Case Keenum has Rams’ backup quarterback job ‘locked up’

Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/20969/case-keenum-has-rams-backup-quarterback-job-locked-up

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Entering this year’s training camp and preseason, the primary competition at quarterback appeared to be between incumbent backup Austin Davis and re-acquired understudy Case Keenum.

With Nick Foles set as the starter and third-round pick Sean Mannion entering the fray, that put Keenum and Davis in the strange position of either being No. 2 or released.

As it turns out, there never really was much of a competition.

“I think Case has the advantage right now,” St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “I would say the competition would be related to the third spot, with Austin and Sean. So we’re going to try to get them both reps in the game. But I think that Case has done a good enough job right now at this point that he’s got No. 2 locked up.”

The Rams traded with the Houston Texans to get Keenum back in the fold on the opening day of free agency, sending a 2016 seventh-round pick to Houston to get Keenum back after he left the team’s practice squad for the Texans’ active roster at the end of the season.

Keenum had initially come to St. Louis after the cutdown to the 53-man roster last September but he never got much of a chance to play as he spent most of his time playing catch up. Although Keenum didn’t get many chances, he apparently showed enough for the Rams to want him back.

This time around, Keenum has had a full offseason and training camp to make an impression.

“We saw it last year when we had him on the practice squad,” Fisher said. “He just has a good feel for our offense and timing and release and is a natural athlete. Since the trade, he’s been able to sit here and really grasp the offense, so he’s a got a good feel for what we’re doing.”

Perhaps in part because the Rams already know what they have in Davis — he started eight games in 2014 — they’ve given Keenum the bulk of the opportunities in three preseason games. He’s played seven series and thrown a team-high 34 passes in those games. Davis, meanwhile, has been relegated to just three series and thrown five passes, both numbers clearly the fewest among the four quarterbacks on the roster.

In other words, whatever semblance of “competition” that the Rams looked to have at quarterback has never really developed. While Fisher said Davis and Mannion are competing for the third spot, that is almost certainly coach speak.

The Rams have also given Mannion more work than Davis in the preseason games. Given the team’s refusal to part ways with relatively early picks — Isaiah Pead, anyone? — it seems exceedingly unlikely they’d part ways with a third-round pick like Mannion after just one training camp.

So while many Rams will be fighting for spots on the team when they play the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, whatever opportunities Davis gets will likely be as an audition for one of 31 other teams.

Agamemnon wrote:

Posters on this board and other boards have gone much deeper into the “penalty effect”.

I think we were even reaching the point where we were narrowing it down to WHICH penalties are costly, and which are not as much.

I often post Miklasz with a heavy-hearted sense of mere obligation. “Yeah, well, I guess I should post this…”

Saffold’s back, and at right guard

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/saffold-s-back-and-at-right-guard/article_8e811edd-637a-57d5-a5a4-0898ba47f127.html

The big fella is back in uniform and all about the business of getting ready for the season opener Sept. 13 against Seattle.

One of the strongest players on the team, and easily the most experienced starter on the offensive line, Rodger Saffold immediately makes the Rams a better blocking team.

“Rodger’s back on the field a little bit, doing some stuff,” coach Jeff Fisher said after Tuesday’s practice. “He’ll be questionable for Thursday, but obviously, definitely, he’s in a really good position for the opener.”

The Rams close out the preseason Thursday at the Edward Jones Dome with the almost annual Governor’s Cup game against Kansas City. Then it’s on to the real deal — Seattle and opening day.

Saffold left no doubt about his availability for that one.

“Absolutely,” he replied.

In fact, he even provided a position.

“I’m gonna go ahead and play right guard,” Saffold said. “The coaches really felt the way that things have been going we would be firmer (in that alignment).”

Suddenly, four-fifths of the Rams’ starting offensive line looks set for Seattle, with Greg Robinson (left) and rookie Rob Havenstein (right) at tackle, and rookie Jamon Brown (left) and Saffold (right) at guard. As for center? TBD.

Brown has missed both practices this week with an ankle injury but is expected to be fine for Seattle. As for Saffold, it seems like forever since he last played, but in truth it’s been less than three weeks. He went out on the Rams’ fourth offensive play of the Aug. 14 preseason opener in Oakland.

“It was just an awkward hit,” Saffold said. “I was definitely ready to (return) sooner than (the coaches) wanted. But I understand for the sake of the season, and for the sake of some of these guys to get some experience playing ball, I needed to wait.”

Saffold underwent surgery on his left shoulder immediately following the 2014 season; the injury in Oakland was a tweak of his right shoulder.

Saffold has enough experience that it shouldn’t be a problem being mentally ready and technique ready for Seattle. They’re a familiar opponent.

“He’s played a lot of games,” Fisher said. “He’s played the Seahawks. He understands, so I’m not concerned about that. The one thing that he’s doing is he’s getting the walk-through reps, so the communication is very sound up front with the young guys.”

Because of past injuries, Saffold also is used to playing with a brace or wrap around his shoulder, and used to getting ready to play in a short period of time. Even so, there is that little matter of getting into “football shape” — the banging and bumping that come with the sport.

“The basic fundamentals I totally understand,” Saffold said. “But getting ready for football shape, even though I’ve been doing all my things conditioning-wise, it’s still different. So you can expect to see me out here doing things before and after practice trying to get ready. And basically doing all the stretching.”

When Saffold initially made the switch to guard from tackle midway through the 2013 season he played right guard. He started five games there that season and was particularly devastating in his debut game against Indianapolis, consistently moving the line of scrimmage and delivering punishing blocks on the move as a pulling guard.

Because of injuries elsewhere, he started one game at left tackle and one game at right tackle over the second half of that season. Last season, he began at left guard and started 13 games there, largely because free-agent pickup Davin Joseph had only played right guard over the course of his career.

Starting all 16 games for only the second time in his five-year NFL career, Saffold started the other three contests at right guard.

Rams coaches “have seen me play right guard before in years past,” Saffold said. “So they have confidence in me in being able to switch. And they think it would be more natural for (Brown) to play left.

“When those types of things get asked of you, I mean, what am I here for? I’m here to be that versatile guy. So you’ll probably see me playing a bunch of different positions all year. But that means nothing to me. My goal is still the same.”

Actually, the Rams would like nothing better than for the Saffold to settle in at right guard and stay there, with the other four line starters staying healthy and stable. But it usually doesn’t happen that way, especially when it comes to the Rams in recent years.

“I’m pretty much comfortable anywhere at this point,” Saffold said. “The only ‘people’ that are mad at me are my hips. When you switch positions, those hips get super tight. But other than that, everything’s good.”

Although he’s only 27, Saffold is like Father Time on the Rams’ offensive line with 60 NFL starts. The other probable opening day starters will have no more than 16 combined starts. That means he must be a leader on the line, helping all the youngsters along, especially his partner on the right side — Havenstein.

“A lot of times, the offensive line is about feel,” Saffold said. “So you have to be able to feel certain things. I can feel twists pretty well. Sometimes I can tell, based off of safety rotation, what types of blitzes we’re gonna have.”

Saffold has always been comfortable in his own skin and confident in his abilities. So when asked Tuesday why fans should believe in the offense, he didn’t blink.

“Cause I’ll be back soon,” Saffold replied. “You know what I’m saying? I’m gonna get in there and I’m gonna help this team.”

The starting quarterback, for one, can’t wait.

“The guy has been in the NFL,” Nick Foles said. “He’s played at an extremely high level and he’s got a lot of wisdom. He’s a very talented player. So to get him healthy, that helps us out a lot. And then it just gives us more depth with the other guys.”

InvaderRam wrote:

not in panic mode yet. but worried it’s gonna be more of the same this year.

The same being what? Inconsistent run D & blown coverages?

Saffold expects to start week 1… at right guard

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/20953/rodger-saffold-expects-to-start-week-1-at-right-guard

EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Rodger Saffold is no stranger to changing positions. He’s made a career of it since he entered the league in 2010.

Saffold has changed positions because of injuries to himself, injuries to others and outside free-agent signings. But never has he changed positions while injured simultaneously with the player whom he’s trading spots. Until now.

After sitting out preseason games and practices since the exhibition opener against the Oakland Raiders with a right shoulder injury, Saffold returned to practice on a limited basis Tuesday. When he suffered the injury, he was the Rams’ left guard. When he returns, Saffold said he’ll be on the move again.

“I’m going to go ahead and say right guard,” Saffold said. “Coaches really felt that the way things have been going, they felt like we would be firmer if we were in that protection. They understand my versatility and the way to have the best combination to keep it firm inside was for me to go play right. They have seen me play right guard before in years past so they have confidence in me in being able to switch. They think it would be more natural for him to play left.

“When those type of things get asked of you, I mean what am I here for? I’m here to be that versatile guy. You’ll probably see me playing a bunch of different positions all year but that means nothing to me. My goal will stay the same.”

So, as was clear in Saturday night’s preseason loss to Indianapolis, Saffold is indeed moving back to right guard with rookie Jamon Brown flipping to the left side. At the time, Rams coach Jeff Fisher was coy about the move, saying he just wanted to give Brown some work on the left side. But he acknowledged Sunday that moving Saffold back to the right with Brown on the left was under consideration.

“I think Rodger’s really comfortable on the right,” Saffold said. “It’ll be a consideration and that’s particularly why we did it. Line him up and let him work with

Greg [Robinson] and then put Rodger over next to

Rob [Havenstein].”

Obviously, this late in the preseason, it’s odd for a team with so many young offensive linemen to keep moving pieces around, but it would have made even less sense if the Rams had flopped Brown to the other side as a one-off experiment. In 2014, Saffold started all 16 games at left guard and Brown played nothing but right guard since arriving as a third-round pick in May.

But both players have experience playing on the other side. Saffold, in fact, played right guard at the end of the 2013 season and looked like a burgeoning star at the position. He moved last year to make room for veteran Davin Joseph, who had never played anywhere but the right side. Brown played a lot of left tackle at Louisville but hadn’t played left guard since his freshman year.

Now, finally, the Rams seem like they’re finally settled with their two guards and two tackles (center still has no definitive answer) and Saffold is closer to being back to full strength. Saffold said he took an awkward hit to the shoulder against the Raiders but could have returned to practice sooner.

Instead, the Rams have been patient with his recovery, allowing him to strengthen the shoulder and spend time working on his conditioning. In switching back to the right side, Saffold said the only real challenge is making sure he stretches properly.

“I’m pretty much comfortable anywhere at this point,” Saffold said. “The only people that are mad at me are my hips man because when you switch positions, your hips get super tight. Other than that, everything is good.”

For his part, Fisher said Saffold will be questionable to play in the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs but he’s likely to be ready for the Sept. 13 season opener against Seattle.

“Definitely, he’s in a really good position for the opener,” Fisher said. “He’s played a lot of games. He’s played the Seahawks. He understands, so I’m not concerned about that. The one that he’s doing is he’s getting the walk-thru reps so the communication is very sound up front with the young guys, so I’m not concerned.”

Nick Foles Looks Fine, but the Rams’ O-Line is an Issue

Posted by: Anthony Stalter

http://www.101sports.com/2015/09/01/nick-foles-looks-fine-but-the-rams-o-line-is-an-issue/

One look at Nick Foles’ stat line from the Rams’ third preseason game is enough to squash concerns about his ability to run the team’s offense. What didn’t show up on his stat sheet was even more impressive.

Foles was 10-of-11 for 128 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the Rams’ 24-14 loss to the Colts last Saturday night. Unlike his previous preseason performance, Foles showed better pocket presence, more athleticism, and the clock in his head was quicker. He bought himself more time moving inside and outside of the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield, which is a struggle for some quarterbacks.

If a signal-caller’s eyes are on the pressure, that means they’re not on their receivers, which makes it difficult to gain yardage.

Foles’ 44-yard touchdown pass to Chris Givens off play-action and a fake reverse was also on a dime.

In short, it was the best Foles has looked running Frank Cignetti’s offense. Unfortunately, that was the most challenging 10-for-11 for 128 yards that you’ll see from a quarterback.

The Rams’ offensive line is a work in progress, to put it nicely.

The line has been a bit of a mess with less than two weeks to go before the regular season.

Rob Havenstein deserves more time than one preseason to determine whether or not he can start in the NFL. However, Haverstein struggled mightily on Saturday, often failing to protect the edge and getting beat to the inside when he tried to anchor too wide.
rob havenstein

Havenstein gave up two sacks in preseason game three versus Indianapolis.

He gave up two sacks and had issues with Erik Walden, who is a good player but doesn’t exactly resemble Justin Houston (who comes to St. Louis on Thursday, by the way).

Havenstein wasn’t the only St. Louis offensive lineman that struggled.

Greg Robinson continues to allow pressure to come from Foles’ backside and Demetrius Rhaney whiffed on a block when pulling in the run game. Barrett Jones held up well in pass protection, but the interior line generated little push in the run game.

The Rams are using more zone-run blocking under Frank Cignetti this year. A benefit of this scheme is that it allows the O-line to maximize the number of double teams at the point of attack. Once a team executes a double team, one of the offensive linemen can slip off the double team and get to the second level in order to “get a hat” on a linebacker.

But the Rams’ O-line isn’t winning at the point of attack and thus, they’re not getting to the second level. Linebackers are running free and meeting running backs head-on in gaps. Whether it’s Tre Mason, Todd Gurley, or Jim Brown, running backs can only do so much in a phone booth when that phone booth is jammed with defenders.

It’s only preseason, but there’s a domino effect that will take place in the regular season if the Rams can’t run the ball.

If opponents don’t have to stack the box in efforts to stop the run, they can afford to have an extra defender in coverage. And if opposing safeties don’t have to concern themselves with the run, that means they’re not going to bite on play-action. They can stay in their deep zones and help bracket receivers on the outsides.

Offenses need to stay “on schedule,” which means putting themselves in third-and-short when they can be creative with play calls. It’s no coincidence the teams that are good at converting on third downs also win on first and second.

If the Rams can’t run the ball, they’re going to have a difficult time winning on first and second down. Third and long with shoddy pass protection is a recipe to get your quarterback killed, or your offensive coordinator criticized because he’s forced into using his three-step game (which means plenty of short passes and frustrated fans).

Again, there’s a domino effect.

The Rams defense also has plenty to iron out before the regular season starts, but I have faith that this is a top-10 unit under Gregg Williams.

If the Rams can’t run the ball they’re going to have a difficult time sustaining drives and putting points on the board. That puts more pressure on Foles and the passing game and if three-and-outs start to pile up, it won’t matter how good the defense is, because it’ll be on the field too long.

It’s time for this Rams offensive line to grow up in a hurry. Much depends on that unit.

Foles quelled some concerns on Saturday night, but there’s nothing he can do when he’s constantly lying on his back.

From that interview, an extract done by X.

Focus on Givens.

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.
[/quote]

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 11 years 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.