New England Fin said:The Dolphins' sacks allowed rank doesn't tells us much about their o-line last year. There are too many factors that can skew that statistic. Here is a statistic that speaks volumes about the o-line. Ricky was #10 in rushing yards last year. All 9 RBs ahead of him averaged at least 4.4 ypc. Ricky averaged 3.5 ypc. Of the 18 RBs that rushed for 1000 yards in 2003, only Eddie George had a lower ypc (3.3). Ricky and Eddie were the only two with ypc's less than 4.0.
I don't believe Ricky can be blamed for that at all. He did more with less than any RB in the NFL in 2003. If they had a stat for most-times-hit-in-the-backfield I'm sure Ricky would have been the league leader. When you have a stud RB constantly getting hit in the backfield that has to say something about the o-line.
Here's hoping that the 2004 line is significantly better than the 2003 line.
Just for the record, Ricky and Priest Holmes lead the league and shared STUFFS at 43...
Also, stuffs/carry, Ricky = 11% (43/392). He's is tied with S Alexander (Sea), and those worst than them are Q Griffith (Den), W Green (Clev), E George (Ten), B Westbrook (Phi), W Dunn (Atl), and E Smith (Ariz)...
Also got the link to this great stat site:
Sports MY Way