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Sports fans, as a species, are prone to hindsight analysis and critiques. Its what we do.
In the case of the Rams' current OL troubles, however, I think this way of thinking has produced some unfair criticism of Snead/McVay's plan for the OL in 2022. Simply stated, the results don't necessarily determine the soundness of the plan.
Let's look at each position:
Left Tackle: With Andrew Whitworth riding off into the sunset, the Rams elevated Joe Noteboom, and gave him an extension (3 years, $40M, $25M guaranteed). That was a rational choice. Noteboom played well in spot duty last year, including his performance in the divisional round of the playoffs against Tampa Bay. He knows the system, and his price was reasonable. Thus far, his performance has been a bit up and down, but I don't think he's the weak link of the OL by any means. In my mind, he's more likely to be part of the solution than part of the problem in the long run.
Left Guard: David Edwards, who started every game in a championship season, and is still on a rookie contract, was pegged to return. Nobody knew he'd suffer back-to-back concussions. Apart from the injuries, his play has been poor. Perhaps he needs a veteran guy like Whitworth next to him. Edwards is in the final year of his contract, so I don't think he'll be part of the long-term solution.
Center: Brian Allen was re-signed (3 years, $18M, $8M guaranteed) after starting every game in 2021. Nobody knew he'd suffer an injury. Is he the best option going forward at center? I think its fair to at least consider whether Coleman Shelton might ultimately win the job, but clearly Allen is capable of being part of a successful OL. Nobody knew that both Allen and Shelton would be injured, leaving us with a plug in of Jeremiah Kolone. He's clearly not the long-term answer.
Right Guard: The Rams decided not to pay Austin Corbett, who received a 3 year, $29.25M contract from the Panthers. Was that a mistake? While it looks like one today, at the time, it seemed like a reasonable place to save some cap $. The Rams drafted Logan Bruss with their highest draft pick and hoped he'd beat out Coleman Shelton. He was injured, and didn't look like he was ready to take the job before he was hurt, so is that a failure of scouting, or just misfortune? Since the season started, this position has been a revolving door. Shelton moved to center (and then was injured). Then Tremayne Anchrum was injured. This misfortune, however, led to the elevation of Alaric Jackson, who has been a relative bright spot.
Right Tackle: Rob Havenstein, who's started 104 games for the Rams, plus 10 playoff games and 2 Super Bowls, returned. You can certainly question his play this year (particularly this past week), but he is a proven player at his position.
So where was the big error in the plan? I don't see it (cue: Creed Humphrey comments here).
This seems to me to be more of a case of the best laid plans of mice and men going horribly astray.
In the case of the Rams' current OL troubles, however, I think this way of thinking has produced some unfair criticism of Snead/McVay's plan for the OL in 2022. Simply stated, the results don't necessarily determine the soundness of the plan.
Let's look at each position:
Left Tackle: With Andrew Whitworth riding off into the sunset, the Rams elevated Joe Noteboom, and gave him an extension (3 years, $40M, $25M guaranteed). That was a rational choice. Noteboom played well in spot duty last year, including his performance in the divisional round of the playoffs against Tampa Bay. He knows the system, and his price was reasonable. Thus far, his performance has been a bit up and down, but I don't think he's the weak link of the OL by any means. In my mind, he's more likely to be part of the solution than part of the problem in the long run.
Left Guard: David Edwards, who started every game in a championship season, and is still on a rookie contract, was pegged to return. Nobody knew he'd suffer back-to-back concussions. Apart from the injuries, his play has been poor. Perhaps he needs a veteran guy like Whitworth next to him. Edwards is in the final year of his contract, so I don't think he'll be part of the long-term solution.
Center: Brian Allen was re-signed (3 years, $18M, $8M guaranteed) after starting every game in 2021. Nobody knew he'd suffer an injury. Is he the best option going forward at center? I think its fair to at least consider whether Coleman Shelton might ultimately win the job, but clearly Allen is capable of being part of a successful OL. Nobody knew that both Allen and Shelton would be injured, leaving us with a plug in of Jeremiah Kolone. He's clearly not the long-term answer.
Right Guard: The Rams decided not to pay Austin Corbett, who received a 3 year, $29.25M contract from the Panthers. Was that a mistake? While it looks like one today, at the time, it seemed like a reasonable place to save some cap $. The Rams drafted Logan Bruss with their highest draft pick and hoped he'd beat out Coleman Shelton. He was injured, and didn't look like he was ready to take the job before he was hurt, so is that a failure of scouting, or just misfortune? Since the season started, this position has been a revolving door. Shelton moved to center (and then was injured). Then Tremayne Anchrum was injured. This misfortune, however, led to the elevation of Alaric Jackson, who has been a relative bright spot.
Right Tackle: Rob Havenstein, who's started 104 games for the Rams, plus 10 playoff games and 2 Super Bowls, returned. You can certainly question his play this year (particularly this past week), but he is a proven player at his position.
So where was the big error in the plan? I don't see it (cue: Creed Humphrey comments here).
This seems to me to be more of a case of the best laid plans of mice and men going horribly astray.
