The next perpetual debate that i AM looking forward to..

[general counsel]

Should the Rams sign Barron to a long term deal? I think most would agree its premature at this point. However, my prediction is that barron has an excellent season at left tackle, his natural position. He has been playing out of position since we drafted him. He is not and never has been (and never will be) a road grading run blocker, but i think he has been and will continue to be a very good pass blocker.

Can the rams pay 30 million to jason smith and keep him at right tackle in the long run? I dont know the answer to that. However, it should be very interesting to see what happens if Barron actually performs well this year. During the season, we should have a spirited debate about whether to try and lock up barron long term. Some of that will of course depend on the play of Smith, but i have a sneaking suspicion that Barron is going to surprise a lot of people this year and be a well above average left tackle who is a lot harder to replace than people will give him credit for.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[MauiRam]

i have a sneaking suspicion that Barron is going to surprise a lot of people this year and be a well above average left tackle who is a lot harder to replace than people will give him credit for.

I certainly hope you are right and he has a great year .. we'll see in a few months.

[KoaKoi]

sounds like a good problem to have. Barron may not have lived up to the expectations of his 1st round status, but he's been one of the few... make that.. only stalwart on the OL the last few years, and he's been decent at that.

[39thebeast]

Depending on the numbers. If he is looking anywhere near Jordan Gross and we already have Smith ready to go at LT it makes no sense to me to have 2 top 5 paid LTs in the league.

[jbell15]

We are NOT going to be paying jason all that money to be a right tackle.
He will play left.
Barron will hit the market as a RT, because no one has had the chance to see him at LT this year.
My bet is that spags lights a fire under him, and he becomes an an above average RT.
Remember at the first minicamp? he didn't sound too thrilled with moving to LT.
IF he can step it up, he will garner a RT contract with us, if not, see ya buddy

[bruce4life]

Barron will play LT mark my words people. Barron if not for the false starts would already be an above average tackle. He doesn't hold much, doesn't miss games and just plays consistent ball. He'll put up some " Pace" like numbers this season...

[jbell15]

Barron will play LT mark my words people. Barron if not for the false starts would already be an above average tackle. He doesn't hold much, doesn't miss games and just plays consistent ball. He'll put up some " Pace" like numbers this season...

Are you kidding me?
pace like numbers?
NO ONE can put up pace like numbers, let alone alex barron.
Orlando Pace is the greatest LT in league history, IMO, how can Barron compete with that?

[general counsel]

Barron is not Pace, but again, he is a very good pass blocker. I bet that barron is the starter at left tackle on opening day. Barron today is a better left tackle than pace today, i will say that much. Of course, i am not comparing him to the Big Man in the Big Man's prime.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[Rambos]

my prediction is that barron has an excellent season at left tackle, his natural position. He has been playing out of position since we drafted him. He is not and never has been (and never will be) a road grading run blocker, but i think he has been and will continue to be a very good pass blocker.

GC, i think Barron will play RT this year and still play well enough to get a deal, not sure he will be a hot item in FA. well see...

[RAMarkable]

GC, i think Barron will play RT this year and still play well enough to get a deal, not sure he will be a hot item in FA. well see...

The problem with this scenario is that you then have a rookie ( J. Smith) protecting Bulger's back side. I'm not sure that we should allow our $60 million QB to suffer anymore hits than is absolutely necessary.

It might be better to have Smitty play this year at RT so that he can get his feet wet and accustomed to the speed of the NFL game. He'll find out soon enough that he ain't in Waco anymore.

WHAT SAY YE?

[eric2810]

It all depends on whether Barron plays consistent enough at LT for him to earn a contract extension. No more of this offsides nonsense and allowing the opposing DE to easily run by him. Basically, Barron has to give it his all and keep Bulger upright. If he does this, I can see him staying, but it won't be big bucks. The way I believe this season will turn out is; Barron starts at LT the beginning of the season, then Smith shows he is ready mid-season to play at LT. With the draft behind us, I've came to realize great LT's are harder to find in the later rounds than RT's are, so I wouldn't be surprise if Barron walks and the Rams draft for their RT of the future next year.

[blood85]

I don't know about other teams, but what is it with the Rams drafting players and having them play out of position, i.e. Carriker, Barron, etc...??

[RealRam]

...I have a sneaking suspicion that Barron is going to surprise a lot of people this year and be a well above average left tackle who is a lot harder to replace than people will give him credit for.

Ramming speed to all

General Counsel

As do I, GC. That would be terrific. For now I'm still hoping to see the Barron be right, play right, and stay right while our young / big Jason Smith develops quickly and successfully at left-wing politics.

[BEER]

I think Jackson blew more pass protection than barron. I hate when

Jackson dives at the pass rushers feet and they jump over him.

Jackson also does not meet the rusher with the same amount of

power. This pisses me off!...

[39thebeast]

Barron is not Pace, but again, he is a very good pass blocker. I bet that barron is the starter at left tackle on opening day. Barron today is a better left tackle than pace today, i will say that much. Of course, i am not comparing him to the Big Man in the Big Man's prime.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

I wouldn't go that far. Even though Pace is injury prone I still think he is better than Barron.

I think we see Barron as a better LT than RT, but we drafted Smith to be the Franchise LT and we are paying him that type of money. I really don't think Barron is coming back, especially if he plays well this year. Smith is the Franchise guy this FO brought in. Barron is an inconsistent, but durable starter from the old regime. Barron is the old Regimes franchise tackle. To me its going to be out with the old and in with the new