LA Rams: 4 positive takeaways from Raiders preseason game

Backup OL taking shape

The struggle for many who consider an offensive line is a fact that their views do not get down to the individual player, but rather the overall performance of the entire unit. If the offensive line is called for ten penalties, but seven of those penalties are called against one player, many will cite the penalties as a problem for the entire offensive line.  At games end, the LA Rams were called for 10 penalties amounting to 84 lost yards.

Well, it was not the way the coaches wanted events to play out, but the LA Rams backups on the offensive line did manage to demonstrate an ability to move the ball. Perhaps even better, the Rams controlled the clock. The Rams held the ball for over 35 minutes, a good sign for a team with designs to turn offensive possessions into touchdowns.

For the afternoon, the Rams were able to churn out 202 yards through the air, and 129 yards on the ground. Even though some offensive linemen continued to struggle, backup offensive center Coleman Shelton emerged as a star of the line and is doing a good job at all phases of stating for the Rams at the center position this year. He handled pass blocking well. He excelled at blocking downfield on running plays. And he even handled business calling out blocking responsibilities at the offensive line.

Other players who turned in solid performances were AJ Jackson at left tackle and Tremayne Anchrum at right tackle. I did note that offensive tackle Bobby Evans struggled again at right guard, and I was not very impressed with Chandler Brewer at the left guard position, as he seemed to be a revolving door on several pass plays where the Raiders pass rush flushed quarterback Bryce Perkins out of the pocket. A pocket passer would likely have been sacked more often, but Perkins’ legs turned a negative play into positive yardage on more than one play.