Arizona Cardinals offseason: Is Bobby Massie poised to become top RT in league?

With all the problems with the offensive line in 2012, there was a bright spot, and it was the second half play of right tackle Bobby Massie. Thrown to the fire from Day 1 when Jeremy Bridges was placed on injured reserve and later waived, it was a story of two halves, going from dreadful to pretty effective.

Pro Football Focus picks him out of all the players that could break out in 2013 and calls him the Cardinals' "Secret Superstar."

To start the year, he gave up pressure on over 14 percent of all his pass protection snaps. However, things changed after Week 8.

Writes PFF:

From Week 8 onward, he had just two games where he finished with an overall negative grade, and just one where he graded negatively as a pass blocker. Suddenly, the player who was allowing pressure on 14.5% of his pass blocking snaps was making pass protection look easy.

In those remaining nine games he allowed more than two total pressures in a single game just once, against the Chicago Bears in Week 16. And what about the 47 total pressures allowed over the first seven weeks? Just 14 from that point on - an incredible turnaround!

His efficiency in the passing game, based only on the latter part of the season, "would have tied him for third place among all offensive tackles.

PFF believes he is "genuinely capable of being considered one of the best right tackles in the league by this time next year."

More experience, improved guard play, running backs that know how to pick up rushers and a quarterback with a reputation for getting ball out of his hands quickly will certainly help.

Before we dub him the next big thing, based on the two extremes we saw last season, the more likely event is that he plays somewhere between the two extremes, and there may some growing pains early, as he is learning a new blocking scheme.

Now, to be clear, I am as optimistic as the next guy about Massie, but to make sure we add at least a small dose of skepticism, it is notable to be reminded that PFF's "Secret Superstar" for the Cardinals in 2012 was David Carter.

How did he do? He logged a whopping 12 tackles on the season. He was more secret than superstar.

Will Massie be the league's top RT by season's end? That would definitely be great for the team.

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