Brandon Thorn@BrandonThornNFL
“Offensive line play has skilled involved but a lot of it is about believing that you can do it” – Travis Frederick

Simple, but hard. Over my 8 years of attending OL Masterminds hearing from hundreds of NFL OL across eras this has been a constant theme as one of the keys to success.

With this established as a foundational aspect of being good at the position the question to me becomes “How?”

My answer would be to master the fundamentals first. Stance, start, weight distribution, posture and footwork. Reps and time. Reps and time with the guy next to you is even better. Diligent, smart and consistent film study both of your opponent and of prior successful players/units with your body type and/or who operated in a similar scheme. Success leaves clues but so does failure. Learn from both of those examples.

It’s a complex topic but that’s my initial thought and where I’d start

Jim Youngblood 53@53_jim70721
[Kevin Long v. Kevin Carter] Different types, of course. Carter, by 1999, was 300 pounds. Was a power player. By 1999 and 2000 he was moving to defensive tackle on passing downs at times (with Clemens and then Little at DE)

He was good technician but he was simply stronger than a lot of RTs & RGs

Long was a speed player, an arc rusher, hustle, non-stop motor. More like Grant Wistrom, though Wistrom was right side. Long was elite edge rusher–when healthy and at his prime.

Carter much more durable … but for LDEs — they were not same type of left edge, IMO

watch how Kevin Carter
1. gets hands inside RT's hands and pushed them up
2. then extends right arm
3. while also clubbing RT's right hand
4. then gets his arm under while still leg driving
5. closes

baiscally 4 moves – forklift, long arm, wrist club, rip pic.twitter.com/kPDtO2sddf

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) August 15, 2025

from SI: https://www.si.com/nfl/2025-season-predictions-every-game-team-records-digital-cover

San Francisco 49ers (11–6)
With the Rams in a bit of an unknown space, I look to Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy and a—possibly—healthy Christian McCaffrey for a bit of stability. With this schedule, I didn’t get overly cute, save for losses to Chicago at home and at Indianapolis toward the end of the season. The 49ers of 2023, if you’ll remember, had a three-game losing streak against middle-tier opponents that was similarly eye-popping at the time but was merely a sign of exhaustion.

Los Angeles Rams (10–7)
As I write this, Matthew Stafford is lying in a silver airstream bus atop a chair that is emitting some rays into his body to make his back feel better. So, yeah, I don’t feel awesome about this. Let’s hope the Stafford injury is the red herring of the offseason, though if it is not, we have the potential of a total exercise-imploding injury that can reshape the NFC West. I have early losses to Houston—DeMeco Ryans could bring the heat on Stafford, knowing his mobility is challenged—and Jacksonville. Who else with a bad back doesn’t love a cross-the-globe flight to London and a 6:30 a.m. start time in your home market?

Seattle Seahawks (9–8)
A late adjustment had the Seahawks drop from 10 wins to nine, though this reflects my overall confidence in an offense that will transform under one-day head coach Klint Kubiak and the impressive Mike Macdonald. The four-game losing streak in Weeks 11 to 14 reflects the typical rigors of a long season, be it a roster-altering short-term injury or a period of sleepiness that Macdonald needs to rouse the team out of like that stretch where Seattle lost to the Giants and McCaffrey-less 49ers in back-to-back weeks a year ago.

Arizona Cardinals (6–11)
As I mentioned at the top, I’m ready to get waxed for this one. Everything is pointing up for the Cardinals. This roster is being built the correct way, and all the key tentpole positions are in place. This is the year of the takeoff—unless it simply isn’t. This happens from time to time and is a reminder that there is not always a logical ascent pattern, especially when the rest of the division is a collection of absolute stalwart head coaches (not to say Jonathan Gannon is not!). That’s why many of Arizona’s wins here are quality wins; they are just a little few and far between.

Sean McVay handing off head coaching role to top assistant Saturday vs. Chargers https://t.co/0tXlEo7JjX pic.twitter.com/spSyGCVV9C

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) August 15, 2025

10 Observations from Rams’ joint practice with Saints: Offense overcomes early challenges to find rhythm late; defensive front wreaking havoc; Omar Speights, Nate Landman and Kam Kinchens’ playmaking

Stu Jackson

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-rams-joint-practice-saints-offense-overcomes-early-challenges-to-find-rhythm-late-defensive-front-wreaking-havoc-omar-speights-nate-landman-and-kam-kinchens-playmaking

CARSON, Calif. – Thursday’s joint practice with the Saints saw the Rams offense look not as crisp initially as it did last week against the Cowboys but still find a way to finish strong, while their defense’s front seven dominated throughout the practice.

Here are 10 observations from the session:

1) Matthew Stafford does not practice. As noted in our separate injury update, even with Los Angeles operating under a day-to-day approach with its starting quarterback, it makes sense that Stafford would not participate, given head coach Sean McVay had ruled him out for the joint practice with the Chargers that wound up getting canceled. Thus, it was Jimmy Garoppolo once again leading the first-team offense in one of these settings.

2) Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes participates in practice. According to McVay, Forbes got “about 50 percent” of the snaps in today’s joint practice, which aligned with the plan they had for him.

“It’s good to be able to get him out on (the) practice (field) a couple days ago, and looks like he’s feeling good, and so for that, we’re grateful,” McVay said.

3) Offense lacks rhythm early..*.* First, some relevant context that the Rams were running a lot of base looks on both sides of the ball, according to McVay, which makes sense given these two teams will see each other again in Week 9 in the regular season. And while these joint practices are valuable opportunities for L.A.’s starters, the team does not gameplan for these.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Saints’ defensive coordinator is Brandon Staley, who held the same role for the Rams in 2020 and therefore has some familiarity with their offensive system and its rules.

Still, whether it was interceptions or unusual drops, the early team periods for the Rams did not resemble the explosive, efficient performance by their offense in last Tuesday’s joint practice with the Cowboys.

Garoppolo’s play had a hand in that, with McVay describing the quarterback’s day as “up and down.”

McVay pointed the impact of Saints’ pass rush in early in practice, but Garoppolo performed better as the Rams progressed into segments involving second- and third-down work, praising Garoppolo for how well he saw coverage and distributed the ball in those situations.

“One of my favorite things about Jimmy is, if something doesn’t go down the way we want, or if we have a little bit of a miscommunication, he’s great about being able to reset and be able to respond and not react to whatever that next snap is,” McVay said. “And I thought he did that today.”

4) … but finds it late. As McVay mentioned, Garoppolo deserves credit for his response after those early challenges. He threw a touchdown pass each to tight end Tyler Higbee, tight end Colby Parkinson and wide receiver Davante Adams in redzone drills – Adams’ was arguably most impressive because of his “late hands” technique to bring it in.

In the 2-minute drill period at the end of practice, Garoppolo fired off three straight completions – one to Adams, one to wide receiver Puka Nacua, then another to Adams – to get the offense moving.

“I love the way that he finished in the two-minute drill where he hits a big completion to Davante right off the jump and then we’re really one more completion away from being in the position that we want,” McVay said. “He managed that really well, but I thought he did a great job.”

5) Play(s) of the day. Early in team drills, inside linebacker Nate Landman used a “peanut punch” to a force a fumble by Saints running back Alvin Kamara, and Kinchens recovered the loose ball.

In redzone drills, cornerback Cam Lampkin had a fourth-down pass breakup in the endzone on a Spencer Rattler pass that drew lots of cheers from his defensive teammates.

6) Under pressure. Outside linebackers Jared Verse and Byron Young were fast and disruptive off the edge throughout Thursday’s practice. The interior defensive line was also consistently generating pressure and stops behind the efforts of Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford and especially Tyler Davis.

7) Davis and inside linebacker Omar Speights make their presence felt. Speights delivered one of the most physical “thud” tackles – both teams appeared to emphasize tackling without taking players off their feet – of practice when he hit Saints running back Kendre Miller as Miller was bringing in a pass during redzone team drills. L.A.’s defense was fired up after that.

Davis likewise had a run stop that was a big play for the defense in terms of the reaction it drew from teammates.

8) One-two step (times two). Besides Garoppolo, another standout in the two-minute drill period was wide receiver Konata Mumpfield, who had back-to-back catches near the right sideline where he got one foot down, then landed the other on top in bounds in toe-tap fashion, much to the delight of the Rams sideline.

9) Jarquez Hunter’s speed shines. The rookie running back had a few breakaway runs, the most impressive of which was arguably when he ran up the middle, cut back to the right, then found daylight through the second level of the Saints defense.

10) Lots of work for the ones: The bulk of the snaps went to each team’s first-team offenses and defenses, as expected based on what Saints head coach Kellen Moore told New Orleans reporters this week.

The Rams won't be playing their starters, but the Chargers will have Justin Herbert and some of their top players on the field Saturday. https://t.co/IzP6qssbH2 pic.twitter.com/Pj69PEaph0

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) August 15, 2025

Cody Schrader's carries

hesitates and seems to read blocks — doesn't hurry …
smooth … see what you think pic.twitter.com/w6a1e9oAva

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) August 14, 2025

.@RamsNFL @will_hitstick52 was serving up pancakes to all of the @dallascowboys …..all you can eat style. Leverage and a Will to Win with phenomenal PHEET is a great combination #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/FQA9Q13Hh3

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 15, 2025

Brock Vierra@BrockVierra
3 instant takeaways from Rams joint practice

1. Offense needs refinement. While they played with a limited playbook, the product was not acceptable.

2. Jarquez Hunter was running through the defense

3. The defensive line…wow. Dominant and sturdy

…

What I Saw At Rams-Saints Joint Practice
The Los Angeles Rams held their second joint practice of 2025 against a familiar foe

Brock Vierra

https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/los-angeles-puka-nacua-new-orleans-saints-jimmy-garoppolo

CARSON, Ca. It was a homecoming for several individuals as the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints engaged in a joint practice on the fields outside Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Brandon Staley, former Rams defensive coordinator, and Brandin Cooks, former Rams wide receiver, were among several former Rams currently working for the Saints, and their inside knowledge proved useful.

The Rams offense was pitiful on Thursday. I can easily say it was their worst performance of the season. Please take my evaluations with a grain of salt because two factors were at play. Staley’s knowledge of the Rams’ offense and the Rams limited playbook. Rams OC Mike LaFleur confirmed on Wednesday that the team would be using standard plays as to not reveal too much as they will play the Saints in week nine.

Jimmy Garoppolo did not do himself any favors and in open play, he was inaccurate, sporadic, and threw a fair share of hospital balls. His connection with Davante Adams was not working as the Saints blanketed him, and there were passes that Adams usually hauls in that he didn’t, either due to contact or another factor.

Saints DB Ugo Amadi almost had an interception as he jumped on a ball thrown to a turned-around Tutu Atwell.

D.J. Humphries got the start at left tackle, and after today, it’s still unclear who should replace Alaric Jackson if Jackson remains sidelined.

Stetson Bennett didn’t fare much better, throwing a lob into double coverage that was intercepted. Bennett would throw a near-interception to Rico Payton in red zone play.

The Rams got chin checked at the line of scrimmage by the Saints, and to be frank, the offense began the day slow and sloppy. It was just odd and unusual for the team. However, there were massive bright spots as well.

Jarquez Hunter steamrolled the defense, answering with several punches of his own. Keep in mind the players weren’t tackling but it appeared Hunter took two 50+ yard runs to the house and not a single Saints defender could stop him one on one. He ran through defenders with no care in the world and if there was one play that defines the warrior nature of Hunter, it was when two Saints defenders corralled Hunter to the sideline, and instead of running out of bounds, he decided to hit the gap between the defenders, gaining a few extra yards. Hunter won the day on offense.

Xavier Smith also answered the call, cooking defensive backs left and right, utilizing his height and speed to find holes in each level of the defense.

Blake Corum put defenders of skates, as did Kyren Williams in open space. The problem was that enough space wasn’t being created. Konata Mumpfield was also making wild plays left and right.

Warren McClendon was getting work in at right tackle, not playing on the left.

On defense, the Rams were dominant on the line of scrimmage with Jared Verse clearly playing at full health. Braden Fiske was a continual thorn in their side as well.

Saints receiver Mason Tipton was a problem for the Rams and they were fortunate Tyler Shough couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. It’s looking like Spencer Rattler is the team’s QB1 as he was the most efficient quarterback, apparently hitting a deep touchdown. In an effort for transparency, I was on the far end of the field for that play.

Things started to get chippy but nothing wild happened. Kyren Williams did up the tempo and when the Rams pushed the pedal, they were successful.

No Huddle Offense

The Rams ran two sessions of no-huddle offense to end practice and all of a sudden, Garoppolo started balling out. He hit Davante Adams, then Puka Nacua, then Davante Adams again on three straight plays before Kyren Williams hit a cut so nasty, the entire Rams sideline was hooting and hollering in excitement.

On the second session, Stetson Bennett came out firing with Konata Mumpfield high-pointing a sideline throw, and despite being several inches in the air with his entire body falling out of bounds, he pulled off his best Antonio Brown impression to maintain possession in bounds.

Bennett went back to Mumpfield with the same route on the following play, and despite being closely covered, Mumpfield made the catch again, which sent the Rams into hysterics. Practice would conclude shortly after.

The Red Zone

Essentially, the Rams and Saints’ offenses had the ball placed at the five yard line and the defenses were tasked with stepping up.

On offense, Williams and Mumpfield brought the energy, scrapping for any advantage while Hunter just hit people. The Rams locked in and were excellent outside of Bennett’s near interception. Garoppolo found Tyler Higbee open off a scramble and Adams in the corner on a beautifully thrown ball right into the bucket.

Williams cut outside for another score as well.

However, it was the defense that impressed. After giving up an early touchdown to Saints receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr, the defense turned into the No Fly Zone with their defensive backs making play after play to break up passes. The defensive line turned up the pressure, and the Saints could gain no yards on the ground. They were all over the quarterbacks as well. It was eleven men flying to the football on every play with 20+ more wishing they could join. A true team effort.

It was fun to watch as Aubrey Pleasant rallied the boys to give up only two more touchdowns throughout the entire red zone session.

A good day of sharpening iron, but for the first time this season, the Rams got punched. They didn’t fold, but they didn’t hit back like they needed to until time had passed. These are the growing pains of the season, but now they know what that feels like again so believe, based on what I’ve seen, Sean McVay is going to be in his bag come week one. It’s starting to feel like 2021 all over again.

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Sean McVay said QB Matthew Stafford will conduct another workout Saturday similar to last weekend.

Adam Grosbard@AdamGrosbard
Whole Rams pass rush stood out today in joint practice vs Saints but man Tyler Davis just keeps making plays this camp. That four-man tackle rotation with Turner, Fiske and Ford is gonna be nasty

Biggest offensive takeaway today was what happens when Jarquez Hunter hits the second or third level. Had three runs I saw today where he saw open grass and was just gone.

Nate Valcarcel always hustles, reminds me a little of Adam Archuleta but not the same body type.

They say he's a ballhawk type .. that was not on display Sat. But his run support sure was.

He played both left and right safety in the game pic.twitter.com/WpggpEfXHQ

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) August 12, 2025

How concerning is history of QBs with Matthew Stafford’s back injury?
What does history say about Rams QB Matthew Stafford’s back injury?

Blaine Grisak

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/los-angeles-rams-injuries/124589/matthew-stafford-back-injury-history?utm_campaign=dhtwitter&utm_content=%3Cmedia_url%3E&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

The Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford have been one of the biggest stories of training camp and the preseason because of the quarterback’s back injury. Stafford is 37 years old and entering his 17th season in the NFL. He just missed training camp and while he was supposed to start practicing this week, he has yet to take the field. Back injuries, especially for an NFL quarterback is nothing to scoff at. While there are a lot of unknowns, it may not be a bad idea to look at other quarterbacks and how they’ve performed off of similar injuries.

Philip Rivers

When you think of gritty quarterbacks in NFL history, Matthew Stafford is one of the first that come to mind. Another one that would come up shortly after is Philip Rivers. Back in 2014, Rivers dealt with a bulging disc, a similar issue to what Stafford is facing now. Said reports at the time,

“Team sources tell ESPN that Rivers is playing with a bulging disc in his lower back that doctors fear is on the brink of being herniated. The disc caused Rivers to miss practice for the first time since 2007 even though the injury began to bother him some three weeks ago. Rivers has taken epidural injections to reduce swelling, according to sources. He hopes to avoid offseason surgery, but it is an option, according to sources.”

Like Stafford, Rivers was also on the plus side of 30 at 33 years of age. Still, Stafford is dealing with this issue at 37. In order to continue playing, Rivers had to take multiple epidural injections to deal with the pain. While the Rams denied that surgery has been discussed for Stafford up to this point, it was something that was discussed with Rivers, but was ultimately avoided.

The main point here is that Rivers was one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL and the bulging disc in his back was severe enough to the point that he considered shutting down his season. It’s also worth noting how the bulging disc affected Rivers’ play down the stretch.

From Weeks 1-13, Rivers was arguably a MVP candidate with the Chargers sitting at 8-4 and having thrown 25 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. Rivers was fifth in EPA per dropback and third in success rate. That changed dramatically over the final four games. From Weeks 14-17, Rivers ranked 27th in EPA per play and 24th in success rate. Rivers threw six touchdowns to eight interceptions.

This was an injury that Rivers was managing over the final stretch of the season. For a quarterback as tough as Rivers, it caused him to miss practice and consider shutting down his season. This might be the best case scenario for Stafford.

Tony Romo

Before Philip Rivers, there was Tony Romo.

Back in December of 2013, Romo was ruled out for the rest of the season with a back injury. It was later reported that Romo had been diagnosed with a herniated disc and surgery was necessary. As of now, Stafford just has an aggravated disc and not a herniated disc which is a big difference. However, it does give an idea of what this type of injury can develop into.

Heading into the final week of the season in a winner-take-all game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys quarterback injured his back in a game against Washington the week before and had hoped to play in the finale. ESPN reported at the time,

Sometime after the Cowboys returned to Dallas following their victory at Washington on Sunday, quarterback Tony Romo received an epidural injection to relieve pain and reduce inflammation related to the herniated disc in his lower back, according to sources…But sources close to the quarterback consider that a long shot and remain skeptical he can safely play and function as an NFL quarterback, especially in such a short time…At this time, Romo has been advised that he likely will need surgery eventually.

Romo, who was 33 at the time, ended up being placed on injured reserve and having surgery before the season finale and the Cowboys lost, 24-22. It’s worth noting that Romo had undergone surgery to remove a cyst in the summer. After the game against Washington, Romo said, “I tweaked it in the game. For whatever reason, just the twist or whatever it was definitely just made it not feel comfortable.”

This would be the worst case scenario for Stafford depending on how the aggravated disc progresses. It’s not a good sign that Stafford hasn’t practiced since throwing 60 passes in a private workout over the weekend.

Matt Hasselbeck

Modern medicine has certainly progressed since 2008, but Hasselbeck’s situation may be the most similar to Stafford’s. While Stafford is certainly more talented than Hasselbeck, Hasselbeck’s injury is the only one on this list that started before the regular season.

As the Seattle Times reported,

“The back problem is affecting a nerve in Hasselbeck’s lower back, coach Mike Holmgren said, and is also creating a weakness in Hasselbeck’s leg that brought on the knee injury. Hasselbeck left for Los Angeles to see a medical specialist…Hasselbeck twisted his back awkwardly while avoiding a hit and throwing a touchdown pass in the preseason opener on Aug. 8 at Minnesota, and missed the entire preseason while he dealt with back spasms. His bulging disc was diagnosed and treated with injections.”

The specialist that Hasselbeck saw was Dr. Robert Watkins who is the same specialist that Stafford has met with at least twice this summer. Like Stafford and the other quarterbacks on this list, Hasselbeck also received an epidural injection to help manage the pain.

Hasselbeck was coming off of a Pro Bowl season in 2008 that was completely derailed by the bulging disc in his back. While he played the first four games of the season, he missed the next five. Hasselbeck did play the following three games before missing the final four weeks.

After ranking eighth in EPA per play in 2007, Hasselbeck ranked just 26th during the first four weeks in 2008 with two touchdowns to four interceptions. That didn’t improve when the Seahawks quarterback returned as he ranked 24th in EPA per play in Weeks 11-13. Had Hasselbeck played enough in 2008, he would have been the NFL’s lowest-rated passer. After the season, Hasselbeck voiced to ESPN that he wished he would have just been shut down.

“Doctors told him in October that if nothing more happened to his back he could avoid surgery. Hasselbeck says now he should have just been shut down for the end of an already lost season that ended with a 4-12 record…‘I know last year was really hard and frustrating,’ Hasselbeck said. ‘And, personally, on how it was handled — every week wondering — I think that made it harder. Instead of just knowing, knowing the truth.’”

What does this mean for Matthew Stafford?

There are a few differences with these situations and the one that Stafford is currently managing. Both Rivers’ and Romo’s injuries occurred during the season. In Rivers’ case, he received an in-season epidural and kept playing. Even in Hasselbeck’s case, while his injury occurred the first week of the preseason and he was able to rest leading up to Week 1, it still took place close to the beginning of the regular season. Stafford’s injury was first reported before training camp.

With that being said, the Rams can remain confident that Stafford would play this week if there were a game with their primary goal being Week 1. However, it is fair to be concerned about anything that may take place after that. What happens after the first big hit? Stafford just threw 60 balls in a private workout and has apparently reacted negatively to that workout. What happens if Stafford has to throw 40 passes in a game?

This isn’t meant to be ‘doom and gloom’, but at the same time, it would be naive to think that this injury isn’t going to affect Stafford even when he finally gets on the field. Again, that has potentially already happened after Stafford’s workout given that he hasn’t felt good enough to practice since.

Even with an epidural, Rivers’ play dipped after his injury. Hasselbeck went from a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback to one with the worst passer rating in the NFL. The more concerning part is how Hasselbeck’s bulging disc affected his legs. That’s where Stafford gets most of his throwing power.

The situation continues to be one of ‘we don’t know what we don’t know.’ We likely won’t know anything until Stafford does take the field and we see him throw and take the first hit. Everyone will be watching to see how Stafford reacts. Even then, there’s no guarantee that the injury won’t pop up or get re-aggravated at some point during the season.

This is so satisfying to watch 💯 pic.twitter.com/5Z7q1WiAZ2

— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) August 12, 2025