The St. Louis Rams didn’t surprise many with the choice of Sam Bradford as their first pick in the 2010 NFL draft.
However, I did hear a little bit of silence in the air with the second pick of Rodger Saffold, an offensive lineman who was the first pick of the second round. At first, I was just stunned with the pick. Many of the people near me groaned, cussed and swore not to renew tickets. I took a different look at that pick.
I think the Rams are trying their best to make sure that they put the best offensive line out there to protect the front and backside of Sam Bradford. And I know they need help at running back and wide receiver. We all know that. But, what good does it do to have a top-flight quarterback (drafted first overall) get his brains beat in because he doesn’t have any protection?
As much as we talk about the “Greatest Show on Turf” era, the offensive line at that time was one of the best in all the NFL. And when the offensive line started to go, so did all the great protection for Rams quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger. And both men took a tremendous beating physically and mentally.
The punch line for jokes at the water cooler. Cat calls from the disenchanted fans at the Dome every Sunday afternoon. And so forth.
And now that the Rams have invested a high second-round choice in Rodger Saffold, it is obvious the Rams want two bookend tackles on the offensive line.
Last year they took Jason Smith with the second pick in the 2009 NFL draft. The free agent acquisition of former Baltimore Raven Jason Brown to start at center, and now the pick of Saffold, means the Rams are serious about protecting their investment Sam Bradford.
But back to Sam Bradford. I was listening to the radio on the last day of the draft, and former Rams and Cardinals coach Jim Hanifan compared a lot of Bradford’s skills to former St. Louis and Phoenix Cardinals quarterback Neil Lomax.
That’s a complement, because Lomax was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in his seven-year career with the Cardinals. His career totals were 136 touchdowns and 90 interceptions with an 82.7 quarterback rating.
But, he was a statue in the pocket with lead feet, which led him to be sacked 362 times in seven seasons. Marc Bulger was sacked 153 times in the last three seasons. So, maybe the Rams did the right thing in shoring up the offensive line first. We’ll find out for sure in September.