Can you handle the truth?

I have been reading opinions for weeks how bad Ryan Cook is at right tackle and how Bryant McKinnie was robbed of a Pro Bowl birth, at least for his play, so I figured that I would find out for myself and was a little surprised at what was and was not found. Those are the extremes and if Cook was that bad and McKinnie that good, it would surely show, wouldn’t it? Looking across the internet, the one thing I have noticed is that there are very few statistics kept for offensive linemen and tackles in particular. There are some kept by the NFL’s official statistic keeper Stats LLC, and then I found others over at Football Outsiders, but that was it.

This discussion may matter even more with the draft quickly approaching and Bryant McKinnie in trouble and facing sure disciplinary actions [at least a suspension] by the league when he took matters and a crowd control pole into his own hands down in Miami by beating a club bouncer over the head. He is now awaiting a June 2nd trial date for a felony (aggravated battery) and three misdemeanors (battery, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence) for his role in the fight.

Then we hear grumbling from Matt Birk not getting offered an extension and having to play his last year of his contract to “prove it” to coach Childress and the front office that he is worthy of being retained. The 6 time Pro Bowler may take his services elsewhere in 2009 possibly muddying up what was considered a Vikings strength just a few months ago, the offensive line.

Ryan Cook was a center out of college and is assumed to be heir of parent to take over for Birk when he is gone or injured. That possibility though may not be the wisest, or the most effective. Issues of Ryan’s size (6’7”) being too big to play center and the other of who’ll play right tackle arise. Anthony Herrera may move over or we may see the Vikings draft a center in the reportedly center-weak draft class for O line depth with hopes to start in 2009.

Needless to say, the tackle spot may be flux long before anybody wants it to be. Let’s set a baseline to make an educated decision against first. Here is what I found:

There are –
199 Active Tackles listed by Stats LLC
126 Tackles played in at least one game
93 Tackles started at least 1 game
39 Tackles started all 16 games
22 Right Tackles started all 16 games
17 Left Tackles started all 16 games

Ryan Cook and Bryant McKinnie were of the group that played and started all 16 games. So by a pure numbers stand point, they made the top 20%. Does it mean much? Only that they were both considered better than all the other tackles the Vikings had on their roster.

Now which tackle position is more difficult to play? The left side is traditionally considered to be the harder of the two spots because it calls for the tackle to defend the blind side of the right handed quarterback. He is usually the better pass blocker and known for his quick feet and hands. He is also usually left to that task by himself whereas the right tackle receives help from a tight end or running back that stays back to help. The right side however is considered the power side because it is where the tight end usually lines up and it is natural for most right handed players to favor that side to run to. Your right tackle is generally the better run blocker of the two and known for his power. The Vikings passing 2007 game was less than adequate to say the least, but the running game was stellar thanks in part to Adrian Peterson falling into our laps in last years draft.

Question is, how do the tackles affect both the passing game and the running game? Stats LCC tracks their individual negative actions that cause the offense to go backward. They track 2 types of penalties (false starts and holding) and sacks. They track positive actions as segments of the offensive line as a whole, left, middle and right. Combined they paint a better picture how the line and the tackles in particular faired.

Football Outsiders did their own evaluation of film and call what they see, but they do break down the running game by left and right tackle. However, I’ll warn you now, their results seem a little out of sync, either that or the blocking tight end [most likely Jimmy Kleinsasser versus Visanthe Shiancoe] make a huge difference, especially running to the right. I will present these numbers for your comparison.

Bryant McKinnie:
Ranked 3rd of the 39 full season tackles with 2 penalties for 15 yards.
Ranked 1st of the 17 full season left tackles with 2 penalties for 15 yards.
Had 1 false start
Had 1 holding penalty
Ranked 28th (of 39) with 7 sacks allowed for 40.5 yards
Ranked 12th of the 17 full season left tackles with 7 sacks for 40.5 yards
Ranked 10th (of 39) full season tackles with 55.5 total yards given
Ranked 3rd of the 17 full season left tackles with 55.5 total yards given
Ranked 19th (of the 32 teams left tackle position) with a 4.21 yard blocking average of Adjusted Line Yards in each direction listed in official NFL play-by-play, per Football Outsiders.
They recorded that 13% of plays were ran behind him and this gave McKinnie a 8.75 rating of 32 starting left tackles (15.5 being the middle of a bell curve type graph), in the high average range.

Ryan Cook:
Ranked 21st of the 39 full season tackles with 5 penalties for 38 yards.
Ranked 15th of the 22 full season right tackles with 2 penalties for 15 yards.
Had 2 false starts
Had 2 holding pnalties
Ranked 27th (of 39) with 7 sacks allowed for 37 yards
Ranked 16th of the 22 full season right tackles with 7 sacks for 37 yards
Ranked 24th (of 39) full season tackles with 55.5 total yards given
Ranked 15th of the 22 full season right tackles with 55.5 total yards given
Ranked 21st (of the 32 teams left tackle position) with a 4.09 yard blocking average of Adjusted Line Yards in each direction listed in official NFL play-by-play, per Football Outsiders.
They recorded that 8% of plays were ran behind him and this gave Cook a 16.75 rating of 32 starting right tackles (15.5 being the middle of a bell curve type graph), almost dead average.

Now to see what the official NFL stats (Stats LCC) show for the offensive line production. They had the Vikings ranked 13th overall in the league.

Total
Rush Yds Avg
494 2634 5.3
Left (tackle, tight end)
112 554 4.9
Middle (guard, center, guard)
163 843 5.2
Right (tackle, tight end)
71 520 7.3

Football Outsiders say they determine and record their own stats and Stats LLC does the same, but do the results mesh? FO has McKinnie with a 4.21 average versus a left side average of 5.3 for Stats. Cook’s 4.09 versus the 7.3 is an even greater difference that might be the difference that might be the tight end [and Jimmy Kleinsasser is the best blocking tight end in the business], but is it that much?

Stats LLC shows the Vikings with the most rushing yards in the league:
McKinnie’s side
Left side average was tied for 5th, the yards to that side as 7th, and attempts running left ranked 14th.
Cook’s side
Right side average is the best (1st) in the league, the yards to that side as best (1st) in the league, and attempts running right ranked 4th.

Stats showed the Vikings 20th in the league with 38 sacks. If you are curious, 7 McKinnie allowed, 3 Hutchinson, 3 Birk, 5 at left guard (Herrera allowed 4 and Hicks allowed 1), 7 Cook, and 13 others (backs and tight ends).

Remember your best pass blocker should be on the left, and you expect your right tackle to give up as many or more sacks.

Now, comparing the two tackle’s first and second years:

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