Where’s the Beef? On the Los Angeles Rams’ Offensive Line. That’s Where!

When healthy, the Los Angeles Rams field five of the biggest starting offensive lineman in the NFL. But just how much beef are they fielding on Sundays?

According to SB Nation’s Adam Stites, the quintet of (left to right) Greg Robinson, Jamon Brown, Tim Barnes, Rodger Saffold, and Rob Havenstein stack up as the league’s 3rd largest offensive front; weighing in at 322.8 lbs. and standing at an average 6’5" tall.

The Raiders and Chargers boast the league’s biggest O-lines, with average weights of 327.2 and 327.0 lbs, respectively. Yet these two AFC West foes combined for 11 wins in 2015.

So what does it matter?

Perhaps size, you may be surprised to hear, doesn’t matter. If you clicked the link above, you may have noticed the Rams actually were in a tie for 3rd with the San Francisco 49ers. Given the less than stellar win/loss results of these four teams, it’s fair to ask if there's a correlation between size and on-field performance.

Not according to Football Outsiders.  The 49ers, while averaging the exact same size/weight as the Rams, ranked 31st in the league in adjusted sack rate [sacks (plus intentional grounding penalties) per pass attempt adjusted for down, distance, and opponent]; allowing a sack on 9.1% of qualifying pass plays.  Flip side of the hefty O-line coin, the Rams only gave up a sack on 3.5% of pass plays...which ranked 1st in the NFL.

That’s good news, especially if you’re a rookie quarterback who’s about to be thrown into the mix very early in the 2016 season. I suppose it also doesn’t hurt if you’re a second year stud running back who averaged 4.8 yards per carry (coming off major knee surgery) on your way to becoming Rookie of the Year.

Obviously, all of this relies upon the accuracy of the projected starters, and their ability to stay healthy...which is always easier said than done. With that being said, the Rams do have "smaller" guys - like Garrett Reynolds, Cody Wichmann, Andrew Donnal, and Isaiah Battle (maybe ?) - waiting in wings in the unfortunate case that a starter goes down.

And smaller isn’t necessarily a bad thing, ladies and gents. The Ravens field the league’s 3rd smallest offensive line (308 lbs.), yet ranked 2nd in Adjusted Sack Rate (3.8%).

As Jeff Fisher always says, "Don’t hate the lil playa, hate the game"*



*He’s never said that. Ever.