Rams trade for Austin Corbett

[Reddog99]

The more these OL guys emerge the less picks we have to put towards the OL in the draft/FA. I know we will pick up a couple anyway for depth. Instead those picks can go to other areas of need.

 

[OldSchool]

The more these OL guys emerge the less picks we have to put towards the OL in the draft/FA. I know we will pick up a couple anyway for depth. Instead those picks can go to other areas of need.

Yeah it's nice to see some development! I'm starting to lean more towards a LT or if they feel Edwards can take over there next year they could go with a LG instead. But depth should be taken almost every year.

 

[tomas]

But realistically we did lots of Max protect and were not very productive at all vs a depleted Bears defense, so maybe we should temper our enthusiasm until these guys play some tough defenses and the Offense gets back to 30PPG instead of 17.

Goff was missing 2/3rds of his WRs corps. That's a big deal.

 

[Ram65]

Looks like I didn't have a comment in the thread. The injuries to Allen and Noteboom have given way to opportunities for Edwards, Evans and Corbett. This could be the best thing that happens this year to help figure out what the Rams have and need on the offensive line. It's too soon to predict final spots for next year. Rams need more time to see what Corbett, Edwards and Evan can do week in and week out against stronger defenses. It's a good start. Edwards and Evans will probably start somewhere.

Edit: I guess I should comment on Corbett. At least he could be a good bench player at both OC/OG if not more.

 

[Merlin]

Looks like I didn't have a comment in the thread. The injuries to Allen and Noteboom have given way to opportunities for Edwards, Evans and Corbett. This could be the best thing that happens this year to help figure out what the Rams have and need on the offensive line. It's too soon to predict final spots for next year. Rams need more time to see what Corbett, Edwards and Evan can do week in and week out against stronger defenses. It's a good start. Edwards and Evans will probably start somewhere.

Edit: I guess I should comment on Corbett. At least he could be a good bench player at both OC/OG if not more.

I really liked Goff's comment about his OL being "steely eyed" and "locked in" the entire game in the huddle.

Oh and btw re: the Bears... They have given up 3.6 ypc on the ground this year which is some fine run defense. That's a quality front and one of the best in the league in that front seven no doubt about it. The Rams offense basically just found themselves vs a playoff unit. We don't know if they can keep doing it, but goddamn it was good to see.

 

[Ram65]

I really liked Goff's comment about his OL being "steely eyed" and "locked in" the entire game in the huddle.

Oh and btw re: the Bears... They have given up 3.6 ypc on the ground this year which is some fine run defense. That's a quality front and one of the best in the league in that front seven no doubt about it. The Rams offense basically just found themselves vs a playoff unit. We don't know if they can keep doing it, but goddamn it was good to see.

The Bears front /rush defense isn't the same without Hicks and Tavathan being out also hurts them. Look at the difference in yards early in the season before Hicks went out on Oct 6th. Still a good defense but, not last year great. They have been run on this year. Still a very encouraging outing by the Rams Mod Squad offensive line.

 

[XXXIVwin]

Yeah, I also had Corbett at LG.

I like this OL setup. If they continue, that may be the OL going forward which would mean a trade of Havenstein. I’m really hoping that Noteboom can get back to man the LT spot but I can see Big Whit playing one more year on a reduced contract.

That said, if Noteboom can get back in time and the OL looks like this, we’d have a solid and cheap OL allowing us to retain everybody including Fowler, Littleton, Legatron and Ramsey AND potentially sign a FA.

Next week is a MASSIVE test. That Baltimore D has really played well of late.

Wow. This post is so optimistic I fear my head might explode.

Hey, I’d love for the Rams to save money and have room to sign their pricey FA’s on D. But prior to the Bears game, it seemed like everyone was assuming the whole OL would have to get blown up for 2020.

Two weeks ago, Blythe was considered an experiment that failed badly. Now he’s a viable starting OC?

Two weeks ago, Corbett was known as the guy that sorry-azz Browns fans considered their worst bust of the decade. Now he’s a competent LG?

Two weeks ago, Evans was considered a raw rookie that looked almost Demby-like in preseason. Now he’s so solid he could make Hav expendable?

Hey, I’m all for optimism... I just don’t know what the heck to expect anymore from this OL.

 

[oldnotdead]

Is this the same Austin Blythe that when he played at LG he tried to pull to the right and not only missed the block but was so slow he missed the whole play. Is this the same Blythe that also gave up a crucial pressure on a missed block that ended a possession? Is this the same Blythe that missed the block that led to the so called Goff INT that basically was the difference in the game? Dude this all happened in one game the loss to the Steelers.

This is the same guy Merlin exposed as a scrub in his breakdown a few weeks ago. This is the same Blythe that people on this board were calling a sieve last season. He looked okay against the Bears because he didn't have to block anyone one on one.

Time to play Shelton, but Kromer in his "wisdom" still thinks Blythe is good enough.....Kromer must be drinking DaSilva's Koolaid,

I said before the season that the Rams needed to replace Blythe and Havenstein and now they have the perfect excuse. Move Evans to RG where he belongs and Edwards to RT where he belongs. Use Shelton at Center until Allen returns, and keep Corbett at LG.

Next year it will be

LT Noteboom
LG Corbett
C Allen
RG Evans
RT Edwards

Swing OT Havenstein, OG Brewer

IMO this was the projected o-line of the future when the traded for Corbett. So the future should start now. This stuff about saving guys for the future is nice if you can, but injuries have thrown that out the window. The only pieces missing are Noteboom and Allen but they have Whit and Shelton if they would use him.

LT Whitworth
LG Corbett
C Shelton
RG Evans
RT Edwards

That is what they can play now and it's a better o-line than they started with in September. Evans and Edwards have shown they can move the LOS and jumpstart the run game. That is the missing element from this offense.

 

[XXXIVwin]

Next year it will be

LT Noteboom
LG Corbett
C Allen
RG Evans
RT Edwards

Swing OT Havenstein, OG Brewer

IMO this was the projected o-line of the future when the traded for Corbett. So the future should start now. This stuff about saving guys for the future is nice if you can, but injuries have thrown that out the window. The only pieces missing are Noteboom and Allen but they have Whit and Shelton if they would use him.

LT Whitworth
LG Corbett
C Shelton
RG Evans
RT Edwards

That is what they can play now and it's a better o-line than they started with in September. Evans and Edwards have shown they can move the LOS and jumpstart the run game. That is the missing element from this offense.

If McSnead were to try to get by next year with the young inexperienced OL you described, the experiment would blow up in their faces and the fans would go apeshit.

All second or third year guys playing on their rookie contracts? Averaging about 700k per year.... so 3.5 to 4M for the ENTIRE starting OL? (So five starters combined making a quarter of what they’d pay for CB Ramsey?) No way that will happen.

I for one believe that the Rams will make some painful sacrifices on D in order to pick up some reliable vet help on the OL. It’s unfathomable to me that the Rams won’t invest more money on the OL in 2020. Just my two cents.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Wow. This post is so optimistic I fear my head might explode.

Hey, I’d love for the Rams to save money and have room to sign their pricey FA’s on D. But prior to the Bears game, it seemed like everyone was assuming the whole OL would have to get blown up for 2020.

Two weeks ago, Blythe was considered an experiment that failed badly. Now he’s a viable starting OC?

Two weeks ago, Corbett was known as the guy that sorry-azz Browns fans considered their worst bust of the decade. Now he’s a competent LG?

Two weeks ago, Evans was considered a raw rookie that looked almost Demby-like in preseason. Now he’s so solid he could make Hav expendable?

Hey, I’m all for optimism... I just don’t know what the heck to expect anymore from this OL.

My own concern over Kromer isn't so much about his ability to train up the young talent, we are all aware that doesn't always happen right away with mid & lower round draftees, but I do have to question their judgement when determining their starters following a lengthy training camp. How is it they didn't see that Noteboom & Demby were less than Edwards at LG when Edwards had such a successful camp ? How is it that Brian Allen would be a better choice for Center than Blythe ? How is it that Blythe beat out Edwards at RG ? And how is it that Havenstein stayed off the bench while Evans practices right next to him ? I still can't figure how Demby remained on the regular roster while Brewer was stuck on the practice squad.

I for one never thought of Blythe as an experiment, and was as surprised as everyone else when the Rams unloaded Jamon Brown when they did. I did consider him an undersized but worthy back-up OG/C, and being Brown was going to become a free agent following the 2018 season, perhaps there was a secondary reason for letting him go which we were never made aware of following his suspension. Blythe's weaknesses at RG were underscored during the Super Bowl, as was our Center's, John Sullivan. There were a number of ROD members who mentioned that Blythe should have been given more consideration as a potential starter for Center this season, ... sadly, I wasn't one of them, although I did want Brewer at RG. Blythe will likely be leaving the Rams as a free agent, so there remains one other fairly recent acquisition waiting in the wings for a shot, that being Center Colton Shelton. If Shelton & Brewer have anywhere near the success which Corbett, Edwards & Evans displayed against Chicago when their numbers are called, well, ... a parade should be held for Snead, because this would defy all odds. Just a few days ago the Rams added another Center to the practice squad, Nate Trewyn, so 2020 competition is already taking shape for the position and Brian Allen will have his work cut out for him if he expects to nail down the starting position again.

Corbett was an outstanding pick-up for the Rams, he came cheap and with a Bio comparing him to Joel Bitonio. Trying to understand why Cleveland gave up so quickly on the 2018 First pick of the 2'nd round (#33 overall) is difficult to fathom, but if he turns out to be even close to a Joel Bitonio type in terms of production, we've hit a home run.

To be fair, some 6 - 8 weeks ago, one of our reporters covering the Rams, could have been Cameron DeSilva, just not sure, ... wrote an article specifically mentioning Evans' great improvement during season practices, so when the light did come on for him, it wasn't a complete surprise for everyone, just mostly us fans as all we had witnessed ourselves was his earlier less than stellar performances during camp.

jmo.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Is this the same Austin Blythe that when he played at LG he tried to pull to the right and not only missed the block but was so slow he missed the whole play. Is this the same Blythe that also gave up a crucial pressure on a missed block that ended a possession? Is this the same Blythe that missed the block that led to the so called Goff INT that basically was the difference in the game? Dude this all happened in one game the loss to the Steelers.

This is the same guy Merlin exposed as a scrub in his breakdown a few weeks ago. This is the same Blythe that people on this board were calling a sieve last season. He looked okay against the Bears because he didn't have to block anyone one on one.

Time to play Shelton, but Kromer in his "wisdom" still thinks Blythe is good enough.....Kromer must be drinking DaSilva's Koolaid,

I said before the season that the Rams needed to replace Blythe and Havenstein and now they have the perfect excuse. Move Evans to RG where he belongs and Edwards to RT where he belongs. Use Shelton at Center until Allen returns, and keep Corbett at LG.

Next year it will be

LT Noteboom
LG Corbett
C Allen
RG Evans
RT Edwards

Swing OT Havenstein, OG Brewer

IMO this was the projected o-line of the future when the traded for Corbett. So the future should start now. This stuff about saving guys for the future is nice if you can, but injuries have thrown that out the window. The only pieces missing are Noteboom and Allen but they have Whit and Shelton if they would use him.

LT Whitworth
LG Corbett
C Shelton
RG Evans
RT Edwards

That is what they can play now and it's a better o-line than they started with in September. Evans and Edwards have shown they can move the LOS and jumpstart the run game. That is the missing element from this offense.

I agree that Blythe sucks. He fit okay in the zone scheme at Center but he doesn't fit the gap scheme.

But penicillin Allen and Noteboom is a joke. Allen specifically is bad. You don't like Blythe, but he is a better Center than Allen. I don't like either. They need to invest in a good center. Last year was a great draft to grab one and they didn't. I hope they see the need and don't go into next season banking on Allen. We haven't seen Noteboom at LT yet, but if it's anything like his guard play then he isn't adequate

 

[den-the-coach]

We haven't seen Noteboom at LT yet, but if it's anything like his guard play then he isn't adequate

Rams ran more of a power running scheme against the Bears and that suited Edwards & Evans just fine. IMO, that's the future and agreed about Center with a power running scheme a bigger center will be needed, but Blythe is head & shoulders better than Allen for the adjustments and line calls alone.

Not sure what they will do next season as there are some good centers available in the draft and as to free agency, Ben Jones of the Titans would be my choice because he strikes a good balance between power and zone teams and his durability has been good although will be 31 come April 2nd, but I believe would be excellent value.

Also Whitworth might be open to one more year, I do believe in Noteboom at LT, felt that was the best position for him, however, having Whit around will give Noteboom proper time to return from his ACL/MCL tear.

 

[BonifayRam]

Rams ran more of a power running scheme against the Bears and that suited Edwards & Evans just fine. IMO, that's the future and agreed about Center with a power running scheme a bigger center will be needed, but Blythe is head & shoulders better than Allen for the adjustments and line calls alone.

Not sure what they will do next season as there are some good centers available in the draft and as to free agency, Ben Jones of the Titans would be my choice because he strikes a good balance between power and zone teams and his durability has been good although will be 31 come April 2nd, but I believe would be excellent value.

Also Whitworth might be open to one more year, I do believe in Noteboom at LT, felt that was the best position for him, however, having Whit around will give Noteboom proper time to return from his ACL/MCL tear.

What type run scheme makes Gurley effective?

Whatever that OL run scheme is???? I would suggest McVay & Kromer go with for the rest of this season & next.

Gurley's NFL RB/life expectancy should be just fine till the end of 2020. Anybody have a different take on this?

Rams may not want to remove the highly effective rookie LG/RG David Edwards to start @ LT early next season for the rehabbing Noteboom. I would suggest they keep Edwards @ RG.

Whitworth might be sold the thought to return for 2020 for the exact purpose to start @ LT post until Noteboom is healthy (ready about bye time 2020). Then he would step down as a top LT reserve & continue with his OL leadership role.

 

[oldnotdead]

If McSnead were to try to get by next year with the young inexperienced OL you described, the experiment would blow up in their faces and the fans would go apeshit.

You mean like Edwards, Evans and Corbett have? They can't afford to keep losing games because of poor o-line play. Last week we all saw something that has been missing all year. Those young guys moved the LOS and opened gaps Gurley hasn't seen all year.

Injuries and bad play have forced their hand. It's clear from the draft they intended to completely remake the o-line next year. All I'm saying is that they can't wait. They need to play their best guys now, regardless. Their original plan has failed and the fans are going ape shit. Shelton can't play worse than Blythe.

I talk about moving Evans inside because that is where he actually belongs. Playing him outside IMO was an expedient move due to having to make a move. But Evans is built like an NFL OG while Edwards is built like an NFL OT. Edwards has a bigger play radius, making him more of a natural OT and his height makes it more difficult to gain leverage inside. I firmly believe Edwards was drafted to replace Havenstein in 2021 but Rob's poor play and injury has accelerated those plans. Also I believe that Evans was originally drafted to replace Saffold but they started Noteboom a second year player at LG to give him experience before replacing Whit at LT next year. BTW we have seen Noteboom play LT last year and he was completely solid. He's just not an OG which has a different skill set and a position he's never played.

If the Rams really do mean playing the best guys then in this case it's not Blythe and Havenstein. Blythe has not been solid at center like some would love to believe. Teams will target him as the obvious weak link like they did when he played RG. If he can't block at OG he won't suddenly improve at Center. During his pre-draft evaluations, scouts noted he seemed to have poor field vision and field awareness causing mental lapses. These very issues plague his play to this day. This guy was deemed a backup talent then and he's only validated that evaluation in his play. Playing him at center wiil play to his weaknesses and will exacerbate his problems, as a center must have good vision, field awareness and must be mentally sharp on every play.

The play of Corbett, Edwards and Evans showed their scouting of them was spot on. They need to have faith that it's the same with Shelton and they need to play him. If not IMO it's only a matter of time before Blythe blows a block and gets Goff hurt. It almost happened in the Steeler game with Blythe at Center.

 

[dang]

Next Year

LT-Whit
LG-Corbett
C-FA
RG-Edwards
RT-Evans/Hav battle it out

 

[BonifayRam]

Next Year

LT-Whit
LG-Corbett
C-FA
RG-Edwards
RT-Evans/Hav battle it out

I am thinking this will be the initial regular 2020 season prospective starters:
LT- Evans<-> Noteboom
LG- Corbett/ Kolone
OC- Allen <-> Shelton
RG- Edwards/ Brewer
RT- Havenstein/ Brewer

Should the Rams strongly consider Colts UFA LT 32 yr old Anthony Castonzo?

Should the Rams also consider veteran past Ram starter @ RG Austin Blythe @ starting center to push Brian Allen & Coleman Shelton, plus drafting a OC with a 2nd day draft selection?

 

[Dieter the Brock]

Next year

LT - Pace
LG - Newberry
OC - Saul
RG - Harrah
RT - Evans

 

[OldSchool]

Next year

LT - Pace
LG - Newberry
OC - Saul
RG - Harrah
RT - Evans

Jackie Slater slaps yo face off!

 

[Riverumbbq]

I am thinking this will be the initial regular 2020 season prospective starters:
LT- Evans<-> Noteboom
LG- Corbett/ Kolone
OC- Allen <-> Shelton
RG- Edwards/ Brewer
RT- Havenstein/ Brewer

Should the Rams strongly consider Colts UFA LT 32 yr old Anthony Castonzo?

Should the Rams also consider veteran past Ram starter @ RG Austin Blythe @ starting center to push Brian Allen & Coleman Shelton, plus drafting a OC with a 2nd day draft selection?

And i'm thinking :

LT - Whitworth > Noteboom > OT draftee
LG - Corbett > OG/C draftee
C - Shelton/Allen or Trewyn > OG/C draftee
RG - Edwards/Brewer
RT - Evans/Brewer > OT draftee

Havenstein gets traded for a 3'rd round pick

Rams draft 2 offensive linemen in the 3'rd round (1 OT, 1 OG/C)

Demby = Practice Squad

Kolone will be cut

Battle for starting Center will be fierce. Trewyn has great size, but does he have the 'right stuff' ? All these guys will gain strength & better knowledge from the film and classroom. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

At 28 Blythe will be looking for his first real payday, and since his career gets a positive uplift as the Rams Center during the 2'nd half of the 2019 season, he'll move on as a free agent.

jmo.

 

[BonifayRam]

I am all on board with your ideal on going after a starting center with our first selection on the 2nd day of the draft.

Obvious signing a LT @ the age of Whitworth is not a big gamble as long as Noteboom rehabbing of his reconstructed knee does not suffer any setbacks. The price tag of that AW signing is going to be the issue. I think it is unreal to think he is going to return to the Rams @ a reasonable cost.

The signing of a well past his prime LT or just one season might cost the Rams the chance of inking a Cory Littleton or a Dante Fowler to a long term contract. IMO that's not smart!

If OT Bobby Evans continues to improve then the thought of trading Havenstein to a team with a QB who is not an easy target in the pocket is probable but the draft selection would be a 3rd day selection not a second day.

I am going to wait & see what Blythe does the rest the season starting at center.