Top ten offensive lines in NFL history

doubledragon

I was reading an article about the top 10 offensive lines in NFL history, fascinating.

They're the big men up front that keep the quarterback upright and open up holes for the running back. Today, I'm counting down the top 10 offensive lines in the history of the NFL.

They may not have the impressive statistics of skill position players, but offensive linemen are the key to deciding the outcome of a game. The offensive lines on this list all displayed great play against dominating defenses in their era.

1. 1970s Oakland Raiders
2. 1990s Dallas Cowboys
3. 1960s Green Bay Packers
4. Mid '50s Cleveland Browns
5. 1980s Redskins ("The Hogs")
6. Late '80s Houston Oilers
7. Mid '70s Pittsburgh Steelers
8. Mid '70s St. Louis Cardinals
9. Late '90s Denver Broncos
10. Mid '70s Buffalo Bills ("The Electric Company")

dallasactuary

I don't know if they were the greatest O line ever - although I think they were - but the Mid '70s Cardinals should be much higher on that list. I think of the 70s Cards, the 70s Steelers, and the 90s Cowboys as the top 3 - in whatever order - because those teams managed to score points despite having mediocre at best quarterbacks; in the Cardinals case a just plain bad QB.

LandrysFedora

A bit before my time, but that O line of the 60's Packers with their famed power sweep that Hornung ran behind looked like a devastating bunch to me!

Alfonz24

Maybe I read the headline wrong, but I think it was:
The sideline incident occurred during a December 2003 game between the Jets and New England Patriots at Giants Stadium.
In what has since become an infamous moment, an inebriated Namath said to Kolber, “I want to kiss you,” adding that he “couldn’t care less” about what was happening with the Jets team.

Darin

The Chiefs o line was really good from 2001-2005.
They got Willie Roaf from NO and also had Brian Waters and Will Shields plus Casey Wiegman at center.
Priest Holmes rushed for 5482 yards in 4 years with 70 touchdowns.
They pretty much begged Roaf not to retire after 2005 but he did.
Supposedly Ray Lewis said KC’s
offensive line during that time was the best he ever faced.

Darin

@Alfonz24 said:
Maybe I read the headline wrong, but I think it was:
The sideline incident occurred during a December 2003 game between the Jets and New England Patriots at Giants Stadium.
In what has since become an infamous moment, an inebriated Namath said to Kolber, “I want to kiss you,” adding that he “couldn’t care less” about what was happening with the Jets team.

Cool offensive line story. 👏

countdouglas

@Darin said:
The Chiefs o line was really good from 2001-2005.
They got Willie Roaf from NO and also had Brian Waters and Will Shields plus Casey Wiegman at center.
Priest Holmes rushed for 5482 yards in 4 years with 70 touchdowns.
They pretty much begged Roaf not to retire after 2005 but he did.
Supposedly Ray Lewis said KC’s
offensive line during that time was the best he ever faced.

John Tait was part of that line, too. He may not have lived up to the fans' expectations of a #1 pick, but he played quite well, and transitioned from left tackle to right tackle without really missing a beat once the acquisition of Roaf necessitated the move. And Tony Gonzalez is known for catching passes, but he could do the dirty work and block, as well. I don't know where the Chiefs O-line ranks as far as "all-time", but Priest Holmes put up some incredible stats in the early 2000's because of it.