Preseason Game 1: the OL

Watching that first preseason, game I was pleased with what I saw from the offensive line. Clearly, my view has not been in the majority. Posters and pundits, including the great Jourdan, have panned the line as a whole and Logan Bruss in particular.

So I watched the game again, twice, focusing on the OL. The more I watch the more I am convinced that these 3rd and 4th stringers played a hell of a game.

The Running Game

Right after the game, I posted about how pleased I was with the running game. I was rather surprised to see how rare my response was. The consensus seems to be that the running game sucked and what we did gain was due to clever play by the running backs.

The main argument that I have seen seems to rest primarily on a low yards per carry statistic. Of course it is true that we never broke any “chunk plays” on the ground. That affects the statistics.

However, we gained yards on almost every run. Three to 5 yard gains were extremely common. We were getting over the line of scrimmage on almost every run.

This is hard to do in the NFL, especially in preseason. Remember that, at every level from high school to the league, the running game is the hardest, slowest facet of the team to develop. In training camp, offenses always trail defenses and running games trail everything else. In the NFL preseason, even passing teams run the ball more than normal, and defenses stack the line of scrimmage. Running game dysfunction is rampant. Anybody remember our preseason game against Tennessee in 2000? We couldn't get to the line of scrimmage.

Genuinely struggling running games hit a wall and either gain nothing or lose yards. And this raises the question of the role of running the ball in today's NFL Chunk plays are great when you can get them. But they do not measure the general effectiveness of a running game, particularly in a Sean McVay offense.

An NFL offense achieves “balance” by forcing the defense to respect the threat at the line of scrimmage. Obviously, this requires a high enough frequency of running plays to command the attention of the defensive front. But why do offenses “abandon the run”? Simple: running plays that gain nothing leave the offense with 2nd or 3rd and long. And OCs stop calling them.

Chunk plays are aberrations. Any running game that consistently gets within five or six yards of the chain for second or third down is very successful. A good measure of this success will be the number of runs attempted. Gain three to five yards on first down and your running backs will keep getting the ball. And, obviously, the passing game will be that much harder to stop.

Sean McVay’s play calling habits are, I think, often misunderstood. He surely loves to throw the ball. But he has a sophisticated vision for running it as well. His greatest wish is to run the ball steadily and consistently to set up the pass. Last year, we really couldn't do that. Well, Saturday night we did. We ran the ball really well.

The Running Game: OL v RBs

The conventional line concerning Saturday night is that the running backs made some things happen behind poor offensive line play. Well, Funk and Rose certainly made some nifty plays. That touchdown wiggle was pretty sweet.

However, they also missed some good holes. 3rd and 1, 2Q, approaching the red zone. We lose a yard. Poor OL execution, right?

Um, no. On a stretch play left, the LG/LT and C/RG open a seam in the defense wide enough for me to gain 8 yards. Well, maybe 2. Well, … The point is that the running back tried to bounce the play outside and missed the gaping hole. Now, the seam was established by double teams inside. Seems reasonable to conclude that the back should have been looking for the cutback option. He didn't. But the OL shone on the play.

Now this play illustrates the difficulty we amateurs face in assessing OL play in today’s NFL. Opening holes these days involves highly sophisticated schemes for screening off defenders to create seams rather than by necessarily driving them off the line of scrimmage. Schemes in defensive fronts are just as complex, and OL must work together in complicated patterns of responsibility. It is often very hard for us to tell who is responsible for what.

This is why it takes so long to develop a running game. OL must master complex patterns of cooperation against constantly shifting defensive fronts. The integrated performance of these bench players and scrubs in preseason game 1 is astonishing. Starting OL units routinely fail to integrate this well in opening preseason games.

Still, given all the complexity of modern zone blocking, in the end, the OL must drive defenders off the ball. For me, this was the greatest thing to see. We routinely, consistently drove the Charger defenders off the line of scrimmage. Individuals and double teams drove defenders back. The action invariably surged 2 yards or more beyond the gain line.

Don’t believe me? See for yourself. Watch the tape. Observe how often we drive the Charger defensive front off the line of scrimmage. Convince yourself. And then think about how significant this is.

The significance does not lie in individual performers. Many of these guys will not make the team and few will play real games. No, the significance lies in the high level of preparation these guys have received from our coaching staff. These guys were ready to perform.

Pass Blocking

Of course, the real test of an OL is pass blocking. I didn't study this as closely. I think, in general, it is fair to say that the pass blocking was less successful.

However, it was not bad at all. I would give it a grade of perhaps B-, maybe C+. I saw many cases of individuals handling their pass rusher. Generally, Perkins had some time to throw. And I think that, as is usually the case, the QB plays a large role in the success of the pass blocking.

Perkins is a substandard QB. He is slow to make his reads and get the ball off. Furthermore, like most running quarterbacks, his instinct is to take off. Several times, he stepped up into a pocket formed by solid OL play … and took off running where a conventional QB would throw. We should also mention the fact that our scrub WRs were rarely open. Pass blocking is a team enterprise.

I will mention one play. Famously, Perkins turned a ferocious pass rush and two QB hits into a first down. Well, what happened?

The breakdown was on the front side with Bruss and Evans. It was mental and tactical rather than physical. The DT and DE ran a twist stunt. The DT drove outside and the DE looped back around to the inside. Bruss stayed with the DT and actually blocked him well. Evans was left with little to do. I do not mean to excuse the breakdown. But this is an understandable preseason blunder. I don't know how Bruss and Evans were supposed to handle this rather standard stunt. Clearly, Bruss is somewhat green and has a lot to learn. The play demonstrates that, but does it show a draft pick who sucks?

On Logan Bruss

I want to say a few words about Logan Buss. I will not offer any sort of play by play. I will say that he looked damn good to me.

We all know that he ended up on his butt on an early pass rush. Again, no excuses. But the play does not demonstrate a physically overpowered OG. Rather, he got twisted to the side and lost his footwork. Yep. He got whupped. Less than 10 plays into his NFL career.

I also saw him make a score of solid, often powerful blocks in both the passing and running games. Physically, he showed up very well. He blocked downfield very well. I loved how he handled LBs. He played a large role in dominating the line of scrimmage.

Is he ready to start and star? Of course not. He has a great deal to learn. And while he is solid and stout, he is not physically overpowering. Nevertheless, I saw a young OG with the heft and tools to play solid NFL football.

Well, that's enough. I just wanted to share what I saw, so different from the conventional assessment. I invite you to re watch the game and look for yourself. I especially commend you to watch our guys drive Chargers off the ball. I haven't for a long time enjoyed offensive line play in the running game that looked that good.