Keep in mind here that the offensive line provides two things to a football team. One is run blocking. I think we can all agree here that the offensive line was terrible when it came to run blocking this season. The interior of the line was especially bad, but Michael Roos and David Stewart weren't blowing people off the line either.
The line was not helped by Chris Johnson looking like he forgot how to run the ball for half of the season, but even when Johnson was running well there were times where it seemed like he was getting tackled as he got the handoff.
The other function an offensive line carries out is pass blocking. This offensive line was very good at pass blocking. They kept Matt Hasselbeck, who has been nothing short of fragile for the last few years, upright for most of the season. That was what allowed Hasselbeck to put up the numbers he did this season.
For a long time I was baffled by how a line could be so good at pass protection but so bad at run blocking. Then I heard someone on the radio, and I cannot remember now who it was, talking about the difference between pass protection and run blocking.Pass protection means letting the defender come to you. It is more of a reaction than an action, while run blocking is all about attacking.
Since Kevin Mawae left, we have talked about the Titans needing to add a guy that has a nasty streak to the middle of the line. I think the fact that the Titans don't have one of those guys is one of the main reasons they have been so bad at run blocking. They don't have the attitude right now to get it done.
So obviously they get and F- for run blocking and a solid B for pass protection. The following grade is what I arrived after running those two through my very complicated and weighted formula.
Grade: C-