Offensive Line Question

[den-the-coach]

Greetings & Salutations Mr. Demoff…All of us are excited about the future of the St. Louis Rams and appreciate the due diligence you and others have done to make this possible.

My question relates to the offensive line and will that position be the focal point of the Rams draft in 2013? Offensive Line Coach Paul Boudreau was a magician in 2012, but you only have to look at the success of the San Francisco 49ers in post season to realize that utilizing early draft choices on the offensive line is the gift that keeps on giving.

The Rams have had a history of great offensive linemen so my hope is that General Manager Les Snead and his scouts are making this a priority in the upcoming draft because I like seeing Sam Bradford upright and when an offensive line is able to impose their will on the opposition, it takes the heart right out of the defense.


Thank you ever so much,

Dennis

 

[kdemoff]

Thanks Dennis.

We were all encouraged by the strides made by our offensive line in 2013, especially as the season went on and we got our projected opening day lineup together on the field. To finish the last two games of the year without giving up a sack, on the road against strong pass rush teams like Tampa Bay and Seattle, is a great testament to the progress that was made. When Scott Wells and Rodger Saffold were healthy, we were a much better team.

We feel good about the growth of a number of our players on the offensive line, not only the starters but players such as Shelley Smith, Tim Barnes, Joe Barksdale, Ty Nsekhe and Brandon Washington to name a few. All of those players will push for playing time this year and give us good depth.

Fortunately, this draft and free agency period are deep at offensive line, so there will be plenty of options for us to improve in either phase. The good news is we have plenty of options and different ways to go. The one thing to remember about Les is he is on record that he likes to "solve" positions, making areas of weakness a strength before going on and fixing other areas of weakness.