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A Comparison between Orlando Pace and Matt Kalil

Disclaimer: Please, Please dont kill me. This is only a comparison between two players, both considered the best of their generation.

Pace and Kalil have many things in common. They both play LT, both were(and are) considered the best tackles of their respective generation. They even both wore the same number in college, #75! They do have however, their differences, Pace has gone on to be a future Hall of Famer, and was a vital part of the Greatest Show on Turf, giving Warner the time to throw does beautiful rainbows to Bruce. Matt Kali has so far done nothing.

Pass Blocking

I am comparing both of them purely on their college tape. For Pace, I looked at a short clip of Ohio vs Penn, and for Kalil, USC vs California.

Pace was an amazing pass blocker, and could stonewall an oncoming defender. His footwork was to me, somewhat minimal, where instead he uses pure power, his forte, to stop a defender. This technique however as its problems, where in the highlights he allows one play where the pass rusher ripped pass him. But when the situation requires him to, he will display excellent footwork.

Matt Kalil is the best pass blocker I have ever seen. His footwork is exceptional, and he can totally stop a defender from having a free route to the QB. In the highlights you can see Matt Barkly having total confidence in Kalil, as he pushed a defender down right in front of Barkly. There was one play where Kalil was using his SHOULDER to stop a defender, while being open to another linebacker coming around the edge. Another play one USC player missed his block and Kalil had to choose between who to block. At first I thought he made a mistake by blocking the Pass Rusher who coming around then the one coming directly on to the QB. But the USC blocker who missed the first time, came back to push the defender away. Both these plays shows that Kalil has a great awareness of whats happening around him. During the highlights, he had to face a lot of wide rushers, and he showcases his amazing footwork.

To me, the decision of who the better pass blocker is a tough one, but another point in Kalils favour is that its seems to me that pass rushers now are better then those in Paces day. Pace is still a great pass blocker, but Kalil has the edge.

Run Blocking

This is where Orlando Pace really shines. He loves to floor defenders to the ground, coining the term 'Pancake'. He had the amazing power to just lift a defender of his feet and smash him to the ground. He could open up holes a mile wide, by blocking two or maybe even three guys! There's absolutely nothing for anyone to complain about Pace's run blocking, as Marshall Faulks numbers show.

Kalil is a strange case. He has the frame to be a brilliant run blocker, but ends up being over powered by defenders. You can see him get beat comprehensively by the defender during run plays, where he either gets bull rushed or completely miffs a block. He can pull reasonably well, but should do much better considering his size. The good thing is that he accepts his problems, and may be able to overcome it by working with the staff.

Pace is the clear winner by a couple of miles, in terms of running blocking, while Kalil is pretty poor, but has the frame and potential to become better.

Overall

Overall, Orlando Pace was the better prospect coming out school, considering that running the ball was more important then( but still excelled in a mainly passing offense) and that he was a more well- rounded prospect then Kalil. Kalil's amazing pass blocking will help him do well in his career, but will he ever be great like Orlando? Maybe, maybe not. If he improved his run-blocking, I am sure that he has a chance, but will at the very least be a very well respected tackle around the league. Kalil will certainly help the Rams protect their 50 million dollar investment, Sam Bradford, for years to come.