Left Tackle Solution?

[jap]

I agree with you there if you can use that money, but if nothing else Saffold does pass protect well at LT and you have a durablity issue with Tretter as well, plus there is no guarantee he can play LT at the NFL level.

Again if you want to release Saffold, that is fine, but you better have a couple of plans in place and again bringing in Jackie Slater plus a new offensive line coach for GROB is also an option, IMHO.

If Jackie can get inside GRob's head and make positive adjustments that would be beautiful. Reggie White was considered an unblockable DE in his prime. However, Jackie produced the greatest stonewalling of Reggie I ever saw any OT ever perform, where he simply finessed Reggie to death. Anything Reggie tried, Jackie always had an answer for. If Jackie can transfer that type of knowledge to GRob (even if the Vulcan Mind Touch is required), that would be super as we know GRob already has the feet---he needs to get them seriously coordinated though.

 

[den-the-coach]

as we know GRob already has the feet---he needs to get them seriously coordinated though.

It's the head on GROB and only the head. He does not react quick enough to stunts and thus reaches and gets caught, plus the Officals are always looking in his direction so he has to dispel that perception too.

I feel the Rams had the perfect combination for defensive line coaches with Mike Waufle and Clyde Simmons and if they could hire for example Jeff Davidson as OL Coach and Jackie Slater as Assistant OL Coach I believe that combination could fix GROB, if indeed, he's fixable.

 

[Dodgersrf]

Ok. You've peeked my interest in Tretter.....but not at LT...at Center.
Our interior line is a bigger problem then LT imo.
Would Tretter actually be an upgrade to Grob? IDK.
We may have to come the unfortunate realization, that Grob may be our best option at LT for at least another year.

C and G should be our top priority this offseason. Especially if we bring in Shanahan and his Zone Blocking schemes. We will need more athletic men up front.

 

[Ram65]

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2016/12/...itworth-clear-play-left-tackle-somewhere-2017

Whitworth wants to play LT. Two maybe three years sounds good. Can't believe a 35 year old free agent sounds good to me but, this would be a great asset to help Goff reach his potential. Tetter is an interesting option @LT or OC.

Can GROB play LG well? Can you get more bang for Saffold's 5 Million Bucks? Are Brown and Haverstein going to be at least average starters? I'm not sure which way to lean. Well, at least we have the whole off season to figure it out.

 

[HitStick]

Honestly, I'd rather slide Robinson to guard, take a chance on Battle, and maybe sign Tretter to play center. This exact same oline regressed tremendously from last year. Coaching might be able to save it (with a few adjustments).

I could be wrong, but if we can fix the online with a FA and a draft pick were going to be a lot better off. We need skill positions on both sides if we want to compete next year.

 

[Snaz]

Whitworth if you can get him to sign, stop gap until you can draft/coach up a young player such as Battle. Saffold as your swing backup. Havenstein RT. Tretter sounds great for either OC or OG.

 

[thirteen28]

It may be a cop out but I think these guys need to be better coached.

That's not a cop-out at all, and in fact, that's the first thing that needs to be fixed - starting with an OC that can implement a scheme that is not unnecessarily complicated and makes the best use of the players on hand. After that, you need an OL coach that can coach up his players to play in that scheme.

It's really hard to assess whether or not we have serviceable talent on the OL given that the scheme implemented by Boras is so incredibly bad and sets these guys up to fail. I'm not sure any OL would look good in it. We saw some progress in the OL last year, as Havenstein had a good rookie season, GRob made progress in the 2nd half of the year, the rookie guards did ok, and Barnes was at least serviceable. As unimaginitive as was the offense installed by Cignetti, it was better at utilizing the players on hand (not just OL) than what Boras put in this season. He's made everyone look worse save for Kenny Britt.

If we bring in Payton or the Shanahans, I'll trust them more in terms of who they keep and who they get rid of given that those guys know how to implement a good offensive scheme and play to the strengths of the players they have. Right now, it's really difficult to tell.

 

[Snaz]

It's really hard to assess whether or not we have serviceable talent on the OL given that the scheme implemented by Boras is so incredibly bad and sets these guys up to fail..

When I can predict plays and other fans can predict plays with a high success rate, then what about a defensive coordinator that's paid to do that success rate? The offense is too predictable, boring, unimaginative, inconsistent. The scripted plays seems fairly decent but after that, the inability to adapt and stick with what works and .....

I think he has a list of plays and some dice and rolls the next call... oh wait that would be better than the predictable offense so far.

 

[thirteen28]

When I can predict plays and other fans can predict plays with a high success rate, then what about a defensive coordinator that's paid to do that success rate?

Exactly. If fans can do it, then an NFL DC who watches film all week before gameday can not only do that, but teach his defense to do the same and teach him where to attack the plays ... which is exactly what we've seen all year.

The scripted plays seems fairly decent but after that, the inability to adapt and stick with what works and .....

All three OC's under Fisher seem to have been able to do well with scripts, and then fall apart once the script ran out. And it's pretty GD scary that of the three the Rams had under Fisher, a mediocrity such as Schotty was the best at it.

 

[TheDYVKX]

I'd prefer Tretter at center where he's a stud, but I guess I'm okay with this? Right now my favorite LT from the draft is Garrett Bolles. Admittedly he's a bit raw, but he has all the traits you look for in a franchise LT, especially his ridiculous athleticism and ability to get to the second level in a flash. I'm no OL guru but I really like his feet too. Give him a year of development with a good OL coach, behind a Whitworth or a Tretter or whoever, and I think he'd shine.

Somebody I'm interested in seeing how he's progressed is Isaiah Battle. He could be the answer at some point.

 

[jrry32]

I'm always a fan of solution based posts even when I don't necessarily agree with them. Tretter reminds me a bit of Donnal in terms of the situation and overall ability, and the problem is you can't project what these guys are going to do once they get focused week in and week out by defenses.

I do agree that the Rams need to do something like this to at least deepen the depth chart before the draft, but that said I don't want to see them overpay an iffy FA. And yeah the top guys never hit FA at the LT position, as Fish learned with Jake Long, who went on the market as a guy who couldn't stay on the field but he still had competition for his services and had to pony up the buckage for him.

Back to Donnal, I'd like to see him start this weekend at LT. But as it is the OL has been musical chairs of late and it's probably chaos in that position room, so I understand why they'll probably just start Roger out there. Still, it would have been nice if the Rams' front office had the foresight to ensure the staff gets a look at Donnal after his brief foray out there at LT. I mean it's crappy to get involved like that and interfere with the staff trying to put the best options in position, but it's not like wins are going to help this staff out at this point.

If I were the GM I'd have the new staff try to get GRob's head on straight, and try to get them that extra option through the draft. I would use FA for the interior guys, who typically are cheaper but more importantly more available on the market every year vice a coveted position like LT. Not throwing in the towel here, but I'd accept that for the short term it is better to throw money at quality additions at other positions like interior OL, wideout, etc in order to boost this offense.

Personally, I think Donnal is wishful thinking. Just haven't seen it with the kid anywhere. Looks like more of a backup to me. But we shall see. If we end up with a guy like Kyle Shanahan, he'll definitely have opportunities because he has some of the attributes that Shanahan often looks for in a ZBS OL.

 

[jrry32]

I like the outside the box thinking without blowing the bank on a possible solution. I'm hoping Mangold becomes a Cap casualty from NYJ and we could also grab him to help shore up the Center spot. I don't expect to get 16 games out of Mangold anymore, but I think he would be an upgrade for a 2-3 year deal as a transition guy and could play C while Tretter is at LT. Then you could groom a young promising Center or maybe try and convert Wichmann or Donnal to Center this off season.
Getting better Center and Guard play should be priority number #1 this spring. I really haven't seen it since the early 2000s on this team. Get the O line going and everything else will start to come together.
If Robinson is moved to Guard, which spot is better for him, LG or RG and why?

If I were a betting man, I'd put money down that Mangold is a cap casualty.

As for Robinson, it'll depend on what our next scheme asks of each OG.

 

[fearsomefour]

I like the idea of using resources to bring in some lower cost options across the entire Oline....stay away from over paying for a big name LT.

 

[Legatron4]

Watched a cut-up on the kid I mentioned in my post who is getting first round hype, Antonio Garcia. The hype is warranted to some degree. He'll be at the Senior Bowl. It'll be interesting to see how he does. These are my thoughts after watching the Clemson game:
He certainly looks the part. He's listed at 6'7" 302. I think he comes in pretty close to that. He's a long and lean guy. What stood out to me is that he has long arms even for a guy his size. I feel comfortable predicting that they're at least 35 inches. Wouldn't be surprised if they're closer to 36 inches than 35.

In terms of athleticism, it was a little hard to tell because of their offense. However, from what I saw, he moved well and seemed light on his feet. Functional strength looked good for as lean as he is. He showed a bit of a mean streak. He was able to protect the edge (his long arms were especially helpful).

However, he also looked raw. His hand use was very inconsistent. He was grabby. His pad level was inconsistent. He's just not a super polished kid at this stage.

That all said, in this class, I can definitely see him fighting for a first round slot if he performs well in the pre-draft process. He will be playing at the Senior Bowl. Expect to hear about him. He might rise quite quickly up the boards. He has the physical talent to play LT at the next level. There aren't a ton of guys in this class you can say that about.

Honestly I don't know if we need another project. But from what I've seen the dude can move for his size. A guy I'm keeping on eye on is Ryan Ramcyzk from Wisconsin. He's got everything you need in a LT. He's a little light for the position(6-6, 297), but will gain strength in the NFL. The tackle position is pretty weak this year. But I think he can be a top tier blocker. As of now, he struggles a bit with counter moves and bull rush. But he's teachable from what I've watched.

He could go anywhere from round 1-3. It will depend on his pro day IMO.

 

[Yamahopper]

Thats the rub when you want to rebuild . Where you get the replacement from?
Seems easy to replace one of the worst LT's in the league, but it still takes up resources.

 

[TheDYVKX]

Honestly I don't know if we need another project. But from what I've seen the dude can move for his size. A guy I'm keeping on eye on is Ryan Ramcyzk from Wisconsin. He's got everything you need in a LT. He's a little light for the position(6-6, 297), but will gain strength in the NFL. The tackle position is pretty weak this year. But I think he can be a top tier blocker. As of now, he struggles a bit with counter moves and bull rush. But he's teachable from what I've watched.

He could go anywhere from round 1-3. It will depend on his pro day IMO.

Ramczyk has a torn labrum in his hip, which could affect his draft position and how we view him. I'd also like him though.

 

[PressureD41]

Honestly I don't know if we need another project. But from what I've seen the dude can move for his size. A guy I'm keeping on eye on is Ryan Ramcyzk from Wisconsin. He's got everything you need in a LT. He's a little light for the position(6-6, 297), but will gain strength in the NFL. The tackle position is pretty weak this year. But I think he can be a top tier blocker. As of now, he struggles a bit with counter moves and bull rush. But he's teachable from what I've watched.

He could go anywhere from round 1-3. It will depend on his pro day IMO.

McShay has him in his current top 32

 

[Legatron4]

Ramczyk has a torn labrum in his hip, which could affect his draft position and how we view him. I'd also like him though.

Yeah but it hasn't affected him much. He says he might not even get surgery on it. Torn labrums aren't always a big deal. Hopefully this is one of those cases.

 

[Legatron4]

McShay has him in his current top 32

I think he gets over looked though because of his size.

 

[TheDYVKX]

Yeah but it hasn't affected him much. He says he might not even get surgery on it. Torn labrums aren't always a big deal. Hopefully this is one of those cases.

Which is why I said "could". Just like with Rodger Saffold and his torn labrum in his shoulder, it hadn't been causing him problems but it was an instant rejection from the Raiders. Some were surprised since he had played with it for a while, but then it became a problem. Some NFL teams don't want to take risks like that even if it's probably no big deal. It'd all come down to the medical evaluations and the potential for problems in the future. It could definitely affect his draft stock.