Offensive line rankings

[Kamcussionator]

Was curious how these better OLs were constructed so I looked at the top 3.

Broncos

LT: Garett Bolles - 1st round (20th overall) 2017 draft out of Utah. Had a horrific rookie season, and was an absolute penalty machine early in his career, but was somehow able to turn it around and become one of the best LTs in the league.

LG: Ben Powers - 2023 FA (4 years, $51m). Signed basically the minute free agency started as part of a push by the Broncos front office to be aggressive in fixing their OL after the first year of the Russell Wilson era disappointed. Powers was fresh off a phenomenal season in Baltimore where he didn't give up a single sack.

C: Luke Wattenberg - 5th round pick in 2022 out of Washington. Barely played his first two seasons and was only in on 4% of the Broncos offensive snaps a year ago, but has settled nicely into the starting center spot this season.

RG: Quinn Mienerz - 3rd round pick in 2021 out of Wisconsin-Whitewater

RT: Mike McGlinchey - 2023 FA (5 years, $87.5m). Signed the same day as Powers. Was a former top 10 pick of the Niners who looked like a star early, but fell out of favor due to injuries and struggles in pass protection. Was largely seen as a significant overpay by the Broncos.
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Tampa Bay

LT: Tristan Wirfs - 1st round pick in 2020 out of Iowa (13th overall). Has basically been one of the league's elite LTs since he first stepped onto the field.

LG: Ben Bredeson - 2024 FA (1 year, $3m). Cheap free agent signing in March who started 16 games for a horrific Giants OL a year ago.

C: Graham Barton - Rookie 1st round pick (26th overall) out of Michigan. Already looking like one of the league's best centers.

RG: Cody Mauch - 2nd round pick in 2023 out of North Dakota State

RT: Luke Goedeke - 2nd round pick in 2022 out of Central Michigan

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Green Bay

LT: Rasheed Walker - 7th round pick in 2022 draft out of Penn State

LG: Elgton Jenkins - 2nd round pick in 2019 draft out of Mississippi State

C: Josh Myers - 2nd round pick in 2021 draft out of THE Ohio State

RG: Sean Rhyan - 3rd round pick in 2022 draft out of UCLA

RT: Zach Tom - 4th round pick in 2022 draft out of Wake Forest

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Not sure what conclusions can be drawn from all that. I guess don't overlook the small school prospects. Only one of those three teams made significant use of free agency.

What I want to know is how the Broncos went from 52 sacks a year ago to only 20 this year?

Can anyone think of a reason?

I can only think of 3...

 

[Rat]

Just think, the Rams traded for Stafford ~1 year prior to Russell Wilson's trade...We could've been the ones that traded for him with Russ.

I wish, but that stupid NTC, no way was Russ going to accept a trade to Detroit.

 

[MoldyPurpleMayo]

I wish, but that stupid NTC, no way was Russ going to accept a trade to Detroit.

I actually forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder to boo Russ this weekend!

 

[nwHawk]

What I want to know is how the Broncos went from 52 sacks a year ago to only 20 this year?

Can anyone think of a reason?

I can only think of 3...

With a rookie Quarterback too.

 

[Sperrydogg]

I rewatched the Seahawks game just to see more objectively what happened, first sack ended our first drive on 3rd 4 and it was on a weird no block by Laken Tomlinson where he seemed to help double team the end while the DT just ran right through, geno woulda had to already be sprinting to have avoided that.
Second drive Geno made up for a ticky holding penalty on Olu by making Green Bay pay for a busted coverage to JSN. Then 2nd 2 and we go backwards on a run cause a pathetic pulling kick out block with barner at TE wiffs and the DE has free tackle. Then Geno gets sacked cause of the whole right side Lucas and probably Sataoa got pushed back 5 yards. Geno mighta coulda got out the back but he didn’t have much time. 3 points.
Next drive JSN is awesome but our pulling stretch plays all kinda stall then Geno hurries a throw incomplete cause of pressure but gets bailed out by a ticky PI off ball. More JSN even a nice screen where JSN ran away from his blockers a little and a good scramble by geno on 3rd and 4ish but then the goaline almost pick followed by the actual pick.
The first almost pick geno had a nice pocket and set his feet but the route was kinda difficult over the sideline and Geno tried to thread it in there but miss fired a bit and JSN bailed him out as a defender, the actual pick Geno had no protection but his throw was definitely self preserving desperation and under those circumstances it was way under thrown and off target. Plus the routes sucked because it bunched every one together with no where to throw.
End of half
Get the ball first, more JSN and some good quick passes and a nice third down power run for a first but then a spin move sack left Sataoa in the dust and then a holding call on a nice escape and throw by Geno and we end up punting.
Next drive starts at midfield with a bomb to Lockett and then Geno goes down with 9 or 10 mins left in the third quarter…. After that I don’t care

I guess I will admit there was a lot of things that happened badly that geno could do nothing about, the pick I put on Geno cause he shouldn’t of threw it but the pressure sucked and so did the play call. The almost pick was definitely a bad throw.
Our line is 50/50 and so is our play calling. I don’t know what geno can do about it besides presnap adjustments and slowing down to try to pick up blitzes better, but it isn’t even blitzes it’s just guys getting beat. It think it’s being pretty picky to not give geno a break there cause he’s doing a lot with a little. Still am not all in on Geno but most of the bad plays were not his fault