The offensive line coach does more than teach technique, they design the running game, for which Dallas dominated for four straight years.Īn offensive line unit can be talented and well-coached, but they need their lineman to stay together as a unit. It’s impossible to have a good offensive line without good coaches, and these two men deserve credit.
70:Īfter leaving for the same position in Washington, Callahan's understudy, assistant offensive line coach Frank Pollack, took over and led this group until 2017. This clip is from last season, where every big run for Elliott was behind No.
In the running game, there’s no better guard on the move. He’s outstanding in pass protection, rarely allowing more than 15 total pressures in a season. He was part of the 2010 NFL All-Decade Team despite not being in the league from 2010-2014. In his first six seasons, he made the All-Pro team in all six of them. He played left tackle at Notre Dame, but was moved inside to right guard, where he lives now. Zack Martin has been the best guard in football since he was drafted with the 16th pick in the NFL draft in 2014. These four players alone would make an outstanding offensive line, but the Cowboys added one more key piece in 2014. He was the "old man" of the unit but clearly the mentor for these young players. Free was tough, reliable and got the job done.
Geoff schwartz pff 2016 grade free#
Leary was an underappreciated member of this offensive line, and his value wasn’t noticed until he left for Denver before the 2017 season.Īlso, the Cowboys had Doug Free at right tackle, a veteran who was drafted back in 2007. The Cowboys added undrafted free-agent guard Ronald Leary in 2012, and he won the starting job in 2013. Heading into the 2014 season, Dallas' offensive line was set at four positions.
Geoff schwartz pff 2016 grade pro#
Frederick was once the best in the game, making All-Pro in 2016 and being chosen for the Pro Bowl from 2014-17. In the running game, centers are often blocking defenders that outweigh them by 30 to 40 pounds.Ĭenters also must be high mental processors, as they are required to read a defense and identify where the offense is moving. A center must be quick but strong at the point of attack. Frederick immediately became the rock for this unit. The Cowboys added to their offensive line in 2013, drafting their stalwart at center, Travis Frederick, with the 31st pick in the first round. Smith was named the All-Pro left tackle in 2014-17. He swallows up defenders quickly, allowing his running backs room to run and his quarterbacks the ability to drop back without fear of getting hit from behind. Smith has a prototypical body for an offensive lineman, with thick legs, long arms, giant hands and excellent feet. After allowing eight sacks on 641 pass-protection snaps in 2011, Smith allowed 19 over his next 4,591 snaps, spanning from 2012 to present. It was easy to see from the start of his career Smith was something special, even as he worked through some rookie struggles. The USC product was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft and immediately started 16 games. The anchor for those Dallas units was future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith. The Cowboys followed this plan and hit a gold mine.
It’s important to draft offensive linemen - especially early in the draft when you’re expecting them to play fairly quickly - from well-known offensive-line factories. With less practice time in the NFL, it’s hard to develop players when wholesale technique changes are needed. College success does not translate into NFL success for a variety of reasons, including the college schemes and techniques, which are often very different between the levels. So, how did the Cowboys build this monster for it only to be torn down piece by piece? It starts with drafting the right guys, developing their talent with the right coaching and keeping them healthy.ĭrafting offensive linemen can be a tricky business. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, the success of their big boys only produced two playoff appearances and a single postseason victory. The injury to Zack Martin in a Thanksgiving Day game against Washington was symbolic of the decline of the one of the NFL's best position groups.
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