Mason’s Mailbag: How Mike Munchak is already getting results from the offensive line

If you want in on the next Mailbag, leave your questions in the comment section below or tweet them #AskMase!

#AskMase Have you noticed tangible improvements in the Offensive Line’s play after hiring coach Munchak? Is it possible that differences between the Steelers and Broncos offense will prevent him from replicating his success in Pittsburgh?

— Shark NATO (@SharkN8to) November 15, 2019

It is possible, but this is also only the first year. The Steelers’ offensive line improved in 2014, Munchak’s first season there, but it didn’t truly become a dominant unit until the second and third seasons he was on the job.

Also remember that Munchak did an outstanding job in Tennessee, which used a variety of schemes during his time there (including an earlier version of the Broncos’ current offense under the late Mike Heimerdinger, who served two separate stints as the Titans’ offensive coordinator while Munchak was there).

But there is a number that shows how the offensive line is getting better: pressure rate, which is based on pressure numbers collected by Pro Football Focus. Last year, the offensive line was credited with 173 total pressures allowed, or one every 3.87 pass plays. This year, the linemen have been credited with 78 total pressures allowed, a rate of one every 4.38 pass plays.

Individually, the results are mixed. Garett Bolles’ pressure rate has spiked. But Ron Leary’s pressure rate has improved from one every 18.9 pass-protection snaps to one every 28.5, and Connor McGovern’s rate improved from one every 15.5 pass-protection snaps to one every 42.8. Elijah Wilkinson’s pressure rate has also seen a slight bump. Their improvement, as well as the continued blossoming of Dalton Risner, is testament to Munchak’s influence.

Don’t let the struggles of one player overshadow palpable progress across the board.

Outside of QB and OT, which position do you think the Broncos should prioritize in the first round of the 2020 draft? #AskMase

— David Kromelow (@dkrom59) November 16, 2019

If Chris Harris Jr. departs in free agency, cornerback has to be a top priority, although it would rank behind quarterback (if you don’t know that Drew Lock is a viable long-term answer by that point) or offensive tackle.

If Harris stays, you have seen enough from Lock and you’re not going for a left tackle with the initial first-round pick, I’d like to see a trade down, because there is ample depth of prospects on the interior offensive line and at wide receiver. What if moving down a few picks got you Alabama wideout Henry Ruggs (and yes, I know that John Elway has never drafted a Crimson Tide player, but just live in this world with me for a moment) and more draft capital to move back up into Round 1? You could use such capital, along with the second-round pick already on hand, to trade back up into Round 1 and select Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz, if he elects to turn pro.

I’m looking for “all the pasta and meatballs,” in the parlance of Vic Fangio. While this team has fewer needs than it did back in September, thanks in part to the emergence of Alexander Johnson and the development of Davontae Harris as a potential No. 2/3 cornerback, the roster still has plenty of holes. A trade down to accumulate more draft capital to be used between pick 20 and the end of the third day could remain a prudent idea.

#AskMase As someone who has seen a lot of good and bad qb play over the years, what gives you the most hope and also the most doubt that Drew Lock could truly be Denver’s qb of the future? If Lock only gets 3 games this year, how can he keep Elway from drafting a qb in round 1?

— Aaron Wagoner (@YetiRoar) November 15, 2019

The fact that Lock showed appreciable improvement from week to week in each of his preseason performances. The Aaron Rodgers comparison has arisen, in part because the Broncos hoped to get multiple years out of Joe Flacco and give Lock a lengthy incubation, and in part because Lock, like Rodgers, fell in the draft and was picked later than many expected. (Rodgers was the 23rd pick of the first round in 2005.) Rodgers had a 53.1 passer rating and a completion percentage of 54.1 as a rookie in the ’05 preseason. Lock was better in both categories.

What you hope to see from Lock is gradual progress. And that’s why it’s essential to get him on the field at some point before the end of the season, to see if he can make week-to-week adjustments as defenses study his film and adapt to his strengths and weaknesses — and those of the offense as a whole with him at the helm. If he only gets out there for two games at the end of the regular season, the grade will have to be “incomplete” unless he is spectacular, and that might not be enough to cause the Broncos to pass on a QB in Round 1.

The ideal scenario remains for Lock to get enough repetitions to show the can be “the man.” It crosses another need — the biggest one of all — off the Broncos’ still-lengthy shopping list. Otherwise, the Broncos will be rolling the dice on an untested Lock, an early draft pick or a third veteran acquisition in as many offseason.

And finally …

Mase, if you ever find yourself in Omaha, NE, there is a restaurant in downtown called Block 16 that has really good poutine (and one of Alton Brown’s top 5 favorite burgers). I am still searching for poutine (and a burger) as good as they have since I moved back to Denver.

— Phil’s Invisible Tie

I’ll have to try that next time I’m in Omaha — which, by the way, is an underrated gem. I visited there for a couple of days in 2017 prior to the Wisconsin-Nebraska game an hour southwest down I-80 in Lincoln.

Speaking of poutine, I had some for dinner Saturday night at the Northbound Smokehouse and Brewpub in south Minneapolis, just a long Kirk Cousins pass from the 36th Street station on the Twin Cities’ light rail. It was terrific, with a bit of smoked brisket thrown in for some extra flavor.