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LMU93
I agree. I have been counting out (i.e. retiring) Whitworth for years and every year he proves me wrong. But I am pretty sure 2021 will be it for him.
I am intrigued by Anchrum. I really liked his draft profile (3 years starter, all-ACC, etc.) and think he has real potential.
I have been one of those that has felt Havenstein is "good enough" but if they are going to really get back to the deeper passing game it may not be a great fit. It will be interesting to see what happens with him.
Evans impressed me in 2019 but then quickly loses a starting role to Edwards this year and was not great in spot duty this year. But again maybe reverting him back to RT like 2019 is where he belongs.
I think it all comes down to center. A stronger 'anchor' in the middle will benefit both Edwards and Corbett. Blythe had value and was an asset to this team overall for 4 years but just seemed like he wore down late in the season like Sullivan did in 2017 and 2018.
I know you know all this but just putting it down in black and white.
Well, they did wear down in 2018 at the end. A couple of teams could attack them and neutralize things. A lot of that was Sullivan, but then also Blythe at guard. When they were ineffective, Hav couldn't seem to get going either.
First half of 2019 they were a mess. Even Whitworth was not doing well. The 2 newbies were not doing well. Something was wrong with Hav (we found out later he played hurt.) They missed Saffold.
After Pittsburgh they were hurt. They then went forward with 3 injury replacements. That was not a great line and teams that could bring pressure did (Baltimore for example and Dallas). But it was better than the 1st half of 2019 OL. That even showed up in Goff's stats. He played better in the final 5 games than he did in the first 9.
I thought that was a sign that with a training camp and some cohesion they would better better in 2020 and for the most part they were. That was a better OL than in either the first half of 2019 or the 2nd half of 2019.
But it broke down in a few games. They handled the blitz well as an offense (Miami game aside) but there were games when teams had the horses to attack and dominate them, they did. I thought that was true of both SF games, the Jets game (though it was better in the 2nd half), the 2nd Seattle game, and the Green Bay game. I don't count the Miami game because to me that was a combo of Goff falling apart while pressing to make plays and the playcalling (they could have just rescued that whole situation by running on them instead of repeatedly using empty sets that weren't working that day).
So at the least for Stafford, you want them to be more consistent. That probably means at a minimum shoring up the interior. But long term, past 2021, IMO they need not just one but 2 OTs. They maybe have the right OT. I am not sure about Evans but maybe Brewer, who has an intriguing profile.
It just may be that this is the draft year to try and address all that.
Stafford had a couple of good linemen in Detroit, and from what I have seen that OL was not viewed as being a bad one. Solid, in general. But they played from behind so much and did not have a running game. And last year Stafford threw 18.2% of his passes while ahead, 64.9% while behind, and 17% while tied. IMO that accounts for his high sack rate (6.7%, which ranked 24th in 2020). I think that's why he ranked 14th in passer rating and 28th in completion percentage--playing Detroit meant you could tee off on a team that had to pass. Stafford had 5 games where he faced 10 or more pressures and he had a qb rating in the 90s in 2 of them.
So I think Stafford isn't necessarily set up to excel in games where the OL is under siege, which it was a few times in 2020 as we know. The advantage the Rams have though is that their defense is not going to be bottom of the league like Detroit's was.
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