Soul Surfer
Legend
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- Name
- Charles Mazyck
True.
But he appeared to be breaking down towards the end of the season.
Some youthful brute strength would be a good replacement.
Saffold signs with Tennessee
- Thread starter ljramsfan
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But he appeared to be breaking down towards the end of the season.
Some youthful brute strength would be a good replacement.
coconut
Pro Bowler
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- Dec 15, 2018
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- Name
- coconut
Windex will make it all better.
jap
Legend
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- Jan 12, 2013
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- 6,674
Bye, bye, Beetlejuice! You have set a golden standard for our young OL guys to aim for.
OntarioRam
Hall of Fame
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- Sep 22, 2015
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- 4,004
I'm still upset over this one. Saffold should have retired a Ram. The deal the Titans gave him was not unreasonable. And I think he would have taken a bit less from Los Angeles. I hope Snead and McVay got it right. The game is won and lost in the trenches. Ignore offensive line at your peril. Especially when Goff's biggest weakness to date is that he struggles with pressure more than most other quality staring QBs.
We already lost Sully at centre. Although Sullivan's replacement will likely be just as capable physically, it would have been nice to keep a vet like Saffold around for the mental part of the game. Speaking of vets, Whitworth is still playing at an absolutely elite level. But in his advanced age, decline can come fast and without warning. It would have been nice to keep an elite guard beside him in the event he starts slowing down, rather than having him line up beside a sophomore.
So much of the offensive line is also about cohesion. Losing 2 starters right beside each other isn't ideal either.
Then there is so much to be said about Saffold's character and locker-room presence. He's exactly the kind of guy you want young players around.
If Noteboom proves to be a good starter, we likely moved on from Saffold at the right time from a pure cap perspective. But that is no sure thing, and we're also now put in a position where we have absolutely 0 depth. What if injuries strike? We have had a remarkably healthy o-line the past few years. That cannot and will not be the case indefinitely. How soon Rams fans forget Jake Long and Scott Wells. "Saffold has to go if we want to see what we have in Noteboom!". Wrong. The reality of the NFL is that, due to injuries, it is far more likely than not that Noteboom would have received more than enough playing time to evaluate him even with Saffold in the fold. Especially if we plan on lessening Whitworth's reps to help keep him fresh. Noteboom didn't get too many reps last season, but again, health-wise, last season was an aberration.
Speaking of injuries, Saffold can play multiple positions on the line at a high level. That versatility is invaluable if and when injuries hit.
His injury history is a concern, but he seems to have put that behind him, and he is young enough that he would have still been playing at an elite level for at least 1-2 more years IMO. And would have still been quite solid for at least 3-4 more. No signing is without risk.
I am thrilled with Snead as GM. Most of his moves have been excellent. But sometimes he seems to want to be the smartest guy in the room, or overly obsessive with compensation draft picks. I hope those qualities did not lead to him making a poor decision re: Saffold. He should have been the top priority, IMO. I was all for bringing Fowler back, even if it meant paying a premium as I believe he is primed to really break out (that's a topic for another post). But if push came to shove, with how good this draft class is on the defensive line, I would have much rather let Fowler walk to free up money for Saffold.
/end novel
We already lost Sully at centre. Although Sullivan's replacement will likely be just as capable physically, it would have been nice to keep a vet like Saffold around for the mental part of the game. Speaking of vets, Whitworth is still playing at an absolutely elite level. But in his advanced age, decline can come fast and without warning. It would have been nice to keep an elite guard beside him in the event he starts slowing down, rather than having him line up beside a sophomore.
So much of the offensive line is also about cohesion. Losing 2 starters right beside each other isn't ideal either.
Then there is so much to be said about Saffold's character and locker-room presence. He's exactly the kind of guy you want young players around.
If Noteboom proves to be a good starter, we likely moved on from Saffold at the right time from a pure cap perspective. But that is no sure thing, and we're also now put in a position where we have absolutely 0 depth. What if injuries strike? We have had a remarkably healthy o-line the past few years. That cannot and will not be the case indefinitely. How soon Rams fans forget Jake Long and Scott Wells. "Saffold has to go if we want to see what we have in Noteboom!". Wrong. The reality of the NFL is that, due to injuries, it is far more likely than not that Noteboom would have received more than enough playing time to evaluate him even with Saffold in the fold. Especially if we plan on lessening Whitworth's reps to help keep him fresh. Noteboom didn't get too many reps last season, but again, health-wise, last season was an aberration.
Speaking of injuries, Saffold can play multiple positions on the line at a high level. That versatility is invaluable if and when injuries hit.
His injury history is a concern, but he seems to have put that behind him, and he is young enough that he would have still been playing at an elite level for at least 1-2 more years IMO. And would have still been quite solid for at least 3-4 more. No signing is without risk.
I am thrilled with Snead as GM. Most of his moves have been excellent. But sometimes he seems to want to be the smartest guy in the room, or overly obsessive with compensation draft picks. I hope those qualities did not lead to him making a poor decision re: Saffold. He should have been the top priority, IMO. I was all for bringing Fowler back, even if it meant paying a premium as I believe he is primed to really break out (that's a topic for another post). But if push came to shove, with how good this draft class is on the defensive line, I would have much rather let Fowler walk to free up money for Saffold.
/end novel
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