Did Money Spent Along The O-Line Equal Performance

In trying to figure out, another way to judge the Bucs offensive line’s performance from a year ago, I decided too look at what each team spent via total salary and cap value on their respective unit’s along the lines. Using USA Today’s Salary Database. Then adding DVOA rankings and team efficiency rankings from Football Outsiders for both run blocking and pass protection to gauge if a team over paid or under paid based on the rankings.

Below is all thirty-two team’s total 2009 salary and cap values along with total offensive DVOA and team efficiency rankings from Football Outsiders. While not an exact science or metric to grade the production of offensive lines it does shed some light on whether a team over spent or under spent or whether or not the collective unit over performed or under performed.

The Bucs spent the second least total salary of any team last year and had the thirteenth lowest cap value. They ranked 26^th in offensive DVOA, were 31st in run blocking and ranked 11^th in pass protection based on Football Outsiders metrics.

Based on a blocking scheme that was switched from a power man scheme, to a zone scheme along with two different offensive coordinators and three quarterbacks being ushered under center not sure anything can be taken from the data other then for the money the Bucs spent, they over achieved as pass protectors and under achieved if you can call it that, with the second lowest total salary pay out as run blockers. But based solely on money spent one could concluded that the team got better then average return on their investment.

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Tagged as: Buccaneers, Bucs, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Bucs