Rams mailbag: Offensive line concerns persist
Nick Wagoner, ESPN
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17524/rams-mailbag-offensive-line-concerns-persist
EARTH CITY, Mo. — It’s officially April, which means much of the focus has now turned to the NFL draft. Over the next few weeks, the St. Louis Rams will spend most of their time meeting with prospects, in draft meetings and building their final board.
Most of the heavy lifting is done, but the final details are yet to be put in place. With that in mind, let’s get down to business.
Bucking Horse Band @BuckingHorse13
Hey Nick, how likely is it that the Rams will make a move to get a veteran center before the draft? Word from the coaches or GM?
@nwagoner: As I’ve maintained most of the time, center is the one position of the three where the Rams at least seem to have options in house. That’s even more true now that Tim Barnes has re-signed. It’s a risky proposition since none of the trio of Barnes, Barrett Jones or Demetrius Rhaney have much starting experience (only Barnes does). The only name that’s been connected to the Rams from the outside is Stefen Wisniewski, but he’s been making the rounds on visits and has yet to come to St. Louis. The Rams have interest there but it doesn’t seem like that interest is all that real at this point. It’s not impossible that the Rams could make a move at center but it seems less likely than adding a guard and/or tackle at this point.
Dave Bettlach @ramsffaan
Are you getting the sense that team is moving on w/o Barksdale?
@nwagoner: Not necessarily. But I do think it’s worth noting that Joe Barksdale remains unsigned and the Rams have clear interest in many of the top offensive line prospects in the draft. They’ve brought in tackles Andrus Peat and Jamon Brown already and there have been reports that Miami’s Ereck Flowers and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Clemmings will also be coming in. It wouldn’t surprise if Brandon Scherff was also on a long list of potential offensive line visitors. The Rams seem comfortable with the idea of going with a young, inexperienced line next year at this point. There’s still time to bring Barksdale back or add a veteran like Justin Blalock, but it looks like a risky approach from the outside. Barksdale is still in play and something could get done there but I also get the sense that the Rams wouldn’t mind upgrading at that spot.
Blayze1 @jblayze611
Do you see the Rams doing enough this offseason to be a real contender in the NFC West?
@nwagoner: Way too early to start making predictions until we see how the whole offseason plays out. Unless asked to by the bosses, I’ll refrain from offering predictions. As it stands right now, however, it’s kind of hard to see how the Rams have done enough to bolster the offense enough to get over the hump. Having a healthy Nick Foles at quarterback should be an upgrade over Shaun Hill or Austin Davis, but they still have major holes at offensive line that could make keeping Foles himself healthy a questionable situation. The Rams have a lot of faith in their defense and I think they have enough talent and an outstanding coordinator who can help that group reach its potential. But how much better is this offense now than it was a year ago? There seems to be a lot of wishing and hoping that a new quarterback and a new coordinator (hired from in house) will get this offense where it needs to go. We have to wait until after the draft to get a full picture, but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.
FW @fairfaxwest
If the NFL wants certainty and ‘concrete’ financing proposals by May, how does the news re: STL county affect the stadium efforts?
@nwagoner: It’s hard to say, really, because there haven’t been any ‘concrete’ plans revealed by the governor or his task force. There have been rumors of private investment and other ways to fill in the gaps but until any of that’s revealed, it’s hard to know what the end game is here. We should learn a lot more about all of this at the May owners meetings than the ones that just concluded. I do know this: My sense from the owners in Phoenix was that there’s a lot of momentum for Stan Kroenke’s Inglewood project.
Brawley Darbon @brawleydarbon
Have the #Rams or any other team for that matter, shown any interest in bringing in J Long to a “prove it” type of deal?
@nwagoner: No, and I wouldn’t expect anything to happen on that front with the Rams or any other team for a while. Because of his injury situation, nobody is going to be in a rush to sign him until he can further prove his health. In the meantime, teams are looking toward the draft for possible offensive line help. From there, they can re-evaluate not only Jake Long but also their own offensive line situations. That’s just how these types of situations usually play out. Think Davin Joseph and the Rams a year ago. For what it’s worth, I don’t expect Long back with the Rams.
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Agamemnon
