Ultimate Fantasy Football Strategy - Offensive Line Analysis

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Houston Texans

2008 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Duane Brown
Left Guard: Chester Pitts
Center: Chris Myers
Right Guard: Mike Brisiel
Right Tackle: Eric Winston

2007 Injuries:
C Steve McKinney: Weeks 4 to 17
G Fred Weary: Weeks 14 to 17

2007 Statistics:

LEFT END		LEFT TACKLE		MID/GUARD		RIGHT TACKLE		RIGHT END		Passing
ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	Sacks	Rank
4.92	4	4.35	15	4.21	13	4.67	5	4.1	15	22	6

ALY (Adjusted Line Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent.
Source: www.footballoutsiders.com

Overview:
The Houston Texans had their best season in franchise history last season with eight wins, their first season without David Carr. Matt Schaub came in from Atlanta and did a very good job and the offense ranked in the top half of the league in yards and in points for the first time ever. The offensive line had a lot to do with it as the number of sacks allowed dropped from 43 to only 22 but the running game stayed slightly below league average at 3.8 yards per carry.

The battle for the left tackle position will probably be the most interesting in camp between the soon to be 32 year old Ephraim Salaam and the 2008 first round pick Duane Brown. Salaam has been the starter for the Texans for the past two seasons since being acquired as a free agent from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Salaam did an adequate job last season but at 32 years old he is starting to lose some mobility and will get beat to the outside by quick defensive ends. He did not give up many sacks but had many holding penalties and false starts called against him because his feet were not quick enough. Salaam is still capable of playing in the NFL but does not have the physical abilities to play all 16 games. He will likely be used to ease first round pick Duane Brown into action this season. Brown has good size at 6’4” and 315 lbs and is quite athletic with quick feet. He has the ability to play both left and right tackle but is a better fit on the left side because of his pass protecting skills. He still needs to gain some strength and become more physical in order to be an effective run blocker in the NFL. Just like most 22 year old linemen, he still has to improve his technique but he has excellent work ethic and should improve very quickly. Starting at right tackle is the 2006 third round pick Eric Winston who started all 16 games last season and was by far the best lineman on the team. Winston was recruited as a tight end in college and moved to offensive tackle in his sophomore season but suffered a torn ACL as a junior and was not the same player when he came back the following year. Winston had the potential to be a top ten prospect before his injury but dropped to the third round and has now regained the strength he had before the injury. He is a very physical and smart blocker who will occasionally get beat to the outside because of his slower feet. He is very intense and a perfect fit for the right tackle position in the NFL because of his very good run blocking abilities and above average pass protecting skills.

Starting at left guard will be former second round pick Chester Pitts who has not missed a start since being drafted in 2002. Pitts was originally drafted as a tackle and played his first two seasons at left tackle but was moved inside for the 2004 season where he is a better fit. Pitts took awhile to adjust to the much more physical guard position but he seems to have improved over the last few seasons. He will occasionally make mental mistakes in pass protection but his strength allows him to open up some holes in the running game. Pitts has been with the team for a long time and although he has never been good enough to improve the whole line, he was never the problem. He still has a few years left in him and will improve if he is surrounded by better players. On the other side of the line will be a fierce competition between the 30 year old Fred Weary, the 2006 undrafted free agent Mike Brisiel and former tackle Charles Spencer. Weary has had a lot of injury problems and has never started more than 12 games in a season since being drafted in 2002. Last season he started the first 12 games of the season and then suffered a leg injury and was replaced by Brisiel for the final four games. Weary is good in pass protection and will take very few penalties but he does not have the strength to create a push in the running game which this line desperately needs. In the final four games of the season the Texans averaged 4.2 yards per carry as opposed to 3.7 in the first 12 and allowed only four sacks with Brisiel at right guard. Brisiel is a better run blocker but both remain average at best and could be upgraded in the near future. If healthy, at 6'4" and 340 lbs, Charles Spencer is probably the best candidate for the starting job at right guard. Spencer was third round pick in 2006 but suffered a severe leg injury in his second NFL game and has not played since then. Spencer was drafted to play at left tackle but his size and strength would be a perfect fit for the guard position and would help the line open holes in the running game. Spencer was cleared to return to practice but it is uncertain at this point if he’ll be able to return to the level of play he was at two years ago.

Starting at center for the Texans will be the 26 year old Chris Myers who was acquired from the Denver Broncos in a trade this off-season. Myers played five games at guard last season for the Broncos and then moved to center for the rest of the season when Tom Nalen went down with an injury. The Denver line struggled with Myers in the lineup but it was not an easy task for him to replace a five time Pro Bowler in the middle of the season. He is a good fit for the Houston zone blocking scheme and should continue to improve as he gains experience. He is an average center at best but he is an upgrade over McKinney and Flanagan who struggled to create anything in the running game last year. The 25 year old Greg Eslinger who has spent the last two seasons on different practice squads will likely be on the roster this year and provide depth at center. He is small for the NFL and likely to get overpowered in the NFL but he is a very hard worker who should improve and will be an asset on special teams.

2008 Outlook:
The Texans offensive line will have quite a few interesting battles in training camp. The left tackle position should be upgraded with first round pick Duane Brown and even if he does not start, the added competition should push Salaam to perform better. Both guard positions should stay the same as last year but the running game would see a big upgrade if Spencer is fully healthy. The biggest upgrade should be at center with Chris Myers who was not great with Denver but will create some consistency at the position this season. This line also has some good depth and should be able to deal with injuries to any of its linemen other than Eric Winston. The biggest change for this line this season will be the zone blocking scheme that new assistant head coach Alex Gibbs will install. Gibbs has previously held the same position with the Denver Broncos from 1995 to 2003 and with the Atlanta Falcons from 2004 to 2006. Gibbs created a dominant running game with both of those teams and should finally be able to allow the Texans to run the ball even with smaller linemen who are not particularly strong. Overall the line remains much better in pass protection but with added competition and the upgrade at center, the line can only improve this season.

Updates:
August 4, 2008 - Charles Spencer was released by the team and Duane Brown looks to be the starter at left tackle ahead of Salaam. Fred Weary seems to be healthy and the right guard job is his to lose.

August 20, 2008 - The Texans have placed Fred Weary on injured reserve so his season is over. It looks like Mike Brisiel will be starting at right guad.