As an aside and to be fair, oldnotdead was advocating for Allen at OC back before it was cool. Lol.
Here’s oldnotdead…
Considering Noteboom is their starting LT next year I would be shocked if McVay exposes him to injury in the preseason. I've been saying it for a long time. Allen was a first-year starter who played better than Blythe but Sean kept believing what Kromer told him that Blythe was the better player even though games proved otherwise.
Allen is their best option at center as it gives them their best overall combination with Whit, Edwards, Allen, Corbett and Havenstein. I think Corbett's blown call against Dallas leaving an unblocked rusher was an eye-opener. That is exactly the type of error that will get Stafford hurt. IMO this is the work of Carberry who is telling him Allen is the better option. With that blown call Saturday, it probably means McVay is beginning to accept Carberry's recommendation. Allen played well during his starting year and combined with his strong camp IMO Carberry is looking at Allen in his totality without the bias Kromer often displayed.
Corbett gives them a very good RG and a good option as their #2 center so this TC hasn't been wasted in that regard. Also, I think the unexpected rise of Jackson has potentially changed the dynamic of the OL combinations this year. Alaric could be a starter at LT in the preseason to give him game experience to better evaluate where he stands in his development. He would be going against the Charger's 1st unit defense on Saturday. If he can play well against Joey Bosa that will be an excellent test.
My concern about Corbett at center is from reviewing a private video taken by a friend at TC. He's had some errors that have been simply glossed over by the media and McVay. Benching a starter simply because he got injured in favor of a lesser player is a very bad precedent to set. There was no question Allen outplayed Blythe in 2019 who gave up key sacks and pressures that led to INTs.
If Allen is to be benched then let it be due to poor play, not because of some coaching bias. I think Corbett has been an outstanding acquisition but to expect him to play better suddenly than he did at center in Cleveland at is asking a lot. Center is the hardest position on the OL to play consistently. Each mistake is magnified and it takes more than a few weeks in the center room to develop that consistency.
Also, IMO this was something I expected and it has to do with Corbett's FA status next year. He will be cheaper to extend as an OG than as a center. Allen is also a FA so signing him as a starting center will be cheaper. The Rams will save millions on their cap by simply starting Allen at C and Corbett at OG. If they change their mind next year then they still would have saved millions of $$. IMO Allen probably would not resign as a backup center so they would probably lose him. This way the likelihood of extending both is high and cheaper next year. IMO it makes perfect sense.
I think there are multiple reasons to make the switch back to Allen and all of them are good. Put me down as one of the very few that would like this change to be made.
