Former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth, now a Fox NFL analyst, believes the NFL has a pass-protection issue.
“Horrible – bad as I’ve ever seen it,” Schlereth said recently on his podcast.
The long-time NFL guard blames the last collective bargaining agreement between the players and the NFL.
“We went through this last collective bargaining agreement,” Schlereth said. “You know how the players are. They can’t hang together. They can’t stand firm. They can’t get more money. So they settle for less time. The equation is that we can’t get more money, so let’s settle for less time.
“And what has it done for you as a player? That is all we can negotiate with is less time. Less time in the facility, less time working on your craft.”
And Schlreth feels that less time on the field in the spring and summer is leading to worse offensive line play.
“How are you going to be good at playing football in pads with hitting and contact, if you never actually work playing football in pads with hitting and contact?” Schlereth asked.
A couple of years ago, the lineman ran into Roger Goodell on the field before a game, and the NFL commissioner asked Schlereth what he thought the league could do to reduce QB injuries.
“I said to Roger – ‘Maybe we should practice – maybe the guys up front that are tasked with protecting quarterbacks, maybe those guys need reps,'” Schlereth said.
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