2008
Projected Starters:
Left Tackle:Orlando Pace Left Guard:JacobBell Center: Brett Romberg / Mark Setterstrom Right Guard: Richie Incognito Right Tackle: Alex Barron
2007
Injuries:
T Orlando Pace: Weeks 2 to 17
G Richie Incognito: Weeks 1 to 4 and 9 to 17
G Mark Setterstrom: Weeks 4 to 17
C Brett Romberg: Weeks 8 to 11, 13 to 15 and 17
T Adam Goldberg: Weeks 5 to 17
G Claude Terrell: Weeks 1 and 8 to 17
2007
Statistics:
LEFT END
LEFT TACKLE
MID/GUARD
RIGHT TACKLE
RIGHT END
Passing
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
Sacks
Rank
2.75
30
3.22
32
4.08
18
3.68
28
3.59
25
48
27
ALY (Adjusted Line
Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders
that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent. Source: www.footballoutsiders.com
Overview: The St. Louis Rams offense led by Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson, which averaged over
360 yards of total offense in 2006, averaged under 300 yards and ranked 28th in the league
in points scored in 2007. The main reason for that downfall was an injury-depleted
offensive line where Alex Barron is the only starter that was able to play all 16 regular
season games. Coming into the season, the Rams offensive line was considered pretty deep
with seven capable starters but no team can survive with four of its starting offensive
linemen missing considerable time.
At
tackle, the Rams still have one of the best to ever play the position in Orlando Pace.
Pace was named to seven straight Pro Bowls from 1999 to 2005 and had only missed nine
games in nine seasons with the Rams until 2006. In 2006, Pace suffered a serious triceps
injury halfway through the season and was placed in injured reserve. Last season, Pace
suffered a shoulder injury in the first half of the season opener which required surgery
and he was once again placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. The good
news for him is that the injury occurred early in the season and he will have a full
training camp to work with the team and will be ready when the season begins. Pace says he
is currently feeling as good as he ever has at 6’7” and 320 lbs. He is dominant
as a run blocker and a good pass blocker but has not played much football in over a year
and a half so remains a question mark for the 2008 season. On the right side will be the
25 year old Alex Barron who was the Rams first round selection in 2005 out of FloridaState.
He is quite athletic for a 6’7” and 315 lbs player and has a very large wingspan
which he uses to his advantage. The downside with Barron is that he lacks focus which
leads to a number of false start penalties and has even been called out by Marc Bulger. He
is a decent pass blocker but will struggle against speedy rushers and is a poor run
blocker because of his lack of intensity. Barron has all the tools to be an excellent
tackle in this league but he will need to step up his play. In case of an injury to Pace,
Barron would make the switch to left tackle as he did last year and his replacement on the
right side would probably be third round pick John Greco out of Toledo. Greco is strong
and has excellent awareness but his short arms and slow feet may hurt him in the NFL which
is why he may eventually move to guard. Brandon Gorin would be the other option; the
veteran was signed last season after Orlando Pace went down with an injury and made eight
starts at right tackle.
At
guard, the Rams were able to sign Jacob Bell from the Tennessee Titans to a six-year deal.
Bell is a very smart and intense player who will never give up. He has worked a lot to
become stronger but he will never be a top run blocker. His agility and quick feet make
him a very good pass protector which will definitely help give Bulger some more time to
find his receivers. On the right side should be Richie Incognito, a 6’3” and 330
lbs guard who missed most of the season due to a knee injury. It was the second
season-ending knee injury that Incognito suffered in only his third NFL season which could
be cause for concern. When healthy, Incognito is a very good blocker because of his great
strength and especially his intensity. He has been known to lose his cool at times and is
occasionally overaggressive on plays but with more experience he will likely become more
controlled and a better player.
The
center position is a little more complicated with at least two and possibly three players
battling for the starting position. The leading candidate is Brett Romberg, a former
undrafted free agent who made his first NFL start with the Rams in 2006. He is not very
big at 6’2” and 300 lbs but is pretty athletic and was quite impressive last
season. He will however get pushed into the backfield by big defensive linemen and remains
a below average blocker in both the running and passing game. His competition will come
from Mark Setterstrom, a seventh round pick who has been working out at center in the
off-season to create some competition for Romberg. He impressed many in his first two
seasons and because of his good work ethic he will continue to improve. Setterstrom could
also compete for the starting position at right guard but it is more likely that he will
either start at center or be the backup at both the guard and center positions. Dustin Fry
will likely provide depth at the center position, the 2006 fifth round pick out of Clemson
is another hard working player who is much better as a run blocker than a pass blocker.
2008
Outlook:
The Rams line had an injury-filled 2007 season and cannot be any worse than they were last
season. There were so many injuries last season that it is very difficult to predict how
these players will react in 2008. The Rams were missing at least two starters in every
week in 2007 so there are no statistics that can be looked at to determine how this group
of five will perform together. The right side of this line remains pretty weak with
Incognito, either Romberg or Setterstrom and Barron but if Pace can remain healthy, the
left side could be very solid with him and Bell. If healthy, this line is better than it
was in 2006, a season in which the Rams averaged 4.3 yards per carry and gave up 49 sacks.
Since 1999, the Rams have given up at least 40 sacks in every season so it is difficult to
expect any different this season even with the addition of a solid pass blocker in Bell
but the running game will improve and should be above the league average of 4.0 yards per
carry once again.
