20 Random Countdown to Opening Day Thoughts

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MachS said:
And two, because McVay has heard all the criticism and so called pressure he's under regarding the Goff trade, and he will want to shut up all the doubters and let Stafford have a monster year.
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I bet if you ask the Rams they will say they aren’t worried about this… but they made a bold move and no doubt they put pressure on themselves to show it was the right move. I think that’s a good kind of pressure.
 
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oldnotdead said:
The same people that throw shade on Allen were fine with Blythe who proved time and time again he was a scrub.
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My memory's getting sketchy, but last time Allen played--weren't we all relieved when he and Notebook got replaced by Blythe and Edwards up front? Seems like our O started clicking better immediately that year.
 
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CGI_Ram said:
I worry we might regret trading Bojorquez, but I can’t see that happening this year. Hekker is still young with plenty left in the tank. Plenty.

The Bojorquez regret might happen 3-4 years down the road having moved on from the younger punter… But then I ask myself, really? I’m worried about punting 3yrs from now… when right now I have the best punter in the league?

Nah. Trading Bojorquez was the right thing.

I‘d argue the younger-less-experienced punter is more risk for a Championship quality team.

We have the best out there in Hekker.

Well done Rams… HOF quality players in all phases. O, D, ST :bullseye:
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My question is why, if he's all that, did Buffalo let him get away? And why, of all teams, did the Rams get him? I can't believe none of the other 31 teams needed a punter. Something seems weird there, no?
 
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I like the experience snd leadership that Hekker brings. In addition the Rams improved one of their draft picks with the Bojo trade. Not sure what the restructuring of Hekkers contract equates to but it plays into the “We Not Me” attitude McVay has implemented. So All Good IMO.
 
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dang said:
I like the experience snd leadership that Hekker brings. In addition the Rams improved one of their draft picks with the Bojo trade. Not sure what the restructuring of Hekkers contract equates to but it plays into the “We Not Me” attitude McVay has implemented. So All Good IMO.
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I'm really torn in this because I really liked Cory Bojorquez, he was at the podium and was an absolute professional answering questions and gave Hekker so much credit teaching him different techniques. I don't like Bojorquez in Green Bay, but Hekker besides being an asset in the locker room also offers quite a bit with the ability to fake a punt and Punters can last forever, unlike cold November Rain.
 
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Loyal said:
Billy Truax? Wasn’t he a Dr Seuss character? ~ @Memento
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FWIW I was a Bob Klein man myself, big and could block too young to remember Truax, but he sure did look the part.
1630770803182.png
 
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Riverumbbq said:
Yeah, ... I'm not buying into the theory that Corbett lost the Center job because of Allen's sudden epiphany, ... until proven different, it appears to me that Evans' failure as both the #1 RG starter in TC and his subsequent difficulties even performing with the 2'nd team reserves during the pre-season games laid the foundation for immediate change.
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Agree 100% I believe it was the interior poor OL skills backpack of Evans that resulted in the very quick backup rearrangement of Corbett back to RG & Allen going into starting OC post. Evans can not play OG to any degree where the Rams offense can cover for his negative production.

Riverumbbq said:
Now, it's true that Corbett may have become our #3 Center on the depth chart, but this could also be a result that Shelton at Center is being elevated over Evans & Anchrum at RG since neither performed up to earlier expectations.
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I could not have said it better you were certainly clicking Friday afternoon! Yes not sure if the positive that Interior reserve OL'er Coleman Shelton turned in TC & preseason can neutralize the :crap: load of what Evans put out working over the RG post. I would hope Carberry quickly rearranges Evans back to RT now that Tremayne Anchrum & his bad knee have gone to the IR & when Shelton comes off his Covid event. I would play it safe & keep Evans as our 9th OL'er for his one post-work @ RT....or at least until Alaric Jackson is ready to assume RT back up.
Riverumbbq said:
The Rams back-up situation on the IOL is quite concerning until someone really steps up to nail down these jobs. Anchrum & Evans are also still thought to be strongly competing for back-up RT duties. I'm guessing that Allen had the #2 Center role wrapped up all along until Evans botched things up, and hopefully his elevation to starter status isn't just management hyperbole, but a result of actual improved strength and knowledge.
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Shelton at this point is the main reserve for RG & OC not sure about LG. I have not heard of Shelton getting any LG action in TC or preseason. Shelton is the #7 OL'er with Jackson coming in @ #8.
Riverumbbq said:
Among Shelton, Anchrum & Evans, who should we trust most with consistently avoiding penalties, protecting Stafford, and providing the best run blocking ? I imagine that's the guy who gets into the lineup first in case of injury. jmo.
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If Tremayne Anchrum is able to get fully healthy & can take up where he was playing in preseason RT & LG then there is no reason for Evans. Carberry's four reserves should look like this: LT Noteboom, OC/RG Shelton, RT/LG Anchrum & Swing OT Alaric Jackson when all are healthy.

Reference to the present weakness in the OL @ reserve interior OL........Rams must be busy trying to reconstruct this area with the latest signing of Hocker. Carberry is thick in his Practice Squad with interior OL'ers OC Jeremiah Kolone, OG Chandler Brewer OC/OG Jared Hocker along with OT Max Pircher stashed. I would hope that Hocker can perform better than Kolone & Brewer did in the preseason.
 
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Goff got sacked a league leading 53 times last year. The nearest QB being sacked was in the mid 30's times last year. Yet Goff is blamed for a subpar year. People don't understand that a QB doesn't get sacked that many times unless the center, i.e. Blythe is missing blocking calls left and right. That's why he's gone. It's why Austin failed at center in Cleveland and now in LA. Corbett is a damn fine OG but that doesn't mean he can play center without extensive coaching up. It takes experience and specific coaching much in the same way as the QB reads the defense pre-snap, so does the center. It's simply not something every OG can do.

On most teams Blythe would have been benched mid-season but for whatever reason Kromer and McVay blamed it all on Goff. Setting the blocking calls is done by both the center and QB. That is the area that I think Allen is far ahead of Corbett and it's the most important job of the center. As long as he's a reasonably good blocker but most of all gets the blocking calls right then Allen will be fine and so will Stafford.

I'm not just making this up. This comes from conversations with Nick Hardwick who was one of the Chargers finest centers and who played in front of Philip Rivers for years. Nick was thought of around the league as a very good center. He wasn't the best center in terms of pass blocking but he was a standout in two areas. His blocking calls and his run blocking. The Rams ran a power run scheme and that called for a mobile center able to get out to the second level and execute crucial blocks. If Allen can be at least that type of center, this OL will be just fine. I have seen nothing that says he can't.
 
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oldnotdead said:
Goff got sacked a league leading 53 times last year. The nearest QB being sacked was in the mid 30's times last year. Yet Goff is blamed for a subpar year. People don't understand that a QB doesn't get sacked that many times unless the center, i.e. Blythe is missing blocking calls left and right. That's why he's gone. It's why Austin failed at center in Cleveland and now in LA. Corbett is a damn fine OG but that doesn't mean he can play center without extensive coaching up. It takes experience and specific coaching much in the same way as the QB reads the defense pre-snap, so does the center. It's simply not something every OG can do.

On most teams Blythe would have been benched mid-season but for whatever reason Kromer and McVay blamed it all on Goff. Setting the blocking calls is done by both the center and QB. That is the area that I think Allen is far ahead of Corbett and it's the most important job of the center. As long as he's a reasonably good blocker but most of all gets the blocking calls right then Allen will be fine and so will Stafford.

I'm not just making this up. This comes from conversations with Nick Hardwick who was one of the Chargers finest centers and who played in front of Philip Rivers for years. Nick was thought of around the league as a very good center. He wasn't the best center in terms of pass blocking but he was a standout in two areas. His blocking calls and his run blocking. The Rams ran a power run scheme and that called for a mobile center able to get out to the second level and execute crucial blocks. If Allen can be at least that type of center, this OL will be just fine. I have seen nothing that says he can't.
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Goff was sacked 23 times last year. At least get the facts straight.
 
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oldnotdead said:
Goff got sacked a league leading 53 times last year. The nearest QB being sacked was in the mid 30's times last year
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I think that you are confusing opponent team sacks with our team sacks. Goff was sacked only 23 times and the defense got 53 sacks
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ram/2020.htm
No.PlayerAgePosGGSQBrecCmpAttCmp%YdsTDTD%IntInt%LngY/AAY/AY/CY/GRateQBRSk
▼		YdsNY/AANY/ASk%4QCGWD
16Jared Goff26QB15159-6-037055267.03952203.6132.4567.26.810.7263.590.058.5231616.596.274.001
9John Wolford25111-0-0223857.923100.012.6386.14.910.5231.064.774.8285.584.455.0
Team Total25.51610-6-039259066.44183203.4142.4567.16.710.7261.488.4251696.536.154.101
Opp Total1634754863.33401173.1142.66.25.689.8212.680.4533505.14.68.8


Rams finished 6/7th in fewest team sacks(25). Obviously this is has more to do with the QB and play calls/scheme than it does the OL being that good.
 
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I told myself when the trade went down for Stafford, just to keep my mouth shut and wait and see. I also decided to just keep my thoughts to myself and not even log into ROD until it was time for the season to start. Well...we're there and now I'm going to do some research on all the Rams have done.

One thing I do think...Stafford is an upgrade over Goff. I have nothing more to add until after the Bears game...and it'll be great to really see SoFi with fans in it...even though I'm in Memphis...:laugh4:
 
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oldnotdead said:
Goff got sacked a league leading 53 times last year. The nearest QB being sacked was in the mid 30's times last year. Yet Goff is blamed for a subpar year. People don't understand that a QB doesn't get sacked that many times unless the center, i.e. Blythe is missing blocking calls left and right. That's why he's gone. It's why Austin failed at center in Cleveland and now in LA. Corbett is a damn fine OG but that doesn't mean he can play center without extensive coaching up. It takes experience and specific coaching much in the same way as the QB reads the defense pre-snap, so does the center. It's simply not something every OG can do.

On most teams Blythe would have been benched mid-season but for whatever reason Kromer and McVay blamed it all on Goff. Setting the blocking calls is done by both the center and QB. That is the area that I think Allen is far ahead of Corbett and it's the most important job of the center. As long as he's a reasonably good blocker but most of all gets the blocking calls right then Allen will be fine and so will Stafford.

I'm not just making this up. This comes from conversations with Nick Hardwick who was one of the Chargers finest centers and who played in front of Philip Rivers for years. Nick was thought of around the league as a very good center. He wasn't the best center in terms of pass blocking but he was a standout in two areas. His blocking calls and his run blocking. The Rams ran a power run scheme and that called for a mobile center able to get out to the second level and execute crucial blocks. If Allen can be at least that type of center, this OL will be just fine. I have seen nothing that says he can't.
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Hmmmmmmmm???
 
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