The offensive line of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks to make an impact in 2017
It is no secret that an offensive line is an important part of a football game. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that is especially the case. The Buccaneers allowed 35 sacks in 2016, tying them with Green Bay and the New York Jets. That is not an insanely high number, but Tampa Bay should look to lower that figure a bit.
Simply put, they need to be able to not only lower that number, but perform at a high level as they figure to be a major part of the equation in the upcoming season.
Tampa Bay has a veteran cast at the offensive line position including the likes of J.R. Sweezy, tackle Kevin Pamphile, center Joe Hawley, right guard Ali Marpet and tackles Donovan Smith and Demar Dotson. More importantly, this cast of guys up front all appear to be healthy and ready to rock heading into 2017.
The best thing about this group is that they are young and deep. Although the youth at the position may have hurt them last year, it was necessary to suffer through growing pains so that the players could learn from them.
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The Anchors: J.R. Sweezy and Ali Marpet
With the youth movement taking over at the position, having a player like J.R. Sweezy in particular is crucial. He not only brings veteran leadership to the position, but also playoff experience. He has played in 10 total playoff games over the course of four years starting all 10. Perhaps the best year in his career to this point came in 2014. He started all 16 games during the regular season and all three games during the postseason, recording a tackle in the process.
After missing the entirety of 2016 with an injury, by all accounts he is back and better than ever. Head coach Dirk Koetter told Joe Kania of Buccaneers.com in late May that Sweezy was on the right track as the team completed OTAs. Koetter said this, via Buccaneers.com:
"Many people have said that we didn't do anything to address our O-line," Koetter said. "I would flip that around and say one of our top free agent gets from the year before – he was out all last year, he's looked awesome out here. We talked about this the other day, J.R. on the offensive line and George Johnson – like I said, not sure what happened to him today – But that's two linemen that we're getting back that have shown they can play in this league. J.R. is off to a fast start."
Ali Marpet is going to be another interesting case to watch in the 2017 season in a scenario where he is perhaps more important than before. He will now play center instead of guard. During a press conference back in April, Marpet seemed like he was ready to take on the challenge (via Buccaneers.com:
"What I know is that when we start Phase Two, I'll be playing center," Marpet said during a press conference at One Buccaneer Place on Monday. "I think the rationale was that Coach Koetter wanted to put the best five out on the field so whatever order that is, that's the reason why. So I'll start off at center and see how it plays out.
"I'm excited to try and play center. It'll be new for me. It's a new position. I mean, I've gotten some reps at it but to play real snaps at center is different."
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The importance of the offensive line
With those things in mind, how important is the offensive line as a whole? The answer is simple: very. The entire group needs to be able to protect Jameis Winston so that he can make his proper reads and throws. He still has a lot of work to do and the offensive line plays a big part in his continued growth as a player. They will also need to make sure they can increase and uphold the production of the running game.
The running game is perhaps one of the most important aspects of the entire offense. When formulating a game plan, opponents know what type of firepower the offense contains. What they do not know is what the ground game will do. The offensive line needs to make sure they make enough space in order to create running lanes as well as following their blocks. Especially in the red zone, they need to make sure they can gain an upper hand on their defender. It sounds simple in theory, but it is very difficult to execute especially in-game where everything moves a bit faster.
The offensive line is imperative to the team's success this year. With a mix of youth and veterans in the fold, they are going to be an important part of Tampa Bay's playoff push in 2017.
