Linebackers, inside & out

den-the-coach sez:

With the Loss of Fox & Okoronkwo…Who is Left @ OLB?

Matt Longacre….Longacre is also coming back from injury so I’m sure his play will be monitored and Longacre did showcase the ability to make plays in a small sample size, but will he be 100% and be able to handle the extended playing time moving forward? Longacre does have a great motor and has been a nice find as an UDRFA out of Northwest Missouri State, but again, the rehab and the extended playing time might expose the back yard hopeful.

Samson Ebukam….When Ebukam’ s name was announced by Hall of Famer Jackie Slater last season on draft day in the 4th round, I like others were like, who? Eastern Washinton? Oh, they must of noticed him when scouting Cooper Kupp. Well, Ebukam was a pleasant surprise last season and did showcase the ability to rush the passer and hold the edge against the run, but again, in limited playing time. Ebukam is one of the key to the success because with the interior defensive line strength, Ebukam must prove the Pointer Sisters right and create fire and kiss the opposing Quarterbacks on a consistent basis.

Trevon Young….This is one of my favorites and I really liked the youngster more after watching his interview, as Young has faced adversity having hip surgery after being a stud pass rusher for the Louisville Cardinals, however, that surgery is a long rehab and Young was just starting to come back into his own at the end of last season. The injuries opens the door for Young and my hope that he can take advantage and seize the day because the Rams will need somebody to showcase the ability to put constant pressure on the Quarterback when called upon.

Ejuan Price…Now as tough as I have been on Price dismissing him because again at Pittsburgh, he was not the most durable player, but playing the role of a designated pass rusher, might be the perfect fit for this former Panther. Price does have pass rush ability and at times, it did seem that he belonged, so again with Okoronkwo working his way back, Price will have a chance to shock us all and showcase why Price had 24.5 sacks in his last two years at Pitt.

Garrett Sickels….That’s right, I’m posting this name as he was a late addition to the practice squad and the Rams brought back the former Nittany Lion. Sickels led the Big Ten with 43 Quarterback Pressures, however, is better when he is freed up to not engage with tackles and most likely at this level will be a pass rush specialist.

Brain Womac….Many of you know I visit Texas every year (having family in the Dallas/Fort Worth area) and have an affinity for Rice University as you are a true student athlete at this fine university in Houston. Womac is going to be easy to root for in training camp because he has a nonstop motor and most likely will be the first one on the playing field and the last one off….Does have some pass rush skills and some ability to drop back in coverage, however, has limitations and did not run well at his pro day because of having the flu, so bad timing to be under the weather, but again, he could impress special team coach John Fassel enough to get noticed.

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So there you have it, now the Rams might mix and match and they might bring in a veteran that could change the mix, but to this point, this is how OLB’s look heading to the next OTA and things could change drastically before actual training camp because you also have mandatory minicamp June 12-14th so many of us feel this is an area to put under the microscope because somebody will have to rise to the occasion with last year starters Quinn & Barwin not on the roster.[/quote]

Looks like Cory Littleton gets first crack at replacing Alec Ogletree. That and other thoughts and observations on a wide open race for three starting linebacker jobs on the #Rams https://t.co/uYNW2SQWR7

— Vincent Bonsignore (@DailyNewsVinny) May 30, 2018

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As Rams progress through OTA’s, linebacker is of keen interest

VINCENT BONSIGNORE

link: https://www.ocregister.com/2018/05/29/as-rams-progress-through-otas-linebacker-is-of-keen-interest/

The irony wasn’t lost on Cory Littleton who, upon returning from the stress-free offseason he carved out for himself focusing entirely on family and friends and as little as possible on football, reported to OTA’s a couple weeks ago to find a Rams linebacker room that looked decidedly different than the one that ended last season.

And almost immediately after, he was pulled aside by Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and told he’d be switching positions.

After Littleton flashed so much playmaking ability as a backup weakside linebacker last year, Phillips and his staff worked overtime devising special packages just to get him more playing time. The Rams want him on the field even more in 2018, and he opened OTA’s as the replacement to Alec Ogletree at middle linebacker.

The irony being, as Littleton explains, that linebacker spot just happens to be the quarterback of the defense. As in relaying the play call from the coaching staff to the rest of the defense and getting guys lined up correctly and communicating any last-second shifts or adjustments before the ball snaps.

Or, as he said more permanently: “I’m not the most vocal person.”

Ah-ha. Got it.

Well, looks like the Rams need to add one more box to their offseason to-do-list. Specifically at linebacker, where three new starters must be identified and groomed to replace Ogletree, Robert Quinn and Connor Barwin and all the production and reliability that walked out the door when the Rams opted to part ways with them.

To that list add developing a more willing and confident voice for the highly athletic Littleton, who can’t let his play do all the talking anymore. Replacing Ogletree means talking and playing now go hand in hand.

“Speak a little louder and hope they can hear me,” he said, laughing.

If it seems the Rams are walking blindly into all this, it’s one of those yes and no type of things. For all the buzz they created and improvements they made adding dynamic cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and dominating defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh – moves that were universally praised – fitting them into the salary-cap puzzle meant shedding money at other positions.

And that meant creating a hole the size of the Pacific Ocean at linebacker after trading both Quinn and Ogletree and not bringing Barwin back. The plan right now is filling those spots via a group of young, largely unproven holdovers and low-cost free agents and rookie draft picks and free agents.

There is confidence in the Rams building they have the pieces on hand to make a smooth transition. But until that becomes fact rather than conviction, the question remains: will the new starters be able to replicate what Ogletree, Quinn and Barwin produced, let alone provide an improvement?

At the very least, the Rams must replace 161 tackles and 15-1/2 sacks.

Oh, and a new quarterback for their defense.

For a Rams team that seemingly has all other bases covered, linebacker is the great unknown. Which explains why the coaching staff is pushing that group as hard as possible during OTA’s.

The Rams need answers. Maybe not immediately, but soon. And they are trying to come up with them ASAP.

“We’ve put them in some tough situations with how we practice,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay. “It requires a lot of thinking on the move, some of the adjustments and things especially just based on what the offense is presenting. And I think they’ve handled it well. I think we’ll have a better feel toward the end of the offseason program going into training camp.

If the season started today – and thank goodness for the Rams it doesn’t – Littleton would probably start alongside Mark Barron at inside linebacker and second-year standout Samson Ebukam would get the nod at one outside linebacker spot opposite fifth-year veteran Matt Longacre.

For Ebukam, it’s indicative of the strong finish he had to a rookie season in which he recorded 20 tackles and two sacks while making two starts in place of Barwin.

“I look at it as an opportunity, because those guys had (the job last year). But now that they’re gone it’s an opportunity for me to step up and win that role,” he said.

And he isn’t shy about what he’ll bring.

“Relentless effort. Poise and composure. Strength and attitude and speed,” Ebukam said. “And the more I learn, the more confident I get. I feel like I can bring a lot.”

Littleton bogarted his way into the picture as a reserve and special teams standout last year while notching 31 tackles and one sack and blocking two punts.

“He’s a guy that’s got a lot of nuance to his game, but you see the athleticism and the instincts show up,” McVay said.

And now a clear path has opened to a starting job.

“It makes me feel good as a player that they really believe in me,” Littleton said. “So I’ve got to do I can to get better so I can prove it.”

But keep in mind it’s only May, which means there is plenty of time for inside linebackers Bryce Hager, Ramik Wilson, Micah Kiser and Tegray Scales and outside backers Trevon Young, Ejuan Price, Garrett Sickles, Brian Womac, Justin Lawler and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – among others – to push their way into starting or prominent roles.

In fact, Wilson, a free agent signee who spent the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and Lawler, a seventh-round pick out of SMU, got the bulk of the time with the No. 1 defense Tuesday during the Rams Phase II OTA practice.

Wilson is playing in place of Barron, who is working individually off to the side at this point of OTA’s, and has caught the attention of the Rams coaching staff. In two years with the Chiefs, Wilson started 17 of 30 games and made 111 tackles.
“Ramik Wilson is a guy over the last week and a half, you felt him,” McVay said. “You can see he’s a guy that’s instinctual, a guy with a great feel with his run fits and responsibilities.”

Lawler has also been impressive working at OLB and defensive end in place of Longacre – coming off a back injury – and Aaron Donald, who is not participating in OTA’s while seeking a contract extension.

“He’s flashed some really good things,” McVay said. “He’s gotten some chances and made the most of those.”

He’ll get plenty of other chances between now and the regular season. A whole bunch of guys will. And with three spots up for grabs, the Rams will keep a keen eye on all of them.

But they need answers fast.

Ebukam Ready to Fulfill Starting Role at OLB

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Ebukam-Ready-to-Fulfill-Starting-Role-at-OLB/89b7e68b-8a37-4ed5-8809-f5b94c1a4b6b

It may be Samson Ebukam’s second year in the league, but 2018 still represents the outside linebacker’s first set of OTAs. Because of his school schedule, Ebukam missed the majority of the club’s Phase III activities last season.

As such, he is not taking this period for granted. Ebukam’s focused on continuing to understand the defensive system in order to play with a stronger sense of confidence.

“It’s my first time doing this, so kinda just taking everything as it comes and trying to get better every day,”

Ebukam said. “I’m able to learn the intricacies of the defense and see how everything fits more, instead of just how I came in last year when everything was happening so fast.”

It’s a fortunate situation for the second-year player who, at this point, is in line for a starting position at outside linebacker this season. Ebukam showed flashes of his potential in 2017, recording 31 tackles, 2.0 sacks and one forced fumble through 16 games.

He was also able to step in seamlessly for Connor Barwin in two games last season. But with both Barwin and former starter Robert Quinn no longer with the franchise, Ebukam will be asked to take on a much larger role in his second year.

“Whenever the starter gets traded or taken out of the team that just gives the next person the opportunity to step up,” he said recently.

“I’m just trying to be coachable as much as possible and show on film that I am getting better every day — just that one percent better,” Ebukam continued. “If I’m able to do that and everybody else is able to do that then we are gonna be tough to beat.”

By the end of minicamp, the Eastern Washington product is hoping to understand the playbook more fully, believing that if he “can play fast, then I can make more plays.”

“I want to be able to understand the playbook to the max, both SAM and WIL, and just ‘slap’ so that whatever they call I can click,” he said. “ So that when the offense, it’s going fast, I can be able to play football instead of thinking.”

And with the speed and tempo of the Rams offense, Ebukam will be challenged all throughout the offseason. Ebukam says that if he and the rest of the defense are able to “play as hard as we can without any mental mistakes” against their own teammates, then the unit will be in good shape come the regular season.

“In the game, it’s just going to be a lot easier because I don’t think any other offense does as [many] little things as this offense does,” he explained. “So, if we’re able to play against our offense and be good for it then we’re going to be in a good place.”

Cory Littleton is in the middle of Rams’ rebuilt defense at linebacker

Gary Klein

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-linebackers-20180603-story.html

The journey began at the outer fringes of the roster and included a delay in the Pacific Northwest.
Now Cory Littleton is suddenly right in the middle of the Rams’ defense.
Two years ago, after he signed as an undrafted free agent, Littleton sat out nearly all organized team activity workouts because he was required to finish the spring quarter at the University of Washington. He pored over the Rams’ playbook in Seattle, and when he finally joined the team he earned a roster spot as a valuable special teams contributor.
Last year during OTAs, Littleton studied and played behind veteran linebackers Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron, earning a role as a featured back-up and spot starter.
The Rams traded Ogletree in March, so Littleton has spent OTAs acclimating to new responsibilities.
He is a starting inside linebacker and signal caller for a remade, star-studded defense that is expected to help the Rams move beyond the first round of the playoffs.
“Basically,” he said of his role, “the quarterback of the defense.”
It’s a big promotion for a first-year starter in a unit that will include star defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh and cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters.
Littleton, 24, acknowledged that he was adjusting to fit the role.
“I’m not the most vocal person,” he said, smiling. “I do my best.”
The linebacker corps is the biggest question mark for a defense that appears stout along the front and talented and deep in the secondary.
The Rams finished 11-5 and made the playoffs last season with a defense that ranked 19th overall, 13th against the pass and 28th against the run. They allowed the 12th-fewest points.
General manager Les Snead made several offseason moves to provide defensive coordinator Wade Phillips with players that specifically fit his 3-4 scheme.
The makeover began when the Rams traded veteran linebacker/edge rusher Robert Quinn to the Miami Dolphins for draft picks. It continued when they shipped Ogletree to the New York Giants for picks to clear salary room for the acquisition of Talib. And they let veteran linebacker Connor Barwin leave to test free agency.
Barron, a six-year veteran, is attending but not participating in OTA workouts, the same model the Rams utilized last year to make sure he made it to and through the season without physical setbacks.
That has provided Phillips, coach Sean McVay and linebackers coach Joe Barry an opportunity to closely assess others.
Ramik Wilson, who started 17 games for the Kansas City Chiefs in his first three pro seasons, said he was adjusting quickly to a new system and teammates.
“A lot of the pass concepts and run fits are very similar to what we did in K.C.,” he said. “There’s a little more different terminology but it’s been great.”
Littleton, Wilson and veteran Bryce Hager also have helped rookies such as Micah Kiser, a fifth-round draft pick from Virginia.
“They’ve been very supportive of me asking them questions,” Kiser said. “When you come to this level, they don’t have to help you out, but they’ve been really good. The culture here is great.”
McVay said the inside linebackers have weathered tough situations against an offense that features 10 starters from last season, including ascending quarterback Jared Goff and reigning NFL offensive player of the year Todd Gurley.
“They’ve handled it well,” McVay said of the inside linebackers. “We’ll have a better feel toward the end of the offseason program and then going into training camp.”
Second-year pro Samson Ebukam is starting in Quinn’s vacated outside spot, showing the speed that enabled him to record two sacks as a back-up last season.
As with Littleton in 2016, Ebukam was unable to participate in OTA workouts immediately after the 2017 draft because classes at Eastern Washington were still in session.
So he is embracing the OTA opportunity.
“I don’t plan on giving it up,” Ebukam said of his starting role. “Just trying to be my best, be coachable and show what I got.”
With offenses having to account for Donald, Suh and Michael Brockers, Ebukam foresees regular chances for sacks.
“That’s heaven for me,” he said of the matchup problems created by the defensive line.
Littleton also should benefit from playing behind an experienced front.
But it will be his job to help direct the veterans, and carry out the directions of the coaching staff.
He did not envision the signal-calling responsibility when he began his pro career.
“It makes me feel good as a player,” he said, “that they believe in me.”

from 2018 NFL season: One key homegrown player for each NFC team

Gregg Rosenthal

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000935076/article/2018-nfl-season-one-key-homegrown-player-for-each-nfc-team

…

Los Angeles Rams: Cory Littleton and Samson Ebukam, linebackers

The starry approach to the Rams’ offseason had some less-discussed repercussions. After the team spent big on the secondary and the defensive line, general manager Les Snead turned over the linebacker group to young, unknown players.

Littleton, a third-year player who went undrafted in 2016, is getting the first crack at replacing middle linebacker Alec Ogletree. Ebukam is a 2017 fourth-round pick who looks locked into a starting edge-rusher job. In coordinator Wade Phillips’ system, the mammoth defensive line and sticky secondary should make the linebackers look better, just like Tom Brady makes his running backs look better every year. It’s the system. At least that’s the plan, and it’s up to Littleton and Ebukam to help make Snead look Belichickian with his strategic allocation of resources.

from offseason standouts to know for all 32 NFL teams

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23786801/surprise-offseason-camp-standouts-know-32-nfl-teams-2018

…

Los Angeles Rams

Linebacker Cory Littleton

A former undrafted free agent in 2016, Littleton took the place this offseason of former team captain Alec Ogletree at inside linebacker. Littleton demonstrated to the staff in limited playing time in 2017 that he had the ability to be a playmaker. Coach Sean McVay said Littleton “immediately stepped in” during the offseason program and that he has done a “great job communicating” in a position that requires a leader. — Lindsey Thiry

McVay: Longacre Will be ‘Ready to Go’ for Training Camp

Kristen Lago

https://www.therams.com/news/mcvay-longacre-will-be-ready-to-go-for-training-camp

Both OTAs and minicamp marked an important time for the Rams, allowing the franchise to welcome in several additions while perfecting its scheme on offense, defense, and special teams.
But the offseason program also allowed Los Angeles to continue rehab work with some of its veteran players. One example was outside linebacker Matt Longacre.
Longacre is in line to take on a starting role next year, but was sidelined throughout the offseason after undergoing back surgery and finishing 2017 on injured reserve. Fortunately for the Rams, head coach Sean McVay was optimistic about Longacre’s outlook, saying he would be “ready to go” come training camp.

“Unless there’s a setback, he should be ready to go and we’re expecting big things from Matt,” McVay said. “We know that Matt has been an extremely productive player for us and he’s going to take on a large role moving forward, but he’s feeling good.”
In 2017, Longacre was mainly used as a depth piece on the outside, but made an impact when called upon. Through the first seven games of the season, the three-year veteran led the team in sacks. He finished the year with 5.5 sacks and 23 total tackles, before suffering a season-ending injury.
And because he is projected to step into such a large role in 2018, McVay and the rest of the coaching staff wanted to be cautious with his offseason reps — ensuring he would be at his best for the regular season.
“We wanted to be real smart with that back injury and knowing that he’s got some history in this system, he’s got that comfort level and we’re expecting some really good things from him when we start up training camp,” McVay said. “He should be ready to go.”

On a star-studded Rams defense, Cory Littleton quietly finds a role

Lindsey Thiry

http://tv5.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/38657/on-a-star-studded-rams-defense-cory-littleton-quietly-finds-a-role

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — If Los Angeles Rams linebackers coach Joe Barry had his way, he would have started coaching Cory Littleton more than two years ago.

Barry, a former assistant with the Washington Redskins, implored the Redskins to select Littleton in the 2016 draft.

“When we were in Washington we loved him,” Barry said. “I was on the table the entire third day of the draft to draft him.”

But with more pressing needs, the Redskins passed on Littleton, who made several positions moves in four seasons at the University of Washington, which reflected in a draft grade that labeled him as an in-between player without a real spot in the NFL.

The other 31 teams passed on Littleton in the draft, too, leaving Littleton, a San Diego native, to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Rams.

“He made the decision,” Barry said, “And I was like, ‘Dang! What a bummer.'”

Barry may have lost out on Littleton in the draft and free agency, but united with him in Los Angeles a year later when he accepted a position on coach Sean McVay’s staff.

Now as the Rams prepare for the 2018 season, Littleton, 24, has gone from an undrafted player to a penciled-in starter at inside linebacker on a defense that includes All-Pros Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters.

“It’s been a progression,” Littleton said. “Just trying to get better every day.”

Littleton’s ascension up the depth chart was made possible after a series of offseason roster moves.

In the first year deploying defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme, the Rams ranked 19th in total defense, giving up the 12th-fewest points and generating the fifth-most turnovers, as they clinched the NFC West for the first time since 2003.

But they also ranked 28th against the run, allowing an average of 122.4 yards rushing.

In an effort to better field the 3-4 and provide some salary-cap flexibility, the Rams traded outside linebacker Robert Quinn to the Miami Dolphins and inside linebacker Alec Ogletree — who last season signed a four-year, $42-million extension — to the New York Giants.

Ogletree’s departure cleared a path for Littleton to win the starting job.

“I’m just competing to try to secure it,” Littleton said. “I have a lot of tough competition and I’m just going to do my best to try to keep it.”

The choice to part ways with Ogletree, a cornerstone of the locker room and the team’s leading tackler the last two seasons, was made somewhat easier by the promise Littleton showed last season.

“When he played last year, he’s the type of guy where you’re creating certain packages just to get him on the field when you’ve got two really good players inside like Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron,” McVay said. “Cory’s made plays over the course of his career when he’s gotten opportunities.”

Last season, Littleton recorded 36 tackles, forced two fumbles, and in a Week 16 victory over the Tennessee Titans, proved himself as a playmaker.

Starting in place of Barron, who was sidelined because of an injury, Littleton intercepted the first pass of his career, shocking quarterback Marcus Mariota on his opening drive. The turnover resulted in a touchdown. Later, Littleton recorded his first career sack when he took down Mariota in the red zone. The Rams went on to clinch the NFC West with a 27-23 victory.

“I came in and just tried to perform to the best of my ability,” Littleton said.

At that point in the season, Littleton, also a standout on special teams, had already made an impression on the first-year coaching staff. But his performance against the Titans helped solidify their thought that he could become a full-time starter.

“Cory has unbelievable awareness and instincts,” Barry said. “The things that Cory has been able to work on, and as a coach you can coach a player into doing things better, you can get him to use his hands better, you can get him to get in the weight room and get bigger, fast and stronger … he’s worked on those things.”

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Littleton arrived at the training facility for the offseason program having gained about 10 pounds, and it was then that coaches notified him that he would be switched from the “Mo” linebacker, the weak side linebacker in a 3-4, to “Mike,” or the strong side.

“There isn’t a whole lot of difference,” Phillips said of the transition between positions.

But there is added responsibility. At the Mike position, Littleton becomes responsible for relaying the calls from Phillips heard through the earpiece in his helmet to teammates.

The level of communication is something that has taken some adjustment for Littleton, who is admittedly a man of few words.

“Very few,” Littleton said. “Very. Few.”

Phillips was pleased with his progress through the nine-week offseason program, as Littleton competed against fourth-year pro Bryce Hager and rookie Micah Kiser, a fifth-round pick, at the position.

But there is still room for evaluation throughout training camp, given players did not wear pads through the offseason workouts, making it challenging to gauge Littleton’s effectiveness against the run.

“He’s done a good job of relaying the signals,” Phillips said. “You know, it’s harder for inside linebackers in the running game to show themselves with no pads on. He’s obviously got coverage skills, and he actually can rush the passer really well from inside, so those are the kind of two things he’s doing well, and I think he holds up in the run game too.”

Like a spot in the NFL, Littleton knows there are no guarantees that he will be the starter when the season opens in September.

But after enduring the journey from undrafted free agent to practicing as a starter, he’s willing to put in the work to close the deal.

“I’m just competing to try to secure it,” Littleton said. “I have a lot of tough competition and I’m just going to do my best to try to keep it.”