OL Success May Be Closer Than We Think, Part II

By Rafael Vela

K.C. Joyner offers another kernel of optimism for Cowboys fans. In his weekly chat on ESPN Insider (sorry, it’s protected so no link) he was asked where Kyle Kosier rated last year. He said,

“Kosier did surprisingly well in the run metrics. He ranked 17th among guards with 4.6 modified yards per carry (yards per attempt X success percentage). He was 8th in success percentage among guards, so he is quite a solid blocker.”

Understand that Joyner’s metrics only apply to run blocking, not pass blocking. But then, the greatest worry has been that Kosier’s run blocking will pale compared to Larry Allen’s. I seriously doubt Kosier’s pass blocking skills as a guard suffered next to Allen’s, at least not in 2005.

I’m trying to get K.C. to speak to us, so I’m hopeful we can get more information in the next few weeks. I’m also going to make an unsolicited plug for K.C.’s book. Last year’s was impressive. The amount of data he compiled on passing offenses and defenses kept me busy for weeks. This year, he’s added data on the running game, so Scientific Football 2006 should be that much better. It’s not cheap, but there’s nothing else like it on the market.