Rams O line is best....+ 49er O line break down

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2018/10/18/17993162/week-6-offensive-line-rankings-2018

Rams have the right stuff

For the 2nd straight week, the Rams top FO's run blocking rankings with 5.68 ALY, way ahead of the second place team (who happens to be their next opponent, the Niners, at 4.99 ALY). The Rams are also in 1st place with the lowest rate of stuffed runs at 12%. Two to three years ago, the Rams were very poor in this category. Gurley was often hit in the backfield and had to create yards after contact just to gain positive yardage. An 180 degree change in a relatively short period of time.

Previewing the Niners

San Francisco has also experienced a surprising turnaround with their offensive line's run blocking. In 2016, the Niners were in last place in FO's rankings, with a low 3.46 ALY score. Kyle Shanahan brought in his zone blocking scheme and added some new linemen and last year the Niners finished in 10th place with a healthy 4.20 ALY number. This season, Matt Breida (who was an UDFA last year) is averaging 6.8 yards per carry, which leads the NFL and he's 7th in rushing yards. The Niners were ridiculed for spending so much money on a fullback, Kyle Juszczyk, but he's been an important blocker in helping the run game open up. Shanahan also has some creative run plays that attack the edges.

In pass blocking, I like how the Rams matchup against SF. McGlinchey, Tomlinson and Person, I think Donald and Suh should dominate against that group. The rookie McGlinchey in particular looks shaky to me in pass protection.

The Niners offensive line coach is John Benton, who years ago was once the line coach for the St. Louis Rams in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He also coached with Wade Phillips for the Houston Texans in the 2011 to 2013 timeframe, coaching a line blocking for Arian Foster.

What's wrong with the Jaguars?

In 2017, the Jaguars finished 1st in rushing offense, but this year they are only 18th. While their FO rank is actually better this season (they are 10th at 4.54 ALY compared to 13th place and 4.12 ALY in 2017) the Jags haven't been able to establish and stay committed to the run. After beating the Patriots earlier this season 31-20, the Jags have fallen into a deep slump, and now sit at 3-3.

Much of their struggles stem from a long list of injuries. They are on their 3rd left tackle after Cam Robinson and Josh Wells both went down. Other lineman have been playing through injuries, including Brandon Linder, Andrew Norwell and Jermey Parnell. Leonard Fournette, the focal point of the offense, has hardly played due to injury. They also lost their only true run blocking TE, Austin Seferian Jenkins, who is currently on IR.

The Jags are a team with a talented defense that was supposed to have a run oriented offense built around a star RB, but they are struggling to run the ball consistently. Their situation should sound familiar to Ram fans and unless the Jags and pull it together they might finish with a Jeff Fisher type record at the end of the season.

What's right with the Chargers?

The Chargers are only 20th in PFF's offensive line rankings, but they are currently 7th in FO's rankings. Their run blocking doesn't look consistent to me, but one player who stands out is the center, Mike Pouncey. His athleticism and quickness in getting to 2nd level defenders or to pull around has made a difference in helping Melvin Gordon break some long runs. I don't know if they can sustain it for the entire season. Last week, we noted a large discrepancy in Carolina's rankings and against Washington their run game was stopped as McCaffrey only had 20 yards on 8 carries.

Will Saffold get paid?

In the final year of his contract, Rodger Saffold will receive approximately $7 million in cash this season, which is only 50% of Zack Martin's average salary. Saffold is a very important player. He blasts holes open for Gurley on power runs, he sprints out ahead of Gurley on screen passes, his ability to pass block allows the center to help more with the RG, sometimes Saffold comes across the formation in pass protection and blocks an edge rusher, allowing Hav to help the RG to the inside. It would be a huge loss not to keep Saffold on the roster next season.

On the other hand, how much can the Rams afford to pay an offensive guard about to turn 31 next season? Josh Sitton, age 32, is getting $6.5 million this season. TJ Lang got an average of $9.5 mill in the season he turned 30. How high should the Rams go and how many years should they guarantee? At $11 mil, the deal would average more than Ali Marpet's contract. At $13 mill, it would approach the contract for Andrew Norwell. Will Saffold be satisfied with a salary less than $10 million or will he be seeking to be one of the highest paid guards in the NFL?

A couple of years ago, there was an article that listed only 4 projected starting NFL guards who were age 32 or older. Is it too risky to guarantee money into a 3rd season for Saffold when he would be 33 years old? How this season ends for the Rams could be a major factor in how the team approaches things, but I think Saffold's situation is one of the key roster and cap decisions that Snead and Demoff need to make this coming offseason.
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