[ramsman34]

They’d be complete idiots if the don’t attempt to make upgrades on the OL. But that has to be tempered with what the cap hit implications any signing would represent. It’s a crapshoot that they land immediate, blue chip starter talent in the draft. So that might be what is driving Jourdan’s comment.

[PARAM]

They’d be complete idiots if the don’t attempt to make upgrades on the OL. But that has to be tempered with what the cap hit implications any signing would represent. It’s a crapshoot that they land immediate, blue chip starter talent in the draft. So that might be what is driving Jourdan’s comment.

They'd be complete idiots if they didn't attempt to make upgrades at a lot of positions. But I've heard fans say they've behaved like idiots, before, when it's come to the OL. I definitely believe they'll be looking to upgrade in multiple areas, including the OL. Whether it bears fruit or not, we'll have to see.

[ramsman34]

They'd be complete idiots if they didn't attempt to make upgrades at a lot of positions. But I've heard fans say they've behaved like idiots, before, when it's come to the OL. I definitely believe they'll be looking to upgrade in multiple areas, including the OL. Whether it bears fruit or not, we'll have to see.

Well ya, of course. But this is focused specifically on the OL. Sadly, history shows they don’t invest high draft capital (1st/2nd rd picks). But they do acquire higher quality vets. That is the route I believe they will take; also adding some later round picks at OL. Unless of course another Creed Humphrey type is avail in the second. Can’t see them passing on that for a skill guy this go round. But ya never know.

[CanuckRightWinger]

I don't recall any RFU guys ever calling McSnead "idiots".
McSnead are smart guys who have got us into the Playoffs 4 of their 6 seasons (2017-22) running Los Ramos.
Weird Math Fact:
So, thus far the McSnead's Ram Squads only miss the Playoffs 33.3% of the time for us.

In other words, with McSnead, we make the NFL PostSeason 66.7% of the time....impressive, but not as good as say, for example, Chuck Knox 1973-1977 (100% Playoff Ram Teams) when GroundChuck's squads won 5 NFC West Titles in a row.

More Math:
So McSnead has a 66.7% Playoff Success Rate....but split out Les Snead from Sean McVay, and Snead's tenure as Ram GM from 2012 thru 2022, only 4 Playoff Ram Teams in Snead's 11 seasons as Ram GM.....or a pretty pedestrian 36% Playoff GM Success Rate!

Regarding the OL specifically, I have called-out McSnead:
-as rolling the dice when they cheap-out on Ram OL talent acquistion & expenditure;
-questionable risking-taking on In-House OL depth, both in 2019 and 2022;
-not employing "Paul Bear Bryant's principle on learning from past mistakes" re: repeating 2019 Ram OL folly, again in 2022.
-generally ignoring OL Draft Picks (EG. 2021 #57 Pick when we cudda locked-up a ProBowl OC on the cheap)

.....but I never called McSnead "idiots". I remember somebody calling McSnead.... "unreasonable"....as in, "it was unreasonable to expect two Ram OL yutes (Noteboom & Allen) to adequately replace two proven vets (Saffold & Sullivan)."
-Andrew Whitworth on Cowherd Show in early 2020, doing the postmortem on Rams missing the 2019 Playoffs.

So, to sum up, "idiot" is not an accurate description of McSnead.
For Billy Devaney, Scott Flounder Linehan, Steve 4Pylons Spagnuolo.....yeah, sure...probably the shoe fits!
....and I do admit to calling the Rams HC, Jeff Mr.7-9 Fisher, "a dummkopf" during the 2016 ByeWeek....
but like I wrote above, I don't remember any posters here at RFU hanging the "idiots" label onto McSnead.

Guys who attack fellow RFU Rams fans with low-brow names/labels/mental-disorders, etc etc....
maybe those guys are the "idiots"?

[Elvis]

They’d be complete idiots if the don’t attempt to make upgrades on the OL. But that has to be tempered with what the cap hit implications any signing would represent. It’s a crapshoot that they land immediate, blue chip starter talent in the draft. So that might be what is driving Jourdan’s comment.

We were all saying that about center two years ago, especially when they let Blythe walk so while i tend to agree with you, if the Rams really do like a lot of what they already have, i won't be that shocked, won't be shocked if they stand relatively pat and won't be shocked if it works.

But with some of these injuries being serious, like Noteboom, they're gonna need more bodies regardless, i think...

[ramsman34]

That’s basically my premise. If they do NOTHING they may not be idiots but that lack of movement would be idiotic in my eyes. Like Elvis said, that too is what I was getting at - they are going to have to add bodies to up the quality 1-10 of the OL. There simply aren’t enough quality, stay-healthy players on the roster at OL. And, Boom’s injury is potentially career changing. Edwards severity of concussions is another issue. That’s 2 quality players right there. Bruss, Allen, Shelton, Brewer, A Jax, Anchrum (all missing time due to injury), Havs and Arcuri are the guys I think stick. So if all the aforementioned stay, that’s 10. Skura, Evans, Oday, Nsekhe, Kolone are all JAGs. Thomas could stick. So that would be 12 holdovers with every single one of them missing time except Havs and Arcuri and Thomas who hasn’t played a snap. That is a lot of injured players the Rams will be counting on. They better bring in some solid competition and hope the 2022 injury bug doesn’t progress into next season. They must have better quality depth as insurance. Or we will be I. Trouble again.

JMO

[PARAM]

That’s basically my premise. If they do NOTHING they may not be idiots but that lack of movement would be idiotic in my eyes. Like Elvis said, that too is what I was getting at - they are going to have to add bodies to up the quality 1-10 of the OL. There simply aren’t enough quality, stay-healthy players on the roster at OL. And, Boom’s injury is potentially career changing. Edwards severity of concussions is another issue. That’s 2 quality players right there. Bruss, Allen, Shelton, Brewer, A Jax, Anchrum (all missing time due to injury), Havs and Arcuri are the guys I think stick. So if all the aforementioned stay, that’s 10. Skura, Evans, Oday, Nsekhe, Kolone are all JAGs. Thomas could stick. So that would be 12 holdovers with every single one of them missing time except Havs and Arcuri and Thomas who hasn’t played a snap. That is a lot of injured players the Rams will be counting on. They better bring in some solid competition and hope the 2022 injury bug doesn’t progress into next season. They must have better quality depth as insurance. Or we will be I. Trouble again.

JMO

I'm sure they will add bodies. They've drafted 8 OL the last 5 drafts, added a couple more via the UDFA route and traded for another. That's more than 2 a year. And that's not counting the guys they picked up this year due to injury. When and how they will add bodies is anybody's guess. UFA? Trade? Draft? UDFA?

Also, I would bet 2023 won't be an injury-filled year like 2022. I mean, that shit only happens once in a while and rarely, if not ever, two years in a row. Of course I guess you could call that "rolling the dice" to some degree. Certainly not idiotic.

So......who's available in free agency? Ereck Flowers is still out there. Has been ALL year. Some fans thought the Rams should have signed him. Idiotic they didn't? I don't think that was ever "said". Implied? I could read it that way. Who could be had in trade?

Think Orlando Brown will force his way out of KC if they franchise him again? Didn't he do that in Baltimore because they were playing him at RT and not LT? I'm not sure his demands are cap friendly.

And how many OL will they draft this coming April? 2? More? Less? What's the hot commodity in this draft? C's? LTs? Gs? The key question is, where will they draft them? 2nd round? 3rd? 5th?

[Hacksaw]

This conversation is slowly drifting away as the line seems to be slowly gelling. We'd have nothing to complain about if we had the guys on this list all at once.

Spoiler Alert: #1's
Tackles: Slater / Pace
Guards: Harrah / Mack
Center: D Smith.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2016/0 ... sive-line/

[69RamFan]

This conversation is slowly drifting away as the line seems to be slowly gelling. We'd have nothing to complain about if we had the guys on this list all at once.

Spoiler Alert: #1's
Tackles: Slater / Pace
Guards: Harrah / Mack
Center: D Smith.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2016/0 ... sive-line/

Backup Center: Rich Saul

Backup LT: Irv Pankey (He is one of my fav)

[ramsman34]

I'm sure they will add bodies. They've drafted 8 OL the last 5 drafts, added a couple more via the UDFA route and traded for another. That's more than 2 a year. And that's not counting the guys they picked up this year due to injury. When and how they will add bodies is anybody's guess. UFA? Trade? Draft? UDFA?

Also, I would bet 2023 won't be an injury-filled year like 2022. I mean, that shit only happens once in a while and rarely, if not ever, two years in a row. Of course I guess you could call that "rolling the dice" to some degree. Certainly not idiotic.

So......who's available in free agency? Ereck Flowers is still out there. Has been ALL year. Some fans thought the Rams should have signed him. Idiotic they didn't? I don't think that was ever "said". Implied? I could read it that way. Who could be had in trade?

Think Orlando Brown will force his way out of KC if they franchise him again? Didn't he do that in Baltimore because they were playing him at RT and not LT? I'm not sure his demands are cap friendly.

And how many OL will they draft this coming April? 2? More? Less? What's the hot commodity in this draft? C's? LTs? Gs? The key question is, where will they draft them? 2nd round? 3rd? 5th?

Here’s what I think I know after this far in the season. The Rams can identify talent at multiple levels. I.E. they find guys who have traits they can work with and mold. Today against the Broncos - the OL was fucking outstanding, run and pass. But, was that all them? Or, did the Broncos come out flat, uninterested and got their ass handed to them? Probably a combo of both. The Rams staff and culture works. And these guys came to play. That should tell us fans a lot. 3 of these cats weren’t on the roster 6-8 weeks again and here they are - working as a unit and slapping the shit outa the #3 D and dropped 40+ on the #1 redzone D. That’s about character, work ethic, and yea - skill. The Rams know what they are doing and I would bet had there not been catastrophic injuries, this team is in the playoff hunt for sure.

Whatever they do this off-season into next season, I trust them. They know what they have and what they need. And they will crush shit to make sure they are as loaded as possible at every position.

Some have waxed poetic about all pro OL of the past. Yea, those players were awesome. But these Rams, this front office/personnel dept., and this coaching staff have been to the SB twice, the playoffs 4 times in 6 seasons. And, have a SB championship. Sorry, but a lot of those historically stellar OL never sniffed the SB.

Point? There are a lot of ways to build a winner. Having players with warrior, we not me mentality often trumps individual skills set. I think that’s how the Rams look at the OL. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It’s pretty hard to argue with the results, frankly.

I think, sans insane injuries, we are going deep into the playoffs in ‘23. I actually think we win it all in ‘23.

Just a semi informed gut feel.

Fire away.