O-line improvement =d Cassel improvement

[Patriot Missile]

Very interesting going through the box scores of the games throughout the 2008 season. The o-line has been clobbered all year, some of it earned, some, not so much.

The first 8 games with our fill in QB the offensive line gave up 30 sacks. Clearly among the bottom of the pile. Some could blame this on poor play on their part, but I choose to look at it as a whole. A back up QB holding the ball too long with not enough reps with the starters is a bigger picture.

The last 8 games was a 12 sack improvement,finishing with 18 total sacked. 5 coming in one game vs the Steelers who were the superior unit this season. Definately better play and understanding by Cassel and more work with the starters was definately imo the reason for the success.

Regardless of the improvement they still have a ways to go in getting on the same page. Clearly when Brady was running the ship the sacks were much lower but seemed to be increasing towards the end of the 07 season. Especially the pressure.

Regardless of which QB is in there, I believe with training camp, the draft,free agency and preseason will go a long way in solving their problems. What I do know is the o-line was not as bad as the stats read at the end of the year. I'd have to look at the NFL average for sacks was but I'm assuming with the improvement over the second half of the season we would of probably been somewhere around the middle of the pack.

 

[Patriot Missile]

I guess I got the title of the thread backwards.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Neal came off PUP, Cassel was getting better at pre-snap adjustments, the O-line was getting better at anticipating Cassel's movement within the pocket, Cassel was getting better at "seeing" the field and finding his receivers...I'd like to be able to lay the blame on Yates alone, but to start the year Mankins and Koppen stunk on ice too.

 

[State]

Yeah, the season begun how to ended: a O-line being dominated. As the season progressed, however, it was a very nice treat to see how they stepped it up and turned the tables, dominating decent defenses like Buffalo's and Arizona's, among others.

I'd still like a good tackle prospect. Matt Light is steady but not spectacular, and we're never quite 100 percent comfortable with Kaczur on the other side.