Is This the End of the Franchise Left Tackle?

April 14, 2016   ·   Ty Schalter   ·   Jump to comments

What do Von Miller, J.J. Watt, Justin Houston and Khalil Mack have in common? You can't protect your quarterback from them with an elite left tackle.
Not just because they're four of the most feared pass-rushers in the NFL, but because they line up on the other side of the field. Three of these explosive sack artists rushed the passer from the offense's right side more often than its left in 2015, per Pro Football Focus, and ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli showed Watt did the same in the 2014 season.
For decades, the left tackle has been the only obstacle between a team's most critical player and its opponent's most dangerous player. But offenses and defenses always adapt and evolve, changing in response to the trends on the other side of the ball.
For years, defenses have moved away from building a pass rush around one primary rusher and toward symmetrical, rotational schemes that involve sending pressure through every gap in the line. Until now, the way teams scout, draft and...

Read Complete Article at Bleacher Report - NFL
Article is property of BleacherReport.com