Smash Mouth: Week 3 Recap

We are witnessing some outstanding running games with the offensive lines and the running backs meshing in Dallas, Cleveland, New Orleans and Cincinnati. As fantasy owners, we always want to find a workhorse, but it is also important to find good situations because there are still strong opportunities in committee approaches like we are seeing in Cincinnati.

Just like in the NFL where GMs have gone away from depending on early round running backs for results, we are seeing some interesting shifts in fantasy as well as schemes are beginning to be a big part of the success for many teams. Where did you draft Jeremy Hill, Bobby Rainey, Terrance West or Darren Sproles?

Moving the Sticks

• If last weekend wasn't a strong enough indicator to the Dallas Cowboys that they are a run-first team then I don't know what is. After a slow start that saw them get down 21-0, the Cowboys started hammering the running game and got back into the game against the Rams and eventually overtook them. At some point, the Cowboys are going to start to hand out a few more carries to DeMarco Murray's backups, but the total rushes should stay way up there.

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• If you decided that Toby Gerhart was a good idea headed into your fantasy draft, you aren't happy right now. And here is the thing - it won't get better. It takes a special RB to be able to excel despite a lack of running lanes in front of him and Gerhart isn't that kind of back. The Jags won't be able to create creases consistently and Blake Bortles zone read opportunities are the only thing that gives the Jags running game a chance to take a step up.

• I know that Ndamukong Suh is the guy who gets most of the national attention from that Detroit defensive line, but Nick Fairley is the more disruptive player off the snap and has been a penetrating force so far. Ziggy Ansah is getting better by the game and C.J. Mosley is playing his best football right now as a rotational DT. The real key to the Lions success against the run has been DeAndre Levy, who has 8 stuffs (0 yards or less) out of 27 tackles so far in three games. Levy's speed means your fantasy RB isn't going to find room outside either.

• There is no doubt in my mind that the Cincinnati Bengals are a legitimate Super Bowl contender and that their offense is more stacked this year than last, but I can't get past the fact that their offensive line isn't more productive as a run blocking unit. The Bengals are terrific in pass protection, but they are averaging just 3.6 ypc with just one explosive run (15+ yards), They do have a very good Quality Rush to Stuff %, but I would still like to see some bigger holes out there so the Bengals can become a more big play unit on the ground rather than just grinders.

• My favorite part about studying offensive lines and running games is that I've come to realize that a change here or there and quality coaching can make huge differences from year to year. The Dolphins, Ravens, Steelers and Browns were atrocious at running the ball last year, but all four teams score highly in my running game metrics.

• I can't say I'm all that surprised with the elevation of Isaiah Crowell to the first team RB spot in Cleveland. Sure, he could lose that designation to Ben Tate when Tate gets back, but Crowell's vision is superior to Tate's and his decisiveness and power after contact are superior to Terrance West. To all of you who said you liked Crowell the best this preseason, stand up and take a bow. I hope you have him on your bench or stashed in a keeper league because he's going to be a good one.

Last Week's Chow Bowl

Rashad Jennings (Giants) - Food all over his jersey by the end. Even had post game pudding.
Bernard Pierce (Ravens) - Out, but Taliaferro gobbled.
Ahmad Bradshaw (Colts) - 83 total yards and a TD for Bradshaw.
Vereen and Ridley (Patriots) - Neither guy ate.

Week 4's Chow Hounds

Lamar Miller (Dolphins) - After getting just 11 carries per game over his first two, Miller saw 15 carries and 4 catches for 132 total yards. With Knowshon Moreno looking like a scratch until about week 6, Miller will get to feast on a defense that was gashed for two straight weeks before holding it down against the Patriots. With a closer game, Miller should get to around 20 carries for 110 yards and a TD.

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C.J. Spiller (Bills) - Spiller only had 10 carries last weekend thanks to a clock-gobbling offense from San Diego and the Bills own funky effort on offense. Well grab two spoons this week, C.J., because you are taking on a Texans defense that is atrocious against the run. The Bills get back to the ground and Spiller gets his groove back (at least for this week).

Doug Martin (Bucs) - What happens when you combine a RB who is desperate to show his new coaches that he belongs in the starting lineup along with a defense that has been hit hard by injuries? What you get is a chance for Doug Martin to show out. Tampa must run the ball well to have a shot here and the Steelers defense is hardly a Steel Curtain.

Donald Brown (Chargers) - I know, I know. This one feels too obvious, right? Both the #1 and #2 RBs are out in San Diego and Brown got 31 carries last week so he's got to be the play against the hapless Jaguars, correct? I say yes. I don't care what his YPC is. If you eat enough donut holes you get full and Brown is going to get at least two bags of them.

Grading Young Offensive Linemen

My grading is based on a combination of assignment results and technique. Just because the defender doesn't make the play or is away from the flow of the play doesn't mean the offensive lineman will get a "+" for the play. There is a certain standard every offensive line coach is looking for on each snap.

I will also factor in difficulty of assignment. If an offensive lineman has a difficult block to make but works to get into position as best he can and has a positive snap despite his assignment making the tackle, I may still give him a "+".

In general, guards and centers will have lower grades as run blockers due to the difficulty of their task. It is much easier for an offensive tackle to use leverage and positioning to wall off a defensive end which will obviously lead to higher run blocking grades. Similarly, tackles will often have lower pass protection grades as their challenge is substantially harder than that of a guard or especially a center and technique becomes absolutely essential.

I've had the good fortune to watch and speak to NFL offensive line coaches about how they grade games and I also have a little greater understanding of some of the responsibilities that each lineman will have on a given running play or in pass protection vs. a blitz or twist. With that said, my understanding of what represents a "+/-" grade may be different than others. There will always be a level of subjectivity in position grading and there will obviously be a margin of error you must factor in since we can't possibly understand everyone's responsibility on every play.

Corey Linsley, C, Packers
Pass: 76%, Run: 80.9%
vs. Detroit: Handled himself with power when matched up one-on-one and was able to get defenders turned. Seemed to be a step slow in terms of his reaction time on at least a couple of snaps and did too much grabbing with his hands wide. Linsley has to get used to keeping his hands inside on his run blocks. Showed good ability to explode and catch defender on one trap block. Linsley didn't have many difficult heads-up battles in the run game so his grade is higher than it might be vs. a traditional 0-NT.

Larry Warford, RG, Lions
Pass: 86.4%, Run: 65.6%
vs. Green Bay: In pass protection, Warford got backed up a few too many times, but used his natural power to drop his anchor. He allowed defenders into his body too quickly which caused him to lose leverage. While Warford showed that he is solid as an in-line power blocker in a mano-a-mano battle, he had issues with defenders who didn't just stand in front of him and didn't remain engaged with his run blocks as long as you would like.

Luke Joeckel, LT, Jaguars
Pass: 84.8%, Run: 73.6%
vs. Indianapolis: It was a tale of two halves for Joeckel as he struggled in run blocking in the 1st half but was outstanding in pass protection. In the 2nd half, he was much better in run blocking, but lost a few battles in pass protection. On the hole, Joeckel showed good balance and footwork in pass protection which is what he was drafted for. My continued concern of power for Joeckel showed up on a few occasions against the Colts.

Jack Mewhort, LG, Colts
Pass: 80.9%, Run: 75%
vs. Jacksonville: The rookie Mewhort was really impressive on Sunday. In fact, since the season began, Mewhort has been a huge improvement over what I've seen at guard for a few years in Indy now. Mewhort was a college tackle and he did a great job of getting punched timed up and on the defender first and maintained a good posture in pass protection. Mewhort was very capable when asked to pull and he continues to play with good power in his hands.

Week 3 Awards

Bad Ass of the Week: Tyron Smith (Cowboys) - Smith had a high grade in the run game, but more importantly, he mashed the Rams Robert Quinn all game long in pass protection and rarely even let Quinn get even marginally excited about a pass rush. Smith played with great technique, core strength and nastiness.

Running Back of the Week: Rashad Jennings (Giants) - It isn't easy to be consistently dominant when you get as many as 34 carries in a single game, but Jennings sported a 70.6 Quality Rush % while churning out ten runs of 7+ yards. Jennings completely controlled that game with 78 of his 176 yards coming after first contact. Man-sized game by Jennings.

Stop Unit of the Week: Washington Redskins - I know that the Eagles scored a ton of points and got to work with their passing game, but the Redskins dominated the Eagles ground attack. LeSean McCoy couldn't find any room at all and the Redskins combined great preparation, tackling and physicality to completely shut down what the Eagles do best. Injuries to their offensive line or not, the Redskins defensive front put it on the Eagles running game and hurt the feelings of many a LeSean McCoy owner.