......Kicking Saffold out to LT is the single most important positional decision the Rams can make. .....Saffold has played LT before, and he was solid. He's gonna be maybe a notch below your Joe Thomas's of the world but with a rookie QB coming in this is going to be critical.
I will not argue with you on your Rodger Saffold positive left OT skills & ability comments. RS could very well be the Rams best playing OLT. But for how long?
The "
Rodger Saffold Saga" is rather long with many twists & turns. When RS was drafted the plan was to have him be tried at 3 OL positions early. RT/LG/RG. That plan didn't go right. First day of June 4th, 2010 spring camp RS injured his knee & was not cleared until July 28th. The hope was for RS to beat out Jason Smith @ ORT. But the 6-5 310 pound RS saw some action @ OLT & seized the opportunity started for all 16 games & excelled @ that post. During his rookie season he played with a nagging ankle & badly shoulder bruise. But RS rookie season exceeded anybody's expectations @ LEFT OT.
2011 season RS began @ starting OLT but injured his ankle once again & the ailment lingered. Later he suffered a concussion. By mid Nov-2011 was placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral. By the RS's 2nd season his NFL career was setting a pattern. Things went south for RS real fast after his rookie season & Pro Football Focus grade fell fast too, the lower quarter of starting OLT's. As the 2011 season dragged on he in his last 10 games gave up 11 sacks. Saffold's weight was also on the rise now over 325 pounds.
RS 3rd season started with Fisher arriving @ HC before to long RS was being discussed as being moved to ORT. RS was injured in the 1st Fisher game with an injured neck/head. Then in Fisher's 2nd game first series RS suffered a knee injury diagnosed as a grade 3 MCL sprain & later missed another game due to a back. In 2013 RS was only able to finish 8 games in the line up @ OLT. Fisher saw enough of an inured RS & went out & bought a OLT Jake Long.
RS 4th season 2013 was an odd one. Fisher moved RS to starting ORT. 1st pre season game he dislocated his left shoulder on the second offensive play. Regular season 2 game 1 half he suffered knee injury another grade 3 sprained MCL. RS took over @ ORG for the injured Harvey Dahl late in the season. It should be noted RS was an absolute beast in those 4 games he finished @ ORG. However RS did finish the last two games @ OLT for the inured Jake Long & Saffold
played very well! problem once again only finished 7 games in the lineup in 2013 due to injury.
2014 Fisher OG unit was in poor shape but RS signed elsewhere but failed the physical. RS returned to Fisher. RS played four OL posts in 2014. mostlry @ both OG posts until the last game when he played OLT for an injured Robinson in that game, once again RS played very well @ OLT. It should be noted that RS size was massive & well over 335 pounds, doing all that with one seriously damaged shoulder. Early in the season RS injured his ankle for the 3rd time & neck/head 2nd time but wk 8 RS destroyed his shoulder. He had left shoulder reconstruction when the season ended.
Last season RS started the first 4 games @ ORG then in game 5 he was flipped to OLG & went down early in the first half with a dislocated right shoulder & was IR & reconstructive surgery followed he was cleared to play early this month.
RS would make a good Ram reserve swing OT, a great Ram back up left OT or swing OG for this Ram team in 2016. However planing for RS to be able to be your starter
for any length of time in the Rams OL???? Very Very BAD PLAN!
alm:
Its going to be interesting to see just how much size Saffold has been able to retain? Was he able to keep his massive size of the past 335 plus pounds or after two back to back shoulder reconstruction well within a year of each other...... have him down below his early college weight under 290??? hard for me to believe that he was able to keep up that power & size through-out these two serious rehabbing events.
One thing that would help him at OLT would be a lighter weight. Being lighter on his feet would sure serve him well @ OT. Do the Rams really have a need @ OG with Brown, Wichmann, Reynolds & Donnal and many more?
