Until the line comes together, stays healthy for an extended period and shows that they are not going to be racked by injuries and inconsistent play, I will say "yes, they need to invest more". Right now, that would be a veteran Guard and Center. Anything that allows them to get some of the rookies onto the practice squad or buried on the depth chart until they earn a spot.
I understand than Haverstein will be the default starter at RT given the roster and his draft status, but I prefer to see kids beat out the veterans before they get a spot on the field. Too many rookies and young players like Robinson have their learning curve extended by playing, making mistakes and thinking too much instead of reacting. It would be beneficial for them to watch and learn from quality veterans before being thrown into the fire.
I think Robinson's early, uneven play is a good example. He still needs work (which I hope he is dedicating to craft this off-season even if it can't be in drills or at Rams Park). We have potential, but so much of it remains untapped that I don't want to speculate on the O-Line having enough as it sits now.
Barrett Jones and Greg Robinson are crucial. If Barnes is the starting center, it will mean Jones either never got strong enough or never healed enough to play at what he once was - which was the premier college OT and overall OL. And if Robinson is struggling to lock down the LT slot and needs to be kicked inside to be effective, he will likewise have proven incapable of what we hope is his potential. On the flipside, if both of those guys step up and play to what their talents says they can be? Look out! A solid left side of Robinson-Saffold-Jones and a 1-2 punch of Mason-Gurley could make the Rams look a lot like those Seattle teams with Shaun Alexander and there OL combination of Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson and Tolbeck blocking.
The potential to be dominant is there, its up to the coaches to get their best and the players to WANT to be the best. I can't get in their minds, but if the O-line comes to camp flabby and out of shape or even just a little less than top condition, we will see it in camp and pre-season and know we're in for a long haul.
