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2010 Offensive Line Analysis - Cleveland Browns

2010 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Joe Thomas
Left Guard: Eric Steinbach
Center: Alex Mack
Right Guard: Floyd Womack
Right Tackle: Tony Pashos

2009 Injuries:
T John St. Clair: Weeks 16-17
G Floyd Womack: Weeks 3-5

2009 Statistics:

Overview:
The Cleveland Browns had their sixth season of ten or more losses in the last seven years and were outside the top 25 in yards of offense for the sixth time in seven years as well. Their offensive line has been very good for the past three years but their lack of a passing game is too big of a weakness to overcome.

At left tackle, the Browns are in excellent shape for years to come with 2007 draft pick Joe Thomas who will only improve as he continues to gain NFL experience. Thomas is an extremely athletic lineman which makes him one of the best pass blockers in the NFL. Despite not being the most powerful blocker, he improved his technique over the past year and became a force as a run blocker as well. Thomas was selected to his third straight Pro Bowl last season and, as opposed to 2008, he definitely deserved this selection. He had his best year as a pro in 2009 and most would agree that he was the best left tackle in the NFL last year. He has tremendous athletic abilities which will allow him to continue to be dominant both in pass protection and run blocking for a number of years. Free agent acquisition Tony Pashos should be the starter on the right side of the line after spending most of last season in injured reserve. Pashos started every game but one with the Ravens and Jaguars from 2006 to 2008. Pashos is a very good run blocker and a perfect fit for the right tackle position at 6’6” and 325 lbs. He is excellent when blocking in front of him but his movements are limited so he will struggle at times when blocking in motion. Even though he has excellent work ethic, his pass blocking is below average so he remains an average tackle at best. He should, nonetheless, be an upgrade over John St. Clair, especially in run blocking. St. Clair will remain in the line-up as a backup.

Eric Steinbach will be back as the starting left guard for the fourth consecutive season. Steinbach however seems to have lost some strength over the last few years and isn’t as good as he was a few years ago. The 6’6” and 295 lbs gets overpowered too often as a guard but it will probably be a much better fit for him to have a veteran QB in Delhomme behind him. He is the kind of player that can be very good but who will struggle if he has to hold his block for too long because of his lack of strength. Floyd Womack should return as the starting right guard after an up and down year in 2009. He started the first game of the year until he got hurt and then played sparingly when he came back. He returned as the starter for the final five games but played the last three at the tackle position because of St. Clair’s injury. 2010 third round pick Shawn Lauvao should be the top backup at guard after the departure of Rex Hadnot and Hank Fraley. Veteran Billy Yates adds depth.

2009 first round selection Alex Mack will return as the starting center for the second consecutive year. Mack had a terrific rookie season and is already amongst the ten best centers in the NFL at age 24. He is a very hard worker and an intense player who will play to the whistle on every play. He has pretty good technique for a young player but still has plenty of room to improve, especially in pass protection. His intensity and his 6’4” and 310 lbs frame make him one of the best run blocking centers and he will be the starting center for the Browns for a number of years. Veteran Eric Ghiaciuic will once again be his backup.

2010 Outlook:
The Browns line started off quite slow last year but looked really strong late in the year and is hoping to keep it up in 2010. In the final seven games, they allowed only seven sacks and allowed the running game to average an impressive 4.6 yards per carry. The left side remained the same for the entire season but Womack, Fraley and St. Clair played most of the snaps on the right side in those final seven games and two of the three will be back. The right guard position will remain somewhat of a weakness this season with Womack but Tony Pashos should be a nice upgrade at right tackle, especially in run blocking. The Browns also have pretty good depth with St. Clair and Ghiaciuc but they cannot afford to lose Joe Thomas or even Alex Mack. Overall, this line should be improved in run blocking and the addition of Delhomme should also help lower the number of sacks.

See all of our 2010 Offensive Line Analysis Articles