[bremillard]

Every team in the NFL has OL problems at some point. The Rams seem to live in that reality week after week, game after game, year after year. Good teams have a work around...usually a mobile QB or plays that don't need a lot of time to develope. The Rams just lose. Something eventually has to give.

[actionjack]

He's done a decent job with what he has to work with but last night both he and Stafford were subpar. I've been a stafford lover since early in his Detroit days but he isn't performing at an elite level now. Just isn't. The Rams are mediocre. They aren't horrible but they certainly aren't anywhere near Superbowl ready.

Really not sure what Stafford could do with the Rams offense shooting themselves in the foot. He was way to much quick pressure and the Rams consistently had large negative plays via penalty, sack, TFL or bad snap.

[actionjack]

It's the OL.

In fact it's almost invariably the OL, when the Rams offense struggle.

Here are 2 tweets and my response to them.
The Rams and Stafford have problems when the OL is not executing, and that's usually because of injuries.

Earlier in the season they lost OL starters due to injury. It took a while but they then stabilized, which is a huge part of the 3-win streak.

But it looks like they re-encountered the kind of OL struggles they had earlier in the season when they elected to play 3 OL replacements in one game. The fact that 2 were previous starters does not matter--they were coming back from considerable time off. Add Noteboom replacing the injured Hav and you have 3 out of sync replacements in one game.

If nothing else, if it were me, I would have kept Limmer at center for just one more game. Though at the same time I think by now we have to conclude that Noteboom is just not a great Rams lineman.

3 guys returning from injury at the same time, one replacing Hav, and it looked to me like they just didn't have the kind of timing and confidence as a group that we see when the Rams OL is executing well.

But at the same time blaming anything else other than the OL struggles (which includes injuries before the bye and then the "3 replacements in one game" factor in the Miami game)... is way off base. The issue in both cases was the OL.

I completely agree, it was a risk to replace 3 guys at once. But even Big Whitt thought they should play. Hopefully Noteboom never plays again as a Ram, he looks slow and out of position.

To your point the patch work line has caused us issues with executing our offense.
By my read we played well on offense against

Detroit (except for in the redzone)
SF (Second half)
Minnesota
Seattle (Second half)

That is about it. Bottom line the o-line is holding this team back in pass pro and run blocking. Neither have been consistent all year.

I expect a line of Jackson, Avila, Jonah, Dotson and Havs (hopefully).

I think with more practice and no Noteboom we will be much improved. Need to get back to physical run style.

Really dont understand peeps complaining about Stafford, we got beat in the trenches plain and simple.

[rams74]

Really dont understand peeps complaining about Stafford, we got beat in the trenches plain and simple.

To be fair, it's mostly just one poster continually complaining about Stafford. Over and over again.

[actionjack]

To be fair, it's mostly just one poster continually complaining about Stafford. Over and over again.

I think there were a few, but I get your point 74.

[Elvis]

I completely agree, it was a risk to replace 3 guys at once.

Always more than one thing going on in any game but i think this is the main thing right here.

3 new starters, all of whom hadn't played in over a month? It turned out to be a disaster.

What it means going forward for the Oline i'm not sure but clearly did not work out last night...

[Elvis]

Second time back here (all the way from Canads) Still blown away by how amazing this place is

Shitty game, but great photo!

[PARAM]

Always more than one thing going on in any game but i think this is the main thing right here.

3 new starters, all of whom hadn't played in over a month? It turned out to be a disaster.

What it means going forward for the Oline i'm not sure but clearly did not work out last night...

Sometimes it's bite the bullet time. Put them all in at once, get it out of their system and up to playing speed again vs replacing 1 each week over the next 3 games? I think they thought they'd do a little better but it wasn't just the O line. Stafford didn't see Kyren and missed some guys he did see. McVay wasn't exactly calling a stellar game.....maybe because of the O line? 4 FGs up until we went for the 5th and an onside kick and still, we were in the game up until their last FG. If Stafford sees Kyren (or any other different outcome including no false start changing a 52 yarder into missed 57 yarder) and we don't have to kick the FG there at the end. But still, there's no guarantee we get it in to the end zone there. We wouldn't have needed a 2 pointer if it was 23-16 on that last drive and we did get it in. Only OT, which didn't look good considering our performance up to then. But it's in the books. An "L". So we go to New England, get better and move on to the next week.

[actionjack]

Always more than one thing going on in any game but i think this is the main thing right here.

3 new starters, all of whom hadn't played in over a month? It turned out to be a disaster.

What it means going forward for the Oline i'm not sure but clearly did not work out last night...

It is exactly why I asked Big Whitt about it, I thought it was quite the quandary. However lets not forget this is the same team that could hardly score a TD against the Raiders. So yes hopefully longer term it was better to get Avila and Jonah Jackson in the game to work off some rust. Also it wasnt like they were alone, Alaric got beat big time too.