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Broncos: Players Grades from Win Over Carolina: Offensive Line

By Gordon Trickel

Aug 20, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian (13) looks over center Matt Paradis (61) and tackle Michael Schofield (79) at the line of scrimmage in the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 20, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian (13) looks over center Matt Paradis (61) and tackle Michael Schofield (79) at the line of scrimmage in the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers to kick off the regular season 21-20. With the game over, it is time for the player grades.

With the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers set to have a Superbowl rematch to kickoff the season, there was a lot of hope that it would be a good game, and it didn’t disappoint. Both teams gave it there all and it came down to the final seconds and a Panthers field goal to decide the winner.

Obviously, the Panthers missed that field and lost by one point. Just because they won though, doesn’t mean every Broncos player played a great game. These grades are handed out to give fans a better idea about who and who didn’t.

To hand out these grades, there is a formula that takes everything into consideration. From stats, technique, and doing the right thing. However, stats does not make a players grade. That is how a player with “bad stats” can have a higher grade than someone with “good stats”. Stats can be very misleading, and these grades are to get others to look beyond the stat sheet.

To old readers, welcome back. To new readers, welcome. These grades are ready to be handed out.

Kicking off the grades for the 2016 NFL season will be the offensive line. This was a cause for a lot of worry for many Broncos fans. What was seen in the preseason wasn’t very pretty, but the first unit barely played together. This Panthers game was their first game of more than a few series as a unit. How they played sure didn’t look like it.

The biggest cause for concern was Michael Schofield at right guard. Much of the concern came from a 2015 game where he allowed four sacks to Oakland Raiders defender Khalil Mack. However, his play improved after that and especially for the playoffs.

In the preseason he looked solid at tackle, but his play at guard was much superior, especially when he was tasked of taking on Aaron Donald and that Los Angeles Rams defensive line. Schofield really controlled Donald, and should have eased some concerns there, but it was written off as only preseason.

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The Panthers have one of the best interior defensive line groups in the NFL, and they were going to be a test for Schofield. He answered the call and ended up as not only the highest graded offensive linemen, but highest graded player for the Broncos. Schofield’s grade: 95.9.

He was nearly flawless. There were two mistakes in his game and one of which came from improper blocking assignments. The Panthers had two blitzers showing in the middle, and the blocking assignments were not changed to take care of them. His other mistake was relying on a running back to pick up a late blitzer.

Center Matt Paradis played a really strong game, and make some smart decisions. However, the stronger interior defensive line of the Panthers gave him fits on more than one occasion. It wasn’t a bad game for him, but room for him to improve.

When Paradis is on, he is great. He makes the needed blocks in the run game and in pass protection. On the flip side, when he is off, he is really off. It seemed to change from play to play on what Paradis the Broncos would get. Saying it was a roller coaster night is an understatement and this lead to a measly grade of 63.9. Consistency is necessary at center.

Newly acquired tackles Donald Stephenson and Russell Okung really took advantage of favorable matchups. The Panthers defensive ends are not the best of groups, and really struggled throughout the game. That side, both tackles played really well and pretty even with each other.

Of course, they both made their mistakes, but they were few. When they did make a mistake, the covered excellently to correct their mistake. If they continue to play like this, Denver has themselves a fine pair of tackles. Stephenson had a 91.2 with Okung getting a 91.3 grade.

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Now on to the worst performance of the group, Max Garcia. There has been some questions about Garcia’s fit in the zone blocking offense since he was drafted. After this game, those questions are being raised again. He didn’t seem to have the footwork, athleticism, or agility to play left guard in the scheme.

At the same time, he really struggled with using strength and power on blocks. Garcia is the big reason the Broncos were noticeably worse on the left side than the right side in the run game and in pass protection. It was a tough matchup, but Garcia has to improve from his 39.2 grade. If not, he could be benched in favor of Ty Sambrailo.

Sambrailo has been out with an injury and didn’t play, but he was originally set to be the teams right guard. He saw reps at both guard spots during the offseason. That is what puts Garcia on the hot seat to improve his performances.

Darrion Weems is another player who could take Garcia’s spot, but he will need some practice there first. Weems was  the right guard after Sambrailo got hurt. Then Weems entered concussion protocol and Schofield has cemented that spot for now. Weems played only six snaps against the Panthers, so he doesn’t get a grade. Only players with 10 or more snaps get graded.

Next: Broncos start season off with a Bang

Stay tuned for the next part of the grades, quarterback and the rest of the offense. Trevor Siemian goes under the microscope.

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