An excellent GRob post by Hacksaw_64...

Here's Hacksaw_64...

Personally, I was zoomed in on Grob most of the year.

After last year he was certainly on my watch list for questionable players.

I did like the fact that he went to work on his technique in the off-season with Le Charles Bentley because he was getting beat so bad in pass pro out of his stance in 2015. He had to play with better balance. Bentley grades Grob much differently this season than PFF. I tend to agree with Le Charles here.

In the 2016 season Grob played much better in pass pro. Light years better than 2015. I could tell he had been putting in the work in balance, stance, hands tech and working on focus. He wasn't quite there yet but he was definitely progressing.

By the way did you know Grob just turned 24 in October. (He is the same age as Carson Wentz ) BTW Imagine Carson Wentz asked to come into the league and start at QB from a system if he only ran 8 plays in college.

GRob was said to be a project when we drafted him with elite upside. I just don't think anyone especially myself understood how much of a project he was.

But he does have elite upside.

Unlike Jason Smith who could not block the Rams 3rd string DE from day one in camp. In fact he was around him and sacking the QB by the time he was getting out of his stance. And this was at RT have you! And this was not just one occasion. It was 9 out of ten snaps until the decided to hide him with a mysterious injury. ops:

Grob can flat out stone a guy on an island. No TE help needed . One on one. He can do it with some nasty too. He loves to finish with nasty. That's where he's been running into problems. And I don't think its all bad. We don't want to take that out of his game. We just need to have him channel it better.

You want a OT that finishes off blocks right?(See OP and the Pancake) Shows aggression to the second level?

Grob drew the ire of fans(myself one of them) and possibly his worst flag of the year for running downfield on what was actually a broken play and a QB scramble by Goff, where Grob decided to get himself upfield and to the second level and knocked down a safety or a LB.

Honestly, as an OL coach I wish my entire OL played with this attitude 100 % of the time the entire year.

I see effort, I always see aggressiveness, I definitely see talent. I saw definite progress in blatant holding. He dialed it back significantly this year. I think a lot of you guys would agree many of the calls were pretty marginal especially compared to last season. I would call that progress. It was visible to me. He was arm baring people last season. This season half of the calls were a joke.

As mad as I was. I am not sure I want to take the bite out the dog. It the trainer's fault not the dogs.

I've seen GRob after destroying his block, come off his guy and take the next man and literally rag doll a 320lb DL on his back. Right now he likes to throw or push people. With the zebras all over him he's likely to draw a flag if he doesn't do it right(if he grabs any jersey at all). I really think he needs to learn the "Pancake"

I don't see any physical limitations AT ALL with Grob playing LT. He has the feet, quickness, length , strength, and power to play the position. In fact he is clearly and by a mile our best LT. Saffold was a complete disaster compared to Grob. When he gets his technique right in pass pro like he started doing in 2016 he looks like a a complete natural at LT.

The only thing I can see that will hold him back is mental discipline or lacktherof. Because that's the element of his game he has to refine. He went from totally lacking in 2015 to working hard on it with marked progress and still plenty of lapses to clean up in 2016. Unfortunately once you get to the NFL the game is different. Its 90% mental. Everyone has elite talent. Very few elite college athlletes have great NFL pro career's purely on talent.

From what I have heard from Grob interview wise, he sounds very very young on the maturity gauge if I had to rate him. I really think in player development you HAVE to take this into consideration.

A one size all approach in coaching and player development imo is grossly inneffective in this day and age.

He was drafted young. He is actually very young age wise. I really believe he is probably young emotionally. Which really works in our favor. When he does indeed mature and grow up and start to get it things are going to become a lot easier for him.

I think he is being handled completely the wrong way. And believe me I am the last one to suggest "babying" somebody. That is not the point I am making here.

You have to support the kid. You decided to draft this huge freaking project. Then you must dedicate every possible resource necessary to support the ongoing success of the project. Whatever that requires.

I really wish we had some veteran leadership on this team. Somebody needs to take this kid under his wing and show him the ropes as a pro. Mentor him. Build him up. I'm not sure tearing him down is at all helpful at this point.

Unfortunately Grob is not plug and play Ghavenstein. But if you could put Havs brain in Grobs body you would have an instant Hofer. I'm not sure I want to see Grobs brain in Havs body.


But the last thing I am going to do to Grob is to publicly scapegoat him. And bench him in front of his family??? That has to make him feel just awesome about dedicating his life to the film room.

I have no idea what is happening behind the scenes. But I am pretty sure this is the last thing I am going to do with this kid. I am certainly not going to put my future franchise QB in jeopardy by starting Andrew Donnal at LT. That was a risk I would never take.

Behind the scenes have at em. Schedule, routine, film room etc. make him so on time and disciplined he's "swiss watch" level.

I honestly don't believe we have a Brian Quick developmental project here.

The only real question for Grob moving forward and I can't answer it for him, is he willing to do whatever it takes at this point to get better?

If that answer is NO then its time to move on.

If that answer is Yes, then The Rams have no one to blame but themselves if he isn't playing progressively better next season.