2008 NFL Offensive Line Rankings

While virtually no fantasy leagues draft o-lineman, the state of a team's offensive line can be a huge indicator for what to expect from a team's offense.

1. New England
   In 2007, the Patriots broke all sorts of offensive records and led the league in many categories. None of that could have been possible without a fantastic OL. The Pats led the league in total yards, passing yards, were 5th in sacks allowed and 13th in rushing yards. With no lineman older then 31, there's no reason to think they won't hold up again this year.
2. Green Bay
   In Brett Favre's last season, the Packers had the 2nd best offense in the NFL. They were 2nd in total yards and passing yards, they ranked 13th in yards per carry, and only gave up 19 sacks (tied for 3rd in the NFL). They have a good mix of veteran and young lineman, which will be a big help with new starter Aaron Rogers.
3. Dallas
   The additions of Leonard Davis and Kyle Kosier to the Cowboy's OL helped it become one of the best in the NFL. They ranked #3 in yards per game, #3 in passing yards, #2 in passing touchdowns, #10 in yards per carry and #10 in rushing touchdowns. With a veteran group all coming back again this season, there is no reason to see a fall off from last year's stats.
4. New Orleans
   The past 2 years the Saints have had one of the best offenses in the NFL, and a lot of that is because of the good play of the OL. With injuries to Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, the Saints' offense wasn't really balanced -- which would explain why they led the NFL in passing attempts by a wide margin (62 attempts). The most telling stat was that even while leading the NFL in passing attempts, they gave up the least amount of sacks in the league (16). The Saints' offense was 4th in the NFL, 3rd in passing yards and in the top 10 in both passing and rushing touchdowns.
5. Cleveland
   Not only did the Brows have one of the best offenses in the league, it was a well balanced attack. The additions of Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach helped make this unit one of the best in the league. The Browns' offense was 8th in total yards, 12th in passing yards, 10th in rushing yards, 6th in yards per carry, and tied for 3rd in least amount of sacks given up. With another year together, this unit should only get better.
6. Indianapolis
   As always, the Colts' offense was one of the better ones in the league and couldn't have been that good without the help of its great offensive line. The Colts ranked 5th in total yards, 6th in passing yards and 18th in rushing yards -- not to mention being ranked 7th in the league in sacks allowed (23) and (most significantly) finished tied for 2nd in rushing touchdowns with 19.
7. Jacksonville
   The Jags have one of the most underrated offensives lines in the league, which gets very little respect for the numbers they put up. The Jags don't have a fully balanced offensive attack because they have such a strong running game, finishing 2nd overall in total rushing yards, tied for 3rd in yards per carry, and 4th in rushing touchdowns. The passing game wasn't as good, but still finished in the top half of the league in touchdown passes with 28 and sacks allowed with 31; that probably has more to do with a lack of wide receivers, than because of poor line play.
8. Philadelphia
   The Eagles had one of the more balanced attacks in the league and there is no reason that won't be the case again this season. Philadelphia finished 6th in total yards gained, 8th in total rushing yards, 10th in total passing yards, 12th in passing touchdowns, and (most significantly) they finished 2nd in yards per carry at 4.7. The only area of concern is that they gave the up the 5th most sacks, with about a 1/5 of them coming vs. the Giants early on in the season. Look for the Eagles to work on that area and come back strong this year.
9. Minnesota
   Minnesota had the best running game in the NFL and one of the worst passing games in the league, finishing 28th in total passing yards and tied for the 2nd lowest amount of TD passes with 12. Running behind Matt Birk, Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson, the Vikings led the league in all the major rushing categories. They led the league in rushing yards, yards per carry, and rushing touchdowns. With better play at the quarterback position, they might be able to put up better numbers in the passing game.
10. San Diego
    While the Chargers didn't have many big names on the o-line, they were once again very effective. As it has been the past many years, San Diego put up great numbers running the ball, while still putting up solid numbers in the passing game. The Chargers' o-line was a big reason that the team finished tied for 2nd in rushing touchdowns, 7th in the league in rushing yards and yards per carry, 8th in sacks allowed, and 15th in TD passes -- while being only 26th in pass attempts. They have been together for a few years and work very well together.
11. Denver
    The Broncos have had a solid offense for many years now, led by a very underrated o-line. Last year was much of the same, even though they dealt with some changes at the skill positions. They finished 9th in rushing, 5th in yards per carry (but could only score 10 rushing touchdowns, which was good enough for only 20th in the league). The passing game was solid, finishing 13th in passing yards and 16th in TD passes and sacks allowed. Expect much of the same.