5 reasons LA Rams offensive line goes from rags to riches

Reason 1 – Some must go

NFL teams, like any other professional sports organization, are set up to process larger numbers of players efficiently into their systems. But do not confuse efficient with effective.  For teams with more than their contingent of draft picks, or a significant number or roster openings at the same position, training camps are not set up to coach up each individual player.

Teams rely upon varying degrees of experience, both the NFL and the team, to assist new rookies to learn how everything works.  Too few rookies and the pipeline of new talent dries up. Too many young rookies and the staff are overwhelmed.

This season, the Rams simply haven’t enough slots for offensive linemen for NFL newcomers. In fact, the Rams have far too many players at the same level to distinguish first string to third string.   The Rams depth chart will be a nightmare to sort out.  With the exception of Andrew Whitworth, virtually all four offensive line positions are completely up in the air.

So what? The key to good offensive line play is repetitions. Each member of the starting five must know and understand instinctively what each of the other four members is doing in real-time as the play unfolds in front of them. The team cannot use all of the training camp sessions to sort through a depth chart.