Do you love or hate Alaric Jackson’s 2 Rams OL scenarios for 2023?

When it comes to the LA Rams offensive line for 2023, put two people in a room and you’ll get three opinions. That’s simply the cost of doing business with an offensive line that played 15 different players, and different iterations of the starting offensive line for 12 consecutive weeks.

It was not until the Week 14 starting lineup of LT Tysekhe, LG Coleman Shelton, OC Brian Allen, RG Matt Skura, and RT Rob Havenstein, the same five players who had started Week 13, that the team actually had one week of continuity. Of course, Brian Allen was hurt after two offensive snaps in Week 15, forcing Coleman Shelton back to center, and Oday Aboushi to come in to play offensive guard.

How can anyone make heads or tails of OL on the Rams roster?

Not only was it tough to make heads or tails of who was actually playing for the LA Rams offensive line, and at which position, but virtually impossible to decypher who was playing well, and who was struggling simply due to the chaos of too many players starting so many different positions too closely together, and which players were simply not up to the challenge of playing a starting role in an NFL offensive line.

Unlike skilled positions in the NFL, offensive linemen are as dependent and linked to one another from that unit as defensive backs are in a defensive secondary. We know all too well that a quarterback sack, although ultimately attributed to one player on the offensive line, is generally perceived as a failure of the entire unit.

That’s the way it was, is, and will be for the group.

With all of the technological advances in the NFL that have led to groundbreaking means of recording speed, separation, and a host of statistics related to the quarterback’s release motion and release time, there have been no similar advances for the NFL in terms of tracking how effective offensive linemen are.

Play it again, Sam

Measuring how effective an NFL offensive lineman is, even with the help of instant replay like All-22 and a keen eye, is limited. That is due to the fact that we can only guess over the fact of who is responsible for blocking who. That means two forms of SWAG or Scientific Wild Arse Guesswork. For the offensive line, it’s a one-for-one correspondence of offensive lineman to the nearest defender and eliminates all but the most obvious pulls and traps that are part of the standard offensive line package.

More importantly, the evaluator typically fails to follow how defensive linemen’s stunts and blitzes instantly change the offensive lineman’s blocking assignment, or even if that offensive play is designed for those defensive stunts.

That creates plenty of room for subjective interpretation, which is why a conversation between two LA Rams fans often leads to three opinions about the offensive line. And yet, that did not stop one of the LA Rams’ future offensive linemen from weighing in on the topic.

Alaric Jackson weighs in (pun intended)

I love Alaric Jackson. This is a player who is more than happy to interact with the fans and bloggers, an example of which occured this month when the mystery over his true NFL playing weight was solved, by him directly weighing in on the topic:

But when he weighed in on the LA Rams offensive line, you can bet it was worth noting. Be sure to catch his entire thread on the subject, and please note that NFL offensive linemen rarely, if ever, are willing to comment on the status and future of their teammates:

But that is just what Jackson did, and why the guy is so incredible. He is not just a versatile and excellent performer for the LA Rams, proving the ability to compete at, and start, at multiple NFL offensive linemen positions. But he’s also willing to discuss the group as a whole, as though he is the next-door neighbor who just joined in on a backyard barbecue and cracked himself a cold beer under the hot summer sun.

So let’s break it all down for you:

Alaric Jackson’s two scenarios

I love Alaric Jackson’s creation of two scenarios. Before we get to his scenarios, keep in mind that there are two limits to his scenarios as they were laid out. First of all, Alaric Jackson missed the return of rookie (soon-to-be second-year) offensive lineman Logan Bruss. That was not an intended sleight, but rather was born out of the fact that the guy had competed with the same group of guys for four months time, and Logan Bruss was not among them due to a preseason injury.

The second discussion point is Alaric Jackson’s use of pending veteran free agents in forming his two offensive line scenarios. I don’t believe that he is passionately lobbying for their return, but it’s clear from the discussion that he values both their competitiveness and veteran leadership. Coming from a current player, those are huge endorsements of themselves. So what insight does he offer in these scenarios?

Scenario I:

Starters (left to right): Joseph Noteboom, Alaric Jackson, Brian Allen, Tremayne Anchrum, Rob Havenstein
Backups: Coleman Shelton, Ty Nsekhe*, Chandler Brewer, and Matt Skura* with Oday Aboushi*, AJ Arcuri, and Max Pircher
* expiring contracts mean re-signing these veteran free agents

I’m less in favor of this scenario, but I would not rule it out of the LA Rams’ options.

The biggest problem that I have with this version is simply slotting in Joseph Noteboom in as the LA Rams left tackle once more. Hey, I’m not here to splash any gasoline on what will likely be a hot discussion throughout the offseason, but I cannot for the life of me wipe my mind from the slaughter of the 2022 season opener, a game in which quarterback Matthew Stafford was sacked seven times, and if my memory serves me correctly, three of those sacks came from his blind side.

I’m not a Joseph Noteboom hater. I’m simply of the opinion that he, like an NBA sixth-man, is far more effective of a player coming off the bench and slotting into any one of four offensive line positions in the event of an injury until a more permanent solution is readily available.

Scenario II:

Starters (left to right): Alaric Jackson, Tremayne Anchrum, Brian Allen, Coleman Shelton, Rob Havenstein
Backups: Joe Noteboom, Chandler Brewer, Matt Skura* and Ty Nsekhe* with Oday Aboushi*, AJ Arcuri, and Max Pircher
* expiring contracts mean re-signing these veteran free agents

I am much more comfortable with this scenario as the foundation for the LA Rams 2023 version of the offensive line. But even in this scenario, I believe that some tweaks are in order. I like the left side of the offensive line in this one but would add that a drafted rookie left tackle with the 37th overall pick (if one is selected there) deserves to compete for the coveted left tackle position.

I have and will continue to be of the opinion that Coleman Shelton is the better option at the offensive center. I love Brian Allen’s mean streak, but his durability is always going to be a huge question mark for me until he proves he can remain healthy for an entire NFL season. He has not done so yet in his NFL career.

Scenario II revised

With Shelton at the center, that opens a slot for either Logan Bruss or, if the LA Rams extend him into 2023, for Matt Skura to start in 2023.

If the LA Rams needed to commit draft picks towards getting a blue-chip edge rusher, cornerback, and or safety in the 2023 NFL Draft, then I actually could get behind this scenario.

Do I know more than Alaric Jackson? Goodness no. But through the course of the season, I have noted that the only time that a Rams running back has rushed for 100+ yards, Coleman Shelton was the center. That has been the case for the past two seasons and includes the final three games of 2022.  Coincidence? Sure, let’s call it that.

But the LA Rams need those coincidences in 2023 because we have witnessed that no matter who the quarterback is, without a strong running offense, NFL defenses are more than happy to pin their ears back and commit to sacking the LA Rams quarterback. Perhaps I’m a bit misdirected, but you can’t argue with the results.

Okay, so let’s wrap this up with a recap:

Alaric Jackson is on the right track folks

We all have our perspective on the state of the LA Rams offensive line. Some want the Rams to wipe the slate clean and start over, which is not reality, not practical, and most of all, not happening. Some want the Rams to start the 2023 NFL season with a wiped slate, and force competition to earn a starting role at every position.

I don’t see that as likely either. Don’t overlook the fact that the same decision makers whose decisions built the team’s 2022 offensive line are, for the most part, making those decisions. That means that the likelihood of any epiphany of the Rams roster making wholesale changes to the offensive line group is akin to selling a new car because the oil light came on.

But the heavy lifting from Alaric Jackson was contained in one more Tweet:

The ‘restructure deals’ is spot on. The Rams entrusted starting roles to players who, whether by performance or durability issues, did not and are likely not able to deliver on those roles.

What were the reactions to Alaric Jackson’s insight?

The reaction by fans to an offensive lineman sharing his thoughts about the state of the offensive line was flush with gratitude and positivity. Fans do not often get the direct views of players about the team, their unit, and the projection of the future. Here is one such reaction:

Perhaps this can serve as common ground for the heated and sometimes silly debates over the next steps to reinforce the Rams’ roster with the offensive line going forward. Even NFL insiders, analysts, pundits, and former players have no better vantage point than an active member of the Rams roster. Not just any ole performer, but one who has held his feet to the fire, and held up very well.

It’s quite clear that Alaric Jackson is not shaken. For my part, I can go with that for now.