The Men Who Make It Happen

Excellent profile of the Seattle offensive line, here.

Some choice excerpts:

• Scouts usually list Hutchinson as the third or fourth best guard in the NFL, with Kansas City’s Will Shields, Pittsburgh’s Alan Faneca, and Carolina’s Mike Wahle joining him on the short list... He didn’t incur a single penalty in 2005: no holding, no false starts, no mistakes whatsoever.
• Tobeck is sometimes called “The Instigator”, and he liked to stir the pot long before he reached the NFL. At Washington State, he roomed with Drew Bledsoe. Their disagreements would sometimes lead to fisticuffs. “I don’t tend to argue much, but he would get me into arguments all the time,” Bledsoe said. “We got into a good argument once. As was usually the case, I was right and he was wrong.”
• Locklear’s emerging skills are evident when you break down the Seahawks rushing stats: Alexander and company are more effective when running to Locklear’s right side (5.22 Adjusted Line Yards off right tackle, 4.71 ALY off right end), than to the left, where the Pro Bowlers play (3.76 ALY off left tackle, 4.21 ALY off left end). Many factors contribute to this unusual split, but Locklear’s play is certainly part of the puzzle.
• Like Tobeck, Gray was a free agent in the offseason but opted to return to Seattle despite offers elsewhere. In mid-November of this year, the guy the Bears released in 1998 started his 100th consecutive game. “He has been the consummate professional since I’ve been here,” Tobeck said of Gray. “He has fought through injuries, he’s always there, he’s reliable. There has been competition for those positions every year and he has always earned it.”
• It happened in Week 12. Walter Jones had a bad day. He allowed two sacks to Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora. He was also whistled for holding; it would be his second and last holding penalty for the year. Reporters surrounded Jones’ locker after the game... Umenyiora’s sacks were news in Seattle because Jones just doesn’t allow sacks. Pro Football Weekly stated that Jones didn’t allow a single sack in the 2004 season. The Tacoma News Tribune reported that Jones hadn’t allowed a sack in 350 pass attempts before the Giants came to town. Defenders rarely have much success against the man PFW says “has the footwork of a ballerina and the strength of an ox.”