Wagoner Chat, 07/18

Chat with Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/50906/rams-with-nick-wagoner

Jack Fenton (Windsor, Canada)

WAGONER:
(1:04 PM)
That’s a good on, Jack and for those that have been following me for awhile, they know how much I enjoy watching the 1 on 1 pass rush drills. Just in general, the offensive line versus the defensive line should be quite entertaining. One thing that’s intriguing is how the backup offensive linemen fare against the backup defensive linemen. With the depth the Rams have on the D-line, there’s a real chance the backup offensive linemen are going to have their hands full right away.

WAGONER:
(1:07 PM)
To be completely clear, I didn’t see the actual interview but heard and read the bits afterward. Honestly, it seems like much ado about not much. First, Michael Robinson was pretty darn complimentary of the Rams as a whole. He seems to have a lot of respect for the Rams and thinks they have a lot of talent in place. As for the Bradford comments, it seemed more to me like he was simply getting at the point that the Rams will go as far as Bradford takes them. I think that’s something most of us agree on. The soft part of the comment seemed more to imply that he needs to step it up rather than a comment on him personally. That’s just how I read it, anyway. If not, it’s silly. People can have their complains about Bradford, there is plenty to pick apart there but toughness shouldn’t be one of those things.

WAGONER:
(1:10 PM)
I suppose I know what you’re getting at here in terms of balance, yes, they do have different genres. But it’s hard for me to tag this receiver group as above average anything until some of these guys prove themselves. They’re young and they deserve the time to grow but right now they are still almost wholly unproven.

WAGONER:
(1:12 PM)
Hard to say right now but I think putting him in the eight to 10 carry per game range is probably about right. That means something like 140-160 carries. That’s assuming health of course. Obviously, Stacy had some nagging injury issues in 2013. If that happens again, Mason’s role expands.

WAGONER:
(1:13 PM)
In my early projection (pre-training camp and subject to change), I have the Rams jumping over Arizona and into third place. Could they fare better? Yes. Could they fare worse? Yes. There’s a lot of projecting when it comes to this team because it is so young. Makes it hard to predict.

WAGONER:
(1:15 PM)
That’s probably overstating it. It’s possible Bradford could play well and the team could improve but not make the playoffs. What if the Rams pulled an Arizona of 2013 and went 10-6 and came up short of the playoffs? Just throwing that out as a possible way that Bradford would stay in the long term plans without necessarily making the playoffs. But to get more to your point, if the Rams really struggle and Bradford struggles or worse, has more injury issues, then quarterback becomes a serious issue moving forward.

WAGONER:
(1:18 PM)
Hmmm. It’s interesting because there’s always a lot of turnover in playoff teams but there are a lot of top divisional teams that look like they’re poised to succeed again. But a couple of teams that didn’t win their divisions last year that intrigue me going into next year are Chicago and Tampa Bay. Of course, there are a couple of powerhouses like New Orleans and San Francisco which didn’t win the division last year but could easily take the small step necessary to win theirs this year.

WAGONER:
(1:18 PM)
My early read is that Givens and Austin will be the most involved right away. Britt would probably be right there, too.

WAGONER:
(1:20 PM)
It’s been up and down. He’s got a knack for making some big plays but has matched that with a knack for allowing them also. There’s a lot of expectation that Gregg Williams will help the young corners reach their potential. Frankly, the Rams are betting on that. Jenkins is talented, there’s no doubt about it. He’s probably always going to be something of a risk taker but the key will be finding a way for him to better understand when taking said risks are OK and when to make the simple play.

WAGONER:
(1:23 PM)
Good question. There’s a few that immediately jump to mind. DT Matt Conrath and S Matt Daniels are a couple that spring to mind right away. Some others I’d include are RB Isaiah Pead (who I do still have making it) and some guys who came on to the roster during the season such as QB Austin Davis and OT Mike Person.

WAGONER:
(1:25 PM)
It’s kind of interesting, there don’t seem to be a lot of starting positions up for grabs this time around. Most of the “battles” look set to be for depth spots. I think most of us are curious about how Michael Sam will do and I’m intrigued to see how the battle for a potential ninth spot on the D-line goes. Keep an eye on undrafted DL Ethan Westbrooks there, too. I think it could come down to Sam vs. Westbrooks for that possible spot. Beyond that, there’s a lot to sort out in the back seven at linebacker, cornerback and safety. The offensive line depth after guys like Barrett Jones and Davin Joseph should also be worth watching.

WAGONER:
(1:26 PM)
Yes. The Rams expect him to be ready to roll when camp begins.

WAGONER:
(1:30 PM)
A couple to keep in mind, one of whom I just mentioned: DL Ethan Westbrooks and TE Alex Bayer. I know Rams are high on Westbrooks’ potential and Bayer opened some eyes in OTAs (though of course that’s to be taken with a grain of salt considering no pads, etc.).

WAGONER:
(1:32 PM)
They are indeed. The first one will be the 15th anniversary celebration of the Super Bowl champion team against San Francisco. That’s a Monday night game in week 6. They will also wear them in week 16 at home against the New York Giants.

WAGONER:
(1:33 PM)
It’s here in St. Louis at Rams Park. Rams don’t go away for camp like many teams do.

WAGONER:
(1:35 PM)
I think the Rams realized toward the end of the season that limiting Austin to working solely in the slot isn’t the best way to deploy him. So while he’ll still work there, expect him to be a moving piece who lines up outside sometimes, in the slot sometimes and even in the backfield. The breakout game he had in Indianapolis showed that he can do damage from different spots and that gives him the best chance to succeed. It’s reasonable to think they’ll move him around like that more in year 2.

WAGONER:
(1:36 PM)
Not sure there’s really one that is super intriguing. I mentioned a few worth watching earlier. I do think it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out in the secondary behind the projected starters.

WAGONER:
(1:37 PM)
Other than Donald, you’d have to hope that Greg Robinson will have a big impact as well. I expect him to be able to do that, especially in the run game. Joyner should be able to contribute a lot right away also. Mason is an obvious candidate solely because he plays a position where his contribution is more easily quantified.

This is going to be unpopular but here ya go. What do you think of Chris Long as possible trade bait? I’ve been rewatching 2013 via Game Rewind and I have to say, he didn’t impress me much. Lots of penalties, including several third down offsides and of course that brawl in Carolina. Besides that, he seemed pretty well neutralized most of the time and didn’t get a huge benefit when Quinn was in double digit sacks and getting double teamed. All that to say, do you think Long has maybe lost a step and would his name and pedigree offer the Rams a chance to snag a helpful free agent?[/b]

WAGONER:
(1:43 PM)
I don’t agree. Now, your point about the penalties is fair. That’s something that has to improve this year, especially the pre-snap stuff as it cost the Rams multiple times throughout the season. He still generates plenty of pressure, even when he isn’t getting the sacks but I think the sacks are going to come more often now that Quinn has a reputation where he will be getting more attention down to down. But even if they did want to trade Long, his contract would make that pretty prohibitive both for their cap and the team acquiring him.

WAGONER:
(1:44 PM)
I’d be surprised if that happened. Mason has a ways to go on the things that go beyond simply running the football. But I do think he’ll earn his way to plenty of carries as the season wears on.

WAGONER:
(1:46 PM)
I don’t think it’s going to be any sort of deciding factor but I think it would be naive to think it wouldn’t at least come up in the event of a tie. I do believe Fisher when he says it will be a football decision. The more important factor in that battle, to me, will be special teams. The Rams are hoping Sam can do a lot of work there and Westbrooks doesn’t profile in a role there. That could be the real deciding factor in that battle.

WAGONER:
(1:46 PM)
I thought we saw some of it toward the end of last year as he was playing better before his injury at the end of the year. I do expect him to be better. How much better is the question.

WAGONER:
(1:48 PM)
I agree that the opening four weeks are huge, especially the first three. Winning at Philly will be tough though the Rams will be coming off the early bye going in there. I don’t think 4-0 is a must but 3-1 probably is. On the other hand, I know we look at the schedule and see it being really daunting right now but reality says that some of these teams won’t be nearly as tough as they look here in late July. Some teams will also be better than expected, potentially even teams in those first three games. To your point, though, I think it is critical the Rams get off to a good start.

WAGONER:
(1:50 PM)
My early prediction is boring: 8-8. But my thoughts are subject to change after seeing the team in real, padded practices and preseason games. In short, it just seems like there’s a lot of faith in turning potential into production for a lot of young players. If many of those young players do it, they could be better but it seems like it’s asking a lot.

WAGONER:
(1:51 PM)
Nothing new here. Rams don’t expect him to be ready when camp starts but they’re still shooting for a return in the middle of the preseason. He moved around pretty well in the spring which means that might be more realistic than I or others would have thought.

WAGONER:
(1:51 PM)
Barring injury, probably not. He’s got to win a roster spot first.

WAGONER:
(1:53 PM)
I addressed the last part of your question earlier but again, while I think it’s naive to think it won’t be brought up if it’s close between Sam and someone else, it won’t be any sort of deciding factor. As for the media circus, I think it’ll probably be busy early in camp and then as we get close to cutdown day. But the time in between likely won’t be too crazy. I will say this, though, will there be a preseason game with more eyes on it than Rams and Sam at Cleveland and Manziel in week 3?

WAGONER:
(1:56 PM)
Unfortunately, there’s no real way to quantify that or have a direct answer. But I think scheme and approach was obviously at least part of it. There were many times where the approach to coverage last year just left you scratching your head (isolating Quinton Pointer one on one against Larry Fitzgerald in the slot on third down, for example). There’s a lot of faith being put in Gregg Williams to get that fixed and I do think the Rams will be more aggressive in their coverage schemes. But I also think you have to take in the whole picture and remember that while it’s nice to say you want to be more aggressive in coverage, you also can run the risk of being vulnerable because you have unproven safeties behind those corners. All of that is why the Rams clearly wanted to keep juicing up the pass rush in an effort to help the secondary.

WAGONER:
(1:57 PM)
Good question and one I don’t really have an answer for. I’m not out there and Barksdale himself has expressed confusion over how that ended. I do know this: it worked out great for the Rams. One of the more underrated waiver pickups in a while.

WAGONER:
(1:59 PM)
I thought it was tremendous. First, and I say this knowing he’s a teammate so it will come off as biased, but Dave is one of the best in the business. I thought that before we became teammates and it’s only been confirmed being around him a bit when he was here to report that story. That story is a bit of a difficult one to tackle and it was handled as well as anyone could but then to come with some really great insight and stories really put it over the top. Also, I was really impressed though not surprised with Chris Long’s quote about what his opinion of a “real man” is. Just great stuff all the way around and I hope everyone gets a chance to read it.

Scott (Westminster, CO)

WAGONER:
(2:01 PM)
Well, it would be easy to point to a number of things, probably. First, Cooks is entering a MUCH better system for wide receivers with better talent around him, a better quarterback, etc. He’s definitely in a better position to succeed. More will be asked of Austin so if he falls short of that, it will be seen as disappointing. But if doesn’t fare well and comes in around the numbers he had as a rookie, I think it’s fair to wonder if it’s just a bad fit between scheme/coaches and player.

WAGONER:
(2:06 PM)
He looked pretty good in the spring but he was, like the rest of his teammates, running around in shorts and a t shirt with no pads or contact allowed. His progress will be easier to define as we get into camp and preseason games. I still think it’s asking too much of him to be a 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown receiver like some might expect but if he can stay healthy, he could certainly contribute.