Why the quality of O-line play in the NFL is getting worse

August 31, 2015 2:20 pm ET

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/pete-prisco/25285796/preseason-musings-why-the-quality-of-o-line-play-in-the-nfl-is-putrid

By Pete Prisco

TAMPA — Watching the putrid offensive line play of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers here Saturday night, with their franchise rookie passer getting sacked twice and throwing a pressure-induced pick on his first three possessions, the question many are asking around the league popped up again:

What the heck has happened to the line play in the NFL?

Throughout training camp and these mundane preseason games, much of the constant talk around the league has been about poor offensive line play, and the Bucs played that part well in their blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night. Tampa Bay is starting two rookies and the right tackle who played against the Browns is a fill-in for down starter Demar Dotson and newcomer Gosder Cherilus, but even so it was a terrible showing.

They are not alone. Whether it’s a lack of game planning to offset the blitzing defenses in some instances, or just flat-out bad play by a position group that seems to get worse by the year, NFL quarterbacks have mostly spent the summer with opponents in their face, or dumping them to the ground.

If your team has a good offensive line — that’s you, Dallas and a select handful of others — consider it a great fortune. They are rare and tough to find. Many teams have major issues, including several good teams like the Seattle Seahawks.

The question is why?

To help answer it, I reached out to two former NFL offensive linemen that I respect greatly. One is former center/guard LeCharles Bentley, who now trains linemen in the offseason at his O-Line Performance facility in Arizona. The other is former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli, who should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the best tackles I’ve seen with my eyes.

One aspect both mentioned was the college game. With so many spread offenses now, players are not prepared to play on an NFL line. The growth period is much greater than it used to be. The ability to put the hand in the dirt and come out of a stance and run block is becoming a lost art.

“Colleges are sending more mentally, technically and physically unprepared players to the NFL,” Bentley said. “Pro coaches are then expected to fix issues that have been reinforced over the last four or five years of a kid’s career.”

That, in turn, leads to another problem, Bentley said.

“Offensive line coaches are so overwhelmed with responsibilities that even the most-seasoned coaches are having a hard time managing the coaching and teaching,” he said. “Offenses are getting more schematically demanding that coaches are spending most of their time getting caught up on X’s and O’s and lose focus on the nuances of playing the position. Teams would be better off hiring a coach and a skills coach who can focus solely on the craft. That’s supposed to be the assistant’s job, but many assistants are unqualified and too focused cultivating their egos and not the player’s skills. What we see now is a compounding effect. It’s really not fair to the O-line coaches. There are some good coaches who just don’t have the time they need.”

The limits on practice time and training camp also plays a big part in the stunted growth of the players.

“Offensive line is the most technical position there is, and it’s a position of repetition,” Boselli said. “The guy who plays now gets half the reps hat I got in training camp. Maybe even less. So you have a position that isn’t coached pro-style in college and you ask the guys in the pros to fix it and they don’t have the time to teach it. There is limited time on the field. They have to put in the scheme and the offense and still try and teach the nuances need to play the position. The natural evolution is that it is not as good as it once was.”

In the three drafts from 2012-2014, there were 18 offensive linemen taken in the first round, including eight in the top-10 of those drafts. None of those players taken in the top 10 has been to a Pro Bowl, and only three of the 18 have played in one.

Moreover, many of those top-10 tackles have struggled, including Minnesota’s Matt Kalil, Kansas City’s Eric Fisher and Jacksonville’s Luke Joeckel. It used to be a top-10 tackle was a pretty sure thing. Not anymore.

I talked with one general manager last week who said now teams hope to simply get a guy who can just be middle of the road at left tackle. It’s not so much about elite, but more about survival.

The flip side Saturday night was the Browns’ line. It is one of the better units in the league, and the left side, manned by tackle Joe Thomas and guard Joel Bitonio, is arguably the best side in the NFL. But even on a good line, there are issues. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz has had his troubles.

It’s not like teams can just replace a starter with a backup. They’re even worse.

“The biggest drop-off of all position, maybe in all of sports, between starter and backup is at offensive line,” Bentley said.

Translation: What a team has starting now is pretty much the only option.

So quarterbacks get ready to get the ball out quick or face the consequences. The five guys up front on most teams might not have your back after all.

Another sign the preseason is too long?

The preseason crowds grow worse by the year. Even in Week 3 of the preseason, considered the dress rehearsal and best week of the four, there were tons of empty seats. In Tampa, there couldn’t have been 35,000 for the Bucs-Browns. In St. Louis, pretty much the same. The preseason is really becoming tiring to all — especially the fans.

There’s bigger fish fry, no?

So now the NFL might look into the glove issues. What’s next? Are we serious? Like we discussed on our podcast last week, take more stock of the shoes — not the gloves.
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St. Louis Rams vs. Indianapolis Colts: Takeaways and Observations from 24-14 Rams Loss

Patrick Karraker

http://archauthority.com/2015/08/30/st-louis-rams-vs-indianapolis-colts-takeaways-and-observations-from-24-14-rams-loss/?utm_source=FanSided&utm_medium=Network&utm_campaign=Around%20the%20Network

The St. Louis Rams fell to 0-3 on the preseason Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, losing 24-14 to the defending AFC South champions. They were a bit crisper, however, as the starting offense scored its first touchdown and there was a more significant pass rush from the Rams’ all-star defensive line. It still wasn’t enough, though, to alleviate concerns that the Rams will be one of the NFL’s bottom dwellers in 2015. Here are a few observations from Saturday night’s contest:

•Unless he ends up getting traded, Chris Givens probably solidified his 53-man roster spot on Saturday night. The fourth-year receiver is going to have a difficult time getting on the field come the regular season due to the presence of Kenny Britt, Brian Quick, Stedman Bailey, and Tavon Austin, but he’s arguably been the Rams’ preseason MVP to this point. After scoring an 80-yard touchdown in last week’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, Givens continued his impressive string of play by scoring a 44-yarder on Saturday to give the Rams’ first-team offense their first touchdown of the preseason. It’s a tough situation because Givens doesn’t have the special teams ability of guys like Damian Williams and Bradley Marquez, but if Givens continues performing as well as he has this preseason, the Rams will have no choice but to find a role for him. His status as a “one-trick pony” with the deep ball has been well-established by this point, but at least in exhibition games, that trick still seems to be working, so the Rams might as well see if they can get a few electrifying plays out of him during the regular season.

•After a rough start to the preseason, rookie Bryce Hager has looked much more natural as of late and is improving his odds of making the team. The Rams will likely only keep six linebackers, so special teams ace Marshall McFadden still seems to have the edge for now, but Hager is making it tough with his team-leading 15 tackles (tied for 14th in the NFL this preseason). Hager’s chances would be boosted if the Rams feel the need to keep another linebacker in the absence of Daren Bates, who may miss the first couple weeks of the regular season with an injury.

•Isaiah Battle, the Rams’ supplemental fifth-rounder out of Clemson, has a LONG way to go before he’s ready to be even a backup swing tackle in the NFL. The 6-foot-7, 290-pounder was left chasing his man on several occasions on Saturday, and he’s looked pretty lost all preseason. Hopefully a full year with the playbook and in the team’s strength and conditioning program will make him more comfortable, but full-scale development should not necessarily be expected with players as raw as Battle, thanks to the NFL’s new CBA that so strictly limits practice and workout time.

•After getting passed up on the depth chart by Demetrius Rhaney, a natural center who’s 20 pounds lighter than him, there doesn’t seem to be much of a point of having fourth-year lineman Brandon Washington on the roster any longer. It would be slightly surprising if Washington, who has spent nearly all of his career on the Rams’ practice squad, was not released in the cutdown to 75 players this week.

•Speaking of Rhaney, he’s played pretty well during the preseason and seems to have long-term potential as a starter, but he’ll likely end up being the Rams’ utility backup at guard and center this year. That’s because Barrett Jones, who’s long been viewed as a high-upside player but has failed to show much on the field, has really performed solidly this preseason and figures to win the starting center job. If Jones happens to have more injury issues like the ones that have consistently held him back as a pro, Rhaney should be a fine replacement up the middle.

Rams’ offensive line still in flux as opener nears

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-offensive-line-still-in-flux-as-opener-nears/article_dfe5fe89-f201-52c7-b855-0ab9b5dfca06.html

St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles throws the ball away as he is chased by Indianapolis Colts linebacker Jonathan Newsome (lower) and defensive end Henry Anderson (96) in second quarter action during a preseason game between the St. Louis Rams and the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015, at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com

Just when you thought the Rams were zeroing in on their starting offensive line for the regular season, the coaching staff has added a couple of more different-colored squares to their Rubik’s cube up front.

After spending the entire spring, training camp and preseason lining up at right guard, there was third-round draft pick Jamon Brown at left guard Saturday against Indianapolis.

Center Demetrius Rhaney was switched to left guard last week after Brandon Washington struggled there in back-to-back preseason games in place of the injured Rodger Saffold.

But Rhaney started at right guard against the Colts after working all week at left guard. Saffold still isn’t back in the lineup, although coach Jeff Fisher says he’s close.

And the three-ring circus continues at center, with Barrett Jones finally getting his turn in the big top Saturday with a start against Indy.

Does it all sound confusing? Join the club. At a time when you’d think the Rams would be settling into their starting five for the opener two weeks hence against Seattle, the line situation looks as unsettled as ever — at least for the three starting spots between left tackle Greg Robinson and right tackle Rob Havenstein.

“Yeah, we’re gonna settle soon,” Fisher said Sunday after reviewing tape of the Rams’ 24-14 loss to the Colts. “The opener’s around the corner. It doesn’t mean to say we’re gonna settle this week, because we haven’t decided who’s gonna play and how much.”

Step one toward “settling in” would be the return of Saffold. He hasn’t practiced or appeared in a preseason game since tweaking a shoulder on the team’s fourth offensive play of the exhibition opener Aug. 14 in Oakland.

“He’s close,” Fisher said. “He’s doing pretty good.”

Although Fisher didn’t give a definitive answer Sunday, he hinted strongly that the move of Brown to left guard might be permanent. That means Saffold would switch from left guard — where he played all 16 games last season — to right guard, where he started five times in 2013 when initially making the move inside from tackle.

“We’re gonna consider it,” Fisher said. “Rodger’s really comfortable on the right, so it’ll be a consideration, and that’s particularly why we did it (Saturday). Line (Brown) up and let him work with Greg, and put Rodger over next to Rob.”

If such a move were made, Fisher said it wouldn’t be made simply because the coaches want to separate rookies Brown and Havenstein.

“No, I have no problem playing with them side-by-side,” Fisher said. “But just a feel, from the entire offensive line communication standpoint, we’re probably better that way.”

Brown said he hasn’t played left guard since his freshman year of college at Louisville, and he didn’t get word of the switch until the end of the practice week for Indy.

“Actually yesterday, a couple days ago,” Brown said in the locker room after Saturday’s game. “Something like that. Coach (Paul Boudreau) pulled me into his office and talked about it. He said he was trying to find the right combinations.”

Boudreau is the Rams’ offensive line coach. Brown’s pro debut at left guard was shortened by a sprained ankle, but he was comfortable at the new position while in the game.

“It wasn’t too bad,” Brown said. “It’s all the same really. You’ve just got to flip everything in your head, but other than that, pretty much the techniques and everything are all the same. Just flipping stances.”

All told, Brown participated in 21 of the 29 plays the first-team offense was on the field Saturday.

Meanwhile, at center, all three candidates now have gotten one start in the preseason after rotating on a daily basis in practice throughout training camp. Tim Barnes started the preseason opener in Oakland, followed by Rhaney versus Tennessee, and now Jones against Indianapolis.

“Barrett was good,” Fisher said. “He had the one issue. He had the one hold, but other than that, he was sliding well and communicated well. Did some things on the second level well. So I was pleased with him.”

The Jones penalty Fisher referred to actually was a facemask penalty, which is a 15-yard infraction as opposed to holding’s 10 yards.

“I was excited to be out there,” Jones said. “Definitely it felt good to be playing meaningful snaps in the first quarter. I think I did some good things. Obviously got some stuff to work on, but felt good out there.”

The day is drawing near for Fisher and Boudreau to decide on the starting center, so Jones and the two other candidates must be getting anxious. For the winner, it’ll be like getting a shiny new toy on Christmas. For the losers, try a lump of coal.

“This is not the answer you probably want,” Jones said. “You know the ‘serenity prayer’ — trying to control the things you can control? I think the things I can control are just working hard and trying to be the best player I can be, and the rest will hopefully take care of itself.

“I’m a competitor. I want to be the starter. I’m just working hard. I don’t know what else to say.”

At tackle, Fisher thought right tackle Havenstein played well against the Colts with the obvious exception of the sack allowed after getting beaten off the snap by Erik Walden. At left tackle, Fisher sees continuing improvement from Greg Robinson, who he said was coming off a good week of practice.

“I thought he and ‘JB’ (Brown) worked good together while JB was in, which is a good thing,” Fisher said.

Football people want RG3 out of Washington, Snyder says no

Michael David Smith

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/30/report-football-people-want-rg3-out-of-washington-snyder-says-no

Robert Griffin III is reportedly remaining in Washington only because owner Dan Snyder is overruling the football people who want to get rid of the quarterback.

Front office officials and coaches want to move on from Griffin but are meeting resistance from ownership, according to ESPN.

The report says the team has talked about trading Griffin, but there’s been no interest. That’s no surprise: Griffin has a guaranteed salary of $3.3 million this year and would be owed a whopping $16.2 million next year if he suffered a severe injury. There’s no way for any team to justify committing that kind of money to a player who has played as poorly as Griffin over the last two years.

From all indications, coach Jay Gruden — who spent most of the offseason insisting that Griffin would be the starter — has lost any confidence he ever had in Griffin as a quarterback. Both Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy have far outplayed Griffin this preseason. General Manager Scot McCloughan, who was hired this year, has no particular loyalty to Griffin either.

But Snyder has loved Griffin since the team traded up in the 2012 draft to get him, and Snyder apparently isn’t willing to let go. And that’s the only thing keeping Griffin in Washington.

nittany ram wrote:

zn wrote:

But they can develop together, which is IMO precisely what will happen.

Well, they may develop together. Next year this oline may be a team strength. But this is the year we were looking to for the team to make its jump to playoff contention (actually last year originally was, but Bradford’s injury and the prejudice of others conspired to keep up playoff-less). Right now its shaping up to look like another wasted year.

Who’s “we”? I said they would be 10-6 this year…and that’s not playoffs, largely because, as you indicated, the OL injuries (along with the qb injury) that derailed last year had to be repaired with rookies.

I just never assumed that starting 2 rookie linemen meant playoffs.

But we’re talking about our own, personal, emotional relation to the thing. I can’t tell you to see and feel it the way I do. All I can do, really, is ban you, and then unleash my pack of hellhounds to find you and destroy everything you love. I mean except the Rams.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by zn.

nittany ram wrote:

Well, a blind man could see the issues with the oline coming months ago when they failed to sign one of the better vet FA’s. The oline will likely keep this team out of the playoffs.

IMO? It was sign Foles to an extension or sign a free agent lineman. I don’t think they could do both.

waterfield wrote:

. I can’t recall who they were playing

If you mean first game in 99, that was the Ravens.

In the wake of the game I think I am starting to see what I will like in Foles, but it hasn’t put down roots yet. Still too soon.

It;s like house hunting. Hey I think I will like this one. Let’s go look at it again. Maybe all the dead weasels in the basement is something we can fix. That kind of thing.

I;ve said it before—IMO Bradford would be a better fit in Phil than Foles was. At the same time Foles would be a better fit in St, Louis than he was in Phil. That means potentially it’s win/win. A rare thing in NFL history—a win/win qb trade. Interesting.

I think Foles is a “win ugly” kind of qb, but then, that’s fine. Nothing wrong with that.

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher- 8/29/15

(On the Rams injuries)
“I’ll start off with the two players, the noticeable players who left the game Tre (Mason) and JB (Jamon Brown). Tre has a mild hamstring strain so we’ll evaluate it. I don’t know how long that’s going to be, but he’s a quick healer. It appears to be mild at this point, but it would be unlikely that he would play this coming Thursday. But I think he’ll be fine. For JB it appears to be a lateral ankle sprain. When you’re talking high ankle you’ve got problems, when you’re talking lateral sprains they’ll come back fast. He (JB) wanted to come back in the game, but we held him out. Beyond that we ended up fairly good in the game from an injury standpoint.”

(General comments on the game)
“In the big picture nobody after Week 3 is where they think they need to be and nor are we. I think we got better. I think we improved this week, with a week of practice and some of the things that we saw in the game. Nick’s (Foles) numbers were good, but it’s really unfortunate that he got offensive pass interference called in that first drive. I didn’t see it, but I was told it was questionable. That was a big throw on that drive. We could have done some things on that drive. So, unfortunately for the offense because of that and then they stole a possession from us with surprise on-sides kick. We didn’t get the possessions that we wanted with our guys, but still nonetheless he (Nick Foles) was 10-of-11 and in control. I thought he did a good job spreading the ball around.”

Defensively, it was a great challenge against Andrew (Luck). You know, we blew a coverage and he threw a touchdown pass. There was some confusion and he found the tight end but beyond that we made them drive the football and they weren’t going to let him get hit. The Colts came out quick and they ran it. We tackled better.

From a big picture standpoint we still have some work to do. Obviously tonight is a great illustration of if you turn the football over you have costly penalties at the wrong time it will cost you a ballgame. We’ve got to get the penalty thing under control.”

(On Foles performance being masked by the offensive penalties)
“I thought it was yes. His numbers were good. He knew where to go with the ball. We had a couple of protection issues, which I think you attribute to preseason. He knew he was going to get hit and he got back up and he kept playing.”

(On the offensive line switches)
“We started Jamon (Brown) at left (guard) and went ahead and started Demetrius (Rhaney) over at right (guard). We were just getting them work.”

(On the Rams defense against the run)
“The numbers reflect that we were better, a couple of issues, we had a couple of bounce out things. Both teams tonight set themselves up to stop the run and I think both teams – us and the Colts – did a good job playing the run defense.”

Rams QB Nick Foles

(On the importance of the first team offense being productive tonight)
“Absolutely. We haven’t really…we haven’t seen the end zone so just to get in there…I felt like we had opportunities. We had a couple good drives. We could have had an opportunity to get in there more, but I think the big thing is we have to clean up the penalties. That’s going to be something that’s going to be really stressed each and every day because those are drive stoppers and puts you in a tough position. I think just today, we moved forward as a team. We have a long ways to go. We’re not there yet. We just have to keep plugging along. I think our young o-line has done a great job coming along. We were able to get some really good run plays going, some play action down field to (WR) Chris (Givens). Chris did a great job tracking the ball, going to get it and showing his athletic ability.”

(On his trust factor with Givens)
“I have a trust factor with all my guys. They know that I trust them and when that ball is in the air, they’re coming down with it. I don’t care who’s on. They know they have to go win on their routes because I’m going to get it out. I’m going to let them go do their thing. They’re extraordinary athletes. They’re great teammates. I believe in them.”

(On his reaction when G Jamon Brown went down)
“Yeah, trust me, I was extremely excited about the touchdown, but when I saw Jamon down…that’s the most important thing. I knew I could go celebrate with (WR) Chris (Givens) and everybody after. A guy that’s coming along…he’s such a great teammate. The guy’s protecting me each and every down and to see him down, you think the worst, but he’s a tough guy. I know he’s going to bounce right back. So I was excited to see him walking around and have a smile on his face.”

(On the offensive line)
“We just have to keep working. It’s a process. We just have to…and I know I…it sounds like a broken record, but it really is every day you just have to keep working on it and keep thinking positive, keep correcting. If you mess up again, just keep correcting because they’re coming along. They’re getting better and better and they’re doing a great job right now. They’re going to continue to improve.”

(On if he feels comfortable throwing on the move)
“Yeah, I do feel comfortable throwing on the move. I’m trying to keep my eyes down field because I don’t have the burners like a lot of guys do so I try to use my arm in those situations. I think just having a pocket awareness, knowing when it’s breaking down or could break down, getting out. Receivers did…(WR) Kenny (Britt) did a great job on one play giving me a body to throw to and he made a great catch. So those are times on third down or throughout the course of the game you’re going to have a couple plays that break down and you just have to use your feet and make something happen.”

(On if he wishes the offense was further along, even though it’s still preseason)
“I think with the penalties…that’s one thing that we need to cut out. We were moving the ball well. We definitely need to keep improving. We’ll always want to keep improving, but we’re where we’re at right now and we just have to go from there.”

(On if he would like to play in the fourth preseason game Thursday)
“We get reps every day. I don’t know what the situation will be. I know I’m always ready to play. That’s my mindset no matter what. But each and every day is an opportunity to get better so we’ll be back in the office tomorrow looking at this film, looking at what to improve on and it’s a never ending process so no matter what happens, I’ll always be ready to play no matter…even if I don’t.”

(On what he had to work with as far as game planning and selection)
“A little bit more but still the preseason. You’re trying to get your offense going. You’re trying to get players going. It’s a lot of different variables. Defense isn’t…they install stuff every week too, so you’re watching film on them. They’re going to bring out something new so it’s not like you have all their stuff to game plan. We definitely had a little more time to study them because we practiced against Dallas when we were playing against Tennessee. That’s never an excuse, but as we move on we’re going to continue to game plan. The season is right around the corner, so it’s about to get real, real soon.”

(On if this was his last preseason game, if he is satisfied with his play)
“I feel like we’re improving. To answer your question, I feel like every day I’ll have an opportunity tomorrow to get better. Whether or not I play in the game, I’ll still continue to improve. I’ll continue to work and be ready to play. That’s just how I’m engrained.”

(On him hitting 10 of his 11 passes)
“I felt like there was improvement. I still expect more from myself. I expect more from this offense, as does every player on this offense. Can’t say enough, I feel like it’s a one step in the right direction and just have to continue to improve on it.”

G Jamon Brown

(On his leg injury in the first half)
“We’ll take a look at it and go from there.”

(On deciding if he should return to the game following his injury)
“We kind of played it by ear and seeing how I was feeling, but ultimately they want to make sure I’m healthy going into the next game and into the regular season. So we thought it was a good idea to pull me out of this one.”

(On if it mattered to him playing right or left guard)
“Oh no, it doesn’t matter. I’m comfortable either way with those. As long as I’m out there, I’m comfortable.”

(On if he felt like he was missing out on reps because of his injury)
“I was eager to play because it was a good football team we were playing and a good coach. And I wanted to get the reps and get the experience and have that game experience. But unfortunately, I took an injury so I have to keep going and keep working.”

Rams RB Tre Mason

(On how he felt the team did as a whole in Game 3)
“We took a step forward to get better. We’ve got a lot to learn from this loss, but from here on out we’re going to figure out ways to get better and put in the pieces to the puzzle.”

(On how QB Nick Foles played against the Colts)
“He’s a great leader. He has a strong arm and he does what he does best. He comes out to take over our offense and he has a good, deep arm and has a very long throw. You know, he’s a good quarterback and a great leader.”

(On the first team offense scoring a touchdown)
“We’re so anxious to get in the end zone all the time. That’s our job, to get down there and score points. We’re always anxious to score.”

(On if he dodged a bullet on his hamstring injury)
“Definitely. It’s always scary when a (hamstring’s) involved. But we played it safe and I don’t want to make it any worse.”

Rams S T.J. McDonald

(On how the defense played)
“We didn’t start as fast as we’d like. We always want to start fast. At the same time, we did respond and we came back, we were able to make some plays and get the noise going and get into a groove. We’re definitely not where we want to be right now, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

(On the penalties)
“Penalties will hurt us. That is one thing that we have to eliminate. That’s one thing that beats us. You can’t beat yourself like that with penalties and win. Like you said, with the (CB Janoris) Jenkins interception, that takes away big momentum from the game. We just have to play disciplined and stay on top of everything and make sure that we’re on top of everything. We had busted coverage where they scored a touchdown. That’s something that we’re going to have to clean up. Things like that happen, but I think after that we took a step in the right direction as far as communication and the communication stepped up and we were able to start doing things the right way.”

(On if it’s tough to mix and match with first and second team players on the field)
“No, whenever you’re out there, you’re a starter, that’s my philosophy.”

(On how much his game has evolved since playing Andrew Luck in college)
“The game has slowed down for me a lot with this being my third year. Definitely being in the same scheme for a second year and having all 11 guys back on the field it’s definitely slowed down for me and I feel like I’m able to play a lot faster a diagnose what’s going on a lot faster. I’m not too worried about what I’m doing, what my job is, just because I know that from preparation from out the week, that allows me to focus more on what the offense is trying to do to us. I think a lot of our guys on our defense have matured that way. We’re taking steps in the right direction. We still have a long ways to go, we’re not where we want to be by any means, but we’re taking steps to get there.”

Rams LB James Laurinaitis

(On how the defense played)
“We did a really good job against their first unit. Progress, but we’re not where we want to be yet. Good, but this last week will be crucial here, especially in practice, because I’m not sure what the game reps will be on Thursday.”

(On getting good work done in practice since the starters will not get a bunch of playing time in the final preseason game)
“We’ve done really well during our practices. Our communication has been really good. I thought after that first series we talked well on the sidelines. Like I said, the one busted coverage, the one run was more of a, they got us a call that can be tricky against the run play. They had a good run on it. Before that last two minute drive, we put in two secondary, I looked up and they had 101 yards. Holding number 12 (Colts QB Andrew Luck) to that, like I said, I’m taking the optimistic outlook on it. I really like the way we practiced this last week too. We had a really tough, physical practice.”

(On how much fun it was when they backed up the Colts)
“That’s the way it needs to be. That’s the play that we expect, or that I expect out of our defense. It’s kind of like people got upset and decided to take it to another level. Our d-line fired off big time three plays in a row. ‘Brock’ (DT Michael Brockers) and (DT) Aaron (Donald) were all over it. They tried to do a lot of unbalanced runs today against us, tackle over type of stuff, which was interesting, especially for this early in the season, or preseason. I don’t know if they’re trying to get teams to prepare for it in the first four games of the season, but it didn’t work well for them. They tried to do that backed up, I think on the second play when we ran through. Brock had a good swim there. That’s the fun, those are the fun series, when you’re rolling like that. When everyone is on the same page, that’s what this defense can be. It’s just, are we going to be on the same page for 55-60 snaps every game and if we are we’ll be salty and if not then we at least we hope we have all of the eligible covered and we roll from there.”

PA Ram wrote:

This makes sense to me.

But why didn’t they do that at the beginning?

My guess? Sounds to me like they now think Hav needs Saffold more than Robinson does.

Rams notes: Mason leaves with hamstring injury

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-notes-mason-leaves-with-hamstring-injury/article_d49accf7-1c11-5ffd-8d13-a87a338b4ec1.html

The Rams didn’t escape injury Saturday night in their third game of the 2015 preseason. But all things considered, they got by much easier against Indianapolis than in the third game of the 2014 preseason.

In that game, in Cleveland, now-former Rams quarterback Sam Bradford was lost for the season with a knee injury. And starting cornerback Trumaine Johnson was lost for half the season with a knee injury.

Against the Colts, running back Tre Mason left late in the first quarter after suffering a hamstring injury. (He had missed time earlier in training camp with a similar injury.)

“It was just a little tweak,” Mason said. “It’s nothing too bad. It’s just tight. It got a little sore, so got out of there.”

Rams athletic trainers immediately applied ice to Mason’s right leg. Even if the injury isn’t serious, the team closes preseason play in just five days against Kansas City, so Mason won’t be seen until at least the season opener against Seattle.

With Todd Gurley not expected to play in the regular season opener, it’s obviously important to have Mason ready for the Seahawks.

He carried four times for 12 yards and caught two passes for 19 yards before he left. His last play was his longest gain of the night — a 14-yard gain on a screen pass from quarterback Nick Foles.

“You’ve got to get those yards first, then you can get out,” Mason said, laughing.

Rookie offensive guard Jamon Brown suffered an injury to his right ankle in the second quarter. Brown walked off the field on his own, got the foot examined and taped, but did not return to the game. But since he didn’t even put ice on the foot, it doesn’t appear to be a serious injury.

“It appears to be just a lateral ankle,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “When you’re talking high ankle, you’ve got problems. When you’re talking lateral, they’ll come back really fast. He wanted to come back in the game, we just kind of held him out.”

Lateral ankle sprains usually sideline a player for maybe a week or two.

LINE SHUFFLING

Brown actually started at left guard Saturday instead of his usual right guard spot. Demetrius Rhaney, who had worked at left guard all week in practice, started instead at right guard.

When asked why Brown suddenly showed up at left guard, Fisher said: “He played quite a bit on the left side in college and we wanted to get him some work there.”

Barrett Jones got the start at center. When Brown left the game with his injury, he was replaced by Garrett Reynolds, who was picked up from Detroit during the offseason via free agency.

SITTING IT OUT

Left guard Rodger Saffold sat out his second consecutive preseason game with a shoulder injury, so if he’s going to get any additional preseason work, it will have to be in Thursday’s preseason finale against Kansas City. Saffold tweaked the shoulder on the fourth play of the preseason opener against Oakland.

Also sitting out Saturday’s game: Gurley (knee), CB Brandon McGee (foot), LB Darren Bates (knee), LB Korey Toomer (ankle), OT Andrew Donnal (finger), TE Brad Smelley, DT Doug Worthington, and DT Nick Fairley.

Fairley has some soreness in the collarbone area.

LANGFORD RETURNS

Kendall Langford started 36 games for the Rams at defensive tackle from 2012 through 2014. But he lost his starting job to rookie Aaron Donald after four games last season, with his playing time decreasing as the season progressed.

Released at the end of February in a salary cap move that saved the Rams $6 million, Langford signed with Indianapolis two weeks later. His four-year deal with the Colts is worth $17.2 million, but with only a modest $2.5 million guaranteed.

So far this training camp and preseason, Langford has been the best defensive lineman on the Colts’ roster. That’s somewhat of a relative term, because the Colts aren’t nearly as talented athletically on their D-line as the Rams.

After three seasons playing tackle in a 4-3 front in St. Louis, Langford has returned to playing end in a 3-4 alignment for Indy. That’s the position he played during his first four years in the league, with Miami.

LOCAL LINE

The Indianapolis roster includes Missouri State offensive guard David Arkin and three former University of Illinois players: offensive guard Hugh Thornton, wide receiver Ryan Lankford, and cornerback Vontae Davis. Thornton did not play Saturday because of a knee injury.

Former Rams assistant coach Rick Venturi, who spent several years as a radio analyst in St. Louis once his coaching career was done, is now doing radio and TV work in Indianapolis. He was the color analyst Saturday for the Indianapolis telecast of the Colts-Rams contest.

LAST TIME (IN AUGUST)

Saturday’s meeting was just the fifth preseason contest between the teams. The most recent contest opened the 2012 exhibition season, marking Jeff Fisher’s Rams coaching debut. It was also Indy quarterback Andrew Luck’s pro debut, with the Colts winning 38-3 and Luck throwing two TD passes.

Rams offense shows up in loss to Colts

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-offense-shows-up-in-loss-to-colts/article_f1079185-e5c9-5482-af2d-9f6571507ee8.html

Well, it took nine series to get there, but Nick Foles and the Rams’ first-team offense finally got into the end zone.

And even though the Rams made enough mistakes and committed enough penalties to give them plenty to work on next week, the offense showed signs of life in Saturday’s 24-14 loss to Indianapolis.

Only 37,460 tickets were distributed for the Rams’ preseason home opener.

“I think we’re improving,” Foles said. “We still have a log ways to go, but I was really proud of the guys. We were moving the ball. We had a couple of good drives. We have to stop getting penalties on ourselves, but I think we’re stepping in the right direction.”

Despite spotty, at best, blocking by the offensive line, Foles easily was the sharpest he’s been in the preseason, completing 10 of 11 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. His passer rating was 145.5.

“It looked like Nick was very precise,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “His numbers were good, he knew where to go with the ball. We had a couple protection issues which I think you attribute to preseason. He knew he was gonna get hit and he took the hit. He got back up and kept playing.”

That first touchdown came as a result of good field position, compliments of the special teams and defensive units.

After Isaiah Pead downed a Johnny Hekker punt, Indianapolis was pinned at it’s own 5-yard line to start a second-quarter possession. Three running plays later, the Colts were punting from their 1 thanks to stout run defense by defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald, who dropped Colts running back Daniel Herron for back-to-back losses.

“That’s kinda the play that we expect, or that I expect, out of our defense,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “It’s like people got upset and decided to just take it to another level. Our D-line fired off, big time.”

The Rams took over at the Indy 44 following a Colts’ punt, and struck quickly. Using play-action that included a fake end-around, Foles seemed to temporarily freeze the Indianapolis defense then threw deep to a streaking Chris Givens, who ran under the ball for a 44-yard score.

It was the second big play for Givens in as many games. Against Tennessee, he scored on an 80-yard TD pass play from backup QB Case Keenum. This one came with 10 minutes, 18 seconds to play in the first half and narrowed Indy’s lead to 10-7.

“It definitely feels good,” said Givens, who has been the Rams’ most impressive wide receiver this preseason. “It felt a lot better too hook up with Nick and make a good play for our team when I felt like we needed it the most.”

Even prior to the Givens’ score, the Rams’ offense showed signs of life but self-destructed on two occasions because of penalties:

• On the opening series, Foles connected with Tavon Austin for a 25-yard gain that was wiped out by an offensive pass interference call on Austin. Austin did extend his arm as if to push off, but his jersey also was grabbed briefly by a Colts defender. All in all, it should have been a no-call.

• On the Rams’ second series, the Rams overcame a facemask call against center Barrett Jones, but couldn’t overcome a facemask call against right guard Demetrius Rhaney deep in Indy territory. A sack by Erik Waldenn, who got around right tackle Rob Havenstein, took the Rams out of field goal range.

“Tonight’s a great illustration of if you turn the football over and you have costly penalties at the wrong time, it can cost you the ballgame,” Fisher said. “We’ve got to get the penalty thing under control.”

The Rams were penalized 10 times for 83 yards and have been guilty of 29 penalties for 229 yards in their three preseason games — all losses.

After the Given’s TD, the Rams reached their 44 before stalling after failing to pick up a well-executed Colts blitz, leading to another sack of Foles.

Defensively, the Rams were able to shut down the Indianapolis running game in the first half, limiting the Colts to just 28 yards on 15 carries — or 1.9 yards per carry. It should be noted that Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore, the former 49er, did not play.

“We always want to start fast,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “We didn’t do that this game, but we bounced back. That’s one thing that we always talk about is responding. I think we responded real well. We have some stuff that we’ll go over in the film room and get better.”

Converting on a pair of third-down plays, the Colts did put up three points on an Adam Vinatieri field goal on their opening drive. They then fooled the Rams on an onside kick, with Indy’s Clayton Geathers outscrapping the Rams’ Cody Davis for the loose ball.

Quarterback Andrew Luck then got a freebie. A busted coverage left Andre Johnson, the longtime Houston Texan and seven-time Pro Bowler, open deep down the seam. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins had a chance to bring him down at the 7-yard line but whiffed. The result was a 32-yard TD and a 10-0 Colts lead with 7:45 to play in the opening quarter.

Luck came out to start the third quarter, but a botched handoff by running back Josh Robinson resulted in a fumble on the first play from scrimmage of the second half. Rookie linebacker Byrce Hager recovered for the Rams at the Indianapolis 17.

With Keenum in at quarterback, the Rams needed just three plays to reach the end zone — two runs by Trey Watts sandwiched around an 8-yard reception by Cory Harkey. Watts’ second carry was a three-yard TD run off right tackle in which he scored untouched.

The extra point by backup kicker Michael Palardy gave the Rams a 14-13 lead with 13:28 left in the third — their first lead of the preseason since Greg Zuerlein’s field goal on the Rams’ first possession of Game 1 in Oakland.

But the lead didn’t last long, with Indianapolis converting a Sean Mannion interception into a TD (and 2-point conversion) and Vinatieri added a third field goal late.

Penalty and protection issues persist but Rams make progress

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/20819/penalty-and-protection-issues-persist-but-rams-make-progress

ST. LOUIS — A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams’ 24-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts:

What it means: The Rams starting offense finally offered some hope with quarterback Nick Foles putting together his best performance of the preseason. He had just one incompletion on 11 tries with 128 yards and threw the first unit’s first touchdown of the exhibition slate. All of that despite an offensive line that did its best to make things difficult. The starting five allowed two sacks, a handful of other pressures and committed two 15-yard facemask penalties. The run game continues to struggle, mustering just 28 yards on 12 carries with the starters in the game. There was improvement from last week, but many of the issues that have been prevalent under coach Jeff Fisher and this preseason continue to persist.

Play of the game: For the second week in a row, it’s a Chris Givens touchdown. Givens got behind the Indianapolis secondary for a 44-yard touchdown from Foles for the starting offense’s first preseason touchdown. Givens had an 80-yard touchdown last week against Tennessee.

Stat of note: Seven for 60. That’s how many accepted penalties the Rams starters had in the first half. It’s an issue that has plagued this team since Fisher arrived and doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon.

Line dancing: The Rams continued to tinker with their offensive line. Without guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder), the Rams moved rookie Jamon Brown from right guard to left guard with Demetrius Rhaney starting at right guard. As expected, Barrett Jones started at center. But moving Brown offered more intrigue. At this point in the preseason, the most logical reason for the move would be that the team intends to move Saffold back to right guard when he returns. Saffold played there in 2013, and going back to that spot would also allow the Rams to breakup the two rookies on the right side.

Injuries of note: Brown left the game in the second quarter with an apparent ankle injury. He had the ankle taped but did not return to the game. Running back Tre Mason left in the first quarter, had his right leg wrapped in ice and also did not return.

What’s next: The Rams join the rest of the league in making their first round of cuts as they must get down to 75 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. From there, they wrap up the preseason at home Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.