http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...w-rams-coach-sean-mcvay-do-with-greg-robinson
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Sean McVay's first priority as the Los Angeles Rams’ head coach is assembling a staff, but his principal task will be figuring out the offensive line.
It all comes back to Greg Robinson, who just finished his third NFL season since becoming the No. 2 overall pick out of Auburn.
Does he get yet another chance at left tackle? Transition to guard? Get released outright? For the moment, a move to guard -- a position Robinson played briefly to begin his NFL career -- appears to be the most logical of the three, because it's hard to continue trusting him at left tackle and because it doesn't seem very prudent to simply cut ties.
"Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it," Robinson, speaking the day after the Rams' season finale, said about moving to guard. "If that’s the discussion with whoever comes in, wherever I’m at, that’s going to be the deal. But it’s not really something that I’m just going to accept, because I’m so used to playing tackle. It would be hard to adjust. But if I have to adjust, that will be something that I will do."
Jake Long suffered an injury in Week 8 of the 2014 season.
Robinson started 35 consecutive games at left tackle until he was benched in the Week 12 game in New Orleans. Four weeks later, Robinson was benched again, then only played in the regular-season finale because of an injury suffered by right tackle Rob Havenstein.
Robinson nonetheless believes he improved.
"I feel like I did, honestly," said Robinson, who can become a free agent after the 2017 season if the Rams decline the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. "Just all around; just technical work. I cleaned up a few little things. Penalties, it kind of hurt me. There’s many things that we can all get better at. But just honestly, bringing out the penalties, I feel like mentally I was progressing. There was a lot of things that could’ve distracted me, but I felt like I just stayed the course and tried my best to get better."
Over the last two years, Robinson leads the NFL with 31 total penalties. This year, Pro Football Focus graded him 73rd among 80 qualified NFL tackles. And there is some thought that a transition to guard, with more help and less responsibility, could revive Robinson's career and help the Rams get the most out of a surprisingly athletic 6-foot-5, 332-pound frame.
That decision falls on McVay now.
"I don’t know what to expect," Robinson said 10 days before McVay was hired. "It would be tough just to adjust like that. But I don’t think it would be that big of a challenge."
Robinson isn't the Rams' only offensive-line concern; he is merely their most important. Havenstein's play declined in his second season and the Rams never seemed satisfied at right guard, rotating through Cody Wichmann, Jamon Brown and Andrew Donnal. Behind that offensive line, Todd Gurley averaged 3.18 yards per carry, the second-lowest rate among qualified rushers, and Jared Goff was sacked 25 times over his last six games, a pace of 67 over the course of a full season.
The Rams' most talented offensive players can't succeed until the offensive line makes drastic improvements.
And that won't happen until the Rams figure out what to do with Robinson.
"I’m excited about getting better," Robinson said. "Whoever comes in, I just hope that they push me. I’m willing to step up and better myself. "
