OL talk, August

InvaderRam wrote:

depending on how noteboom performs this season, i’m hoping he eventually becomes the replacement for whit.

and what better way to transition than to play alongside him for the season.

Yeah, and (small reminder) Whitworth started out playing guard himself. He was drafted in 2006, played a bunch his first 3 years (mostly at guard), but did not become the settled starter at LOT until 2009.

More on Edwards. Today when asked about rookies who stood out, McV mentioned Edwards first:

(On if there are any rookies who jumped out at him during camp)

“I think you’re seeing some of these guys step up. I think (T) David Edwards has really done a nice job up front making an impression, being able to move around. You can just see what a smart player he is.

link: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/mcvay-8-4-transcript-2/

As a former qb then TE, he really does have the physical traits to be a LOT, and as said before he played LOT with the 1s against the Chargers. And here he is learning from Whitworth, whose claim to fame is his technique and smarts.

…

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OL in the Oakland game

1. merlin

People need to remember these are rookies who are learning what they’re doing in the scheme while matching up with a higher level of competition. And then they’re not just playing one position but multiple, which makes it harder. When you’re a rookie lineman in your first NFL game and when your coach is moving you all over the joint on every series, well, it ain’t gonna be perfect. I’m also not worried about the false starts, as that typically happens more often when a player is trying too hard, thrown into a situation he’s not sure about, or outmatched etc. Raiders had some really good linemen in that game too, btw, like Westbrooks for example who is more than capable of giving a rook a whoopin. Raiders have excellent DL depth.

So for me I separate the rooks a bit separately from the other depth guys. After rewatching quite a bit of that game I think both rooks did a good job of knowing the scheme (they seemed to consistently know their assignments), and where they struggled were the areas Kromer is going to work them.

From that perspective starting with Edwards he had a good game. He was thrown in there at LT first series and acquitted himself quite well, didn’t win every snap but he won a lot of them and more importantly looked solid executing scheme (wasn’t confused or lost at all). Edwards was more comfortable on the edge, so I can see why they said he was ahead of Evans thus far. He did some good things in both run and pass and for that reason I think he is going to factor in as primary depth for us this season. At this point it looks to me like Edwards has a chance to be what Boom was last season… First OL off the bench. But I don’t want to get all crazy from one game when there are 3x more for these guys to settle in.

Of the two drafted rookies Evans will require more time to settle in, and that’s fine it’s not like he’s a top 10 pick who is expected to start. Evans looked better on the run execution. He has decent feet, but needs a lot of work vs speed rushers on the edge with that kick slide. The edge guy would just run around him, so that kick slide of his will be something they work on and for now he’ll probably end up as a primary OG type. He looked pretty solid in run action, didn’t dominate but also didn’t whiff on blocks or get trucked.

The veteran depth OL are where there is much more concern.

Demby struggled a bit and it seemed he was uncomfortable on the edge. How that affects his standing on the OL depth chart as far as whether he’s the swing guy, it’s still too early to tell. I think he took a hit last night. And btw I don’t care about the Center mistakes, as he’s not going to be anything other than emergency option there if he makes the roster. The concern with him is his lack of push at OG where he is in competition to be the first guy off the bench.

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2. Wildflecken

The offensive line depth is impressive. Edwards looked very, very solid at LOT. Solid enough for me to believe he will make the final 53 assuming Rams carry 8 lineman. Edwards arrival is going to make the battle for the LOT spot when Whitworth does retire very interesting. Think he is ahead of where Noteboom was at this point of season in 18. hmm

Evans future is not going to be on the left. Struggled with the speed rush when he slid to the left. His future is at ROT or a move inside to OG.

Demby should be camp MVP with the positions he is learning. Far too valuable of a depth talent to not make the 53 this season. There is still some work to be done with his snaps in shotgun when he moves to Center but that is to be expected with his limited time at the position. We need to see how far Demby does come in his development there, but if there is not significant improvement at C from Demby by preseason contest three, I expect Neary back.

Center is far too valuable for the Rams not to have a solid plan behind Allen, so despite his suspension there just may be a spot for Neary after he serves his suspension?

Kolone shined and Rams may carry 2 olineman on PS, including Kolone.

Vincent Bonsignore

from https://theathletic.com/author/vincent-bonsignore/

Offensive linemen

The Rams are set with LT Andrew Whitworth, RT Rob Havenstein, LG Joe Noteboom, C Brian Allen and RG Austin Blythe, but behind them it’s a mix of first- and second-year players with minimal experience. Bobby Evans and David Edwards are a pair of drafted tackle prospects, and both played extensively in the preseason opener while appearing at LT, RT, RG and LG. The plan for both is to spend this year as development players. Jamil Demby, now in his second year, played decently at guard and tackle on Saturday although he struggled with a shotgun snap in a brief appearance at center. He figures to stick on the roster as a versatile backup. Aaron Neary spent last year on the Rams’ practice squad, but his opportunity to win a full-time job was dealt a big blow when he was suspended for the first four games of 2019 for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. His ability to play guard and center should secure a roster spot. Jeremiah Kolone, Brandon Hitner, Vitas Hrynkiewicz, Chandler Brewer and Matt Kaskey still have a chance to impress, but more likely will battle for practice-squad consideration.

The brutal honesty of the Rams’ offensive line training

Vincent Bonsignore

https://theathletic.com/1158689/2019/08/23/youre-going-to-stink-for-a-couple-of-months-the-brutal-honesty-of-the-rams-offensive-line-training/?source=twittered

Right off the bat, Aaron Kromer gives his young apprentices on their first day of work a heads-up that sounds like a bit of a warning bell. After all, it’s not often one of the first things you hear from your new boss is “Oh by the way, there’s a good chance you’re going to stink at this.”

Naturally, the players’ initial reaction is one of confusion. They wonder what they’ve gotten themselves into. What the Rams offensive line coach tells his new pupils next makes all the difference.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Kromer shares those reassuring words to the handful of prospects as they step into his laboratory and immerse themselves in an intense development program designed to push their physical and mental stress levels as far as possible. It requires cross-training at multiple positions along the offensive line and, in some cases, lining up at as many as three different positions during preseason games.

Second-year lineman Jamil Demby and rookie draft picks David Edwards and Bobby Evans have played this game of offensive-line music chairs throughout training camp and the Rams’ first two exhibition games. Edwards and Evans have shuffled between both tackle and guard spots, and Demby has rotated from guard to center to tackle.

To put that in perspective, Edwards and Evans played exclusively at tackle during their careers at Wisconsin and Oklahoma, respectively. And the first time Demby ever executed a shotgun or under-center snap was last spring during OTAs when Kromer told him the Rams wanted to get a look at him at center. Before that, Demby had only played tackle and some guard during his career at Maine and his one season in the NFL.

The shuffling has led to some difficult moments during the preseason, particularly as Demby masters both snap techniques. His shotgun snaps haven’t always been crisp or perfectly on target.

“I think we expect a lot better from him than that, especially when he is playing that center spot,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said of Demby. “Those are things that we know, by design, stress those guys and that is kind of the approach.”

It is all part of the learning curve from trying to master multiple positions.

“Things like that are going to happen,” Demby said. “I’m just going to continue to work and get extra time after practice with the QBs. The consistency is going to come. But the growing pains are going to come along, too.”

There is sound reasoning for the madness. The primary goal is to create as much versatility as possible among the backups since the Rams typically only dress seven linemen on game day. That leaves just two reserves who must be capable of covering five different line positions.

“So they have to be versatile,” Kromer said. “If you’re not Andrew Whitworth, lock-down left tackle — he’s our left tackle and he’s not moving — then the backups have to learn to move.”

Kromer also wants his young linemen to see plays from as many different vantage points as possible in order to understand the objectives of each play as thoroughly as possible.

When a tackle understands the guard’s responsibility on any given play — as well as technique, fundamentals and goals — he’s going to have a better grasp of the actual play itself.

“You have a much better understanding of what’s going on in these plays, and why we’re running them if they’re moving around and playing different spots,” Kromer said. “Because they have to learn more than just, on this play I block the guy to my left and on that play I block the guy to my right.”

“And if you understand one position well, you’ll understand how other positions work,” said Evans, a third-round pick who played right and left tackle with the Sooners but is now cross-training at both guard spots with the Rams.

“I was a little awkward at first because I’d never played it, so I didn’t really understand certain aspects of the guard life,” he added. “But it’s been a pretty smooth transition.”

It can make a guy’s head swim, to be sure, given the tightrope one must walk trying to learn a new position. And it’s not enough just to know the fluctuating responsibilities of each play depending on where you happen to be lined up. It’s executing that responsibility and technique in a way that hopefully prevents your running back from getting blown up behind the line of scrimmage.

The fear and anxiety can be real and potentially debilitating for a young player trying to make an NFL team. And the minute you surrender a tenth of a percent of yourself to that uneasiness, the closer you are to turning one bad play into three or four more awful ones and completely sabotaging your chances of getting better.

Hence, the brutally blunt words from “Professor Kromer” upon plunging the players headfirst into the pressure cooker that is his classroom.

“You’re going to stink for a couple of months. You’re not going to be good,” Kromer said when asked to explain his initial message to his young linemen to The Athletic. “But don’t worry about getting beat. Just worry about trying the technique. Work the technique. Work the play. Understand the play. And do that more than worrying about how many you won or lost right now because that’s not what it’s all about.”

“It’s about getting better,” he added. “And you’re not going to get better by playing it safe.”

For the young offensive linemen, some of whom might get called upon this year to provide coverage in case of injury, Kromer’s words go a long way. And the thankful sigh of relief it induces allows them to play much more free and easy knowing the big-picture goals are much more important than the errors that invariably occur in the short-term.

“What’s great about that is coach Kromer is allowing you to make mistakes, as long as you’re trying the techniques he’s asking you to do, and that’s comforting,” said Edwards, who profiles long-term at tackle but might be needed to play guard if, say, starters Joe Noteboom or Austin Blythe get hurt.

Given the fact that Edwards had played zero snaps at guard prior to getting drafted by the Rams, it was inevitable there would be a major learning curve while cross-training at that position. The most drastic of which is the different pass blocking fundamentals between tackle and guard.

At guard, your blocking assignment is typically lined up right in front of you or shaded slightly to your right or left. Your footwork and aggressiveness reflect the directness of your opponent. At tackle, there is much more space to manipulate with your feet in order to deal with a defensive end or outside linebacker that might be positioned upright or with his hand in the ground and either right on top of you or shaded far wide of you. The technique needed to deal with all those possibilities is much more varied.

The communication with your teammates also fluctuates from tackle to guard, as the tackle has to account for the presence of a tight end while making sure you’re on the same page with him in terms of who to block.

“And even if you have a tight end (alongside) you, if you have a nine technique or whatever, the communication based on the coverage or look or whatever it is, you have to be on, otherwise plays can get blown up,” Edwards said. “And what’s also different is you may get a different front and a different look on back-to-back plays, so the communication has to be perfect and crisp on everything we’re doing.”

Edwards has more than held his own during camp and the preseason, but by no means has he been perfect. Ironically, it’s the mistakes he makes that end up rendering the most useful instruction. Rather than fretting about them — as Kromer warns his students not to do — he learns from them.

And at the NFL level, the teaching is instantaneous.

“The difference between college and pros is you come off the field to the sideline, you have the tablets to immediately see things,” Edwards said. “And it’s four snapshots of a play, so you can get whatever you want. And coach Kromer can look at it and say, ‘Hey, you turned on this.’ Or ‘On your pass set you’re going back, you need to go more at him.’ So it’s real-time feedback as opposed to ‘Here’s what I saw, here’s what happened, I’m explaining it to you.’ We’re able to actually see it in real-time.”

The point is, there will be mistakes. Maybe a lot of them for the time being. But the end usually justifies the means.

“If you played it straight and played a guy at left guard all game, the whole preseason well, he’d be good at left guard. But what if we need him at right guard or center or tackle?” Kromer said. “And many times you move these guys around, it gives them a chance to show they might be better at a position other than the one they’ve been playing their whole lives. You never know until you do it.

“Eventually, we’ll start honing it down. That’s what preseason and practice is for, and then you try to put them in their best spot.”

BonifayRam…

UDFA OC Vitas Hrynkiewicz for the first two preseason gms saw late 4th quarter action @ OC but Kromer did something different last Saturday in gm #3. When Neary went down he sent VH out to play RG with 11 minutes remaining in the gm. I am happy to report that VH made zero mistakes made all his blocks & was able to reach some second level blocks. His passing & run blocking was excellent. But he was going up against the Broncos reserve front seven. But at least you can factually state Vitas performance @ RG was better than Kolone, Demby & Evans. I would imagine that Kromer will play VH a ton in this last preseason game!(y):)

Jamil Demby was crowned the 6th OL’er by the Rams. He was to be the replacement for Austin Blythe. JD has stunk up the playing field @ most positions. His best playing OL post is @ LG. But its not saying much since rookies David Edwards & Chandler Brewer have outplayed JD in this post. This has been our biggest offensive disappointment this preseason.

Snead’s top 2019 draft selection Bobby Evans is behind 3 or 4 of our current reserves & not yet ready for any starting role. It’s my opinion that the Rams thought he would be starting RG material. I am sure the Rams are disappointed at this time in his performance @ RG he has played better @ RT. But again both Edwards & Brewer have outplayed Evans @ RT.

Aaron Neary has a broken left ankle injury & SUP that will keep him out from practicing with the team until October the 5th & longer. Neary can play RG in an emergency, but he is best suited for the reserve center or LG positions

Its very apparent that David Edwards has won the all important 2018 Joe Noteboom swing OT position on the roster. This is very good news & shows us Snead is not losing his touch. Edwards has also played LG very well too. Edwards has secured himself a roster position.

Jeremiah Kolone has been working mainly as the swing OG in TC & pre season. His performance has been fair @ those two OG posts but Kromer has two OL’ers who have outplayed Kolone. JK got lucky with the injury suffered by Neary…… has forced Kromer to insert JK into the important reserve center position. Thus securing him a roster position & a game day reserve. I would preferred to have seen Vitas Hrynkiewicz win this position.

Chandler Brewer has outplayed Kolone, Evans, Demby, Kaskey & Neary @ both OG post in preseason. CB has outplayed Bobby Evans, Jamil Demby & Matt Kaskey @ both OT posts. Who do you think is in the drivers seat to play & START @ the RG post if there is a need?