Ultimate Fantasy Football Strategy - Offensive Line Analysis

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Atlanta Falcons

2008 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Sam Baker
Left Guard: Justin Blalock
Center: Todd McClure
Right Guard: Harvey Dahl / Kynan Forney / Tyson Clabo
Right Tackle: Tyson Clabo / Todd Weiner

2007 Injuries:
G Justin Blalock: Weeks 14 and 15
G Kynan Forney: Weeks 12 and 13
T Wayne Gandy: Weeks 6 to 17
T Todd Weiner: Weeks 6, 7 and 12 to 17
T Renardo Foster: Weeks 8 to 17

2007 Statistics:

LEFT END		LEFT TACKLE		MID/GUARD		RIGHT TACKLE		RIGHT END		Passing
ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	Sacks	Rank
3.25	27	3.79	25	3.4	32	3.2	32	4.48	9	47	25

ALY (Adjusted Line Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent.
Source: www.footballoutsiders.com

Overview:
The 2007 season was the first for the Atlanta Falcons in the post Michael Vick era and it was not a very good one. The offense ranked 29th in the league in points scored, gave up 47 sacks and averaged only 3.9 yards per carry. The 2007 season was filled with injuries for this offensive line which certainly did not help the team’s offensive performance.

At tackle, the Falcons added Sam Baker out of USC in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Baker has great technique and is very agile with quick feet which make him a good pass protector. He is 6’5” and weighs 305 lbs which is pretty light for a lineman his height. Baker will need to get much stronger in order to be an effective run blocker in the NFL and he will also have to be much more aggressive in his run blocking. He will definitely provide some much needed help for this offensive line but he still has a lot of work to do. There will be an interesting battle in camp for the right tackle position between Todd Weiner and Renardo Foster. Weiner has the edge in terms of talent but he suffered a knee injury and missed the last six games of the regular season so he may not be fully healthy when the season begins. Weiner is not particularly strong so will have difficulty pushing back the linemen when run blocking and at 32 years of age he is not as quick as he used to be. When healthy he is still a decent tackle but it remains to be seen if he can recover from the knee injury. Renardo Foster was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Falcons in 2007 and he also suffered a season-ending knee injury halfway through the season. Foster is a very strong and powerful tackle who has the tools to be a force as a run blocker. He obviously lacks agility because of his size at 6’7” and 340 lbs but is still a decent pass protector if he receives blocking help on the outside. Quinn Ojinnaka also provides depth at the tackle position and has an outside chance to be the starting left tackle. Ojinnaka started eight games at tackle last season after Foster and Gandy went down with injuries but was below average. His athleticism allows him to be a decent pass protector but he failed to open holes in the running game like the rest of the line.

The Falcons selected Justin Blalock in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft and he will return as the starting left guard for the second consecutive season. Blalock is a very strong and powerful blocker at 6’4” and 330 lbs which makes him a solid run blocker. He was a right tackle in college with the Longhorns where he managed to play 51 consecutive games as a starter. There is a slight possibility that he could be the starting right tackle for the Falcons but he does not have the quickest feet and will get beat to the outside too often. Blalock is a much better fit at the guard position and will continue to improve as a pass protector. Starting at right guard will likely be 26 year old Tyson Clabo. Clabo made the jump from the practice squad in 2006 and has since played in 21 games. He has pretty good size at 6’7” and 315 lbs and, similar to Blalock, can also play the tackle position. He is a decent run blocker and although he has slow feet, he did an admirable job in pass protection at right tackle last season. There is a strong possibility that Clabo will continue as a right tackle this season if Weiner is unable to go. Kynan Forney will provide depth at guard once again. Forney played in 14 games last season but struggled in all assets and should not be a starter this season.

At center, Todd McClure should be returning as starting center for the seventh consecutive season. McClure is not very big at only 6’1” and 295 lbs but is very smart and tough. McClure has not missed a start in six seasons and at 31 years old still has a few years left. McClure however struggles to get a push in run blocking and would be much more effective with a better guard on his right side. The Falcons added depth at the position by signing Alex Stepanovich. He started four games for the Bengals last season but was disappointing. The Falcons also drafted Doug Datish in the sixth round of the 2007 draft but he missed the entire 2007 season because of a wrist injury. He is not particularly strong but he is a smart player and a hard worker so he should improve this season. He still has a lot to learn so will probably not see much action this season but will likely replace McClure in a year or two.

2008 Outlook:
The Falcons struggled all season last year and had a lot of holes to fill. Sam Baker was however the only offensive lineman selected in the Falcons in this year’s draft and they did not add any significant names in free agency to improve the line. Paul Boudreau, formerly the Rams offensive line coach, will be in charge of restructuring this offensive line. Boudreau really likes to use a lot of different combinations so it is hard to determine who will start at which positions. It is difficult to predict how this line will perform but it should improve because of all the injuries suffered last season and the addition of Sam Baker should also help. Overall this line will once again be slightly below average in run blocking and it will improve in pass protection but will still be below average.

Updates:
August 4, 2008 - Harvey Dahl is making a strong case to start over Kynan Forney at RG. Dahl spent most of his career on practice squads but his intensity and hard work are helping him in camp. Tyson Clabo is starting at RT in camp but could still lose the job to Todd Weiner.