(responding to canadaram) Rams OL injuries & depth

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  • September 19, 2022 at 4:16 pm #140697
    Avatar photozn
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    canadaram wrote:

    An off-season where two key members of the offensive line departed, followed by consecutive weeks of losing two offensive linemen to injury seems like it could be one of those things that you look back on when pinpointing what went wrong.   Hopefully Allen comes back soon and strong.

    I would say the Rams OL depth may be the best it has been for the last few decades. Not kidding. Not that this is the best OL we’ve seen in the last few decades, but that they have real depth behind the starters. That was a Rams issue for years. If nothing else, Hanifan and Boudreau were both terrible at drafting linemen. (No GM or coach in his right mind drafts OL without involving the OL coach.) Turns out Kromer was good at it. And early signs are, Carberry is too.

    And they’re doing this with UDFAs and low-round picks.

    First, we already knew Shelton could play from last year. (He played in 3 games last year). Anchrum had great buzz and it’s a shame he got injured. Jackson also played last year (just one game) and acquited himself. That means, among other things, that including Shelton shifting to center, after losing Corbett, they’ve now started 3 guards. So counting their starting super bowl OL, they are on their 4th ROG.

    They’ve been accumulating and developing depth for a couple of years now. In other big OL injury years, if the Rams were on their 4th guard after having to replace a former starter, it would not have gone this well. (Counting just the Atlanta game. The entire offense was out of sync in the Bills game.)

    These guys are kind of light though so it may be the same old problem we’ve seen for a few years now. That when this bunch goes against a top DL, they can get beat up. So it’s a solid OL but not a top OL.

    So in spite of the poor start in game one, I would say this is a solid OL, and (back to my main point) one with depth, which is surprising. To become a top OL IMO they need to draft a stud in rounds 1 or 2 and add him to the mix. They seem to be solid up to 7 players deep so far (and that’s after losing a starter from last year), but none of them is a stud.

    September 19, 2022 at 4:29 pm #140700
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    Blaine Grisak@bgrisakDTR
    Rams OL played really well yesterday and that’s backed up via PFF. Only three pressures allowed. No pressures on the interior between Edwards, Shelton, and Jackson.
    September 19, 2022 at 8:35 pm #140712
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    Sam Monson@PFF_Sam
    Joseph Noteboom has allowed 11 pressures so far in 2 games. Andrew Whitworth allowed 20 last year all season, including the Super Bowl run.
    September 20, 2022 at 7:14 pm #140735
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    Graham Barfield@GrahamBarfield
    The Rams offensive line has opened up an average of -0.05 yards before first contact on their RB carries through two games, which is worst in the league per @FantasyPtsData. Regardless if its Akers or Henderson, their offensive line is a massive concern moving forward.
    September 20, 2022 at 10:49 pm #140740
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    this oline is going to be a big problem.

    September 21, 2022 at 7:26 am #140745
    Avatar photocanadaram
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    Admittedly, I still have bad memories of the Rams having to play the likes of Larry Turner, Rex Tucker, Matt Willig in his mid/late 30s, as well as many others whose names that I have long forgotten. These guys replaced some pretty average starters. So hopefully McVay’s/Carberry’s Rams won’t be as bad at finding backups on the oline. I agree with you that the results are better at this this stage.

    I was relieved when the Rams kept Noteboom this past offseason, but now I am concerned with his play/knee injury. The lack of a run game seems like harbinger of what might be in store for the offense this year. A play that stands out to me happened late in the Falcons game. Akers was able to turn a first down on short yardage despite being met in the backfield by an Atlanta defender. The Rams overloaded the line by bringing in Evans as an extra blocker and the Falcons still had Akers in the backfield. Good play by Akers gave the Rams the first down though.

    I too am hopeful that next offseason the Rams go strong at finding help on the offensive line. I still find myself lamenting the decision not to pick Creed Humphrey. Granted I don’t know enough about how Humphrey’s game matches with what McVay is trying to do, but seeing Tutu’s name on the roster will forever make me think of Humphrey, just like I still associate Brian Leonard with the Rams passing on C, Ryan Kalil in the 2007 draft. If the Rams spent all of their resources on offensive linemen and running backs next offseason, I won’t complain …I’m only half joking.

    Anyway, the next 3 weeks seem like they could be tough. I am especially dubious about the Rams chances versus the Niners.

    • This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Avatar photocanadaram.
    September 23, 2022 at 10:53 pm #140778
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    Graham Barfield@GrahamBarfield
    The Rams offensive line has opened up an average of -0.05 yards before first contact on their RB carries through two games, which is worst in the league per @FantasyPtsData. Regardless if its Akers or Henderson, their offensive line is a massive concern moving forward.
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