The OL is a disaster, but the plan was sound.

[bubbaramfan]

Edwards to the IR, Skura to the 53. I hope we see Aboushi and Skura start vs Panthers.

Evans has compromising pics of coaches so he probably gets to start again. Only reason I can think of.

 

[Kupped]

Edwards to the IR, Skura to the 53. I hope we see Aboushi and Skura start vs Panthers.

Evans has compromising pics of coaches so he probably gets to start again. Only reason I can think of.

I hope that’s what we see.

 

[Soul Surfer]

They drafted 2 this year… picked up Alaric Jackson last year.. Anchrum is a 3rd year.. Bruss, Anchrum & Shelton aren’t the “injury risks” you say others are.

Just slightly less awful luck and they’re much more competitive in the last two games, imo.

My main point is that you can only push your luck so far before it bites you in the ass.

Consider our ass ....bit.

 

[AvengerRam]

What constitutes "soundness" is subjective, but, and I know people are tired of others harping on it, choosing Tutu over Creed reveals a more philosophical issue at root. Investing in Whit, Sullivan, and even Corbett generated success, letting Saffold walk generated the opposite, etc. There's some weird aversion to adhering to what brought us success and failure, and the results are here. Boom wasn't going to replace Whit, a rookie or Shelton wasn't going to replace Corbett, and we already had run blocking issues with them. To me it's hard to argue the plan was "sound."

I don't think anyone thinks that Joe Noteboom will ever be what Whitworth was in his prime. Can he be what Whit was in the late stage of his career or, at least, a solid starting LT? I don't think you can make that call after 5 games.

As for Shelton or a rookie replacing Corbett... of course that was and is possible. Corbett was hardly a world-beater. There are plenty of guys drafted in the 3rd round or later who are a lot better than he is.

 

[AvengerRam]

My main point is that you can only push your luck so far before it bites you in the ass.

While there is truth to this, its also a banal statement in a capped league.

Every team "pushes its luck" with parts of its roster by hoping that players will step up or that rookies will fill key roles. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

I don't think anyone thinks that Joe Noteboom will ever be what Whitworth was in his prime. Can he be what Whit was in the late stage of his career or, at least, a solid starting LT? I don't think you can make that call after 5 games.

As for Shelton or a rookie replacing Corbett... of course that was and is possible. Corbett was hardly a world-beater. There are plenty of guys drafted in the 3rd round or later who are a lot better than he is.

Yeah anything's "possible." It's all speculation; the problem is they should've assessed the probabilities a lot better. We should've planned for the eventuality Noteboom wasn't likely to replace Whit's ability, e.g.. Just my .02.

 

[AvengerRam]

Yeah anything's "possible." It's all speculation; the problem is they should've assessed the probabilities a lot better. Just my .02.

Exactly. Hindsight.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

Exactly. Hindsight.

Respectfully what I'm suggesting is the opposite.

 

[AvengerRam]

Respectfully what I'm suggesting is the opposite.

Only if you said it in May.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Only if you said it in May.

Many did, and even earlier ...

 

[AvengerRam]

Many did, and even earlier ...

No.

Saying that the Rams should have drafted Creed Humphrey or otherwise invested in the offensive line (something a lot of people have been saying for at least 2 years) is NOT the same thing as saying that the Rams' handling of the OL in the 2022 offseason was going to produce results like what we've seen this year.

The Rams lost two starters from an OL that WON THE SUPER BOWL last year.

If you argued that there was a better option than Noteboom to replace Whitworth, I'd love to see that post.

If you argued that losing Corbett would cause the OL to completely collapse, show me that comment.

If you're just taking credit for general comments about OL investment over the years, well... let's just say I'm not going to credit you with superior insight or foresight regarding our current predicament.

 

[ArkyRamsFan]

By the way did anyone else see the PFF grade for Bobby Evans this past week? I think it was somewhere around 65 or so. If true that's a lot higher than the 26 he had the week before.
Could it be, is it possible, he's getting better?
Stranger things have happened and hopefully this is one of 'em.

P.S. yeah I know PFF grades are not the end all be all, but they're a measure nonetheless that enjoys some acclaim.

~ArkyRamsFan~

 

[Kupped]

My main point is that you can only push your luck so far before it bites you in the ass.

Consider our ass ....bit.

But how much bad luck should you expect?

And how were they pushing their luck with several players with no injury history?

4 injuries to one position group is a lot.

 

[AvengerRam]

But how much bad luck should you expect?

And how were they pushing their luck with several players with no injury history?

4 injuries to one position group is a lot.

5 if you count Bruss (Bruss, Allen, Anchrum, Shelton and Edwards).

 

[Tano]

I agree to some extent. Plus, this many injuries, all at once, to the offensive line would cripple any team. We are down to multiple 3rd stringers. It's a salary cap league. You realistically cannot have enough depth to overcome that.

But the Rams' offensive line depth arguably should have been better, and that is not a new phenomenon. We were lucky to stay very healthy on the offensive line in recent years.

Noteboom had injury concerns even when playing a small quantity of backup snaps. Allen also is often dinged up. Suffering offensive line injuries with this group ought to have been anticipated. Depth was always a very fair concern, particularly as the trenches are very susceptible to injuries. To their credit, the Rams did try to address it to some extent, by drafting Bruss tihs off-season, but sadly, he tore his ACL in pre-season.

They drafted 2 this year… picked up Alaric Jackson last year.. Anchrum is a 3rd year.. Bruss, Anchrum & Shelton aren’t the “injury risks” you say others are.

Just slightly less awful luck and they’re much more competitive in the last two games, imo.

Only 1 was drafted in the first 5 rounds in the last 3 years

There is a reason why people get drafted in the 7th round. They are not ready for the big time and may take 2 to 3 years to fully develop.

Need to focus a tad bit more in the higher rounds

 

[Kupped]

Only 1 was drafted in the first 5 rounds in the last 3 years

There is a reason why people get drafted in the 7th round. They are not ready for the big time and may take 2 to 3 years to fully develop.

Need to focus a tad bit more in the higher rounds

Lol..
but that’s EXACTLY what they did with Anchrum and Jackson. Neither are rookies.

You literally described what they’re doing as what they’re supposed to be doing.

 

[Riverumbbq]

No.

Saying that the Rams should have drafted Creed Humphrey or otherwise invested in the offensive line (something a lot of people have been saying for at least 2 years) is NOT the same thing as saying that the Rams' handling of the OL in the 2022 offseason was going to produce results like what we've seen this year.

The Rams lost two starters from an OL that WON THE SUPER BOWL last year.

If you argued that there was a better option than Noteboom to replace Whitworth, I'd love to see that post.

If you argued that losing Corbett would cause the OL to completely collapse, show me that comment.

If you're just taking credit for general comments about OL investment over the years, well... let's just say I'm not going to credit you with superior insight or foresight regarding our current predicament.

That's fine, I never expect credit for any of my posts.
No one can or did predict our injury riddled season, but several posters have had the foresight to anticipate what may come of an OL which has not been invested in to the degree we've been trying to reason over for several seasons, like establishing a stronger run game from the trench, or better options for protecting our franchise QB. OL investment has been secondary since Whitworth was signed, and what a value that turned out to be.
I believe too much has been made over the departure of Corbett, many fans here weren't happy with his production at the time, I also believed that C John Sullivan was DONE when he left, I'm not shedding any tears over those guys, but losing Roger Saffold was a big blow to our team, that and failing to properly invest during subsequent years, whether it be free agents or the draft. Explaining Jamil Demby & Bobby Evans as depth would be a struggle for anyone, and basically replacing Saffold with Edwards, a real head scratcher. Some don't necessarily see the OL as important as the skill positions, but others of us prefer to build from the trenches out. jmo.

 

[Riverumbbq]

By the way did anyone else see the PFF grade for Bobby Evans this past week? I think it was somewhere around 65 or so. If true that's a lot higher than the 26 he had the week before.
Could it be, is it possible, he's getting better?
Stranger things have happened and hopefully this is one of 'em.

P.S. yeah I know PFF grades are not the end all be all, but they're a measure nonetheless that enjoys some acclaim.

~ArkyRamsFan~

I believe he only had like 19 snaps during the entire game as he was replacing Edwards, not much of a base for a reliable score imo.

 

[Merlin]

No one can or did predict our injury riddled season, but several posters have had the foresight to anticipate what may come of an OL which has not been invested in to the degree we've been trying to reason over for several seasons, like establishing a stronger run game from the trench, or better options for protecting our franchise QB. OL investment has been secondary since Whitworth was signed, and what a value that turned out to be.

Well said. And the other thing is that none of us who are citing that are freaking out or anything. Rather it's just recognizing that it's not just about the injuries. The injuries we've had to the OL would hurt any offense and I think everyone understands that. I think it's realizing that this is why nuking that roster to the Nth degree is a good thing, because you never know if that final depth piece is going to be a guy your season hinges on.

The funny thing about Corbs was what a lottery type pickup he was. For them to get a cheap starter like that sort of reinforced that lesser focus on the OL. So in some ways it's hard to blame them. McVay has overcome a lot of very light OL rooms IMO in his time as head coach so it's natural for him to not worry too much about it even when Whit retires.

 

[Kupped]

That's fine, I never expect credit for any of my posts.
No one can or did predict our injury riddled season, but several posters have had the foresight to anticipate what may come of an OL which has not been invested in to the degree we've been trying to reason over for several seasons, like establishing a stronger run game from the trench, or better options for protecting our franchise QB. OL investment has been secondary since Whitworth was signed, and what a value that turned out to be.
I believe too much has been made over the departure of Corbett, many fans here weren't happy with his production at the time, I also believed that C John Sullivan was DONE when he left, I'm not shedding any tears over those guys, but losing Roger Saffold was a big blow to our team, that and failing to properly invest during subsequent years, whether it be free agents or the draft. Explaining Jamil Demby & Bobby Evans as depth would be a struggle for anyone, and basically replacing Saffold with Edwards, a real head scratcher. Some don't necessarily see the OL as important as the skill positions, but others of us prefer to build from the trenches out. jmo.

I don’t get dismissing Corbett while praising Saffold.
Corbett is better and more reliable right now.. which is when the team is having problems.
I get the point about wanting to invest more in the line to have a dominant group.. I really do.

But the decisions that cost the Rams that kind of unit are also part of what produced a championship.