Why LT is not any more important than RT

[Kelly the Dog]

Personally, I think they are of equal importance, and the logic behind LT being more important is faulty, out-dated, and just plain not true. At least in my observations.

 

1] Half of all plays are running plays. Most teams and running backs are right handed and prefer running to the right. Therefore, on half of all plays, the RT is probably slightly more important to a team than the LT. Everyone will argue running is at least if not more important to winning than passing. So even if LT was more important in the passing game, it would be a wash overall as far as their total importance to a team. One could argue the RT gets help more often from the TE than the LT because teams more often put the TE to the right, but I don't believe that's true. That means there is less space, and there are probably two extra defenders and not one in that area or leaning/looking to that area. The TE doesnt really help the tackle any more than he hurts him.

 

2] The argument goes, that the LT is more important because it protects the blindside of the mostly right-handed QBs, who face the right side of the field. This, in my experience, is theoretically true but the results on the field don't support it. I don't have stats for this but I rarely see QBs getting seriously hurt when blindsided in the back. It looks horrible, you think they are dead, and then they are out for a play, if that, and right back in the game. I see just as many if not more injuries to players that are hit from right in front, rib injuries, hand injuries from hitting helmets, straight on blows to the knees, etc, that knock players out of the game(s) for longer lengths of time from in front.

 

3] I also see almost as many, or just as many fumbles from in front as I do from behind. I guess if I had to bet, there may be a slightly larger number from behind, but quarterbacks have gotten a LOT better over time expecting the blindside rush and protecting the ball. Losman, in fact, is very good at it already. The ball does get knocked out of the QBs throwing hand a lot more from behind by clever RDE's, which makes the LT a wee bit more important, but watching RJ and Drew and Holcomb the last few years, they fumbled being hit straight on easily as much as they did from behind. The same goes for interceptions. It seems as if as many a are caused by the QB hit from in front as he is throwing as behind.

 

4] Teams with mobile QBs and scrambling QBs far more often roll to the right or scramble to the right, which by definition makes the RT more important than the LT on the vast majority of those pass plays. Especially rolling pockets.

 

5] It USED to be that the better DEs on teams played the RDE position whom obviously faced the LT, so you would want your best blocker against the best rusher. That is no longer the case. There are just as many good LDEs as there are RDEs. The best of the bunch the last several years overall has likely been Michael Strahan, a LDE. The top sack artists are just as likely to be LDEs as RDEs in the last 5-10 years. I know after looking it up a few different times that Mike Williams faced a higher quality of opponent than his Bills counterpart at LT. So that negates another former "LT is more important" argument.

 

I think it's pretty obvious that RT is just as important as LT, if not more. There are a couple reasons that LT is a little more important, but they are diminishing. And there are just as many or more reasons that RT is more important.

 

Support or dispute.

[Phlegm Alley]

If a RB is right handed, wouldn't he want to run left, cradle the ball with his left and use his dominant arm to shed would be tacklers?

 

I think that both positions are of equal importance. The LT has more emphasis placed upon it because it is the blindside of a right handed QB and we have seen it so many times here in Buffalo: You get beat on the blindside and the propensity to fumble and turn the ball over is far greater than getting beat on the right side of the line.

[stuckincincy]

If there is no difference, NFL teams (and their assumed knowledge on the subject) are horribly wrong.

[Kelly the Dog]

If there is no difference, NFL teams (and their assumed knowledge on the subject) are horribly wrong.

723996[/snapback]

You almost always are, why shouldn't they be?

[Bill from NYC]

I think it's pretty obvious that RT is just as important as LT, if not more. There are a couple reasons that LT is a little more important, but they are diminishing. And there are just as many or more reasons that RT is more important.

 

Support or dispute.

723987[/snapback]

 

You are right, and every GM in the NFL is dumb to place a higher priority on the LT position, those fools!

Major college coaches are also dumb to put their most athletic lineman on the left.

[Kelly the Dog]

If a RB is right handed, wouldn't he want to run left, cradle the ball with his left  and use his dominant arm to shed would be tacklers?

 

I think that both positions are of equal importance.  The LT has more emphasis placed upon it because it is the blindside of a right handed QB and we have seen it so many times here in Buffalo: You get beat on the blindside and the propensity to fumble and turn the ball over is far greater than getting beat on the right side of the line.

723993[/snapback]

I would love to see stats on that. I would bet it's closer or more even than people think. I recall Drew dropping the ball when hit from in front at least as often or more than when he was smacked from behind.

[Kelly the Dog]

You are right, and every GM in the NFL is dumb to place a higher priority on the LT position, those fools! 

Major college coaches are also dumb to put their most athletic lineman on the left. 

724000[/snapback]

Yeah, so many NFL GMs and coaches make the consistently right, smart, prudent decisions, especially the Bills, when it comes to offensive linemen. You should know that.

[Bill from NYC]

Yeah, so many NFL GMs and coaches make the consistently right, smart, prudent decisions, especially the Bills, when it comes to offensive linemen. You should know that.

724003[/snapback]

 

You are right brother and the biggest mistake the Bills made was taking a RT at #4.

 

Orlando Pace is one of my all-time favorite players. He crushed opponents on running plays, and there was a time where almost nobody got by him on pass plays. I can think of no reason to put him, with his strength, speed, and perhaps most of all agility anywhere other than at the qb's blindside.

 

How could it make sense not to?

[stuckincincy]

You almost always are, why shouldn't they be? 

723998[/snapback]

 

Your hypothesis is weakened by your personal attack.

 

 

[H2o]

While the both the LT and RT need to be able to do there job, there is one that's more important on each and every team. That would be whichever Tackle is protecting the QB's blindside. In Tampa and Washington, it's the RT. In Buffalo it's the left. The QB can see the DE or LB coming from one side, but the other is protected by a man who needs to be on top of his game. If he is not it could spell injuries, fumbles, and interceptions for the respective QB. Whomever that may be.

[Kelly the Dog]

You are right brother and the biggest mistake the Bills made was taking a RT at #4.

 

Orlando Pace is one of my all-time favorite players. He crushed opponents on running plays, and there was a time where almost nobody got by him on pass plays. I can think of no reason to put him, with his strength, speed, and perhaps most of all agility anywhere other than at the qb's blindside.

 

How could it make sense not to?

724009[/snapback]

For any or all of the five reasons I stated above? Because perhaps that ability is being under-utilized as many or more plays than it is being utilized? If you're crushing people on running plays, and 35-40%% of your running plays are to the left, wouldnt you be wasting a large portion of that tackle's run blocking ability?

 

The Bills mistake was that he was an overweight, low-motivated player who wouldnt or couldnt play hurt, not that he was an RT. The NFL pays cornerbacks insane amounts of money, too, does that make it right? They pay tackles twice as much as guards but I'm sure you would argue they are not twice as important on your line. The way the league pays its players and positions is out of whack all over the place, but that is a terrible and almost embarrassing excuse to dispute the thesis of the post. The NFL pays rookies 30-40 million before they play a down? Does that make that rookie more important than your veterans?

[eSJayDee]

WRT your opinion on where fumbles on QB sacks come from, you might well be right that at least as many come from 'up the middle' as blind side strips.

 

Like you, I haven't seen any empirical data.

 

However, if this is the case, one must also consider that there is more opportunity for sacks to come from 'up the middle' (i.e. more rushers come that way), than from the blind side. The way a drop back pass play unfolds, typically the only rushers from the 'blind side' are the RDE and the occassional edge blitzer, whereas typically on every play, 3 (or more) players are effectively rushing from 'up the middle' as even a LDE or edge blitzer is effectively in the QB's face.

 

Likewise, I haven't seen any stats comparing sacks attributed to RTs as opposed to LTs.

 

I will concede that typically/traditionally the RT is more important to running success.

Most teams run more to the right than the left which puts the RT in position to lead at the point of attack.

However, I believe that task of pass blocking on the unprotected (i.e. no TE) side is more demanding than w/ a TE there to prevent a rusher simply going around the block.

This requires a LT to be more nimble/agile than the traditional job of the RT. Finding a player that is both agile and sufficiently strong to be an effective blocker is a rarity. As such, although a LT does not necessarily contribute more to the overall production of the offense than a RT, I think it is still a more demanding position.

[eball]

I have absolutely NO data to back this up, but the thought occurred to me that one of the reasons for the perceived difference in importance between the two positions may be that blindside hits on the QB are the 'wow' plays that stick in your memory; the 'sexy' hits shown over and over again, when the QB doesn't see the guy coming and gets leveled.

 

I suppose one would need to perform a statistical analysis to determine if a higher number of fumbles, injuries, etc., result from these blindside hits.

[stuckincincy]

I have absolutely NO data to back this up, but the thought occurred to me that one of the reasons for the perceived difference in importance between the two positions may be that blindside hits on the QB are the 'wow' plays that stick in your memory; the 'sexy' hits shown over and over again, when the QB doesn't see the guy coming and gets leveled.

 

I suppose one would need to perform a statistical analysis to determine if a higher number of fumbles, injuries, etc., result from these blindside hits.

724138[/snapback]

 

Pro ball often gets over-analyzed - by fans, media, teams alike.

 

Knock the guy down in front of ya still works well...

 

[R. Rich]

Traditionally, I'd say the left position is where you'd want your best athlete, as William stated earlier. However, nowadays, teams are rushing the passer from the strongside w/ much success, as New York does w/ Strahan and Carolina does w/Peppers. I don't think it's such a cut and dried issue any more.

[Ramius]

Traditionally, I'd say the left position is where you'd want your best athlete, as William stated earlier.  However, nowadays, teams are rushing the passer from the strongside w/ much success, as New York does w/ Strahan and Carolina does w/Peppers.  I don't think it's such a cut and dried issue any more.

724150[/snapback]

 

a lot fo team are also flipping their d-line guys and having their #1 guy rush from all over the place. So a lot of times your RT is going to be facing the #1 rusher a good portion of the game. So i agree, the LT should be more athletic, but the importance of a good RT is almost to that of a good LT.

[R. Rich]

Then again, Ramius, what the heck do we know?

[Beerball]

You are right, and every GM in the NFL is dumb to place a higher priority on the LT position, those fools! 

Major college coaches are also dumb to put their most athletic lineman on the left. 

724000[/snapback]

Mack Brown included?

[R. Rich]

Mack Brown included?

724202[/snapback]

 

 

Who's Mack Brown?

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Your # 5 is the reason.

 

In the past, players like Bruce Smith and Lawrence Taylor rushed from the left side. Reggie White seemed to be the only premier pass rusher to come from the right side.

 

Now, defenses get more creative, you could see a guy like Freeney or Jason Taylor rushing from anywhere on the field. The emergence of the zone blitz in the mid 90's-present has also played a huge role in this.

 

In the past, not many teams used the zone blitz, now basically every team does. That means, you have speedy LB's and Safties rushing at anytime from anywhere. It used to be the LE was a slow, big, run stuffing DE, but now, the RT has to face speed more often, basically as much as a LT.

 

Thats why RT's are starting to get paid the same as LT. The best ones, Pace, Jones, Ogden, are going to get paid more like any position, but you see guys like Kareem McKenzie get huge $$$ because of the importance of a RT.

 

Defenses look for your weak spot upfront and try to exploit that. I think both OT's have equal importance.

 

Another thing you are seeing less of is the typical I formation with a TE lined up next to the RT. You see more and more 3 or 4 WR sets or TE's split out or in motion.

 

The complication of the offenses have also now put RT's on an island, where in the past, most the game the RT was covered up by a TE.