Analysis of teams who have found good value at Left Tackle

[KB_fan]

Very interesting analysis at Inside the Pylon

http://insidethepylon.com/nfl/front-office/2016/09/13/offensive-line-values-the-blind-spot-in-blindside-protection/

Here's an excerpt or two

 

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For well over a decade, the NFL has placed more and more emphasis on the passing game. With this emphasis has come an increased importance on protecting quarterbacks, especially their blindsides. Dave Archibald discusses the offensive line value that can be found when teams veer from the accepted practice of investing disproportionately at left tackle.

Michael Oher became famous before his NFL career even began. Oher was only a sophomore at Ole Miss when Michael Lewis released his 2006 book The Blind Side, but the youngster already loomed larger than life. His rare size and athleticism, Lewis explained, made Oher one of the most coveted athletes in sports: a prototypical left tackle, or “blind side” protector. Those athletic gifts allowed Oher, essentially orphaned at the age of seven, to transcend his impoverished upbringing and ultimately catapult himself into the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Oher’s Cinderella story took a few turns from there, however, as he bounced between two positions and three teams before settling in with the Carolina Panthers in 2015. He may not go down as the next Jonathan Ogden or Joe Thomas, but Oher might be something just as valuable in 2016: a player who can provide competent left tackle play at a discount price.

Left Behind

When The Blind Side came out in 2006, weakside edge rushers ruled, with standouts like the San Diego Chargers’ Shawne Merriman (17 sacks), the Buffalo Bills’ Aaron Schobel (14), and the Miami Dolphins’ Jason Taylor (13.5) wreaking havoc from the quarterback’s blind side. Of the 18 players who registered 10 sacks that season, 11 played right end (RE) or right outside linebacker (ROLB) and primarily rushed against the left tackle:

Data from pro-football-reference.com

Less than a decade later, the paradigm has shifted, and many of the game’s top edge rushers attack elsewhere. J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2015, is a 3-4 end that primarily plays on the left side, matched up against the right tackle or right guard. Reigning Super Bowl MVP Von Miller plays left outside linebacker (LOLB) for the Denver Broncos. Three defensive tackles (DT) hit double-digit sacks in 2015: Aaron Donald of the Rams (11), Kawann Short of the Panthers (11), and Geno Atkins of the Bengals (11). In 2006, the Oakland Raiders’ Warren Sapp was the only DT to get 10 sacks. In total, only six of 16 defenders tallying 10 sacks in 2015 routinely matched up with the left tackle.

 

 

 

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Overpaying

Most teams are still stuck in the 2006 mindset, paying their left tackles vastly more than the other positions across the offensive line. Last season, left tackles averaged nearly double the salary of each of the other OL positions, and teams invested 64% more draft capital than the next-highest OL spot. From a roster construction standpoint, playing a budget left tackle provides an economic advantage that cannot be found anywhere else on the offensive line. A league-minimum center will save about $2.5M relative to an average one, but a league-minimum tackle will save more than $6M relative to average. Even though the typical team carries eight or nine offensive linemen, teams spend on average 27% of their total offensive line expenditure on just the starting left tackle:

 

 

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NFL teams cannot spend everywhere, and while it seems risky to skimp on the blindside protector, fear of that risk is creating an inflated market. Teams who are willing to be outliers can get a competitive advantage. The model described in The Blind Side grows increasingly obsolete, and Oher has become representative of the new paradigm: winning through modest investment in undervalued assets.

 

[Frizzy350]

Luckily we have built our line from the inside-out.

Sent from my SM-G920V using CarolinaHuddle mobile app

[TheSpecialJuan]

1 hour ago, KB_fan said:

Oher has become representative of the new paradigm: winning through modest investment in undervalued assets.

Exactly.

[TheSpecialJuan]

Great stuff, thanks