Why year after year same offensive line woes????

[Desert]

Any one noticing year after year we continue to have the same problems? No depth, can't block, look slow, appear not motivated, constantly hurt players.

Even after a season ending injury to Flacco , it still isn't a priority with the team?

What needs to happen before Flacco gets hurt again? C'mon Harbs HELP!

 

Desert

[Sami84]

bad depth, bad schemes

 

When healthy this O line will protect flacco..problem is when a couple of guys are out it's as open as pamela anderson back in the day

[flynismo]

Yeah, except for the fact that this team ranked 2nd and 4th in sacks allowed the last two years. And helped get Forsett paid.

We just don't have enough depth. We tried addressing that by signing Jake Long, but well...

[Tru11]

we have an excellent o-line coach apparently.

[MGoPurple]

I am huge fan of Harbaugh family both Jim and John but now I am not drinking JOhn's koolaid anymore - the offensive line worries were there since he brought. Juan Castillo. He needs to be gone to along with Trestman. Juan's incompetent approach was some how masked by Kubiak's offensive schemes but since Kubiak left Juan has been just plainly bad. And when Kubiak's system worked so efficiently why did not John bring in Kyle Shanahan, who better to continue Kubiak's offense then Kyle - look how both rushing and passing games are flourishing in Atlanta. Trestman was fired in Chicago for a reason. Sticking with him makes no sense. I hope John fires him but I hope he does not instill Juan as the OC. It is like jumping from frying pan into fire. Joe is coming back from major injury he needs all the protection not this kind of pounding from bottom ranked defenses. Hope Joe says he will not play until the offensive line woes are fixed

[The Raven]

Juan Castillo is well regarded as one of the best oline coaches in the NFL. The development he's gotten out of Kelechi Osemele, Rick Wagner, Ryan Jensen, and John Urschel speaks to his ability. The strong performances by Ronnie Stanley and Alex Lewis -- rookies, mind you -- so far also indicate Castillo's knack for coaching.

[gtalk12]

Once Stanley comes back, I think things will change. It's clear, at least in my eyes, that Ronnie was worth the pick....He is really good 

[Deflated Football]

13 minutes ago, gtalk12 said:

Once Stanley comes back, I think things will change. It's clear, at least in my eyes, that Ronnie was worth the pick....He is really good 

Exactly. It's night and day between Stanley and any other offensive lineman on our roster with the exception of Yanda. Really hope he comes back soon. 

[Maryland]

6 hours ago, gtalk12 said:

Once Stanley comes back, I think things will change. It's clear, at least in my eyes, that Ronnie was worth the pick....He is really good 

Agreed. And I think if Alex Lewis hadn't been dealing with a concussion, he would have played LT instead of Hurst week 4. 

I'm actually cautiously optimistic about the future of our OL, at least at the tackle positions, since Alex Lewis seems like the RT of the future, and Stanley the LT of the future. We just need to address the LG position and C position for next year. 

[Jacquouille]

I think Alex had a great game against WAS. At least before the part where all we did was pass and all the skins did was blitz... 

[Sami84]

cody whitehair was for the taking and bossing at Center.. I had him as one of my fav options for the 2nd round

 

but KAMMMAAALLLAAAIII

 

:/

[The Raven]

Oh, why is our oline bad year after year?

Frankly, it's not that terrible compared to other teams. Yes, bad, but not, like, disgustingly worse than the worst bad. 

The talent pool of olinemen is just at an all time low. That's due to the prevalence of the spread in college and the reduction in full contact practices in college and in the NFL. Lines across the NFL are getting worse and worse.

I might argue that ours looks worse in the past few years than others because we're in a division with a lot of defensive talent.

Edited October 11, 2016 by The Raven

[Cawtious]

Too much turmoil in the roster.  The injuries haven't helped.  A good OL needs time to gel and become a solid unit.  I disagree that Juan is a bad coach.  I disagree that we don't have the talent to have a great OL.  I think a healthier mix of run vs. pass will help the line.  The predictability of our offense lent itself to DL and LB's to pin their ears and come after us.  We have to get them to respect play action.  We need to get Joe back under center more. 

I also believe it is more about chemistry than ability right now........not with every player we have now.......we have the ability on the roster.  We just need to find the right mix and settle people into positions.  Game to game changes in position isn't helping this situation.  With injuries, it just cannot be helped all that much. 

If we don't trust Hurst to play Tackle (ergo last week) he needs to be let go and another backup Tackle brought in.  If a guy throws a bad game, and you put him back on the bench, it doesn't help with keeping a player/unit consistency present.  Analyze the struggle and see if a change in scheme might help the situation (receivers/TE chip blocking).  Sometimes its all about matchups!  You get faced with a pro bowl caliber edge rusher or DT, you need to address how you deal with them more effectively.

If you cannot handle standard NFL talent after you've EARNED (don't want to say "Given" or someone will go off on me again :-) ) a shot at it and proven that you are not improving or simply cannot handle it (by more than just a handful of games here and there), then to the bench or even to the trade block/cut. 

Combat the pass rush by making it a risk to sell out on doing it by defenses.  The more 2nd, 3rd and short situations our offense is by running the ball effectively, I believe we'll see better results from the OL's ability to protect Joe.

 

Edited October 12, 2016 by Cawtious
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[PurpleCity5]

Injuries honestly. I actually like our depth. I think Urschel and Jensen are servicable back ups and bring plenty to the run game. It's Hurst who really is the odd man out. I hate to point him out like that but he's not good at all. Pass protection wise I don't think they have been one of the bottom units in Football when healthy. 

[Cillmatic]

Every team has one spot that has a lack of depth, our spot seems to be O-line. I think this years troubles stem from Stanley being injured and Zuttah and Wagner regressing. I can't wait for us to move on from them.

[Rav'n Maniac]

37 minutes ago, Cillmatic said:

Every team has one spot that has a lack of depth, our spot seems to be O-line. I think this years troubles stem from Stanley being injured and Zuttah and Wagner regressing. I can't wait for us to move on from them.

Actually, I thought Zuttah did fairly well these past two weeks. Certainly looked closer to his former self then the first three games.

[Tornado700]

Anyone who follows football knows that the true success of an offense lies on the O-line. With a 20 million dollar QB in Flacco, this would certainly be priority # one for me if I were the owner. So, I guess that is my only answer. O-line must not be the top priority.

[Sami84]

as fans are left in the dark about injuries these days its clear that..

 

1- Stanley is out till after the bye

2- Yanda is hurt

3- Wagners injury could be season ending

 

Why else would we sign a scrub like billy turner and bring back ducasse? Maybe they should have paid osemele.

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

1 minute ago, Sami84 said:

as fans are left in the dark about injuries these days its clear that..

 

1- Stanley is out till after the bye

2- Yanda is hurt

3- Wagners injury could be season ending

 

Why else would we sign a scrub like billy turner and bring back ducasse? Maybe they should have paid osemele.

lol and not have Weddle and Wallace... two of the big reasons for our 3-0 start? Even with KO this offense wouldnt be enough to go out and win games on its own... and i imagine without weddle the back end of this D would still be in shambles.

 

 

[Sami84]

Just now, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

lol and not have Weddle and Wallace... two of the big reasons for our 3-0 start? Even with KO this offense wouldnt be enough to go out and win games on its own... and i imagine without weddle the back end of this D would still be in shambles.

 

 

 

weddle has been awesome..wallace as cooled down..

 

 

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

So using our top pick and a 4th rounder isnt addressing the line? We've got to have the youngest line in the league.

Remember when Dallas' line sucked... until it didnt a year or two later and was the best in the league with loads of young talent across it? Give it a year or two. Yanda will still be solid, Stanley will be a pro bowl level player, Lewis has that sort of potential at RT. As long as one of Urschel or Jensen can be a solid starter we should be fine in the long run.

 

We just need the starters back. Our depth is rough.

[Moderator 3]

1 hour ago, Tornado700 said:

Anyone who follows football knows that the true success of an offense lies on the O-line. With a 20 million dollar QB in Flacco, this would certainly be priority # one for me if I were the owner. So, I guess that is my only answer. O-line must not be the top priority.

We drafted 2 high this year.  OL is a priority to every team.  Why do you think so many are drafted so high every year?  Unfortunately, most are coming out of college ill-prepared for the NFL and it takes time to develop them.  

[BristolMike]

https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl-power-rankings/

PFF ranked the Ravens 6th overall, and the OLine isn't hurting the team enough to lose against the Giants this week.

[OUravensfan]

17 hours ago, Sami84 said:

weddle has been awesome..wallace as cooled down..

 

 

Which makes sense because Weddle is a better football player and Mike Wallace has always been overrated

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

18 hours ago, Sami84 said:

weddle has been awesome..wallace as cooled down..

 

 

Well yea... but thats why i limited it to the 3-0 start. Weddles been awesome through all 5. Wallace was big in the first 3 for sure, last 2 not so much. Still making plays but he was a game changer the first couple weeks.

KO would be awesome. But he was always a luxury we couldnt afford. We're minus our LT and RT at least which means everyone except the Center was in a new position. And this coming week we may be down our LT, RT and all pro RG which could make it even worse. Even with KO this line would still be in shambles.

If Stanley at least plays I'll feel ok. Stanley and Lewis as book ends will be fine, especially giving Joe time to throw. No Yanda hurts of course, but I honestly think not having Stanley right now hurts worse just bc of the huge domino effect him not being in there has.

 

But I have a gut feeling Stanley and Yanda both end up playing. Wagner i doubt. Looking forward to a Stanley/Lewis rookie bookend.

[Cawtious]

1 hour ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

Well yea... but thats why i limited it to the 3-0 start. Weddles been awesome through all 5. Wallace was big in the first 3 for sure, last 2 not so much. Still making plays but he was a game changer the first couple weeks.

KO would be awesome. But he was always a luxury we couldnt afford. We're minus our LT and RT at least which means everyone except the Center was in a new position. And this coming week we may be down our LT, RT and all pro RG which could make it even worse. Even with KO this line would still be in shambles.

If Stanley at least plays I'll feel ok. Stanley and Lewis as book ends will be fine, especially giving Joe time to throw. No Yanda hurts of course, but I honestly think not having Stanley right now hurts worse just bc of the huge domino effect him not being in there has.

 

But I have a gut feeling Stanley and Yanda both end up playing. Wagner i doubt. Looking forward to a Stanley/Lewis rookie bookend.

I have my doubts about either.  Looking at the roster moves we made this week, it indicates to me that Wags, Stanley, and Yanda will be sidelined.  Stanley returning to practice is a good sign, but I don't think that they'll put him in the mix on Sunday.  I would almost bet we don't see him until next week, or even after the bye week.  We need him 100% ready for Pittsburgh.

I would guess we see:   Lewis - Urschel - Zuttah - Jensen - Hurst on Sunday. 

[52520Andrew]

I think Seattle would take our line in a heartbeat. Injuries seem to be hurting this group more than anything and our depth was not great to begin with(evidenced by Hurst still being on the team). If we get healthy though and build chemistry I think we have one of the better lines in the NFL. Wagner is coming back at least but Stanley and Yanda coming back healthy would be huge. 

[January J]

On 10/13/2016 at 11:51 AM, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

Well yea... but thats why i limited it to the 3-0 start. Weddles been awesome through all 5. Wallace was big in the first 3 for sure, last 2 not so much. Still making plays but he was a game changer the first couple weeks.

KO would be awesome. But he was always a luxury we couldnt afford. We're minus our LT and RT at least which means everyone except the Center was in a new position. And this coming week we may be down our LT, RT and all pro RG which could make it even worse. Even with KO this line would still be in shambles.

If Stanley at least plays I'll feel ok. Stanley and Lewis as book ends will be fine, especially giving Joe time to throw. No Yanda hurts of course, but I honestly think not having Stanley right now hurts worse just bc of the huge domino effect him not being in there has.

 

But I have a gut feeling Stanley and Yanda both end up playing. Wagner i doubt. Looking forward to a Stanley/Lewis rookie bookend.

I have that same gut feeling. Stanley almost went last week and he's finally back at practice- and Yanda is really the only one harbaugh will give exception to when he hasn't practiced all week. Even if they don't go I think we will be better prepared for it this go round, and martys playcalling will coincide with whatever line we have- either way we will be running the ball much more, which is atleast better than having a bunch of backups trying to pass protect for Joe while he drops back 50 some times. but yeah I think ATLEAST one of the two between yanda and Stanley go anyway so we should be fine. The 2 offensive line additions were just insurance BC we are indeed beat up at the position.. But that doesn't mean anyone is ruled out. 

On 10/12/2016 at 5:02 PM, Sami84 said:

as fans are left in the dark about injuries these days its clear that..

 

1- Stanley is out till after the bye

2- Yanda is hurt

3- Wagners injury could be season ending

 

Why else would we sign a scrub like billy turner and bring back ducasse? Maybe they should have paid osemele.

1) doubtful

2) yanda has played hurt many times before. Wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.

3) lol wasn't Wagner listed as questionable over Stanley and yanda both? Doesn't sound season ending to me..he was already back at practice Friday. I'm assuming your predicting this will be a lingering issue? 

 

And outbid Oakland breaking the bank for one player who hadn't proved very durable anyway? If not for weddle and Wallace I'd venture to say we could easily be 1-4.

Edited October 15, 2016 by January J

[JoeyFlex5]

with zuttah seemingly getting closer to old form, this line is 3 recoveries away from being very good. pre-injuries we held up everywhere except for the center position, stanley was a stonewall before he began dealing with the injury, lewis was very good in pass pro but struggled getting push in the run(hes a tackle after all, not a guard), zuttah got totally abused, yanda was yanda, wagner was serviceable but not amazing. stanley, yanda, and wagner all got hurt and zuttah suddenly started playing solid football, if current zuttah was playing with the same line we had week 1 then i really believe our line would be one of the better ones. 

 

you can go back to the game threads and see it, everyone was ready to ship zuttah out of town for good reason and nobody else was catching any flack, because everyone except for zuttah was playing well.

[Inqui]

5 hours ago, 52520Andrew said:

I think Seattle would take our line in a heartbeat. Injuries seem to be hurting this group more than anything and our depth was not great to begin with(evidenced by Hurst still being on the team). If we get healthy though and build chemistry I think we have one of the better lines in the NFL. Wagner is coming back at least but Stanley and Yanda coming back healthy would be huge. 

Yeah, our two best linemen in Stanley and Yanda coming back (which they should both do sooner rather than later) will be a huge boost.

The three most important positions on the OL are LT, C and RG. Obviously LT and RG should be fine once the players return, and if Mornhinweg calls up more plays that use zone blocking up front that should help Zuttah climb back to the giddying heights of being 17th best C in the league (though I'd still like to see an upgrade there). As for the other two positions, I think we've been pretty good at going plug and play for both of them in the past few years - picking guys who can come in and at least be competent straight away until we let them walk once their rookie contract is up - and it looks like Lewis is set to continue that fine tradition.

Last year we were only 0.1ypa off being bang on the league average for rushing, and were 3rd for the fewest sacks given up - both of which are a reflection on the OL and suggest we were at least there or thereabouts. And in 2014 we were obviously phenomenal thanks to Kubiak (2nd fewest sacks allowed, 7th in ypa), while 2013 was just one of those years were everything that could go wrong did go wrong - and most of those issues have largely been fixed. Atm we're tied for 16th in sacks allowed and 13th in ypa. And that's with James Hurst playing ~20% of the snaps.

So to recap: 2013 was terrible, but we've fixed up pretty much all of the issues (iirc Yanda's the only starter from that year who's still starting for us). In 2014 we had arguably the best OL in the league. In 2015 we dipped but still did a great job overall. And this season we're mediocre at worst but should improve before season's end. What OL woes are we talking about here? And which of them are recurring?