What Is A Rams Linebacking Corps Without James Laurinaitis?

[rams56]

I loved JL55 and I will miss him....one of my favorites over the past couple of years..... I am cautiously optomistic that we are now faster at LB. I am a little worried. ..if I am not mistaken. ...all the weeknesses of JL55 were the same of former safety Ogletree coming out of college. ....he had no insticts....couldn't take on blockers and disengage. ...instead preferred to run around blocks.....and at the Will backer he didn't have to do that as much...but I am cautiously optimistic that he has moved passed these perceived weaknesses......good luck JL55....

Go AO52.....Go Rams....

 

[OldSchool]

I'm afraid that Ogletree will get injured early and we won't have a MLB at all. He is better in coverage but has not been durable and hasn't played in the middle.
The JL bashing is mostly BS.:rant:

You can critique a player and his performance over 10 years without hating or bashing the guy.

Tree in fact did play in the middle in college and moved to the outside, a position he had never played and did very well. We also have 2 guys behind Tree that can play the middle in Hager and Forrest our draft pick this year. Again just because I say somebody doesn't do something well or isn't as fast as another guy doesn't mean I hate him or I'm bashing him.

 

[…..]

Don't just think it was contract year he grew as a player. Rams are going to be mad they let him go. Because Tru is no where near Jenkins level

Well we drafted him because we liked him. He matured a bit too this past year, so in that regard he stepped up. We're going to miss his ball hawking skills thats for sure, but we couldnt afford him so no reason to be mad. I think Tru can be a legit #1 corner for us, maybe not as dynamic but he'll show up this year.

 

[tavian]

The last Great MLB the Rams had was Jack 'Hacksaw' Reynolds! We need that Type at MLB!! JMHO ( And don't bring up Fletcher, he wasn't anywhere near as good as Jack!)

Fletcher was better.:boxing: Of course if you were around to watch all of Hacksaws career,your vision probably started leaving
you by the time London started playing.

 

[Mikey Ram]

At the risk of seeming flippant, I'd trade LB depth for Goff all day..

 

[tavian]

At the risk of seeming flippant, I'd trade LB depth for Goff all day..

2nd that

 

[RAMBUSH]

There's a reason he was let go. He's not over the hill. He's only 29. The defensive coaches saw a chance to upgrade that position and took it. Whether it works out for the better remains to be seen. JL was durable and I wish him the best, but a faster, more instinctive replacement will make our linebacker position much more effective.

J. L. Was playing injured without Quinn and tree most of the year. Tough as nails. Always a horn in my mind.

 

[RamFan503]

At the risk of seeming flippant, I'd trade LB depth for Goff all day..

I'd rather keep Goff. :snicker:

 

[shovelpass]

Why do some people seemed concerned over Ogletree's durability? I get that he's replacing iron-man, but he's only been injured once. Yes, it was a season ending injury, but it's football, it could happen to anyone at anytime. I mean as long as McDonald is on the field everyone is at risk.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Fletcher was better.:boxing: Of course if you were around to watch all of Hacksaws career,your vision probably started leaving
you by the time London started playing.

I was around long before Hacksaw too! But I do where Glasses!!

 

[CGI_Ram]

I'm afraid that Ogletree will get injured early and we won't have a MLB at all. He is better in coverage but has not been durable and hasn't played in the middle.

Ogletree never missed a game before his injury... Which his leg got rolled up on by another player... More fluke than anything else.

 

[Ballhawk]

Ogletree never missed a game before his injury... Which his leg got rolled up on by another player... More fluke than anything else.

Yeah, but you have TJ running around lowering the boom on his own players.....

 

[Oldgeek]

Where/ wear

 

[FrantikRam]

Loved JL at Ohio State. Screamed for the Rams to draft him with that 2nd round pick, and they actually did.

But it's been clear to me for a few years now that JL was holding this defense back. This year I yelled at him (through the TV screen and live twice) more than I've yelled at any player, ever. It was just so blatantly clear that he didn't have it anymore the snap, and it appears that Fisher agreed.

Loved his dedication and his reliability, but we made the right move IMO. His number 1 problem was his lack of athleticism, couple that with the inability to get/stay off blocks, and that's where we were at.

 

[RamWoodie]

I'm afraid that Ogletree will get injured early and we won't have a MLB at all. He is better in coverage but has not been durable and hasn't played in the middle.
The JL bashing is mostly BS.:rant:

Just a second here. How do you surmise that?

The only time Tree was injured is the broken leg. He's just as big as JL only faster. Naturally there will be some adjustment because Tree is going to have to be the defense QB but I think he can be a natural at MLB. Time will tell.

 

[RamWoodie]

Fletcher was better.:boxing: Of course if you were around to watch all of Hacksaws career,your vision probably started leaving
you by the time London started playing.

This is quite debateable. I don't know how old you are, but if you never saw Hacksaw play you missed a great Ram MLB era. Both Hacksaw and Fletch were very good MLB's that ended up leaving the Rams in quite similar fashions (because of money).

Most importantly, they were in two different eras of the NFL...I'd rather not compare them...but admire both!

 

[tavian]

This is quite debateable. I don't know how old you are, but if you never saw Hacksaw play you missed a great Ram MLB era. Both Hacksaw and Fletch were very good MLB's that ended up leaving the Rams in quite similar fashions (because of money).

Most importantly, they were in two different eras of the NFL...I'd rather not compare them...but admire both!

Wasnt debating.just havin some fun with my buddy dave.

 

[Ballhawk]

Just a second here. How do you surmise that?

The only time Tree was injured is the broken leg. He's just as big as JL only faster. Naturally there will be some adjustment because Tree is going to have to be the defense QB but I think he can be a natural at MLB. Time will tell.

Actually, I wish that I hadn't said it as I don't want to jinx him! :sneak:

 

[DaveFan'51]

There's a reason he was let go. He's not over the hill. He's only 29. The defensive coaches saw a chance to upgrade that position and took it. Whether it works out for the better remains to be seen. JL was durable and I wish him the best, but a faster, more instinctive replacement will make our linebacker position much more effective.

I hope you're right on this^ point! I don't want it to back-fire like when the Rams let Reynolds, and Fletcher get away!
No one wants it to work out more than I do!!

 

[Prime Time]

I hope you're right on this^ point! I don't want it to back-fire like when the Rams let Reynolds, and Fletcher get away!
No one wants it to work out more than I do!!

JL was no Reynolds or Fletcher. If there's one area that I trust Fisher on it's defense. Fisher, Williams and the rest of the defensive staff watched game film every week, saw a weakness and moved to fix it. Ogletree will turn 25 at the beginning of the new season. At 6'2" and 245 pounds he's the prototype for a middle linebacker. Whether he has the smarts to run the defense is another matter entirely. In a few months we'll find out for sure.