Rams’ offensive line problem isn’t as bad as it looks

[So Ram]

Can Noteboom and Allen even be counted on at all this year? If so why are we assuming their play will be better coming off of injury when they looked so over-matched and lost last season?

We need to draft interior line 100%. "Isn't as bad as it looks" is completely subjective and doesnt mean the line will be "good." IMO we need at least a good OL to have a shot at the playoffs.

Well I think your saying the sky is falling when last season the Offensive Line is worse 2019 than in 2020 ??
The Rams 1 game away from the playoffs & in 2020 The Rams make the playoffs with the added team.

BTW - Why is Todd Gurley not on The Rams.
My post on Todd Gurley which started as Trade Todd Gurley & changed to
(LMAO) Should we Trade Todd Gurley.
Should have Been changed to CUT TODD GURLEY!! Instead.
—I’m all for TRading up for Johnathan Taylor & getting him with the 5 year option.
Noteboom having only 4 years & Whitworth signed for 3 will not be an issue of depth. The Rams need(Will) to get experience upfront.

 

[BonifayRam]

I’m staying solid to my point.
1. You thought Whitworth would have been done 2018. From what I’ve seen from Whitworth. I thought he was still playing at a very high level & posted he would be resigned 3 months ago!!!!
Plus The Rams didn’t just give him a 1 year contract either. So be it MCSNEAD THINKS different. yeah so another Gurley type contract??? - I think you’ve been right about Noteboom from way back. — His injury is my biggest concern only because he said he had to learn to walk again.WOH ?? So to think Whitworth is not being counted on for a couple seasons seems off base.Remeber we don’t make these decisions.
2. Rob Havenstien was ready to go. The Rams thought it was best to sit him. He went with the RICE rehab. He will be stronger from it,but it takes longer imo ? Your guy all everything rookie Brewer actually got a couple Reps in. Thank God for Goff he was not in on another series. Bobby Evans played well in Rob’s place.
3. Noteboom- I don’t know about his health, but Mcvay said he & Allen would be ready for camp.I don’t really trust that though?? I have to guess they are going to take there time with him, especially after giving Whitworth 3 years.
4. Center postion- Blythe is the guy!!! You were the one saying how hurt he was playing. I posted after the SuperBowl The Rams needed to upgrade LG & Austin Blythe sucked Sullivan was not issue. In comes Brian Allen who played one series against Da Bears on a 3 & out ?

—In conclusion John Sullivan was missed. Brian Allen needs to compete. He loves to compete & never wanted to be given the starting job.
Blythe knows the offense & a guy Goff trusts.Plus The Rams have 2 players at the postion from 2020. Shelton Coleman was kept on the roster all of 2019 basically. Austin Blythe has been the starting LG for 2 seasons, so not a bad backup.

Booby Evans & Brewer will be crosstrained. So depth is there.
Upgrades for 2020 is health,depth, experience

Ref. Whitworth.....I do not expect to see an improved version of 2019 Andrew Whitworth in 2020. I do not expect Whitworth to play out his new contract.

I would expect Kromer to plan to provide Whitworth during the regular season games with an increased amount of rest during practice & decreased gm. snaps at appropriate times during the game. I still see Whitworth as more of a very good Ram patch job on the LT post for the 2020 season than "the answer".

Rams absolutely need to find a future starting LT for the 2021 season!

 

[So Ram]

Ref. Whitworth.....I do not expect to see an improved version of 2019 Andrew Whitworth in 2020. I do not expect Whitworth to play out his new contract.

I would expect Kromer to plan to provide Whitworth during the regular season games with an increased amount of rest during practice & decreased gm. snaps at appropriate times during the game. I still see Whitworth as more of a very good Ram patch job on the LT post for the 2020 season that the answer.

Rams absolutely need to find a future starting LT for the 2021 season!

As I posted just now. I think Noteboom will be that player. Giving Whitworth the 3rd season puts his last season in Notebooms FA season. Meaning The Rams can sign Noteboom to a team friendly contract by waiting an extra season. It also gives The Rams time to decide on what they are going to do moving forward.

—Yes , 2020 might cost The Rams a hard core run at the Super Bowl,but I think they are actually looking ahead the right way in the future for once.
—Singing RAMsey is my biggest concern.

 

[FrantikRam]

People get enamored with rookies - just the nature of the NFL, and all sports - new blood and all that.

There is/was a way to improve this OL - we did it before the 99 season, and we did it before the 2017 season - and in between 2005-2016, one consistent issue was the OL, which spanned four different coaching regimes.

I think Trent Williams is available - some other vets might be available too.

Rookies have very little shot at improving the OL in 2020.

 

[Reddog99]

I would keep all the OL but Demby he's just not good. Definitely draft a couple guys and make it a competition. Don't hand the starting position to anyone make them earn it and I think we see a decent OL. Honestly if we end up with a middle of the pack offensive line that would be ok. Any progress from last years line just to show we're heading in the right direction. It's not realistic to expect them to go from 31st ranked in 19 to a top 5 unit in 20. It could happen I guess but I'm not going to set myself up for disappointment. I would be uncomfortable going into the 2020 season without atleast adding a few OL for better competition. I have faith in our coaching staff to be better prepared going into this year.

 

[OntarioRam]

Noteboom was never going to be a very good interior lineman. He isn't built for it, power-wise, nor does his tactician approach make him best suited there. He always has been, and always will be, a LT - hence why he played the position exclusively, I believe, before coming to the Rams.

The good news is that I don't put much stock into Noteboom looking underwhelming at LG.

The bad news is that, years after being drafted, Noteboom is still a completely unknown quantity. And one with serious injury concerns now, too.

Once he is healthy, Noteboom needs to split snaps with Whitworth because we need to see what we have with him. It will be good for an an aging Whitworth to stay fresh, anyway. LT is an absolutely crucial position. Let's find out if it's a giant need for us going forward or not. If Noteboom can be our guy long term, then we're a lot better off on the o-line than it might appear.

 

[PhillyRam]

Rosters are expanding to 55 players I believe. So they keep at least nine OL, maybe 10 because they will not keep 7 WR this yr.

So I can see them taking a C in round 3, maybe even 2 after a trade down.

Thats it... Maybe a developmental OT, later if they create extra picks, but I think they are good outside of C since Blythe is on a one yr deal and the fact that Allen was underwhelming.

Need the see what Edwards, Corbett, & Evans can do.

 

[SteezyEndo]

I believe we can make the OL great again, but its all about putting a player where they fit more at whether be guard or tackle. Need to take the strengths into consideration and plugging it in.

 

[Ram65]

Things most likely can not go as bad as last year injury-wise.

If Havenstein can get back near 2018 that will help make them better. Evans is an alternate if Havenstein doesn't improve, is traded or is better.
I don't expect any drop off from Whitworth. He could be a little better. I think he may have had a little Super Bowl hangover.
Blythe got nearly $4 Mil so I expect him to have a good shot at OC and/or OG. He should be much healthier to start the season.
Edwards had the best rating outside of Whitworth so I expect he starts at RG or LG.
LG/RG could see the best competition with Corbett/Evans/Rookie or others.

I can see the Rams drafting an offensive lineman early at 52 or within the 104th pick. I like that badass center Tyler Biadasz.

The Rams offensive line is not going to be a top mauling badass group this year. They should have better health and more experience. They should be improved. They can still be effective in opening holes and protecting Goff. I firmly believe McVay understands that he needs to make some adjustments on offense and he will.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

My projected 2020 starting OL:

LT Rob Havenstein
LG Rob Havenstein
C Rob Havenstein
RG Rob Havenstein
RT Rob Havenstein

 

[BonifayRam]

Noteboom was never going to be a very good interior lineman. He isn't built for it, power-wise, nor does his tactician approach make him best suited there. He always has been, and always will be, a LT - hence why he played the position exclusively, I believe, before coming to the Rams.

The good news is that I don't put much stock into Noteboom looking underwhelming at LG.

The bad news is that, years after being drafted, Noteboom is still a completely unknown quantity. And one with serious injury concerns now, too.

Once he is healthy, Noteboom needs to split snaps with Whitworth because we need to see what we have with him. It will be good for an an aging Whitworth to stay fresh, anyway. LT is an absolutely crucial position. Let's find out if it's a giant need for us going forward or not. If Noteboom can be our guy long term, then we're a lot better off on the o-line than it might appear.

I could not agree with you more here on Noteboom. So many excellent points covered above. Noteboom four seasons @ TCU played both of the OT positions & did the same in the January 27, 2018 Senior Bowl game. My main issue with him is his lack of power. I hope this injury gave him the needed time to strengthen all his body muscle groups.
Maybe he's thinking the 2015 thru 2018 version vs the 2019 version ......the was a serious difference between the two versions .......maybe there is two of them?

 

[Merlin]

The Rams have added 4 draft picks the last 2 seasons. It’s called injury’s. Yes Kromer & Mcvay finally got burned bad last season. I was always screaming about the depth.
I go back to when I saw the development of The Big 5 McVays rookie season. I yelled at Les Snead for at least 5 minutes telling him so as heard & saw me. Yes yelled at Mcvay as well , but he gets buried in between players.
Watching Whitworth,Sullivan & Goff interact was cool. YES, I yelled at Roger Saffold telling him to be a team player. Watching Havenstien & J. Brown off to the side. It was cool to have 50yard line seats 3rd isle behind The Rams bench with a couple beers in hand.
I hear what your saying the,but don’t agree. I’ve been on both sides of the fence. You can YELL as LOUD as you want.It will not change anything so your going to have to deal with it. I think your wrong.

—The Problem was not giving Noteboom & Brian Allen any STARTING
Experience going into 2019.
NOT ONLY Noteboom & Brian Allen never had Starting Experience,but didn’t have any GAME EXPERIENCE except a couple downs 2018 & preseason which maybe they received
starting time for like 2 games.

Maybe so. I've been wrong plenty of times wrt who the Rams should pick so this year's draft shouldn't be any different.

Whit is a short term answer so LT is a need. Corbett was marginal at best and he's not some rookie he's a guy with three years under his belt now. Blythe was signed to a one year deal for a reason, because his play tends to fall off as teams begin to gameplan him. Evans & Edwards give me a lot of hope, but they're 2 of 5 starters and the depth is even more unicorns & rainbows.

Thinking this OL has enough pieces is a big leap of faith. Too big a leap for myself. But maybe you'll be right and you can remind me later so cheers.

 

[fearsomefour]

“It likely won’t be worse.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

 

[FarNorth]

Maybe so. I've been wrong plenty of times wrt who the Rams should pick so this year's draft shouldn't be any different.

Whit is a short term answer so LT is a need. Corbett was marginal at best and he's not some rookie he's a guy with three years under his belt now. Blythe was signed to a one year deal for a reason, because his play tends to fall off as teams begin to gameplan him. Evans & Edwards give me a lot of hope, but they're 2 of 5 starters and the depth is even more unicorns & rainbows.

Thinking this OL has enough pieces is a big leap of faith. Too big a leap for myself. But maybe you'll be right and you can remind me later so cheers.

I'm not convinced the o-line is set. We still need reinforcement(s). Building an o-line is an ongoing task, but I'm not convinced we are caught up with much less ahead of the curve right now.

Specifically, as shown by the chart posted in another thread, the o-line last year was one of the worst in the league in giving the backs space to move before they were hit. There just wasn't enough power to generate holes to run in. Goff was often on the run just to get the ball out of his hand. Maybe that changes with an offseason for our late season guards to get stronger. But it still seems that center is a weak spot, and even if everything comes together the line will be competent at best. And, putting Noteboom in at some point at left tackle won't change that.

I expect the Rams to pick another o-liner with their first or second pick and a rb with the other. I would be ecstatic if we could somehow get Jonathan Taylor with our top pick then go o-line next at whatever position seems best.

 

[oldnotdead]

Blythe is a very marginal NFL player. The fact he was resigned IMO is more of Kromer's nonsense. One of the biggest problems is the very poor level of coaching the players receive. Last year exposed coaching issues with the o-line where the players were largely fundamentally unsound in their technique. Also the way players were simply thrown into the breach without regard to their long term talents bespoke of poor planning and coordination within the coaching staff.

I still believe they have the talent to be a very good o-line but they must:

1. Receive better coaching than they have thus far.
2. Play players where they are best suited to play. It was clear from the way Snead drafted he had a plan for the o-line. It's clear from last year that that plan has been largely ignored.

Don't make the mistake that I'm giving McVay a pass. I'm not because it's his staff, but it illustrates a problem with hiring your friends. The right side was being toasted to a crisp but no changes were made until injury forced their hands. When they had OG's on the roster why did they play Noteboom out of position? When they have a center on the roster why did they continue to play that dumpster fire Blythe at C even when he proved he wasn't what was needed?

Havenstein struggled at OT because he has physical limitations that preclude him from playing at a high level consistently. Those physical limitations are why pre draft Rob was considered an OG at this level. Those physical limitations were exposed last year. So what did the Rams do? They didn't replace him with a natural OT, they replaced him with another player in Evans who has similar limitations while moving a natural OT inside to play RG.

In light of all this how can anyone say there isn't enough talent on this team on the o-line. I for one saw enough flashes to know that if the young guys (Blythe not included) are properly coached, and more importantly played in positions of their strengths, they have the makings of a good o-line.

Okay one last thing. If the run attack moves to a power gap/inside zone scheme then Blythe is even more of a liability at C than he was at RG. He will be expected to pull and to make second level blocks. Go ahead and breakdown his play when Austin pulls. Merlin already did once which was a typical game for him. Blythe struggles to pull, once he even fell flat on his fact attempting to, but worse yet he struggles to make blocks on the second level.

I have always maintained that Snead wants to go with the young guys he drafted as his o-line into the future. The fact they re-signed and over paid for an over the hill Whitworth and re-signed Blythe tells me not to expect any significant draft capital to be used on the o-line.

 

[Merlin]

I'm not convinced the o-line is set. We still need reinforcement(s). Building an o-line is an ongoing task, but I'm not convinced we are caught up with much less ahead of the curve right now.

Specifically, as shown by the chart posted in another thread, the o-line last year was one of the worst in the league in giving the backs space to move before they were hit. There just wasn't enough power to generate holes to run in. Goff was often on the run just to get the ball out of his hand. Maybe that changes with an offseason for our late season guards to get stronger. But it still seems that center is a weak spot, and even if everything comes together the line will be competent at best. And, putting Noteboom in at some point at left tackle won't change that.

I expect the Rams to pick another o-liner with their first or second pick and a rb with the other. I would be ecstatic if we could somehow get Jonathan Taylor with our top pick then go o-line next at whatever position seems best.

Like I have mentioned before the division goes through SF. Queue up that game vs them where we played them quite well, and count the number of moving pockets in pass plays. There is no way we can keep doing that if we want to win this division. Go into 2020 with the same OL and we're gonna be the same Rams as 2019, i.e. not the division winner.

 

[So Ram]

Things most likely can not go as bad as last year injury-wise.

If Havenstein can get back near 2018 that will help make them better. Evans is an alternate if Havenstein doesn't improve, is traded or is better.
I don't expect any drop off from Whitworth. He could be a little better. I think he may have had a little Super Bowl hangover.
Blythe got nearly $4 Mil so I expect him to have a good shot at OC and/or OG. He should be much healthier to start the season.
Edwards had the best rating outside of Whitworth so I expect he starts at RG or LG.
LG/RG could see the best competition with Corbett/Evans/Rookie or others.

I can see the Rams drafting an offensive lineman early at 52 or within the 104th pick. I like that badass center Tyler Biadasz.

The Rams offensive line is not going to be a top mauling badass group this year. They should have better health and more experience. They should be improved. They can still be effective in opening holes and protecting Goff. I firmly believe McVay understands that he needs to make some adjustments on offense and he will.

Use to love the Draft break down from serious draft guru around here.Haksaw or something like that.

Anyway was wondering have The Rams meet any of these Offensive Lineman coming into 2020 draft. Such as BadAss. I’m not a fan of drafting a Center early. Dallas with Fitchpatrick ? From the Badgers workout Great. I’m all for The Rams scouting department.

That said MCSNEAD seems like they don’t value the center position with a big stud. Surprised Kromer drafted Allen so early,especially with Blythe & Sullivan signed,as well as after just drafting Noteboom.

Snead has never valued the RB,except when he has a featured back?? He was a Only One Football guy. Was surprised Gurley being drafted. Thought that Auburn(MIA) guy was going to be the guy. I think that was why he really went off the deep end as well,because I’ve never seen a NFL mental breakdown like that.
My thoughts are trade up for Johnathan Taylor which will never happen. Still can’t wait to see who The Rams feauture back will be. My guess as well will be of better draft value than Henderson who is an unproven back.

 

[RamsFanCK]

"Not as bad as it looks" is another way of saying "It's not good". This is a koolaid article now isn't it.

I felt like Noteboom was showing progress before his injury, so I have hope there. Would really like to see us draft someone for the simple reasons of a) development time, and b) lack of early round draft capital in the near future.

We have to get competition going in preseason though, all the O-line (With the exception of Whit) should be playing in every preseason game. I hope the injuries last year don't make McVay gun shy on this point. It's important. They gotta gel in some fashion before week one.

 

[TexasRam]

Projections at Oline and overconfidence in coaching is what destroyed the Rams last year.

The build your Oline through late round draft picks philosophy fails far more than it works. It’s projection. I hate the dam idea. It’s not a magic formula.

Bringing in solid Veteran Oline and early day 1 and day 2 Olineman is much more the formula.

Look at the Niners. FA Center, day 1 RT. Day 1 LT.

Colts, Ravens, etc etc

The Rams should let Brockers walk and make money available elsewhere to bring in a Trent Williams or one of these other Proven Veterans and stop gap him at guard AND draft a center early to replace Blythe as a starter.

If not I guarantee the same shit show we saw last year as we project.