NFL's Best and worst offensive lines of 2011

[C-Gold]

Everybody wants to talk about the skilled position players, I would say games are often won and lost in the trenches (they used to be) but it's a passing league. Games are won at the QB position but offensive lines make the QB's job a heck of a lot easier or harder. Rankings in no particular order.

Best - Notice a theme here, were these good or bad teams in 2011?
Houston - Different zone blocking style, maybe the best run blocking but also very good pass blocking.
New England - better pass blocking but they have a very good OL
New Orleans - maybe the pass blocking but also very good blocking maybe the best overall OL in 2011
Baltimore - Very good pass blocking and run blocking. Elite offensive line.
Denver - Tebow held onto the ball too long but don't be fooled, WRs suck but his O-Line is dominant.
( There is a drop off after the top 5 in my opinion)

Atlanta - I feel like their run blocking got worse but their pass blocking was still good in 2011.
Oakland - Strong O-line
Jets - Maybe the best line in the league 2 or 3 years ago, fell off some but they are a good group.
Cincy - Offensive line surprised to the upside this year, helped get them to the playoffs.

Worst - Some of the poor line play was masked by quarterbacking
Pittsburgh - Big Ben running for his life helped mask the crappy pass and run blocking.
Chicago - The line has sucked for years, without Cutler it would look worse.
Indy - run blocking improved some, but they were the worst OL in the league in 2010.
Philly - Line wasn't as good as "dream team" Eagles fans had hoped. ? marks didn't work out.
Giants - Giants had a good line 3 years ago, was one of the worst rushing teams in the league TY and Eli helped mask the crappy pass blocking.
Dallas - Romo was always rushed, always getting shot gun snaps over his head. Line has slowly degraded from the Parcells years.
St. Louis - Poor QB had no chance.

[john230]

I really believe that in most cases a team with a poor offensive line will struggle overall. It really is the rock that holds a team together. Jet O-Line highly underachieved this year. They did not seem to have it. Maybe the discord in the locker room had something to do with it.

[C-Gold]

I really believe that in most cases a team with a poor offensive line will struggle overall. It really is the rock that holds a team together. Jet O-Line highly underachieved this year. They did not seem to have it. Maybe the discord in the locker room had something to do with it.

Agreed. The offensive line is the heartbeat of the football team. I would say the games are won and lost in the trenches but not really. Two years ago Peyton Manning had the worst run blocking line AND he had not time to throw and the Colts still went to the playoffs and won the division. Elite QB's can mask crappy lines to a point. Your offensive line can make your QB's job a lot easier ( Houston) or it can make it a lot harder like some of the other teams. The Giants offensive line really fell off compared to 3 years ago but they still won. They were one of the worst rushing teams in the league and Eli constantly had to deal with that pass rush. How about the game @ Dallas during the regular season or @ SF in the playoffs. His performance was incredible considering he had Ware in his face all game and the 49ers getting to him over 40 of his 60 drop backs.

Big Ben's line was garbage but he still made the team function. Look at the Bears with and without Cutler. Eli/Vick/Romo all had bad offensive lines. Maybe GM's invest less in the lines because they expect their QB's to mask it to a point.

[TobiasFunke]

I would put Philly in the Best category, inside was a bit weak but outside two of the best tackles in the game.

[john230]

Agreed. The offensive line is the heartbeat of the football team. I would say the games are won and lost in the trenches but not really. Two years ago Peyton Manning had the worst run blocking line AND he had not time to throw and the Colts still went to the playoffs and won the division. Elite QB's can mask crappy lines to a point. Your offensive line can make your QB's job a lot easier ( Houston) or it can make it a lot harder like some of the other teams. The Giants offensive line really fell off compared to 3 years ago but they still won. They were one of the worst rushing teams in the league and Eli constantly had to deal with that pass rush. How about the game @ Dallas during the regular season or @ SF in the playoffs. His performance was incredible considering he had Ware in his face all game and the 49ers getting to him over 40 of his 60 drop backs.

Big Ben's line was garbage but he still made the team function. Look at the Bears with and without Cutler. Eli/Vick/Romo all had bad offensive lines. Maybe GM's invest less in the lines because they expect their QB's to mask it to a point.

A real good QB can mask a bad O-line. But put a solid O-line with a great QB and that team is potent. The Giants really stepped up in the postseason though with their running game.

[C-Gold]

I would put Philly in the Best category, inside was a bit weak but outside two of the best tackles in the game.

Vick is a scrambler so people will naturally say "LOOK, that guys is running around for his life" and conclude that he has no blocking. Vick had a very good O-Line in Atlanta, but Vick had horrible pocket awareness. He wasn't comfortable at all in the pocket. He'd drop back, look at the DE being blocked by the LT and then start running around. He had adequate time to throw but he chose to run around.

Philly had good lines during the Mcnabb years ( with bad receivers) but their pass blocking dropped off this year. The interior of the line wasn't very good.

[Full Time Hobo]

Sorry- Raven Oline is average at best. Its the one thing I hope they drastically improve this off season.
Running game improved in most part because of Leach. Pass blocking was only good when Flacco was in shotgun otherwise there wasn't a hell of a lot of time for plays to develop.

Your worst group is right on.
Probably add the browns to it too. Of course they had a qb that had no arm strength that didn't help.

[C-Gold]

A real good QB can mask a bad O-line. But put a solid O-line with a great QB and that team is potent. The Giants really stepped up in the postseason though with their running game.

You just described the New Orleans Saints. Brees + maybe the best offensive line in the league and Sean Payton.

Tom Brady had a real good line too. Light/Mankins/Waters/Vollmer! Are you kidding me?

[C-Gold]

Sorry- Raven Oline is average at best. Its the one thing I hope they drastically improve this off season.
Running game improved in most part because of Leach. Pass blocking was only good when Flacco was in shotgun otherwise there wasn't a hell of a lot of time for plays to develop.

Your worst group is right on.
Probably add the browns to it too. Of course they had a qb that had no arm strength that didn't help.

I don't think the Ravens O-Line gets the credit they deserve. Put Ray Rice on the Colts and ask yourself how many yards he'd get?


I think the Titans offensive line fell off big this year. They were elite a couple years ago.
I think the Redskins line noticably improved this year.

[Full Time Hobo]

I don't think the Ravens O-Line gets the credit they deserve. Put Ray Rice on the Colts and ask yourself how many yards he'd get? I think the Titans offensive line fell off big this year. They were elite a couple years ago. I think the Redskins line noticably improved this year.

Healthy at the beginning of the year I agree. Oline was great. Age caught up with them by the end of the year and the banged up guys couldn't do it. just look at how Patriots got pressure in the championship game... right up the center... Birk is on the brink of retirement though.

Rice would be good almost anywhere as long as he gets the same touches he has in Baltimore (short passes/runs/even long passes)...but like I said the biggest difference was adding Leach as his blocker. Hell I think if the colts could keep a RB healthy it would make a difference ... but who knows now...