http://host.madison.com/app/interactive/sacktracker/

Very interesting. Take away the Bear game and only 2 sacks are from the D line. Teams do not have to blitz and can give help coverage underneath

That what makes the problem even worse. AR is at least decent at getting the ball out during a blitz, problem is team are getting to him while also having a full arsenal of pass defenders to cover.

Wow, that really makes me sick.

And not even a handful of those are Rodgers' fault. This is a championship-caliber offense that's being held back.

It's amazing that standard four man fronts are absolutely murdering our offensive line, and we can't get any running game at all - and yet still Rodgers has found a way to be very successful. It's impressive.

Yeah. The best that can be said about the offensive line is that it is showing us just how tough and good our QB is. Give him a line and a running game and he should be an excellent leader.

The sack tracker graphic is an excellent indicator of what is going on. It doesn't show pressures, but even so it shows enough to be very interesting, especially as you can switch tabs on and off, for each opponent.

Most sacks seem to involve the tackles being beaten, The left side (LT) has given up more than twice as much as the right side (RT) has. Most of the LT side sacks stem from two games against the Bengals and Vikes. I will be very interested to see what the graphic shows at LT, after a few more games with Lang in as starter. I'd love to see Lang hold up at LT. If he can overcome limitations like not having very long arms, and show he has quick enough footwork, then it would allow a much greater freedom in making first and second round draft picks in 2010.

And it ain't gonna get any better folks!

It's interesting that Barbre got eaten early, but based on this chart alone, he hasn't been beaten as badly on outside rushes or straight DE rushes.

Using this chart, he wasn't beaten for any blitzes versus Cinci; Rams he got beat once and a 2nd time on a long play; Minne beat once and a 2nd time on a long play; Lions once on a blitz mixup.

I don't know if he's maybe getting more help than you'd like, but it doesn't appear that he's been that bad lately, at least if the pass gets out within 3.5 seconds or so.

Is that right?

I do understand that the left side might not be giving up so many if Barbre was able to keep his end of the pocket from closing in. If Rodgers had a little more space to roll or escape to the right, some of those Colledge-side sacks might take longer or be avoided altogether.

And I do understand that getting mixed up on who to block is a big problem, and if Barbre is just never smart enough to figure that out, and defenses can just always confuse him, that can be a big problem.

But is it possible that he might settle in and establish himself as a merely mediocre RT, rather than a horrific one?

It's also interesting that according to that chart, Sitton hasn't allowed a single sack. The only arrow on that chart for the first week that goes on either side of RG is from the Detroit game, and the little descriptor reports that as involving middle blitzers and then Barbre letting the end go through, not Sitton.

Might it be that Sitton is going to be OK, at least in terms of pass-blocking?

Also seems that the bulk of the sacks, using that chart, tend to follow Clifton and Colledge. But it's not only Colledge at LT, it seems there are a lot of arrows flowing around him at LG as well.

I know Patty and Bruce were buzzed about Colledge as a left guard and potential pro bowler. And the Packers ranked him as the best of their linemen last year.

But I wonder if he hasn't regressed some this year (perhaps relating to having gotten hurt earlier, perhaps not). Or perhaps that's just a testament to how bad are linemen were last year too: being the best of a batch of lousy linemen doesn't mean you're actually any good. (The same was the case for Spitz two years ago: they said he ranked out as the best, but in retrospect we know it's not that he's especially good. It's just that the others, Colledge and Clifton and Tauscher included, ranked worse.)

I went through all of them and came up with these numbers:

Left side; outside of the tackle: 11.5 sacks
Left; inside tackle: 6.0 sacks
Right; inside: 1.0
Right; outside: 6.5

On 7 of the 25 sacks Rodgers could have thrown the ball away.
10.5 of the 11.5 sacks outside LT came in 2 games (CIN and @Min)
Despite all of the Barbre bashing, 70% of the sacks came from the left side, with the LT being partially or solely responsible for ~3/4 of those.

Bottom Line: We desperately need an LT. That one change could cut the sack total a good three quarters. I think Colledge COULD be a Pro Bowler IF he had a decent guy outside of him. He would definitely look better than he does now. Spitz and Sitton seem decent; I didn't see their names too often. Barbre has been bad so far, but his numbers are trending downward. I'm not willing to give up on him quite yet. His development, as well as Lang's at LT, will be a key thing to watch over the rest of the season. I would draft an LT even if Lang pans out. Overall though, I see hope for this line. The interior is solid enough and I can see Barbre improving to the point of at least being acceptable. We are only an LT away from being truly unstoppable.

Great analysis KC!

Question. If Lang does work at LT, does Clifton retire this year, or does he come back as a quality vet backup?

I agree we still need to draft a LT this year, and I would add another G for depth. And no more projects. Someone who can play year 1 if needed.