Ultimate Fantasy Football Strategy - Offensive Line Analysis

Kansas City Chiefs

2008 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Branden Albert
Left Guard: Brian Waters
Center: Rudy Niswanger
Right Guard: Barry Richardson / Herb Taylor
Right Tackle: Damion McIntosh

2007 Injuries:
T Damion McIntosh: Week 14
C Rudy Niswanger: Weeks 14 to 17
T Will Svitek: Weeks 10 to 12
T Kyle Turley: Weeks 5 to 12 and 14 to 17
T Chris Terry: Weeks 3, 13 and 15 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
2.32	32	4.3	18	4.01	21	3.42	30	3.4	29	55	31

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 2007 season was a disaster for the Kansas City Chiefs and especially on the offensive side. In only two seasons, the Chiefs went from the top offense in the league in terms of yards to the second worst. The offensive line was arguably the worst in the NFL allowing 55 sacks (tied for last in the league) and the running game averaged only 3.3 yards per carry. This big drop was caused by the retirements of Willie Roaf after the 2006 season and Will Shields after the 2007 season, two Pro Bowlers who played their entire career with the Chiefs.

The Chiefs looked to rebuild their offensive line this off-season and it all started with the selection of Branden Albert who should start at left tackle on opening day. Albert has a big frame at 6’5” and 315 lbs as well as the quickness and agility to play at left tackle. Albert played three seasons at guard in college but has been projected as a tackle in the NFL because of his pass protecting skills. He is a smart player with quick feet who should be able to adjust very quickly to his new position. Albert is however not dominant as a run blocker and needs to show more intensity when finishing his blocks. Nonetheless, he will be an upgrade over Damion McIntosh who should make the move to the right side. The Chiefs were hoping that McIntosh was the solution on the left side but at 6’4”, 330 lbs and 31 years old he has lost some strength and mobility. McIntosh was a liability in run blocking last season as the Chiefs were the worst team when running to the left end. He does not have the ability to block in motion or seal the end of the line like he used to. He is better in pass protection but as the starting left tackle he certainly had something to do with the 55 sacks allowed. McIntosh is not a great fit on the right side because he is much better in pass protection than in run blocking but he is still one of the five best linemen on this team so the coaching staff will find a place for him. McIntosh will likely have to compete with Will Svitek and Anthony Alabi for the starting position. Svitek was a sixth round selection in the 2005 NFL Draft and played defensive end in college but his 6’6” and 300 lbs size was a much better fit for the offensive tackle position in the NFL. He is very powerful and has shown promise especially as a run blocker which makes him a good fit for the right tackle position. Svitek still has a lot of work to do on his technique but did a decent job starting in the last four games of the regular season at right tackle in 2007. Anthony Alabi was a fifth round pick also in the 2005 NFL Draft by Miami but was cut this off-season and claimed off waivers by the Chiefs. He has however never started a game in the NFL mainly because of his lack of lower body strength but has the versatility to play several positions so could be a useful backup for the Chiefs.

At left guard, the Chiefs will bring back Brian Waters, a 31 year old guard who was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2004 to 2006. Waters was a big surprise for the Chiefs as he was undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft and signed by the Chiefs in 2000. Waters gained the starting job halfway through the 2001 season and has not lost it since then. He is very durable having missed only two starts since 2002. Waters was the one bright spot for this offensive line in 2007 but he did not have his best season surrounded by McIntosh and Wiegmann. Waters has a good combination of strength, speed and intensity and still has a few seasons left at 31 years of age. He is not as good as he was two years ago but there is no doubt that he is still one of the ten best left guards in the league and should be better this year with Albert on his left. He is the centerpiece of this offensive line and will be the veteran presence that helps rebuild it. Unfortunately the right guard position does not look as good and it is wide open for the moment. It will likely be a battle between Barry Richardson and Herb Taylor but McIntosh could also be moved to right guard if Svitek wins the job at right tackle. Richardson was the sixth round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Chiefs. He is an excellent athlete with a big frame at 6’7” and 320 lbs, good mobility and quick feet that make him a solid pass blocker. The downside of Richardson is he lacks the work ethic and intensity required at the next level. He still has plenty of work to do on his technique and needs to be much more aggressive in his run blocking but he does have the physical abilities to succeed in the NFL. Herb Taylor was last year’s sixth round pick by the Chiefs but played in only three games last season. Taylor saw a little action at left tackle last season and looked pretty good for a rookie. He has good athleticism to be effective in pass protection but has to gain strength to be an effective run blocker. He is probably a better fit at tackle but will get his chance to compete both at guard and tackle in training camp.

At center will be the 25 year old undrafted free agent Rudy Niswanger. Niswanger spent the last two seasons on the roster but only saw duty at guard. He was impressive in limited action and the departure of Wigemann will allow him to return to his natural position of center. Many see him as the center of the future for the Chiefs because of his intensity and excellent awareness but he went undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft because of his lack of strength. It remains to be seen if Niswanger can step up his game as a run blocker but he should be a decent player for the Chiefs this year.

2008 Outlook:
Predicting how the Kansas City Chiefs line will perform in 2008 is a guessing game. Three of the starters for this line on opening day will likely have never started a single game in the NFL. The only certainty for this line is the left guard Brian Waters who is durable and will continue to perform at a high level. The good news is that there will be a lot of competition on the line and a lot of young legs with two veterans surrounding them. This line should improve over the mediocre 3.3 yards per carry average it had last year but the three starters likely to be added in Albert, Niswanger and Richardson are all much better in pass protection than run blocking. For that reason, the running game will remain a question mark this season but the number of sacks allowed should be much lower than last year.