Rams OL thread … starting after Vikes game

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Los Angeles Rams’s Justin Dedich Makes Second Career Start vs. Minnesota Vikings
Former USC Trojans and current Los Angeles Rams guard Justin Dedich’s story is a testament to hard work and willpower. The 6-2, 300-pound undrafted free agent made his second career start against the Minnesota Vikings.

https://www.si.com/college/usc/football/los-angeles-rams-justin-dedich-makes-second-career-start-vs-minnesota-vikings-usc-trojans

Justin Dedich’s path to the National Football League was not linear. The former USC Trojan offensive lineman spent six years in college and played multiple positions along the offensive front. He ultimately ended his Trojan career at the center spot in front of Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams for USC coach Lincoln Riley’s offense. Dedich played in 47 games during his Trojan career and started 33 of those contests.

Dedich waited his turn for three seasons before becoming a full-time contributor at the University of Southern California and four seasons before becoming a full-time starter. Dedich was impactful when he got his opportunity not only as a player but as a leader. Dedich earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 three times and was also named a third-team All-American by Pro Football Focus.

“Justin is one of the hardest-working guys I’ve ever been around. He’s a player who can help you at center and guard, lives in the weight room, and does whatever he’s asked to do for the team. Justin is a true throwback player,” said former USC Trojan teammate Trevor Trout.

At 6-2, 300 pounds, Dedich lacks the ideal size desired for any position along the offensive line at the NFL level. The natural size factor, along with being a 24-year-old rookie, are two of the main reasons Dedich went undrafted this past April during the 2024 NFL Draft. He was, however, fortunate enough to sign an undrafted free agent deal with the Los Angeles Rams and earn a shot to make the 53-man roster.

Dedich made it through the first rounds of cuts but would eventually be released by the Rams during the final cut. The bright side is that he was brought back to the team the very next day as a member of the practice squad. Earning the opportunity to make the team was already a long shot that came to fruition, but making the practice squad was truly improbable for Dedich.

The Los Angeles Rams are a well-known team coming off a season where they made the playoffs and nearly won that postseason matchup. Being a part of any team in the NFL is a major achievement, but adding to a franchise like the Rams is an accomplishment to write home about. Dedich had made it, but little did he know what was in store. After a few injuries along the offensive line, Dedich found himself thrust into action.

Last weekend against the Raiders, the 24-year-old undrafted rookie made his first start in the NFL at the guard position, just the sixth game of the season. How did he do? Fantastic. For an undersized rookie guard, expectations might be low, but the Rams had faith in him for a reason. He’s young, but he’s played a lot of football. He’s smart, durable, and tough. Those traits helped Dedich excel in pass production, where he didn’t allow a sack or pressure on 24 true dropbacks.

Dedich made his second start against the Vikings on Thursday Night Football and once again flashed. Dedich was physical at the point of attack, sturdy in pass protection, and wasn’t called for any penalties. He’s more than outperformed any realistic expectations that could’ve been placed upon him so far. The Rams may have found a true diamond in the rough in the most unconventional package possible.

“Justin was a prime example of consistency combined with hard work on tape and doing things the right way, and we at TEST expected his growth to continue into his journey in the NFL despite any qualms about his size. He worked extremely hard in his tenure with us and also at USC. We knew once he got his opportunity to showcase his talent and dedication to the craft of being an every down OL that teams would take notice,” said director of scouting at TEST and East-West Shrine Bowl scout Joe Rozell.

Dedich is still writing his own story, and this very well could just be the beginning, but he’s already defied the odds, and that’s a beautiful thing.

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I’ve beat this drum before but get ready cause I’m gonna beat it some more.

Rams scored big when they signed OL coach Ryan Wendell.

Look at the OL against the Vikes. They have 2 rookie injury replacements, 1 a 6th round pick and 1 a UDFA. But they allowed no sacks against the Vikes, who coming in were 3rd in the league in sacks and 4th in pressure percentage. Plus the Rams could run the ball.

That OL currently consists of 2 UDFAs, including the LOT, plus a 4th rounder and a 6th rounder, with Hav being the one high pick (2nd rounder). When Avila gets back it will be 2 2nd rounders.

Jackson is playing great at LOT, and you just virtually never see a team starting a UDFA at LOT.

You don’t make a good OL out of nothing that way unless you have a top OL coach.

Rams have had a long line of good OL coaches (Hanifan, Boudreau, Kromer) but here’s the thing–Wendell not only fields effective units, he finds the players too (OL coaches have huge input in who gets signed or drafted to the unit). The other Rams OL coaches could field effective units when healthy but they were not as good at finding draft picks and UDFAs. Wendell is superb at that–which we can safely say after just 2 years of him on the job.

And you know what’s great? OL coaches usually do not get promoted and leave–they tend not to become offensive coordinators and/or head coaches. So they can last for years on your coaching staff.

 

[Zooey]

I am pleased to read about Dedich. I am not an OL-watcher, particularly. I focus on the skill players when watching, and I notice OL work only when it’s right in front of my face, or on replays.

But Dedich looked overmatched to me against the Raiders. I noticed him only 2 or 3 times, and those were the times when he whiffed a block, or got overpowered. So I thought, you know, “UDFA, everybody’s hurt, whattaya gonna do?” But after the Raiders game, I saw his name listed as one of the higher-rated Rams for the game, and now this praise after the Vikings game (during which I didn’t really notice him one way or another, particularly).

Limmer certainly had a rough patch last night, but appears to me to be holding up pretty well for a rookie Center. That’s not a position where rookies frequently excel, but he seems to be doing okay. I think that Delay of Game was on him, and he had a couple of other lapses.

It’s nice to have depth on the OL. Those of us who still bear scars from previous years of OL catastrophe will welcome all of this, and cheer even louder when Avila and Jackson come back in a couple of weeks.

[wv]

Well, the Oline looked pretty awful (i thot) against the Bears.   Who was the weak link against the Bears?

 

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[InvaderRam]

zn wrote:

Wendell not only fields effective units, he finds the players too (OL coaches have huge input in who gets signed or drafted to the unit).

 

yeah. i wouldn’t necessarily say he makes something out of nothing. the rams and wendell are finding the right guys too.

 

just an amazing job he’s doing. i thought injuries would derail this team. and they have. but the rams might still be able to get out of this and make a run? i don’t know but if they do, significant credit will have to be given to wendell.

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wv wrote:

Well, the Oline looked pretty awful (i thot) against the Bears.   Who was the weak link against the Bears?

That was before the bye and here was the problem. They didn’t have their receivers, so the offense was hamstrung. Same against the Raiders last week except they managed to win that one.

Also, over the bye they benched Bruss for Dedich.

And here’s the difference. The Bears are 7th in the league in pressure percentage and got 25% pressure in that game (according to PFR). The Vikes are 3rd in the league in pressure percentage and got less than 12% (though we don’t have official stats up yet at PFR on that.) That difference stands out. (Added by edit: here’s Rodrigue on pressures allowed in that game: “The Rams only allowed four pressures the entire game, according to Next Gen Stats. Matthew Stafford was not sacked.” I don’t know how PFR stats will differ on that.)

So yes the OL improved after the bye–odds are that came from the coaches reviewing film and taking the chance to adjust and tighten things up–and getting the receivers back made the offense harder to defend in general. Apparently replacing Bruss with Dedich also fixes a weak spot.

It’s the same as last year. Last year, they re-grouped at the bye after a tough start and came out both healthier and stronger overall as an offense.

It helps that the defense is improving bit by bit too, and that a new first-time coordinator is figuring out what he has and how to use it, while at the same time young players are improving game by game.

Seattle will be a test. They are first in the league in pressure percentage.

 

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zn wrote:

he Vikes are 3rd in the league in pressure percentage and got less than 12% (though we don’t have official stats up yet at PFR on that.) That difference stands out. (Added by edit: here’s Rodrigue on pressures allowed in that game: “The Rams only allowed four pressures the entire game, according to Next Gen Stats. Matthew Stafford was not sacked.” I don’t know how PFR stats will differ on that.)

Well PFR boxscore stats on pressures in a game are in now for the Rams/Vikes game.

It was less than 12% according to PFR.

There were 4 pressures on Stafford, which amounted to 11.8%. (Rams in contrast pressured Darnold at a rate of 37.9%).

Before the game the Vikes were 3rd in the league in defensive pressure percentage. After the Rams game, they are still 3rd in the league at 30.2%.

If the Vikes got pressure at an 11.8% rate in all 7 games, they would rank 32nd in the league. That’s how low 11.8% is. In fact the current worst team in the league in terms of pressure percentage, Carolina, averages 12.4%.

And like I said the Rams pressure rate against the Vikes was 37.9%. If they got that pressure rate every game across 7 games, they would rank 1st in the league by a substantial margin.

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Justin Dedich … gives the 3-tech the stop sign (long arm), does not let the defender's swipe ruin the rep, stay balanced then close by shoving pic.twitter.com/GPpmFrEdwY

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) October 28, 2024

,

Justin Dedich fights of bull rush, keeps balance after being off the ground, but showing this because of the Deacon Jones headslap by DLman then good footwork pic.twitter.com/ebbI85L8ez

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) October 28, 2024

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the 3-tech has leverage on Justin Dedich — uses left arm pillar to keep 52's momentum going

There is no way 52 should have lost this rep, but he did. Dedich didn't let him fall back pic.twitter.com/CPpNwJNzYc

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) October 28, 2024

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Brandom Thorne, I think, posted this … I am just getting to it.

Justin Dedich throws double arrows under the DT armpit, and torque him the way the DT wanted to go, then takes to ground

watch feet = foot fire pic.twitter.com/IBW5AzSJzc

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) October 28, 2024

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Los Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR

OL Beaux Limmer (@beaux_knows_) and OL Justin Dedich (@Justin_BigDaddy) have not given up a sack in a combined 283 pass blocking snaps so far this season.

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Not comparing myself to Rodrigue. 😎 Just trying to get a lot of details into one post.

zn wrote:

Before the bye, their pressure allowed rate averaged out to 29.1%.

After the bye, it’s 10.05%.

There’s a lot of factors in that.

* stabilizing the OL, including replacing Bruss with Dedich

* getting Kupp and Nacua back

* defensive improvement, which obviously helps the offense

* the Rams just have a knack for self-scouting and adjusting at the bye…it’s a McVay thing.

Me: This was especially notable against Minn, which even after the Rams game is 1st in the league in defensive pressure rate at 30.2%.

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Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Before the bye, Matthew Stafford was pressured 65 times and sacked 16. In two games after – against tough defenses – he was pressured just 13 times and sacked once.

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Led by Rob Havenstein, Rams O-line finding identity despite injuries, adversity

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5880436/2024/10/29/rams-offensive-line-improvement-havenstein/?source=emp_shared_article

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Los Angeles Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein sank into his chair in the locker room Thursday at SoFi Stadium after helping to beat the Minnesota Vikings 30-20. It was the second of two physical, intense games against strong defensive lines in just five days and Havenstein was exhausted.

He was also beaming.

The veteran right tackle and team captain could hardly walk to the adjacent sports medical room to get postgame treatment after Sunday’s 20-15 win over Las Vegas without a cushion supporting his feet. That game, Havenstein and a cobbled-together cast of linemen that currently includes a rookie center and undrafted free agent rookie left guard, kept game-wrecking star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby from doing just that. The offensive line allowed only five pressures on quarterback Matthew Stafford, and one sack. Havenstein, who drew Crosby’s rush frequently, allowed only one pressure.

Four days later against Minnesota, Havenstein allowed just one additional pressure in a game against the typically assertive, pressure-diverse Vikings front (the Rams allowed eight total pressures, inclusive to skill players assigned to blitzes according to TruMedia). Stafford wasn’t sacked once.

So Havenstein hobbled to his chair after the celebrations were over, after the miles of athletic tape holding together his ankle joints were cut and peeled away from his cleats and calves, and sank into it. He started chugging bottles of Gatorade — Havenstein had gotten a not-so-subtle compliment of his play from the NFL. A notice for a drug test was posted inside his locker and he was too dehydrated to take it just yet.

“It wasn’t easy sledding out there, by any means,” Havenstein said. “I thought we had a really good focus on what we wanted to do, how we wanted to attack. … (and) we’re taking as much (time) as we can — for as many minutes of the meetings as we have, even — turning our bodies over and trying to get ready for a Thursday Night Football game which is not the easiest thing to do.”

Of anybody, Havenstein knew the stakes entering the two-game week because he has seen rosters change dramatically over the years. He is 32, and the last player left from the Rams’ St. Louis days. Even the Rams’ Super Bowl roster of the 2021 season has turned over dramatically, with Havenstein one of its few remaining members. The Rams entered Week 7 with a 1-4 record. Any more losing, and there was a real possibility changes would be made to a roster with one foot into its new era — young drafted players developing into key starters — and one foot still in its previous iteration.

Winning on Thursday felt significant for that reason, but it also indicated a shift toward better football. Getting star receiver Cooper Kupp and second-year receiver Puka Nacua back in the lineup after their respective injuries obviously helped, not just to impact the passing game but as blockers in the run game and in pass protection.

It also was the best eight quarters the offensive line has played this season.

Injuries at the position compounded immediately as the season began and impacted the quality of football the Rams played (not having Kupp or Nacua obviously did, too). Havenstein, battling an ankle injury that kept him out of most of training camp, missed Week 1. Then he anchored a front that initially was without starting left tackle Alaric Jackson (suspension) and soon lost starting left guard Steve Avila (knee) and center Jonah Jackson (shoulder). Right guard Kevin Dotson, who pushed through a toe injury early in the year, has been the other stalwart of the offensive line and it was a quiet relief for such an embattled position group that he and Havenstein play next to each other.

Ahead of the Week 6 bye, Stafford had been sacked 16 times (the fifth-most in the NFL through that span) and pressured 65 times (seventh-most).

Havenstein met with head coach Sean McVay before players took their break to talk through adjustments.

“We were kind of looking for some different answers,” McVay said, “and just seeing the way that he pours into guys and some of the input he was able to give to me that we’ve tried to have be reflected in the way that we’ve approached certain things, I certainly think it’s helped.”

Minus Avila (who McVay said Monday may not yet be ready to return), the Rams had 2022 third-round pick Logan Bruss at left guard from Weeks 3 through 5. After the bye, they started undrafted free-agent rookie Justin Dedich there in Weeks 7 and 8. Dedich could potentially keep the role until Avila returns, even with veteran depth lineman Joe Noteboom likely getting back this week after an injured reserve stint.

“I’ve been really pleased. I think (Dedich has) done an excellent job each of the last two weeks starting against the Raiders and the Vikings, two really formidable defenses,” McVay said. “You know what a big deal it is to me, especially as it relates to those guys up front to establish a rapport with one another.”

Beaux Limmer, a sixth-round pick last spring, has started at center since substituting in during the Rams’ Week 1 overtime loss to Detroit.

“He’s getting better and better. I think he’s getting more comfortable and confident with his rapport with (Stafford) and then those guys that he’s playing next to,” McVay said. “Really since the bye, I have seen some improvement in terms of the overall communication, the command, and I think that’s been reflected in the way that he’s played and the way those guys around him have played.”

McVay also praised position coach Ryan Wendell and assistants Zak Kromer and Mike Munchak for their game planning and preparation.

But it’s Havenstein who has especially become a voice McVay leans on similar to how he once leaned on longtime captain Andrew Whitworth — a player who can communicate the nuances of a position group to the head coach, but also of the locker room overall.

“Rob’s been awesome. He’s been that way. I think what’s been really cool too is he’s always been a leader in his own right and then obviously the torch was kind of passed when Whitworth retired (after the Super Bowl),” said McVay. “He has really come into his own and figured out how to lead (in a way that is) authentic to himself while also learning from some other great ones like Whit and (former Rams lineman) John Sullivan … He’s special and I really love working with Rob.”

After Sunday’s ugly win against Las Vegas — only their second of the year, and with so much about the team’s future still in question at that time — Havenstein, sitting in his chair at his locker, was who he always is.

Reflective, but blunt before turning his mind to Minnesota.

“(Earlier this year), someone asked me a question of, ‘If you start the season 0-3, statistically, season is done, you can go nowhere,’ and it’s kind of the same thing, I looked at it like, ‘What do you want me to do, stop playing? Turn my pads in?’ ” he said, scoffing. “‘Ah, s—, we’re 0-3 boys, pack it in. We’ll work on next year.’

“That might be the statistics or that might be what media and things like that will say. But at the end of the day, we still got to go out there and do it every single week.

“At the end of the day, there is no ‘too late.’ It’s ‘figure it out.’ ”

[zn]

Left Tackle Aleric Jackson has seemingly improved on each season in the league.

He continues to play at a very high level, and against top tier talented pass rushers. The Rams need to consider big #77 as the long term Left Tackle of the future pic.twitter.com/Pls78RmL9f

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) October 31, 2024

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zn@znramsfan
What exactly is Munchak’s exact role and title, if any?

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
He’s a consultant! So he doesn’t have to be full time but is there quite a lot

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Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson back at practice (Munchak, Wendell and Kromer running and observing the drill) pic.twitter.com/SZZaH1Crsk

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) November 7, 2024

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Los Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR

Since Week 7, The Rams offensive line has given up just one sack, the fewest across the NFL in that span. They are also the only team in the league to not allow a sack over the past two games. The Rams are one of just five teams to accomplish the feat in consecutive games this season.

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