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This seems to be the eternal question for the Rams or at least it has been eternally an issue since the end of the 1994 season. The Rams tried but failed to sign a number of veteran guards. There are still a few guys out there that have not signed who could be of help. The main name I like is Anthony Redmon an ex-Cardinal. I do not have any faith in Skrepenak. Ethan Brooks-He has been bouncing around different teams on practice squads and inactive lists for two years now. Hanifan saw some potential in him last year and he has a legitimate shot at a backup role this year. He was light in the pants for a tackle at around 285 last year but is on creatine and has bulked up to 300 pounds now. He is 6:6 and Hanifan likes taller tackles. John Flannery-The John Flannery that was drafted high by the Oilers 7 years ago could block with the best of them. But since then he has had at least two major knee injuries and even sat out a period of time. He made a small comeback last year with the Cowboys principally as a guard. He did start 4 games at guard last year for the injury depleted Cowboy line. He is 6:4 and around 300-310 pounds in playing condition. He has always had a very strong upper body but his ability to drive block on running plays has been questioned for the last 3-4 years. He is better depth than either Vernice Smith or Ernest Dye was last year, but I don't see him making any kind of serious challenge to Gruttadauria's job. He has not played any serious center for several years. Wayne Gandy-I thought that he and Hanifan would not be able to coexist due to his animosity for lifting weights but he was an attentive pupil and they got along great. He still did not lift at Ramspark during the offseason. His shoulders are not what they should be to be a force at tackle in the NFL. Out of pads his body looks identical to a football shape. He did adapt to the Hanifan school of pass blocking..that is to strike first and initiate the contact instead of waiting for the DE to make a move. If you watch teams that Hanifan coaches you will see a lot of defensive line helmets jerking back at the snap. Hanifan teaches the linemen to punch out with their hands and fists right at the chinstrap. Gandy is always going to be a tease imho. I thought he was playing well last year from the first Atlanta game onward until Chicago when he let Alonzo Spellman eat him for dinner. What was particularly upsetting about that was you had to know that Spellman was neither in the best of football shape physically or mentally. Gandy does an okay job on running plays as long as he can extend his arms and keep the defender away from him...almost like steering, but if his man gets in close to him he will get overwhelmed everytime. I would like to see Fred Miller get a legitimate shot at right tackle this year. Mike Gruttadauria-He is also said to be on creatine and heavier last year. He played at around 290 last year and I have heard he was over 300 at the last mini-camp. This is a position where they could easily upgrade over him in the next draft. He is a good guy to have on a team and would make an excellent utility guy like the role they had in mind for Gerak...but I don't see him as a long-term starter in the NFL. He has a tendency to always play to his left...that is when the defense stunts or show blitz he almost always picks up the player to his left. That seemed to work against him as the year went on and teams looped to the right and beat Wiegert to the QB. Of course that could have been what he was told to do due to Gerak's injury and lack of pass blocking ability. Fred Miller-He is built like an all-pro tackle. His 6:7 frame is perfect for pass blocking and instead of Gandy's football build he has a tremendous lower body that gives him good balance and power. He more than held his own last year at right tackle...having only one poor game against the Giants imho. He is hard nosed and is notorious on the team for playing mean in both games and practice. He was Jackie Slater's favorite lineman in camp during his rookie season. He started 7 games last year. He got some press for holding Reggie White without a tackle or sack...but if you look at the year Reggie had that was actually not that noteworthy. He followed Hanifan everywhere last training camp and I look forward to what improvement this camp can bring him. An ankle injury cost him a higher draft pick his senior year. Orlando Pace-He is Karl Malone now. Seriously the first time you see the new build the name that springs to my mind is Karl Malone. He really hit the training room hard this offseason and is at 310-315 pounds right now. He is going to be a stud this year I predict. He has a great mental state right now and is anxious to start camp.... Glenn Rountree-Something of a panic draft pick I think in that the Rams could not seem to get a lineman and felt they had to get one. I like guards who can play low and for want of a better work "root" out the defense. He has a tendency to stay high with his blocks and he will end up on his butt all the time in the pros if he does that. I think the role of mini camp is that you can introduce a new offense or defense to the veterans (in this case the two back and the shotgun) and/or start to get the rookies used to pro ball and get an early read on who is going to be able to improve and who is not. It is far from definitive but it is legitimate to say that if Wistrom struggled with pro run blocking that Jay Williams may need to be able to rotate with him. Just as it is legitimate to say that Rountree showed very little in mini camp and needs to improve quickly or be an early cut. Ryan Tucker-I have seen film of him in college and I am a true believer. It is one of thoughts that the Rams are wrong in not trying him at center. I am an older (43) fan that still believes that one of the greatest football minds was Paul Brown. Brown always built his teams around the QB and the center. His first draft pick with the Bengals was a center. The Rams maintain that Tucker is too tall to be a pro center. But there is at least one other starting pro center of 6:5 and several at 6:4. His strength and dedication to the weight room was second only to Pace. The Rams wanted a veteran presence on the line and signed Simmons. But I think Tucker should still be in the starting mix. Exceptional strength and he understands how to leverage block. Zach Wiegert-He really struggled with the transition to guard at first. He missed several blocks early on and seemed unable or incapable of picking up a stunt. He started to improve around game 10 of the season. The coaching staff has publicly and privately questioned his toughness and ability to withstand pain. There are a couple of stories circulating about him from last year that are all verifiably true. One is that he went out of the Carolina game in the Dome without telling anyone...he just walked off the field. The second is that the training staff and coaches never believed his should and arm injury was serious and they verified that in some tests. His run blocking is light years ahead of his pass blocking. One of the reasons he lasted so long in 1995 is that the vast majority of teams thought his arms too short to ever be an effective pass blocker at tackle. Several actually thought his best pro position was going to be center....the Rams discussed moving him to center after the 1995 season and he threw a fit. He is still not sold on his future at guard and thinks of himself as a tackle. He has to really improve this year or he will be a backup next year for another team. Roger Chanoine-Out of Temple.... He has shown some ability in mini camp and he along with Pollack has a good/legitimate shot at making the team. The coaches liked his effort in mini-camp... Jeremy McKinney-My dark horse to make the team and play a role someday on the team. He goes 6:5 and was at 295 in college but is closer to 300 now. He had good arm extension on pass blocking and was thought to be a more polished pass blocker in college than run blocker. He has also played some defensive tackle in college and a pet theory of mine is that multi-position players in college adapt better to the pro game. His whole problem with run blocking seemed to be technique and in his legs...if Hanifan can teach him to use his frame and leverage better he could make the team. Matt Reem-Such a well kept secret that I know nothing at all about him. Fred Pollack-He played both tackle and guard at Nebraska. He is that rare Nebraska lineman who is a natural athlete and not a blown up weight room warrior. He struggled with his assignments at times in college and was inconsistent. But is a natural 300 pounder but is too short to play tackle in the pros. He only started for one year at Nebraska but was easily the best lineman they had in getting out on the option or sweeps. He has a lot of foot quickness and speed for a big man. David Kempfert-Out of Montana, he is 6:4 and his weight fluctuates between 280-290. He is a center who was too light even in college but got by on smarts and tenacity. He can however long snap and played in the shotgun in college.... Tom Nutten-An ex-Canadian football league player. Lynn Stiles has a lot of contacts in the CFL. He was one of the best centers in the CFL and is a good pass blocker. But like Clemons before him he is considered raw by NFL standards and is not a power blocker on the run. I have him listed at 300 pounds but have heard he is really not that heavy. Ed Simmons-At one time he was easily the best blocker on the Redskins. He was the leader of the line and one of the leaders on the team. I think the Rams purposefully sought out players like Simmons and Joe Phillips to try and give the young Rams some football leadership and maturity. The Rams have now had two years of some pretty heavy duty problems in the locker room...with Leslie O'Neal, Harold Green, Lawrence Phillips, Marquis Walker, and Robert Jones wanting to fight every sports writer and reporter in town last year. Simmons had a great year in 1996 and still played well when healthy last year. Unless he and Phillips can start and be a force they are not going to make the team. My money is on both...Simmons is right now easily the best run blocker the team has. I say that with total confidence going into training camp, but he has a bad knee, his shoulders are tender and he has not played a full season in at least four years. If he does make the team-I would be happy with 10-12 games started (which is about average for the last three years) and a lot of time spent with Pace and Tucker on what it takes to play NFL offensive line. My line of preference.....Pace, Simmons, Tucker, Wiegert, Miller.... Don't count Gerak out as a Ram...no one is talking to him right now and Vermeil likes him. Jim 
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