Wagoner mailbag, 5/14-15… parts 1 & 2

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  • May 14, 2016 at 11:31 am #44025
    Avatar photozn
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    After stockpiling rookies, Rams still have needs at receiver

    Nick Wagoner

    http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/29244/after-stockpiling-rookies-rams-still-have-needs-at-receiver

    LOS ANGELES — The NFL draft is over. Free agency is over. We are now in the clear with nothing really big planned until, you know, football actually begins. For the Los Angeles Rams, it’s a chance to finally come up for air after one of the most eventful offseason for any franchise in league history.

    Still, there are plenty of questions facing this team as we trudge toward the summer and the wait for training camp to start. That’s what we’re here for in the weekly Twitter mailbag. As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner and shoot me questions at any time using #Ramsmail.

    Let’s get to your questions:

    Victor Aldaco ‎@VAS039
    @nwagoner what do you think of the group of WRs in camp now? Improvement? Thoughts on Duke Williams’ impact on O? Quick/Bailey out?

    @nwagoner: To me, the receiver group is still the biggest question mark on the team going into 2016. The Rams didn’t make any significant outside additions during the offseason and brought back the same group that was outperformed in terms of receiving yards by Julio Jones and Antonio Brown by themselves in 2015. As it stands, you’re probably looking at Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin and Brian Quick as your top three, with fourth-round pick Pharoh Cooper potentially getting some work as the slot guy if he can beat out Bradley Marquez. Michael Thomas has some potential and some view him as a possible sixth-round steal, but we’ll see how that works out. But if you’re pinning your hopes on two Day 3 picks and/or some undrafted rookie to come in and be a difference-maker in Year 1, well, it’s probably not going to work out so well. Stranger things have happened but it’s unlikely. As for Duke Williams, can we wait to see if he even makes the roster before we project him to help the offense? He was an undrafted free agent who came to the Rams initially on a tryout basis. He has some tools, but he also had an awful combine performance and has a lot of off-the-field questions. It’s probably best to expect very little of him, so then if he makes the team and helps, it’s found money. Perhaps new receivers coach Mike Groh can help this group find some improvement from within, but there’s still nobody who strikes fear into opposing defenses as a pure receiver.

    Eddie in Santa Paula ‎@EDnSantaPaula
    @nwagoner do you see the rams going more with a “pistol” or “shotgun” offense now that goff is the QB?

    @nwagoner: Mentioned this in passing in the story I wrote this week on Jared Goff and starting at quarterback from Day 1, but this is a good chance to elaborate a bit. The Rams were last in the NFL in snaps taken from the shotgun or pistol last season (of course, they also had fewer offensive snaps total than most teams), which would seem to mean that Goff will have to really focus in on taking snaps under center. And while that’s true, there’s also a sentiment that the Rams will do what’s necessary to add some more shotgun wrinkles to the offense to help him out. I get the impression that some of that is already being put in. That doesn’t mean that Groh, who is also the passing-game coordinator, is going to spread it out and throw it all over the place. It just means that the Rams will do some things to help ease Goff’s transition, and adding some more concepts that have Goff in the shotgun makes sense in that regard.

    May 15, 2016 at 10:26 am #44086
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Might the Rams take a step back on defense in 2016?

    Nick Wagoner

    http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/29247/could-rams-take-a-step-back-on-defense-in-2016

    LOS ANGELES — The NFL draft is over. Free agency is over. We are now in the clear, with nothing really big planned until, you know, football actually begins. For the Los Angeles Rams, it’s a chance to come up for air after one of the most eventful offseasons in league history.

    Still, there are plenty of questions facing this team as we trudge toward the summer and the wait for training camp to start. That’s what we’re here for in the weekly Twitter mailbag. As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner or shoot me questions at any time using #Ramsmail.

    Let’s get to your questions:

    Jerseyram1 ‎@Rdvez1
    Nick, do u think the Rams did enough this offseason to elevate the defense? Still see concerns at LB and DT

    @nwagoner: One could make a compelling argument that not only did they not do much to “elevate” the defense but that they actually took a step back. In fact, if you look at what they are planning to go with as their defensive starters, it would appear that’s the case. To wit, the Rams released middle linebacker James Laurinaitis and end Chris Long and lost cornerback Janoris Jenkins and safety Rodney McLeod to free agency. While Laurinaitis and Long were getting older and the Rams wanted to go in a different direction at those positions, their leadership will be missed. This defense had moments of greatness in 2015 but still finished 23rd in the league in yards allowed (367.8 per game) and 13th in points allowed (20.6). It’s true that the Rams’ offense offered little to no help, but this wasn’t the dominant defense many hoped it would be. Now you add a series of legitimate question marks.

    Who replaces McLeod at free safety? How will Trumaine Johnson handle covering No. 1 receivers on a regular basis? Is E.J. Gaines healthy and ready to be the No. 2 corner? If not, can Coty Sensabaugh do the job? How will Alec Ogletree handle the mental and physical requirements of playing in the middle? How will Mark Barron hold up all season at linebacker? Will Robert Quinn return to form after back surgery? That’s just a sample of the many questions facing a group that didn’t have many going into last season. On the bright side, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is excellent at his job and knows how to get the most out of his guys. This group figures to be faster and more athletic than it was last year, and it still has Aaron Donald wreaking havoc in the middle. But if this team is trying the strategy that the defense can carry the day while the offense does just enough to get by, well, that could be a dangerous approach.

    Tony S ‎@The_Italian1990
    Q: Are the rumors true about Donte Whitner? Is he going to sign with the Rams here soon?

    @nwagoner: As I’ve written and reported previously, the Rams are still working to get a deal done here. It seems like it’s just a matter of time but simply hasn’t happened yet. I was told the Rams were waiting for his price to become more comfortable for them before striking a deal. In other words, they don’t want to bid against themselves on a potential deal. Whitner has been very open about his desire to get something done on social media and it would be a mild surprise if it didn’t happen at this point. By the way, some with the Rams believe Whitner could start alongside T.J. McDonald if that was a direction they wanted to go.

    May 15, 2016 at 12:44 pm #44092
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    any reports on robert quinn’s health?

    http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/01/prweb13191583.htm

    Los Angeles Spine Group Surgeons Discuss Robert Quinn of the St. Louis Rams Recovery from Back Surgery

    Dr. Sanjay Khurana and Dr. Rojeh Melikian of Los Angeles Spine Group comment on an ESPN article about the treatment and expected recovery process for the professional football player’s back injuries.

    LOS ANGELES, CA (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 25, 2016

    According to a January 8 ESPN article about defensive end Robert Quinn of the St. Louis Rams, the football star is currently in recovery from back surgery to correct an unspecified injury. According to Quinn, he is up and walking again and focusing on his rehabilitation. Some form of back strain and spine injuries are inherent to all sports, particularly from the grueling physical contact that is routine in professional football. Many star athletes are forced to take some time off over the course of their careers to heal and recover from injuries that can range from mild muscle strains and tears, to more serious damage to the spine, joints, and lower back. Orthopedic spine surgeons Dr. Sanjay Khurana and Dr. Rojeh Melikian from the Los Angeles Spine Group discuss the effects and recovery time needed for spine surgery.

    “Spine injuries and chronic back pain are not at all uncommon among professional athletes, especially football players. With reports suggesting that he was previously suffering from hip and knee problems before his back surgery, Robert Quinn was most likely suffering from progressive damage that impacted his ability to continue performing without surgical intervention,” said Dr. Sanjay Khurana, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon at Los Angeles Spine Group.

    Quinn had notably missed playing in several games of the 2015 season while trying to identify the source of his problems, stating that he attributed his symptoms to “getting old.”

    “Thanks to technology and developments like robotic spine surgery, back surgery is now less invasive than ever before. Depending on the nature and extent of pressure and injury to the spine, many people are healing and recovering from surgery for back pain faster and more successfully than ever before,” added Dr. Rojeh Melikian. “Conventional wisdom used to dictate that physical decline and pain, especially where the back and spine were concerned, were inevitable with age. And while it may be true that many conditions are more common as we get older, staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, and seeking treatment for problems like chronic pain can really make a difference in how well we age.”

    Dr. Sanjay Khurana is a board-certified and fellowship trained pediatric and adult orthopedic spine surgeon in Los Angeles. He specializes in minimally invasive and robotic spine surgery procedures with an emphasis on degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, spinal stenosis, scoliosis and spinal deformity, spinal instability, spine trauma, spine tumors and spondylolisthesis. Dr. Khurana completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California at Berkeley and his medical school and orthopedic surgery residency at The Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Khurana completed his combined orthopedic and neurosurgical training at the prestigious University of Miami / Jackson Memorial spine fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Frank Eismont and Dr. Barth Green.

    To learn more about Dr. Sanjay Khurana, please call 310.321-4333 or visit http://www.laspinegroup.com.

    • This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Avatar photoInvaderRam.
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