The Rams Offensive Line...?

The dirty little question mark...

So I recently received a challenge note from a fellow Ram fan. He claimed I was being far too hard on Devaney, Shurmur and particularly the offensive line. He wanted to know if I had missed out on some key developments in the evolution of the offensive line, like the acquisitions of Jacob Bell, and Jason Brown, not to mention the drafting of Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold.

Regrettably, I did not not miss out on the key developments in the evolution of our offensive line. Perhaps my life would be better and happier if I had. Sadly, I know all about these things, as well as the dumping of Richie Icognito and Alex Barron; both moves I favored. In much knowledge is much sorrow...

The Challenger wanted to tell me I was wrong about the Rams' OL. You see, the Rams' OL has been 80% reconstructed over the course of the past 2 seasons. Jacob Bell is the only man left from the 2008 line. Ergo, I am wrong. The Rams have every chance of fielding a rock-hard offensive line in 2010. Devaney has done his due diligence, preparing a potentially strong line for Sam Bradford to operate behind.

This was his argument in a nutshell.

While the points regarding the offensive line moves are factually correct, the conclusion drawn from them is confounded by the video tape evidence. The Rams have made many, many moves on their offensive line over the past three years. Few, if any, seem to be bearing any fruit.

We need to remember that the Rams offensive line gave up more than 40 sacks in both 2008 and 2009. The Rams had a quarterback rotation by medical triage during these seasons. In preaseason 2010, they surrendered 6 sacks in the game against the Vikings, and Bradford was hit on almost every pass attempt during the Patriot game.

Where is the fruit of all this labor? To what factoid can I look for evidence that these moves are paying off?

With this as a backdrop, let us take a close look at the Rams offensive line, starter by starter. Let's look at the most most heavily scrutinized and suspect unit on the 2010 Rams' Roster. Let's go right to left, not left to right.

Right Tackle Jason Smith

At the Right Tackle position we find the #2 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Jason Smith. Jason is a 6-5 310 pounder who is athletic and lean. He is said to have a mean streak. I can't find that in him, or at least I couldn't in 2009. Of course, he only played half the year in 2009 due to a major concussion. This is trouble. If the Rams need to reach for a Mark Wallace cap and slap it on Jason's helmet, then so be it. Do whatever it takes to keep him in the lineup

The intriguing fact is that Jason was drafted to replace Orlando Pace at left tackle, but had wound up at the right. The Rams chose to start Alex Barron there last season. They seem to be settling on Rodger Saffold there this season. More about this in a moment...

At this moment in time, Jason Smith has not proven himself in the NFL. He has not validated the Rams' decision to select him with the #2 overall pick in the 2009 draft. Some have already called Jason Smith a bust, and the NFL's most over-paid player. I feel those statements are very premature. Still, Smith has a lot to prove in 2010. If he does prove himself, the Rams' OL will move a lot further along the road to respectability.

More about this soon.

Right Guard Adam Goldberg

At the Right Guard we find a journeyman Backup offensive tackle Adam Goldberg. Goldberg has spent most of the last three seasons filling in at various positions along the Rams offensive line. You might call him the 6th man. Whenever anyone gets injured, Adam gets the call; he's the first replacement in the game. He has played a lot of downs in the past three years. You might even describe him as a virtual starter. Now he will be a true starter. I trust Adam up to a point. I don't expect him to make the next several All-Pro teams, but he is a trustworthy dude at the right guard. The problem is that he won't stay there for long. The moment Jason Smith or Rodger Saffold go down, Goldberg will exit the right guard position and become the swing-tackle again. Who then shall be our right guard?

Center Jason Brown

At the center we find Pro-Bowler Jason Brown. This is the one move the Rams have made in the past two years that seems to be paying off. Brown missed a couple of games with a knee problem in 2009, but for the most part, he was very solid. I saw him win fights at the line of scrimmage against such super-luminaries as Albert Haynesworth. He gave up a couple of heinous sacks against the 49ers, but this had to due as much with organization and teamwork as anything else. I am satisfied that Jason Brown is as advertised.

Left Guard Jacob Bell

At the left guard we find Jacob Bell... My favorite. I have have slammed Jacob Bell quite a bit in the past two years. To me, he has looked like a GM error. The Rams acquired him as a free agent from the Titans for the princely sum of $36 million, and to this day, I don't know why. A few more bucks would have brought us Alan Faneca. Certainly, Alan would have been better. Jacob is basically a runty guard who doesn't have a lot of drive and power. I have not seen him win many fights at the line of scrimmage. I have not seen him pancake anyone in two seasons.

On the other hand, I have seen him suffer a lot of connective tissue injuries and come into camp under weight. You know what this means, right? Underweight, then subsequent connective tissue injuries? Bell is coming off both a torn hamstring and a knee surgery during this past off season. Bell has my sympathy for the pain he must be experiencing. These things hurt a lot. I know personally.

Still, I wonder whether we should expect more or less from Jacob in 2010? Less, I think. I question the organizations continued reliance upon him at right guard. Certainly, when Alan Faneca magically appeared on the market again this off-season, I would have claimed him off waivers immediately. That was a gift from God we spat upon. That pissed me off to no end.

Right Tackle Rodger Saffold

Finally, we have the rookie 2nd round pick from Indiana, Rodger Saffold. Saffold got some mixed reviews from an assortment of critics, but word on him is generally good.

Some questioned his origins at Indiana, a program not known for developing pro-prospects. Some questioned the nature and character of the back injury he suffered in college. Many say he is a beastly run blocker and road grater, but not such a brilliant pass protector.

Still, I heard other reports from Michigan and Ohio State alums that Saffold was the best offensive lineman in the Big-10 over the past 3 seasons. This would include Packer Rookie Brian Bulaga. Packer insiders claimed that the Pack was planning to select Saffold, but were surprised to find Bulaga still available when their number came up.

The truth be told, we have no idea how Rodger will turn out. We are at the dawning of his era, and we just don't have much evidence to look at yet. I myself have no feel at all for what he can do and cannot do at this moment in time. I am waiting to see him in action against starters through an entire game. We should call him the X-Man because he is the greatest unknown factor on the Rams offensive line going into 2010.

Strange Doings with the Tackles

As I mentioned earlier, when Jason Smith was selected, he was anointed the successor to Orlando Pace. Yet, Alex Barron wound up being the Left Tackle for 2009. This move was made because Barron was purportedly left-handed with a left-dominant step. Also, the Rams were not to keen on trying an untested rookie at the all-important LT position.

When Rodger Saffold was selected, he was immediately praised by Mike Mayock for his outstanding flexibility, and ability to play any position on the line (save center). He was immediately projected as the starting right tackle for the Rams, with Alex Smith flipping over to the left.

Well folks, history does not appear to be unfolding in this fashion. As of today, the Rams depth chart shows Jason Smith at the right and Rodger Saffold at the left.

Is this a bad thing? Maybe, maybe not. A team needs a good right tackle almost as much as it needs a good left tackle. Allowing Smith to continue at right creates a bit of continuity, and gives him a somewhat familiar place to play. Allowing Rodger Saffold to continue at left, where he played in college, prevents him going through the hard learning curve Smith went through last season.

You do have to wonder why they would trust Saffold at left this season, but not Smith last season... Was Alex Barron that good? Can it be that you just don't like your #2 pick from 2009? I heard rumors Devaney regretted passing on Dirty Sanchez. Is this also a rejection of the #2 pick overall in 2009?

Durability

The greatest concern of all, regarding this unit, is durability. For three straight years, the Rams offensive line has suffered copious quantities of injuries. All of the linemen from 2007 are now gone. All but one from 2008 is gone. Three of five return from 2009 season. Few, if any, have proven that they can stay healthy.

Years ago, former Ram corner Rod Perry told me that durability and dependebility is part of the basic job description of a Pro-Football player. To play pro-football, you must have a body that can endure the punishment of the sport. If you don't have a body that can withstand these blows, and still remain healthy enough to play, then you just aren't a Pro-Football players.

There you have it. Certainly this was my downfall as a player. I couldn't stay healthy, even on the Junior College level.

The greatest question mark regarding the Rams' offensive line is the durability and dependibility of these five starters. None of these men have proven that they can go 16 straight games without skipping a beat. If they can't make it for 16 games, neither can our quarterbacks (plural). If the Rams don't have men who can deliver 16 games, then they don't have real pro prospected on their offensive line.

What the fuck did I tell you?

So, Sam Bradford made his debut with the Rams tonight. The Vikings smacked the Rams 28-7. Bradford was sacked 4 times. He had most of the first string offensive line in front of him, most of the time. The Vikings did not put all their 1st string defenders against him, at least not on all plays.

What do you take from these events? How about this line from Football News Now: The real story, however, is the lack of protection the Rams' offensive line provided their new leader. There you have it ladies and germs: The real story line is the lack of protection the Rams' offensive line provided Sam Bradford.

What did I tell you? What did I say? What have I warned of a thousand and one times? What did my last post on BleacherReport.com say?

What I am saying to you now I say in anger, and not with gloating: YOU'D BETTER FIX THAT OFFENSIVE LINE! I MEAN NOW! I don't give a fuck what you have to do. Trade players. Mortgage the future. Give up picks. Pay money under the table. Shtoomp female owners if that is what it takes. Get some offensive linemen in ASFAP.

Folks, it is worse than I thought it would be. I expected them to be pretty loose and sloppy. Disorganization was what I expected. I saw some of that, but that isn't the real story here. I did not expect them to look this... bad. They look plain overwhelmed at the point of attack by much superior athletes. The Viking D-Line did not win the battle at the line of scrimmage. The Vikings utterly annihilated the Rams at the line of scrimmage. That is damn scary.

Now, whilst I do not buy into the Viking theory, you just read my praise for the Viking D-line recently. Yes they are talented. No they are not that talented. This is only the 1st preason game. They should not be this hot at this point. The Ram line should not surrender 4 sacks all game long, much less in less 2 quarters of play.

What I saw set off a lot of major alarm bells. Even VanRam--who is a major apologist for the Rams' offensive line--is now showing real signs of worry. You can attempt to downplay it all you want, but you are wrong. Jason Smith looked more like the human sieve than the #2 overall pick from 2009. Jamie Dukes drew particular attention to Smith's case. The guards looked pretty bad also.

You should have read the expression on Dukes' face. It was somewhere between disdain and horror, and that came from a former center. He also warned of the lack of talent elsewhere on the field, something I am very cognizant of.

I am surprised the kid completed 6 of 13 passes for 57 yards. Considering the wretched protection he got, that was damn impressive. As Mike Florio said, the only good news for the Rams is that no joints on Bradford's body exploded like popcorn.

Billy, I want you to take a deep breath and write on the dry erase board 1,000 times: "David is never, ever wrong about the Rams. I need to get some offensive linemen right now."

Nah, skip it and just get the fucking linemen! I don't need to be proven right anymore. Just fix it!

Let me give you a small reason to get excited about the 2009 Rams Season

Meet Phil Trautwein.

Phil was the starting Left Tackle for the National Champion Florida Gators. The Rams signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent on 4/30/2009. Yep, those two sentences belong in the same paragraph together, no matter how unlikely that might seem. How the fuck did that happen? Let me make this seem just a bit stranger to you.

He was elected the first team all SEC Left Tackle. That means he beat out Andre Smith of Alabama for the honor. The guys who watched both of these Left Tackles most closely inside the SEC thought Phil was better than Andre. He was elected 2nd team Sports Illustrated All-American Left Tackle. He was given 100% grades against Kentuky and the Citadel. I saw him play many times. I remember being impressed with him and wondering where he would wind up in the NFL

So why the fuck wasn't Phil a 3rd round draft pick? ...at worst? Well... that isn't easy to explain. The experts focused on the fact that he was not the blind-side protector at Florida. Remember, my boy Tim Tebow is left-handed. Tim faced Phil in the pocket. They focused on the fact that Phil is a converted Tight End (so too is Jason Smith, 2nd pick overall). They focused on the fact that he missed most of 2007 with a stress fracture in his right foot.

It doesn't make any sense. Phil should have been drafted in the 7th at the very least. Every year there about 20 guys, who are great players, who are absolutely overlooked in the draft. Need I remind anybody about Kurt Warner or DeMarco Farr? These guys wind up starting in the NFL. It happens every year to nice guys, with no criminal record, who are smart, and work hard. This proves that nice guys start last, although they may finish first eventually. Non-flashy guys just don't get noticed, and they fly under the radar. You just forget about them come draft time. Its stupid.

I had no idea he was on the roster. I discovered him in a bizarre fashion. I was watching the 1981 America's Game documentary about the 49ers. They were talking about the massive impact Hacksaw Jack Reynolds made on the 49er defense. Jack wore #64 through his entire career with the Rams and 49ers. I wondered which bum was wearing Hacksaw's number these days in camp. I was wondering if anyone worthy of the number would emerge this season.

Much to my shock, I discover that #64 has been issued to Phil Trautwein, rookie free agent Left Tackle from the National Champion Florida Gators. The guy who covered my boy Tim Tebow... The very quarterback I want the Rams to draft in 2010.

I studied him quickly. I am excited. If we cut him, we are beer-league organization. If we don't start him at Left Guard, we are missing a serious opportunity to upgrade our offensive line.

Those who know me know I have been bitching about our offensive line for two straight years now. I was excited about the acquisition of Jason Brown. Bulger shouldn't get hit in the face by blitzes up the middle on a simple 3 step drop anymore. I was totally fired up over the acquisition of Jason Smith. Maybe we have the successor to Orlando Pace, or Jackie Slater. It is unclear whether Jason Smith will be the Left or Right tackle. Right now they have him penciled in at Right. Phil Trautwein makes 3 solid acquisitions in my mind.

They say bums off the highway can play guard in the NFL. I deny that categorically. Unfortunately, the Rams frequently staff the team as if they believe in this theory. If you believe this theory, there is no reason why you shouldn't pencil Phil Trautwein in at the starting Left Guard. Just give him the job. He is certainly better than a bum off the highway.

I am starting to relax about the line for the first time in about 30 months. I think we might have 4/5ths of an offensive line. I think we might just be able to make a go of it now. Usually, the line begins to harden at 80%. The other four solid men can cover for one weak link, who will almost certainly be Ritchie Incognito.

I should mention, in passing, that I was shocked when I saw that Marshall Faulk did not rate Steven Jackson in his list of the top 5 running backs in the NFL. I have no idea how that happened. Some of the bums he put on that list aren't strong enough to carry Steve's toilet paper.

If we have the line I am beginning to think we have, Marshall may have some explaining to do at mid-season.

So did Bill Devaney tip his hand to us?

I sure hope so.

Just a quick followup to my last blog.  I just read a piece on the St. Louis Rams website which portends well in some ways.  You can see it here.  Some note worth points to ponder:

1. The Rams have conducted personal interviews in St. Louis with 23 specific players.  I sure would like to know who those young men are.
2. The first name mentioned would be that of my favorite guy: Eugene Monroe, Left Tackle of UVA.  Nothing against Jason Smith, but I sure hope Eugene is the guy.  I will be happy with Smith if we take him, but Eugene looks more flexible and faster to my eye.
3. The Rams top needs are enumerated as follows: offensive tackle, wide receiver, linebacker, defensive tackle.  I concur with this list, as long as we acknowledge that the last two positions are much further down the list.
4. Odd prospects like Jeremy Maclin and Mark Sanchez are listed as young men who spent 2 days visiting with the Rams.  I hope that is a form of military and strategic deception.  I hope we were punking the Denver Broncos when we borough Sanchez in.  Surely we can't be serious about burning our top pick on a Junior QB this year?  I am sure Sanchez would go along with the game as he would rather be the #2 pick by the Broncos than the #12 pick by the Broncos.  It means money.  I cannot fathom why Maclin would be in the list, unless we intend to do a deal with the Broncos.  He is not the #2 pick.  He is not really a top 10 pick.
5. On the NFL network, Devaney clearly stated that Steven Jackson is our best man, and we are going build around him.  In the article I mentioned, Pat Shurmur, our new offensive coordinator, is paraphrased as advocating a "Power Up" for muscle football.  Translation:  He wants bad-ass offensive linemen to knock 'em loose in every direction.
6. An interesting quote from Devaney in this piece goes as follows.  "There may be a point when you get down into the third round, things are kind of falling apart at that point and probably three or four picks before your turn comes up, you’ll have a group of names pulled out on the side. There may be four or five guys pulled out and we’ll talk about it one more time. We’ll say okay we haven’t taken a receiver at this point. This is the last chance to get the receiver, the next receiver we have now is not until the fifth or sixth round."

The final point is the most by far the most interesting and perhaps telling.  Devaney has a rep for being shut-mouthed, but he slips.  I hope this indicates that we are not intending to draft a receiver until the 3rd round.  I hope we can take this statement seriously, but I seriously doubt it

Let me tell you why.  If I had to project who the Rams are going to take, I would only be willing to predict 3 players right now.  This list presumes we are not doing a deal with the Broncos and we draft where we are.  These men are:

• #2 overall Jason Smith, LOT Baylor University
  
• #35 overall Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State University
  
• #66 Eric Wood, C/G Louisville.
  

So why do I say these three?

• Jason smith gets the nod over Eugene Monroe because Monroe has a small medical flag on his record.  He dinged up one of his knees last season.  No big deal, says the scouts, but enough separate #1 from #2.  Also, Smith is known for being mean on the battlefield.  He has a streak of nastiness according to Mike Mayock.  He finishes hard. These two factors add up to a the best "Power Up" candidate, from the Rams' point of view.
  
• Brian Robiskie was expected to slide into the second round.  He may not.  The Giants may take him in the first.  If he falls to the second round, as originally projected, we would be stupid not to take him.  He would be the perfect continuation of our great 2nd round receiver tradition.  It should be noted that both Henry Ellard and Issac Bruce were both selected in the 2nd round, and they both wore #80.  Like these fine gentlemen, Robiskie is said to be a consume professional with all the right character traits.  He is a great replacement for Issac Bruce, but not Torry Holt.
• Perhaps it is wishful thinking, but I am hoping Eric Wood falls to us in the 3rd round.  He has a grade worthy of a late first rounder.  Nobody but nobody has even suggested that a center will go in the first round.  Nobody but nobody has suggest a guard will go before the 3rd round.  One thing is for sure:  Centers and Guards are going no place but down in this draft, and I don't know why.  Perhaps it is because they play the least sexy and least coveted positions in the NFL.  In any case, I am wondering if the best guard/center in the draft may fall to us at the #66 position.  If so, it is a gift from God.  I think this kid is a future Pro Bowl player, deprecated because of his position.
  

 

So if I was Responsible for Rebuilding the Detroit Lions, What Would I do?

This morning, the NFL network was replaying portions of the NFL combine, which is now history. A very interesting question got raised during the segment I watched: If you were the GM responsible for rebuilding the Detroit Lions, what would you do? Do you take Matthew Stafford, as they are expected to do? Do you go in a different direction?

First, let's admit one thing: The roster is currently a disaster. They have exactly one piece of championship material on the roster. That is Charles Johnson. Everybody else is meat for the grinder. As the panel of experts observed, the team can draft at any and all positions and make improvements. I concur, but I wouldn't do another wide receiver right now.

Mike Mayock is probably correct when he says that Detroit will follow the Atlanta model for rebuilding. This means drafting a QB high and an offensive lineman lower. This is one of the key reasons Atlanta turned it around last year. Michael Turner also had a lot to do with it. I believe Mayock called it right. Detroit will follow this model. Whether it is right or wrong for Detroit's situation is immaterial. It is a copycat league. People emulate success and anti-emulate failure. Atlanta and Miami showed us how to get out of a jam quickly last year. Most people believe Miami got lucky scoring Chad Pennington at the last second... and let's not mention Tom Brady's knee injury. For this reason Atlanta is viewed as the better model.

What would I do? I wouldn't draft a quarterback this year. Detroit is not Atlanta. They have not been to the playoffs in a decade. Atlanta had been to playoffs several times this decade. Detroit in 2009 is far more poor in terms of roster talent than Atlanta in 2008. We are looking at 3 hard years of austerity and loss before things turn around. With that in mind, I am going to avoid the thin crop of quarterbacks in 2009 and wait for the bumper crop in 2010. I going to exploit the rich crop of offensive linemen in 2009, taking three or four of them. I am going to have a talent rich sophomore offensive line {and Charles Johnson} ready in 2010 when I draft a QB from the bumper crop. The table will be set. Tim Tebow will be comfortable when we take him.

Remember, the Lions are very likely to have a poor loosing record in 2009. We're talking about 3 to 6 wins, depending upon the breaks. Tim Tebow is probably not going to be the #1 ranked QB in 2010. Some foolish idiots question whether he will make it as QB in the NFL. They questioned Dan Marino also. Tebow will be around when the Lions draft. He is obtainable. He has the talent and the mentality that the Lions require to turn the ship around. He will be the next Bobby Layne in Detroit, if the organization is smart enough to select him.

So who should the Lion's select?
------------------------------------------
1. #1 overall Jason Smith LOT Baylor
1. #20 overall Andre Smith LOT Alabama
2. #33 overall Eric Wood C Louisville

After this, they can do as they please. Basically, with two guys named Smith and one guy named Wood, they would lay in the foundation of an all-pro offensive line.

Do you really think they can get Jason Smith and Andre Smith in the same draft? Yep, I do. The market for Andre has gone cold in the aftermath of his no show. He has many problems. A lot of offensive linemen impressed the scouts this year. It is a bumper crop. Left tack is a thick position this year. They aren't scarce this time. The no-show at the combine is going to hurt him, especially when Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe lit it up. Andre Smith may very well be hanging around at #20 when the Lions select again.

I like the notion of lining all three of them up on the same side. Slot Jason at the LOT. Slot Andre at the LOG. Slot Eric Wood at the Center. That could be the best young left side since the Raiders had Shell, Upshaw and Dalby together in the Early 1970s. That offensive line won some Super Bowls for the Raiders. Jim Plunket really apreciated having those guys around.