Mile High Report
Well, that was a frustrating game to watch.
Missed opportunities, self-inflicted wounds, and an abysmal bit of officiating spelled disaster for the Denver Broncos on Sunday. But it wasn’t all bad. There were plenty of individual performances that shined through the darkness, and that includes Quinn Meinerz, who should be revered as at least a top-two offensive guard in the league/ I don’t think that he’s number two though.
Let’s wash this bad taste out of our mouths by enjoying the succulent Chinese meal that was Quinn Meinerz against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Broncos had 65 offensive snaps and Meinerz was on the field for all of them. They had 16 designed run plays and 49 designed pass plays.
He had two pancakes and one blown block.
He gave up zero TFLs, zero pressures, one QB hit, and zero sacks.
He did not commit a penalty.
Meinerz finished the game with three “Bad” blocks, two “Meh” blocks, eight “Alright” blocks, 51 “Good” blocks, and one “Great” block. This was good enough for 59.25 points out of a possible 65, or 91.2%.
In run protection he scored 15.25 points out of 16 (95.3%) and in run protection he scored 42 points out of 49 (85.7%).
This was another clean game of football from Quinn Meinerz, and we can add this game to a long list of those he’s had throughout his career. When you watch him play you get the feeling that you’re watching a masterful artist paint. While this art had a few bad strokes interwoven through, the final product was incredibly pleasing to the eyes.
Maybe I’ll stop with all of the metaphors now.
Meinerz was dominant through most of the game, and I can only imagine how much easier he makes life for Luke Wattenberg and Mike McGlinchey. Meinerz does a great job working through his double teams as he gets a big chunk of the defensive tackle, giving ample opportunity for his backside help to get there, and then he quickly makes his way up to the second level, plays with great leverage, and rarely gets shed. And he’s always looking to hit those linebackers with force. He’s not just there to get in front of a guy.
His footwork is nearly unmatched, especially among offensive guards. His pass protection really shows this aspect of his game off, as he is almost never off balance, he’s quick to move back inside when the defensive tackle counters, and his feet are quick and remain wide the length of the block. He gets his first two feet in the ground so quick and that’s also what allows him to dominate in run protection as well.
And besides all of the physical traits that he posses, the mental game might be an even stronger aspect of his. His vision, anticipation of what the defense is going to do, and his patience, particularly on double team blocks, makes what he does look so easy. It’s...
