[rams74]

By the time 2018 is over, Whitworth will be 37 (and he is already declining)

I don't know that you can say with much precision how much Whitworth is "already declining." The first half of the season, he was as good as anybody. Late in the season he maybe started to wear down, but it's a long season and wearing down happens to players of any age. Was he showing fatigue, or was he actually in decline?

Is Whitworth as good as he was as a younger man? I don't know, maybe not. But he sure was a shot in the arm for the 2017 Rams. I don't understand the rush to push him aside.
Especially with our first round pick.

[/zn/]

I don't know that you can say with much precision how much Whitworth is "already declining." The first half of the season, he was as good as anybody. Late in the season he maybe started to wear down, but it's a long season and wearing down happens to players of any age. Was he showing fatigue, or was he actually in decline?

Is Whitworth as good as he was as a younger man? I don't know, maybe not. But he sure was a shot in the arm for the 2017 Rams. I don't understand the rush to push him aside.
Especially with our first round pick.

He gave up 6 sacks, the most in 7 years, and had the worst game of his career too (Atlanta). Really, that's not too bad in itself, plus of course AW brought more than just his physical play (he is a great leader), it's just that slipping a bit like that indicates he is not quite the same player. Who knows how fast that will accelerate. Linemen rarely play into their late 30s. I remember Jackie Slater, who at one point was just a timeless force of nature, but he declined too. His last couple of years were not that good. I remember what that looked like.

The best analysis I have seen of AW is that he still sets up fast in pass pro and attacks, but if he has to stay with a guy who gets past him, he doesn't have the recovery he once did.

Don't get me wrong, AW is a great player, but all good things come to an end and you have to plan for that.

..

[dieterbrock]

If Whitworth "regresses" a little more next year, guess what? He'll still play!
So we draft an OT and have him sit on the bench?
Silly.
Upgrade backup LOT from Williams and draft LOT NEXT year if Whit is done

[aeneas1]

If Whitworth "regresses" a little more next year, guess what? He'll still play!
So we draft an OT and have him sit on the bench?
Silly.
Upgrade backup LOT from Williams and draft LOT NEXT year if Whit is done

still play? not only would he still play, he'd be better than anything the rams would draft in the first round... to spend a high draft pick on an heir apparent to whit, or as an insurance policy for whit, makes the considerable investment the rams already have in him even more hefty... heck, if the rams went down that road i'd rather they spent a first round pick on a qb as insurance for goff.

anyhoo, not only do the rams have a checkered history when it comes to drafting left tackles in the first round, but just look at the current crop of 1st round left tackles in the league today, their performance and their impact on offensive scoring, my goodness, that alone would make me want to look at later rounds.

[dieterbrock]

still play? not only would he still play, he'd be better than anything the rams would draft in the first round... to spend a high draft pick on an heir apparent to whit, or as an insurance policy for whit, makes the considerable investment the rams already have in him even more hefty... heck, if the rams went down that road i'd rather they spent a first round pick on a qb as insurance for goff.

anyhoo, not only do the rams have a checkered history when it comes to drafting left tackles in the first round, but just look at the current crop of 1st round left tackles in the league today, their performance and their impact on offensive scoring, my goodness, that alone would make me want to look at later rounds.

And if you think about it, it's almost like their 1st pick will be their 1st and 2nd rounder. To think that going in to the 3rd round all they would have done is draft a player that in a perfect world wont hit the field for another year, or two!

[dieterbrock]

Did you ever put up Williams' PFF from the 9ers game? I'm just curious how he graded out.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, just asking seriously, are you hoping that Williams could be the back up OLT?

[aeneas1]

Did you ever put up Williams' PFF from the 9ers game? I'm just curious how he graded out.

per game grades aren't available unless you opt for pff's $200/yr subscription, no thanks, ha ha... that said, not sure how valuable/meaningful his grade would be for that game given he played with a bunch of stiffs...

[/zn/]

still play? not only would he still play, he'd be better than anything the rams would draft in the first round

Well that's a completely moot point since no one is talking about replacing him in 2018.

BUT in 2019, Hav is a free agent and AW is older. At a minimum you could be playing AW's future replacement at ROT in 2019. Except, he wouldn't be a rookie.

And yes if AW keeps declining you can draft someone at 23 who is as good if not better than an older AW. Heck AW himself was a 2nd round pick.

One of the major considerations, too, is injury.

If Goff's success as a young qb depends a lot on having a solid OL (and it did), then, making sure you keep your OL solid is a good plan.

And no Williams did not play well against SF. The rest of the line being stiffs (which btw means the Rams are thin at OL and lack depth) doesn't factor in as much since more than any other lineman, the LOT plays on an island.

[aeneas1]

And if you think about it, it's almost like their 1st pick will be their 1st and 2nd rounder. To think that going in to the 3rd round all they would have done is draft a player that in a perfect world wont hit the field for another year, or two!

yep...

and it's not as if goff was a babe lost in the woods when pressured in 2017... according to pff 15 of the 32 qualifying qbs were pressured less than goff in 2017, i.e. he was middle of the pack in terms of pressure faced, yet goff ranked 10th in qb rating when pressured... goff also ranked 3rd best in qb rating on 3rd & 4th downs, when a qb often sees pressure.

lots of olinemen are taken after the first and 2nd rounds - and many that are taken in the first round, including left tackles, were average at very best this year - in short, the notion that if a left tackle is taken high then he'll play well is, well, a bit goofy to me.

imo the rams can afford to ride another season without drafting a lt, and instead concentrate on defense... of course that doesn't mean ignoring the oline entirely is the smart move, and of course the rams won't, but committing a top draft pick to a left tackle? i just don' get it.

btw, how much whining and hand wringing went on last season when the rams didn't draft an olineman?

also, fwiw, guys who were pressured more than goff in 2017 include dak (say it ain't so joe!), rivers and wentz to name a few, and guys who were pressured less include flacco, carr, manning, dalton, cutler, hoyer (guys who clearly lit it up thanks to less pressure!)

[aeneas1]

I’m looking for outside information on evaluating him.
He was playing with backups, but against starters, as far as I know.
Yes, I’m trying to figure out if he could be a functioning backup in case of emergency.
I also don’t envision a tackle drafted in first sitting a year. I would hope he would be someone who could beat out Brown or Hav & upgrade that side of the line.

williams is an undrafted cog imo, plenty of williams out there to fill out a roster, i don't think the rams will have any trouble finding oline depth... but, yeah, i would like to see them find someone better than jamon, wouldn't think it would be too tough to do in free agency, or even in later rounds, 3rd+....