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LMU93
Great article. Informative. Some thoughts on what I think they need:
- Allen needs to become stronger and 8-10 lbs. heavier by September. His development is as much off the field (weight room and classroom) as on it.
- Noteboom and Allen probably each need to play 50-60% of the total snaps in preseason.
- I would still sign Groy to backup at center. It's enough of a gamble to have two brand new starters on the OL, let alone having the top two backups be rookies as well. And certainly when they made an RFA offer for Groy in 2017 Kromer was part of that decision.
- We might see the Rams (a) simplify things a bit early on to help Noteboom and Allen get their feet wet and (b) shift to running over the right side more as well.
- Higbee and Everett's contributions as good blockers becomes that much more important
Good points, 93.
I might add that much depends on Blythe for a successful transition. Blythe must pull his own weight and then a bit more, especially early on. Allen must NOT be required to “compensate” for any Blythe inadequacies as the season begins. Also, as you say, Blythe must be strong in the run game to complement Hav and enable McVay to run to the right effectively.
That SB was a wake up call for this OL and particularly Blythe.
I will add that both Evans and Edwards will surely get opportunities to seize that RG starter position if they can. Hopefully, Blythe has been living in the weight room and eating properly so he can add a few pounds of muscle. I can guarantee that all eyes will be on Blythe for the foreseeable future.
As to Groy? I’m on the fence. I’m not sure that he’s all that in the first place and I kinda hate the thought of spending the needed cap dollars AND losing a spot on the 53 for a promising youngster. All depends on how Kromer feels about his Allen/Blythe options at C, I suppose. I’ll try not to worry about it because it’s in Kromer’s capable hands.
