Yeah, they don't dominate NFL DL's the way Alabama's OL filled with 1st and 2nd round picks dominates a bunch of amateurs from Missouri. Let me know when you find an NFL OL that does that. Maybe Tua can go play there.
This is another thing that kills me. The "fix the OL" crowd. It has been an excuse for every garbage QB that has rolled through here the past 20 years. I am not claiming that we have some incredible OL. But, watch other NFL games. Almost all the OL's struggle these days. I highly suspect it is because of spread offenses being so prevalent at lower levels and linemen just aren't asked to sustain blocks the way they used to be.
At any rate, the line play isn't great. But, its the NFL. The difference in these QBs is who can make plays from time to time when there isn't a clean pocket. All of these guys on NFL rosters can throw up sick numbers if the line does a perfect job on every play. What separates them is who makes more plays when the conditions are tough. It is just like in basketball. Go to an NBA game or even a top level college game. Watch warm ups. Any legit shooter will stroke 3s in warm ups. With no one guarding them they can hit like 95%. They're pros. They shoot all the time. The difference is who can drain the clutch ones with someone guarding them. Who can drain one in someone's eye. Who has the special skill set. Who has the quick release like Reggie Miller to rise up with a man right on him and BANG, nail the clutch shot.
A perfect example of this that comes to mind is just last week at Hard Rock Stadium. I'm sitting there watching so I thought of this play as an example. Go check that final drive, the game winner, that Matt Ryan produced. Check that throw down the sideline to that stud TE they drafted. Now, it is a great catch, but it is also an absolute dime of a throw. What is most impressive about it is that the throw was executed by Ryan as he back pedals and has a defender right in his face. And this wasn't a case where he held the ball and the pocket broke down or he scrambled into pressure the way a lot of QBs do these days. No. This was a free rusher came right in as soon as it was snapped. Ryan drops and absolute dime, 30 yards down the sideline, to lead the game winning drive. Clutch and right in a guy's eye. It was right in a couple of poster's mouths.
Tua's rating under pressure is a big problem. You cannot expect clean pockets for multiple seconds very often in the NFL. You have to have a QB who can make a play every now and then.
When we get a real QB, the OL will magically be "fixed" and we won't hear much from the "fix the OL" crowd. You get the QB first, then you tailor the OL and the rest of your offense to his abilities. We still don't have the QB. 20+ years and counting.
