Offensive line?

I disagree with the notion that drafting an offensive lineman is a luxury.

I think we can all agree that as Philip Rivers goes, so goes the season for the Chargers. I believe last season is proof for anyone who argues that point.
So if having Rivers excel equates to the team doing well, I believe it is therefore imperative to give the QB every opportunity to do well.

Let's look at the possibilities of having a less-than-elite squad around your QB.
RB- does not make the defense honest, therefore putting more defensive players into pass coverage. Also needed as pass outlet and blitz pickup. When elite (like LT in his prime) is a force in pass and run, making the defense focus on him and leaving other players open or in favorable matchups.
TE-could be a liability in some pass protection schemes, but used mostly as safety valve when other receivers are not open. When elite (like a healthy Gates), is another WR and a mismatch nightmare for LB, CB and S. Can be moved all around the field to take advantage of the defensive personnel.
WR-defense does not have to respect that side of the field, putting extra coverage/defenders on better players or allowing an extra blitzer. Having 1 elite receiver is great, but not a necessasity.
OT-not elite? QB could get injured every time he drops back to pass. QB will also rush throws knowing he will not have much time. Elite? QB has faith and feels secure to read defense and wait for receivers to get open.
OG-much like OT, but also a major factor in run blocking. If not elite, your run game and your pass game can fall apart. The OT position is the money position because it protects the QB from getting hurt, but the OG is the o-line position that does everything. QBs would rather have pressure from the outside than up the middle. Why? Because outside pressure allows you to move up in the pocket and/or takes a little bit longer so you can actually throw the ball. Pressure up the middle? The defender is in his face and in his throwing lane. Pressure up the middle will kill any pass play (except a quick slant over the middle or a screen to the outside).
C-you need a smart center, but he does not necessarily have to be an elite blocker. Where his blocking skills really come into play is on goalline and shortyardage. But what you really want out of your center is someone who is smart and can take control of the rest of the offensive line.

You want, you NEED elite guard play.
And while Vasquez is decent and serviceable, he is not elite. And Tyrone Green could not beat out Vasquez at right guard, so now he is supposed to be the replacement to Pro Bowler Kris Deilman at left guard? I don't get it.

I think people are VASTLY underestimated the importance of a guard.

Couldn't you pick an older example??

JOE STYDAHAR

Hall of FamerTackle >>> 6-4, 233

(West Virginia)

1936-1942, 1945-46 Chicago Bears

Joseph Lee Stydahar. . .Bears' No. 1 choice in first-ever NFL draft, 1936. . . 60-minute performer who bulwarked Bears line in famous "Monsters of the Midway" era.

I look at it like this: the Bolts have been at or near the top of the NFL in offensive yardage and points for several years running. While Dielman was a great blocker, the right side of the line (both guard and tackle) have been average at best. Vasquez appears to be good enough, and Green may be about the same (he IS one of the higher drafted linemen on the team). I don't expect the team to take a nosedive this year offensively. If it didn't happen last year (after losing McNeil and Dielman), it doesn't seem likely to happen this year. I could be wrong of course, but I respect Norv as an offensive mind, and I believe he will lead the team to another productive year.

Do we have a more recent Hall of Fame offensive lineman that I missed?

The example is about not just finding a good o-lineman....which I agree can be done in later rounds.....but about finding a great o-lineman......potentially best of his era o-lineman.....which is frequently done in the first round....across the league and throughout the history of both leagues!

In fact......of the 37 offensive linemen selected to the HOF from the modern era.....27 were first round selections. What's that...just under 75%?


Of the 16 o-linemen in the Hall from the Pre-modern era....only 5 came after the draft era that started in 1936 as Oz pointed out. Of those 5 men....4 were first round draft picks.


So that's 31 out of the 42 total HOF O-linemen taken during the draft era (1936-present) that were 1st round picks.



To Devo's point.....nobody is predicting a "nosedive offensively". The idea and the standard is winning a championship....not just placing highly....statistically speaking. Such things don't tell the story when examining winning teams.

I'll spare folks the time....listing all the top guards and centers on winning teams over the years. Anyone that wants to check my math can feel free, but I can only find 2 maybe 3 teams in the last 30 Superbowl champions going all the way back to the "Hogs" of the early 80's that didn't have what most would call extraordinary interior o-line play.....and those teams had Jonathan Ogden and Lomas Brown outside at tackle....2 future HOFers......and of course.....both were 1st round picks.

Here is another way of looking at it:

Which players hit EVERY SINGLE PLAY?

A RB could be out in a pass pattern and not hit anyone, and RBs are in some sort of rotation anyway.
WR? You're happy if a WR has contact during a run play and a WR won't get hit if the ball is not thrown his way. Plus there is the whole rotation thing.
TE? Run plays, yes. Pass plays? Not if not thrown his way.
QB? You hope a QB doesn't get touched at all, and if he gets hit during a run play, something wrong happened.

OT? Yes. Every play.
OG? Yes. Every play.
C? Yes. Every play.
Even if the defense shifts and an o-lineman does not have a defensive player directly in front of him, he is taught to go hit someone. Even on a pass play and there is a minimal rush, the other o-linemen will seek out a rusher and hit him.
And o-linemen very rarely have a rotation. You don't see a "third-down tackle" or a "passing-situation package" for the guards. O-linemen are usually in for every offensive play.

Defense?
All d-linemen are on a rotation.
All LBers are on a rotation. And if one is a "3-down 'backer," if it is a pass play, he may not hit anyone if the play does not come his way.
CBs? Please. Dieon Sanders made the HOF and never hit anyone.
Safeties? Run plays that get stuffed at the line of scrimmage won't involve the safety all the time. A QB sack will not have a safety hitting anyone. And a pass play to the other side of the field won't have a safety hitting someone.

O-linemen hit and get hit EVERY SINGLE PLAY.

Following this logic a center should be the #1 draft pick every single year. He touches the ball on EVERY offensive play, thanks to the wildcat not even a QB can say that!

If their blocking assignments were as critical to QB protection....they would get drafted up around #1 every year....like left tackles are....since the very first draft.

I'd love to have an elite o-line just as much as you guys. But without a defense it makes no difference how many points we score. That's why I can't be mad at AJ putting an emphasis on defense this year. We don't need HOF o-line to win it all. It helps of course, but so does a dominating defense.

The Air Coryell days are a perfect example of high a powered offense not being enough. Defense wins championships....of course it's a team game, but how many world champs are there that had no D?

My hope is that this year the D gets better and maybe next year they will take an OT in the first to replace Clary. If this O-line plays like it did in the last five games then we should be fine.