Here’s PARAM...
What I saw?
Early on I saw an inexperienced OL despite having two experienced tackles. They played like I'd expect. I think the lack of reps in preseason hurt. At the time I believed that "they practice together all week so they'll be fine" explanation. They weren't. But I thought their play improved against TBay, Seattle and SF (for 1 series). We' were sitting at 3-3 and should have been 4-2, maybe even 5-1 if the D stops Tampa.
Against TBay, Goff dropped back 68 times and was sacked just twice. Woods and Kupp had 22 receptions, 285 yards; Gurley, Cooks, Everett and Higbee had another 22 for 230 yards. But we only had 34 points as an offense because Goff threw 3 picks. Blame the O line? Sure, they weren't there yet. But that should be plenty to win. They put up 29 against Seattle and drove the ball close enough to win it in the end. The pass blocking improved but the run blocking was slow to get stronger. Against SF we came out pounding the ball. 7 runs @ 8 yards per and then Noteboom went down on the second series. Later, a failed 3rd and 1, then 4th and 1 from the goal line in the first half, then a fumbled pitch to Henderson on the first play of the third turned that game (as well as the injury) .
Some people have said, it was an immediate improvement when Noteboom went down. I think that improvement was already happening despite the 3 game losing streak. It's why it continued with the other 4 guys all still playing but with a rookie instead of JN. The next 3 games are against 1-5 Atlanta, 0-7 Cincinnati and BigBen-Less Pittsburgh. Did they look better? Yes. Did they play better? Sure. Not against a good D like the Steelers though. Of course two guys go down in that game so before they get to the Chicago game, they're down to two more lineman. Whitworth and Blythe were the only two who started the season and Blythe missed a game early on, a win.
So the process started all over again. Not against stellar competition again but Edwards, Corbett and Evans got better the more they played. We got another reprieve and took advantage of it, going 3-1. But those first two games the OL didn't look distinctly improved. Chicago where we scored 17 points, then Baltimore where we looked like a bad O line. But facing a quick 28-0 deficit can aid in that. Against Arizona and Seattle they looked better. I thought Evans played better, faster than the other two. And they got better as a unit, playing in 7 straight.
But looking back on the OL's season it wasn't good, mainly because of injuries and inexperience, breaking in two waves of O lineman. I thought Noteboom and Allen played better than they were credited. Inconsistent? Yes. Edwards got better but played longer (10). Havenstein and Allen played 9, Evans and Corbett 7 and Noteboom played alot less than 6 considering he went down on the second series of the SF game. The rollouts? They helped. They've been a part of the offense but not as much as they were last year. But we didn't have 2 rookies and a so-called bust from Cleveland in 2019. So they were a bigger part of the offense once the youngsters appeared, wisely. What would have been wiser is if he'd have employed that before the injuries. Were they a very good line last year? No. Were they terrible? No. On the season it was terrible because we had to break in practically 5 guys from scratch, the bust with 1 start to his credit.
Forecast? So for 2020 we get experience back with Whitworth, Havenstein and Blythe. And we get less experience with Evans, Edwards, Corbett and Allen, even less with Noteboom, when they're healthy but they've all been under fire. 3 vets and 5 guys with between 6 and 10 starts last season. Better than five first time starters including two rookies. Do I think the line is going to be better in 2020? Yes. They're going to be more experienced too. That can't hurt. I'm encouraged that the powers to be are encouraged. I hope Whitworth can start faster than last year. Havenstein too because it's hard to give up on him as he's 27 with 5 years experience. They've got Blythe, Edwards, Evans and Corbett plus the rookie Anchrum and Shelton, who saw time last year for 3 spots on the OL. Noteboom and Allen when they're healthy. If they're not ready it's PUP for 6 weeks and then 5 weeks or less to practice. So if we have any issues, I hope it doesn't occur until those two are ready.
Bottom line is this. That line, with 9 different starters played well enough to win 9 games. The line that starts this year hopefully finishes it but if there are problems I don't think we'll be in trouble nearly as much as last year. No greenhorns even at the backup positions. We have enough talent to win. Hell we won 9 games with that line discombobulated for at least 6 games. Hopeful? A little. Unreasonable? Absolutely not.
