Ogletree is back up to speed
By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/ogletree-is-back-up-to-speed/article_7afe181c-c10b-51aa-9b56-40b83d959905.html
With six games to go, it’s neck-and-neck once again for the team tackling title between linebackers James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree.
“Right now?” Ogletree said after Thursday’s practice.
Yes, 10 games into 2014, Ogletree and Laurinaitis have 103 tackles apiece entering Sunday’s contest at San Diego.
“It’s definitely good to have a guy like that to compete against,” Ogletree said. “I definitely think he’s one of the top linebackers in the league. We’re just trying to be a great duo out there on the field.”
After leading the Rams in tackles in each of his first four seasons in the league, Laurinaitis was edged out by Ogletree last season when Ogletree finished with 155 as a rookie to the 144 stops posted by Laurinaitis.
But it’s not like either player is rushing to the Rams’ PR staff after each game to check on their tackling totals.
“Tell you what, I try do whatever I can do to help the team win,” Laurinaitis said. “And he’ll say the same thing. At the end of the day, I don’t care how many tackles — you can give me two in a game — if we get the ‘W,’ that’s all I care about.”
Right. Like Laurinaitis ever had just two tackles in a game.
In any event, for much of September and October, it didn’t look like Ogletree would be competing for much of anything. He wasn’t playing terribly, but he wasn’t displaying the flash he did for about the final two-thirds of his rookie campaign in 2013.
On several occasions earlier this season, Ogletree lost contain on the edge, leading to some big runs on the perimeter. And at times he struggled in coverage, leading to some easy completions by the opposition. At his best, Ogletree is a run-and-hit linebacker, and there were a couple of plays where there wasn’t enough “run” to make the hit — that is, he didn’t look as fast as usual.
But these past few games, particularly vs. Arizona and Denver, the light switch has come on in a big way.
Against Denver, he had 12 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. The interception came on the first play of the fourth quarter when he stepped in front of a pass intended for Broncos tight end Jacob Tamme over the middle. It set up the fourth of five Greg Zuerlein field goals in the Rams’ 22-7 victory.
Ogletree also snuffed out Denver’s last chance for any kind of comeback with 2 ½ minutes left to play when he batted down a Peyton Manning pass on fourth-and-1 from the St. Louis 41.
A week earlier, in the 31-14 loss at Arizona, Ogletree once again had 12 tackles and an interception, which he returned 44 yards. His day also included a forced fumble, two pass breakups and a quarterback hit.
“For whatever reason, he’s triggering faster, and he’s made the plays that have come to him,” Laurinaitis said. “He made a great play in Arizona for that ‘pick.’ Last week, he does what he’s coached to do on a seam route — makes a great catch.
“He’s just flashing. For whatever reason, he’s playing faster. And I like to see that out of him, because when he plays fast he can be a destructive force.”
Lately, the Rams have had players “flashing” at every level of their defense — D-line, linebackers and in the secondary. And that’s one reason why the unit has played so well lately. Adding Ogletree to that group recently has helped take the defense to a new level.
“Alec’s playing at a really high level the last few weeks,” coach Jeff Fisher said Monday. “He’s making a lot of plays. I think he’s got a much better feel for what he’s doing.
“It took him a while to get in good shape. And we’re using him a lot more behind the ball, as opposed to just lining up on the line of scrimmage and the tight end.”
Fisher also slipped in a line about Ogletree showing up to training camp out of shape in the third week of November. It’s as if Fisher wanted it out there, on the record — a little nudge in Ogletree’s direction not to let it happen again.
Because once the regular season arrives, and you’re basically practicing only three days a week, it’s hard to play yourself into shape.
When asked if he was on the sportswriters’ diet during the five-week break between the conclusion of OTAs in June and the start of training camp in late July, Ogletree laughed and said: “No. I just ate a little more than what I should. But for the most part right now I feel pretty healthy and feel pretty much in shape.”
Ogletree added, that he “wasn’t super overweight or anything” when he reported to camp. But pro football players are like finely-tuned machines: being just a little off can make a difference.
“You definitely have to try to keep yourself in shape in the offseason,” Ogletree said. “And going into this (next) year, I’ll definitely do more of that. … I should’ve done a better job of coming back at the right weight and stuff like that.”
Meanwhile, Manning must have left St. Louis glad about one thing: Ogletree doesn’t play in the same division. Because during a 2013 preseason game — the key third preseason game when the Broncos were taking their high-tempo offense out for a spin — Ogletree prevented what looked like a sure TD by knocking a Manning pass away in the end zone.
And he made a quick-reaction interception over the middle in that game in Denver, a play that had Manning shaking his head as he walked off the field.
“It’s definitely exciting picking off one of the greatest players in the league,” Ogletree said.
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