www.heavensgatel2.fora.pl

[ksdsoft18i72]

Player


Successful
Blocks


Total
Blocks


Pct.




Nicks


54


59


.915




Evans


53


59


.898




Stinchcomb


53


59


.898




Goodwin


52


59


.881




Bushrod


50


59


.847



To get an idea of who won the battle at the line of scrimmage, I charted each play for each of the Saints five offensive linemen. Then I asked a simple question, did the lineman block effectively on that play or not? As fans we obviously can not know what the play call was for each and every play (or almost any plays for that matter). So we're forced to make some assumptions, but there are very few plays where it's not clear what an offensive lineman is supposed to do. What we're just looking to determine is whether the lineman blocked effectively.
What I found was the Saints' linemen did an excellent job. The worst grade for any of the linemen, left tackle Jermon Bushrod, was a still effective 85 percent. And he held Jared Allen to no sacks and one quarterback hurry. The Saints guards, Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, were even better. In the second half they created solid running lanes against two of the best defensive tackles in the league.
Jermon Bushrod
Bushrod's play-by-play grade may be the lowest of the Saints' linemen,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but it's hard to not be impressed by what Bushrod did in handling Allen. He did get some help from chip blocks from the Saints' running backs, but he also handled Allen plenty of times with no help. Bushrod also took advantage of Allen's aggressiveness when the Saints ran the ball.
Every time Allen took an aggressive upfield move on a run play, he just made Bushrod's job easier. Bushrod's biggest problems came when Allen simply lined up and tried to bowl him over--that worked twice to force Drew Brees to shuffle around the pocket.
Between the Lines: Saints' O-Line Shows Strength vs. Vikings
Drew Brees is outstanding,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych] is a matchup nightmare and Reggie Bush is a big play waiting to happen.
But maybe the most impressive part of the Saints offense on Thursday night was their offensive line. In taking a close look at the line play in Thursday's season opener, the Saints ability to consistently control one of the best defensive lines in the game was an eye-opening experience.