Lucky Rams Didn't Go Tackle In The First?

[LACHAMP46]

Then what's that say about Pead, Austin, Quick, GRob, Jones, Etc? All of those guys haven't lived up to their draft status yet. Not even remotely close. Yet we're looking to count on them all this year. Way, way too early to judge. And the OP just mentioned conditioning. Nothing about smarts or anything else.

Hmmm, lets see, Quick...all reports say hard worker...showed marked improvement in 2014....I'll just leave him at that...
Pead....definitely is in bust territory....Says he's changed...We need to see...
Austin....5'9 175 lbs....whoever thought this guy would succeed at the pros...must have been smoking something. Speed is great, but size & strength matter...Still, only year 3 and they say he's a hard worker...they say...
Jones...injured when drafted...played with pros all over the field...was moved from a premiere position to center...what does that tell me? somebody younger was better...wonder what his combine numbers said. Little faith he turns into anything more than decent.
G-Rob...monster...hard worker...2nd year player at one of the hardest positions on the field...Not sure why he's in here other than he was the #2 overall pick...Like Quick, I have high hopes for this guy...
Conditioning shows work ethic...you either have it, or you're trying to develop it...and the latter is bad...esp. for a high draft pick...Quick & G-Rob seem to have it....see the difference?

 

[LACHAMP46]

To me, shoot for the moon is grab the best player available....usually has measurables up the ying-yang....and this is what GM's do all the time...Good player? You look for all-pros in the 1st round. IMO

 

[TheDYVKX]

@blue4 , IDK....top 15 pick....and lazy & out of shape...hmmm. My feelings are, it's nervous time...Conditioning & 300+lbs...could be problems

Now, my real target....
I'll give you Joe Thomas...but I bet I could google Joe Thomas...pass blocking and find something...but Jake I wanted to see, I have heard so much about him, but the image of Ware trucking him is still fresh in my mind....
2008 Miami 1st game vs Jets & Farve (woo-hoo!), Chad Pennington is the QB, wonder was Brett texting Jen then?...balls not really going downfield (Chad has a notorious weak arm) Ellis gets a sack, Long had a tripping call...Not bad for a rookie...In fact, they ended up 11-5 that season...But is this a better run blocking tackle? as a rookie?
The next game versus Az..the Dolphins barely scored again...http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200809140crd.htm...bunch of short passes....just not really gonna see elite tackle or pass blocking play outta this type of offense...was it the QB? Probably...But still, until I see proof, I doubt most rookies excel at pass blocking. It just doesn't happen...They get help from TE's & RB's, the plays will be shorter & quicker...all in the attempt to increase his acclimation to the pro game....

In those two games, it appears that Miami never completed a pass longer than 20 yards...I'd say 15, but it could be one in there...The majority were 5-6-7-8-9 yard gains....I'd like to review the later games when they began to win...but I want to see if Long was doing anything so special that basic play-by-play would show...PFF didn't work for me...2008, Jake Long...so no comparison as of yet.....

IMO Long was pretty good as a rookie, gave up 2.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl. Was very good when I watched him, even went to a few Dolphins games that season. But yeah, I can't say it was a high powered vertical offense with Pennington at QB. Still, he did very well as a rookie.

And you're 100% right, rookie tackles generally struggle in pass protection. I was just playing devils advocate, because not EVERY one does. Just like 98%.

 

[GabesHorn]

Then what's that say about Pead, Austin, Quick, GRob, Jones, Etc? All of those guys haven't lived up to their draft status yet. Not even remotely close. Yet we're looking to count on them all this year. Way, way too early to judge. And the OP just mentioned conditioning. Nothing about smarts or anything else.

Every person you mentioned or will mention is a story unto themselves. Pead and T.A. both came in trying to live off past accomplishments and Pead had an attitude and was slow to pick things up. T.A. had a lot to learn in the Pro passing tree along with being a punt returnman and gadget player by the OC. Thats a ton to work on besides simply your hands and catching the damn ball.

Quick from a smaller school App. State was and is a very slow learner (to be kind). Maybe thats why (with his physical attributes) he ended up at that school instead of FSU or OSU. I hate to say it but G. Robs learning curve was a major part of moving from OG back to OLT and just the Pro System, Thats not to mention how he has reshaped himself physically to perform at his highest level. Auburn ran the ball and lacked a pass pro system so it was a VERY big learning curve for a slow learner with an awesome physical specimen to start with. He was a giant in the weightroom as a rookie. Was'nt afraid to work real hard. He's gonna be special if you've been watching every practice so far.

Finally Barret Jones came in injured and then got re-injured and had freakin (back) surgery. As a back surgery patient and OL I am shocked he is still with us. He still isn't where I want him to be in his lower body and that back injury is a situation of just how much pain you can lift those heavy ass weights to become a real Pro Football player day in and day out. His smarts are his greatest assets and He has a long ways to go to overcome and still improve physically and I'm sure living and playing in pain,not to mention moving forward what he needs to do in the weightroom through that pain without messing his back up again. So it was a risk drafting an already injured player. Trung Canidate never got past his Lis Franc injury and Barrett Jones played his Senior season with it and was All SEC at Center and won his 3rd National Championship at his 3rd OL position (BAMA). So I see why we took the risk.

Peat at his size at the combine was out of shape but had such physical GOD given gifts IF he applied himself. His biggest well known drawback was that he took plays off and was unmotivated. Something that ALWAYS raises a Red Flag. So if Peat was motivated to play in the pros ,don't you think he would have lost some of that fat to compete at the OLT position? He is living up to his entitled attitude and came in still fat and unmotivated. That is something he could have attempted to correct as he was not injured. He did'nt. Thats a lot mental also to not think how the pressure would even be higher to accomplish the transformation to a Pro OLT. Can you imagine what he goes through in the film room as its too late to get in the proper shape and learn the game at the same time? Plus the pressure on the coaches to get something out of a person like that. He has to want it. YES an early dissapointment does'nt mean he will fail. Maybe a light will go on and I'm sure the team will make extra precautions to get him a minder and personal trainer so as to not waste that high draft pick. We've seen players eat themselves out of the league and many other undisciplined things that happen. The Red Flags were already there to most of us BEFORE Peat was drafted. Thinking they could change him was ALL on the Saints.

Sorry so long of a post. Every pick we make is 99% different from who I would have taken. I'm a draftnik in my 50th year as a Diehard RAM fan. Even almost 60 Tuesday. I wanted a center real bad this draft from the 6th round from BC. We went with a Fisher buddy's kid LB Baylor. I'm still mad. We passed on all the thumper LB's and I'm hoping now Ayers will bring the heat on Bltzes and help stop in the run tackling game. No more drag down tackling 6 yards downfield and get a solo tackle credit. Glad Ogletree also really looks poised for a Big year. Fingers crossed.

 

[paceram]

Every person you mentioned or will mention is a story unto themselves. Pead and T.A. both came in trying to live off past accomplishments and Pead had an attitude and was slow to pick things up. T.A. had a lot to learn in the Pro passing tree along with being a punt returnman and gadget player by the OC. Thats a ton to work on besides simply your hands and catching the damn ball.

Quick from a smaller school App. State was and is a very slow learner (to be kind). Maybe thats why (with his physical attributes) he ended up at that school instead of FSU or OSU. I hate to say it but G. Robs learning curve was a major part of moving from OG back to OLT and just the Pro System, Thats not to mention how he has reshaped himself physically to perform at his highest level. Auburn ran the ball and lacked a pass pro system so it was a VERY big learning curve for a slow learner with an awesome physical specimen to start with. He was a giant in the weightroom as a rookie. Was'nt afraid to work real hard. He's gonna be special if you've been watching every practice so far.

Finally Barret Jones came in injured and then got re-injured and had freakin (back) surgery. As a back surgery patient and OL I am shocked he is still with us. He still isn't where I want him to be in his lower body and that back injury is a situation of just how much pain you can lift those heavy ass weights to become a real Pro Football player day in and day out. His smarts are his greatest assets and He has a long ways to go to overcome and still improve physically and I'm sure living and playing in pain,not to mention moving forward what he needs to do in the weightroom through that pain without messing his back up again. So it was a risk drafting an already injured player. Trung Canidate never got past his Lis Franc injury and Barrett Jones played his Senior season with it and was All SEC at Center and won his 3rd National Championship at his 3rd OL position (BAMA). So I see why we took the risk.

Peat at his size at the combine was out of shape but had such physical GOD given gifts IF he applied himself. His biggest well known drawback was that he took plays off and was unmotivated. Something that ALWAYS raises a Red Flag. So if Peat was motivated to play in the pros ,don't you think he would have lost some of that fat to compete at the OLT position? He is living up to his entitled attitude and came in still fat and unmotivated. That is something he could have attempted to correct as he was not injured. He did'nt. Thats a lot mental also to not think how the pressure would even be higher to accomplish the transformation to a Pro OLT. Can you imagine what he goes through in the film room as its too late to get in the proper shape and learn the game at the same time? Plus the pressure on the coaches to get something out of a person like that. He has to want it. YES an early dissapointment does'nt mean he will fail. Maybe a light will go on and I'm sure the team will make extra precautions to get him a minder and personal trainer so as to not waste that high draft pick. We've seen players eat themselves out of the league and many other undisciplined things that happen. The Red Flags were already there to most of us BEFORE Peat was drafted. Thinking they could change him was ALL on the Saints.

Sorry so long of a post. Every pick we make is 99% different from who I would have taken. I'm a draftnik in my 50th year as a Diehard RAM fan. Even almost 60 Tuesday. I wanted a center real bad this draft from the 6th round from BC. We went with a Fisher buddy's kid LB Baylor. I'm still mad. We passed on all the thumper LB's and I'm hoping now Ayers will bring the heat on Bltzes and help stop in the run tackling game. No more drag down tackling 6 yards downfield and get a solo tackle credit. Glad Ogletree also really looks poised for a Big year. Fingers crossed.

An early Happy Birthday! I will be 60 in January and have been a Rams fan for a little over little 50 years (Some Good - Some not so Good - And, One really, really GREAT!)!

 

[blue4]

You can't fix the lack of heart..Gregg Robinson never lacked that

And we know he has a lack of heart a few days into a TC that none of us have paid attention to?
Maybe he does have a lack of heart, but rookie training camp before a single preseason game snap is to early to judge that.

And I'm not judging GRob so there's no need to defend him. I'm simply saying he had his share of problems as well, as has a number of our draft picks.

 

[blue4]

Every person you mentioned or will mention is a story unto themselves. Pead and T.A. both came in trying to live off past accomplishments and Pead had an attitude and was slow to pick things up. T.A. had a lot to learn in the Pro passing tree along with being a punt returnman and gadget player by the OC. Thats a ton to work on besides simply your hands and catching the damn ball.

Quick from a smaller school App. State was and is a very slow learner (to be kind). Maybe thats why (with his physical attributes) he ended up at that school instead of FSU or OSU. I hate to say it but G. Robs learning curve was a major part of moving from OG back to OLT and just the Pro System, Thats not to mention how he has reshaped himself physically to perform at his highest level. Auburn ran the ball and lacked a pass pro system so it was a VERY big learning curve for a slow learner with an awesome physical specimen to start with. He was a giant in the weightroom as a rookie. Was'nt afraid to work real hard. He's gonna be special if you've been watching every practice so far.

Finally Barret Jones came in injured and then got re-injured and had freakin (back) surgery. As a back surgery patient and OL I am shocked he is still with us. He still isn't where I want him to be in his lower body and that back injury is a situation of just how much pain you can lift those heavy ass weights to become a real Pro Football player day in and day out. His smarts are his greatest assets and He has a long ways to go to overcome and still improve physically and I'm sure living and playing in pain,not to mention moving forward what he needs to do in the weightroom through that pain without messing his back up again. So it was a risk drafting an already injured player. Trung Canidate never got past his Lis Franc injury and Barrett Jones played his Senior season with it and was All SEC at Center and won his 3rd National Championship at his 3rd OL position (BAMA). So I see why we took the risk.

Peat at his size at the combine was out of shape but had such physical GOD given gifts IF he applied himself. His biggest well known drawback was that he took plays off and was unmotivated. Something that ALWAYS raises a Red Flag. So if Peat was motivated to play in the pros ,don't you think he would have lost some of that fat to compete at the OLT position? He is living up to his entitled attitude and came in still fat and unmotivated. That is something he could have attempted to correct as he was not injured. He did'nt. Thats a lot mental also to not think how the pressure would even be higher to accomplish the transformation to a Pro OLT. Can you imagine what he goes through in the film room as its too late to get in the proper shape and learn the game at the same time? Plus the pressure on the coaches to get something out of a person like that. He has to want it. YES an early dissapointment does'nt mean he will fail. Maybe a light will go on and I'm sure the team will make extra precautions to get him a minder and personal trainer so as to not waste that high draft pick. We've seen players eat themselves out of the league and many other undisciplined things that happen. The Red Flags were already there to most of us BEFORE Peat was drafted. Thinking they could change him was ALL on the Saints.

Sorry so long of a post. Every pick we make is 99% different from who I would have taken. I'm a draftnik in my 50th year as a Diehard RAM fan. Even almost 60 Tuesday. I wanted a center real bad this draft from the 6th round from BC. We went with a Fisher buddy's kid LB Baylor. I'm still mad. We passed on all the thumper LB's and I'm hoping now Ayers will bring the heat on Bltzes and help stop in the run tackling game. No more drag down tackling 6 yards downfield and get a solo tackle credit. Glad Ogletree also really looks poised for a Big year. Fingers crossed.

I'm wondering why people seem to think I'm judging our players. I'm not, I'm saying they each had problems, each didn't contribute for YEARS in regards to their draft status. So to judge Peat and not our picks seems, at best, highly inconsistent. I'm not coming down on our players, I'm saying it's way early to judge Peat off of one story from a NO newspaper.

 

[blue4]

Hmmm, lets see, Quick...all reports say hard worker...showed marked improvement in 2014....I'll just leave him at that...
Pead....definitely is in bust territory....Says he's changed...We need to see...
Austin....5'9 175 lbs....whoever thought this guy would succeed at the pros...must have been smoking something. Speed is great, but size & strength matter...Still, only year 3 and they say he's a hard worker...they say...
Jones...injured when drafted...played with pros all over the field...was moved from a premiere position to center...what does that tell me? somebody younger was better...wonder what his combine numbers said. Little faith he turns into anything more than decent.
G-Rob...monster...hard worker...2nd year player at one of the hardest positions on the field...Not sure why he's in here other than he was the #2 overall pick...Like Quick, I have high hopes for this guy...
Conditioning shows work ethic...you either have it, or you're trying to develop it...and the latter is bad...esp. for a high draft pick...Quick & G-Rob seem to have it....see the difference?

I see the difference. But as I said in the previous response I'm not judging our players. There are a few I'm not thrilled with but my responses aren't about that. I'm simply saying that if someone on the outside looked in at our training camps before they'd have thought our WRs were too dumb to play in the NFL, so withholding judgment for a while seems the wise course. He may just be immature. I was until the I joined the Navy at his age.

 

[Loyal]

And we know he has a lack of heart a few days into a TC that none of us have paid attention to?
Maybe he does have a lack of heart, but rookie training camp before a single preseason game snap is to early to judge that.

And I'm not judging GRob so there's no need to defend him. I'm simply saying he had his share of problems as well, as has a number of our draft picks.

Just saying that showing up so out of shape that you can barely practice is a sign of a character flaw..yes, this early into training camp (Peat)

 

[den-the-coach]

We can judge this now (talking about Peat)

In a small way the kid is still 21 years old and might not have been ready for his first conditioning test. Now believe me as a special ops military guy I understand the importance of conditioning, but we can judge he was not ready, but this does not indicate he won't be successful...I like to see him play a few games first, but that's just me.

 

[den-the-coach]

What fun is there in that?! For the record, I did NOT want Clowney! (unless he has a great upcoming season)

Funny when somebody is unsuccessful how many people say "they called it." Not posting you didn't, but if I had a dime for example for everybody who said they called the wild pitch by Bob Stanley in the 86 world series I could run for President like Donald Trump.

 

[Mikey Ram]

Andrus Peat - T - Saints
The Saints are concerned with first-round OT Andrus Peat’s conditioning.

"In 15 years of covering the NFL, I've never seen a player struggle as much as Peat did on Friday," reporter Jeff Duncan said. Peat also dealt with conditioning issues at OTAs. He’s been a disappointment in training camp, working mostly with the second team. Zach Strief remains comfortably ahead of Peat.

I'm guessing he never watched any of the the Jason Smith saga...And he wasn't even out of shape that I can remember...

 

[Alan]

Having a successful draft doesn't mean your drafting strategy was sound. Long shots are sometimes successful but don't try and make a living on them.

On the other hand, I'm glad we didn't draft Peat or Aldon Smith or others of their ilk.

 

[Loyal]

On the positive side, I am so glad we drafted Aaron Donald...I was excited about the kid, but thought for sure we'd go Oline. Clowney? We didn't have a shot at him anyway (at least not at an acceptable price). But we got a guy that was a DROY, Pro Bowler, All Pro, and is healthy. He seems even more fearsome this year and is almost unstoppable vs interior Olinemen. GREAT Character kid, that works so dang hard From my own homer POV, we got the BEST Defensive Player in that draft, which included Jadaveon Clowney and Khalil Mack..

 

[blue4]

No doubt we did. I was so relieved when we passed on Clowney. And so relieved we got Foles and got out of the potential Winston sweepstakes.

 

[snackdaddy]

If a lineman doesn't look to be in the best shape because maybe he's a little flabby, that shouldn't be a concern. Some guys can look flabby but be in great shape when it comes to endurance and strength. Those are big guys. I wouldn't expect anyone that size to have a washboard stomach and smaller waste. They don't have to have low body fat like you see in WR's, DB's and RB's.

But if he has trouble, like tiring early due to lack of conditioning, then that is a red flag. Especially for a rookie. Those guys are not guaranteed a starting spot and they usually have to beat out a veteran or two. Year one is when they should be in their best shape. If they're not then I would have to think they're not as committed as they should be.

 

[dbrooks25]

I'm wondering why people seem to think I'm judging our players. I'm not, I'm saying they each had problems, each didn't contribute for YEARS in regards to their draft status. So to judge Peat and not our picks seems, at best, highly inconsistent. I'm not coming down on our players, I'm saying it's way early to judge Peat off of one story from a NO newspaper.

I'm not going to judge Peat, but I would be very concerned if our 1st round OT showed up badly out of shape. As players, one of their jobs is to be and stay conditioned at the very least.

 

[kurtfaulk]

No doubt we did. I was so relieved when we passed on Clowney. And so relieved we got Foles and got out of the potential Winston sweepstakes.

They didn't pass on clowney. If he was there at #2 they would have taken him. Worked out great in the end.

.

 

[snackdaddy]

On the positive side, I am so glad we drafted Aaron Donald...I was excited about the kid, but thought for sure we'd go Oline. Clowney? We didn't have a shot at him anyway (at least not at an acceptable price). But we got a guy that was a DROY, Pro Bowler, All Pro, and is healthy. He seems even more fearsome this year and is almost unstoppable vs interior Olinemen. GREAT Character kid, that works so dang hard From my own homer POV, we got the BEST Defensive Player in that draft, which included Jadaveon Clowney and Khalil Mack..

Yeah, we found a gem in Donald. If anyone can avoid a sophomore slump and even improve, he would be that guy. High character, good work ethic. And talented as hell. Devastating first step. I saw a highlight in college where he penetrated the backfield so quick, he tackled the RB and QB both while the QB was handing off the ball.

 

[jjab360]