IOL situation is very interesting to me...
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I think, a few years ago the Rams had an attitude of saving money on the OL and spending big on other positions and filling OL thru late draft picks, UDFAs & FAs to save money there. Conventional wisdom has always been to value OTs more than Gs & Cs in the NFL and I think that has changed. Initially, I thought he price paid to our new IOL was a bit much...but well worth it if a QB gets to neutralize an inside rush. The OTs create the outer line of the pocket - but the Gs & C create the triad of the small pocket inside the full pocket and it's this small pocket that can allow a QB to step up and really throw successfully. So, that triad is what the Rams have just dropped a ton of cash on for Stafford....and it should work really well cuz Stafford will stand in and deliver darts on target if he's kept safe.
When QBs are passing they step UP(forward) into the pocket while the OTs funnel the rushers around the edges - like a rock in a stream. I'm telling you from experience...the WORST thing for a QB is not being able to step up & follow through with the his passing motion. Any inside penetration by the DTs or biltzers is murder for a QB because he cannot follow thru with his mechanics and has to bail out of the pass or throw off platform or just bolt for some space to throw with proper mechanics. Stafford is a great pocket & off-platform passer, but he's not as nimble as these other more mobile QBs, therefore, the inside rush MUST be walled off to give him the "small pocket" - the pocket within the bigger pocket.
Last year especially, McVay usually had the RB(Williams) step right up into the A gap behind to help slow the INSIDE rush/blitz and give stafford extra milliseconds to make the throw. However, that kept our RB from being a threat in the pass game. Now that we have, what looks like a HUGE inside triad for the small pocket - we should have to utilize our RBs a bit less in pass pro and incorporate them more into the passing game and pressuring defenses. We'll see how it plays out.
"L'audace, l'audace. Toujours l'audace!"
When QBs are passing they step UP(forward) into the pocket while the OTs funnel the rushers around the edges - like a rock in a stream. I'm telling you from experience...the WORST thing for a QB is not being able to step up & follow through with the his passing motion. Any inside penetration by the DTs or biltzers is murder for a QB because he cannot follow thru with his mechanics and has to bail out of the pass or throw off platform or just bolt for some space to throw with proper mechanics. Stafford is a great pocket & off-platform passer, but he's not as nimble as these other more mobile QBs, therefore, the inside rush MUST be walled off to give him the "small pocket" - the pocket within the bigger pocket.
Last year especially, McVay usually had the RB(Williams) step right up into the A gap behind to help slow the INSIDE rush/blitz and give stafford extra milliseconds to make the throw. However, that kept our RB from being a threat in the pass game. Now that we have, what looks like a HUGE inside triad for the small pocket - we should have to utilize our RBs a bit less in pass pro and incorporate them more into the passing game and pressuring defenses. We'll see how it plays out.
"L'audace, l'audace. Toujours l'audace!"
