This analysis had not yet appeared when the long, thoughtful thread on Tarik Glenn's retirement drifted away.
As usual from this source, it is thought-provoking.
By Jonathan Comey
Cold, Hard Football Facts
....
But the biggest news of the NFL offseason took place Tuesday night, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the lithe but beleaguered Michael Vick. It had everything to do with a 330-pound All-Pro who may well have altered the balance of power in the AFC.
Indianapolis left tackle Tarik Glenn retired at the peak of his career Tuesday, citing a lack of passion for the game. The story was buried below the Tour de France by the time the overnight news cycle rolled around, ....
But Glenn’s decision will have more effect on the 2007 season than any other event that happened this summer, ....
The Colts’ loss of Glenn, on the other hand, should be a major shift in the AFC, a/k/a the annual home of Super Bowl champions. Indy suffered four key defensive losses in the offseason, which would be troubling if they didn’t suffer similar losses every season. And every season, Bill Polian proves to be the best hole-filler in the game – while other teams talk about “best athlete available,” he looks for needs and satisfies them.
....
The Colts haven’t had much of a need on offense since using a series of high picks to assemble their incredible (and well-paid) offensive core – Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne. Edgerrin James, then Joseph Addai.
And throughout it all, Tarik Glenn at left tackle. But no more.
For the 31-year-old Glenn, coming off three Pro Bowls in a row and a Super Bowl title, he’s one of the few that’s getting out of the game at his peak. There is speculation that it’s part of a contract ploy (he has one year left on a relatively low-paying deal), but more likely, it’s the end of a career for a key cog on a great team.
....
For the Colts, it's not so great.
Of Manning’s 144 career starts, Glenn was protecting his blind side on 138 of them. And blindsided is something Manning has never been – he’s been sacked 170 times in 3,301 pass attempts, or once every 19.41 dropbacks. Manning’s sack stats are even better than those of tidy Tom Brady, who’s been sacked once every 17.83 dropbacks in his Patriots career – and how often do you see tufts of grass stuck in Brady's helmet?
A sack every 20 attempts or so is an elite number, and one that speaks to the quality of the left tackle, as well as the quarterback.
Just last year, the Chiefs lost left tackle Willie Roaf to a similarly timed retirement, and took a major turn for the worse. They went from allowing a sack every 16.84 dropbacks to once every 11.96 – a major difference. They also went from averaging 4.58 yards a carry on the ground to 4.18 without Roaf, and dropped from 1st to 15th in total yards.
Roaf is just one example, but it doesn’t take Cold, Hard Football Facts to guess that a franchise left tackle ain’t easy to replace. There has been a left tackle drafted in the top 5 overall in six of the last eight drafts – lofty territory, and a place where only pass rushers, game-breakers and QBs usually tread.
In other words, not easy to replace.
However, the Colts are never truly unprepared for change. Polian had hints of a Glenn retirement after the Super Bowl win, and Indy drafted tackle Tony Ugoh in the second round. In addition, the Colts have veteran Ryan Diem available to switch from right tackle and second-year man Charlie Johnson to compete with Ugoh.
Still, it’s no easy fix. Left tackle is one of the highest-paid positions in football, and Glenn was a three-time Pro Bowler who probably should have gone more often over his last eight seasons. By definition, the starting left tackle for one of the most dominant offenses in NFL history has simply got to be playing Pro Bowl football just about every season.
In 2006, he was at his best. Manning was sacked 14 times for a total of 86 yards, both the best numbers in the league. And according to SI.com, the Colts rushed for an average of 4.8 yards a carry to the left side, a significant upgrade over their 4.0 per carry overall.
In 2003, Glenn missed time for the only time in his 10-year career, six games in midseason. The Colts went 3-3 without him and 9-1 with him.
But Glenn’s greatest measure of success can be told by the number zero – as in, how many games Manning missed due to injury with Glenn protecting his left side.
Manning is one of the best ever in the pocket, but just as Michael Jordan never won without Scottie Pippen, Manning will have to see how he fares without big ol' No. 78 protecting his back.
....
edited excerpt
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=1510
As usual from this source, it is thought-provoking.
By Jonathan Comey
Cold, Hard Football Facts
....
But the biggest news of the NFL offseason took place Tuesday night, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the lithe but beleaguered Michael Vick. It had everything to do with a 330-pound All-Pro who may well have altered the balance of power in the AFC.
Indianapolis left tackle Tarik Glenn retired at the peak of his career Tuesday, citing a lack of passion for the game. The story was buried below the Tour de France by the time the overnight news cycle rolled around, ....
But Glenn’s decision will have more effect on the 2007 season than any other event that happened this summer, ....
The Colts’ loss of Glenn, on the other hand, should be a major shift in the AFC, a/k/a the annual home of Super Bowl champions. Indy suffered four key defensive losses in the offseason, which would be troubling if they didn’t suffer similar losses every season. And every season, Bill Polian proves to be the best hole-filler in the game – while other teams talk about “best athlete available,” he looks for needs and satisfies them.
....
The Colts haven’t had much of a need on offense since using a series of high picks to assemble their incredible (and well-paid) offensive core – Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne. Edgerrin James, then Joseph Addai.
And throughout it all, Tarik Glenn at left tackle. But no more.
For the 31-year-old Glenn, coming off three Pro Bowls in a row and a Super Bowl title, he’s one of the few that’s getting out of the game at his peak. There is speculation that it’s part of a contract ploy (he has one year left on a relatively low-paying deal), but more likely, it’s the end of a career for a key cog on a great team.
....
For the Colts, it's not so great.
Of Manning’s 144 career starts, Glenn was protecting his blind side on 138 of them. And blindsided is something Manning has never been – he’s been sacked 170 times in 3,301 pass attempts, or once every 19.41 dropbacks. Manning’s sack stats are even better than those of tidy Tom Brady, who’s been sacked once every 17.83 dropbacks in his Patriots career – and how often do you see tufts of grass stuck in Brady's helmet?
A sack every 20 attempts or so is an elite number, and one that speaks to the quality of the left tackle, as well as the quarterback.
Just last year, the Chiefs lost left tackle Willie Roaf to a similarly timed retirement, and took a major turn for the worse. They went from allowing a sack every 16.84 dropbacks to once every 11.96 – a major difference. They also went from averaging 4.58 yards a carry on the ground to 4.18 without Roaf, and dropped from 1st to 15th in total yards.
Roaf is just one example, but it doesn’t take Cold, Hard Football Facts to guess that a franchise left tackle ain’t easy to replace. There has been a left tackle drafted in the top 5 overall in six of the last eight drafts – lofty territory, and a place where only pass rushers, game-breakers and QBs usually tread.
In other words, not easy to replace.
However, the Colts are never truly unprepared for change. Polian had hints of a Glenn retirement after the Super Bowl win, and Indy drafted tackle Tony Ugoh in the second round. In addition, the Colts have veteran Ryan Diem available to switch from right tackle and second-year man Charlie Johnson to compete with Ugoh.
Still, it’s no easy fix. Left tackle is one of the highest-paid positions in football, and Glenn was a three-time Pro Bowler who probably should have gone more often over his last eight seasons. By definition, the starting left tackle for one of the most dominant offenses in NFL history has simply got to be playing Pro Bowl football just about every season.
In 2006, he was at his best. Manning was sacked 14 times for a total of 86 yards, both the best numbers in the league. And according to SI.com, the Colts rushed for an average of 4.8 yards a carry to the left side, a significant upgrade over their 4.0 per carry overall.
In 2003, Glenn missed time for the only time in his 10-year career, six games in midseason. The Colts went 3-3 without him and 9-1 with him.
But Glenn’s greatest measure of success can be told by the number zero – as in, how many games Manning missed due to injury with Glenn protecting his left side.
Manning is one of the best ever in the pocket, but just as Michael Jordan never won without Scottie Pippen, Manning will have to see how he fares without big ol' No. 78 protecting his back.
....
edited excerpt
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=1510
