We are going to agree to disagree. I appreciate all your points and they are quite strong and accurate. That being said I'm not ready to toss him out just yet. I have seen some decent plays where he gets down field and does block more bad than good apparently, however the coaching staff sees it differently.
Sometimes it takes time for an offensive lineman to grasp it. Like the dude on the giants (I believe it was Erik Flowers) who me being in NY watched this guy and he was probably one of the worst tackles ever a turnstile. Radio shows, callers, fans etc just destroyed this dude here. He worked the opposite got moved to guard and actually turned it around and even got a pay day out of it. Watching him on the giants though it was rough but it can work. So you may be spot on but I'm not ready yet and I'm sure you would love to be proven wrong cause then it helps our rams.
All that said I just have to add while I respect your opinion and hope you respect mine we are still on here not coaches not on the field not not professionals or in the o-line room so we as in all of us on this board need to just volley back and forth make points etc. I'm just hoping for the best and he still cheap so I try to stay positive and trust our coaching staff and front office.
Different subject assuming Rapp is healthy what are your thoughts on him and his playing time and in Staley's scheme etc. If he is healthy now it seems he has just disappeared and fuller has a firm grasp on the job. Always a good problem to have but I wouldn't want to stunt his growth either we have seen him be good already.
Anyone else please feel free to give some insight on Rapp.
I am critical analyzer of the draft. I get flack for it but I don't care. That being said, drafting a Strong Safety in round two is a bad strategy imo. Its especially bad it you are Snead and have a knack for finding Safeties and Corners later and after the draft. I could understand it if is a stud free safety like Earl Thomas, but Strong safeties are not too hard to come by. Take Ward from the Niners for instance. He's bounced around a few years but he's always been a good SS.
Rapp looks like a good instinctive player but he made some mistakes last year. I think he was a little over hyper as a rookie by fans but that tends to happen with draft picks. Even if fully healthy I think its going to take a series of mistakes on Fuller's part for Rapp to return as the starter.
Regarding the part you said about coaches being on the field and fans not knowing everything they see and think, I agree but I also know that coaches make mistakes and miss a lists players often. Derby is a prime example. How many of us were shocked to find that he was number 1 of the bench last year? Sometimes coaches see a trait and think they can coach the rest. Sometimes I'd bet if a coach goes to bat to keep a player that he feels pressure to try to get the most out of them. In the end coaches see something in every player that makes it to camp, and lots of them get cut. So, I'd rather just go with what I see and speculate on what the coaches see or want based on scheme. I've put my faith in too many Rams coaches over the years and drank the coolant and told myself they are pros for a reason only to be disappointed. How many of us talked ourselves into liking draft picks like Greg Robinson? I just got tired of it. But yeah, I'm always happy to be wrong on a Ram that I think needs to go and he surprises. I speculated that as a late round pick Fuller was not likely to make the cut with Rapp Burgess and JJ on the team. I'm happy to be wrong.
You mention Flowers. The Cards had a first round OT that was a bust but before giving up on him they moved him to guard where he was very successful. M any think Noteboom is just being moved to guard in waiting for his turn at OLT. But what if moving him to guard was a last ditch effort to get him to succeed because he didn't look great in camp at OLT? Or was outplayed by Evans at OLT? I'd say it could be construed as such. I guess we just won't know until Whitworth retires. Until then we evaluate and speculate.
PS: No disrespect intended. We all have opinions and our own reasons for liking or disliking a player, plus there is always the unknowns. I don't intend to come across as disrespectful. I am just not easily swayed.
