Oakland Raiders: Let’s Talk About That Disaster Of An Offensive Line

The Oakland Raiders’ offensive line takes a lot of criticism for not being very good – it’s an assessment that is popular with some, but is also completely inaccurate.

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The Oakland Raiders offensive line takes a whole bunch of grief from some fans out there. Despite the fact that Pro Football Focus had Oakland’s line rated the sixth best in the entire league, some fans continue to scoff at the idea that they were actually worthy of the ranking. Some go so far as to say that the line was an absolute disaster and the weakest link on the team – which leads many to wonder if those people saw the secondary in action?

While some criticism of the line is fair, to label the unit a disaster and say the team would be better off blowing it up and starting over is as inaccurate as it is ridiculous.

Donald Penn and J’Marcus Webb appear to be headed for free agency. And many seem eager to see the door hit them both in the backside on the way out. Not that their arguments aren’t entirely without merit. Though still playing at a very high level, Penn is on the wrong side of thirty, and on taken on his own, Webb isn’t exactly an overpowering guard.

Given those two facts, the argument that the Raiders can upgrade both positions isn’t entirely bonkers.

But – and there’s always a but, isn’t there?

When taken as individual components, the Raiders offensive line – as constituted by Penn, Gabe Jackson, Rodney Hudson, Webb, and Austin Howard – doesn’t look incredibly formidable. They weren’t out there pancaking guys on every single play. However, taken as one whole, cohesive unit, Oakland’s offensive line actually was one of the very best in the league.

Since some folks don’t put much stock in the PFF ranking of Oakland’s line, so we’ll just toss it out and put our focus elsewhere. Though, as an amusing aside, it does seem funny that some of those same people who downplay the line’s ranking by PFF turn around and refer to the PFF ranking when making the argument that Webb and Howard are the weakest links on Oakland’s line and should be jettisoned with the garbage. Curious, that.

But we digress.

All PFF rankings aside, let’s look at some of the actual numbers that would certainly seem to indicate that Oakland’s offensive line – when constituted by the five guys listed above – is actually a lot better than people seem willing to give them credit for.

Prior to the injuries to Hudson and Howard that necessitated some personnel shuffling along the line, the Raiders had one of the more potent running games in the league – it just didn’t always look like it. But if you’ll recall, at one point, Latavius Murray was the leading rusher in the AFC and was in the top five in the entire NFL.

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Before the injuries on the line began to hit, Oakland’s backs rushed 188 times for 837 yards – good for a 4.5 yards per carry average. After the injuries bug bit, those same backs rushed 182 times for 620 yards, which netted a meager 3.4 yards per carry average. Which, if you’re scoring at home, you can see is down a full yard.

Consider also, that when the line was healthy and intact, Carr had been sacked a mere 12 times on the season.12. The Raiders were among the very best in the league over that span. Over the last five weeks of the season though, it was a different story. With Hudson clearly not at one hundred percent and then Howard going down with an injury – with Tony Bergstrom and rookie Jon Feliciano doing fill in duty – the offensive line gave up a staggering total of 19 sacks over that final five game stretch of the year.

Now, of course, critics will argue that the line’s success is nothing but smoke and mirrors, that it is Carr’s quick release that enabled the low sack totals – at least early on in the season. And certainly, having a quarterback with a quick release helps. But assuming Carr’s release time didn’t slow down – dramatically – over the last five games of the year, it’s all but impossible to not credit the offensive line with some stellar work up front.

Just to reiterate what seems like an important point – Carr was sacked 12 times through the first 11 games of the year and 19 over the final five, after injuries hit the line hard.

Related Story: Raiders Must Solve Musgrave Dilemma

Critics will also argue that OC Bill Musgrave didn’t run behind Penn or run behind Howard because they were terrible in run blocking. Actually, that’s not entirely true either. One problem with this season’s run game was a stunning lack of imagination. How many times did we see Murray back in the shotgun with Carr take a handoff and plunge up the middle? Far too many. It got so predictable that defenses were able to shut that play down time and time again – yet Musgrave continued to dial that one up.

Again, look at the actual numbers. When the line was healthy and intact, the team was averaging 4.5 yards a pop and had the AFC’s leading rusher. Sorry, but an offensive line that “sucked” at run blocking, as many assert, wouldn’t be able to boast those sorts of achievements. It’s just completely inaccurate. But hey, why let facts get in the way of a particularly good rant, right?

Given that wealth of actual data, it would seem hard to argue against the fact that when healthy and intact, the Raiders had a pretty good offensive line last season. Perhaps — and we’re just gettin’ crazy here — their performance might even seem to justify PFF’s ranking?

Many seem to want Reggie McKenzie and Jack Del Rio to take an offensive lineman with the fourteenth pick in the draft this year. After Mel Kiper’s initial mock, the name most people have coalesced around is Jack Conklin of Michigan State. It would be a mistake.

The first round pick needs to go defense because A) that’s where Oakland’s biggest areas of need exist and B) when you look at the numbers, the offensive line isn’t the wasteland that some people seem to think it is. Not even close. Pick up a free agent to provide a little competition if you must. Draft an offensive lineman in the later rounds and let him learn from Mike Tice and the veterans. That way, when he’s ready to step into the role, he’s not going to look as overwhelmed as Feliciano did on most plays last season.

Last season’s offensive line wasn’t flashy or dazzling. They were simply blue collar guys who rolled up their sleeves and got down to work. And despite the naysayers, they got the job done. Tice did an outstanding job of taking these disparate parts and turning them into one of the league’s best offensive lines.

Next: McKenzie Playing A Dangerous Game of Chicken

An overhaul of the offensive line isn’t what’s needed. Quality depth is. McKenzie should bring back both Penn and Webb to maintain the cohesiveness of a line that Carr trusts and is comfortable with, a line that has developed a fantastic rapport and chemistry and a line that contrary to popular belief, was actually quite good.

These players on an individual level aren’t going to wow you. But under the tutelage of Tice and Oakland’s coaching staff, they became something pretty good. In the case of Oakland’s offensive line, the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. And McKenzie should do everything in his power to maintain that continuity.