Andy Richardson
Doing a little advance work on the offensive line article for the magazine this week. Lots of fantasy owners don't think much about lines, but should. Their performance can have a major effect on which running backs and quarterbacks have the best seasons.
Numbers aren't everything, especially in this respect. The Indianapolis Colts gave up the fewest sacks in the league last year, but that doesn't mean they have the best offensive line; they just have a quarterback in Peyton Manning who gets rid of the ball in a hurry. The Tennessee Titans had the best rushing offense in terms of yards per carry; of course, they also had Chris Johnson.
It can be interesting, though, to look at the raw numbers and see what shakes out. What happens if we rank offensive lines entirely in terms of sacks allowed and yards per rushing attempt, two important elements in determining line performance? Then average those numbers and see what it tells us about which lines were top performers, and which weren't.
Based on averaging those two rankings alone -- yards per carry, and sacks allowed -- here's how offensive lines fared in 2009. Straight off those numbers, the Titans and Saints stand out as tops in both categories; granted, that had something to do with the personnel behind those lines. Washington, not surprisingly given the way age and injury devastated its line last year, is near the bottom in both areas.
1. Tennessee Titans
2. New Orleans Saints
3. Carolina Panthers
4. New York Jets
5. Dallas Cowboys
6. New England Patriots
7. Baltimore Ravens
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. Miami Dolphins
10. Indianapolis Colts
11. Arizona Cardinals
12. Cleveland Browns
13. Cincinnati Bengals
14. Denver Broncos
15. Jacksonville Jaguars
16. Philadelphia Eagles
17. New York Giants
18. San Francisco 49ers
19. Kansas City
20. Minnesota Vikings
21. Buffalo Bills
22. Houston Texans
23. St. Louis Rams
24. San Diego Chargers
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
26. Chicago Bears
27. Green Bay Packers
28. Pittsburgh Steelers
29. Seattle Seahawks
30. Detroit Lions
31. Oakland Raiders
32. Washington
(supporting information)
yards per carry, 2009
5.2 Tennessee Titans
4.8 Carolina Panthers
4.8 Dallas Cowboys
4.7 Baltimore Ravens
4.5 New Orleans Saints
4.5 New York Jets
4.5 Jacksonville Jaguars
4.4 Miami Dolphins
4.4 Kansas City
4.4 Buffalo Bills
4.3 Philadelphia Eagles
4.3 San Francisco 49ers
4.3 St. Louis Rams
4.3 Green Bay Packers
4.2 Atlanta Falcons
4.2 Cleveland Browns
4.2 Denver Broncos
4.2 Pittsburgh Steelers
4.1 New England Patriots
4.1 Arizona Cardinals
4.1 Cincinnati Bengals
4.1 New York Giants
4.1 Minnesota Vikings
4.1 Oakland Raiders
4.0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4.0 Chicago Bears
4.0 Seattle Seahawks
4.0 Detroit Lions
3.9 Washington
3.5 Indianapolis Colts
3.5 Houston Texans
3.3 San Diego Chargers
sacks allowed, 2009
13 Indianapolis Colts
15 Tennessee Titans
18 New England Patriots
20 New Orleans Saints
25 Houston Texans
26 Arizona Cardinals
26 San Diego Chargers
27 Atlanta Falcons
29 Cincinnati Bengals
30 Cleveland Browns
30 New York Jets
32 New York Giants
33 Carolina Panthers
33 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
34 Dallas Cowboys
34 Minnesota Vikings
34 Miami Dolphins
34 Denver Broncos
35 Chicago Bears
36 Baltimore Ravens
38 Philadelphia Eagles
40 San Francisco 49ers
41 Seattle Seahawks
43 Detroit Lions
44 Jacksonville Jaguars
44 St. Louis Rams
45 Kansas City
46 Buffalo Bills
46 Washington
49 Oakland Raiders
50 Pittsburgh Steelers
51 Green Bay Packers
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