Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › status reports on the banged-up secondary & the banged-up defense in general
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December 11, 2015 at 11:19 am #35510
znModeratorCornerbacks at a premium for Rams
Jim Thomas
Imagine playing a four-man front with only three defensive linemen. Or trying to protect a quarterback or open holes in the running game with just four offensive linemen.
Well, the Rams played pass defense for about 40 percent of Sunday’s 27-3 loss to Arizona with just two cornerbacks. OK, maybe that’s not quite as drastic as having fewer than five O-linemen on the field. Or having to slide a linebacker onto the defensive line.
But whenever the Cardinals went to three-wide receiver sets at the Edward Jones Dome, it meant the Rams had to use a safety to cover a wideout. And there’s not a wide receiver in the NFL who wouldn’t like that matchup.
The Rams have been playing with fire all season by keeping only four cornerbacks on their 53-man roster, and it caught up with them Sunday. One of those four, starter Trumaine Johnson, hasn’t played since suffering a thigh injury on an interception return midway through the third quarter of the Rams’ Nov. 22 game at Baltimore.
That left the Rams with only three healthy cornerbacks on the roster: Janoris Jenkins, Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Roberson. The Rams finished out the Baltimore game with that trio, and got through the Cincinnati game with those three as well.
But against Arizona, with Johnson on the pregame inactive list for the second consecutive game, they lost Jenkins twice to collisions with teammates. On the fifth play from scrimmage against the Big Red, Jenkins and safety T.J. McDonald collided playing pass defense on a 20-yard completion from Carson Palmer to Michael Floyd.
Jenkins left the game to be checked for concussion symptoms, meaning for the next five plays of what turned out to be an 80-yard touchdown drive, the Rams had only two cornerbacks at their disposal.
Jenkins was cleared and returned to the game on Arizona’s next offensive series, but he left for good following another collision — this time with safety-linebacker Mark Barron on a 10-yard TD pass from Palmer to David Johnson with 5 minutes, 53 seconds left in the third quarter.
Arizona ran 29 more offensive plays, a total that doesn’t count three kneel-downs at the end of the game, against a Rams defense that had only Roberson and Joyner at cornerback.
“Well, there was a significant change in the lineup because we moved Lamarcus out to corner,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “Then, Rodney (McLeod) came down to play the nickel spot.”
When McLeod was playing nickel back, either Maurice Alexander or Cody Davis joined McDonald at safety — depending on which defensive package coordinator Gregg Williams was using at the time.
“We had players playing positions that they hadn’t played before against an outstanding quarterback,” Fisher said.
All told, 34 of Arizona’s 84 offensive plays came against a Rams defense that had only two corners. On about a dozen of those 34 plays, the Big Red used three or more wide receivers, with McLeod given the unenviable task of trying to cover Arizona star Larry Fitzgerald.
Because of his extra duty playing outside when Jenkins was out of the game, Joyner participated in a season-high 70 defensive snaps.
“I was prepared for it,” Joyner said. “Coach Dennard Wilson does a good job coaching corners and nickels to be ready. The next man up — that’s what we preach around here. When my number was called, when they needed me, I just did what I was coached to do.”
(Wilson is one of the Rams’ defensive backs coaches.)
Joyner doesn’t have much experience playing outside, but he did get some work there in college at Florida State and on the practice field with the Rams.
“So I felt pretty comfortable,” he said.
He matched his season high in both tackles (eight) and pass breakups (two), although he was called for pass interference in the fourth quarter defending J.J. Nelson on the outside.
McLeod held his own against Fitzgerald, but was beaten for a 68-yard reception on a “go route” by John Brown down the right sideline in the fourth quarter. On that play, Roberson ended up taking Fitzgerald in the slot, leaving McLeod isolated on the speedy Brown outside.
The Cardinals ended up kicking a field goal for their final points of the day on that drive.
In the first quarter, when Jenkins was sidelined for the first time, Palmer took advantage of the patchwork secondary to throw a 22-yard TD pass to Nelson.
The Rams were in zone coverage on the play, and Alexander for some reason moved up and let Nelson get behind him in the end zone for the game’s first score.
The Cardinals scored another TD with Jenkins out of the game, but this one had nothing to do with having only two corners in the game, or having a free safety cover a slot receiver. On this one, running back Kerwynn Williams scored on a 35-yard run out of a two-tight end set with the Rams’ front seven offering very little resistance.
Trumaine Johnson’s status remains uncertain for this week’s game against Detroit. And although the early signs are encouraging, there’s no guarantee Jenkins will pass the concussion protocol and be available for Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson & Co.
So the Rams are considering adding a cornerback, and in fact have talked to veteran cornerback Cary Williams. He was released Monday by Seattle and cleared waivers Tuesday. The remainder of his $3.5 million base salary is guaranteed (and paid) by the Seahawks, so he can sign with another team for the veterans’ minimum for the remainder of 2015, and double-dip, so to speak.
Williams was drafted by Fisher as a Tennessee Titan in 2008. But as of Tuesday evening, he was still a free agent and drawing interest from several teams, including Tennessee.
December 11, 2015 at 11:20 am #35511znModeratorAlexander’s first home start will be family affair
Jim Thomas
For the better part of two seasons, Maurice Alexander’s family and friends have shown up at the Edward Jones Dome wearing their No. 31 shirts and jerseys to watch their hometown hero play for the Rams.
For the most part, they’ve watched him play special teams. There were several times he didn’t even dress as a pregame inactive. And on rare occasions, he’d get a few snaps in playing safety.
That all changes Sunday against the Detroit Lions, when the Eureka High product makes his first home start as an NFL player. He has started once before, replacing an injured T.J. McDonald Nov. 8 at Minnesota.
But with McDonald now out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury that requires surgery, it’s Alexander’s turn. He used to clean up the Dome as a janitor after Rams games. Now, if the Rams introduce their defensive starters in Sunday’s noon kickoff, Alexander will run out the tunnel and onto the field as a starter.
The players don’t usually know whether the offense or defense gets introduced until pregame.
“I need to figure out what I’m gonna do when I come out,” Alexander said, laughing.
Either way, it’s quite a story and quite a journey for the second-year pro, a fourth-round draft pick by the Rams in 2014 out of Utah State.
“One of the beautiful things about our league is you can go in every locker room on Sunday and there’s some kind of a story,” said Brandon Fisher, one of the Rams’ secondary coaches. “But I think you’d be hard-pressed to find one better than Mo’s when he walks out there.”
Suspended by Utah State in 2012 when he punched a teammate after a party, Alexander returned to St. Louis and spent part of that season picking up trash in the stands following Rams games.
That memory still burns bright.
“Every time I go out there I think about that,” Alexander said. “That’s one of the things I’m thankful for. From cleaning there to playing there.”
Alexander has come a long way as a player, not only in terms of learning to play the safety position, but also in terms of learning the game, and learning what it takes to be successful at the game.
“The growth, the development in the last year, he probably exceeds I’d say anybody in that locker room,” Fisher said. “We knew when we brought him in that there was gonna be a little bit of a learning curve just from the positions he’s played in college and the background.
“You really saw the light come on, probably halfway through the season last year. We saw him doing stuff on special teams. He just kept developing on defense.”
And now this.
“His first start at home this weekend. But he’s played a lot of football for us already this year,” Fisher said. “He’s continued to progress and we’re really proud of where he’s ended up.”
Alexander has gotten a little bit of seasoning this year. He was in for a handful of plays at safety against Cleveland, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, and Cincinnati. He was in for every defensive play, 72 of them, in the start at Minnesota.
And with injuries to cornerback Janoris Jenkins and McDonald last week against Arizona, Alexander was on the field for 26 defensive plays. His season totals are eight tackles, two sacks, and one quarterback hit.
Those two sacks attest to his pass-rushing skills. He played some defensive end in college, but mainly outside linebacker before finally moving back to safety.
“When we worked him out (before the draft) we saw the overall athlete,” Fisher said. “He’s had success rushing off the edge for us. He can play behind the ball, and play in space. It’s a unique skill-set for a bigger guy. Typically you don’t see that transition, to go from the front of the defense to the back.”
His size (6-1, 220) makes him a pretty big safety. And he runs well. He also fits in well with veteran safeties McDonald and Mark Barron because he has shown flashes of being a big hitter just like them.
“That’s one thing we emphasize,” said the soft-spoken Alexander. “Be physical in the back end. Let ’em feel us. We made up a name for ourselves.”
The members of the secondary call themselves: AGNB. That’s short for All Gas, No Brakes. They’ve got T-shirts and everything.
“Definitely we like to make our presence felt,” Alexander said.
It was hard for Alexander to make his presence felt as a rookie. He was so raw.
“Last year, he couldn’t have a football discussion,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “And when I say this, it’s not any knock on him. But here’s a kid that only played one year as a defensive back in college football.
“One year in his career, from Pop Warner to now. Now he comes in the National Football League and has to play in the secondary. I mean, it was overwhelming.”
Williams can be very demanding as a coach; his personality can be overwhelming. Alexander saw this firsthand.
“Trying to break his spirit on a couple of things, and getting him to be more structured, more accountable, more focused,” Williams said. “He’s done fabulous. He can have a conversation now where I think I’m talking to one of his coaches.”
Alexander isn’t there yet. No one’s calling him the next Ronnie Lott or anything. But the game has slowed to the point where he’s doing more anticipating and less guessing.
“I grew a whole lot from last year to this year,” he says.
So Sunday marks his coming-out-of-the-tunnel party. Against Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron, and running backs Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick.
“We ask Mo to do quite a bit, and so he’s gonna get his shots at defending all of them,” Fisher said. “He’s got a great challenge on his plate.”
December 11, 2015 at 11:26 am #35512znModeratorInjuries, snap counts catching up to Rams’ defense
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Through the first nine weeks of the NFL season, it looked like the St. Louis Rams defense would finally deliver the type of statistical performance that would meet the vast potential of their heavy investments on that side of the ball.
It was a group that still ferociously rushed the passer but now had the sticky coverage, crisp tackling and consistent run-stuffing to realize the lofty expectations thrust upon it both inside and outside the organization.
But as the season wears on, the Rams defense appears to be wearing down. And, really, it’s not the players’ fault.
“We don’t ever, ever think that,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “We really don’t. It doesn’t make a difference if we’ve got to play 150 snaps, if we’ve got to play 35 snaps. That doesn’t make any difference. One of the things we take great pride in as you see [is] when we play in sudden-change situations. If there’s an adverse situation we have to go into, an extra situation we have to go into, look at the guys rally. Look at the guys rally on the sideline and how they take the field. All of that is mental toughness. When we’re mentally strong, we understand that our job is playing no matter what the situation is, no matter how many snaps we have to play. We have to keep on doing that. So, we’ll never use that for an excuse at all. No, we’ve got to play.”
Obviously, Williams isn’t going to throw the Rams’ offense under the bus, but let’s be honest here, the Rams defensive “regression” since week 10 is a product of attrition by injury and the wearing down of a group that has consistently been hung out to dry by an inept offense.
Let’s start by looking at how the defensive numbers have changed in recent weeks:
Through Week 9, the Rams were fifth in the NFL in yards allowed per game (323.8), fourth in yards allowed per play (4.93), eighth in rushing yards allowed per carry (3.8), sixth in points allowed per game (18.2) and second in sacks per pass attempt (9.7 percent).
In the time since, the Rams are 30th in yards allowed per game (421.2), 30th in yards allowed per play (6.15), 20th in rushing yards allowed per carry (4.27), 29th in points allowed per game (27.8) and 29th in sacks per pass attempt (3.6 percent).Those sharp drops in production correlated first and foremost with a rash of injuries that began to pile up even before the team’s Week 6 bye. They lost cornerback E.J. Gaines for the season, then linebacker Alec Ogletree was lost in Week 4 against Arizona and probably won’t return. End Chris Long suffered a knee injury in Week 5 against Green Bay and fellow end Robert Quinn apparently injured his back somewhere in there, played only 14 snaps since the bye and is headed for season-ending shoulder surgery.
The injury bug has bitten in the secondary, too, where cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins (concussion) and Trumaine Johnson (thigh) are dealing with issues, and safety T.J. McDonald is set to join Quinn on injured reserve with season-ending shoulder surgery.
No matter how much depth you have, when you have to start digging that deep at nearly every position, it’s going to catch up. The loss of Quinn, in particular, has altered how the Rams can play defensively.
“One of the things I’ve always taken great pride in and we’ve always taken great pride in is next man up,” Williams said. “And we’ve had some guys really shine. Last year, (end) Will Hayes just did a phenomenal job shining when Chris was down. Look at Mark Barron right now shining with ‘Tree’ down. Look at Trumaine coming back and having his season with E.J. down. We’ve had a lot of those kinds of situations. I think the best group of defenders, maybe the best coaching staffs have always taken great pride in being able to adapt to what we have to do with who we have to coach. These guys are fun. They’ve taken ownership with it. They understand why we do what we do. And we do make minor week-to-week, series-to-series, we make changes on who has to play for who because of what they can do strong-wise. Really, not hiding weaknesses [as] much as highlighting strengths that guys can use.”
Beyond the injuries, the lack of any sort of offensive production has made things doubly tough on the defense. In assessing the team’s problems a couple of weeks ago, coach Jeff Fisher said it was 70 percent offense and 30 percent defense, but the offense has contributed a lot to that 30 percent.
For the season, the defense has been on the field for 799 plays, tied for seventh-most in the league. But with better offenses such as Cincinnati and Arizona on the schedule recently, it’s been even more difficult to get off the field on a regular basis. The defense played a whopping 84 snaps against the Cardinals last week, tied for sixth-most by a team this season.
Through the first nine weeks, the defense got at least a little bit of help from the offense, playing 525 snaps, which was 16th in the NFL in that span. Since Week 10, the Rams have played 274 snaps, third most in the NFL.
To their credit, Rams defenders haven’t made excuses or pointed fingers for the recent drop-off.
“We’ve been just self-reflecting in that defensive room,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “How can we play better? Everyone individually has to do it. … What am I doing to contribute to these losses? Am I part of the problem? Am I part of the solution? You hope that you have enough guys in there that want to be part of the solution and fix it.”
Unfortunately for Laurinaitis and his defensive teammates, the solutions are going to have to come from some combination of the offensive meeting room and the training room
December 11, 2015 at 11:31 am #35513znModeratorCorner update: Johnson back, Jenkins still in concussion protocol
Jim Thomas
Three injured Rams _ cornerback Trumaine Johnson, tight end Lance Kendricks, and defensive end Williams Hayes _ all had status upgrades Thursday, boding well for their participation in Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Lions.
Johnson (thigh) and Kendricks (concussion) were upgraded to full participation after being limited on Wednesday. Hayes (thigh) was limited after not practicing at all on Wednesday.
The rest of the Rams’ injury report remained unchanged: cornerback Janoris Jenkins (concussion), G/T Andrew Donnal (knee), K Zach Hocker (thigh), and P Johnny Hekker (not injury related/rest) did not practice for the second day in a row. That’s not good for Jenkins, in terms of clearing the concussion protocol in time for Detroit.
Also, WR Wes Welker (calf) remained limited, while K Greg Zuerlein (hip) and QB Case Keenum (concussion) were full participation.
DE Robert Quinn (back) and S T.J. McDonald (shoulder), who are both scheduled for season-ending surgery, have yet to be placed on injured reserve. Coach Jeff Fisher indicated Thursday that they probably would be replaced by practice squad players. One possibility is cornerback Eric Patterson, a second-year pro from Ball State.
December 11, 2015 at 11:37 am #35514znModeratorVisualizing the defense.
Red = not 100%
Blue = question mark…
Jenkins Johnson …Joyner Roberson
Gaines
McCleodMcDonaldAlexander
OgletreeBarron Laurinaitis Ayers
QuinnSims Donald/Fairley/ Brockers Long …Hayes Longacre WestbrooksDecember 11, 2015 at 12:52 pm #35515
canadaramParticipantI guess when you are on the field for such a high percentage of the minutes the likelihood of injury increases.
December 12, 2015 at 2:30 am #35533znModeratorSims, Westbrooks trying to fill Quinn’s shoes
Jim Thomas
For most of the past five weeks, the Rams have been trying to get by without Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Quinn. Then on Monday, coach Jeff Fisher announced it would be a season-long thing.
Quinn needs back surgery. Although he has yet to be placed on the injured reserve list, he’s done for the year.
That means even more of an opportunity for Eugene Sims, who has been starting in place of Quinn, and a renewed opportunity for second-year player Ethan Westbrooks.
“Eugene may be the toughest individual in that entire building,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said after Friday’s practice at Rams Park. “If a fight broke out, I’d want to go stand behind him.
“If you ask any of his teammates on either side of the ball — he’s a very tough individual. As he has developed his skill development he’s gotten better and better and better.”
Sims is an interesting case. A small-college find out of West Texas A&M, he was drafted in the sixth round in 2010. Raw but talented when he entered the league, Sims gradually worked his way into a niche as a valuable rotation player behind Quinn at right defensive end.
As the years have rolled by, Sims is now one of the most-tenured players on the team. Only defensive end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis have been with the Rams longer.
The 2014 season was Sims’ best, with the Mississippi native registering a career-high 45 tackles and matching his career high with three sacks. He started well this season, with a sack of Russell Wilson plus a quarterback hit and QB pressure in the opener.
But Sims suffered a knee injury on the final play of that game and missed the next three contests. By Sims’ own admission, it was a slow-go once he returned to the lineup; he wasn’t playing his best football.
“Now, I feel like I’m playing pretty good,” he said. “Pretty solid. The sack numbers aren’t there.”
Sims, in fact, hasn’t had a sack since the season opener despite starting five games in Quinn’s absence. Every game at right end, he’s lining up over the opponent’s left tackle — in theory, that team’s best pass-blocker.
“It’s been pretty challenging,” Sims said. “But my mindset is to do better and win every play I can win.”
The Rams’ pass rush hasn’t been the same without Quinn. Over the past five games, coinciding with both the team’s five-game losing streak and the first game Quinn missed (Minnesota), the Rams have recorded only six sacks. They had 26 sacks in their first seven games.
“Robert’s a rare pass-rusher,” Williams said. “There’s not very many people that can do the things he can do in the league, and how he can turn the corner so quick.”
Sims, 6-6, 269, hopes to better fill that void in Sunday’s home game against quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions. He is scheduled for unrestricted free agency after this season, so he can help the team and help himself with a strong finish over the final four games.
“I’ve been trying to control what I can control, do what I can do right now for the team,” Sims said. “So I’m not really worried about the contract. Let it play itself out.”
Backing up Sims at right end Sunday will be Westbrooks, who is getting another chance to show his stuff after being a pregame inactive the past two weeks against Arizona and Cincinnati.
“Yeah, I’m gonna be back ‘up’ this week,” Westbrook said, referring to his playing status. “I’m taking it serious. Every snap is a blessing in the NFL so I’m just really trying to focus in on this, do my best and hopefully make a couple big plays this week.”
Against the Cardinals and Bengals, undrafted rookie Matt Longacre of Northwest Missouri State had moved ahead of Westbrooks in the rotation, backing up Sims.
“We wanted to see what we had in Matt,” Williams said. “It’s important when you have that culture that we have in our (meeting) room in there, that they know that we’re watching.
“Matt has been practicing very, very well and we wanted to give him the opportunity. We wanted to reward that work ethic that he was showing. He did very well.”
But now it’s another opportunity for Westbrooks, who has 22 tackles and two sacks in nine games this season. He has been playing both end and tackle this season, and it’s been tricky finding a weight that makes him bulky enough to be effective inside but quick enough to get around the edge at end.
“He’ll get back in the mix (against Detroit),” Williams said. “You’ll see him do that. He has versatility on being able to play inside and outside. He’s a very powerful man, too.
“The big thing with him is I just don’t want to fill his head up with too many things where he has to over-think. So he can just play fast.”
Fast enough to get to the quarterback — which hasn’t been happening nearly enough for the Rams minus Quinn.
December 12, 2015 at 2:31 am #35534znModeratorRams notes: Johnson set for return against Detroit on Sunday
Joe Lyons
All Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson could see was the end zone.
“Not might. It would’ve been six (points), for sure,’’ Johnson joked Friday when asked about his third-quarter interception on Nov. 22 at Baltimore.
On the play, Johnson picked off the Joe Flacco pass and returned it 25 yards before pulling up with a thigh strain.
“It actually happened on the play before, on a fade route,’’ Johnson explained. “Then I got the interception and tried to open up and that’s when I felt it. The second it happened, I knew I couldn’t run any more, so I just tried to secure the ball.
“Really wish I could get that one back.’’
The interception was the career-best fourth of the season for Johnson, who leads the 2012 draft class with 12 career picks. Unfortunately, the thigh injury kept him sidelined for recent losses to Cincinnati and Arizona. He is listed probable for Sunday’s noon game against the Detroit Lions at the Edward Jones Dome.
“I’m feeling good, feeling great,’’ the fourth-year pro said following Friday’s workout at Rams Park. “I’ve been practicing all week and the leg’s been coming along. My confidence is up; it’s not going to be 100 (percent), but it should be good enough to play on Sunday.’’
Good news, especially since it appears the Rams’ other starting cornerback, Janoris Jenkins, won’t play. Another fourth-year pro, Jenkins is listed doubtful for Sunday as he continues to work his way through the NFL’s concussion protocol. Jenkins did not practice this week.
Second-year pro Marcus Roberson is expected to make his fourth straight start at corner.
Johnson figures to match up a lot with the Lions’ Calvin Johnson, a five-time Pro Bowler, on Sunday. The 6-foot-5 receiver has 70 catches for 965 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Other key receivers for Detroit are former Seattle Seahawk Golden Tate (67 catches, 615 yards, two TDs) and Theo Riddick (60, 534, three) out of the backfield.
The Lions’ Johnson is “a beast, one of the best in the league right now,’’ 6-foot-2 Trumaine said. “He’s fast, he’s big and he’s physical. They like to throw the ball to him, man, no matter what — single, double, even triple coverage.
“You gotta look forward to games like this, it’s competition. … I pray for matchups like this.’’
RAM-BLINGS
Slated for shoulder surgery, safety T.J. McDonald was placed on IR Friday. To fill the roster spot, the team promoted cornerback Eric Patterson from the practice squad. Patterson, a 5-foot-10, 193-pound rookie from Ball State, joined the Rams in early October.
He was signed as an undrafted free agent by New England and played in two early-season games with Indianapolis this season, contributing a pair of tackles.
“It feels great to get an opportunity,’’ the 22-year-old said Friday. “I’ve been practicing with the starting D all week, so when my number’s called, I’ll be ready. The big thing is making sure you’re game-ready and preparing as if you’re going to play.’’
To fill Patterson’s spot on the practice squad, the Rams signed WR J.J. Worton, a former University of Central Florida product who suffered a torn ACL late in his senior season that prevented him from being drafted last spring. Before being hurt, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Worton averaged 42 catches and 590 yards in four seasons at Central Florida. He scored 21 career touchdowns and was also a standout punt returner for the Knights.
• The Washington Redskins have signed former University of Illinois running back Pierre Thomas.
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