Why the St Louis Rams Offensive Line is Fine

There aren’t many concerns about the talent on the St Louis Rams roster heading into 2015. They have one of the toughest, yet youngest, defenses in the entire league, as well as a shiny new quarterback to play with.

There does however seem to be some major concern over the offensive line. There is a huge gap between the fans who say the line is fine, and the ones claiming we won’t win but three games because of it. Who is right? Well either could be, the Rams very well could struggle the first few games against some rather tough opponents. How bad is it? Will it ruin their season?

No. Not even close.

Offensive lines are important, but not nearly as important as fans make them out to be. There are many teams that are able to go heavy into the playoffs with sub-par offensive lines. This article from a couple of years ago tested this theory:

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/10/30/nfl-offensive-tackles-rethinking-the-blind-side-and-position-value/#

Thank you very much Mr Peter King.

The first thing the writer mentions is how many tackles were selected in the first round of the draft. With Fisher and Joeckel both going back to back in the draft last year, its no argument that neither has lived up to expectation, same goes for the other three tackles selected.

Then comes my favorite part. The writer list teams that are thriving with terrible offensive tackles and lines. Green Bay for example, using a rookie left tackle from the fourth round. The writer even mentions how bad his play has been, yet Green Bay holstered an 5-2 record midway through the season. Same goes for the Kansas City Chiefs, who were 8-0 halfway through that season, yet had some of the most mediocre line play I’ve seen in a while.

So how do the many teams listed succeed? It varies by team, but the majority of teams start with a great running back. Charles for KC, Lacey for Green Bay, and Lynch for Seattle. Having a threat like these players keeps defenses on their toes, never knowing whether a run or a pass is coming. They also have the ability to run through defenders with ease, (around in Charles case) and catch out of the backfield. If you remember, the Rams themselves drafted a player just like this. Todd Gurley anyone?

The next step is to have a quarterback that can quick release throws. Rodgers has an extremely quick release, and Alex Smith rarely throws more than twenty yards down field. Unfortunately for Rams fans, Bradford doesn’t have the quickest release.

Oh never mind. They traded him, for one of the better quick release quarterbacks in the league. Say hello to Nick Foles everyone.

My point is this, when looking at all of the teams that are mentioned in the above article, you can easily put two and two together to understand why they win. They lack depth at offensive line, but make up for it by adding a play-maker at either running back or wide receiver, and designing some quick pass options to get rid of the ball immediately. The Rams know that Nick Foles was accustomed to quick release throws in Philadelphia, and that’s why they wanted him so bad. The Rams finally have a chance to utilize Tavon Austin in a way they couldn’t before, let Nick Foles throw it out into the flat for him, and watch him rack up yards after the catch in open space. Stedman Bailey is another quick target for the Rams, who has a great release and can get open fast despite his lack of speed. Let’s not even forget Todd Gurley, who can pass protect and then sneak into the flat afterwards, where he has great hands and can be a first down machine if open enough.

The Rams new offensive lineman might not be able to pass block at the NFL level yet, but honestly, they don’t need to. The Rams want to run the ball, and it doesn’t take very much football knowledge to know how to maul the defender in front of you.

So the Rams lost a few starters this year. This was concerning, as the Rams have made an identity for wanting to run the ball. Then they went to the draft and got some heavy depth, drafting some of the meanest run maulers available. Despite this, I still see fans quarreling all over twitter and even our great site, on whether or not this will make or break the Rams season.

It’s not going to Rams fans.

Teams are getting by with average lines, they have been for a few years now. Fisher knows this, and that is why he surrounded the team with the players that can make our rookie line succeed. Although I am nervous for the first few games, I know that this line will not be the reason for a busted season.

Next: Will The St Louis Rams be ok Without Joe Barksdale?

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