Do we really need a new starting guard?

[Dr. Defense]

Everyone is shouting and screaming for the Rams to go and sign Alan Faneca. Sure he is a good guard, but do we really need him? I am throwing the 2007 season out the door. You can't evaluate a linemens performance when you have 18 different line combinations in 16 games. In the 2006 campaign we played against the minnesota vikings. Here are Jackson's stats from that game.

Att Yds Avg Lng TD
25 142 5.7 59T 3

Those are some pretty impressive numbers. Now factor in that the vikings have the best interior defensive tackles in the game. And you can't run it outside all game, so that means at some point, you had to run it at them. Those numbers are pretty impressive considering that the Vikings are always at or near the top of run stopping. If those stats aren't enough here are Bulgers.

Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate
19 30 63.3 248 8.3 1 0 0 0 100.4

Those numbers prove that not only were we successful in run blocking, but pass blocking as well. Who were the starting interior guys? Our young guys by the name of Setterstrom and Icognito. So why would you want to bench one of these guys who proved that they are quality players that can play with the best. If a starter was signed then one of these guys with potential would have to see the bench. I can see why it would be a good idea to draft or acquire a quality backup, but going out and finding a new starter is un-necessary. The only exception to this would be if the Rams know something about Mark Setterstrom that I don't.

[39thebeast]

Setterstrom and Cogs barely played last year. So we realy don't know what we have. Is it we have a good line or are SJ and Adrian Peterson just beasts? You have to factor alot of things ins

[chipperjones]

If Barron Is at RT, Pace is at LT, Setterstorm plays gaurd, Cogs plays center, and we get Jacob Bell, that has the potential to be great.

[TekeRam]

Very good argument, Dr. I very much agree and have never said that we need starting guys. What I've said has been that we need two upgrades on our depth. If feel more than that are impossible due to the cap. In order to keep ahead of Pace's age, I support going after a OT that hopefully falls from round 1 with our second pick, and if there's no value, in round 3. In free agency, go after a quality depth guard like Bell who could possibly compete for a starting job. I never thought Faneca would be a good choice as he's too old and just out for money. The problem with last year wasn't our starters, in fact our starters played very little last year. It's our depth and then injuries to our depth. No one could win with injuries like that.

[chiguy]

You're going to throw out an entire season, but then make your case on one game? At best we have no clue what we have on the interior line. We have some young guys who looked good in the last half of 2006. If -- and its a big if -- that wasn't just because we were playing weak defenses and if -- and its another big if -- these guys stay healthy, then we don't need another interior lineman.

Now...you really willing to gamble your two highest paid players and two of your best players on two big ifs? At worst, signing a guard or center means that we'll have better depth. At best, it means we have competition and probably a better line.

This seems like a no brainer to me.

[Dr. Defense]

Originally Posted by chiguy

You're going to throw out an entire season, but then make your case on one game? At best we have no clue what we have on the interior line. We have some young guys who looked good in the last half of 2006. If -- and its a big if -- that wasn't just because we were playing weak defenses and if -- and its another big if -- these guys stay healthy, then we don't need another interior lineman.

Now...you really willing to gamble your two highest paid players and two of your best players on two big ifs? At worst, signing a guard or center means that we'll have better depth. At best, it means we have competition and probably a better line.

This seems like a no brainer to me.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't sign someone for depth. I just think that we shouldn't sign someone to compete for a starting job. And I was using the Vikings game as an example that these two young players have enough talent/skill/potential to be able to compete with the best defensive line in the league. If you want more data then.

We played games 1-10 in the 2006 season with Icognito alone. Jackson's stats during those games.

Yds- 811
td-5
avg-4.19

teams played during that time- denver, san fransico, arizona, detroit, green bay, seattle, san diego, kansas city, seattle, carolina

During games 11-16 we played with both Icognito and Mark Setterstrom. Jackon's stats during those games.

yds- 717
td-8
avg- 4.78

teams played during that time- san fransico, arizona, chicago, oakland, washington, chicago

[Mooselini]

I would still like to see us sign some good OL. Our OL gets nailed with an injury, and its usually a bad one. So if we have good depth players, we can still keep a steady line going. Even if we sign Bell and he becomes a starter, if he gets injured, we have an alright player right behind him.