Don’t look now, LA Rams, but it’s Coleman Shelton season

Coleman comes in cold but plays hot

One of the most difficult things to do in the NFL is to come in off the bench during a game, line up next to your teammates, and just synch up with whatever is going on in the game. There was one play where Shelton was unable to ride his assignment all the way through, resulting in a quarterback sack. Of course, there was a myriad of social media critics on that play.

But for the most part, Shelton played a solid game. In fact, he was rather adept for the rest of the game in both pass and run blocking.

But let’s go back to one of the fundamental differences of Shelton on the offensive line. He is a road grader, a run blocker whose strength is moving big ole defenders out of the way. He is the perfect offensive lineman to play at the center position if and when the Rams have Sony Michel in the backfield. Michel runs north-south, and Shelton bulldozers the running lane through the line of scrimmage and into the secondary.

Sony + Shelton = good things for the running game

Did Coleman Shelton have a role in getting the LA Rams their first 100+ yard rusher this season?

I think it wasn’t a coincidence that Coleman Shelton was starting on the offensive line when the LA Rams enjoyed their first 100+ yard rusher for the 2021 NFL Season. The offensive line was clearly working hard, playing much more physical football. The Jacksonville Jaguars defense is very good. But the LA Rams offensive line was more than a match for them. That was due, in part, to the presence of Coleman Shelton.