Preseason game 1: O-line review

[TexasRam]

Hey all,

I went back and watched the O-line. A careful review shows some interesting things that is hard to notice while watching in real time.

I should note that the starters were as follows:

LT Jackson
LG Brewer
C Shelton
LG Evans
RT Anchrum

Somewhere around the 3rd quarter Shelton was replaced by Kolone and Evans was replaced by Meredith.

I'll give me grades along with a brief reason.

Jackson - C Had at least 3 missed blocks. Played more consistent as it went along.
Brewer -D Missed at least 5 blocks. Also lacks strength and ability to keep blocker engaged. May need to switch to center.
Shelton - C Missed a few blocks but played decent overall.
Evans - C- Started real strong. Then started missing blocks. Showed inability to sustain blocks even though his strength is good.
Anchrum - B Really impressed. The excellent feet, balance and technique really showed. Kick out is excellent. Had a strong showing in pass pro.
Meredith - A Really impressed. Excellent feet strength and lock. Shows starter quality. A few times Chargers #66 beat him to the backfield but from what I could tell this was Kolone's assignment both times.
Kolone - C Showed good strength and feet and blocking ability. Seems real raw in assignment though. From what I could tell he missed a few assignments that resulted in backfield blowups. My guess is he wasn't clear on assignment when #66 was looping over to his right side gap.

Overall I think Meredith has real potential.
Anchrum could feel in nicely if Havenstein goes down.
Kolone has potential but I want to see if he can clear up the assignment issues next game.
Evans was disappointing later in the game, too many years in to be whiffing on guys in the run game.

These grades don't take into consideration who these guys were lined up against.

Right now my plan B for the Brian Allen project (if it don't work out) is to slide in Meredith at RG and Corbett at center......at least through 1 preseason game.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

I thought my man Anchor Em looked tough and comfortable out there. Need to rewatch on runs though.

 

[den-the-coach]

IMO, the interior had a rough night, they could not get any push, I felt the RB's did a great job considering the likes of Brewer & Evans struggled. I also felt Shelton was okay, not really strong at the point of attack along with Kolone as both of their snaps were consistent, but again, neither of them seem to get a push and the running play first in goal when #66 of the Chargers blew it up, was a disaster.

I expected more from Brewer & Evans not sure on Meredith as IMO, the push did not improve. The overall pass blocking was better as a unit, but color me unimpressed by Kevin Carberry's unit, who had his mouth wide open on the sideline when they went to him, so close the mouth and clean up the running game coach.

LT .Jackson....Played okay, but not much push on his side on running plays held up well in pass protection.

RG Brewer....Rough game struggled in all phases, might be more of a tackle then guard, however, the rams made a big deal as to why they didn't draft an OL because Brewer was coming back, well, after last night, they should revisit that philosophy.

C Shelton...Snaps were consistent, no push at the point of attack and seemed to be chasing the play.

RG Evans...Concur with @TexasRam started out fine, but seem to tire as the game went on, conditioning an issue with Evans and might be why he's no longer a starter.

RT Anchrum...Played the best, but his best was not good enough for this unit.

RG Meredith.... @TexasRam rated him higher, but again, strength was an issue, but did show some potential.

C Kolone.... i did not like him three years ago, two years ago, last year and I don't like him this year. plays shorter then he is, his snaps were good, but his overall game, when it comes to line adjustments & getting any movement is pedestrian at best.

 

[ottoman89]

Not surprised to see Jackson do good in pass blocking. He was never a bulldozer in the run game. Solid, but not a bulldozer.

Everyone on the interior failed to get any push going in the run. Very lackluster.

 

[OldSchool]

Jackson was straight up bad, don't care what he's shown in practice he was out there at LT in a game vs other backups and was bad. Good thing he's not our #2 LT. Doesn't mean I want to cut him or anything silly like that he was just bad. Anchrum and Meredith would be the only 2 that got a good grade, the rest were average to bad.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Ridiculous that Evans would look bad in a preseason game with all the seasoning he has had.
My suspicion was that the switch to Allen at Center had more to do with Evans than it did with Corbett.

 

[majrleaged]

I cant break it down like some of you. I just watch the game and occasionally rewind to see who let their man thru. I find it frustrating to see the opposing team in our back field over and over again. To me it looks like the coaching sucks balls. The players suck balls. The people picking the players suck balls. It might be time to grab guards and centers to play those positions rather than Tackles.

 

[dang]

We need 9-10 solid lineman to start the season. Assuming the first 6 are solid. We have Evans and Anchrum on the outside but marshmallows on the inside. If someone doesn’t step up we will either be hoping for 0 injuries or looking for another player or 2 this year. Last I looked there are some options still out there ( e.g. Austin Reiter, DeCastro, Fluker, Groy, etc).

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

Ok I just watched Anchor Em the whole game and we should feel amped about this dude. He made it seem easy and handled everything they threw at him, handing off, shoving people around on runs, second level, etc. He let the rusher get wide around him on one play on our last drive in the red zone, but that was the only miss play I saw of him.

 

[Soul Surfer]

It might be time to grab guards and centers to play those positions rather than Tackles.

The reason a lot of NFL teams will pick tackles in the draft and try to convert them to interior players has two main reasons.

The best offensive lineman, particularly in their footwork and reaction times, will end up being tackles in college by the time they're ready to graduate and are therefore ready for the draft.

The spread offenses that you find in college, (the vast majority are spread) are just not developing Pro ready interior offensive lineman.

The development time of an offensive lineman in the NFL is often two years before you know what you have.

 

[BonifayRam]

HC Staley had an easy night for himself...he overloaded the LOS on each & every snap with 7 to 8 defenders. Rams OC & OL coaches were made to order victims.

The mostly very young & inexperienced OL'ers who had never played in an NFL preseason game like Jackson, Meredith & Anchrum showed it. The interior OL was attacked all night & the OL'ers Shelton & Kolone making the line calls were totally ineffective either by communication of just poor or lack of ability to make the right call.

OL was non-effective in all phases & needs some serious work & time to get where it needs to be. That entire unit that took part in that game needs to be highly embarrassed.

OL'er Bobby Evans having many NFL starts @ OT & OG along with mega offensive snaps in regular & playoff games for the last two seasons.......! Time to look for a serious OG to replace UFA Corbett next season because Evans does not have it.

OT/OG Chandler Brewer having missed all football for over a year might offer up some merit in his excuse but not too much. Brewer is capable of playing much better ball than what we saw @ LG last night. Brewer may be far more OT than OG. He should of been way ahead of what he did last night.

Coleman Shelton should have held up better & is supposed to be a much better run blocker than pass blocker, not sure he opened up any holes last night.

Tremayne Anchrum was the best playing OL'er on the field last night but he was beaten often too.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Ok I just watched Anchor Em the whole game and we should feel amped about this dude. He made it seem easy and handled everything they threw at him, handing off, shoving people around on runs, second level, etc. He let the rusher get wide around him on one play on our last drive in the red zone, but that was the only miss play I saw of him.

He certainly is built like a guard and that's where we may need him but it's good to know he looks decent at right tackle.

 

[majrleaged]

The reason a lot of NFL teams will pick tackles in the draft and try to convert them to interior players has two main reasons.

The best offensive lineman, particularly in their footwork and reaction times, will end up being tackles in college by the time they're ready to graduate and are therefore ready for the draft.

The spread offenses that you find in college, (the vast majority are spread) are just not developing Pro ready interior offensive lineman.

The development time of an offensive lineman in the NFL is often two years before you know what you have.

Okay I'll buy that. Im just a fan. I also know it was the bottom of the depth chart and Maybe we just didn't prepare our oline to handle what the chargers did. It is preseason, but the other team shouldn't be in our back field constantly, no mater the situation. Unless of course if that is the way they do their evaluation. Just put the line out there and see how they handle it. Hope to see the defense in our back field to see how the Rb and QBs handle it. I mean the Rams do do things differently.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

He certainly is built like a guard and that's where we may need him but it's good to know he looks decent at right tackle.

My thoughts exactly. I feel like Anchor's our 5th strongest OL regardless. Making him a tackle might've been a miscalculation considering our needs, but will likely help next year and beyond when we need tackles.

 

[Ram65]

As a whole, they didn't look very good. The Chargers were some first-stringers and were run blitzing. We didn't see much push. I was disappointed thinking the depth was getting better. It's still early in preseason so maybe they can show some improvement going forward. Won't evaluate individuals without rewatching the game.

 

[BonifayRam]

6 takeaways from the Rams offensive line’s performance against the Chargers​

The Rams front five had an up and down game

By Christopher Daniel Aug 15, 2021,

• 
  
  The Los Angeles Rams dropped their first preseason game of 2021 to the Brandon Staley-led Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 13-6, but what is important from Saturday night is not the outcome; it’s the way the players were able to handle themselves in whatever situations presented themselves. Throughout the contest, the Rams offensive line showed some positive glimpses, as well as some areas that need improvement.
• 
  These are six key takeaways from LAR’s o-line play this weekend.
  

  Seven offensive linemen played.​

  The starters consisted of A.J. Jackson at left tackle, Chandler Brewer at left guard, Coleman Shelton anchoring the middle at center, Bobby Evans at right guard, and Tremayne Anchrum playing right tackle. Jackson, Brewer, and Anchrum played the entire game, while Jeremiah Kolone subbed in at center and Jordan Meredith took over at right guard midway through the third quarter.
  

  No daylight for the running backs.​

  The run blocking was abysmal for the majority of the game, as Rams running backs totaled 47 yards on 19 attempts. That’s an average of only 2.46 yards per carry. There were a few runs where backs got one on one opportunities at the second level and couldn’t make the defender miss, but for the most part the guys up front couldn’t consistently create rushing lanes, as running backs were often swarmed near or behind the line of scrimmage. Too often offensive linemen whiffed on blocks and turned defenders loose with little to no resistance.
  
  

  A.J. Jackson struggled.​

  Alaric “A.J.” Jackson had a bit of a rough night, which is fair to expect from a rookie playing left tackle in his first NFL game. As shown in the first video above, there were plays where he was unable to stay engaged with his defender, who ended up making the tackle in the backfield for a two yard loss. He also let his man around the edge too many times, forcing both Delvin Hodges and Bryce Perkins to either reset their throwing platform or completely roll out to the right to escape the pressure.
  

  There were glimpses of textbook pass protection.​

  It wasn’t all bad for the big fellas up front. The Rams were mostly stout in pass protection when the Chargers only rushed four. They also did a decent job picking up the blitz, with some help from the running backs. Although LAR’s offensive line did allow some occasional pressure (especial on their left side) there was some great coaching tape that will benefit this group going forward.
  
  
  
  One of my favorite offensive line plays was watching the left tackle and guard (Jackson & Brewer respectively) communicate post snap and swap off the would be pass rushers in the middle of a twist. It was very well executed and helped lead to a nice completion to Jacob Harris.
  
  

  Only one sack surrendered.​

  I’ll sign up for that every game! The Rams didn’t allow a sack until early in the third quarter. Brewer gave up some immediate pressure through the B gap which forced Perkins to dance around in the pocket before being sacked for a three yard loss.
  
  I would also like to see Anchrum finish linebacker Emeke Egbule instead just pushing him, as his defender ended up getting half a sack on the play.
  

  No penalties!​

  The LA Rams offensive line didn’t commit a single penalty all game. That is something this unit can be proud of heading into week two and the remainder of the preseason. Adding to that, Anchrum actually helped draw a penalty flag. Chargers defensive end Jessie Lemonier jumped into the neutral zone pre snap. Anchrum wisely stood up, forcing the play to be blown dead.
• 
  Sure, this performance was a bit of a mixed bag, but it didn’t cause any reason for major concern about the depth up front at this point. One thing is for sure, offensive line coach Kevin Carberry can thank Coach Staley for giving him some good film to work with. The big guys up front had to deal with multiple blitzes and stunts, which will only add to what Carberry can teach the offensive line, by showing them in game examples of what to do and also, what not to do.

 

[Soul Surfer]

I'm not making excuses here for our poor offensive line play because that is a huge disappointment and bad early omen for our team to build on.

But;
The defense will always be ahead of the offense in the preseason particularly in the trenches.

Offensive line play is much more complicated than defensive line play and it takes any offensive line a time to gel.

If you were starting a team from scratch and you just threw five guys out there and told him they're your offensive line with minimal practice working together, this would more than likely be the result.

Luckily for us, we have a couple more preseason games to get it together and have real starters with real starting experience that will be starting our Sunday night season opener.

 

[Ram Ts]

Early on, showing why an iOL would have been a better pick than Tutu. But it’s early and it could turn out to be the right move. Hope so.

 

[Merlin]

Nice job on the grades Texas. Can't disagree with anything you put up there. I will say that upon review our guys did a lot of good things, some of which surprised me. For example while Jackson had trouble staying on blocks his feet looked way better than I expected; he positioned very well at times. But yes they did get their asses whipped a fair share, and the Chargers won overall in the trenches.

Still I had a good time reviewing this one. Lot of good stuff by key young players. Like this play for example.

Here's the early short yardage situation, that risky 4th and 1 we converted.

Brewer beat right after the snap. This is what you don't want in a short yardage. He's 67 and stood up and with no real leverage. Now it is possible his assignment is to get his guy sealed to that side no way to know. But you don't want to get beat like that on a short yardage play where you need that one yard. Penetration bad.

The designed hole looks like A gap on this play but the Chargers fill aggressively and Funk makes a nice decision and cut here to bounce it. Brewer does do a nice job staying on his assignment here at least.

Funk gets it outside. Has a couple yards to go and one guy to beat.

Doesn't look too good here...

Nice job rook!