OL news, OTAs week 2

Rams’ Saffold working his way back from surgery

By Nate Latsch

http://www.scout.com/nfl/rams/story/1553537-rams-saffold-working-his-way-back-from-surgery?hootPostID=4512202478514696ffe74b579bdad068

ST. LOUIS — Rodger Saffold is still limited during OTAs while recovering from surgery on his shoulder this offseason, but that hasn’t stopped the Rams’ offensive lineman from trying to set the tone during drills.

“We’ve got the young guys in there, so they need to know how to practice,” Saffold said last week after the Rams’ second OTA session. “If they’re going to give me the go, then I’m going to give it everything.”

Saffold, who turned 27 last week, has surgery to repair a torn labrum following the season. He said he hasn’t had much pain or problems during his recovery period and that being patient with it has been the hardest thing.

While the 6-foot-5, 332-pounder was allowed to do some individual work last week, he said he didn’t expect to be cleared to do team work during OTAs.

Saffold said he was surprised that the doctors didn’t find anything more wrong with his shoulder than the torn labrum. He was also relieved to have had the surgery after playing through pain in the past.

“That I was able to just tough it out and play all 16 games was big for me,” he said. “Which kind of just let me know that doing this thing isn’t the end of the world, so now I can come back and really play. It’s a crazy game. Things just pop up out of nowhere, but right now I’m very, very confident.”

Saffold, who is expected to start at either left or right guard, is now the old man along the Rams’ new-look offensive line going into his sixth NFL season.

Gone are Jake Long, Scott Wells, Joe Barksdale and Davin Joseph — the four players who started on the line with Saffold at the beginning of the 2014 season. In their place are a mix that includes second-year left tackle Greg Robinson, free agent signee Garrett Reynolds, centers Tim Barnes, Barrett Jones and Demetrius Rhaney and rookie draft picks Rob Havenstein, Jamon Brown and Andrew Donnal.

Now Saffold, a second-round pick in 2010, has additional leadership responsibilities in the offensive line room.

“I’m doing my best with that,” he said. “It’s kind of hard because you’re not in practice, but just staying engaged with the guys as far as getting mental reps because a lot of these young guys aren’t going to get a lot of reps. The o-line room was pretty much vacant most of the year, beginning of this year, and now there’s like nowhere to sit. You have to be able to help these guys out. Right now I’m kind of like a coach, I’m just reading the scripts and helping out where I can.”

The offensive line room has gotten significantly younger in the past few months. Now the old guy, it’s a little bit strange for Saffold.

“Yeah, it is,” he said. “It’s kind of different. Especially just with this team, being the longest with this team. Being able to help everybody. Even with Garrett (Reynolds), trying to help him out. Who is a solid addition to this team. It’s a big role but I like those things. I like changes, because that way it keeps you more engaged, things start getting a little less boring.”

Rams need big things from Saffold, Robinson on O-line this season

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-need-big-things-from-saffold-robinson-on-o-line/article_a36fb060-89ad-50b7-a394-16722ab9baf5.html

If the Rams are going to get it done on the offensive line this season, the left side tandem of guard Rodger Saffold and tackle Greg Robinson must lead the way.

Just four days removed from his 27th birthday, Saffold suddenly finds himself the most experienced Rams offensive lineman with 60 NFL starts. He’s also the second-oldest member of the unit. (Free-agent pickup Garrett Reynolds, who turns 28 on July 1, has Saffold by 11 months.)

“Yeah, I’m doing my best with that,” Saffold said. “It’s kinda different. Especially with this team, being with this team the longest.”

Saffold is the longest-tenured member of the Rams’ offense, entering his sixth season in St. Louis after being picked in the second round of the 2010 draft out of Indiana University. Only defensive end Chris Long (2008) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (2009) have been with team longer overall.

“It’s a big role, but I like those things,” Saffold said. “I like changes because that way it keeps you more engaged. Things start getting a little less boring.”

Things figure to be anything but boring on the offensive line this season. The Rams could very well be starting rookies at both right guard and right tackle, as well as a center who’s never started an NFL regular-season game.

Strangely, Robinson has gone from a raw rookie attempting to learn the game in 2014 to one of the team’s most experienced blockers in a year’s time. Robinson’s 12 starts are more than any offensive lineman other than Saffold’s 60 and Reynolds’ 27.

“It’s kinda shocking just to see that because there’s a lot of young guys that were in my position last year,” Robinson said.

Last year, Robinson’s head was spinning as he went from a simple run-oriented offense at Auburn to a pro-style offense brimming with formations and complex pass protection schemes. This year, Robinson finds himself getting questions from the Rams’ six rookie offensive linemen trying to figure out who to block.

“And surprisingly, I can talk to them about it,” Robinson said, laughing. “Last year, I was the one asking questions.”

This year, Saffold and Robinson must help answer questions on a unit that is the team’s biggest question mark.

“I have to step up — along with Rodger,” Robinson said. “Me and him were here the whole offseason, so it should pay off.”

They were around so much because they have been recovering from early offseason operations and working frequently with the Rams athletic training staff on their rehab. Saffold underwent shoulder surgery (specifically a torn labrum), while Robinson had a turf toe injury repaired.

They have rehabbed together, worked out together and watched film together long before the formal start of the offseason conditioning program April 20. Both have been limited on the practice field since the OTA sessions started last week.

The Rams are hoping Saffold can take a step forward career-wise after being bothered by shoulder issues the past couple of years.

“Well, it’s fixed,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We have every reason to expect that thing’s not going to pop out every three weeks like it did. There’s so much ahead for him, right now, from an upper-body strength (standpoint). We’re just trying to be smart with him right now.”

Saffold had the surgery done as soon as the season ended, and it was a clean surgery. In other words, there was damage only to the labrum — and nothing else.

“I haven’t had much pain or problems,” Saffold said. “It’s been pretty much smooth sailing. Right now I’m ahead of the curve.”

The Rams are taking it slow with Saffold, and Robinson as well. No need to rush things in early June.

Robinson suffered his turf toe at the end of last season, and similar to Saffold, had surgery right after the season.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Robinson said. “But the first part, just staying off it, was real tough. But as I got to moving a little more, I became a lot more comfortable. So it was really just staying focused and getting stronger, keeping my conditioning up.”

Robinson said he’s making progress on a daily basis and expects to be full-go by the start of training camp. The conditioning work and weight training have paid off. He has dropped 20 pounds, to 319, and the baby fat is gone.

“He feels good,” Fisher said. “His strength has increased, so if there’s a little bit of weight loss and an increase in strength, that’s a good thing.”

Besides all the conditioning work, Robinson said he started eating healthier in the offseason. Not that he’s become a health freak and is subsisting on tree bark and trail mix.

“I still cheat here and there but it’s a lot more limited than usual,” he said.

So he didn’t give up a favorite food, such as doughnuts?

“No, I didn’t,” he told a reporter. “You want to go out for some doughnuts?”

At the lighter weight, Robinson hopes to increase his quickness — the better to handle all those speed rushers at left tackle.

At this point, Robinson can’t really gauge if he has indeed gotten quicker, because he isn’t practicing full-go yet. But it feels that way.

“I feel like I’m moving a lot better,” Robinson said. “Hopefully, it goes through as planned. I really can’t sense the future, but now my main focus is just making progress each day.”

Battle for Rams’ center job likely to last into training camp

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/19144/battle-for-rams-center-job-likely-to-last-into-training-camp

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Depending on the day, the St. Louis Rams have a different starting center at every organized team activity.

One day it’s Tim Barnes, another it’s Barrett Jones and the next it’s Demetrius Rhaney. It’s a three-person competition that figures to continue deep into training camp and perhaps all the way through the preseason.

“We’re not going to make a decision real early,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We’ll let them all play. We’re rotating them. They’re all getting opportunities to work with Nick (Foles), so he’s familiar not only with the exchanges but also the communication. We’ll make that decision when somebody shows us he’s earned the job.”

In other words, don’t expect that decision to come any time soon.

When the Rams released veteran Scott Wells before the start of free agency in March, they parted ways with the only center on the roster with substantial starting experience. Wells had struggled in recent seasons, but he at least started all 16 games in 2014 and 19 more for the Rams in the previous two seasons.

Upon re-signing Barnes and choosing not to pursue outside options in free agency or the draft, the Rams committed to finding Wells’ replacement in house. Each of the options brings something different to the table, but none really offers much playing experience. In fact, Barnes’ four starts account for all of the starting experience among the three contenders for the job.

Because of those four games, Barnes got first dibs on working with the top offense at the team’s first OTA. Jones came second and then Rhaney, and the Rams have continued to mix it up through the first two weeks.

For Barnes, the time is now to prove he belongs. He’s been on the Rams’ active roster since 2012, appearing in 45 games along the way, but most of that work has been limited to special teams. He filled in for an injured Wells in 2013, stepping in for those four starts and playing a career-high 257 offensive snaps in the process.

This offseason, the Rams declined to tender Barnes as a restricted free agent, allowing him to explore his options. He visited Kansas City, but ultimately the chance to compete for the starting job with the Rams brought him back.

“That was the main factor was, it was kind of like being a free agent out of college again as far as you want to find a place you are going to be able to compete for the job,” Barnes said. “I have been a backup for a few years now, and I know I’m getting older and it’s time. It could be do or die, you never know. So this was a great opportunity, and that was our goal to find a place to give me an opportunity to start and play.”

While Barnes’ playing experience is limited, he’s a seasoned veteran compared to Jones and Rhaney.

Jones came to the Rams in the 2013 NFL draft out of Alabama as one of the most decorated college linemen of all time. But a litany of injuries, including a 2014 back surgery, has kept Jones on the sideline. In two seasons he’s played in 10 games, but only against Kansas City last year did he appear on offense — and that was for just 22 snaps. That’s the extent of his experience aside from special teams.

The Rams view Jones as one of their most intelligent players, and from that standpoint he might be the most prepared to take over the job. The key for him is proving his body is ready to hold up for the grind of a 16-game season. To that end, he took advantage of his first healthy offseason by adding muscle and showing up leaner for OTAs. He says this is as healthy as he’s felt since he arrived in the NFL.

“I definitely wanted to be 100 percent,” Jones said. “When I had back surgery last year, I wasn’t able to work out for a long time, so I wanted to put a lot more muscle on. I feel really good about where my body is, make-up-wise, and getting to work out a whole offseason healthy.”

Rhaney represents the wild card in the mix. Although he’s even more unproven than Barnes and Jones, the second-year center has his share of supporters in the organization. After a knee injury cost the 2014 seventh-round draft choice his rookie season, Rhaney said he’s added about five pounds of muscle in the offseason.

It should help Rhaney’s cause that the Rams offense has a few tweaks coming that seem to play into his skill set. Rhaney said he played in a zone-heavy scheme at Tennessee State and that new Rams offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti is adding wrinkles to the scheme that fit his style of play.

“The stuff we are running now is similar to what I ran in college, so that’s probably why I’m so happy about it,” Rhaney said. “Once I get the plays completely all the way down, I’ll feel real good. It’s exactly what I did in college. My quickness and stuff, that’s what made me stand out more.”

With three candidates to sort through, it’s safe to expect the Rams to take their time to figure out who gives them the best chance.

“We are all working hard and we have three good candidates,” Jones said. “It’s pretty open. You have got to make the most of your opportunities, for sure, and obviously it’s one of the interesting things about the NFL. It’s two of your good buddies on the team and you are competing for spots and jobs, and it’s just what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to go out there and work hard and compete.”

Greg Robinson expecting big improvement in second season

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/19163/greg-robinson-expecting-big-improvement-in-second-season

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Surrounded by a group of offensive linemen that includes four rookies taken in this year’s NFL draft, second-year offensive tackle Greg Robinson finds himself in something of a strange position.

After the St. Louis Rams opted for a nearly complete makeover of their offensive line in the offseason, Robinson is now the second-most experienced projected starter on the line. This time last year, Robinson was attaching himself to the likes of Jake Long, Rodger Saffold and Joe Barksdale in an effort to get up to speed as fast as possible.

A year later, Robinson is the player the rookie linemen are turning to for answers.

“Last year, I was the one asking the questions,” Robinson said, laughing.

That’s not to say that Robinson has all the answers yet, either. When the Rams used the No. 2 overall pick on him in the 2014 NFL draft, they knew it would take some time for him to turn raw ability into polished production. That is why Robinson’s rookie season came with more than its share of bumps along the way.

Robinson started out as a guard, biding his time on the bench the first four weeks of the season before finally moving into the starting lineup. With Long in place, the Rams hoped Robinson could help at guard for a season before taking his projected left tackle spot permanently. That experiment lasted little more than two games before another ACL injury ended Long’s season in week 8.

The Rams decided to turn the future into the present by moving Robinson outside to left tackle. They stuck with that idea this offseason when they released Long.

Buoyed by the knowledge that his natural left tackle position is where his future lies, Robinson has spent the offseason recovering from a turf toe injury suffered in the season finale against Seattle and attempting to get in better shape.

It’s so far, so good on both fronts as Robinson said he has dropped 20 pounds to get down to 319 from 339 and is already doing individual drills after rehabilitating from the toe injury.

“I feel like I’m making progress every day,” Robinson said. “They don’t really want me rushing it. So I’m just going with whatever the coaches say and just trying to stay locked in and pay as much attention as possible.”

Robinson probably could participate in team drills during practice now, but the Rams don’t see the need to rush him.

“He’s been working here,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s been rehabbing and he’s working and he feels good. His strength has increased. If there’s a little bit of weight loss and increase of strength, that’s a good thing.”

Dropping the weight should allow Robinson to use his athleticism in space more.

“That’s the plan,” Robinson said. “I feel like I’m moving a lot better. It’s coming from not being able to run at all to making progress and transition back to the field, but they don’t want me rushing it.”

In the meantime, Robinson has spent those team drill sessions focused on the mental side of things. Unlike last year, when he was asked to learn two positions at the same time, Robinson no longer has to concern himself with anything but tackle.

With the Rams adding some new offensive wrinkles, including more zone blocking, Robinson is getting a chance to do more of what he did at Auburn, where the Tigers mixed zone and man blocking schemes. The Rams appear to be headed toward mixing the two more than they already did this year.

Robinson hopes those new wrinkles and his additional time spent learning the offense will pay off in his second season. With three new starters projected elsewhere on the line, the Rams can’t afford to wait for Robinson to take much more time to develop.

“I feel like the game has slowed down a little bit for me, just by me going through the walkthroughs and getting off on the snap count and stuff,” Robinson said. “I haven’t been making as many mistakes as I was last year, so I think the main focus is just getting the playbook and trying my best to learn as much as possible so I won’t be thinking as much on the line.”

Three Rams linemen compete to take over at center

By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/three-rams-linemen-compete-to-take-over-at-center/article_72b87957-c974-5b2a-ae52-87846be09575.html

Going into the final week of OTAs at Rams Park, the battle at center appears to be a three-man race involving Tim Barnes, Barrett Jones and Demetrius Rhaney.

That’s not likely to change any time soon.

“We’re not going to make a decision real early,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We’ll let them all play. We’re rotating them. They’re all getting opportunities to work with (new quarterback Nick Foles), so he’s familiar, not only with the exchanges, but also the communication. We’ll make that decision when somebody shows us he’s earned the job.”

Scott Wells, an 11-year pro who won a Super Bowl and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in 2011 with the Green Bay Packers, signed as a free agent with the Rams in 2012 and spent the last three seasons as the team’s center – when he was healthy.

Wells missed the first nine games of 2012 with a foot injury and sat out the final four games of 2013 with a fractured fibula. The 34-year-old battled through injuries to make all 16 starts a year ago and was released, along with tackle Jake Long, in March.

“Jake and Scott brought experience and professionalism to our program and we appreciate that commitment and hard work,” Fisher said at the time. “Both of them overcame injury difficulties and provided leadership for our younger players.”

Both Barnes and Jones said they learned a lot from Wells.

“I always made a point to sit next to Scott in the meeting room,” said Barnes, a fourth-year pro from the University of Missouri. “Over the last few years, I asked him a ton of questions.”

Jones added: “I’m grateful for the time he took to teach me a few tricks of the trade. His approach to the game, week by week, and the way he broke down film, he showed us what being a pro is all about.”

But with Wells gone, there’s an opportunity for someone else at center and, for now at least, Barnes, Jones and Rhaney are rotating in practice to give all three a chance to work as starters and as back-ups.

“It’s kind of strange because we’re good friends and we’re competing for the same job,” Jones said. “We’re working hard and pushing each other because we know that’s best for the team.

“At the same time, you try not to worry too much about the big picture because I think you can be consumed by that and it’s not healthy. All you can do is work hard every day and let the rest take care of itself.”

Jones, 25, won three national titles at Alabama and earned All-American honors at three different positions before being selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. He entered the league as one of the most decorated offensive linemen in college football history, but his development with the Rams has been slowed by injury.

Jones suffered an injury to his left foot late in his college career, and the eventual surgery severely limited his training heading into his rookie campaign. That season, he played in three late-season games on special teams.

Jones, who stands 6-foot-4 and weights 308 pounds, ran into similar problems early in training camp last year, suffering a back injury that required surgery and limited him to just seven games of special-teams action.

“It’s just fun to be out here competing,” he said following a recent session at Rams Park. “I feel as good as I’ve felt in a long time. I’ll tell you, it’s tough going up against our D-line when you’re not 100 percent. But I’ve been able to work out all through the offseason, able to add some muscle and lean up a little bit. I don’t know the exact numbers — big guys, we get a little anxious about those body-fat tests — but I feel great and I’m really looking forward to competing at training camp.”

Jones knows this is a pivotal season. “It’s a performance-based league,’’ he said, “and I have to perform.”

Barnes, 27, of Longwood, Mo., signed with the Rams in 2011 after spending some time in training camp with Baltimore. In three seasons, he has played in 45 games, including four starts in place of Wells to close out the 2013 campaign.

“This is something I’ve been working for as long as I’ve been in the league, working my way up from the practice squad to backup and special teams,” Barnes said. “It’s a chance to compete and to hopefully show that I can do the job.”

Like Jones, Barnes knows the pressure is on.

“When I’m out there, I have to make every rep count,” the 6-foot-4, 306-pounder said. “As a professional, you never want to be too satisfied, so you really have to focus on the details — your technique and your fundamentals. Right now, I’m working to get comfortable with Nick and the other quarterbacks and to be as consistent as possible.”

To this point, Rhaney’s claim to fame is his draft position. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2014 draft, one pick after Mizzou defensive end Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL.

The 6-2, 301-pounder from Tennessee State spent his rookie season on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury during training camp a year ago.

“Turned out to be a redshirt year, I guess,” the 22-year-old said. “It gave me a chance to learn my playbook, to get stronger and to learn from (offensive line coach Paul T. Boudreau), coach (Fisher) and (assistant offensive line coach Andy Dickerson).

“My knee feels great. I’m stronger and I’m still moving around pretty well, even with the knee brace.”

The Rams have been impressed with Rhaney’s quick feet and low center of gravity.

“The coaches keep telling us that it’s anybody’s job and I’m going to compete and really go after it,” Rhaney said. “We’re going to compete hard every single day and in the end the guy who shows he can do the best job is the one who’ll end up starting.”