Week 5 Chart Though it was at tackle where we were down 2 starters, it looked more like it was the interior linemen that had some issues in there. Granted the Falcons don't have a terrific outside pass rush, our tackles more than held up their end.
Newhouse looked damn good at both right tackle and left. While he doesn't make it look smooth like the elites at the position, as the numbers show, he gets the job done. His technique is often far from perfect, but he kept the quarterback clean all day. As a run blocker, he's an improvement over Clifton on the left side. It'll be interesting to see how he holds up when Bulaga returns, presumably to the right side. You have all of this swing value in Newhouse, you better hope McCarthy exercises it and allows the rest of the line to remain intact.
Sherrod looked a lot better than I had anticipated he would based on preseason. That's a LT right there playing a bit out of his comfort zone at RT and for the most part he did a nice job. There's plenty for him to improve upon, but it's comforting to know we got him some serious reps in a big game, on the road. There's a number of mistakes on film...hopefully he'll watch, practice, and correct them. After Sherrod came in, we netted 1 positive running play running behind RT or RE, a 2 yard gain a couple snaps after his entrance into the lineup.
While we were concerned about the two young ones, the interior linemen probably graded out to have their worst game of the season. Lang looked far from impressive, particularly as a pass protector. He was beat right off the snap a couple times and used the turn and chase shortly thereafter...not something that sticks out as good for anyone. He and Wells didn't look all that impressive working in tandem out there. The two of them did make a terrific combo block on that 3rd and 3 at the end of the game to show Starks just enough daylight to ice the game.
If you don't beat Sitton with your first 2 steps, you're probably not beating him that play. He gets his hands on you and that anchor set and game over. The only way you're beating him is getting him early. Showed today.
We really need to improve in blitz pick-up out of the backfield. We clearly missed Brandon Jackson in this area, but it's something we're going to have to improve upon over the course of the season. Even Jackson had to develop into that role. I'd really like to see some more Alex Green later in the season...as we all have figured, he could be a very exciting player in this role if he can learn the responsibilities. Starks and DJ Williams both whiffed big time on pre-snap reads.
Even watching this unit play, I still feel a bit more comfortable about the state of this line than I have in quite a while. While Newhouse has filled in admirably, I would really like to get Clifton back sooner rather than later. With an older guy like Cliffy, it'll take longer for this to heal. Good thing we're feeling good about our chances at the playoffs right now and at least we'll really see what we have in Newhouse. I just hope Bulaga doesn't go down at some point again.