Jason Brown

[tomahawk247]

In the summer, it was obvious to everyone that the Offensive Line needed to be fixed. So as soon as free agency kicked off, Billy Devaney went out right away and locked up the guy regarded as the best free agent offensive lineman, Jason Brown, previously of the Ravens.

Devaney signed him to a five-year, $37.5 million contract that includes $20 million in guarantees, and some people said we overpaid. Brown is set to earn in the region of $24 million in his first two years in St Louis.

In my opinion, he has been worth the money so far.

Brown, alongside first round pick Jason Smith and a rejuvenated Alex Barron, has been one of the reasons the Rams have even been able to do anything on offense this season. But no one is really talking about Brown. He makes the calls along the OL, and then gets on with his job.

It is almost a good thing that we havent heard his name called as much. It means he isnt getting beaten and isnt giving up penalties.

But the best thing is the amount of push he is getting in the run game. It was a big inside push on the run just before Jackson's TD against Detroit that gave Jackson massive amounts of room to run. However the best moment came on Jackson's long run of 26 yards.

It was 1st and ten from the St Louis 9 yard line, Jackson runs through a hole created by a good Alex Barron block, gets 10 yards downfield where he runs into the back of... Jason Brown? Brown had pushed his guy a good ten yards downfield.

Brown has been a good leader on this team, but the best thing is that he has provided stability at the center of the offensive line, something that the Rams have been missing since the days of Andy McCollom being a full time starter at the position.

Given what he has bought to this team, i dont think we overpaid at all, and i think he has easily been one of the best free agent pickups in the NFL in recent years

[evil disco man]

The Center position is normally overlooked when "outsiders" like us evaluate an offensive line, because they are not often singled out in blocking, like Guards or Tackles can be. Most of the time, their job is to help double-up on someone.

I may be over-reaching here with my limited football knowledge (relative to the NFL), but I'm going off of what I know about the game.

Last season, Nick Leckey was picked out as a minor problem on the O-line, but I don't think it was understood how drastic the impact a Center can have on the entire line. It's one of the rare positions in the NFL where intelligence often overrides physical talent. At the line of scrimmage, the Center makes the initial read on the defensive front and calls the blocking scheme. As a fellow lineman, you are expected to follow through with the line calls. A bad read from the Center can make you look foolish. This is why continuity and communication is so important among an offensive line... from Center to Guard, Guard to Tackle, Tackle to Tight End. They build trust and confidence over time.

The first thing I noticed with interviews of Jason Brown as a new Ram was the professionalism and confidence he showed (which is often an echo of intelligence). This thought was validated by the fact that a few Rams commented on him being an immediate presence; a leader. He seems to have the rare size and physical ability as a Center, more importantly combined with intelligence and understanding of his position.

I didn't expect to post something so long about something as simple as a Center...

... but they often say, you build a good team starting with the trenches, so I think it's very important to scrutinize them. As horrid as this team has been in some aspects, I'm proud to say the O-line seems to be getting better and better as the weeks go on.

[tomahawk247]

As horrid as this team has been in some aspects, I'm proud to say the O-line seems to be getting better and better as the weeks go on.

Definitely agree there. And its being shown with both the reduced number of sacks we are giving up combined with the amount of yards we are getting in the run game.

[GROUND DOG 39]

Definitely agree there. And its being shown with both the reduced number of sacks we are giving up combined with the amount of yards we are getting in the run game.

Its things like this that can get lost in the context of things. This is all you can expect
from a young, rebuilding team and what keeps me feeling a bit more positive in these
early, dark days. I just hope it continues, particurly with Smith. Please NO more draft
busts??

[shower beers]

He is who we thought he was!


Definitely agree. Most of the time, when you don't hear a lineman's name being called out, it means he's doing his job well. Let's hope we continue to not hear his name



Spags seemed to be focused on getting intelligent, high caliber football players in the leadership positions. He did it with Brown on the line, Laurinaitis on defense, and he already had a guy in Steven Jackson in the backfield.

[Varg6]

This is what I think Spags and Devaney and us fans need and want to see in general. Every week, regardless of a win or loss (preferably a win obviously), we see improvement. We are a better Week 8 team than Week 1.

Keep in mind, some of these guys are young. We don't know what they are capable of yet. It's going to get interesting...and certainly in a good way