Wagoner: Rams Mailbag, parts 1 & 2 (expanded)

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  • June 6, 2015 at 7:45 pm #25959
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    Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer

    EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams have finally dived into organized team activities. So yes, we finally have some actual football (such as it is in shorts and jerseys) to talk about.

    SeattleRams @seattlerams
    Who do you predict the starting OL will be some Sept 13th against the Seahawks?

    @nwagoner: As it stands right now, there are two spots that require some guesswork. First, the center spot where Barrett Jones, Tim Barnes and Demetrius Rhaney are competing. The other issue is at the guard spot opposite Rodger Saffold. Rookie Jamon Brown is the odds-on favorite at the moment, but it’s possible the Rams could go with veteran Garrett Reynolds there if they don’t want to go with two rookies on the right side. So you have Greg Robinson at left tackle, Saffold at left guard and Rob Havenstein at right tackle. Those are safe bets barring injury, though Saffold theoretically could still flip to right guard. Center is hard to call. I think the Rams would like to see Jones with the job, but Barnes has more experience and Rhaney can’t be completely ruled out either, especially since he’s a better fit if the Rams are indeed going to implement more zone blocking schemes. Still, I tend to think Jones wins out because of his intelligence as long as he stays healthy. At the other guard spot, I’m tempted to go with Reynolds because it’s risky to throw two rookies and another inexperienced player at center out there against a defense such as Seattle’s. But the Rams drafted Brown for a reason and they clearly believe in him. So we’ll go with (left to right) Robinson, Saffold, Jones, Brown and Havenstein. But that’s purely a guess at this early stage. Training camp will reveal a lot more.

    Cory Radford @CoryRadford79
    To add to that question, give us Vegas Odds on who will be the starting Center week 1 vs Seattle

    @nwagoner: First of all, I enjoyed how you played off of another question. Just gives the mailbag more flow, which I appreciate. I’m generally not a big fan of putting numbers on things like this, especially right now, but because it worked off the first question so well, I’ll play along. Let’s go with Jones at 4-to-1, Barnes at 6-to-1 and Rhaney as the long shot at about 15-to-1. (These odds are for entertainment purposes only, and I’m not sure they were even that entertaining.)

    Joseph Garcia @ShinerJoe
    Should the Rams move Saffold to the RT spot and allow their youth to develop inside at both guard spots?

    @nwagoner: That’s not really an option, nor should it be. Saffold is better at guard and, if you remember, struggled a bit at right tackle when he played there. But they drafted Havenstein to be their right tackle and there’s no sense in moving him around when you can plug him in and let him grow there. Maybe in the short term, you’d realize some minimal gains but over the long haul, it’s better to let him start there and stay there. The more likely scenario if either Havenstein or Brown isn’t ready to go is that Reynolds would step in. He’s played pretty much everywhere but center on the line and could fill in if needed until one of the youngsters gets up to speed.

    Kelton Brooks @BrooksWeekly
    Before his heart condition was revealed, was their any expectations for Bud to contribute in the passing game?

    @nwagoner: I don’t think the Rams had huge expectations for Sasser, other than for him to come in and compete with Chris Givens for a job at the fifth wide receiver. It’s also possible he could have been kept as a sixth wideout. Regardless, it doesn’t matter much now. Here’s hoping for the best for Sasser. You have to feel bad for someone who is on the cusp of his dream only to have it snatched away before he realizes it.

    Austin Turman @AustinTurman
    Do the Rams plan on keeping 4 QB’s on the roster? Also will Akeem Ayers be starting over Jo Lon Dunbar by week 1?

    @nwagoner: No. But they are more likely to keep three quarterbacks this time around after keeping just two for most of the past three years. Nick Foles and Sean Mannion will be here. The battle is almost certainly for the No. 3 job between Case Keenum and Austin Davis. Ayers could very well be starting over Dunbar well before that. He’s already getting work with the first-team defense.

    June 7, 2015 at 6:38 pm #25994
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    By Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer

    http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/19013/early-impressions-of-nick-foles-and-will-case-keenum-or-austin-davis-win-backup-job

    EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams have finally dived into organized team activities. So yes, we finally have some actual football (such as it is in shorts and jerseys) to talk about.

    As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner and send me questions for the mailbag at any time. Please use hashtag #RamsMail.

    Plenty to discuss this week. After an offensive line focus on Saturday, today we’ll take a closer look at some quarterback questions.

    Jonathan Hoffman @trinityjon
    It’s still early, but how would you compare Foles to Bradford? Delivery? Mechanics? Leadership? What can we expect?

    @nwagoner: I don’t want to make sweeping judgments on anyone this soon, but I’ve had a couple of takeaways from talking to Nick Foles and talking to his teammates about him. On the leadership front, I get the feeling he’s going to bring a bit more in that regard than Sam Bradford did. Foles seems to have that ability to be a uniter. That’s not to say Bradford didn’t like or respect his teammates, just it’s something Foles seems more comfortable doing. Even Kenny Britt has said he’s had Foles notice when he might not be as enthusiastic as he should be and Foles has taken a minute to get him fired up. That’s usually something Britt does, so to have someone do it for him tells you a little something. On the field stuff, I’d prefer to wait and see. He certainly looks the part, but he’s going to have a little bit of a process to get used to going under center. He’s had a couple of footwork hiccups in the early going though it’s nothing that should be deemed as concerning at this point. On arm strength, Foles seems like he has enough but the ball doesn’t come out of his hand as easily as it did Bradford’s. Bradford was nicknamed “Big Easy” for a reason. He made throwing it anywhere he wanted look easy. Foles doesn’t have that same ability, though I haven’t seen a throw that he can’t make yet.

    Brawley Darbon @brawleydarbon
    I knw u dont have a crystal ball, but gut feeling, who do you see as #Rams number 2 QB come September? Mannion or Davis?

    @nwagoner: I wish I did have a crystal ball. Can I borrow yours? But the real question here isn’t Sean Mannion or Austin Davis. It’s Case Keenum or Davis. Mannion is going to stick around as the No. 3 quarterback and Foles is the starter, which leaves the No. 2 job up for competition. Coach Jeff Fisher has already said Davis and Keenum will likely battle it out for the backup job. Davis has an advantage in that he’s been around longer, but the Rams traded for Keenum because they believe he can help. I tend to think given an offseason to get acclimated, this time Keenum sticks around.

    Chris Bushnell @BrickBushnell
    What are the chances the Rams implement some 5 DL formations this season?

    @nwagoner: The defensive coordinator is Gregg Williams. There aren’t many defensive formations you could propose to me that I would categorically rule out so long as that’s the case.

    Alex @AlexJMacArthur
    What was the Rams thought process drafting an injured Sasser with Quick rehabbing and Tre McBride still available?

    @nwagoner: Well, for starters, they didn’t know Bud Sasser had the heart issue when they drafted him. Now, I’ve seen the arguments that they should have known or figured out a way to find out before he was drafted, but at this point it’s really neither here nor there. But it’s probably a safe bet that had they known the extent of Sasser’s condition, they wouldn’t have drafted him. I have no idea who they would have taken otherwise but this isn’t like they drafted an injured player on purpose.

    Steven Spaid @stevenspaid
    Are the Rams negotiating extensions with any of their 2012 draft picks?

    @nwagoner: I don’t know the extent of the conversations they’ve had, but there have been a few preliminary chats that have taken place. Namely, with defensive tackle Michael Brockers. The Rams have already exercised his fifth-year option, so he’s going to be around at least beyond this year but they’d like to get something done. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins could also be in that same boat, though it’s unclear if that process has begun at the moment. Regardless, the Rams will have a lot of decisions to make on free agents after the season, so if they could get a couple of guys locked up before or early in the season, it would make life easier in what figures to be a hectic offseason. They re-signed end Robert Quinn before Week 2 last year and in the past have struck deals with end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis before the season, so there is some precedent for getting something done.

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