The Detroit Lions had problems up front in 2017. Will the 2018 offensive line improve enough to be a strength of the team? We’ll discuss.
If you are anything like me, you can’t wait for the Detroit Lions season to begin. The obvious problem is that training camp doesn’t even start until July 27th; the first preseason game is August 10th.
We have some time to kill. For the next few weeks we’ll look at the six main position groups to see if the Lions are better. Here we go!
The position groups are as follows: Offensive line (OL), defensive line (DL), linebackers (LB), quarterbacks (QB) and running backs (RB), defensive backs (DB), and wide receivers and tight ends (WR).
This column, Kick in the Crotch Weekly (what I’ve dubbed my long-suffering Lions fandom), will start in the trenches.
Sidebar: I’ve called my fandom KITCW to my family and friends for years, but incorporated the moniker here to emphasize how painful it has been to be a Detroit Lions fan.
Back to the trenches, we’ll discuss the OL, offensive line, or the big uglies as they are often referred to. You can’t win against good teams without a solid group up front.
Recap of 2017
To put it simply, the offensive line was pretty horrible. Only Graham Glasgow, center-guard, played the entire season. Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked every team by pass blocking efficiency, and as you might imagine the ranking was not kind to the Lions.
PFF ranked them tied for 27th, which seems kind the way that the line gave opposing players shots on Matthew Stafford. The Lions O-line gave up 47 sacks, in total.
"” … the Lions surrendered 199 pressures on 633 passing snaps, the fifth-most among teams. Looking toward the 2018 season,” wrote Mark Chichester for Pro Football Focus. ” … the Lions hope the addition of rookie offensive lineman Frank Ragnow will solidify the left side of the line, as Ragnow ended his final college season ranked second among draft-eligible centers in pass-blocking efficiency (99.6).”"
Of particular note was the overall grades of our starters and main backups.
LT Taylor Decker: 60.5 (below average)
LG Graham Glasgow: 76.1 (average)
RG T.J. Lang: 79.1 (average)
RT Ricky Wagner: 81.9 (above average)
G/T Joe Dahl: 66.3 (below average)
G/T Corey Robinson: 43.6 (poor)
If you watched the games last year, you can probably agree that much needs to improve.
Luckily, Taylor Decker is on pace to be 100% for the regular season. Along with that, the Lions rookie left guard, Frank Ragnow, graded out very well in pass blocking, while playing mostly at center at Arkansas (99.5). Let’s take a look at the center and guard positions on the following page …