Simmons: Ogletree to Take Over at Middle Linebacker

Rams see Alec Ogletree in middle of plans for their linebackers

By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ogletree-706750-rams-linebacker.html

The immediate future of the Rams’ defense might hinge on a linebacker who couldn’t run until a couple months ago, but that’s not as dire as it might sound.

Alec Ogletree, by all accounts, is back on his feet, ready for football and prepared to show the Rams that they made a prudent decision last month when they released veteran James Laurinaitis. The crucial middle linebacker spot now belongs to Ogletree, who has gone from safety to injured linebacker to linchpin.

“I’m confident that Alec can do it,” Coach Jeff Fisher said last week.

The Rams will be in Manhattan Beach on Friday for a team meeting in which executives will attempt to explain many of the logistics of the team’s relocation from St. Louis. That will, perhaps, give Ogletree a break in what has been described as a ferocious recovery from the broken lower leg he suffered in October.

“He’s been in the building every day,” Fisher said, “and he’s wearing (defensive coordinator) Coach (Gregg) Williams out.”

The Rams, it seems clear, are taking a bit of a chance here, and not just on Ogletree, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound former safety and inside linebacker who will move to the middle for the first time in his career.

That shift, announced last week by Fisher at the NFL Scouting Combine, brings a lot of responsibility. Ogletree essentially becomes the on-field captain of the defense and must adequately replace Laurinaitis, who filled that role for seven seasons until last week’s release.

“Alec is going to get people lined up. He’s a really smart player,” Fisher said. “The way he was playing before he got hurt, it’s hard to find someone who was more productive behind the ball. He’s excited.”

There’s evidence to suggest Ogletree is ready. Drafted by the Rams with the No. 30 overall pick in 2013, Ogletree – who transitioned from safety in college at Georgia – became an immediate starter at outside linebacker. As a rookie, he displaced Laurinaitis as the Rams’ leading tackler.

Ogletree’s all-around game steadily improved but, during the Rams’ Oct. 4 game at Arizona, Ogletree and teammate T.J. McDonald got tangled during a tackle attempt and Ogletree broke his fibula. Ogletree missed the final 12 games of the season.

“It was tough (not playing) because just as a competitor you want to get out on the field,” Ogletree told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch near the end of last season. “But the team comes first and we always preach the next-man-up philosophy. The guys stepped in and did what they had to do, and continued to play well. When you’ve got guys that can step in when somebody falls out, that definitely helps.”

The injury had one positive: It allowed the Rams to more fully examine their situation at linebacker.

The Rams knew they had a winner in Ogletree, then also learned a lot about outside linebacker Mark Barron, the fourth-year player who moved into a bigger role at weakside linebacker after Ogletree’s injury.

Barron, who had been a safety in Tampa Bay before a 2014 trade to the Rams, started 12 games and finished with 76 tackles. Barron is set to be an unrestricted free agent next week, but the Rams would like to sign him and have him – and perhaps Akeem Ayers – flank Ogletree in 2016.

“Mark’s reps increased and I thought he had a really good year,” Fisher said. “As you see, there’s a trend in the league for that kind of guy. And we feel he really fits in our defense. So he’s a priority, from the standpoint of getting him re-signed.”

The Rams also hope to sign Ogletree, who has one year remaining on his contract, to an extension, but he could play himself into a major raise in 2016. Ogletree is expected to be ready to participate in the Rams’ offseason workouts in April.

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RAMS LINEBACKERS

2015 starters: James Laurinaitis (16 games), Mark Barron (12 games), Akeem Ayers (11 games)

Others: Alec Ogletree (four starts), Daren Bates

Contract status: The Rams released Laurinaitis last week, after seven seasons. Barron is set to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday and Bates is set to become a restricted free agent. Ogletree and Ayers are under contract through the 2016 season.

Biggest strength: The Rams have good athleticism at linebacker, given that Ogletree and Barron are converted safeties. Barron, a former first-round pick, failed to meet lofty expectations as a safety in Tampa Bay but, after a trade to the Rams, has thrived as an aggressive linebacker.
Biggest weakness: The internal presumption is that Ogletree is ready to handle the big move to middle linebacker, but there’s not yet any on-field proof. There’s not much depth here, something the Rams will want to address through free agency and/or the draft.

Help in the draft: Reggie Ragland (Alabama); Leonard Floyd (Georgia); Darron Lee (Ohio State); Scooby Wright (Arizona); Kentrell Brothers (Missouri).

By the numbers: In cutting Laurinaitis, the Rams dropped the player who, last September, passed Merlin Olsen for most tackles in franchise history. In seven seasons, Laurinaitis started 112 games and never missed one. The Rams’ prospective starters in 2016 – Ogletree, Barron and Ayers – have combined for 107 starts at linebacker (Barron also started 37 games at safety).