LA Rams OL coach Kevin Carberry proves adept Kromer successor

Whitworth out – Noteboom in

The Rams have been rather protective over the senior statesman of their offensive line, Andrew Whitworth, and have done a rather masterful job of giving him the flexibility to rest on some practice days. But when the need arises to give Whitworth a breather at left tackle, the Rams needed to come up with a solid plan.

So far in the 2021 NFL Season, Andrew Whitworth has sat out two games: Week 8 and Week 16. But if you factor in an occasional rest, he has played less than 100 percent of the offensive snaps in six games. In each and every one of those partial games, Kevin Carberry was responsible for inserting a qualified and talented backup who could suit up at a moment’s notice.

Noteboom solid backup at LT

Thankfully, the LA Rams saw enough in Joseph Noteboom in 2020 to entrust him with such an important role.  It wasn’t long before the team would need him to step in to cover some of Whitworth’s snaps. He handled two snaps in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, and 19 snaps in the Week 6 contest when the LA Rams had a huge margin of victory against the New York Giants.  Noteboom would play another snap in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions.

But Joseph Noteboom would start for the LA Rams at left tackle in place of Andrew Whitworth to face the Houston Texans. How did that turn out?

The Rams starters dominated the Texans. Perhaps most noteworthy is the fact that Joseph Noteboom handled business at the left tackle position as though he belonged there all along.  The game proved two things.

First, the LA Rams have a dependable, if not All-Pro, backup for Andrew Whitworth if he is injured in 2021. Secondly, the team learned that Joseph Noteboom has improved for this season, and can be counted on to play well as the team needs him going forward.