Barksdale Negotiations have Begun

[Irish]

I am not trying to be silly (on purpose, anyways), but what is stopping Snisher from literally drafting OLine BPA at every pick in the draft? Throw them all in the blender of training camp and see what sticks. The Oline has been ridiculously inadequate over the past 10+ years, and it seems it is really the only glaring (albeit extremely ugly) problem this team has. You have a QB, you have a better than pedestrian receiving corps, the dline is set for the next few seasons, your runningbacks are serviceable trending towards above average, your young defensive secondary is improving at FS, SS, and Nickle with only CB being the most concerning, and really you could suit up the muppet babies to play LB on this team behind that ridiculous dline, but they still have better than average talent in Ogletree and an average MLB in JL. Draft 6 O Linemen, play king of the hill in camp, and see which 5 come out on the other side.

 

[ZigZagRam]

I am not trying to be silly (on purpose, anyways), but what is stopping Snisher from literally drafting OLine BPA at every pick in the draft? Throw them all in the blender of training camp and see what sticks. The Oline has been ridiculously inadequate over the past 10+ years, and it seems it is really the only glaring (albeit extremely ugly) problem this team has. You have a QB, you have a better than pedestrian receiving corps, the dline is set for the next few seasons, your runningbacks are serviceable trending towards above average, your young defensive secondary is improving at FS, SS, and Nickle with only CB being the most concerning, and really you could suit up the muppet babies to play LB on this team behind that ridiculous dline, but they still have better than average talent in Ogletree and an average MLB in JL. Draft 6 O Linemen, play king of the hill in camp, and see which 5 come out on the other side.

Probably the fact that we need to continue to try and build depth at other positions as well as OL.

 

[Irish]

Probably the fact that we need to continue to try and build depth at other positions as well as OL.

Yeah, I guess, I just feel like we have been drafting depth for years without ever drafting to fix very real and very prevalent issues. You can go back to drafting depth next year when you actually have an Oline for the first time since 2003.

 

[ZigZagRam]

Yeah, I guess, I just feel like we have been drafting depth for years without ever drafting to fix very real and very prevalent issues. You can go back to drafting depth next year when you actually have an Oline for the first time since 2003.

There's no guarantee that you'd fix the OL even if you draft all offensive linemen. If that's the case, you still need to spend resources on the OL last year and you've potentially wasted 6 picks.

 

[Irish]

There's no guarantee that you'd fix the OL even if you draft all offensive linemen. If that's the case, you still need to spend resources on the OL last year and you've potentially wasted 6 picks.

We don't need the second coming of the Dallas O line (although, that would be nice), just not the debacle that was the Davin Joseph, Scott Wells, Jake Long pain train we had last year

 

[Dodgersrf]

I am not trying to be silly (on purpose, anyways), but what is stopping Snisher from literally drafting OLine BPA at every pick in the draft? Throw them all in the blender of training camp and see what sticks. The Oline has been ridiculously inadequate over the past 10+ years, and it seems it is really the only glaring (albeit extremely ugly) problem this team has. You have a QB, you have a better than pedestrian receiving corps, the dline is set for the next few seasons, your runningbacks are serviceable trending towards above average, your young defensive secondary is improving at FS, SS, and Nickle with only CB being the most concerning, and really you could suit up the muppet babies to play LB on this team behind that ridiculous dline, but they still have better than average talent in Ogletree and an average MLB in JL. Draft 6 O Linemen, play king of the hill in camp, and see which 5 come out on the other side.

Why not.
They've done it with the secondary. How many corners and safeties have we drafted the past 3 years?
I don't think it's unrealistic at all. To a degree anyway.

 

[Merlin]

Merlin I'm one of your biggest fans as I've been reading your posts for decades and even look down a long thread and just read your reply over others but I just can't agree on the infamous coach Boudreau who is almost a legend , and I'm wondering after his full stint with us WHY? Who has he improved? Maybe Barksdale a little from picking him from the Raiders but he is still lacking and went backwards last year. Everyone wants to give him a pass because of playing next to Joseph and Wells who both Melted down to the wick. It was pitifull.

Read a giant thread on another board where I don't post and many are asking the same question about where have all the magic coaching skills of coach Boo gone? It may be a chicken and the egg situation but does coach Boo have to have 1st round ELITE talent to be able to groom them? How did he do with the #2 pick in the draft last season?

I get your frustration. Also I want Cooper at 10 for the record.

But first his respect is earned over decades with success all over, from units that garnered great things in pass and run blocking.

Second the guy has been given garbage pieces and has had to flex non-stop due to the oft injured linemen he had to cobble together.

Long was a bust. Relying on him alone served to cause all manner of issues, from moving Saffold all over to slowing GRob's transition to LT after they filled his head with OG data then had to scrub it out and start over. He ended up still with a respectable rookie showing too. Pace took a quarter season to start due to his holdout, remember?

Wells not only missed time but fell apart, it is not Bou's fault the dude slipped with age.

All I am saying is give the poor guy some actual top talent he can put in one spot each in order to grow us a great OL. Build a young OL around GRob and Saffold, no effing old dudes collecting their last contracts. Young guys that have talent and desire to be great, please, then see how Boudreau does.

I feel sorry for him man. Fish and Snead really should have drafted OL first but that is water under the bridge now.

 

[Merlin]

A proven OG still playing well, that played for Boudreau is fine with me for a couple of years.

1. Atlanta is switching to a zone blocking scheme that Blalock doesn't fit. They aren't letting him go because he is no longer useful.

2. If Blalock could be signed cheaper than the other two and for a shorter term, then he makes sense as a stop gap that won't hurt the cap much.

3. Even if the Rams draft a Guard Blalock could start until the new Guard is ready to. Then he is good depth

I get it Elm and you make perfect sense. But I am tired of dinosaurs burning this team. Wells made sense too once upon a time, as did Long. All they did was stave off the drafting of long term solutions.

 

[ReddingRam]

Look ... the Offense is the weakest link on this team... correct? And the Offensive Line is by FAR the weakest link on that squad.... correct? SO ... Offensive Line IS and SHOULD be the biggest priority right now. no great offense in history has done SHIT without a decent OL. So IF they spent ALL of their picks on fixing the OL.... I couldn't fault them for it.

 

[mr.stlouis]

I am not trying to be silly (on purpose, anyways), but what is stopping Snisher from literally drafting OLine BPA at every pick in the draft? Throw them all in the blender of training camp and see what sticks. The Oline has been ridiculously inadequate over the past 10+ years, and it seems it is really the only glaring (albeit extremely ugly) problem this team has. You have a QB, you have a better than pedestrian receiving corps, the dline is set for the next few seasons, your runningbacks are serviceable trending towards above average, your young defensive secondary is improving at FS, SS, and Nickle with only CB being the most concerning, and really you could suit up the muppet babies to play LB on this team behind that ridiculous dline, but they still have better than average talent in Ogletree and an average MLB in JL. Draft 6 O Linemen, play king of the hill in camp, and see which 5 come out on the other side.

Can we draft Cooper then do that?

 

[Jorgeh0605]

Look ... the Offense is the weakest link on this team... correct? And the Offensive Line is by FAR the weakest link on that squad.... correct? SO ... Offensive Line IS and SHOULD be the biggest priority right now. no great offense in history has done crap without a decent OL. So IF they spent ALL of their picks on fixing the OL.... I couldn't fault them for it.

What I bolded is the key. We don't need 5 Pro-Bowl linemen, we don't need 5 #1 draft pick linemen, we just need a decent line. Saffold is an above average guard, Grob is still learning but has immense potential at LT. If Barks returns he is a solid RT. AJ Cann is a decent prospect that I like, Scherff looks to be a pro-ready guard. Hell, Barnes played average when he was in for Wells and Jones could progress do be a decent Center. Wis is just average as well.

My point is that we have many options to creating a decent line and that the World's best line is an unrealistic and unattainable goal.

 

[ReddingRam]

What I bolded is the key. We don't need 5 Pro-Bowl linemen, we don't need 5 #1 draft pick linemen, we just need a decent line. Saffold is an above average guard, Grob is still learning but has immense potential at LT. If Barks returns he is a solid RT. AJ Cann is a decent prospect that I like, Scherff looks to be a pro-ready guard. Hell, Barnes played average when he was in for Wells and Jones could progress do be a decent Center. Wis is just average as well.

My point is that we have many options to creating a decent line and that the World's best line is an unrealistic and unattainable goal.

And I agree ... but ... I would be just fine if they took Scherff at #10 .... i see many saying we HAVE to take Cooper/White/DGB .... I beg to differ there. I am all in on getting this OL solidified for now .. and the future. Every yr we are hearing some WR is the "next thing" ... Watkins... you get my drift .. and the next yr ... there is always another "Next great WR". But right now .. .we have WR's.... and although there is no AJ Green, Julio Jones ... there is plenty of talent on that unit to do the job. Not so much on our OL.

 

[mr.stlouis]

And I agree ... but ... I would be just fine if they took Scherff at #10 .... i see many saying we HAVE to take Cooper/White/DGB .... I beg to differ there. I am all in on getting this OL solidified for now .. and the future. Every yr we are hearing some WR is the "next thing" ... Watkins... you get my drift .. and the next yr ... there is always another "Next great WR". But right now .. .we have WR's.... and although there is no AJ Green, Julio Jones ... there is plenty of talent on that unit to do the job. Not so much on our OL.

I agree with you, but the thought of Cooper playing the slot is sweet. You would think Tavon could handle it, with plenty to spare, but he hasn't panned out. I'll put the blame on our back up QB's and Schotty, though.

We don't need Cooper, fix the OL.

 

[ReddingRam]

I agree with you, but the thought of Cooper playing the slot is sweet. You would think Tavon could handle it, with plenty to spare, but he hasn't panned out. I'll put the blame on our back up QB's and Schotty, though.

We don't need Cooper, fix the OL.

Oh I agree ... and don't get me wrong... I love Cooper ... and I loved Watkins ... and I love a lot of playmakers BUT .... it don't matter if our OL is the constant sieve it has been over the yrs . Very rarely does an offense succeed if the OL is not up to par. So IMHO, we start there. A good OL will by itself make our Offense better. just as like a QB being able to start the whole season would. But if we have a weak OL ... we can also have another QB injury waiting to happen .... or at leadt a guy sitting on his ass more than he is completing passes

 

[Stranger]

Draft Cooper, and then draft for the OL with ALL of the remaining picks !!!

 

[mr.stlouis]

Oh I agree ... and don't get me wrong... I love Cooper ... and I loved Watkins ... and I love a lot of playmakers BUT .... it don't matter if our OL is the constant sieve it has been over the yrs . Very rarely does an offense succeed if the OL is not up to par. So IMHO, we start there. A good OL will by itself make our Offense better. just as like a QB being able to start the whole season would. But if we have a weak OL ... we can also have another QB injury waiting to happen .... or at leadt a guy sitting on his ass more than he is completing passes

Yeah, just look at the SB teams's WR's. Brady can make anybody look good if he's got a clean pocket to step up in. And a good line means you have good run blocking, too. That alone opens up those throwing lanes. And Fisher will get fired if Foles gets hurt and we left ? in the trenches. Just can't let that happen again. But I do feel trading down and picking up a guy like TJ Clemmings is the best way to go about it. We could pick up an additional linemen this year or just continue to stack up next year's draft.

 

[Jorgeh0605]

And I agree ... but ... I would be just fine if they took Scherff at #10 .... i see many saying we HAVE to take Cooper/White/DGB .... I beg to differ there. I am all in on getting this OL solidified for now .. and the future. Every yr we are hearing some WR is the "next thing" ... Watkins... you get my drift .. and the next yr ... there is always another "Next great WR". But right now .. .we have WR's.... and although there is no AJ Green, Julio Jones ... there is plenty of talent on that unit to do the job. Not so much on our OL.

I don't care to get into the Cooper/White vs Scherff battle too much. I don't believe Cooper will be there at 10 and White definitely won't be there. IF they drop to 10 I have to trust that our FO knows what they are doing and will honestly be happy with any of the 3 decisions between Cooper/Scherff/Trade Down.

 

[paceram]

Look ... the Offense is the weakest link on this team... correct? And the Offensive Line is by FAR the weakest link on that squad.... correct? SO ... Offensive Line IS and SHOULD be the biggest priority right now. no great offense in history has done crap without a decent OL. So IF they spent ALL of their picks on fixing the OL.... I couldn't fault them for it.

Hopefully, the Rams will be able to sign a couple of quality offensive linemen (Wisniewski, Barksdale, Blalock, etc) which would allow them more flexibility in the upcoming Draft. But, it would be nice to see the Rams take care of their offensive line once and for all ASAP!

 

[Thordaddy]

Draft Cooper, and then draft for the OL with ALL of the remaining picks !!!

And ignore the Qb of the future? if we sign Barks it'll be to start, so in that event IMO we get Petty( possibly picking up a pick in a trade down) as insurance we won't have to overpay Foles then go after a guard who has played tackle a center and a LB with a lot of upside.

Was talking to a pretty knowledgeable Viking fan THOD HE RATES Tre Mason over D. Murray

 

[dieterbrock]

I'll ask again, but where has it been said that the Rams are negotiating with Barksdale?? I dont see that written any where