Monday morning question: which Rams players can become elite at their position

I’d say Aaron Donald is a sure bet.

Quinn(like Nittany says, already there).

Gurley.

Tim Mcdonald.

After those guys it gets a bit iffy.

I DO love Gaines. If he gets even better look out.

I HOPE Robinson can do it but I have to see a lot more.

Ogletree needs consistency.

My two longshots:

Brian Quick. IF he comes back and picks up where he left off, who knows?

Janoris Jenkins. He has the physical tools–he just mentally loses it.

I like PA’s 2 long shots…. Quick and Jenkins….. but I’m not sure a QB like Foles can make Quick elite……..

I like the lists here.

I will add Sean Mannion.

And the equipment manager. I think he can be elite.

zn wrote:

I stole that question off the net.

So, I think I can become an elite Rams discussion question stealer.

My list of Rams? Later.

Include a surprise if you can.

Cherry picking other posters lists? Another form of pilfering. My list is short. Gaines and Donald. Yes I pilfered.

i like the lists.

myself.

quinn
donald
ogletree
robinson

gurley is a rookie, and he hasn’t proven himself healthy yet.

i’m surprised people have picked mcdonald. if he can, and i don’t know either way, that would be huge. that would huge for this defense.

can someone tell me more about mcdonald? any articles? how is he ranked among strong safeties in the nfl right now?

that was some elite ball grabbing there.

http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/story/rams-mcdonald-playing-as-well-as-any-safety-in-the-league-111414
Rams’ McDonald playing as well as any safety in the league
Luke Thompson
FOX Sports Midwest

NOV 14, 2014 4:32p ET

T.J. McDonald’s leadership in the secondary has been invaluable for the Rams this season.

ST. LOUIS — Through all of the changes in the Rams’ young secondary, one constant has been there to maintain stability.

Strong safety T.J. McDonald may be only a year removed from his rookie season, but he’s become something like the veteran leader of a group coach Jeff Fisher says continues to evolve through injuries, trades and shifting roles. As one of just two defensive backs to start all nine games, McDonald ranks third on the roster with 82 tackles, including 57 on his own, putting him just one behind linebacker Alec Ogletree for the team lead.

“I think T.J.’s playing the safety position right now as good as any safety in the league,” Fisher says. “The last couple weeks, I think his play, his body of work speaks for itself.”

McDonald made a team-high 12 tackles and played a big role in limiting Arizona to a season-low 28 rushing yards last week, and says it was the kind of game where opportunities kept coming his way. But his athleticism clearly created plenty of chances as well, and he even came away with his first sack on quarterback Carson Palmer.

Fisher says McDonald makes plays all over the field, and he’s shown no fear in wrapping up big running backs like Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson and Dallas’ DeMarco Murray. The experience of 10 starts a year ago has been evident for the third-round draft pick out of USC, and he says he’s still learning and improving each week.

The system of new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been a perfect fit for an aggressive, hard-hitting player like McDonald, who posted the Rams’ season high with 17 tackles earlier this season at Philadelphia. He’s enjoyed the heavy blitzing, which has meant plenty of chances to offer run support and make tackles in the backfield.

“It means a lot,” says Ogletree, another second-year player who has impressed Fisher the past two weeks. “He’s a very physical player and he comes downhill when he needs to and he plays the pass really well, too. He’s an all-around good player.”
Sep 21, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; A St. Louis Rams cheerleader performs during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Dallas Cowboys defeat the St. Louis Rams 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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Fellow safety Mark Barron offers some similar attributes, and he’s feeling much more comfortable in his still-limited role after making six tackles, including a sack, in his second game since being traded from Tampa Bay. The duo has clearly strengthened a run defense that has given up well under its season average of 124.2 rushing yards in the last two games combined.

McDonald’s leadership has also been invaluable in the absence of cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins, who have missed a total of nine games with knee injuries. Even free safety Rodney McLeod has battled a calf injury, although he has still started and made at least five tackles in every game.

“Our secondary’s been evolving all year long,” Williams says. “It’s kind of created a good, versatile environment there. There’s guys knowing the big picture a little bit more because they’ve been asked to do more because they’ve been asked to play more than just one position.”

Rookies E.J. Gaines and Lamarcus Joyner have both seen significant playing time, with Gaines starting at corner every week. He moved to nickelback a week ago when Joyner went down with an injury, and that’s where Gaines expects to be against Denver with Johnson and Jenkins poised to start together for the first time all season.

By staying on top of his game, McDonald says he’s been able to offer plenty of leadership for the rookies, who have shown potential but often been inconsistent. Gaines turned in one of his best performances with three pass breakups, including two in the end zone, at Arizona, and he’s been eager to learn from McDonald and the other veterans in the secondary.

They’ll need to be at their best against Peyton Manning and the Broncos, who haven’t been held to fewer than 20 points and rank second behind Indianapolis with 317.9 passing yards per game. Barron says the challenge of facing the best should motivate the secondary, most of whom are young enough to have looked up to Manning in high school or earlier but haven’t gotten the chance to face him on the field.

“The last time I played him we came away from the game thinking maybe he had cheated or something the way he was calling it out for them,” says Barron, whose Buccaneers lost to Manning 31-23 in 2012. “He’s a smart guy. He knows the game, so you most definitely have to be disciplined and smart when you play them.”

There’s no good time for a secondary to face one of the best quarterbacks of all time, but the Rams could have hardly picked a better week this season. They’ll be as healthy and deep as they’ve been all year, even if Joyner’s groin keeps him on the sideline.

McDonald will undoubtedly be called upon again to fly all over the field and play physically with his 6-foot-2, 217-pound frame. Only this time, he’ll have a little more help.

http://ramblinfan.com/2014/11/11/pro-football-focus-grading-top-st-louis-rams-performers-week-10/

Top “Back-Seven” Player – T.J. McDonald (+4.8)

McDonald was the best player on the field yesterday for either team, including Patrick Peterson and his lucky interceptions on horrendous Austin Davis’ throws. With Gregg Williams regularly using three-safety sets, Mark Barron and T.J. McDonald essentially took turns playing the nickel-linebacker role. While Barron was impressive in that spot, McDonald was dominant, finishing with eight tackles, seven defensive stops, and one sack.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/150526/t-j-mcdonald-carving-his-own-path

At 6-foot-2, 217 pounds, McDonald is the prototype of a Williams safety who can be a force near the line of scrimmage offering an additional hammer in the run game with emerging blitz skills. That McDonald wasn’t known for his coverage abilities didn’t figure to matter given Williams’ propensity for playing with a lot of single-high safety looks, a look that would generally feature McLeod on the back end.

True to that idea, McDonald spent much of the early part of the season near the line of scrimmage, defending the run and bringing the blitz. Through the Rams’ first eight games, McDonald had almost an identical split in snaps played in the run box (230) and snaps played on the back end (221).

What’s interesting, though, is how much more McDonald has been asked to do in coverage over the past three weeks. Although that lines up with the arrival of Mark Barron via trade, Barron has only been heavily involved in one of those games.

According to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, McDonald has played 144 of his 209 snaps over the past three weeks in coverage, which works out to about 69 percent. For what it’s worth, McDonald has earned his highest grades in coverage from PFF over that same span.

What’s interesting, though, is how much more McDonald has been asked to do in coverage over the past three weeks. Although that lines up with the arrival of Mark Barron via trade, Barron has only been heavily involved in one of those games.

According to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, McDonald has played 144 of his 209 snaps over the past three weeks in coverage, which works out to about 69 percent. For what it’s worth, McDonald has earned his highest grades in coverage from PFF over that same span.

this too. it seems he was drawing more coverage responsibilities as the season went on. but more importantly, he was thriving.

in order for this defense to be elite, i think they need to have at least one elite player at each level of the defense. at defensive line i think quinn and donald are surefire bets to be elite in 2015. at linebacker and secondary, i’m thinking the 2 best bets are ogletree and mcdonald. far from sure like quinn and donald though. but if those 2 can put it together, i’m thinking a lot of the inconsistencies start to level out.

Elite:

Donald (already there)
Quinn (ditto)
Saffold at guard (if healthy, he’s there)
Gurley (he better be)
McDonald (I think they hit on this guy, and he’s going to keep getting better)
Hekker (maybe the best in the game)

Second tier that needs to show more:

Robinson (all potential right now, has to show he can polish his technique)
Ogletree (too inconsistent/not enough big plays)
Brockers (he’s had two years where injuries limited him, but if he can stay healthy …)
Zuerlein (needs more consistency)

Long shot but ya never know:

Jenkins (too inconsistent/too many big plays against him)
Tavon Austin (the light bulb will have to come on soon, and he has to prove he can stay on the field)
Bailey (I really think he could blossom into an elite possession receiver)
McLeod (he’s improved a lot so far)
E.J. Gaines (I think he’ll be a solid corner for years, but I doubt elite)

That is interesting info about Macdonald. From worst to first in one season begs these questions. Is he getting Williams system to account for the improvement? Or is he benefitting from others playing to Williams system? Or both?