Rams OL and the centers of attention

Offensive line battle is Rams’ center of attention in camp

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/offensive-line-battle-is-rams-center-of-attention-in-camp/article_e7a9ae65-b9ac-5b5b-9a97-b851d44e67d6.html

Tim Barnes is the safe choice in some ways for the Rams. Although he’s not brimming with experience, this is his fifth NFL training camp and he has gotten bigger and stronger over the years.

The University of Missouri product has appeared in 45 regular-season games and has made four starts — which is four more than anybody else competing for the starting center job at Rams Park.

Barrett Jones might be the slight favorite for the job early in training camp. He was highly decorated in college, at Alabama. And the team did invest a fourth-round draft pick in him two years ago.

Injuries have marred Jones’ first two NFL seasons, limiting him to 10 games and just a couple of dozen snaps from scrimmage at center. But he’s healthy now, a smart player who knows what it takes to play the position.

And behind Door No. 3 is Demetrius Rhaney, forever the answer to the trivia question: Who did the Rams draft immediately after Michael Sam in 2014, with the second of back-to-back picks late in the seventh round?

Rhaney, who played at Tennessee State, is quick and athletic. The Rams would like him to get bigger and stronger, but they like his potential. He suffered a season-ending knee injury last August in training camp and spent the year on injured reserve.

With the offseason release of veteran Scott Wells, the starting center when healthy the past three seasons, the job is wide open. Coach Jeff Fisher and offensive line coach Paul Boudreau are in no hurry to make a decision.

“I’m not going to put a date on it or a deadline on it,” Fisher said. “I think it’s important when you’re in these situations that you don’t overwork any of them. We’re going to rotate them and give them the reps. … When we feel comfortable with it and make a decision, we’ll let you know.”

As was the case during practices in June, the trio of center prospects has been rotating with the starting offense on a practice-by-practice basis. With the start of training camp this year, Barnes worked with the starters Friday, followed by Jones (Saturday) and Rhaney (Sunday).

After a special teams practice Monday, the rotation began anew Tuesday with Barnes working with the starters.

None of the centers has been told how the rotation will be divvied up, or how much playing time they’ll get once the exhibition games start.

All expect that it will take most if not all of the preseason before a decision is reached.

For his part, Barnes doesn’t read much into the fact that he was the starter to begin the rotation.

“Not really,” he said. “It’s one of those things that they’ve been adamant from day one that it’s an open competition. Equal everything. I’m just trying to come out here and play the best I can. Do my best in the film room. Help the other guys involved.”

After entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Baltimore in 2011, Barnes (6 feet 4, 306 pounds) has had to scrap every step of the way. He has sweated out the final cuts every year. And even with the opportunity he has this season, he is taking nothing for granted.

“You go out here and you’re always fighting for the job,” Barnes said. “I like to do things the hard way, apparently.”

Jones, meanwhile, is healthy, fit, and hopeful that his injury problems are behind him.

“I feel good,” he said. “Same broken record. I’m ready. I’m excited. It’s finally here, and I’m happy to be out there competing.”

Jones (6-4, 308) put in the work in the weight room over the offseason and said he has dropped 3 percent in body fat. Although his playing time has been scant in the regular season, Jones has a good feel for the offense and the line-calls a center needs to make during a game.

“It’s the same O-line coach, and it’s a very similar system (under new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti),” Jones said. “So I definitely have a lot of comfort being in the system now my third year. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from year one. I think I’ve adjusted pretty well to the speed of the game.”

As for Rhaney, he suffered his injury while getting bull-rushed blocking on the Rams’ extra point unit in practice last August. He suffered a hyper-extended knee, and in the process Rhaney said his tibia and fibula bones “banged together,” resulting in a fracture.

There was no ligament damage and no surgery. But Rhaney had to use crutches as the injury healed.

At the time, as a seventh-rounder, he was worried the team might try to reach an injury settlement and release him right then and there.

“Yeah, I was,” he said. “But they’ve got some faith in me. I’ve got faith in myself, and I’m gonna make it happen.”

Once the leg healed, Rhaney concentrated on getting stronger and got his bench press up over 400 pounds. Listed at 6-2, 301, he’s shorter than the other two center competitors. But he plays with good leverage.

Things can be tense in such competitions. And sometimes teammates won’t be as helpful or friendly when it comes to winning jobs. But this one has been more than civil so far.

“I think you’ve just got to be professional about it,” Jones said. “It’s not hard for me. You have to ask each guy, but I know I’m really close to those two guys. I’ve known Timmy for a few years now, so I’m real close with him.

“One thing that I think is really mature about it, is we all help each other out. There’s no kind of sabotage, or you want another guy to mess up. We all root each other on and encourage each other because at the end of the day — yeah, we want to make the team obviously (and start) — but we want the team to succeed.”