In the NFL, most games can be won in the trenches.
Whether offensively or defensively, linemen can control the game by disrupting offenses or granting playmakers an opportunity to get downfield on the offensive side.
Linemen’s control of the trenches is the reason that NFL insider Mark Schlereth likes the Cleveland Browns’ chances of making the playoffs in 2024.
On the “Afternoon Drive” show on 92.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Schlereth surmised that the Browns are one of the seven best teams in the AFC due to Cleveland’s offensive and defensive lines winning the battles up front.
“Show me the team that wins the line of scrimmage, and I’ll show you a team that’s going to win 80% of its games,” Schlereth said.
Schlereth went on to say that keeping together linemen from both sides of scrimmage after last season’s results – winning 11 games while playing with five different quarterbacks under center – proved his point perfectly.
The insider explained that Cleveland had a chance to be “a dominant football team” this year solely based on the linemen on their roster.
Schlereth noted that he does not look at skilled positions as much because those positions rely on either strong quarterback play or receivers capably catching passes from their signal caller.
Conversely, the offensive line does not rely on other positions and can open up holes for running backs or keep defenders away from their quarterback, Schlereth added.
The insider concluded that the Browns’ latest top draft picks – second-rounder defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. and third-rounder offensive guard Zak Zinter – can have an immediate impact this season for Cleveland.
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