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The blind side. It’s a movie. It’s the left tackle’s responsibility to protect. But is it overvalued?

To begin, I’d like to admit that I came into this project slightly biased as I believe the swing toward the passing game in the NFL necessitates a team has two good offensive tackles, not just one. The old adage that you put your best pass protector at left tackle (the blind side) and your mauling run blocker at right tackle (teams used to run to the right more often) is outdated.

I’m also of the belief that scouting jargon such as, “he’s a right tackle only” no longer holds water as NFL offenses are less predictable with regard to run direction, while NFL defenses are more unpredictable with their dispersing of pass rushing talent. In other words, the left and right tackles both need to run block and pass block with equal acumen.

Perhaps NFL teams have been reading our research as the NFL Draft saw a surprising emphasis on right tackle candidates.

On a macro level, it’s easy to dismiss the need for an elite left tackle given the recent Super Bowl winners. Since we started grading in 2008, here are the Super Bowl winning teams along with their starting left tackle, overall grade, and rank at the position:


Season Team Left Tackle Grade Rank
2008 Pittsburgh Steelers Max Starks +14.2 22nd
2009 New Orleans Saints Jermon Bushrod -8.0 69th
2010 Green Bay Packers Chad Clifton +2.1 33rd
2011 New York Giants David Diehl -17.6 69th
2012 Baltimore Ravens Bryant McKinnie +3.9 8th in playoffs

It should be noted that the last two Super Bowl winners faced different cases as Diehl took over for the last six games of the regular season and carried his poor play into the playoffs, while the Ravens re-shuffled their offensive line just before the playoffs and McKinnie played well during their four-game run.

Continue reading: Are Left Tackles Overvalued?

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Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

All little common sense goes a long way.