Rams Making Bold Switch For Week 1, Depth Chart, Injury Updates, Rams Hire New Coach & More!

it is officially game week and the Rams have made another bold move a shuffle along the offensive line we got injury updates and the Rams hire a new coach that's coming up next on locked on [Music] Rams you are locked on Rams your daily Los Angeles Rams podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what is up Ramy and welcome to another episode of Locked on Rams your daily podcast covering your Los Angeles Rams free and available rev podcast lockon Rams part of locked on podcast Network your team every day we're also available on YouTube so if you haven't yet do us a huge favor join the party getting so close to 14,000 subscribers so do us a huge favor hit that subscribe button hit that notification Bell hit that like button and let us know are you okay with the offensive line Shuffle do you want to see Jonah Jackson at Center my name is Doug McCain you can follow me on exit Instagram at dmac corla I've been covering LA Sports for over a decade as Bleacher Report 247 Sports Dodgers Nation the Rams for locked on and as always I'm joined by the Rams prehab and postgame show host for the Rams flagship radio station ESPN 710 La he's entering his ninth season covering your Los Angeles Rams the people's champ Mr Travis Rogers you could follow him on X at Travis Rogers and on today's episode the Rams hire a former college coach a new coach in the building that could make an impact and we're talking the offensive line and the big Shuffle there are we okay with it what are our thoughts on that the Rams also named their captain we're going to talk about that as well but first today's episode of lock on Rams is brought to you by prize picks the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports go to prize.com lockon NFL and use code all lowercase locked on NFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5 you don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus prize picks run your game all right Travis so we were talking a little college football before the show one thing I want to point out is you know who misses some of our players right now that's Florida state they're missing they're missing jar first last year the seals went 12 and0 with those two now they're 0 and2 Travis imagine being 0 and2 in college football and it's Labor Day yeah that's not ideal maybe they give back those championship rings they made for themselves and just kind of you know move that's that's a shot pretend that never happened yeah look I don't does anybody root for Florida State that's not a Florida State fan so I I don't think there's a lot of Tears anywhere outside of Tallahassee for what's going on there that's for sure I don't root for anyone I everyone including my own team in college football but but but sha McVey had a very interesting tweet he told the media yesterday it was very simple was ask about the upcoming Lions matchup the season opening up he says s is getting real and that's absolutely what it's getting it is game we the Rams are 22 Atwell Jaylen Ramsey Blake Bortles away from opening night against the Lions and the first segment today we're going to spend on the offensive line Shuffle last week sha McVey told us that he was leaning towards starting Jonah Jackson at the center spot to start the season he was asked about moving Steve Ava back to left guard and pushing Jonah Jackson at the center spot and he said I think so he's done a great job he's got that personality and the beauty of it is you got really two guys that can play center or guard with Steve Avala or Jonah Jackson Jonah hasn't been out there so here we have really wanted to make sure that if it was what that route we're going to go that he was going to end up giving him all the Reps especially because of the noise in the atmosphere he's done great so that's a Big Move heading into your first game of the season it's a huge move I mean there there's really no way to spin it other than wow and I okay I mean this is we talked about this last week dmac the every dayers will remember this they're borrowing against their Bank of credit a lot all of a sudden right that that that I look I believe that Shan McVey knows what he's doing I believe he's one of the best if not the best coach in the NFL I believe believe that lesne has a really good idea of what he's doing he's one of the the the best in the league at the general manager spot but wow I mean this is this is a whole lot of stuff that is adding up that makes you kind of scratch your head we had kyn Williams as the pun returner I still don't quite understand that and now with uh about a week to go before the start of the regular season you're shuffling your offensive line in a dramatic way an offensive line that already is going to be compromised because of suspensions and in injuries and some other things along the way uh I I I guess there's two way to look at it they either found something they really liked in putting Avala back at guard and and Jackson at Center or they saw something they really didn't like with those guys in the opposite spots and they needed to address it right there I I guess we'll see what it is like you said we're we're on the one yard line as far as starting the season basically so uh to to change this at this point in the season makes your eyebrows go up for sure and it means that something isn't the way way that they want it for them to make this move at this point before the season yeah absolutely and I think that you hit on the nail there's other ways you can spin this you can spin it as a positive and say okay he brings versatility and that you signed Jonah Jackson he was the big free agent off season acquisition they signed a three-year $51 million Deal $25.5 million guaranteed and really the way it's framed it's basically could be looked at as a two-year deal with $34 million and $17 million with the salary of the $17 million signing bonus but the truth of the matter is is they paid him to be a guard and an elite guard at that and with Steve Avala we were told that his best position was going to be at Center yeah and I think the way you can look at this is yes that Jonah Jackson only has 24 snaps at the center spot in the NFL but Steve aala has zero and that Steve aala yes he was great at the center spot at TCU but to thrust him into a situation in Detroit it might have been the better decision to go with someone who's familiar with that stadium that has a little more experience that's versatile and it's just about getting your best offensive line out there in week one in protecting Matthew Stafford so yeah I mean it's it's different I mean playing as a rookie playing in college I mean from one of my other gigs I interviewed donov McNab once and I asked him hey what is the big when you talk about Elite level college football high level college football and the leap to the NFL as a rookie how would you describe the leap and he told me he's like it's it's like going from racing go-karts at one of those little places that have like little mini golf thing to going in Indie 500 okay so that lead to me is extremely significant when you he describe like that so you have to factor in the experience that Jonah Jackson does have at at at least the NFL offensive line I I sure yes agreed but here I've never gotten the sense that Steve Aila is anything but a pretty chill guy a pretty cool customer a pretty smart football player I've never for gotten the the the feel that he's overwhelmed by things and if we're this is a hey this is a hostile environment it's going to be loud let's make a change for just this one really I mean he's play playoffs are gonna be loud you know tough divisional games are going to be loud that there's gonna be a lot of tough situations so I don't know if if it's as much that as it's much maybe something they're seeing that they just don't like this is what's so hard to to deal with uh W with the Rams because we don't see them play their guys against other guys until the season starts we're kind of left to guess we're kind of left to try to see what we've seen against some uh some some dual workouts and things like that so I I'm not entirely sure whether I like it or dislike it until I see it in practice and they're going to get their hands full against Detroit Detroit is one of the best teams in the conference they're a pick to go to the Super Bowl they've got Aiden Hutchinson there to go cause all sorts of problems for your quarterback and that old line is going to get tested it was already going to get tested and now we're sh in it just before the season this is a this is a big borrow in the Trust Bank that's for sure there's no doubt about that and I think really what it comes down to as well is the emergence of Bo limmer during training camp he played well enough to earn some first team reps during training camp and by doing that you put Steve Avala back at a position that he play at the NFL level at a high level for a rookie so he was able to cross train so that definitely was helpful when you look at the ultimate decision they made to put Jonah Jackson at Center and Jonah Jackson when he recovered CED from his injury it didn't give them tons of time to experiment along that offensive line so really I think what it came down to at the end of the day was hey backs up against the wall we have to get our best offensive lineman out there Jonah Jackson was the big offseason investment we think he's one of those guys so you got him at Center and then you got AA and Dodson at guard those are the guys that really pushed this offensive line in this running game to the next level last season so you feel good about that Rob havenstein he was a full participant at practice he was getting more reps and he's getting better he's on the men it looks like he's going to be ready to start and then Joe no boom we're going to talk about him in our next segment as far as the opportunity he has could he take that starting job away from AJ Jackson even when he returned so we're GNA get into that next here on locked on Rams all right you've heard us talk a lot about FanDuel right because it's America's number one sports book you knew all that you knew that you can get all of your futures all of your gamelines all of your player props all of that's available at FanDuel for your favorite team well we've got that and we've got something a little different for you because right now through September 22nd so you've got 19 days all FanDuel customers can bet $5 and you get a three- week free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV you heard that right right you have a YouTube TV base plan you'll be able to watch every regular season out of Market game on Sunday afternoons all you need is a Google account and a current form of payment and you can obviously cancel at any time so not only can you have all the fun that you've always had with fandal but they're hooking you up with a three-week free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV so get on it enjoy all the games on Sunday enjoy all the fun that FanDuel has to offer you all you got to do is visit fanduel.com and download America's number one Sportsbook and well welcome back to locked on Rams thank you for making locked on Rams your first listen every single weekday free and available rev your podcast locked on Rams part of locked on podcast Network your team every day also a special shout out to those everyday listeners out there watching and listening to every single episode of lockon rams we definitely thank you appreciate you we're getting close to 14,000 subscribers on YouTube that was the goal before opening kickoff should have that done so if you haven't yet if you're a listener to the Pod definitely check out the YouTube channel if you watch on YouTube definitely subscribe to the pod as well but Travis here in our second s we're going to stay on the offensive line topic we're going to talk about Joe noboom because I think Joe noboom has a big opportunity in the Rams first two games of the season with Aller Jackson suspended for the first two games he won't be eligible to return until September 16th after the Rams face the Arizona Cardinals so I think with Joe noboom he's always had the versatility which is good and he has had flashes he's had flashes it's just about the consistency every single snap every single game and with Aller Jackson him being out this gives these five guys an opportunity to build some chemistry and cohesion the first two games so I think if he does perform well based on what they're paying him over 11 million versus AJ Jackson under 5 million I mean he could take on that left tackle role if he has a stellar first two games it's definitely within the realm of possibility sure it is sure look it's it's the classic NFL line next man up you do not want to give the guy that's your backup a chance to go play because you're suspended or you're this is why injuries are such a big deal this is why guys sometimes push themselves to points that they probably shouldn't do it because they're worried about losing their job they're worried about losing their livelihood and to your point dmac Joe Noom is not just some guy look he's not an all pro he's not somebody that's gonna you know you're going to have a a bidding war in free agency to get his services but what he is is a guy that's been in the NFL a long time a guy that has held down that position reasonably well for extended periods of time on this team the year they won the Super Bowl the year Andrew Whitworth was their left tackle he missed some time towards the end of the year who filled in well Joe Noom right Joe Noom was the guy that went in there and and and held up pretty darn well through the point for them to continue to go go into the playoffs and of course win the Super Bowl so he's not going to be a guy that's overwhelmed by a loud environment he's not going to be a guy that's overwhelmed by an opportunity right here here you may have just cracked the door for a guy who was supposed to have this job in the first place and now he's a chance to go and and earn it back by you getting suspended and you getting an opportunity in Joe noam's case to step in and grab that spot uh I I mean is he perfect no does he have a chance to get the job yeah probably that's the one position on that old line that I think that they're curious about willing to look at things and if Noom goes out there and looks pretty good for two weeks why would you change it and I think too you look at just the nature of of AJ's absence right I mean this is someone who violated NFL's personal conduct policy and with that you're not allowed to be in meetings you're not allowed to participate in any activities you can't be in the building you're gone for the first couple weeks of the season and I think with Joe noboom like we said couple minutes ago it's a consistency but the flashes they have been there I mean look at last week I looked at week 17 against the New York Giants so he came in in the Colts game and after AJ went out but you look at week 17 he started in that game he allowed zero pressures had a pass blocking grade of 90.6 according to PFF so that's not nothing and is he a great left tackle is he the franchise left tackle that they had hoped he would be and that witw worth was passing the torch to him no he's not going to be that guy but I certainly think that if you look at what this team needs they need a guy that can keep Matthew Stafford upright and they can get the Run blocking at the other offensive line position so if he does that one thing well I definitely think he strengthens his case to see more snaps this season yeah I do too I I I think there's a real opportunity there for him when you're a player like Jackson AJ Jackson that is and you're a starter but you're not Kevin doson you're not Oba you're not havenstein you're not a guy that's just anchored in place after years and years of high quality play uh you might not want to crack that door open for a guy that they had plans on as the starter to begin with and that's exactly what he did and I think best case scenario for the Rams is that Joe noboom has the best year of his career he stays healthy he contributes this Rams offensive line is mentioned among the best offensive lines in football and when that's the case usually you look at your left tackle I think for this case the strength will be the guards in the center spot but still he'll be including that mix and you just give Matthew Stafford a clean pocket you keep him vertical you allow him to do what he does and then next season he can get a paycheck with another team but the truth is I mean AJ Jackson probably gets back to that starters job and the truth is too both of them are average-ish tackles at best so I think the best case scenar is for both them to perform well this year and then you look for your franchise left tackle in the offseason or possibly in the draft by the way speaking of college football how about the LSU's will Campell against USC I mean that is a stud left tackle I wouldn't mind to see in the horns by the way USC they are so back USC is so back going undefeated the peak Matt ler Reggie Bush Peak Carol era I mean a fight on fight on they are so B Travis yeah yeah that is the most sincere thing I've ever heard in my entire life there's no ulterior motives that's not meant as a reverse Jinx that is just straight up you loving SC I totally get it undefeated we want Georgia right I mean let's do it but coming up next we're going to talk about an addition to the coaching staff also the Rams name Captain that's coming up next on lockdown Rams all right let's start with uh game time right here right think about what's coming up here in La what we got going this week we got the Dodgers and the angels going at a little Freeway Series teams in different spots obviously the Dodgers being the Dodgers and the angels well we 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the building can help on defense as well but that's what this team does they look for opportunities to bring different Minds different ways to try to enhance their team any way they can here's another example I think this is a great example of one where you can fully trust Shawn McVey Shawn McVey has done a remarkable job of identifying coaching Talent we can talk about his play calling we can talk about the way that he's organized his football team the success that he's had as a head coach in the NFL coming into his eighth season right here he's as good as anybody I've said it before I'll say it again one of the things that I think he's best at is identifying coaching talent I don't think it's a surprise that so many of his uh you know branches on the McVey tree have had real success very few of them have kind of you know thudded and and not hit in any meaningful way Brandon Staley being the one that kind of jumps to mind if he likes Scott Frost by all means bring him in turn him loose get another set of eyeballs another brain to look at what it is that you're doing offensively the failure at Nebraska for him I don't feel is Scott Frost's failure that's a failure of the nobody has had success at Nebraska for going on 20 years so I don't think that sticks to him he did have success I think it was at UCF before there uh so so he's had he he's had success other places but when it comes to McVey saying I want this guy on my staff I I'm gonna completely trust him to identify the right guys welcome to Los Angeles Scott Frost and we have seen him dip into the college ranks and we've seen guys like Jed fish Jimmy Lake I mean he doesn't have to just get NFL guys he can bring guys in from college and you saw last week the Rams they let Chile Davis go and Chile Davis he was a assistant that definitely had a role on this team and I think you look at what Scott Frost is going to do mcvey's indicated is primarily going to be on special teams and the Rams they had one of the worst special team units in the sport ever last season so definitely Chase Blackburn could use some help from that stpoint McVey said about Scott Frost just to be able to get a quality caliber coach like him in the building as you guys know we've had a lot of turnover for the right reasons and you can't have enough good quality people in house really to get him in that was something that he wanted to do and like I said the mutual connections there's a lot of people that are excited about it so this definitely I think helps Scott Frost in his career for what he wants to do after this more than I think it helps sha McVey in the Rams just because of having him in the connection with sha McVey on your resume what that does for you as far as your viability as a coach I used to say that if you sold sha McVey a pair of shoes that you could get a job as an NFL equipment manager a couple years ago and I think that this is certainly another examp of that where it's going to boost him as well he like I like what he said at the beginning of that quote that we've had a lot of turnover around here for the right reasons this isn't where you're blowing out your staff constantly this isn't where you're constantly replacing a guy because he's done a bad job you have to replace Kevin oconnell because he's a head coach you got to replace rahee Morris because he's a head coach you gotta replace Matt laflor because he's a head coach you got to replace all of these different guys because they're moving up they're moving to bigger and better things and he's had to continually backfill his coaching staff and I'll always go back to when he first got hired I I think it was the real the the first indicator of just how confident he is in what he does is that he hired Wade Phillips to be his defensive coordinator a he was basically a 30y old guy never been a head coach in the league and he goes and takes a guy that's been a head coach three other places that could have easily been the guy that took his job had it gone South and instead he's like you go do the defense I'll do the offense and it worked as well as it did I think it just kind of speaks to his confidence speaks to his ability to identify coaching talent and I think that this could be another home run well you know Scott Frost becomes the an OC somewhere in a season or two wouldn't even be a little surprised I totally agree has a lot of PRS from that standpoint as you point out he led that UCF team program that hadn't had a ton of success to really unprecedented success it's not like he's been a dud as a coach throughout his career it really sham McVey is going to turn into he really kind of already has kind of the NFL version of Nick Sabin in a way where some guys they kind of need to Rebrand kind of bolster their career you go with the Rams for a year or two and you're right back on the coaching Market with a really solid gig but that's going to do it for this episode of lockon rams my name is Doug McCain you can follow me on exit Instagram dmac corla and you can follow the Peoples Champ Mr Travis Rogers at Travis Rogers until next time whose house it's locked on Rams house