Are left tackles overrated?

Who said I was making anything up? All you had to do was ask where my rankings came from.

Again if you look at the title it refers to the left tackle position... and what do we have here? http://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...f-pass-blocking-efficiency-offensive-tackles/

Oh thats the giants tackle being rated as the worst.

awaiting an apology for false accusations...

wait... I thought you dont go by stats?

They're sort of like Corners/Safeties/HBs/Kickers imo, you don't need to overpay for the most "elite" players there if you've got a great QB/Pass Rush, ...really only need a sort of above average Offensiveline and a Great QB imo.

All I know is ... Allen Barber sucked and that first half of 2009 sucked, so idk... a crap tackle can cost you games.

I just thought you would like a stat.

I do owe you somewhat of an apology. It does say in there that he has played guard, so LT is technically not his position.

I figure that it's obvious with the premium that teams put on drafting for pass rushers that protectors have at least as much importance. The reason I think you see more rushers is that it's harder to predict which ones will be special. On the other hand, often tackles are pushed inside if they are not capable for the outside position ala TJ Lang. Good tackles are really special football players.... hard to find and that's why teams draft them so often.
It may not show up in wins the next season but it's a monster comfort for a GM to know you have the next Chad Clifton - very important position taken care of - so you can concentrate on other areas of the team in the next few drafts. If you've got an Aaron Rodgers you sure as heck want to protect the guy. They are the rarest of gems in the NFL.

Left tackles are extremely important to inexperienced and/or mediocre quarterbacks. Great quarterbacks like your Brady's, Mannings, Rodgers, and Brees can compensate. They get the ball out quicker because the recognize defenses better and make faster reads to avoid the exposure of not having a stud LT.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--l...sition.html;_ylt=Anuq.2ic_5gwl_lPcwN2xMBDubYF

just came across this article that was a good read on the topic

Eye opening article Ivo. On the upswing it makes you feel good since we have two potential pro bowl guards. It also explains the 2.5 second clock in practice. It's not a 3 second game anymore.
It would be nice to have a Joe Thomas or Jonathan Ogden but you sure don't need one.

I think the best part of the article was this quote from Chan Gailey "We [all the teams in the NFL] throw about 62 percent of the time right now. It's not just the left tackle you have to worry about now. You have good pass rushers everywhere and the defense isn't just going to leave those guys over on the left side. They're going to put them wherever they think they can get to you fastest. So you better get rid of it fast."

Not many teams have one dominant pass rusher that takes over the game on the outside anymore, and when going up against the elite QB's its often (like the author said) the pressure up the middle that effects him the most.

And overpaid, all you really need is someone just good enough. That is not to say that they are unimportant or that teams don't want an elite one. Poor play from any lineman can result in a sack; however, any boxer worth his salt will tell you that the punch that knocks you out is usually the one you don't see. That's the main concern, if the left guard fails the qb still has peripheral awareness that a threat is coming, the left tackle gives little in the way of such. The risk of injury is much greater if the qb doesn't see the hit coming.