Quote:The line is going to be a focus for the team this off season.

 

The sack totals did drop by 20 from 2014.  How many of the 51 sacks were actually because Bortles still needs to learn to give up on a play and not hold the ball as long as he does at times?  Granted, the line is responsible for a huge majority of the sacks, but some of them fall squarely on his shoulders, and with more development, he should be able to clean that up. 

 

The team is most likely going to look for a replacement at C, and they'll probably bring in serious competition for the LT position.  When the GM is saying he thinks his LT can become that long-term solution at the position, and we're talking about a guy going into year 4 of his contract, he's saying there will be work done there.  He's telling Luke that he needs to put on his big boy pants and man up, otherwise he'll be replaced.  He'll have to earn his position next year.

 

I don't see how any of this is really an indictment of Marrone.  Look at how quickly he was able to develop a guy like Linder prior to his injury, as well as AJ.  The fact that these guys have the potential to be long-term solutions along the line is an endorsement of the good job he did.  Sack numbers don't necessarily reflect on the coaching, especially when the left side of the line was suspect from the start.  Sacks do reflect on a lack of talent at certain spots.  It also reflects on receivers getting open, and the QB getting the ball out on time.  Using sack totals as any sort of indictment of a coach is short sighted.

To be clear, I do not indict Marrone with this observation.  I am one of Marrone's staunchest supporters on this board.  I just think the numbers still give me pause when placed in additional context.

 

But heck, if we can somehow master the shotgun snap, we would have cut down the sacks by at least three and the sack yardage by, what, 45 or so?

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