Rams' offensive line still a major problem after Week 5

[Merlin]

I would like to see Havenstein off the books in a year or two. He's not good enough in pass pro. If Noteboom can play LT and Edwards can play RT that would be great. Then draft a stud OG high. And the OL could work. But we need a stud OG, thats the key to make the other stuff work like retaining Allen and Blythe.

He might just go inside to RG and be a stud OG for us there. His prob is his feet, or it is when he's struggling at least. Inside it wouldn't be. Down the road I think that might be how things settle in, with Edwards or Evans on the edge.

But let's see how he recovers. He played very well last season and of late has improved.

 

[OC--LeftCoast]

Wouldn’t shock me one bit if the OLine has a solid game Sunday

One thing is certain, motivation won’t be an issue

I only wish I could say the same for our star RB

 

[Ram65]

Fowler wasn't a bad signing, but at the expense of Saffold, it just doesn't make sense to me when you consider the investment in other areas of the offense, but I guess it all works out in the name of balance?

It makes me wonder how the decision was made to keep Fowler over Saffold.

Did McVay defer to Snead and Wade?

The Saffold decision was made much earlier. I mention many times to resign him before or early last year. The Rams decided to give money to the younger Havenstein and go with youth. Then they needed to address the pass rush or lack of and got Fowler.

I was surprised the Rams gave Fowler as much as they did. Could have had cheaper options like Shaq Barrett and those Smith guys in Green Bay. I don't know who made the decision. Donald needs a more dominate type pass rusher to help him out. Fowler and Mathews aren't the types that win one on ones regularly. As much as I liked Saffold the Rams pass rush is still lacking.

 

[tomas]

McVay needs to run the ball (25+). 50-70 pass attempts makes life a lot harder on offensive linemen.

 

[Ramlock]

Another high quality post Merlin. Agree fully with 4 of your 5 paragraphs.

You & I continue to differ on our thoughts where OL'er David Edwards is best suited to get his first snaps at in this Ram OL. The over 6-6 1/2 ft 305 pound Edwards who ONLY put up 16 reps in his bench is far more suited for the outside posts & little lesser @ LG than playing on that strong side RG post.

Does not mean that I don't have positive opinions of David Edwards future involvement in the Rams OL. IMO Edwards is an excellent reserve rookie Swing OT who has a good future here. Those quick feet will prove invaluable next season. I would prefer Edwards over Demby @ LG.

I am still convinced the UDFA 6-5 320 lb Chandler Brewer will end up being the best prospect currently to help get this run game up & running @ RG. His extra large hands & powerful 34 reps on his pro day last March in the bench should give us a clue.

@BonifayRam with another well constructed post

 

[Soul Surfer]

Plan is for LG Noteboom will move outside to LT to be replaced by a cheaper cost Jamil Demby @ LG.

RG Blythe is presently bound for Free Agency stands to be replaced by a cheaper cost Bobby Evans. Maybe Jeremiah Kolone could give Evans a fun for his money, but he is paid less than Evans.

Or our line could be;
Noteboom LT
Edwards LG
Allen C
Evans RG
Havenstein RT

 

[Riverumbbq]

Or our line could be;
Noteboom LT
Edwards LG
Allen C
Evans RG
Havenstein RT

or ...

LT - Noteboom, Edwards
LG - Demby, Brewer, Evans or Kolone
C - Allen, Shelton
RG - Brandon Scherff, Brewer, Evans
RT - Havenstein, Edwards

 

[tomas]

If McVay runs the ball more and with additional game experience the offensive line will become a cohesive unit-(they have the raw talent)

 

[MachS]

Or our line could be;
Noteboom LT
Edwards LG
Allen C
Evans RG
Havenstein RT

No way we go into next year with only this type of talent. We will draft an OL high or trade/sign a FA, there's just no way we can expect that to be a quality NFL line. They are all question marks. People want to sing Kromer's praises like he's a wizard but talent is the most important thing in sports, and we need more up front.

 

[Merlin]

Looking at Gurley's advanced stats...

He's ranked 11th in success rate (I prefer that over DVOA personally) and 14th in DVOA in the run game. Which is pretty good considering a smaller sample size than he's used to getting.

In the pass game he's ranked 33rd in DVOA. Which to me sounds about right. He's really struggled in the passing game this season.

How does that affect the OL? Our run game is better than people think it is. IMO.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Looking at Gurley's advanced stats...

He's ranked 11th in success rate (I prefer that over DVOA personally) and 14th in DVOA in the run game. Which is pretty good considering a smaller sample size than he's used to getting.

In the pass game he's ranked 33rd in DVOA. Which to me sounds about right. He's really struggled in the passing game this season.

How does that affect the OL? Our run game is better than people think it is. IMO.

those rankings are exactly what i see as well.

when people start taking shots at gurley i'm like wtf? he's running pretty well in my eyes. is he elite gurley status? no, but he's still running pretty good.

as for the passing game if he's gonna make minimal or no gain he just drops the ball for an incompletion. but he has missed some plays there by dropping it cold on dump offs that can lead to something.

.

 

[fearsomefour]

eventually, if they play well, they will be making more money than nrc.

a lot more.

.

There is a decent chance Blythe will be in for a raise but it may not be with the Rams.
I expect the Rams to draft two more
OL In the next draft. Could see three or four guys competing for that RG spot....the real question is LT of course.

 

[tomas]

Snead had a chance to draft G/center Michael Deiter in the third round (who is big, strong and smart-has been a god-send for the Dolphins) instead of Henderson. Snead tries to be cute and it has cost the Rams immensely. PFF grade - solid in pass protection- Big Mauler ' Type-run blocking- on a horrible Miami offensive line.

 

[BonifayRam]

There is a decent chance Blythe will be in for a raise but it may not be with the Rams.
I expect the Rams to draft two more
OL In the next draft. Could see three or four guys competing for that RG spot....the real question is LT of course.

To me there is no 2020 LT Question.......Joe Noteboom is the clear successor.

The Blythe situation is up in the air with the ending or continuing as a Ram fully depending on the progress of numerous current signed Rams OL'ers. Kromer must find & develop his type of solid effective starting 2020 RG.

We expect our 38 yr old starting LT the last seasons to retire leaving a 28 yr old RT Havenstein entering his 6th season as our older OL resident. Blythe will be 28 yrs old too entering his 5th season if he resigns.

The 2020 Ram Ol stands to grow younger considerably with the pending Whitworth's & Blythe's departures. Presently our signed 11 OL'ers averages out a little over 3 yrs of NFL experience. Next season that average will drop much lower. That's one reason why I have changed my thinking of the need to try to keep Blythe here for at least one more season, even though I know he is not the long term answer @ starting RG. However, his experience would surely be needed as a game day 3 interior post reserve!

 

[fearsomefour]

To me there is no 2020 LT Question.......Joe Noteboom is the clear successor.

The Blythe situation is up in the air with the ending or continuing as a Ram fully depending on the progress of numerous current signed Rams OL'ers. Kromer must find & develop his type of solid effective starting 2020 RG.

We expect our 38 yr old starting LT the last seasons to retire leaving a 28 yr old RT Havenstein entering his 6th season as our older OL resident. Blythe will be 28 yrs old too entering his 5th season if he resigns.

The 2020 Ram Ol stands to grow younger considerably with the pending Whitworth's & Blythe's departures. Presently our signed 11 OL'ers averages out a little over 3 yrs of NFL experience. Next season that average will drop much lower. That's one reason why I have changed my thinking of the need to try to keep Blythe here for at least one more season, even though I know he is not the long term answer @ starting RG. However, his experience would surely be needed as a game day 3 interior post reserve!

I also expect Whitworth to be gone.
I think there is a little more question about the spot as a lot can change between now and next year.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

or ...

LT - Noteboom, Edwards
LG - Demby, Brewer, Evans or Kolone
C - Allen, Shelton
RG - Brandon Scherff, Brewer, Evans
RT - Havenstein, Edwards

Adding Scherff would be fantastic. We'd still need to draft somebody high to right this ship.

 

[BonifayRam]

Brandon Scherff's Calculated Market Value

• 4 yrs, $49,872,044
• Avg. Salary: $12,468,011

Brandon Scherff

Brandon Scherff contract and salary cap details, full contract breakdowns, salaries, signing bonus, roster bonus, dead money, and valuations.

www.spotrac.com

 

[BonifayRam]

I also expect Whitworth to be gone.
I think there is a little more question about the spot as a lot can change between now and next year.

Trying to see what type changes you are considering............ best I can come up with is:

* David Edwards develops much quicker than expected @ the left Tackle post & added to this is Kromer can NOT find a Ram OL'er capable of performing LG duties better than Noteboom thus mandating Joe Noteboom to remain @ LG..... is this close? You might insert OT Bobby Evans name above where David Edwards name is too.

Issue is Noteboom does not possess a lot of good OG talents & skills compared to his OT backpack. One would hope to believe that between Demby, Edwards, Evans, Kolone, Shelton & Brewer that a good future NFL caliber starting OG is contained in one of the half dozen Ram Ol'ers under contractalm:.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Brandon Scherff's Calculated Market Value

• 4 yrs, $49,872,044
• Avg. Salary: $12,468,011

Brandon Scherff

Brandon Scherff contract and salary cap details, full contract breakdowns, salaries, signing bonus, roster bonus, dead money, and valuations.

www.spotrac.com

Andrew Whitworth's 2019 CAP hit = $16,659,168

Replacing the 37 year old Whitworth with the 27 year old Brandon Scherff for what may be less of a CAP hit at a position of extreme need seems an ideal move. McVay was Jay Gruden's OC when the 6'5" 315lbs. Scherff was selected #5 overall in the 2015 Draft. jmo.

 

[fearsomefour]

Trying to see what type changes you are considering............ best I can come up with is:

* David Edwards develops much quicker than expected @ the left Tackle post & added to this is Kromer can NOT find a Ram OL'er capable of performing LG duties better than Noteboom thus mandating Joe Noteboom to remain @ LG..... is this close? You might insert OT Bobby Evans name above where David Edwards name is too.

Issue is Noteboom does not possess a lot of good OG talents & skills compared to his OT backpack. One would hope to believe that between Demby, Edwards, Evans, Kolone, Shelton & Brewer that a good future NFL caliber starting OG is contained in one of the half dozen Ram Ol'ers under contractalm:.

Drafting a T in the first round.
Trading for or signing a vet LT.
Unless something changes the rest of this year going into the offseason with five ? Across the line.
That said, I think the line will improve as we go along.
Still early into this season which has seen major changes.