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January 7, 2016 at 10:26 pm #36789
znModeratorSecondary Makes Strides in 2015
By Myles Simmons
While much of the preseason attention on the Rams’ defense focused on its five first-round draft picks up front, the team’s defensive backs certainly made strides of their own in 2015.
“I think overall our secondary drastically improved this year,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “It was something that wasn’t talked about a lot in the preseason, [but] we always talked about it in our room — ‘Why can’t they be talked about as one of the best units?’”
Cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins in particular had standout seasons. Both made some nifty interceptions — like Johnson’s pick six against Detroit and Jenkins’ helmet pick in Arizona — and they hit hard to make strong tackles. Jenkins finished with three interceptions, 13 passes defensed, and a forced fumble, which safety Rodney McLeod returned for a touchdown. Only Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters and Bengals safety Reggie Nelson recorded more than Johnson’s seven interceptions, and Johnson also had 12 passes defensed.
“It was a rough year last year with getting hurt and only playing two months,” Johnson said. “But this is my first complete season. I’m glad to come out cool.”
As a unit, the secondary had to work through injuries throughout the year, and the process began in training camp. On the first weekend in August, second-year cornerback E.J. Gaines suffered a season-ending foot injury. Coming off a strong rookie season, Gaines was in line to start for 2015. Instead, Johnson was pressed into duty and excelled.
“First off, him going down that hurt the whole secondary. But he’s getting back,” Johnson said. “It’s the ‘next man up’ philosophy. I’d started a lot of games in my career, so when he got hurt and I had to start, it was nothing.”
Gaines’ rehab progress has been steady, and he should be fine to return for the start of the offseason program in April.
“I’m just excited to get back for next season, and I can’t wait,” Gaines said. “I’m excited for the football team, and coaching staff is excited to get me back.”
But Gaines’ injury was not the only one the secondary had to deal with. Johnson and Jenkins missed games with minor ailments, and safety T.J. McDonald was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 11 after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
“I got a head start on it having the surgery early,” McDonald said. “So I’m on schedule, feeling good. Definitely have a great plan in place. I’ll be ready to go.”
The hard-hitting safety was having a strong season of his own prior to the injury. He finished sixth on the team with 80 tackles, and had 1.0 sacks, three passes defensed, a forced fumble, and fumble recovery.
Together, McDonald and McLeod have worked to become a strong tandem of safeties. Laurinaitis had praise for the way McLeod in particular played a crucial role in the Rams’ defensive scheme.
“We call Rodney McLeod our ‘angel’ back there, kind of our savior because when something breaks he’s got to make some unbelievable tackles to save touchdowns,” Laurinaitis said. “As aggressively as we play, when something does pop he has to be that angel to save us. I think, because we do play him so deep, people don’t realize how tough a job he does have. He’s done phenomenal.”
With these core players — which also includes slot corner Lamarcus Joyner and weakside safety Mark Barron — growing together, the unit used its strong rapport to its advantage throughout the year.
“Big time, chemistry is there, playing with those guys,” Johnson said. “Everybody stepped up. When guys got hurt, a lot of guys stepped up. It was a ‘next man up’ philosophy all year, and I’m proud of those guys.”
However, with Johnson, Jenkins, Barron, and McLeod all set to become free agents, the Rams could have some tough decisions to make depending on how the market shakes out.
“We’ve got some key free agents that we have to get back. That’s going to be our focus, especially in the secondary,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “We’ve drafted well there. They’ve produced. We’ve developed them and we don’t want to develop them for anyone else. So, we want to be sure that we’re able to get them back. We’re confident we can do that.”
As for the players, McDonald and Johnson said they’d like to stick together, too.
“I hope we get them all back, definitely. But I also understand that there’s a business side of it too,” McDonald said. “So we’ll see how it goes. But I definitely hope we can all stay together.”
“I love my teammates, love my coaches,” said Johnson, adding he’d love to continue his career with the Rams. “Like I said, we’ve built a chemistry over four years. And we’ll see.”
January 7, 2016 at 11:08 pm #36795
InvaderRamModeratorya know. i’d almost rather let them go. rams seem to be really good at drafting defensive backs, so i’d actually trust them to continue to find defensive backs in the draft and develop them.
use their money on other positions.
January 8, 2016 at 1:42 am #36800znModeratorRams’ Gaines eager to get back
Joe Lyons
It was just a fluke play, but it ended up costing Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines his 2015 season.
During the first weekend of training camp in August, Gaines, a University of Missouri product, went down with a foot injury that resulted in season-ending surgery.
“Just a freak accident,” the second-year pro said early this week at Rams Park in his first public comments since suffering the injury. “Kenny Britt stepped on me during one-on-one drills early in camp. Honestly, I didn’t think much of it at the time. I was walking on it, I actually walked off the field that day.
“When I got the X-rays and everything back, I was surprised.”
After paying a visit to Dr. Robert Anderson, a nationally renowned foot and ankle specialist who serves as team physician for the Carolina Panthers, Gaines underwent season-ending surgery to repair a Lisfranc foot injury. The Lisfranc injury refers to the bones or torn ligaments where a cluster of small bones forms an arch on the top of the foot.
“It’s going well,” the 23-year-old Gaines said Monday. “I’ve had a couple of surgeries to get screws in and out, but everything’s going good. I just got my stitches and screws out a couple of weeks ago, so I’m just kind of getting back, just now starting to do a little jogging and running.
“But I definitely expect to be ready to go for OTAs.”
Organized team activities are generally held in May and June.
A steal in the 2014 draft for the Rams, Gaines was selected in the sixth round, at No. 188 overall, but far outplayed his draft position by starting the first 15 games of his rookie season to earn a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie squad. The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder from Independence, Mo., saw time at cornerback and nickel back, finished fourth on the team with 105 tackles and led the way with 14 pass defenses. In addition, he picked off two passes and recovered a pair of fumbles.
He sat out the 2014 season finale in Seattle due to a concussion.
“I came in and worked hard, trying to make plays and do what the coaches asked,” Gaines said during an interview a few weeks before the start of training camp last summer. “As a rookie, you always feel like you have something more to learn, that you’re trying to catch up. I still have plenty of work to do, but with that first year under my belt, I feel like I have a better feel for what we’re doing defensively and what I need to do to get ready for the season.”
In a somewhat ironic twist, Gaines’ chance to start as a rookie came after fellow corner Trumaine Johnson went down with a knee injury in the preseason. Entering camp this year, Gaines was set to battle Johnson at cornerback and second-year pro Lamarcus Joyner at the nickel spot.
After Gaines went down, Johnson responded with the best season of his pro career, finishing with a team-best seven interceptions. In a home win over Detroit, he returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown. Johnson, a fourth-year pro, was eighth on the squad with 69 tackles and had 12 pass breakups this season.
“It was tough (being hurt because) you want to be out there with your brothers,” Gaines said earlier this week. “But it’s football. Injuries happen. I’m just excited to get back for next season. I can’t wait. I’m excited for the football team and the coaches are excited to get me back as well.”
He credited his teammates, especially those in the secondary, for helping him work through the rehab process.
“My guys, the DBs, were definitely there for me,” he said. “I was getting texts from Trumaine and (safety) Maurice Alexander all the time. They helped keep me in the loop as much as possible.”
Uncertainty surrounds the Rams’ secondary these days with safety T.J. McDonald, who finished the season on IR after undergoing shoulder surgery, as the lone starter under contract. Cornerbacks Johnson and Janoris Jenkins and safety Rodney McLeod are all free agents.
“Honestly, I’m hoping for the best, hoping they’re all back,” Gaines said. “We’ve got a bunch of young guys who’ve really been coming together. It’s exciting. It was exciting to see guys like Maurice Alexander get a chance to show what he could do. You want as many good players as possible in your secondary. I’m just hoping we can get everybody back and healthy and ready to go for 2016.”
Gaines started the final 37 games and earned All-SEC honors as a senior at Mizzou. He likes the choice of Barry Odom as the Tigers’ new head coach.
“I love coach Odom. He coached the safeties when I was there and he was one of my favorite coaches,’’ Gaines said. “We hated to see him go (to Memphis), but I was excited to see him come back and I’m glad to see him get this shot.
“He’s an intense guy and I like that he’s a defensive-minded coach. He’s definitely a players’ coach.’’
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