St. Louis Offensive Line Gelling As a Unit

The St. Louis Rams are expecting a lot more productivity from their offensive line this year.

They brought in free agent center Jason Brown from Baltimore to anchor the middle. They selected Baylor tackle Jason Smith with the second overall pick in April's draft. They overhauled the entire coaching staff and front office with a tougher attitude and a focus on winning.

With all the changes up front, it hasn't taken long for the offensive line to really come together as a unit.

Smith has been picking the brains of Rams veterans since he arrived to camp in late July, and even before that during OTAs. He's even getting pointers from a veteran whose job he'll eventually take.

"I take that as part of my role," current right tackle Adam Goldberg told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "But I'll tell you what, he doesn't need too many tips. He's going to be a really good football player."

Goldberg continued to say that he doesn't think about the position battle much and knows that, because of his ability to play anywhere up and down the line, he'll see plenty of playing time. It's not something that keeps Smith up at night, either.

"Coach (Steve Spagnuolo) told me when I first got here that there are a lot of steps you have to do to be a part of this team, and then there are a lot of steps you have to do to get on the field,” Smith told the Post-Dispatch. "I just want to take the proper steps."

Brown came in with a swagger and confidence that was contagious among the big uglies. The Rams are counting on his influential leadership to pay dividends.

Add in the fact that players like right guard Richie Incognito have had an entire year to settle into a position instead of playing musical linemen as has been the case in the past due to injuries. Alex Barron knows he'll be playing left tackle all season, and shouldn't have to switch sides again. Now, if he can only avoid those false starts.

Incognito said having continuity on the offensive line, with players settled into positions from day one, will help create a stable running game and reliable pass protection.

"I had all last season to play out at guard," Incognito said. "I had OTAs, had training camp knowing I'm playing right guard."

Left guard Jacob Bell said the linemen have really bonded this offseason.

"We do everything together," said Bell, whose been out of commission since suffering a concussion in the Rams' first preseason game. "When you leave the field, you're in meetings together. You leave those meetings, and you don't have to sit next to each other during dinner, but at night meetings, we see each other again." 

Bell added that pranks between the offensive linemen have become commonplace.

"There's always a joke," the sixth-year veteran from Miami, Ohio said. "Our meetings can be pretty entertaining, a little bit of a comedy session."

What isn't funny is how the Rams performed last season, ranking 25th in rushing offense, despite having one of the NFL's best tailbacks in Steven Jackson. Incognito said that will change this year.

"We played well as a unit last year, at times," Incognito said. "We had times where we played very well, and times where we didn't play so well. I think that's the one thing that is a little bit different about this group.

"We always play at a high level, and we played at a high level last year, and had to replace people with injuries, and you get that lull. For offensive linemen, you can't have that. We're looking forward to just having five solid starters in there, and just rolling, and not having those lulls like we did last year."

Through three preseason games, the Rams are 2-1 and 11th in rush offense. But they still rank 24th in total offense, something that needs to improve if they have any hope of a winning season. St. Louis have the sixth worst offense in the league last year while limping to a 2-14 record.

The Rams' passing game has been awful in the 2009 preseason, but a large part of that is due to injuries in the receiving corps, namely Donnie Avery, and to starting quarterback Marc Bulger. If the skill players can remain healthy, the offense should produce a lot better than last year.

Having an offensive line that knows and respects one another is a good sign that the Rams are on the road back toward respectability.