Scouts Inc.: Titans' O-line is the best

Â*Â*Al Messerschmidt/Getty ImagesÂ*The Titans' offensive line has given up only six sacks the entire season. Posted by Scouts Inc.'s Jeremy Green

The terms "overrated" and "underrated" are overused, so I will use a different word when talking about the Tennessee Titans' offensive line and call it "under publicized."

When talking about the Titans you hear about running backs "Smash" LenDale White and "Dash" Chris Johnson. You hear a lot about the defensive line led by potential defensive player of the year Albert Haynesworth. Even other defensive stars such as linebacker Keith Bulluck and cornerback Cortland Finnegan get more publicity than the Titans' offensive line.

Today I will change all that (at least in this blog) by saying this: The Tennessee Titans have the best offensive line in the NFL, bar none. This is an offensive line that has given up only six sacks the entire season. That is a pretty amazing feat when you consider the line plays with one of the least mobile quarterbacks in the NFL in veteran Kerry Collins.

Watching Collins and this line work together makes me appreciate some of the advantages a pocket passer brings in terms of keeping the quarterback clean in the pocket. Whereas a scrambling quarterback can get a line into trouble in pass protection because he moves all over the place and forces his unit to try to guess with adjustments, the Titans do not have that issue. Ninety-plus percent of the time Collins is going to be right where he is supposed to be when he drops back to throw the football. He is going to be directly behind or just off the back end of the center at 3, 5 or 7 steps. Even with his elongated release, Collins has rarely been hit because his guys do such an outstanding job up front.

When you break this line down, you start to understand why the two tackles and the center are so vital. No knock on the Titans' guards, but when the other pieces are there, you can be just OK at the guard spots.

Let's start with the tackles. Michael Roos on the left side and David Stewart on the right both possess a nice combination of size, strength and athletic ability for the position. It is rare to find two guys who can move you off the ball in the run game yet still have the athletic ability to be outstanding pass-blockers versus edge rushers. They are not impossible to find, but pretty darn tough to find on the same team. Both Roos and Stewart consistently are left on an island one-on-one. In the games I viewed, I never saw them have to get double-team help from either of the guard spots. This allows guards Eugene Amano and Jake Scott (along with one of the best centers in the game, Kevin Mawae) to block three-on-two in a straight four-man rush situation. Three blocking two, especially when one of the three is a consummate All-Pro in Mawae, is going to guarantee the pocket not getting pushed into the face of Collins.

There are rare occasions when Roos and Stewart give up some edge pressure to the outside, but because they are so solid along the interior Collins usually has the room to step up into the pocket and deliver the football.

This is also one of the smarter units in the NFL. They do an outstanding job of picking up stunts, twists and blitz-overload pressures. It is rare to see an unblocked pass-rusher turned free and allowed access to the quarterback.

The Titans' offensive line will pound you with the run and make the defense play on its heels. It is hard to attack when you lose your aggressiveness, and this group thrives against passive defenses.

Yes, the Titans have an outstanding defense, elite running game and a quarterback who doesn't make mistakes, but when talking about this team's season and potential run to 16-0, don't forget about the no-name offensive line that is the best in the NFL today.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.



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Loper should play LT, he's next on the depth chart. I think he is athletic. I think he's more athletic than Amano at G, and would help downfield more like Bell used to.

I watched him close the two games he played a lot last year. Maybe two games is not much to go by, but I think he looked pretty athletic and decently strong. Although we only really have two guys to judge for depth, I really like what we have.

I think an interesting thing for the future is what will happen to Mawae. I think Amano may be better suited at C, and maybe Harris can add some athleticism at G. But I don't think Mawae's play has really fallen off. He still looks like an athletic C out there, just not a very strong one. What we don't know much of just by watching games are his responsibilities in making line calls. I'm going to guess that he does a good job at that, and you have to wonder if one of the younger guys will be able to do it as well.