Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Wagoner articles on B.Jones, Barnes, & Rhaney
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June 15, 2015 at 6:40 pm #26328
znModerator
Barrett Jones says he’s healthiest he’s been since NFL arrivalBy Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/p … fl-arrival
EARTH CITY, Mo. — For the first time since his arrival in the NFL in 2013, St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Barrett Jones is fully healthy.
Whether it was recovering from a foot injury as a rookie or back surgery last year, Jones has never been able to offer much to the Rams because he’s spent more time in the training room than on the practice field. All of those ailments have been enough to limit Jones to 10 games and just 22 offensive snaps in two seasons after a decorated college career.
What’s worse, they’ve kept Jones from having full offseasons to work out and add the muscle the Rams believe he needs to hold up on the line. So Jones had a simple goal this offseason.
“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 and that was one of my goals, to pack on more muscle and lean up a little bit. I think I’ve leaned up a little bit.”
Jones does look like he’s added some lean muscle, though he said he doesn’t have any numbers on how much weight he’s lost or what his body fat percentage is now.
“I don’t know,” Jones said. “I’m not a science guy. Us big guys, we’re still not anxious for body fat tests. When we’re in good shape, it’s more like 20 (percent) so it’s not the same.”
This offseason also hasn’t been the same for Jones, but in a good way. The former two-time All American, three-time national champion and Outland Trophy winner said he has no lingering issues from any of his previous injuries and has been able to consistently stay in the weight room.
The timing of that health couldn’t be better for Jones, who is also in position to win a starting job for the first time since he arrived. The Rams released center Scott Wells in March, and Jones is one of three players competing to win that job. Rams coach Jeff Fisher has made it clear that the mental aspect of the offense will be a primary factor in determining a winner, which is good news for Jones, who is considered one of the most intelligent linemen on the roster.
But staying mentally sharp has never been much of a concern for Jones. In that regard, he’s ready. It all comes down to whether he’s strong enough to hold up against some of the brute-force defensive linemen he’ll see, especially in the rugged NFC West division.
Although it’s just his third season, Jones is well aware that this is his best chance to prove he belongs.
“It’s definitely a big year,” Jones said. “It’s a performance-based league obviously, and this is a year I have got to perform well. I know that and I’m here working hard. At the same time, I try not to worry too much about the big picture. I think you can kind of get consumed with that thinking about ‘Oh no, doing the numbers, how many guys are going to make the team?’ I don’t think that’s really healthy. I think you just need to come in and work really hard every day and just kind of focus on that. Hopefully at the end of the day, the rest will take care of itself.”
June 15, 2015 at 6:54 pm #26331
snowmanParticipantHe is currently listed at 6′ 4″ and 308 lbs, so he is big enough. He has been in the weight room and has watched a lot of film, so he just needs to stay healthy. He is one of the guys who really needs to step up and play well for us. We need quality linemen to protect Foles and open holes for Gurley.
June 15, 2015 at 7:57 pm #26338
InvaderRamModeratori like him. i think a fully healthy jones wins the job easily.
June 16, 2015 at 4:53 pm #26402znModeratorRams’ Tim Barnes hoping to parlay experience into starting center job
By Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — After the St. Louis Rams declined to extend a restricted free agent offer sheet to center Tim Barnes in March, Barnes got his second taste of what it’s like to go searching for an NFL home.
The first had come back in 2011, when Barnes went undrafted out of Missouri. Given a chance to take control of his football fate, Barnes sought the place that provided him the greatest opportunity to stick on a roster. He eventually landed in Baltimore, where he spent training camp before the Rams took a shot on him.
This time around, the situation was similar but the stakes much higher. Barnes has been on the Rams active roster for the past three seasons, playing 45 games and even starting four in 2013. Although he previously offered valuable depth, Barnes hadn’t done enough to stake a claim to a starting spot.
But after Barnes looked around for potential options, including a visit with the Kansas City Chiefs, he came to the conclusion that the place that offered him his best chance to stick around was the same place that’s offered him all of his previous NFL playing experience.
“I have been a backup for a few years now, and I know I’m getting older and it’s time,” Barnes said. “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.”
Indeed, the center position represents a vast land of opportunity for Barnes, Barrett Jones and Demetrius Rhaney. That trio is competing for the job vacated by the March release of veteran Scott Wells.
Although Barnes only has four NFL starts to his name, he’s the only one of the three to have any starting experience in the NFL. Taking it further, of the offensive linemen currently on the roster, only guard Rodger Saffold has been with the team longer or appeared in more games than Barnes. It’s that experience that Barnes hopes will help give him a leg up in the competition for the job.
“This is going to be my fifth year here,” Barnes said. “So only a few other guys have been here longer, or as long. So you’re familiar with the coaches and whenever young guys come in, I am more comfortable giving them advice and more comfortable taking on that role of trying to be a leader and trying to get everyone going. Whatever it is, it’s one of those things as you get older you get accustomed to.”
It’s a role that Barnes has taken to, even with the knowledge that sharing his wisdom with his competitors could help them steal the starting job he covets.
“The great thing about the competition and playing there is if someone asks a question and I give them the right answer, it means I know what I’m doing,” Barnes said. “That helps me. Maybe they asked a question I didn’t think about but if I can figure it out, it helps us both. That makes us better as a team. The great thing about having competition is whoever wins the job, I know I’m doing my part to try to make the team better. So if I were to start, great, if someone else did, I know I pushed him and the team is going to be better for it.”
June 17, 2015 at 1:04 am #26421znModeratorafter Barnes looked around for potential options, including a visit with the Kansas City Chiefs, he came to the conclusion that the place that offered him his best chance to stick around was the same place that’s offered him all of his previous NFL playing experience.
“I have been a backup for a few years now, and I know I’m getting older and it’s time,” Barnes said. “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.”
This answers the question, why did Barnes choose the Rams even though he had at minimum at least one visit, and who knows what other interest? Because the Rams gave him a shot to start.
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June 17, 2015 at 2:31 am #26424
MackeyserModeratori like him. i think a fully healthy jones wins the job easily.
+1
I totally agree.
Sports is the crucible of human virtue. The distillate remains are human vice.
June 17, 2015 at 8:37 pm #26512znModeratorDon’t overlook Demetrius Rhaney in Rams’ center competition
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — From the outside, it would be easy to overlook Demetrius Rhaney’s candidacy to win the St. Louis Rams’ starting center job.
After all, Rhaney is one of three candidates for the gig along with Tim Barnes, who has actually started NFL games, and Barrett Jones, who came to the NFL with one of the most impressive college resumes of any lineman in more than a decade. Rhaney hasn’t so much as been on an active NFL roster for a game, let alone played in one.
So when Rams coach Jeff Fisher mentions Rhaney as a real option to claim the job, it’d be easy to dismiss that part of the conversation as mere lip service. That would be a mistake. At the March owners meetings in Phoenix, Fisher declared that the Rams have confidence in Rhaney, and Fisher has since reiterated that on multiple occasions.
It’s been backed up by actions, too, as Rhaney has joined Barnes and Jones in taking turns working with the first-team offense during organized team activities. Rhaney is also confident in his ability to claim the position.
“It’s going to be a nice fight,” Rhaney said. “The position is open, but right now we are just focused on learning the plays, learning what (offensive line) coach (Paul) Boudreau likes, what coach Fisher likes, cheering each other on and getting through OTAs.”
That Rhaney is getting through OTAs at all is a good sign after his rookie season came to an abrupt end last preseason. Rhaney suffered a knee injury during a training camp practice and landed on injured reserve. He spent the season learning the system and trying to get stronger.
“It was tough,” Rhaney said. “I had never been injured to where I couldn’t play through it, so that was my first time ever sitting out. It doesn’t feel good to sit on the sideline, but I had to be there to cheer my teammates on. They were focused on me learning the plays and getting stronger and banking on me coming back this year and competing for a spot.”
Rhaney is doing just that, and though he doesn’t have the experience or time in the system of Barnes and Jones, he does bring a few intriguing elements that have him firmly in the mix for the job. Rhaney said he’s fully healthy and added five pounds of muscle in the offseason. The team now lists him at 6-foot-2, 301 pounds.
Rhaney is also considered the most athletic of the three contenders and could prove the best fit in a tweaked offensive scheme that calls for more zone blocking concepts.
“I’m playing fast like I was in college, so I feel great,” Rhaney said. “I’m excited about what’s coming up. 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. 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.”
July 15, 2015 at 4:14 pm #27294znModeratorThree-way battle for starting center job looms for Rams
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — With the St. Louis Rams set to open training camp at the end of the month, we’ll spend the rest of this week taking a look at four of the position battles worth watching as camp approaches.
The Rams report for training camp on July 29.
The position: Center
The contenders: Tim Barnes, Barrett Jones, Demetrius Rhaney
Outlook: None of the other primary training camp battles offer as much uncertainty as this one. Barnes, Jones and Rhaney are almost wholly unproven in the NFL as starters and Rams coach Jeff Fisher has been very open with the idea of these three battling it out throughout camp and the preseason. Organized team activities didn’t really offer many clues as to which player might have an edge as the Rams rotated all three contenders with the first team throughout the spring. Barnes would seem to be a logical choice because he’s the only one with starting experience though he’s only started four games. Jones has limited experience in games and Rhaney sat out his rookie season because of a knee injury. Jones is considered the most intelligent of the three, which is an important attribute for the pivot man. Rhaney has earned positive reviews for his athleticism and toughness. Barnes is something of a mix of the two and knows the offense as well as any lineman on the team.
Projection: All three players are legitimate contenders making this the most difficult position battle to project heading toward camp. Fisher has said the Rams will continue to rotate the trio throughout camp and hopes to settle in to a starter a couple of weeks in. The guess here is that the Rams would like to see Jones win the job given the investment they’ve made in him in terms of time and draft capital. Assuming he can stay healthy and has added the strength necessary to hold up in the middle, he’s the presumptive favorite. But we won’t rule out any of the possibilities and it’s worth reiterating once again that Rhaney should not be discounted in this. While the Rams have a habit of talking up all of their players, the discussion of Rhaney’s potential seems to be much more than just lip service. Don’t be surprised if this comes down to Jones and Rhaney with Jones narrowly winning the job.
July 15, 2015 at 10:50 pm #27300 -
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