Although many units of the Los Angeles Rams struggled in 2019, none were highlighted more than that of their young offensive line.
With a number of new players coming in and out of the lineup, as well as playing different positions, it is easy to understand the shortcomings of the offensive line. However, one former Rams center still believes in the team.
John Sullivan retired last offseason after the team did not bring him back, leaving the Rams with a hole in the middle of their line. Although there was faith in Brian Allen, his injury led to a difficulty replacing Sullivan.
Sullivan himself believes that the Rams have some nice young talent in not only Allen but Joseph Noteboom as well, via Rich Hammond of The Athletic:
“I think when you watch them, you see a couple things,” Sullivan said of Allen and Noteboom. “You see, number one, how talented they are. Each of them had plays that made you say, ‘Wow.’ Some of the things they can do physically, you end up being in awe. You could see exactly what the Rams were seeing and why they made the decision.
“But almost all young players go through growing pains. They call them rookie mistakes for a reason because you learn not to make them over time. I think it’s very hard to quantify chemistry. If there was some measure for that, maybe things would have been a little different, but you never know.”
Both of the Rams’ young lineman had their share of growing pains and actual pain in 2019. Neither player was able to complete the season, but both should be healthy for the start of the 2020 season.
When Allen and Noteboom went down, even younger and more inexperienced players had to step up in their stead. While the Rams likely need help in other areas besides the o-line, this only made the Rams’ frustrating 2019 campaign more difficult.
Despite the poor showing, Sullivan still believes in the Rams to turn things around:
“I was cheering for them hard,” Sullivan said. “I do know, that with Sean McVay and (line coach) Aaron Kromer and those guys, they’ll get everything figured out, and that team is going right back up to the top.”
Only time will tell where the Sean McVay-era Rams align with other great teams. Last year they seemed poised to be one of the all-time great teams, while this year they seemed like a young team still figuring it out. Hopefully one more offseason can help strengthen that unit and discover any weaknesses that need to be handled.
