Watch head coach Jeff Fisher talk with the media on Friday of Week 9.

http://www.rams-news.com/fisher-weve-got-all-the-confidence-in-greg-robinson-video/

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by RamBill.

Watch offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer discuss the upcoming game against the San Francisco 49ers.

http://www.rams-news.com/rams-oc-brian-schottenheimer-its-just-focus-and-execution-video/

What did Mark Barron think of his move to the Rams? ESPN’s Rams Insider Nick Wagoner tells The Fast Lane….plus his Rams practice report.

http://www.rams-news.com/what-did-mark-barron-think-of-his-move-to-the-rams-radio-interview/

Is Barron a strong safety? Free safety? Stay tuned
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/is-barron-a-strong-safety-free-safety-stay-tuned/article_88964bfa-0da6-5b37-8658-034b8151f531.html

All in all, the Rams were happy as clams to acquire safety Mark Barron in Tuesday’s trade with Tampa Bay.

“We obviously liked Mark coming into the league,” coach Jeff Fisher said following Wednesday’s practice at Rams Park. “He was an outstanding college player. We thought he had a lot of ability, and whatever the reasons are (for the trade) down there, we had an opportunity to take advantage of getting a good football player.”

As to exactly how the Rams plan to use him, stay tuned. They’re apparently still figuring that out. And if Fisher knows, he’s not telling.

“I’m not going to speculate the roles and things like that,” Fisher said. “We got a good player. I’m gonna spend some time with him, and talk about where and how he fits at some other point.”

At 6-2, 213, Barron has the size of a strong safety and has a hard-hitting style best suited to playing in the box, defending the run and occasionally getting after the quarterback — which actually describes the style of play of the Rams’ current starting strong safety, 6-3, 217-pound T.J. McDonald.

But Barron, in his first interviews with St. Louis reporters, said he’s capable of playing strong or free.

“I feel like I’m an athletic guy,” Barron said. “I can do whatever I’m asked to do. I just like to get involved more. So it’s easy to get involved early in the game when you’re in the box.”

But Barron said he’d have no problem if asked to play free safety, which usually includes more coverage responsibilities and involves playing farther off the line of scrimmage.

“A lot of my career for as long as I’ve been playing I actually played free,” Barron said. “People don’t know that, but for a lot of my career I have.”

He was speaking mainly about his college career at Alabama.

Just a couple of stalls away in the Rams’ locker room, McDonald also said he could play free safety if called upon.

“I can do whatever they tell me to do,” McDonald said. “Once I get out there on the field, I’ve just gotta go make plays wherever I’m at. There’s only one ball on the field and we all gotta get to it. So if I’ve gotta get to it from a little further depth, then I’ve gotta get on my horse.”

Fisher said both McDonald and free safety Rodney McLeod have been playing well this season. But the opportunity to acquire Barron, for fourth- and sixth-round draft picks in 2015, was something the Rams felt they couldn’t pass up.

“He’s a smart, instinctive football player,” Fisher said. “He’ll hit you. He understands angles. Gosh, he was a first-round pick (in 2012) and for whatever reason it didn’t work out or they felt like he didn’t fit in the system.

“We’ll find a way to fit him into our system at some point. I don’t know whether that’s a week or six weeks or next year. But we need depth at the position and we’re banged up a little bit.

“I spoke with him (Tuesday) night after we put the deal together. Obviously he was surprised and shocked but excited about a new start. He’s got a lot of catching up to do. I think he’s going to be, in time, a very good player for us.”

Barron showed up halfway through the Rams’ Wednesday practice, which was reduced to a one-hour walk-through session because the team has so many injured players. (There were 13 players listed on the injury report.)

But Barron could find himself playing this Sunday in San Francisco, be it special teams or on defense, if for no other reason than injuries at the safety position. McLeod didn’t practice Wednesday because of a knee injury suffered Sunday in Kansas City. His status is uncertain for San Francisco at this point. Ditto for Cody Davis, who is going through the concussion protocol this week based on symptoms experienced after a collision against the Chiefs.

When asked if it was realistic to think he could play against the 49ers, Barron said: “Depending on what they ask me to do. I can most definitely play if you just let me go out there and play football like I can. But I don’t know what they want me to do.”

Fisher called the trade a last-minute thing on Tuesday.

“We went right up against the deadline,” Fisher said. “We had about an hour.”

Barron was as surprised as anyone about the trade. He missed the initial phone call from Tampa Bay informing him of the trade, so he learned about it through the media.

“Then I went and called back and I found out that everything was official,” Barron said. “I had no idea that I was even available for a trade. I enjoyed the experience I had in Tampa, but it’s on to new things for me.”

Head-coaching changes often lead to massive personnel changes, and Barron didn’t seem like a fit in the more passive Cover 2-based scheme under new Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith.

“Yeah, it is passive,” Barron said. “That’s kind of the only thing I didn’t like about it a lot of times. I had to sit back and I couldn’t really be as aggressive as I wanted to in that system. So yeah, I would most definitely say that.”

Ram Bytes: Trading for Barron is a smart move
• Bernie Miklasz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/ram-bytes-trading-for-barron-is-a-smart-move/article_7c5e9cb1-5607-5ede-a396-2647ad9cbd4b.html

Good afternoon.

Let’s talk about the Rams…

1. I view the trade for Tampa Bay strong safety Mark Barron as the Rams’ first move of the 2015 offseason. Sure, Barron can help the Rams now. He’s a box safety, a run enforcer, and a weak Rams’ run defense need his muscle. And Barron can do his part to strengthen a vulnerability: containing outside runs that have repeatedly gone for big gains.

2. In 2012, Barron (as a rookie) was rated No. 9 among NFL safeties by Pro Football Focus in “stop percentage” on running plays when lining up within eight yards of the line of scrimmage. (In other words: in the box.) Last season, Barron was ranked No. 2 by PFF in stop percentage among safeties when setting up in the box. This year his stop percentage is down; Barron clearly has struggled to adjust to coach Lovie Smith’s Cover 2 defensive scheme. I would imagine that the Rams will keep it relatively simple for Barron by turning him loose to make tackles.

3. And if Barron gets lost in Gregg Williams’ system, then maybe it’s time to look at the coordinator’s system and the failure to put players in position to maximize their talent. But make no mistake, the Rams need a tough cop to stop the run. According to Pro Football Focus, safeties T.J. McDonald and Rodney McLeod and linebackers James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree all rate below average in performance against the run this season. Barron fills a need. And he’ll do a good job if the coaching staff uses him the right way. And I think they will. But if Williams thinks Barron is strong in coverage … that would be a miscalculation.

3a. Ogletree is having an awful second NFL season. He’s the Rams’ most disappointing player so far in 2014. He’s frequently lost out there, takes wrong angles, and teams have exploited him to click off huge runs to the outside.

3b. More on the Rams’ horrible defense against outside running plays: according to STATS LLC, opponents have gained 312 rushing yards on 55 runs to the left sideline, an average of 5.67 yards per attempt. And on 62 rushes to the right sideline, opponents have 376 yards — averaging 6.06 yards per run. No NFL defense has done worse in this area.

4. I don’t care that the Rams gave up a No. 4 and a No. 6 draft pick for Barron. Several reasons: (A) He’s a young player with considerable upside; (B) his contract includes a team option for 2016, so the Rams have Barron under control for the next 2.5 seasons, and can always work up a new contract for him if he’s a fit; (C) there’s no reason to assume those picks would have resulted in good players coming here. Barron has been a Top 10 box safety in this league already… and he’s only in his third season.

5. And then there’s this: the Rams have to put an end to this cycle of being the league’s youngest team every year. I’m not saying they should sign a bunch of aging, declining, injury-prone players; they’ve gotten into trouble doing that in free agency. (Cortland Finnegan, Scott Wells, Jake Long.) But it’s good to have young, potentially ascending veterans in place. This perpetual rebuilding project of GM Les Snead and coach Jeff Fisher has to evolve and firm up, or this team will never get better.

6. I’m in favor of playing any young Rams player that has potential. Find out what these guys can do. That’s the best thing that can come out of this season.

Moving on from Barron…

7. Can T.J. McDonald play free safety? When the Rams drafted McDonald, they said he was capable of playing either position, strong or free safety. We’ll find out.

8. Pardon me if I don’t join others in freaking out over Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein. Yes, he had a bad day in Kansas City. But good grief, The Leg has made 32 of his last 34 field-goal attempts from inside 50 yards. Since coming to the NFL in 2012, Zuerlein ranks 6th among qualifying NFL kickers in percentage (60.9%) of kickoffs that result in touchbacks. And since the start of last season, when it became easier for kickers to get touchbacks, Zuerlein ranks 4th in the league with a touchback percentage of just under 65 percent. Cut him? Really? For the love of Novo Bojovic, calm down.

9. I don’t mind a running back by committee thing … but usually committee members have specific roles and assignments. There seems to be no real pattern or rhythm for how any of the Rams’ backs are being used. This committee lacks definition. And that isn’t good.

Finally…

10. If you’re craving something positive about the Rams, check out this piece by Sam Monson at Pro Football Focus. In analyzing the outstanding play of Rams’ rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Monson says Donald may be the NFL’s best DT.

Thanks for reading …

-Bernie

Quick-Hit Thoughts on Rams’ Acquisition of Mark Barron
By Anthony Stalter

http://www.101sports.com/2014/10/29/quick-hit-thoughts-rams-acquisition-mark-barron/

I usually use my weekly column space to break down the three plays that defined a Rams win or loss, but you saw the Kansas City game. It wasn’t pretty. If you want to relive that 34-7 monstrosity, then be my guest. However, just thinking of re-watching that game again (and from different angles, no less!) makes my head hurt.

So here are my quick-hit thoughts on the Rams’ decision to acquire safety Mark Barron from the Bucs in exchange for a fourth- and sixth-round pick on Tuesday at the trade deadline.

Did the Rams just trade for T.J. McDonald? As previously noted, Barron’s strengths come when he’s playing closer to the line of scrimmage, where he can make an impact defending the run. But he struggles in coverage, frequently getting himself out of position when asked to cover a lot of ground.

Barron’s attributes aren’t unlike T.J. McDonald, who delivers big hits when defending the run but who can also get lost in coverage himself.

So with Rodney McLeod currently battling a knee injury, we could potentially see both Barron and McDonald on the field together at the same time. That’s ostensibly good news for the run defense, but I shudder to think what future opposing quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick, Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers could accomplish against the Rams’ deep coverage.

The price was right. Barron was a two-time first-team All American under Nick Saban at Alabama and was viewed as one of the safer choices in the 2012 NFL draft. He was expected to be an immediate playmaker after the Bucs selected him with the No. 7 overall pick, but in 37 games he’s created just four turnovers. That said, there’s no question that his strength is defending the run, which is an area in which the Rams have struggled all season. He’s not the complete safety that some believed he’d be coming out of Alabama, but the Rams only parted with a fourth- and a sixth-rounder to acquire him from Tampa Bay. Even if he doesn’t pan out for the Rams, Les Snead bought low on a player who once had tremendous upside (and maybe still does, although the results to this point have been unsatisfactory).

What does this acquisition mean for Alexander? The Rams raised eyebrows when they selected Mo Alexander in the fourth round of May’s draft. As an in-the-box safety with limited coverage skills, Alexander is cut from the same mold as McDonald and Barron.

What’s the point in having three safeties who all do the same thing? It would be one thing if Alexander were a special teams maven, but that hasn’t been the case. Granted, the selection of Alexander and the acquisition of Barron don’t have to be mutually exclusive. After all, the drafting of Alexander shouldn’t preclude Snead or Fisher from landing a potential bargain in Barron.

It would have made zero sense for Snead or Fisher to say, “We really like the price of Barron and see him as a potential fit here in St. Louis. But we’re going to pass on a trade because, you know, Mo Alexander.”

That said, it’s entirely fair to ask why the Rams decided to draft Alexander when McDonald was already on the roster and quarterbacks Zach Mettenberger, Tom Savage, A.J. McCarron and Aaron Murray were still on the board.

How will Barron be used? This is perhaps the most intriguing question because it produces plenty of tentacles. Barron wasn’t a fit under Lovie Smith in Tampa because Smith wants his safeties to cover both deep and in man, and Barron simply doesn’t fit into that mold. So how is he a fit in St. Louis? Under Gregg Williams, the Rams have utilized a lot of single-high looks with McLeod as the deep safety. If Barron and McDonald are essentially the same player (which they are), then who plays free safety with McLeod out? Do the Rams try to get by with Barron and McDonald until McLeod returns in a few weeks? Do they ask rookie Lamarcus Joyner to play free safety considering that’s one of the many roles he served under Jeremy Pruitt at Florida State? Will they put Barron in a hybrid OLB/S role where they ask him to play on first and second downs in place of Alec Ogletree, who has had major issues defending the run? It’ll be interesting to see how creative Williams gets with Barron.

Rams acquire safety Barron from Tampa Bay
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-report/rams-acquire-safety-barron-from-tampa-bay/article_e5a7d91a-568d-5142-97d6-9282161837f4.html

It was not a blockbuster move by any stretch of the imagination, but the acquisition of Tampa Bay safety Mark Barron by the Rams in exchange for a pair of 2014 draft picks was the “headliner” of Tuesday’s trade deadline day in the NFL.

It’s a curious move in the short-term, because Barron plays strong safety. The Rams already have a young up-and-coming strong safety in T.J. McDonald. But it certainly provides an upgrade of overall talent in the secondary over the long-term.

Barron, who turned 25 on Monday, was the No. 7 overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2012 draft. He is the highest-drafted defensive back in school history at Alabama, where he was a two-time All-American and two-time national champion.

In the NFL, he had started 37 of a possible 39 games for the Buccaneers, making the Pro Football Writers of America all-rookie team when he recorded 88 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and an interception.

Last season he had an identical tackle total (88), with two sacks, two interceptions, and three breakups. In seven games this season for the Bucs, he had 49 tackles and three breakups.

According to observers in Tampa Bay, Barron didn’t excel in coverage and didn’t seem like a fit in the Cover 2-based defensive scheme of new Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith.

At 6-2, 213, Barron is a collision player. He’ll miss a tackle from time to time, but packs a wallop on contact. The consensus in Tampa seemed to be that Barron had plenty of potential but never played up to that potential. Nonetheless, there was some surprise that the Bucs gave up on him after just 2 1/2 seasons. But sometimes that’s the case when there are regime changes as was the case in Tampa.

The Bucs received fourth- and sixth-round picks from the Rams in exchange for Barron.

How the Rams use Barron this season remains to be seen. It’s hard to imagine Barron replacing strong safety T.J. McDonald, a third-round draft pick in 2013 who already is one of the Rams’ better defensive players and arguably their best defensive back.

The Rams feel that McDonald is capable of playing free safety even though he’s got a strong safety’s frame at 6-2, 219.

Free safety Rodney McLeod suffered a knee injury, what has been described as a sprained MCL, Sunday in Kansas City. However, it’s not believed to be a serious injury, but rather something that might sideline him for a week or two _ if at all.

Barron is in the third year of his original four-year deal coming out of college, so the Rams inherit about $900,000 of his $1.705 million base salary for 2014. He’s due to make a base of $2.3 million in 2015.

One other factor to be considered in the trade for Barron: The 2015 draft does not look strong at the safety position. At this point, the feeling by some at Rams Park is that there may not be a safety of Barron’s caliber available in the ’15 draft.

The Rams made several other moves Tuesday, but still have some work to be done. The team released QB Case Keenum from the 53-man roster, and released sixth-round draft pick Garrett Gilbert from the practice squad.

John Clayton breaks down why he is a little bit surprised by the Buccaneers’ decision to trade Mark Barron to the Rams. Clayton wonders why they would trade a 25 yr. old former #7 pick in the draft who has a good future ahead of him.

http://www.rams-news.com/john-clayton-breaks-down-the-barron-trade-to-the-rams-video/

Casey Phillips chats with Barrett Jones following the road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

http://www.rams-news.com/barrett-jones-part-of-being-a-backup-is-always-being-ready-video/