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September 1, 2015 at 9:49 pm #29694
znModeratorPractice Report 9/1: Keenum Has Advantage for Backup QB
Myles Simmons
With his heavy amount of preseason reps, it’s become fairly apparent Case Keenum has a leg up in the backup quarterback competition. And head coach Jeff Fisher confirmed the notion on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think Case has the advantage right now,” Fisher said. “I think Case has done a good enough job at this point right now that he’s got No. 2 locked up.”
Fisher added the club’s familiarity with the quarterback from last year when he spent time on the roster and practice squad has benefited all parties in 2015. After the Texans signed Keenum off the Rams’ practice squad in December, the quarterback started two games to conclude 2014 before St. Louis re-acquired him via trade in March.
“He just has a good feel for our offense and timing and release and is a natural athlete,” Fisher said. “Since the trade, he’s been able to sit here and really grasp the offense, so he’s a got a good feel for what we’re doing.”
Through three exhibition matchups, Keenum has completed 20 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown — good for a 92.2 rating.
“I’ve felt pretty good,” Keenum said of his preseason. “Obviously, there are things you want back, and decisions you make that you learn from. But I feel like overall, we’ve moved the ball fairly well and done some good things and grown.”
With the 27-year-old quarterback shuttling between Houston and St. Louis a few times over the last year, Keenum said on Tuesday he’s feeling a significant difference in the way he’s been able to prepare for the season.
“I wasn’t even on the team at this point last year,” Keenum said. “I didn’t get all the offseason workouts and the OTAs and training camp where it’s a grind and you’re getting to know all the guys — throwing routes with guys and earning respect as you do in those tough summer workouts. So that’s what has been really nice this year, is getting to know the guys and kind of forming a chemistry.”
Listed at only 6-foot-1, Keenum doesn’t have the stature of starting quarterback Nick Foles. But Keenum doesn’t appear to see that as a disadvantage.
“Every quarterback is different in this league,” Keenum said. “For me, I’ve always said, if my feet can be in position, and get the ball out quick, the ball gets there in the same amount of time as somebody who’s got a rocket arm. So I try to anticipate defenses, anticipate guys getting open on routes and putting the ball where it needs to be.”
And while being the backup quarterback can be a tough job for a variety of reasons, it’s a task Keenum eagerly embraces.
“Obviously, playing and being a starting quarterback is very tough, but being a backup quarterback, you have to be ready to go at any time with virtually no reps throughout the week,” Keenum said. “It’s a mental strain — being in the game, being warm, being ready to go at any time. When the quarterback gets hit, you’re always over there with one hand on your helmet, not knowing what’s going on.
“So it’s a tough position, but I like it,” Keenum continued. “I like playing football. Football is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it.”
SAFFOLD GETTING CLOSER
Offensive lineman Rodger Saffold has been sidelined since tweaking his shoulder in the game against Oakland a few weeks ago, but said on Tuesday he feels like he’ll be ready for Week 1.
“I’m feeling good,” Saffold said. “Everything is going as planned, and it’s another step in the right direction today.”
“He’ll be questionable for Thursday,” Fisher said, “but obviously, definitely, he’s in a really good position for the opener.”
When he does come back to the field, Saffold will be playing on the other side of the line. While he had been working at left guard alongside Greg Robinson, Saffold said Tuesday that he’ll be playing right guard next to Rob Havenstein when he returns. The news was not much of a surprise, considering rookie Jamon Brown started at left guard in Saturday’s game against the Colts.
Having played there in the past, Saffold said he’s comfortable making the switch.
“The way to have the best combination to keep it firm inside was for me to go play right,” Saffold said, adding the coaches “have seen me play right guard before in years past, so they have confidence in me to be able to switch.”
“When those types of things get asked of you — what am I here for? I’m here to be that versatile guy,” Saffold added. “So you’ll probably see me play a bunch of different positions all year. But that means nothing to me. My goals stay the same.”
With the shift, Saffold said he feels like he can assist Havenstein in making his transition to pros by imparting some of his experience.
“A lot of times, the offensive line is about feel,” Saffold said. “I can feel twists pretty well. Sometimes I can tell based on a safety rotation what kind of blitz we’re going to have, and I can point those things out to him. He’s a smart player and he’s really been able to get this offense down. Hopefully, I can get him to the next level so that if I miss something, he can help me.”
While Saffold was limited on the field on Tuesday, Fisher said he’s not worried about the lineman jelling with the rest of the unit for Week 1.
“He’s played a lot of games,” Fisher said. “He’s played the Seahawks. He understands, so I’m not concerned about that. The one that he’s doing is he’s getting the walk-thru reps so the communication is very sound up front with the young guys, so I’m not concerned.”
WALK-THRU AT SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE
As has become an annual tradition, the team will conclude training camp with a trip to Scott Air Force Base to conduct a walk-thru there.
“This is our third or fourth consecutive year that we’re going over to Scott Air Force Base and we’re going to have a walk-thru, so the soldiers will participate,” Fisher said. “If it’s an offensive period, then we’ll have soldiers on defense and vice versa. And they always look forward to that.”
It’s a great event for all, and we’ll have coverage of it tomorrow, right here on stlouisrams.com.
September 1, 2015 at 9:49 pm #29695znModeratorAs Rams start roster cuts, QB Davis hanging by a thread
Jim Thomas
From a player’s standpoint, this is the worst week of the calendar year in the NFL. League-wide, more than 1,100 players will lose their jobs, and each team’s roster will shrink by one-third in reaching the 53-man regular-season limit.
For many of those released, they will be finished with professional football. The Rams started their process Monday, releasing 11 players and placing cornerback E.J. Gaines on injured reserve.
With the exception of Imoan Claiborne, which was a mild surprise, there was nothing unexpected in the Rams’ initial round of cuts. In fact, you could make the case that the most surprising development Monday is that quarterback Austin Davis is still around.
The handwriting seemingly has been on the wall for some time for Davis after the Rams traded for Nick Foles and Case Keenum and used a third-round draft pick to select Sean Mannion.
Starting with the OTAs in June, Davis’ practice reps were limited, and he has played only three series in the preseason — one in each game. Those series started at the Rams’ 8, 18, and 20, hardly ideal field position.
“I’ve just got to stay ready, take as many mental reps as you can,” Davis said Monday. “And when you do get in, play your best and hopefully what you’ve already put on film is good enough. We’ll see.”
All told, Foles has gotten 10 series of play this preseason, Keenum seven, and Mannion six. Davis has thrown only five passes this preseason compared to 34 for Keenum, 33 for Mannion and 23 for starter Foles.
Davis started eight games last season, winning three. He had back-to-back games of 300 yards-plus passing, albeit in losses to Dallas and Philadelphia. But based on his lack of playing time in the preseason, he has to be sweating these cutdown days as much as any since signing with the Rams as an undrafted rookie out of Southern Mississippi in 2012.
“There’s not a lot that I can do,” Davis said. “Without getting the opportunity to really go out and play, you just kind of roll with the punches and see what happens.
“Kellen Clemens, that’s the one thing he told me my rookie year – control what you can control. I’ve tried to keep that approach from day one. I think it’s served me well. And I think it’s gonna serve me well in this situation.”
There were rumors early in the offseason that the Rams might be shopping Davis, looking for a potential trade. If the team were attempting to do so at this point, one would think he’d be showcased more in the preseason.
He started last year’s preseason finale in Miami, coming less than a week after Sam Bradford’s season-ending knee injury in Cleveland.
The Rams could simply be keeping Davis around this week to help get them through Thursday’s preseason finale against Kansas City, especially since there’s a chance that Foles won’t play at all.
So an ideal situation for Davis against the Chiefs might be a nice long touchdown drive, complete with a couple of third-down conversions. Just to remind the Rams, but more likely the rest of the NFL, what he can do.
“How about start the game, finish the game, and win,” Davis said, smiling. “That’d be a great scenario.”
True, but probably not going to happen.
“You fight and claw for every inch in this league,” Davis said. “It’s been a blessing to be here. Hopefully I can still be here and play as long as they’ll have me.”
Besides Claiborne, the Rams’ roster cuts Monday were wide receivers Damian Williams and Tyler Slavin; offensive linemen Steven Baker, Travis Bond and David Wang; safety Jay Hughes; punter/kicker Michael Palardy; and long snapper Tyler Ott.
In addition, tight end Brad Smelly and linebacker Korey Toomer were waived/injured.
Among the group only Toomer and Williams appeared in any games for the Rams last year. Williams played in two games but had no catches. Toomer appeared in seven games and had five special teams tackles. A high ankle sprain probably ended Toomer’s chances of making the 2015 roster.
Those moves leave the Rams with 77 players; two more must be released before 3 p.m. Tuesday, which is the deadline for reaching the 75-man roster limit.
The deadline for reaching the regular-season roster limit of 53 is 5 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s a difficult day,” Fisher said. “We just appreciate all the young guys’ efforts. They came in here, and they got opportunities and they got better. They should feel good about what they did. They helped us become a better football team. Cutdown day’s a tough day.”
Especially for Claiborne, who had three tackles, a pass breakup and an interception (against Oakland) in 49 plays on defense this preseason. Although he didn’t have ideal speed, Claiborne showed good coverage instincts and ball skills on the practice field. Following Gaines’ season-ending injury, it looked like he had a chance to make the roster as the team’s fifth cornerback.
“He played good, he made plays,” Fisher said. “He’s a potential practice squad candidate, but just because of the other positions and numbers, it just didn’t work out for us. We’ve got depth there.
“The other two young guys are doing good. You, know, those are our decisions. We have to stand by our decisions.”
Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, Lamarcus Joyner, and Marcus Roberson are clearly ensconced as the team’s top four corners. Remaining on the roster behind them are Brandon McGee, Trovon Reed and Montell Garner.
McGee, a fifth-round draft pick in 2013, has missed all but one day of training camp with a foot injury and looks like a candidate for a waived/injured designation. Garner is an undrafted rookie from South Alabama; Reed, a rookie from Auburn, wasn’t signed until Aug. 4, or several days into camp.
September 2, 2015 at 11:01 pm #29741znModeratorCase Keenum has Rams’ backup quarterback job ‘locked up’
Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Entering this year’s training camp and preseason, the primary competition at quarterback appeared to be between incumbent backup Austin Davis and re-acquired understudy Case Keenum.
With Nick Foles set as the starter and third-round pick Sean Mannion entering the fray, that put Keenum and Davis in the strange position of either being No. 2 or released.
As it turns out, there never really was much of a competition.
“I think Case has the advantage right now,” St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “I would say the competition would be related to the third spot, with Austin and Sean. So we’re going to try to get them both reps in the game. But I think that Case has done a good enough job right now at this point that he’s got No. 2 locked up.”
The Rams traded with the Houston Texans to get Keenum back in the fold on the opening day of free agency, sending a 2016 seventh-round pick to Houston to get Keenum back after he left the team’s practice squad for the Texans’ active roster at the end of the season.
Keenum had initially come to St. Louis after the cutdown to the 53-man roster last September but he never got much of a chance to play as he spent most of his time playing catch up. Although Keenum didn’t get many chances, he apparently showed enough for the Rams to want him back.
This time around, Keenum has had a full offseason and training camp to make an impression.
“We saw it last year when we had him on the practice squad,” Fisher said. “He just has a good feel for our offense and timing and release and is a natural athlete. Since the trade, he’s been able to sit here and really grasp the offense, so he’s a got a good feel for what we’re doing.”
Perhaps in part because the Rams already know what they have in Davis — he started eight games in 2014 — they’ve given Keenum the bulk of the opportunities in three preseason games. He’s played seven series and thrown a team-high 34 passes in those games. Davis, meanwhile, has been relegated to just three series and thrown five passes, both numbers clearly the fewest among the four quarterbacks on the roster.
In other words, whatever semblance of “competition” that the Rams looked to have at quarterback has never really developed. While Fisher said Davis and Mannion are competing for the third spot, that is almost certainly coach speak.
The Rams have also given Mannion more work than Davis in the preseason games. Given the team’s refusal to part ways with relatively early picks — Isaiah Pead, anyone? — it seems exceedingly unlikely they’d part ways with a third-round pick like Mannion after just one training camp.
So while many Rams will be fighting for spots on the team when they play the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, whatever opportunities Davis gets will likely be as an audition for one of 31 other teams.
September 2, 2015 at 11:04 pm #29742znModeratorActually Keenum looks (so far) like the best Rams back-up qb since…um…well you can’t count Bulger or Warner, ultimately, as “back-ups”…they were more starters in waiting.
At the risk of bringing down the wrath of all the Jamie Martin haters, I will say Keenum looks like the best Rams back-up since Jamie Martin.
(The Martin haters joke is aimed at WV.)
(Cause he’s a Martin hater.)
September 2, 2015 at 11:59 pm #29744
PA RamParticipantI like what I’ve seen of Case Keenum.
I feel very comfortable with him as the #2 guy and am excited to watch Mannion develop.
I have nothing against Davis personally–I know he tried. But I think he’s hit his limit. I just don’t want to spend any more time waiting for him to develop. I think it’s just time to move on.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick
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