Let's talk OL

Offensive line play is key to a successful campaign every season… for every team. But sadly there is absolutely no way of knowing how long the group of starters can stay together during the season.

There is always a lot of attrition that occurs in the trenches. That’s where most of the action is on every play. Yes these guys are mountain-sized men, but there are a lot of big & strong dudes who are banging into them on every play.

I’m not one who subscribes to the ‘injury prone’ label that is often given to linemen. To me, if you are playing that position, dice are rolling with every snap of the football. There’s no denying that Peat has been injured a lot. But I just see it as being the nature of the position. Theoretically we could have all of our starters remain active the entire season… or we could lose the whole group to nagging (or season-ending) injuries.

This is why it is key to have some serviceable linemen who can play well in multiple positions on the line. Because history has proven that the Saints (and all other teams) will have to deal with the loss of some of these starters for at least part of the season.

But we can always hope for the best.