Expect Hell Up the Middle

I'm not sure the notions floating around about the Commander Offensive Line indicate a good outcome for that unit in 2023.

I realize the game day roster limits, which should be stricken from NFL History in my opinion, do not allow for adequate staffing of the Offensive Line. This harkens back to the NFL's suspect concern for Player Safety and really is a Collective Bargaining issue. Teams should be at bare minimum allowed to field a two-deep roster meaning two real physical entities at each spot. Not fantasy cross trained single units. And I think three deep is where the League needs to be and where injuries would be most attenuated.

That's not happening in a greed-based sport. Even though it retards the quality of the product on the field. At times severely and disgracefully.

The Middle of the Commander Offensive Line was a significant weakness last year. That is the place to begin if you are a defensive coordinator playing the Commanders. Attack the middle. Place your stud DT or nose tackle square on the center. Apply middle blitz. Simmer and stir.

I'm saying shove Mazi Smith or Jalen Carter up the Commander Gut. Make them pay for what they lack emphasis on. Let your edge rushers clean up the spill over. That should be easy in an NFC East teeming to overflowing with edge beastliness.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The shortest distance between your DT/NT and the Commander's fresh young Vulcan QB Sam Howell is through the Center. As far as I can tell, the Commanders believe they have little need of a center. Or any other offensive lineman for that matter. Except for guard. This means you can probably sack Howell on his first step of the dropback or even intercept the snap from the pathetic center in the pistol/shotgun!

Imagine the system collapse should you be able to disrupt the famous Sam Howell stoicism! There is nothing more disruptive to Vulcan rectitude than the face of a rude and nasty nose tackle inserting itself in the middle of fake equilibrium. Your goal?

Turn Mr. Spock into a scream queen.

If I'm on the other hand the Offensive Line Coach for the Commanders I'm on the horn to Coach Harbaugh of the Ravens, the Championship Caliber NFL Football team my guys are scrimmaging/playing in the preseason, asking him to have the Ravens middle blitz and line a guy head up on the center.

Push it till it breaks, Coach. 

That's what I'd tell him. Then if it breaks, I'd know what effect my lack of emphasis had on the interior of the Commander Offensive Line. I'd want to know if the damn problem went away on its own like my doctor told me it would or if I need to show my bottom.

So what's my beef?

I think game day roster limits are BS. I think position flex is the reaction to that BS and it takes BS to fight BS. You give the offensive line multiple personality disorder. Can you guarantee the degree of focus you get from a guard who just plays guard versus a Guard/Tackle/Center who is one blow to the head away from having his three hundred sixty degree muscle memory erased?

Not to mention that on a position flexed Offensive Line ONE loss equals TWO LOSSES if not three. Then the tight end is playing center.

Good luck with that.

It's self-induced BRAIN FOG, Gentlemen/Owners. There's a little gremlin called "Where the hell am I?". It surfaces with position flex. Getting the hell kicked out of you happens on an ever-increasing basis when you don't know where the hell you are. 

It's diluted whiskey, Gentlemen/Owners. You're settling for a watered down tackle at guard and a watered down guard at center. Each with a mushy football mentality filled with tasteless confusion.

It's anemia, Gentlemen/Owners. You don't have enough IRON IN THE BLOOD. 

Let's not ignore the hysterical sci-fi fantasy aspects of this. 

The fantasy exists when you expect the cross trained portion of Guard X to be able to fill in at Center when the Center goes down but hold on wait a minute Guard X himself is down. 

That's OK send in his ghost. Send in his Hologram! Fantasy football at its finest!

I always say Guard X has a ton of spirit!