Allen And Noteboom Could Make Or Break Rams In 2019

[CGI_Ram]

It’s a great topic. I’d say as a general rule, most of us assume this is going to work out just fine.

Perhaps from confidence in our grooming approach, confidence in Kromer, or lulled into contentment by the last 2yrs of solid play?

Either way; this was an important strategy the Rams adopted. We need it to work!

 

[Memento]

I will continue to say that Blythe was anything but a liability last year. He will likely get us a high compensatory pick when he leaves in free agency. That's how good I think he is.

 

[Flint]

The ram d will continue to erode.
I thought the defense played better as the season went on and players got healthy , then they took it up a notch in the playoffs. The article points out the losses of Suh, Barron and Joyner as reasons for the slide, I didn’t think any of those guys was especially effective last year save Suh in the playoffs. Just on the face of it I would expect at least slight improvement if not major upgrades. Suh never saw himself as anybody’s sidekick even if that somebody is Aaron Donald, especially if that meant slugging it out in the trenches while AD gets all the glory. Barron was injured and just not big enough to hold up and Joyner has, for whatever reason, fallen off the last couple years.
One thing about Suh, he played a bunch of snaps and the Rams have replaced him with at least 2 guys who seem to relish doing the dirty work. Neither SJD or Gaines is the player Suh is but they may do a better job, especially against the run.
Barron has been in and out of the lineup and tends to get pushed around when he’s there. Enter Kiser, who’s known as a between the tackles lb who’s a tackling machine.
Couple years ago Joyner was one of the best safeties in the league, don’t know what happened to him he was average at best. He’s replaced with Weddle, who is still one of the smartest
safeties in the league and the rookie Rapp who has the size and versatility that Joyner didn’t.
Last year the ram d was bad against the run and had a weak pass rush. Snead and McVay have addressed those issues with resigning Fowler and adding Matthews and the health of Obo.
The ram offense has gotten the team this far so they’ve had to be pretty creative on defense, for those of us paying attention they have the potential to be pretty good.

 

[nighttrain]

The ram d will continue to erode.
I thought the defense played better as the season went on and players got healthy , then they took it up a notch in the playoffs. The article points out the losses of Suh, Barron and Joyner as reasons for the slide, I didn’t think any of those guys was especially effective last year save Suh in the playoffs. Just on the face of it I would expect at least slight improvement if not major upgrades. Suh never saw himself as anybody’s sidekick even if that somebody is Aaron Donald, especially if that meant slugging it out in the trenches while AD gets all the glory. Barron was injured and just not big enough to hold up and Joyner has, for whatever reason, fallen off the last couple years.
One thing about Suh, he played a bunch of snaps and the Rams have replaced him with at least 2 guys who seem to relish doing the dirty work. Neither SJD or Gaines is the player Suh is but they may do a better job, especially against the run.
Barron has been in and out of the lineup and tends to get pushed around when he’s there. Enter Kiser, who’s known as a between the tackles lb who’s a tackling machine.
Couple years ago Joyner was one of the best safeties in the league, don’t know what happened to him he was average at best. He’s replaced with Weddle, who is still one of the smartest
safeties in the league and the rookie Rapp who has the size and versatility that Joyner didn’t.
Last year the ram d was bad against the run and had a weak pass rush. Snead and McVay have addressed those issues with resigning Fowler and adding Matthews and the health of Obo.
The ram offense has gotten the team this far so they’ve had to be pretty creative on defense, for those of us paying attention they have the potential to be pretty good.

i gotta diagree amigo, Gaines and Kaiser will be nice additions and shore up the run D. Our DB's will be better also, Barron Joyner and Suh were all outplayed all season
train

 

[kurtfaulk]

The ram d will continue to erode.

this seems off kilter with the rest of your post. was erode supposed to be evolve?

.

 

[Flint]

this seems off kilter with the rest of your post. was erode supposed to be evolve?

.

Poor writing on my part, I was paraphrasing from the article not expressing my opinions.

 

[oldnotdead]

Blythe isn't a bad player, but there are reasons he's was released from Indy who drafted him and passed over for the start at Center for Allen. His problems stem from the fact that he's strictly a center who has been playing OG. He does somethings well, then he will miss a block. Case in point, is that depending upon the defensive alignment, and the direction of the offensive play, the RG might block the 3T doubling with the RT then come off the block and take on the MIKE. The problem with Blythe is sometimes it looks like he couldn't recognize who the MIKE was so he might try to block the OLB instead. Other times he might have to block the NT. Sometimes there he then would be expended to follow on with a block on the WIL. Blythe seemed to struggle at times blocking in space, missing the block or blocking the wrong guy. Mental mistakes were an issue identified in his pre-draft evals. He's still prone to them.

The problem is a few times that missed block have hurt them. You want more of a road grader at RG. Jamon Brown and Demby are both in that mold, while Blythe isn't. I think it will come down to how Demby looks in pre-season. If he looks good then the Rams will have a decision to make.

Since Blythe is under contract this year they may simply give him the benefit of the doubt and allow him to playout his contract. But if they want to return to playing more inside zone they will need Demby IMO. It will be interesting to see who finishes the season at RG, especially after the break.

McVay played a lot of outside zone blocking last year. IMO he needs to be able to play inside zone as well to vary up the blocking scheme or the defense simply needs to scout outside zone. IMO the inability to vary the blocking scheme was a factor later in the season and perhaps the SB as well in their difficulty in sustaining a run game. Sean needs to expand his playbook and that IMO should include the oline blocking scheme.

The fact they went with Allen over Blythe would seem to me to be due to the fact Allen is built like a younger Sullivan. They need oline that can play both inside and outside zone schemes.

I would have no problem with him as a backup. But I don't see him accepting that. Next year he's an UFA so he can sign with any team. I'm sure he will have offers.

 

[BonifayRam]

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...depth-chart-austin-blythe-o-line-aaron-kromer

2019 Los Angeles Rams roster preview:

OL Austin Blythe looking to become a mainstay

A 16-game starter in 2018, Blythe is looking to secure a long-term contract with a strong 2019 season.

By Sosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP Jul 25, 2019, 3:30pm CDT

Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images
After going undrafted in 2016, Austin Blythe began his career in solid form as he worked his way up from NFL backup offensive lineman to starting right guard for the Super Bowl-bound 2018 Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams added Blythe in 2017 after he was waived by the Indianapolis Colts. That year, he primarily served as a backup starting only one game in Week 17 when the Rams rested their starters against the San Francisco 49ers in advance of the playoffs. Last season was a different story as Blythe started in Week 1 replacing suspended RG Jamon Brown. Blythe’s performance was spectacular. He subsequently never relinquished the job and remained a starter for all 16 regular season games and three more in the playoffs.

Roster Battle
There really won’t be any battle for Blythe as it pertains to the roster. The starting five offensive line is more or less entrenched as LT Andrew Whitworth, LG Joseph Noteboom, C Brian Allen, RG Austin Blythe, and RT Rob Havenstein. The two offensive lineman who could get shuffled by way of performance are the two newcomers in Noteboom and Allen. The only potential for any shuffling from Blythe is if an unforeseen circumstance arises (injury?), Blythe could very well be asked to slide to center with another backup lineman stepping in his vacated right guard spot. In the event of a situation like that, 2019 NFL Draft third-round pick Bobby Evans (roster preview) or swing tackle Jamil Demby (roster preview) could be the first to be called upon.

Expectations
For a guy entering his fourth NFL season and second season as a starter, my expectations are rather high. Blythe proved he belonged in the league last year as he was one of the better rated guards in the league per PFF. With more familiarity and development, Blythe could continue to prove his worth as a starting quality offensive lineman.

Chances of making the final roster (10/10)
Blythe is not only a roster lock at this point, he’s a lock to start as many games as he’s capable of starting.

 

[OldSchool]

Gotta love the over dose of hyperbole.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

I'm not concerned about our D; I'm excited about it--seemed to be gelling at the end of last year, a few key players 2nd year in our system, some great additions that address our weak run D, and a great draft considering our draft capital.

I'm definitely very concerned about the middle of our OL... You look around the NFL--there's not a lot of Roger Saffolds out there.

But I've never been good at prognosticating. Can't wait to hear how our OL is surprisingly solid this year--McVay has experience adjusting to a weak, neglected OL in Washington (not saying that's happening with us--just that he has experience compensating with a more quick-out passing game, etc.).

 

[Dieter the Brock]

That’s all i got

 

[FrantikRam]

I don't agree that our defense is arguably worse this year.
To leave look fine last year and may only need a little lighter load in the reps department.

That should easily be replaced by the fact that Marcus Peter's will have a year under his belt in this system learning the Press coverage.

Maybe I'm crazy but I think Micah Kiser in his second year will be an upgrade over a semi injured lightweight Barron.

It seemed like Suh would take some plays off and two youngsters in Gaines and Joseph-Day rotating could be a *potential* upgrade(?).

Dante Fowler with a camp under his belt and a year in the system has potential to be outstanding as well as a rejuvenated Clay Matthews, (I'm buying all in on that).

And rotating the other OLBs in could make for a very active pass rush.

I love our rookie class with Rapp, who had a first-round parade by some teams.

I think our defense is going to be scary good by mid-season.

Yep. And what's hilarious is that the same people saying this will be a downgrade are the ones who said we were vulnerable because of our bad defense last year.

I believe we will be upgraded on the DL, ILB, OLB, S and CB positions - literally every position. Having David Long for depth is a huge upgrade. Fowler and Matthews to start the year are MASSIVE upgrades. Kiser and another year for Littleton are upgrades. The only question mark is the DL, and I am focusing on Suh's actual play instead of his name. I believe Gaines will make our defense better by knowing his role.

 

[Soul Surfer]

View attachment 29459

That’s all i got

Yes.
He's that good.

 

[pmil66]

Boom & Allen received lots of reps in practice last year, as Whit & Sullivan both had practice time reduced to save themselves for gameday. Kromer is an excellent OL coach, both will be ready to be day 1 starters this season. Not concerned.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I would not be shocked in Notebroom does decently in pass pro but struggles some in run blocking given that he's not the kind of mauler you'd want at guard. Allen - should - should at least perform better physically in run blocking than Sullivan who just wasn't always up to it physically last year.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Does anyone know how many OL we dressed last year? Was it just 6? Naw, it had to be 7 right?

I'll be curious after Demby who dresses between Edwards and Evans. Will one of those two start stealing LT reps when Whitworth sits or will Demby get them all?

 

[oldnotdead]

Geez both Noteboom and Allen played significant snaps during the regular season last year. Both played well with Noteboom playing very well. They performed well enough to allow both Saffold and Sullivan to walk. IMO Noteboom and Allen probably will play better in pass protection than those two. There might be some growing pains early but that is to be expected. But with each game that will improve.

As far as the run game is concerned, since the Rams run a zone blocking scheme so I think both should be just fine. Most high schools and colleges run that very same scheme so it's nothing new to either. I'm not worried about the oline.

I'm more concerned with how Peters will play, as he has too many bad habits. Even when playing the scheme he's always focusing on opportunities to make a splash play and not focusing on his coverage responsibilities. That's why QB's are able to bait him out of position way too many times. It will often make him late in responding to the receiver he's covering. IMO QB's will be throwing at him all season. He's the weak link in the secondary. I would expect that the safeties will shade to his side to help him as they can. But OC's can game for that too.

 

[BonifayRam]

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...iew-c-brian-allen-john-sullivan-austin-blythe

2019 Los Angeles Rams roster preview: C Brian Allen hopes to solidify starting role

After C John Sullivan was released, Allen has been penciled in as the starting center. Will that turn into ink in the coming weeks?

By Elijah Kim@Sports_EZK Jul 26, 2019, 4:30pm CDT

Photo by
The Los Angeles Rams will be starting a new center this season after veteran John Sullivan was released. In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Rams took undersized Brian Allen from Michigan State.

Although Allen offers minimal versatility and upside, he potentially could be the starting center when the season opens. Interestingly enough, we haven’t heard much about him or even OG Joseph Noteboom’s development but usually, not knowing an offensive lineman’s name is a good thing.

Expectations
Allen seems to be penciled in as the starting center for now. Although nothing is set in stone, there is potential for some reshuffling around especially if things don’t go well. A scenario some have speculated was that OL Austin Blythe could move to the middle after starting at right guard last season. Blythe really shined in his opportunity last season, and his original position is at center.

That being said, the expectations are pretty high for Allen as the presumed starter without much NFL experience to show for it.

Roster Battle
Allen is pretty safe in terms of making the initial 53-man roster. At the very least, he is slated to the be the backup center who could play as an undersized guard if absolutely necessary.

Similarly to last season, there is potential that Blythe could stand in the way in some regard. If Rams Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator/Co-Offensive Coordinator Aaron Kromer thinks there is a better five-man combo with Allen on the bench, it’s possible Allen could lose some value for the team.

But Allen shouldn’t be in a true battle with interior linemen like Jamil Demby (roster preview), Aaron Neary (roster preview) or Jeremiah Kolone (roster preview).

Chances of making roster (9/10)
So far to date, it’s been assumed Allen would be the starting center for the 2019 Rams. Perhaps training camp and the preseason don’t come to that conclusion, but at the very least we haven’t heard anything negative enough to buck Allen out of the starting job.

Best case scenario, Allen starts and outperforms his limited physical potential. Worst case scenario, Allen is the backup center for the Rams who may never be a full-time starter. This year however, he seems very safe.

 

[BonifayRam]

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...oom-depth-chart-rodger-saffold-offensive-line

2019 Los Angeles Rams roster preview: OL Joseph Noteboom ready to take the leap

After essentially taking a redshirt year last season, Noteboom hopes to be a strong starter in 2019 at left guard.

By Elijah Kim@Sports_EZK Jul 28, 2019, 12:00pm CDT

Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Rams will have a new starter at left guard this season.

After OL Rodger Saffold III left the Rams in free agency, the Rams were tasked to fill the void next to LT Andrew Whitworth. Last year in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Rams drafted three offensive linemen; Noteboom was the highest drafted of the bunch.

With a 6’5” frame, Noteboom essentially took a redshirt year while the Rams made their way to Super Bowl LIII. He played in mop-up duty and special teams while learning under the tutelage of strong veterans like Whitworth, Saffold and C John Sullivan.

Roster Battle
There is no battle for Noteboom to make the roster. He is penciled to be a starter somewhere for the Rams’ offensive line. Good teams do not draft linemen this high to not start them early. Everything seems to indicate that Noteboom will start at left guard.

Expectations
Everything for the offensive line went very well in 2018 for the Rams. There just wasn’t an opportunity for any of the Rams offensive line draft picks last season. But now with a year of NFL experience under his belt, the expectation is for Noteboom to take the next step as a starter and not miss a beat.

Chance of making final roster (9.9/10)
The Rams invested again heavily in the offensive line in the 2019 NFL Draft in another third-round pick in Bobby Evans along with fifth-round OT David Edwards. Noteboom should be able to beat out any challeneges for a starting spot if a competition even begins to form. Barring something absolutely crazy happening, Noteboom will definitely be on this team as the starting left guard for Week 1.

 

[BonifayRam]

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...-rt-rob-havenstein-offensive-line-depth-chart

2019 Los Angeles Rams roster preview: RT Rob Havenstein, block by block

Big Rob earned a big payday last year and proved to be worth it after an amazing season.

By Elijah Kim@Sports_EZK Jul 28, 2019, 2:00pm CDT

Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
While the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive line will be a little bit different upfront in a drastic fashion, the Rams’ tackles are still locked in as veteran LT Andrew Whitworth held off retirement for at least another season and RT Rob Havenstein looks to build off a stellar year. Havenstein earned a $32.5m extension last year, and his 2018 performance validated that decision. Big Rob was ranked the fourth overall lineman in the league and was the NFL’s top run blocker according to Pro Football Focus:

Roster Battles
Havenstein will be locked in as a starter again at right tackle for the medium-term future. There’s no battle here.

There is young depth behind him now as the Rams have now drafted OLs David Edwards, Bobby Evans and Joseph Noteboom who all theoretically could play RT if needed. That being said, none are going to challenge Havenstein for playing time.

Expectations
Havenstein should be a rock again for the Rams’ offensive line. He earned his money and has so far proved to be worthy of the big extension he signed. Ultimately, the Rams are heavily invested in him for now and the future.

Chances of Making The Final Roster (10/10)
He’s a starter making great money and hasn’t looked back since his rookie year at RT. No-brainer.