O-line Stat

Heard on Moving The Chains on Sirius today that the Steelers Oline has the worst yards before RB contact of any team. Only 0.8 yards before contact on average. The good running teams (Philly, Rams, Colts, KC, Baltimore) were at 1.8-1.9 yards prior to contact.

Interesting objective analysis which confirms the eye test. No wonder we can't pick up a yard on 3rd or 4th down reliably. Hopefully the line can gel in the last month of the season and improve this.

 

I like Najee a lot but this proves if you can’t block unless you are Barry Sanders it won’t much matter. We spent a first rd pick on a RB and we are still a bottom 5 team in the league running the ball.

 

According to pff your numbers are way off. Harris is at 1.8 with several players below him. As for Baltimore Jackson is at 3.6 and Murray at 1.8. Didn’t check for freeman

 

It's a team stat so given the ineffectiveness of the other running backs I believe it.

 

I heard this morning on DK SPORTS that Harris is #1 in both broken tackles and yards after first contract.. and it's by a lot.

Harris also just broke Lev Bells record for rookie yardage with 4 games to go

ROCKV TO THE NAJ

kid is the real deal.. now just wait till he is not being the worst line in the league

HACK

 

This information may be incorrect. The Steelers are 1.9 YBC according to pro football reference, the same as last year's numbers.

 

Not to quibble, put Franco rushed for more than 1000 yds his rookie year. So Lev didn’t hold the record.

Najee is for real. Hope he isn’t beaten to a pulp before the line gets competent.

 

Scrimmage Yards I believe they said. Not just rushing.

 

As stated above. Rushing and receiving yards. NAJEE is 182 yards from Francos 1055 rookie rushing record (14 Game season)

Najee should break that as well but in 17

HACK

 

All things considered, with all of the new bodies on the line, a rookie RB, this isn’t so bad. We can build on this.

 

I don’t feel the o-line is really improving.

No growth. I don’t feel excited for this group, as is, next year.

 

Fair point, but different era and different game with a run first attitude. As a team, the Steelers had less than 2000 yards passing that year. The worst starting QB this year already has more than that

 

If they add one more good OL, I think they can make the rest work. Dotson looked good. Green either improves at C or makes a good RG. I do see the OTs growing some though it has its ugly moments. There are pieces here it's just not done yet. It's a tough thing for us to properly evaluate, too. Add in a rookie RB and TE, and young WRs, failing some blocking assignments, to a statue of a QB, and there could be substantial growth in a year.

 

Creed Humphrey has missed 1 block this year, 1!!!

But instead we took a tight end that we didn't need and then a guy they thought could play center but obviously can't.

 

100%, they can’t go in to 2022 with this group. They need to spend a high pick on a C / T and get a free agent. You’d also have to wonder if Klemm is in a position to take the OLine forward given the lack of progress this year

TE was a need, but yeah I agree, Creed Humphrey would have made a lot of sense because Center was a bigger need than TE.

They gambled on a patchwork OLine holding it down and it has been a disaster. This has to be the biggest priority in the offseason after QB. Maybe Green can be moved to Guard in place of Turner and they can get a Center in the Draft

 

I can't stand when the Steelers draft anymore because they always try to get cute. Oh we can get this guy to play this position. No you can't! Pick natural position players especially on the lines.

 

I don’t feel like the FOs priorities were right. RB in the 1st- huge mistake. Sure Harris is great, but not when you’re decimated at the O line. Build your lines!

 

I criticize the Steelers for not planning, but in the case of the draft it was obvious they were gonna pick Green as the center experiment even before the draft started. Like they purposely didn't pick better centers to thumb their nose at those who thought it was a bad idea and now here we are.

 

They got it wrong with Green going on what we have seen but I don’t recall too many other examples of them drafting players relatively high and trying to change their primary position?

I think they just loved Freiermuth and didn’t want to pass on him

The move was to trade back in the first and try to get an additional pick in the fourth, pick Humphrey and Freiermuth in the second

Najee is a wonderful player and I get what they were trying to do but the OLine is just not good enough right now to give him the platform he needs. If they improve the line dramatically he could have a great career in Pittsburgh however

 

What is strange is that instead of taking these guys who are more road graders than finesse guys and letting them maul the guy in front of them them are still doing the zone blocking and giving them too many things to think about preseason. Not sure if Dupree knew the play or got shot out of a cannon but they didn't have time to even realize what happen. Another play with a wr run play Green was way out in front but had no idea who he should block or where he should go. At this point if he didn’t know he probably won't this season.