St. Louis Rams Post-Game Roundtable: Preseason Game 2 vs. Packers

3. Speaking of the offensive line, Greg Robinson got beat in pass protection by Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews on two separate occasions, but he also executed a nasty ‘pancake’ block on a Benny Cunningham run in the 2nd quarter that resulted in a very questionable holding call. The knock on Robinson has always been his pass blocking, but he’s undoubtedly a beast in run blocking–how soon do you expect him to become a functional pass blocker? Do you expect his pass blocking deficiencies to be ‘covered up’ by Jake Long to his left and Scott Wells to his right?

Aug 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Greg Robinson (79) and Rams running back Trey Watts (42) head to the field before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Blaine G.: I’m not too concerned that he got beat by Matthews and Pepper, he’s not the first guy that it’s happened to. I’m interested to see how Robinson does with the actual starting five on the field. We have to remember he is a rookie and he is going to have his ups and downs, but he shows a lot of promise and is the type of offensive lineman that fits what the Rams want to do.

Anthony K.: Well, I’m not expecting any miracles–Orlando Pace was a stud left tackle from the very beginning, but Jason Smith ended up being a bust after a decent second season, so we’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. My expectation is that he will immediately be a monster run-blocker, but will occasionally get beat in pass protection. If he can gradually improve his pass-blocking as the season progresses, and otherwise be dominant in run-blocking, as well as remain healthy, then I’d consider that to be an excellent rookie season.

Having Long and Wells flanking him as much of the season as possible is absolutely key in helping him develop into hopefully a Pro Bowl-caliber offensive lineman.

Nathan K.: Both Jake Long and Scott Wells (when healthy) have been Pro Bowl-caliber linemen on teams that relied heavily on the pass to be successful. Not only do I believe the veterans bookend-ing Robinson can mask his “deficiencies,” but I believe they will have an ameliorative effect on his progression in pass protection.

Moreover, I don’t think Robinson has played inadequately in his limited time on the field. Given the predictable, vanilla offensive play-calling, the fact that he (as well as the rest of the line) is being shuffled around on a seemingly play-by-play basis, and him being surrounded by players like will likely not be on the roster in two weeks, allowing a handful of pressures shouldn’t be anything to be overly concerned about heading into the regular season.