You guys obviously pay closer attention to your line than I do but it stands to reason that the middle of your line is a little soft in pass protection. Correct me if I'm wrong but the Texans use a zone blocking scheme, similar to what the Broncos use. The OL is full of players that are more athlete than beast. Athleticsm is more important b/c they have to do two things. Get around a defender and block down hill and then get to the 2nd level and pick up a LB or DB. You've been having success in the running game from a grand total production standpoint. You struggle in short yardage situations with the running game though, which is another by-product of the smaller O-line. I guess what I'm trying to say is you will continue to have problems with both pass protection and short yardage running. That is why Shanny has become known as the mastermind. His innovative passing game allows us to utilize the smaller more athletic lineman and still remain productive and secure. By secure I mean offsetting the pressure. I believe Plummer was sacked 17 times last year. Two teams I believe had less sacks. If we were to ask Plummer to sit in a pocket every passing play I'd venture to say that # would be up in the 40s easily! To sum this up, you have to be a little more inovative with your plays. If Palmer were to install a few more bootlegs that alone would slow the pass rush. Carr has the ability to move outside the hashes and typically it's easier for a QB to make a decision out there b/c he can throw it away without penalty b/c he's outside the OT. Anyhow, I'm rambling on and on. Just wanted you guys to know that you do have a good OL they're just not being utilized properly in the passing game and don't expect to have any of your RB's be really solid in 3rd and short situations.
I'm not saying this is for the sure the reason of you struggles as I'm not real sure what your C and OG's size is but I'm guessing they're probably real close to be 300 lbs at best. Hope it works out for you all!
