Why Ronald Leary should absolutely stay on the right side

There’s been lots of talk this offseason about who the two starting guards for the Denver Broncos will be.

As the offseason began, it seemed as if former Dallas Cowboy and big free agent acquisition Ronald Leary would stay on the left side, where he’s played his entire NFL career, thus shifting Max Garcia to the right – the spot formerly held by Michael Schofield.

As things have progressed, Leary’s been moved to the more coveted right side, and that’s exactly where he should be. While Garcia is battling to stay in the starting lineup with the newest member of the line, Allen Barbre, now challenging him for the LG spot.

Right versus left guard isn’t a matter of preference or comfort, it’s a matter of value and importance to the scheme, and no matter how the battle with Garcia and Barbre ends, Leary should only play on the right side if the Broncos are going to get their money’s worth.

Allow me to explain.

They don’t call it the strong-side for nothin’

The right guard spot is simply a harder position to play. The responsibilities in the run game are greater as teams are more likely to run to the strong side of the formation and it also requires more one-on-one blocking responsibilities.

This is particularly taxing for players pass protecting in today’s NFL, as pass rushing ace five-techniques (defensive ends in a three-man front) or penetrating three-techniques (the defensive tackle playing opposite the nose in a four-man front) are often lined up across the RG and ready to wreck havoc.

In comparison, a left guard has much more help from the center and doesn’t have nearly as tough a job. It could be argued that with the “death of the blind side” in modern football, that transitioning from right to left guard is even harder now than it is at tackle.

Former NFL offensive lineman Russ Tucker explained it this way in a 2008 piece in Sports Illustrated, saying this when talking about the toughest interior O-line position:

“Without question the most difficult of the interior line positions, right guards are most likely to be left one-on-one with an elite inside rusher. The predominance of teams to slide their center to the left to protect the quarterback’s blind side creates a greater value for the right guard position. Fourteen-year veteran Todd Steussie, currently available on the free agent market, says, “Right guard is definitely harder than left guard.” Recently-retired lineman Todd Fordham, a 10-year NFL vet, agreed: “The left guard always has help.”

Former NFL scout and current NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks echoed those same sentiments when ranking the most valuable positions in football, listing right guard no. 15 while left guard was the second-least valuable position on offense in front of only a team’s third-receiver.

Comfort has nothing to do with this folks; it’s all about value on the football field and on the books, which is especially pertinent considering Leary’s substantial contract.

The pay scale difference between RG’s and LG’s is noticeable

This doesn’t just end with scheme, as right guards are literally much more valuable than left guards in the NFL and there’s no greater proof of that than in the diverging salary gaps for the two positions.

Just by comparison; the leagues’ top 20 RG’s make roughly a total of $145.25 million annually (per average yearly salary) while the top 20 LG’s, make $104.9 in annual average salaries. The gap should be even greater if some of the top left guards weren’t simply glorified right guards playing on the left side because their team already has invested heavily at the other guard position.

The top two highest paid blockers on the left are Oakland’s Kelechi Osemele – who is paid that much in part because he can also play tackle at a high level – and the Cleveland Browns Joel Bitonio. The Raiders and Browns are the only two teams to have both guards on their rosters earning more than $11 million a year. By comparison, the Broncos only offensive player earning more than the Raiders two guards is Demaryius Thomas.

Leary is the seventh highest paid right guard in the NFL – assuming he stays on that side – and the night highest paid guard, period. Make no mistake he should be playing on the right side if he’s to truly earn that kind of pay.

This phenomenon isn’t exclusive to free agency as almost all the top drafted guards in the last several years are all playing on the right side as well. That should increase the difference in yearly earnings between the two positions in the near future once first rounders like Zack Martin and Brandon Scherff are eligible for big raises.

Garett Bolles doesn’t need a babysitter

One of the few arguments you could make for Leary starting at left guard instead of on the right side would be to help in protecting and aiding first round rookie Garett Bolles.

In Bolles’ one season of major college football at Utah, he had the Utes best guard on the left side next to him,  Isaac Asiata. This was scheme based as the Utes like to use lots of pulls from their left side going to the right, thus manipulating running lanes.

These types of concepts are fairly similar to what Gary Kubiak would have used in his offense, a scheme that Mike McCoy has used to some extent in the past. With McCoy and Bill Musgrave now running the show, Denver’s much more likely to implement a power scheme, in which the strong side (the right side) is much more important.

This isn’t to discount the left guard position, by any means, which will still require athleticism as lots of bubble screens and outside pulls should be used on that side, all concepts that Bolles fits perfectly. Giving the rook a partner who can equally dominate on the move would also be important, but that’s not Leary. The former Memphis man is all about power and his skills belong on the right side.

So don’t let anyone tell you it’s just a matter of preference or comfort. Not even the players themselves. If Leary is going to live up to his big contract, his only place is at right guard.