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  By Thomas Kaunzner December 13, 2009 Exclusively provided by CurvSports.com
Content powered by NovaFantasySports.com
Branden Albert
is in his second year as a professional football player. The Kansas City
Chiefs
chose their left tackle as the 15th overall pick in the 2008
NFL
Draft. At first glance, the choice appeared risky because Albert spent
most of
his collegiate career at offensive guard. DBrickashaw Ferguson, now with
the
New York Jets, and Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Eugene Monroe were the
designated left tackles at Virginia, where Branden Albert enjoyed a
3-year
career, entirely as a starter.
Much has been
made recently of the importance of the left tackle position, with some
even arguing
that it is second only to quarterback. Left tackles excel in pass
blocking and
protect the blind side of the quarterback. You could say Branden Albert
is Matt
Cassels bodyguard.
In 2007, one
year before Branden Albert turned pro, the Chiefs allowed 54 sacks. By
contrast, in his rookie year during which he started 15 games, the
Chiefs
allowed only 36 sacks – quite an improvement! In 2009, however, they
are on pace for 55 sacks.
Run blocking is
secondary to pass protection when youre a left tackle, and, not
coincidentally,
the Chiefs tend to run in other directions. As for their running game,
in 2007, the Chiefs averaged 3.3
yards per carry. In Alberts rookie year, the Chiefs averaged 4.8 yards
per
carry, good for second in the league. This season, the Chiefs are down
to 3.7 yards per carry, ranking 29th.
The most plausible explanation is that Tyler Thigpen in 2008 was a far
better
scrambler than Damon Huard in 2007 or Matt Cassel in 2009.
This editorial is exclusive for CurvSports.com in partnership with NovaFantasySports.com
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