Offensive line ranks

[SJ76]

Ranking all 32 NFL Offensive Lines Entering 2016

This seems to be what we all forget about at times. This is why I was for getting another O-lineman higher in the draft and not trading up spots for



I said this back in the CBS days when we drafted Bradford... If you bought a Porsche, would you drive it with no insurance?




I HOPE "everything magically comes together". No idea how a rookie QB can thrive in this situation unless the Oline improves drastically!





--feelin likes it's groundhog day

 

[Vitamike]

For individual rankings PFF does a fine job but I think their evaluations of 'team' units misses the mark.

For instance, the Seahags OL unit ranked top 5 in run support last year (The 5 Best Run-Blocking Offensive Lines in 2015) however PFF has them last in the league for this coming season. That's a huge drop for a team that was able to move the ball well both through the air and on the ground vs most of the teams they played last year.

I do think the way that PFF grades helps the vets and hurts the rooks. In general, as the average starting vet gets older, their play eventually drops off, and as the average starting rooks get more reps their play generally picks up. Since the PFF rankings are reactive to what a player has done, it does not properly adjust for the sunrise and sunset career scenarios for rookies and veterans evaluating play and since the Rams have a number of career sunrise scenarios on the OL, the outlook has more upside than downside IMO.

While there are no factors on unit cohesiveness, PFF's comments certainly do remark on this. Their remarks are positive on units sticking together as a plus, however their comment on the Rams sticking with their Junior LT in Robinson is painted as a negative.

I and certainly most would not pull the plug on a highly drafted prospect with only two years into his career as Pro.

 

[SJ76]

For individual rankings PFF does a fine job but I think their evaluations of 'team' units misses the mark.

For instance, the Seahags OL unit ranked top 5 in run support last year (The 5 Best Run-Blocking Offensive Lines in 2015) however PFF has them last in the league for this coming season. That's a huge drop for a team that was able to move the ball well both through the air and on the ground vs most of the teams they played last year.

I do think the way that PFF grades helps the vets and hurts the rooks. In general, as the average starting vet gets older, their play eventually drops off, and as the average starting rooks get more reps their play generally picks up. Since the PFF rankings are reactive to what a player has done, it does not properly adjust for the sunrise and sunset career scenarios for rookies and veterans evaluating play and since the Rams have a number of career sunrise scenarios on the OL, the outlook has more upside than downside IMO.

While there are no factors on unit cohesiveness, PFF's comments certainly do remark on this. Their remarks are positive on units sticking together as a plus, however their comment on the Rams sticking with their Junior LT in Robinson is painted as a negative.

I and certainly most would not pull the plug on a highly drafted prospect with only two years into his career as Pro.

Did Seattle lose their starting LT or RT?

I don't think any of us are pulling the plug. Like I said, we need a big improvement from this unit. Especially if we are starting a rookie QB.

 

[Vitamike]

I don't think any of us are pulling the plug. Like I said, we need a big improvement from this unit. Especially if we are starting a rookie QB.

You're right, I don't think any of us are at this point. That comment was in reply to PFF's comment.

They might be better off finding someone else at left tackle and starting Garrett Reynolds, but instead, it looks like they will stick with their younger linemen for now and see if they can reach their potential.
​

Regarding the rest of your comment, I couldn't agree more. With that in mind, one of the reasons the Rams were so high when drafting Goff was due to his quick release.

Goff just needs to learn to do it from under center. It's a hell of a lot easier to have a 'quick release' from the shot gun.

So as Retro says, stay tuned....

 

[SJ76]

You're right, I don't think any of us are at this point. That comment was in reply to PFF's comment.

They might be better off finding someone else at left tackle and starting Garrett Reynolds, but instead, it looks like they will stick with their younger linemen for now and see if they can reach their potential.
​

Regarding the rest of your comment, I couldn't agree more. With that in mind, one of the reasons the Rams were so high when drafting this Goff was due to his quick release.

He just needs to learn to do it from under center. It's a hell of a lot easier to have a 'quick release' from the shot gun.

So as Retro says, stay tuned....

Certainly if G Rob can't figure out how to pass block (can't handle the speed of an edge rusher) in year 3, then he's probably never going to figure it out.

Goff better have some quick feet and good presence in the pocket or he could end up getting happy feet and drilled.

 

[Vitamike]

Certainly if G Rob can't figure out how to pass block (can't handle the speed of an edge rusher) in year 3, then he's probably never going to figure it out.

Goff better have some quick feet and good presence in the pocket or he could end up getting happy feet and drilled.

Maybe this will make you feel better about the situation.

Pace wasn’t terrible, or anything like that. But he wasn’t a steady, confident player during his first two NFL seasons. The Big O was beaten for 15 sacks in his first 29 NFL games, and the words “overrated” and “disappointment” were attached to the Pace name.

(Here's the rest of the story which will probably make you feel worse, but it's right up your alley SJ)
The Rams' Big Mistake: Will Greg Robinson Reach His Potential? - 101Sports.com​

I remember I was looking for Lewan and would have been satisfied with Matthews but it is what it is.

 

[Red_Chaos]

Mack should have been the pick in the end :l

 

[Vitamike]

Hopefully the OL whisperer, LeCharles Bentley, has performed his magic...

LA Rams LT Greg Robinson Being Tutored by Renowned OL Whisperer

I wonder if Bentley worked with the entire OL unit, since we have so many young guys, or if his services were acquired for just GRob.

 

[LongtimeRamsFan42]

Hopefully the OL whisperer, LeCharles Bentley, has performed his magic...

LA Rams LT Greg Robinson Being Tutored by Renowned OL Whisperer

I wonder if Bentley worked with the entire OL unit, since we have so many young guys, or if his services were acquired for just GRob.

Pretty sure he's just working with Robinson, but I suppose you never know...

 

[Retroram52]

This: "I remember I was looking for Lewan and would have been satisfied with Matthews but it is what it is."

 

[Vitamike]

This: "I remember I was looking for Lewan and would have been satisfied with Matthews but it is what it is."

Snisher took about as much of a gamble with their No. 13 pick overall as they did with their No. 2 pick overall pick in 2014.

Sometimes these gambles pay out big and sometimes they don't. It was a luxury to have that Washington pick to gamble with like that and try to hit pay dirt on both.

On Robinson, the jury's still out however the window is certainly closing. Worse case scenario, we move GRob to guard and look to FA & the draft for an LT answer next year, but I'm okay with that worse case scenario with Robinson because I understand that same type of mindset or gamble we took with GRob allowed us to find the best DT in the business!

I guess what I'm getting at is this: I remember too, like many, I wasn't looking for Donald at No. 13 either.

 

[SJ76]

Snisher took about as much of a gamble with their No. 13 pick overall as they did with their No. 2 pick overall pick in 2014.

Sometimes these gambles pay out big and sometimes they don't. It was a luxury to have that Washington pick to gamble with like that and try to hit pay dirt on both.

On Robinson, the jury's still out however the window is certainly closing. Worse case scenario, we move GRob to guard and look to FA & the draft for an LT answer next year, but I'm okay with that worse case scenario with Robinson because I understand that same type of mindset or gamble we took with GRob allowed us to find the best DT in the business!

I guess what I'm getting at is this: I remember too, like many, I wasn't looking for Donald at No. 13 either.

I'm all for G Rob at LG - the guy is massive. But it still doesn't fix our problem - the edge rush on the outside if he can't grasp pass blocking. Which is what sooo many of us were questioning from day 1. Time will tell, but we just drafted a QB #1 overall so we need pass blocking.

This is a good example of them falling in love with a sizable athlete/bulldozer at the combine, but not looking at his everyday production on the field as a LT. The guy was in an offense that rarely pass blocked in college.


As far as Donald... He was the #1 DT on many people's board but many teams felt they had bigger needs. Obviously he was a no-brainer with that pick.

 

[shopson67]

Donald moved up into the mid first round late in the draft process, but he was projected in the 2nd round earlier in the process in the mix with guys like Jernigan, Nix, and Hageman.

 

[Vitamike]

As far as Donald... He was the #1 DT on many people's board but many teams felt they had bigger needs. Obviously he was a no-brainer with that pick.

During the draft, the board was split. There were some who wanted Dix, and some who wanted Donald.

Draft Day: 2014 NFL Draft

Prior to the draft, you and I both wanted Watkins at No. 2 and had we gone that route, I suspected Robinson wouldn't be there at No. 13, so I was looking for Lewan or Matthew however since both of those two dudes were gone by No. 13, I was happy with the BPA pick in Donald. I thought we might pick Dix however wanted the eventual 2x Pro Bowler in the last two years, Zack Martin.

I'm glad we got Donald, still what to do if GRob has to move to guard?

Honestly, I would have signed Jake Long to a deal similar to the Falcons, a 1 year prove it deal for $1.57M. Jake couldn't do no worse than GR, and would provide veteran depth. Should a healthy Jake flourish as GRob's backup or replacement in 2016, we could look at something greater for Jake down the line, and plan for the future in the meantime.

As it is now, IDK, maybe this is the year that either Williams or Battle competes for something greater.

 

[LongtimeRamsFan42]

During the draft, the board was split. There were some who wanted Dix, and some who wanted Donald.

Draft Day: 2014 NFL Draft

Prior to the draft, you and I both wanted Watkins at No. 2 and had we gone that route, I suspected Robinson wouldn't be there at No. 13, so I was looking for Lewan or Matthew however since both of those two dudes were gone by No. 13, I was happy with the BPA pick in Donald. I thought we might pick Dix however wanted the eventual 2x Pro Bowler in the last two years, Zack Martin.

I'm glad we got Donald, still what to do if GRob has to move to guard?

Honestly, I would have signed Jake Long to a deal similar to the Falcons, a 1 year prove it deal for $1.57M. Jake couldn't do no worse than GR, and would provide veteran depth. Should a healthy Jake flourish as GRob's backup or replacement in 2016, we could look at something greater for Jake down the line, and plan for the future in the meantime.

As it is now, IDK, maybe this is the year that either Williams or Battle competes for something greater.

For me...Donald was not a player I expected us to take, but had no problem with us taking him...All I kept hearing pre-draft was that he had all ALL the talent to be the TOP DT prospect but that he was just a few inches too short which seemed to scare the hell out of some teams...

 

[Retroram52]

Oh, but they all overlooked Donald's explosive first step and his unbelievable torque he generates with his powerful lower body creating such leverage that all those tall players are fit-to-be-tied by the end of game playing against him. And this error by other teams was due to the fact that they got their thinking clouded by being obsessed with a few inches in height.

They even tried double teams on Donald but he is so explosive and powerful, double teams do not work either because he is by or through them before they can form. The O-lineman are relegated to literally "holding" him and this is futile as well. Just watch this year how many times O-lineman will start to grab and then they relinquish their grips realizing it is just no use. I love watching Donald on an iso all game long.

What a max beast!

 

[Vitamike]

Oh, but they all overlooked Donald's explosive first step and his unbelievable torque he generates with his powerful lower body creating such leverage that all those tall players are fit-to-be-tied by the end of game playing against him. And this error by other teams was due to the fact that they got their thinking clouded by being obsessed with a few inches in height.

They even tried double teams on Donald but he is so explosive and powerful that that doesn't work either because he is by or through them before they can form. The O-lineman are relegated to literally "holding" him and this is futile as well. Just watch this year how many times O-lineman will start to grab and then they relinquish their grips realizing it is just no use. I love watching Donald on an iso all game long.

What a max beast!

On a side note, and in reference to the bold....


I think that that 'that' that that sentence has is constructed very awkwardly!

 

[Retroram52]

IFIFY. Feel Better, Vita?

 

[Vitamike]

IFIFY. Feel Better, Vita?

Not that there was anything grammatically wrong with it or in using double words, like 'that that', 'is is' or 'had had' in a lot of cases and I believe in your sentence, it was used properly.

I just notice those things and have always thought of that ironic reply, seeing it long ago, and find that response funny is all.

I mean that's one hell of an awkward sentence.

I think that that 'that' that that sentence has is constructed very awkwardly!
​

I hope you got nothing more than a chuckle out of it Retro.

 

[RamsFan88]

Imagine if we traded down with the Bills and took Donald and ODB?