Fassel on Robinson & more on OL tinkering before the ARZ game

With inconsistent play of Greg Robinson, Rams struggling to find solution at left tackle

RICH HAMMOND

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/robinson-739611-rams-season.html

THOUSAND OAKS – The Rams thought they solved their left tackle problem in 2014. Perhaps not.

Greg Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick in that year’s draft, is near the end of a difficult season. His streak of 38 consecutive starts ended last month and he has been inactive for two of the last five games.

“It kind of caught me off guard,” Robinson said after Tuesday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “I don’t really know what to expect, week in and week out. It was a decision they made as a staff, and I just took it on the chest and I’ll try my best to be positive about it.”

It’s premature to say the Rams have given up on Robinson, the most-penalized offensive player in the NFL this season, but it’s not too early to say they’re exploring their options, and possible changes.

Robinson was inactive last week but is expected to play Sunday in the Rams’ season finale against Arizona. He might even start again at left tackle, but that wouldn’t mean the end of the issue, because Robinson’s young career clearly has reached an important juncture.

“He’s been a little slower to develop than we all would have liked,” General Manager Les Snead said recently. “He’s got some skills that we can make successful. We now have to go back to the drawing board and ask, in our plan for success, where have we gone wrong? Where have we gone right?”

If right tackle Rob Havenstein is unable to play Sunday because of injury, Rodger Saffold could shift there and Robinson could return at left tackle. Rams interim coach John Fassel said Monday that Robinson might get snaps at guard, but Fassel backed away from that Tuesday. Perhaps Robinson could thrive at guard, but a move would be an acknowledgement that things aren’t working at tackle.

Robinson hasn’t played guard since he started there for one game as a rookie. Asked whether he would be open to changing positions, Robinson was noncommittal.

“I haven’t talked to (the Rams) about it,” Robinson said. “If that opportunity ever presents itself to me and I feel it’s best for me, then that would be the time to talk about it, but right now, that’s in the wind. I don’t really know about that.”

Robinson’s NFL-leading 15 penalties have nullified 92 Rams yards. That’s the most of any left tackle and third among offensive lineman.

Robinson’s penalties have “stalled” eight drives, the highest total of any offensive lineman. The NFL defines a stalled drive as one in which a team fails to get a first down or score after a particular penalty.

This isn’t new. Robinson also struggled last season, but the Rams had hope. At the start of training camp, they touted Robinson’s offseason work with former Pro Bowl lineman LeCharles Bentley, and then-Coach Jeff Fisher praised Robinson’s dedication. It didn’t last long, as the penalties and mistakes mounted.

“I think what happens when you get frustrated and you go through a stretch with a couple penalties, you almost revert back to what got you here, which wasn’t the right technique,” Snead said. “That’s when you’ve got to calm him down. Sit down. Take a deep breath.”

The Rams tried that last month, when Fisher ended Robinson’s 38-start streak and made him inactive in New Orleans, even though dozens of Robinson’s friends and family made plans to attend the game.

Robinson returned to the lineup the following week, but the “time out,” as Fisher called it, didn’t lead to much. Last week against San Francisco, the Rams made Robinson inactive and chose to play Pace Murphy, an undrafted rookie the Rams signed in April.

Snead joked recently that his 15-year-old son went online and researched the players the Rams could have selected instead of Robinson with that No. 2 overall pick in 2014. It’s extensive.

Already, 17 players from that 2014 draft have been picked for the Pro Bowl. That includes Tennessee left tackle Taylor Lewan, drafted nine spots after Robinson. Lewan made the Pro Bowl this season.

Robinson remains under contract through next season, but his future will be in the hands of a yet-unknown new coach, whom the Rams will hire next month.

Should the Rams seek an upgrade at left tackle, the expected free-agent market is not deep. Matt Kalil, a Corona native and former USC standout, is in the final year of his contract in Minnesota but has been on injured reserve since September after hip surgery. Cincinnati’s Andrew Whitworth and Jacksonville’s Kelvin Beachum are the only other starting left tackles set to become unrestricted free agents.

Or perhaps the Rams will hope that Robinson simply is a late bloomer.

Robinson didn’t play tackle until his first season at Auburn in 2012, and he started only 25 games before he declared for the draft as a redshirt sophomore. The Rams made Robinson a starter five games into his rookie season, but progress hasn’t been swift.

“My mindset hasn’t changed all season,” Robinson said. “All I can do it just focus on getting better and trying my best to perform at the best of my ability, week in and week out. I don’t think, as a competitor, that I would let it get to me, because then it would hinder me a little bit. I think the best thing is just to go out to practice each week and try my best to get better.”