More so than any other unit on a football team, OL is dependent on blocking scheme and how the five work together, passing off blocks, identifying rushers and picking up stunts. I'm not a Bobby Johnson fan and believe that his schemes played directly into the weaknesses of our linemen. Sure he changed it up at the end of 2021 and the line was all-around better.
This is the classic example of a coach thinking his scheme is more important than putting his players in the best position to succeed.
Kromer has proven here and elsewhere that he can get the most out of his OL by adjusting scheme to their strengths. If you, like I, believe that we have a handful of NFL-caliber OL players on the team then Kromer will get the most out of his men. He will find the best starting 5 and may surprise us with his selections. No matter, he will have the unit playing together with a common focus and playing to their strengths. You will see communication improve across the front and you will see less missed assignments.
Fans typically grade players on an individual basis. This is not the way to grade OL play, ever. A Pro Bowl guard as an example, might look like a chump on a line where guys don't understand and communicate their assignments. Guys like Morse, Saffold and Dawkins can be so helpful to Kromer in finding ways to put the best 5 on the field and using them to their strengths. This in-turn will build a bond to help the young guys like Brown and Bates think and move as a unit and not as individuals.
When a line thinks and moves together as a unit both before and after the snap, then the sum of the parts is much greater than the individuals.
We don't "need" better players. We need a more cohesive unit. I really believe that Kromer is the man who can make that happen. Bobby Johnson just destroyed any cohesiveness that our OL could have ever had by asking guys to dance to a different drummer than they were comfortable with. If Kromer need another piece, I have no doubt he will ask Beane to get it for him.