Detroit Lions' Offensive Line: A Pleasant Surprise?

I was perusing through some news articles on the Detroit Lions and came across Tom Kolwalski's article.

His first paragraph gives most Lions fans the hope we've been looking for over the past decade: An offensive line that actually works!

Last season, the Lions attempted to incorporate a zone blocking system that relied more on finesse than pure strength. In the zone blocking system, the idea was to hold the line of scrimmage and stretch out the defense and hope the running back finds a crease to run through.

Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan has done away with the zone blocking system and is incorporating more of a "smash mouth" blocking system. Here, the line surges forward, pushing the defense back on it's heels two yards back. Instead of waiting and reacting to the defense, the idea is to allow the offensive line attack the defense and dictate where the play is going to go.

Both coaches, Linehan and Offensive Line Coach George Yarno are stressing the running game. Makes sense since a successful running game controls the clock, keeps the opposing defense on the field longer and allows for big plays in the passing game.

The Detroit Lions offensive line has been the one area of their offense that has garnered the most criticism over the past decade, more so over the past three seasons as they allowed 166 sacks in that time frame. 

But much of that had to do with the Mike Martz offense which didn't allow any help from the tight-end or running backs to block on passing plays. They were sent out in pass patterns and the quarterback had to be nimble enough to avoid sacks, a connection not often used in describing a Lion quarterback.

Collectively, the Lions' offensive line has made a pretty good connection with Yarno who played guard in the NFL for 10 years, eight of them with Tampa Bay from 1979 to 1987. 

In the article, center Dominic Raiola is quited as saying "I like our group, and we've got a great line coach. He's played the game, and I think that means a lot.  He knows how things should operate. You have a different respect for a coach who's getting you up for a game and he's been there."

So far this preseason, the line has allowed only one sack, a far cry from the near 3.5 sacks allowed over the past three seasons. Granted, they haven't been playing against elite defenses and the real proof will begin when the regular season starts.

But if the offensive line can hold it together, the Lions will have finally have a strong foundation to build on.