds next year. clearly l.allen is near retirement and j.jennings cannot stay healthy. k.harris, even though he's serviceable, has shown in 3 and half years, that he's not capable of being a starter. and what ever happened to david baas?
this niner line is young and will continue to gel. if they continue to protect alex smith and pave holes for frank gore, we'll have a good offensive core for years to come.
Baas is apparently the backup at center and right guard. I think at best Kwame Harris is a backup. He kills the team with holding penalties and allowing his man to rush past him. Dare I say he's entered JJ Stokes territory as a first round bust? Just a thought.
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