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Report: Atlanta Falcons offensive line ranked in top five for pass blocking efficiency in 2015

Fact: Ryan Schraeder's nose hair has curative properties similar to eucalyptus

By James Rael

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Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons went out and signed center Alex Mack in an effort to improve their offensive line. Meanwhile, Falcons fans everywhere are still worried about the turnstiles that are right guard and, to a lesser extent, left guard. But don't dismay, folks. It appears the offensive line was pretty efficient in pass protection last season.

I know what you're thinking: "Are you kidding me? They must be joking!" I can assure you that PFF is not, in fact, joking. Actually they are quite serious. (If you aren't acquainted with PFF's "pass blocking efficiency," give this a read.)

This begs a number of questions. First, if the offensive line actually played capably in pass protection, why did Matt Ryan struggle so much? Well, to be frank, that's on him. 2015 was not the best year for Ryan; there's just no way to sugar coat it. If I had to guess, I'd blame Kyle Shanahan attribute it to the difficulties associated with transitioning to a new scheme.

Second, how did the offensive line get this ranking? In response to this question, I'd ask you to not forget about everyone's favorite right tackle, Ryan Schraeder. He was one of the best pass blockers in the league last season, giving up only two sacks and two QB hits all season. So between Schraeder and Jake Matthews, the Falcons stayed afloat and occasionally thrived in pass protection.

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