Does having a good run-blocking offensive line correlate to winning football games?
There's evidence which indicates it does. Following is a portion of a chart from Part Two in this series, listing the top five run-blocking teams for each of the last ten years, as per Football Outsiders.
Next we insert the number of games won by those teams to get the following.
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There's evidence which indicates it does. Following is a portion of a chart from Part Two in this series, listing the top five run-blocking teams for each of the last ten years, as per Football Outsiders.
| Rank | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| 1. | DEN | MIN | NYJ | IND | SD | NE | DEN | MIA | NE | NO |
| 2. | MIN | GB | IND | KC | JAC | CLE | NYJ | NO | JAC | NE |
| 3. | OAK | KC | KC | DEN | PHI | NYG | NE | DAL | NYJ | PIT |
| 4. | WAS | PHI | PIT | CIN | NYG | IND | NYG | BAL | HOU | HOU |
| 5. | KC | IND | NE | WAS | IND | PHI | WAS | NE | KC | CAR |
Next we insert the number of games won by those teams to get the following.
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In Part One of this series, we saw that when a team commits to rebuilding its offensive line, good things can happen.
Now we'll see what can happen to a team which does not make a commitment to its o-line.
Since the year 2000, the Tennessee Titans have selected 41 players in the first three rounds of the draft. Only one of those 41 players was an offensive lineman (Michael Roos, second round, 2005.) To phrase that in a slightly different way, the Titans have committed only 2% of their top resources to address that position group.
The results of the Titans' repeated and continuous neglect of the line can be seen in the charts following the jump.
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Now we'll see what can happen to a team which does not make a commitment to its o-line.
Since the year 2000, the Tennessee Titans have selected 41 players in the first three rounds of the draft. Only one of those 41 players was an offensive lineman (Michael Roos, second round, 2005.) To phrase that in a slightly different way, the Titans have committed only 2% of their top resources to address that position group.
The results of the Titans' repeated and continuous neglect of the line can be seen in the charts following the jump.
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A week and a half ago, the Titans had the opportunity to select both the best guard and the best center in the draft. Not only did they pass on both players, they also passed on all the other guards and centers in the draft. While I understand their reasoning for selecting the players they did with their first two picks, I believe they missed out on a great opportunity, especially considering they had the worst run blocking line in the league last year, down a notch from 31st in 2010.
If the Titans wanted to improve their o-line, and why shouldn't they want to improve from last place, they could have used the Jets' 2006 draft, among others, as a model. The Jets used their first two picks to select D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold and their line soon became one of the very best in the league. From 2008 to 2011 the Jets were ranked second, eighth, third and seventh best in run blocking in the league. That's consistently very good. That's what happens when you commit to the o-line and draft wisely.
Ten teams since 2001 have committed to their offensive line by using their first two draft picks on it in the same year. The results, after the jump.
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If the Titans wanted to improve their o-line, and why shouldn't they want to improve from last place, they could have used the Jets' 2006 draft, among others, as a model. The Jets used their first two picks to select D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold and their line soon became one of the very best in the league. From 2008 to 2011 the Jets were ranked second, eighth, third and seventh best in run blocking in the league. That's consistently very good. That's what happens when you commit to the o-line and draft wisely.
Ten teams since 2001 have committed to their offensive line by using their first two draft picks on it in the same year. The results, after the jump.
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When the Tennessee Titans selected Kendall Wright in the first round of last week's NFL draft, one of the big questions was what kind of role he might play in the offense. To get a handle on that question, and what his acquistion might mean for the Titans' other pass-catchers, I thought it would be a good idea to look at to whom the Titans threw the ball in 2011 and whatthat might mean for 2012.
Let's start off with the 2011 target data:
How might that change in 2012?
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Let's start off with the 2011 target data:
| Player | Targets | Pct |
| J.Cook | 81 | 14.0% |
| C.Stevens | 14 | 2.4% |
| D.Graham | 5 | 0.9% |
| All Tight Ends | 100 | 17.3% |
| C.Johnson | 79 | 13.6% |
| J.Ringer | 36 | 6.2% |
| J.Harper | 6 | 1.0% |
| Fullbacks | 17 | 2.9% |
| All Backs | 138 | 23.8% |
| N.Washington | 121 | 20.9% |
| D.Williams | 94 | 16.2% |
| L.Hawkins | 77 | 13.3% |
| K.Britt | 26 | 4.5% |
| M.Mariani | 12 | 2.1% |
| D.Avery | 11 | 1.9% |
| All WR | 341 | 58.9% |
How might that change in 2012?
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If the Titans had not drafted the players they did last week, who might they have drafted instead?
I've done a redraft for the Titans with the following rules - each pick must be different from the Titans picks, no matter how much I may have liked one or more of them, and each pick must be someone who was actually available at that spot - I wasn't allowed to trade with the assumption that another team would be a willing trade partner.
I did execute the same trade the Titans did in the seventh round, since that trade actually did occur. I did not choose to make the same trade the Titans did to move up in the fifth round, electing instead to stay put and to keep the pick which the Titans dealt.
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I've done a redraft for the Titans with the following rules - each pick must be different from the Titans picks, no matter how much I may have liked one or more of them, and each pick must be someone who was actually available at that spot - I wasn't allowed to trade with the assumption that another team would be a willing trade partner.
I did execute the same trade the Titans did in the seventh round, since that trade actually did occur. I did not choose to make the same trade the Titans did to move up in the fifth round, electing instead to stay put and to keep the pick which the Titans dealt.
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I kept track of the Titans' undrafted free agent additions, but didn't add any commentary. With the Titans making a couple moves today other than that, it's time to add a level of analysis to the information collation and reportage. I'll start with the undrafted free agents and then add the other players:
WR Devin Aguilar-One of four wideouts the Titans drafted. A history with Locker from their days at UW. Still, with the drafting of Wright and two other wideouts on the practice squad last year, it's difficult to see any of the rookie UDFAs having a shot at the roster.
TE Brandon Barden-A body at tight end. Not expecting anything.
OL George Bias-A body on the offensive line. Not expecting anything.
LS/TE Beau Brinkley-Sneaky good chance to make the active roster in my opinion. Ken Amato is un-signed as of right now, and I now think he's the fallback plan. Jake Ingram is the favorite in my mind, but Brinkley has a shot, especially if he can play situationally as an actual tight end.
OL Chandler Burden-A body on the offensive line. Not expecting anything.
WR Chase Deadder-See Aguilar. Not expecting anything.
WR LaQuinton Evans-See Aguilar. Not expecting anything.
DT DaJohn Harris-Intriguing, especially because I considered selecting him when I went with a hypothetical draft, but medical concerns apparently knocked him off the draft board. He's still probably behind Casey, Klug, Martin, Smith, Marks, and Clayton just among pure defensive tackles
S Christian Scott-If the Titans are desperate to get rid of Robert Johnson and don't add a safety, I could almost see him stealing a spot. It's a longshot, though.
QB Nick Stephens-Camp arm. With rookie minicamps, you need a rookie to throw the ball. It's why I didn't have a problem with a complete scrub like Alex Mortensen until he actually played in the Hall of Fame Game.
LB Alex Watkins-Too many linebackers ahead of him on the depth chart, not all of whom are likely to make the team.
RB(FB?) Darryl Whiting-A backup fullback for Quinn Johnson, perhaps. I think Johnson is the heavy favorite to be the fullback, and Ahmard Hall is the fallback option more than Whiting.
CB Gary Wilburn-I count seven cornerbacks ahead of him on the depth chart, including Campbell. No chance at a roster spot.
WR D.J. Woods-See Aguilar. Not expecting anything.
After the undrafted free agents, the Titans also added P/K Will Batson, who's basically a camp leg to limit the workload of Brett Kern and/or Rob Bironas. The Titans also added Collin Mooney, who as far as I can still fills more or less the same role Darryl Whiting does.
The other addition is of course linebacker Zac Diles, most recently of the Indianapolis Colts but who also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011 and before that was a member of the Houston Texans. He's a veteran outside linebacker, but I would put him behind Will Witherspoon, Gerald McRath, and Zach Brown at weakside linebacker and don't really think of him as a fit at sam linebacker either. He's familiar name, but was on the street on May 1 for a reason.
I'll be writing more about at least one of the draft picks for my next post; there's a lot more to be said about them, but Football Outsiders Almanac 2012 writing (not about the Titans) and other non-football obligations will keep me from doing as much of it as I'd like immediately.
EDIT (5/2/12 2207 CT): As a couple commenters pointed out, I accidentally left out UDFA C William Vlachos. He's fairly well-known, having played at Alabama, and the Titans got him over a couple other teams. He went undrafted because he's both short for the position at only 6'0.5" nor does not have particularly long arms for his height. Unfortunately for him, it's very hard to play center at that height, especially on a zone running team that asks the center to execute reach blocks-those couple inches can be the difference between a blocked defender and a play that gets stopped for a loss. The Titans haven't had a starting center shorter than 6'3" since Mark Stepnoski, and it's hard for me to see Vlachos as the exception to that rule. no comments
WR Devin Aguilar-One of four wideouts the Titans drafted. A history with Locker from their days at UW. Still, with the drafting of Wright and two other wideouts on the practice squad last year, it's difficult to see any of the rookie UDFAs having a shot at the roster.
TE Brandon Barden-A body at tight end. Not expecting anything.
OL George Bias-A body on the offensive line. Not expecting anything.
LS/TE Beau Brinkley-Sneaky good chance to make the active roster in my opinion. Ken Amato is un-signed as of right now, and I now think he's the fallback plan. Jake Ingram is the favorite in my mind, but Brinkley has a shot, especially if he can play situationally as an actual tight end.
OL Chandler Burden-A body on the offensive line. Not expecting anything.
WR Chase Deadder-See Aguilar. Not expecting anything.
WR LaQuinton Evans-See Aguilar. Not expecting anything.
DT DaJohn Harris-Intriguing, especially because I considered selecting him when I went with a hypothetical draft, but medical concerns apparently knocked him off the draft board. He's still probably behind Casey, Klug, Martin, Smith, Marks, and Clayton just among pure defensive tackles
S Christian Scott-If the Titans are desperate to get rid of Robert Johnson and don't add a safety, I could almost see him stealing a spot. It's a longshot, though.
QB Nick Stephens-Camp arm. With rookie minicamps, you need a rookie to throw the ball. It's why I didn't have a problem with a complete scrub like Alex Mortensen until he actually played in the Hall of Fame Game.
LB Alex Watkins-Too many linebackers ahead of him on the depth chart, not all of whom are likely to make the team.
RB(FB?) Darryl Whiting-A backup fullback for Quinn Johnson, perhaps. I think Johnson is the heavy favorite to be the fullback, and Ahmard Hall is the fallback option more than Whiting.
CB Gary Wilburn-I count seven cornerbacks ahead of him on the depth chart, including Campbell. No chance at a roster spot.
WR D.J. Woods-See Aguilar. Not expecting anything.
After the undrafted free agents, the Titans also added P/K Will Batson, who's basically a camp leg to limit the workload of Brett Kern and/or Rob Bironas. The Titans also added Collin Mooney, who as far as I can still fills more or less the same role Darryl Whiting does.
The other addition is of course linebacker Zac Diles, most recently of the Indianapolis Colts but who also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011 and before that was a member of the Houston Texans. He's a veteran outside linebacker, but I would put him behind Will Witherspoon, Gerald McRath, and Zach Brown at weakside linebacker and don't really think of him as a fit at sam linebacker either. He's familiar name, but was on the street on May 1 for a reason.
I'll be writing more about at least one of the draft picks for my next post; there's a lot more to be said about them, but Football Outsiders Almanac 2012 writing (not about the Titans) and other non-football obligations will keep me from doing as much of it as I'd like immediately.
EDIT (5/2/12 2207 CT): As a couple commenters pointed out, I accidentally left out UDFA C William Vlachos. He's fairly well-known, having played at Alabama, and the Titans got him over a couple other teams. He went undrafted because he's both short for the position at only 6'0.5" nor does not have particularly long arms for his height. Unfortunately for him, it's very hard to play center at that height, especially on a zone running team that asks the center to execute reach blocks-those couple inches can be the difference between a blocked defender and a play that gets stopped for a loss. The Titans haven't had a starting center shorter than 6'3" since Mark Stepnoski, and it's hard for me to see Vlachos as the exception to that rule. no comments
Although the Tennessee Titans didn't select a defensive end until the seventh round of the draft, they did address the pass rush, though not directly, in the second round. A few things Mike Munchak said over the weekend seem to have gone largely unnoticed, so I decided to bring them up again here.
Second-round draft pick OLB Zach Brown has pass rush skills, according to Munchak, but what's more significant, at least to me, is the other way he'll improve the pass rush.
Munchak also said the plan is for Brown to be on the field in nickel, which will free up Akeem Ayers to become a pass rusher. In February, I wrote that I considered Ayers to be one of only three guys, along with Karl Klug and Cortland Finnegan, who were effective pass rushers for the Titans last year, so using him more often in that capacity this year seems like a good move. More after the jump.
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Second-round draft pick OLB Zach Brown has pass rush skills, according to Munchak, but what's more significant, at least to me, is the other way he'll improve the pass rush.
Munchak also said the plan is for Brown to be on the field in nickel, which will free up Akeem Ayers to become a pass rusher. In February, I wrote that I considered Ayers to be one of only three guys, along with Karl Klug and Cortland Finnegan, who were effective pass rushers for the Titans last year, so using him more often in that capacity this year seems like a good move. More after the jump.
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Now that the draft is over, it's time for the Titans to supplement their rookie class with some undrafted free agents. I'm monitoring twitter for reports of signings with the Titans and will add them to this list as I see them. Please note these should be regarded as unconfirmed rumors only, and take them with a grain or thirty of salt.
Beau Brinkley, LS, Missouri
D.J. Woods, WR, Cincinnati
Chandler Burden, OT, Kentucky
Devin Aguilar, WR, Washington
Alex Watkins, LB, Alabama
Nick Stephens, QB, Tarleton State (former Tennessee Vol)
Brandon Barden, TE, Vanderbilt
George Bias, G, Stephen F. Austin
Gary Wilburn, CB, Connecticut
Christian Scott, S, Texas
LaQuinton Evans, WR, Southern
DaJohn Harris, DT, USC
William Vlachos, C, Alabama
Darryl Whiting, RB, Fordham (via Jim Wyatt)
Chase Deadder, WR, Sacramento State (via Jim Wyatt)
By these reports, the Titans have been linked to fifteen UDFAs. That would leave the Titans at 89 total players, one short of the maximum 90. At Saturday's post-draft press conference, GM Ruston Webster indicated he expected the Titans would sign 10-14 UDFAs.
Let me stress these are unconfirmed rumors only, and you should not rely on them. It's worth keeping in mind the Tennessee Titans have not kept a rookie undrafted free agent on the 53-man roster in a number of seasons. The closest thing to exceptions are guys like Kevin Matthews, who was cut and spent most of the season on the practice squad, and Chris Hawkins, who was a UDFA and made the team but not immediately out of college. As Adam Caplan notes, teams won't announce signings until they're official. That may also include passing a physical. The Titans are generally a bad team for a UDFA, so until pen has been put to paper, UDFAs may find greener pastures.
I'll be updating this post as I see more names. no comments
Beau Brinkley, LS, Missouri
D.J. Woods, WR, Cincinnati
Chandler Burden, OT, Kentucky
Devin Aguilar, WR, Washington
Alex Watkins, LB, Alabama
Nick Stephens, QB, Tarleton State (former Tennessee Vol)
Brandon Barden, TE, Vanderbilt
George Bias, G, Stephen F. Austin
Gary Wilburn, CB, Connecticut
Christian Scott, S, Texas
LaQuinton Evans, WR, Southern
DaJohn Harris, DT, USC
William Vlachos, C, Alabama
Darryl Whiting, RB, Fordham (via Jim Wyatt)
Chase Deadder, WR, Sacramento State (via Jim Wyatt)
By these reports, the Titans have been linked to fifteen UDFAs. That would leave the Titans at 89 total players, one short of the maximum 90. At Saturday's post-draft press conference, GM Ruston Webster indicated he expected the Titans would sign 10-14 UDFAs.
Let me stress these are unconfirmed rumors only, and you should not rely on them. It's worth keeping in mind the Tennessee Titans have not kept a rookie undrafted free agent on the 53-man roster in a number of seasons. The closest thing to exceptions are guys like Kevin Matthews, who was cut and spent most of the season on the practice squad, and Chris Hawkins, who was a UDFA and made the team but not immediately out of college. As Adam Caplan notes, teams won't announce signings until they're official. That may also include passing a physical. The Titans are generally a bad team for a UDFA, so until pen has been put to paper, UDFAs may find greener pastures.
I'll be updating this post as I see more names. no comments
The Tennessee Titans appeared to be done for the day after taking Markelle Martin, but decided they needed more. In this case, they gave up their sixth-round pick from next year to get the 211th overall pick from the Minnesota Vikings. They then used that 211th overall pick on defensive end Scott Solomon from Rice University.
Solomon, who is not to be confused with the Rice faculty member with the same name, is another experienced college player. He started for four years and ended up tied for the most sacks in Owl football history. He missed all of the 2010 season and took a redshirt with a foot injury. He's apparently a good get after it guy who measured in at 6'3", 262 pounds at the Combine. It sounds like he projects best as a potential nickel edge rusher. Competition for Dave Ball, perhaps?
For more on Solomon, see his Rice player page, NFLDraftScout page, and NFL.com profile. As I wrote before the draft, I thought the Titans would draft a defensive end even though they didn't view the position as a big need. I'm sure we'll write more about this after the draft, but I'm still surprised they didn't draft a single offensive lineman. no comments
Solomon, who is not to be confused with the Rice faculty member with the same name, is another experienced college player. He started for four years and ended up tied for the most sacks in Owl football history. He missed all of the 2010 season and took a redshirt with a foot injury. He's apparently a good get after it guy who measured in at 6'3", 262 pounds at the Combine. It sounds like he projects best as a potential nickel edge rusher. Competition for Dave Ball, perhaps?
For more on Solomon, see his Rice player page, NFLDraftScout page, and NFL.com profile. As I wrote before the draft, I thought the Titans would draft a defensive end even though they didn't view the position as a big need. I'm sure we'll write more about this after the draft, but I'm still surprised they didn't draft a single offensive lineman. no comments
After trading their seventh round pick to the Dolphins to switch places with them in the fifth round, the Tennessee Titans closed out their portion of the 2012 draft by using their sixth and final pick to select drafted S Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State, with their sixth round pick.
Martin was a three-year starter at OSU and earned first-team All-Big12 honors following his senior season. He was projected as a mid-round draft pick but had a knee injury in January and missed the combine, which could be why he fell to the sixth round.
He should provide needed depth at safety and could be in line to replace Michael Griffin next year.
His scouting reports indicate he's fast and athletic, with the ability to play either safety position, though he's better suited as a free safety. Here are scouting reports from NFLDraftScout.com, DraftCountdown.com and SportsIllustrated.com.
