How good was Barksdale?

[max]

From TST...

Barksdale played 25 snaps last week. According to the unofficial stats at Pro Football Focus, he did not allow a single quarterback pressure.

I'm comfortable with Joe at RT.

LETS GET US SOME GUARDS!

 

[V3]

How'd they rate his run blocking? Did they rate anyone's run blocking? That couldn't have been too good for the whole line.

 

[fearsomefour]

Finally caught a replay of the first half of the Rams Packers game. Barksdale was solid at RT. However there were two plays were he was beaten badly, once by Matthews. I like Barksdale a lot and see tons of potential there, howver, pure speed guys will give him some trouble if he cant get his hands on them, he just doesnt have the foot speed to get his body into position, this leads to leaning or trying to cut a fast guy....not a good bet for a huge guy.
However, neither play resulted in a sack because Sam was able to step up in the pocket and get rid of the ball....something that was very hard to do early last year because the interior play was so hit and miss. The line workng together prevented a couple of hits on Sam....good development I would say.

 

[RustyRay]

Might not be a bad idea to play Barksdale at G until he is needed at T...

Not so sure he isnt in the top 5 Olineman on the team now...play your best five I say!

 

[FLramFAN]

Might not be a bad idea to play Barksdale at G until he is needed at T...

Not so sure he isnt in the top 5 Olineman on the team now...play your best five I say!

OK.. So here's a concept to ponder but bear in mind, I'm not prepared to give up on Saffold at a tackle.

Would the team, this year be better off to leave Barksdale at RT and try to plug in Saffold on the left side at guard?

I'm going to level with everyone and acknowledge that my coaching experience has never been with the lineman. So, I'm not sure how much different it is moving from guard to tackle. But, my thought is this; Saffold has been playing on the left side for a long time. He muscle memory is all left side stuff. He may be a little tall for a guard and I'm not sure about him pulling. Maybe someone with better OL knowledge could help on that.

I guess the point is, would a transition from LT to LG be easier for him than from LT to RT and would the OL be better overall as Long - Saffold - Wells - Dahl - Barksdale?

Some other things to consider, if people think this would be the best starting OL...

1. Does turning Saffold in to a guard this year mean he's gone, for sure next year, because he wants to be a tackle and get paid like a tackle?

2. Does using Saffold at LG leave no other good option at RT if there were an injury or if Barksdale didn't play well? I mean you can only expect Saffold to play so many positions and play them well.

3. Does this option possibly have the Rams looking for both a LG and RT next year?

Curious to hear what others think.

 

[A55VA6]

I'm more comfortable with Barksdale in there than Saffold at times.

 

[albefree69]

I don't think Saffold has the ability to play guard at even an average level.

Putting Barksdale at guard right now would leave him very vulnerable to an injury and then where would we be if Long or Saffold gets injured again?

Last, but not least, if Barksdale was better at RT than Saffold I'm pretty sure he would be starting there. He still might.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I think Saffold is the better RT at this point.

But; I'm looking forward to seeing Barksdale make this a close race. He's got some work to do.

The question by the OP: I think Saffold is a better tackle than guard, even if that means switching to the right side.

 

[libertadrocks]

I think Saffold is the better RT at this point.

But; I'm looking forward to seeing Barksdale make this a close race. He's got some work to do.

The question by the OP: I think Saffold is a better tackle than guard, even if that means switching to the right side.

Yeah. I dont think Saffold is a fit a OG

 

[DR RAM]

I'll pipe in. Barksdale played the best that I have ever seen him play. Saffold is a better player. IMO, you can't look at guys in terms of the best 5, even though I'd love to. This team doesn't have that luxury. We have a little Guard depth, we have very little Tackle depth. You need to find the best 7 or 8 that will dress every week, not just the best 5.

Long, Williams, Wells, Dahl, and Saffold are the 5. Barksdale is the swing tackle, he makes 6. Barnes is the backup Center, and he can play Guard from the sample that I saw last week, he's #7. Shelley Smith is currently #8, and the swing Guard. That is our best 8.

If Saffold were to switch to Guard, which I don't think is feasible for a lot of reasons (I do think he could play Guard), then it would kill our depth overall. Nsekhe is the only other guy that MIGHT be able to play OT, he can only play on the left, and week to week is inconsistent at that.

 

[fearsomefour]

The biggest thing with switching to G would be if the player has the "bend" to block inside on running plays. Enough running plays at T the T ends up sort of shadowing and sealing off a defender, at G he has got to low, maintain balance and drive his guy back. Im not telling anyone anything they dont know. This is why Williams struggles at times. When he really trys to drive someone he gets over his toes and plays off balance sometimes. This is the problem Grant Williams had (I know, he was a T) with passblocking, it was not strength or size or quickness, he was stiff (bad back), couldnt bend and guys got under him and just pushed him back. This is also why the giant kid we had in camp earlier didnt pan out....although, I think they could find a very specific role for him if they were willing to. This is why you see a lot more 6' 3" or 6' 4" Gs than 6' 8" Gs. I like Saffold at T and think he is a better player than Barksdale. Unless LG turns into a disaster I would leave Barksdale as the third T. If he continues to develop then he gives the Rams a less expensive option at RT if Saffold finds a big payday moving back to LT for another team (pretty likely I would think).
All positions are not created equally....I would rather have SOME depth at T and C (it appears we do, I like how Barnes has looked) and be wondering about one G spot.