Alex Barron... gone at last

Hmm... Alex appears to be moving here before any of his teammates.

How fitting is it that the reporting of the trade that has now sent Rams offensive tackle Alex Barron to Dallas for linebacker Bobby Carpenter started a week before the trade became official? Reporters got a head start on reporting Barron's trade much like Alex himself gets head starts on many plays in which he participates.

So how will history remember the Alex Barron Era? Not fondly, though it could have been much, much worse. Barron will be remembered around here as one of the most penalized players in the NFL, especially for his multitude of stupid, undisciplined false starts. How many drives did the guy kill with stupid penalties? Who can count that high? Mental errors were plentiful for Barron after the snap as well. He was as adept at the holding penalty as he was at the false start. Plenty of Rams plays the last few years have been a block away from being successful, and that was often Barron's block. I would say it was much more due to mental error than lack of effort, but Barron often got caught not blocking to the whistle, with the man he didn't block breaking up the Rams' chance for a big play.

The signature Alex Barron Moment had to come at last August's open scrimmage at Lindenwood University, when he demonstrated he couldn't even keep from false starting during practice and got booed by 7,000 fans for it.

Mom says if you can't say something good about someone, don't say anything at all, and there are some good things to say about Alex Barron. He's tough and durable. He's versatile enough to play right and left tackle, though he'll never be a Pro Bowler at either. He's stayed out of trouble off the field. If Barron's play wasn't riddled with mental mistakes, he'd be wonderfully... average.

Will Barron blossom in Dallas? I doubt it. Year after year, coach after coach, we thought Barron would grow into becoming a lineman who could actually stay onside when he's supposed to. Play with discipline. Not stop till the play's actually over. He never did. There's little reason to believe he ever will. I don't see why a change of scenery should have any more effect on Barron than anything else in his career. He is what he is. The highest praise I think anyone around here has for him is, he could be worse.

Woody Allen's said that 80% of success is showing up. I think Alex Barron's proved him wrong.