2015 Player Progression

[rams24/7]

Just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on who they think will break out for the Rams in 2015. Who will disappoint? Who's breakout will be most significant? How much will these players improve?



My opinion/prediction:

Greg Robinson: I'm tempering expectations. Most of his "whiffs" in 2014 where rushers got big hits on the QB were mental errors or lapses in technique. The athletic talent is undeniable, but I'd pump the breaks on people hoping for the next Pace. I expect him to be an average to slightly above average LT in 2015.

Tavon Austin: Imo it all has to do with the system and the way Tavon is used. I hope that Fish and Co. realize how electric he can be when given 1 on 1 matchups on the outside, stop running him between the tackles, and try designing pick plays for him. Imo we'll see a slightly improved version of 2013 Tavon, which is better than 2014 Tavon.

Stedman Bailey: Our offseason moves at WR will have a big impact on Steddy's role. If we stick with Britt, Quick, & Co. Steddy will likely start week 1 and imo never relinquish his spot. Looked great near the end of 2013 and 2014 and just needs more snaps. Imo he's a candidate for 50 balls, 600+ yards, and 4+ TDs if he starts.

Tre Mason: Idk if Tre's ceiling is much higher than what we saw in 2014, but that ain't a bad thing. He can still improve his pass blocking and if we improve our interior OL he will be more productive in general. If he still gets 60%+ of the carries over 16 I think he gets 1,000 yards easy.

Barrett Jones: Idk, not hugely optimistic. Imo Barnes (if resigned) may still beat him out and coaches are high on Rhaney. Not expecting him to start and if he does, expecting him as more of a 1-2 year stop gap. Anything more will impress me.

EJ Gaines: If he didn't already break out in 2014, 2015 is the year. He has great instincts, plays through the whistle, and tackles very well. Imo could be a dark horse Pro Bowl candidate.

Janoris Jenkins: More of the same in 2015, with slightly fewer blunders hopefully. Should play well enough to warrant a second contract with the Rams.

Alec Ogletree: Idk if he'll ever be dominant like a Wagner or David, but what we saw in the back half of 2014 was what a consistent Ogletree could do. Still needs to work on shedding blocks, high tackles, and blown assignments, but should take a small step forward in 2015.

TJ McDonald: 2014 was his break out. Imo he's near his ceiling, but he's a solid enough player. Great around the LOS and imposes his will on ball carriers.

Lamarcus Joyner: Idk what to expect. Suffered from injuries and was never able to get a string of games going in 2014. If he can stay healthy I can see him getting snaps at nickel and possibly playing a similar role as Barron. Joyner breaking out would be huge for this team.

 

[-X-]

Greg Robinson: I think he'll be fine once he settles in on one position. He had his eggs scrambled during the offseason trying to learn two positions.

Tavon Austin: If Austin wants to be a good receiver, then he needs to focus on being a good receiver. Isaac Bruce summed up his situation perfectly late last year by saying he's too preoccupied with being a playmaker *after* the ball is in his hands, and not enough of his time and resources are dedicated to running good routes and understanding NFL concepts.

Stedman Bailey: Agree.

Tre Mason: He's going to be a mainstay at the RB position for years and years. We're only seeing the tip of the iceberg with this cat.

Barrett Jones: Agree.

EJ Gaines: Agree. Snead nailed this pick.

Janoris Jenkins: Quickly losing faith in his ability to improve in any measurable way, but that's JMO.

Alec Ogletree: Disagree. Once Williams learned everything about Ogletree, and Ogletree learned more about the scheme, his performance improved substantially. He should continue to improve greatly and should be one of the premiere outside linebackers in the league this coming year.

TJ McDonald: 2015 is gonna be his breakout. 2014 was his coming out party.

Lamarcus Joyner: Agree.

 

[Boffo97]

Greg Robinson: I think he'll be fine once he settles in on one position. He had his eggs scrambled during the offseason trying to learn two positions.

Yeah. Aside from plans involving us drafting Winston, the biggest disagreement I've had with some people's offseason plans is moving Robinson back to guard. IMO, keep Robinson at LT, let Long go, resign Barksdale, find us a good C and RG and maybe some depth, and that line is good to go.

 

[Faceplant]

Greg Robinson: I think he'll be fine once he settles in on one position. He had his eggs scrambled during the offseason trying to learn two positions.

Tavon Austin: If Austin wants to be a good receiver, then he needs to focus on being a good receiver. Isaac Bruce summed up his situation perfectly late last year by saying he's too preoccupied with being a playmaker *after* the ball is in his hands, and not enough of his time and resources are dedicated to running good routes and understanding NFL concepts.

Stedman Bailey: Agree.

Tre Mason: He's going to be a mainstay at the RB position for years and years. We're only seeing the tip of the iceberg with this cat.

Barrett Jones: Agree.

EJ Gaines: Agree. Snead nailed this pick.

Janoris Jenkins: Quickly losing faith in his ability to improve in any measurable way, but that's JMO.

Alec Ogletree: Disagree. Once Williams learned everything about Ogletree, and Ogletree learned more about the scheme, his performance improved substantially. He should continue to improve greatly and should be one of the premiere outside linebackers in the league this coming year.

TJ McDonald: 2015 is gonna be his breakout. 2014 was his coming out party.

Lamarcus Joyner: Agree.

Damn. Almost exactly my take on each player.

Tavon is a beast who just doesn't realize it yet.

Stedman is a beast who DOES realize it, and will help everyone else figure it out this year.

Tre is a natural NFL RB. Instincts like I haven't seen from that position in a while and will only get better.

I have no idea what to expect from Jones. Not counting on anything from him honestly.

Gaines is a straight up winner. LOVE that pick, and how could you not. He has it all.

I am not as high on Janoris as I once was. I just don't see the maturity I would want to see in him by now. Big year for him.

I like Ogletree lots for his play making ability and his coverage skills against opposing TEs. That is huge. I worry about him against bigger OLs and RBs.

Joyner is someone I think we all agree can be a serious difference maker in this defense if he improves. I, for one, think he will.

I have liked McDonald (and have defended that pic on here) since we drafted him and can't WAIT to see how much better he can be once he is totally confident in the system. That should be this season.

 

[Memento]

Fully expect the guys on defense to get it with their second year in the same system. I think Joyner moves to the starting free safety role and excels. Robinson, Austin, Quick, Bailey, Britt, Cook, Harkey, Mason, and Cunningham form the nucleus of an offense that is much improved, especially if Snead decides to go all out on the offensive line in this draft.

 

[LosAngelesRams]

Yea Donald is going to be a beast. he beat out some good defensive players this year to get those honors, hes that special.

 

[rams24/7]

Janoris Jenkins: Quickly losing faith in his ability to improve in any measurable way, but that's JMO.

Alec Ogletree: Disagree. Once Williams learned everything about Ogletree, and Ogletree learned more about the scheme, his performance improved substantially. He should continue to improve greatly and should be one of the premiere outside linebackers in the league this coming year.

I just look at Tree and unfortunately I see some similarities to Jenks. Both have all the physical gifts in the world, but lack of discipline and working on the weak areas in their game seem to be a commonality between the two. I hope they can prove me wrong, but it is a concern. Tree and Jenks can have splash games or stretches of games just from their raw instincts and athleticism, but their differences lead to some of their dog games also.

Take Jenks' blown coverages/peeking in the backfield/lack of eye discipline and his half assed tackles where he throws his body at tacklers feet. One can argue we haven't seen much, if any improvement from his rookie year in these deficiencies. He could be a top CB in the league but imo he's becoming more of an Asante Samuel, risk-reward/feast-famine type player.

But let's also look at Tree. I know he only has 2 years under his belt and has shown more consistency, BUT the areas I thought he was lacking in when he was a rook are still present today. He hasn't fixed his high tackling and still gets washed out of run plays. I'd like to think if he could fix those he'd be a top 5 or 10 4-3 OLB, but I just don't see it yet.

Again, I'd love to eat crow on Rams players when I'm wrong :cheers:. (See Brian Quick, Eugene Sims, etc.)

 

[rams24/7]

Fully expect the guys on defense to get it with their second year in the same system. I think Joyner moves to the starting free safety role and excels. Robinson, Austin, Quick, Bailey, Britt, Cook, Harkey, Mason, and Cunningham form the nucleus of an offense that is much improved, especially if Snead decides to go all out on the offensive line in this draft.

While Id love to see Fish try him out at FS, Idk if I'll get my hopes up about him playing there. Its the logical move, as we roll 3 deep at CB w/Jenks & Tru on the outside and EJ in the slot in nickel formations. Lamarcus was originally slated to be out nickel, but I don't see him unseating any of those 3 unless he has a monster camp, or any of the starting 3 falter. So the logical move is to have him compete for starting FS as he won't crack the lineup as a CB. Heck we rarely ever went 4 CB last year, the dimeback was non-existent. We usually went with 3 S and 3 CB in 6 DB situations.

 

[ramfan46]

I think Michael Brockers can take that next step to being a top ten run stuffing DT if he can make it through the preseason with healthy ankles. He is very active in the middle and rarely gets pushed back. He can stand up almost any G and C the Rams play.

 

[rams24/7]

I think Michael Brockers can take that next step to being a top ten run stuffing DT if he can make it through the preseason with healthy ankles. He is very active in the middle and rarely gets pushed back. He can stand up almost any G and C the Rams play.

Very true. He's also going into his contract year, so I expect to see him play great

 

[jrry32]

This is Austin's year. Get Austin with some amazing route runners(like Isaac Bruce) this off-season to refine his technique and he can take over the NFL in 2014.

 

[rams24/7]

This is Austin's year. Get Austin with some amazing route runners(like Isaac Bruce) this off-season to refine his technique and he can take over the NFL in 2014.

I wish we ran more pick plays in our offense for Tavon. Or at least had WRs who could execute the plays w/o getting nabbed for OPI.

People can say what they want about Tavon, but one can certainly argue that playing 3/4 of his career w/back up QBs hasn't helped. Please football Gods give us a season of healthy Sam :bow:

 

[WestCoastRam]

It'll be interesting to see if simplifying the terminology and reducing the playbook will help Austin play faster and play more...

 

[WestCoastRam]

My opinion/prediction:

Greg Robinson: I would have liked to have seen more growth over the season from Robinson. Some of the mistakes seem to be the same ones. The guys that end up being to top of their profession tend to not make the same mistake twice. It worries me. I hope having a whole training camp at one position helps him. He'll still make mistakes and at least one at the beginning of the year that we'll all believe got SB's ACL torn again but more consistent across the board. We'll be running behind him a lot next year.

Tavon Austin: High hopes that the offensive coaching change will improve his productivity. Reduce terminology and size of playbook should help. I do not expect him to be a pro-bowler but I think we could see some of the work he did over the end of 2013 on a regular basis.

Stedman Bailey: Like to see him with a full camp and no suspension. 3rd year. He has the chance to be a top number 2 receiver in the league though I just see marginal improvement. Becomes an above average #2.

Tre Mason: I was in the camp that wasn't actually blown away by Tre last season. He needs to improve as a blocker (he did get better last year), vision, pass catching and following blocks. That being said, we know he's got speed and I was shocked at times how he could get YAC. Think he'll improve some though I don't think he's a top 10 rusher sadly.

Barrett Jones: Doesn't make it through camp this year. Cut. Never what we thought he could be.

EJ Gaines: I would be happy if he just played like he did last year at outside corner all year next year. Any improvement is a pro-bowl bonus!

Janoris Jenkins: Get's benched halfway through next year. Just can't get his head and talent together.

Alec Ogletree: Agree that Williams was using him poorly at beginning of year and he was out of shape. Think he'll play right below pro-bowl level next year.

TJ McDonald: "2014 was his break out. Imo he's near his ceiling, but he's a solid enough player. Great around the LOS and imposes his will on ball carriers." Totally agree with the OPs assessment.

Lamarcus Joyner: Will get snaps at nickel only part of the time but it will pay off down the stretch. I'd say I'm worried that he's a wasted pick but teams have corners go down all the time, I swear, it must be the most injured position in the NFL so I think having him will ultimately be worth it.

 

[rams24/7]

My opinion/prediction:

Greg Robinson: I would have liked to have seen more growth over the season from Robinson. Some of the mistakes seem to be the same ones. The guys that end up being to top of their profession tend to not make the same mistake twice. It worries me. I hope having a whole training camp at one position helps him. He'll still make mistakes and at least one at the beginning of the year that we'll all believe got SB's ACL torn again but more consistent across the board. We'll be running behind him a lot next year.

Tre Mason: I was in the camp that wasn't actually blown away by Tre last season. He needs to improve as a blocker (he did get better last year), vision, pass catching and following blocks. That being said, we know he's got speed and I was shocked at times how he could get YAC. Think he'll improve some though I don't think he's a top 10 rusher sadly.

Barrett Jones: Doesn't make it through camp this year. Cut. Never what we thought he could be.

Lamarcus Joyner: Will get snaps at nickel only part of the time but it will pay off down the stretch. I'd say I'm worried that he's a wasted pick but teams have corners go down all the time, I swear, it must be the most injured position in the NFL so I think having him will ultimately be worth it.

Seems like we see eye to eye on most players.

GRob's habit of repeating the same mistakes was worrisome. That's why I am just expecting him to be around middle of the pack at the LT position.

Tre certainly flashed more than many expected, but needs a solid back to spell him. Benny is a quality 3rd down back (ok blocker & our best pass catching RB). I like Zac but I feel like he's in Fisher's dog house; hope that changes and he gets a fresh start in 2015. I wouldn't mind a power back in the draft. I'd love Gurley as a value pick.

I never got my hopes up about Barrett. I knew his pedigree, but he's been injured since he's been in the NFL and has never been higher than #3 on the depth chart. It would be great if he could become a solid starter, but I'm not going to hold my breath. We need to look elsewhere. There's a good center class in FA this year.

Agreed on Lamarcus. Having 4 or 5 solid CBs is a good "problem" to have as a NFL team. He'll rotate in at nickel and in Barron's role imo

 

[Memento]

Let's not forget that G-Rob entered the NFL as a redshirt-sophomore from a program that has an offense that isn't even remotely tailored to the NFL. Of course he made the same mistakes; he had to focus on learning two positions and didn't start immediately (even though he should have).

I think that he'll make a lot of improvement in year two and take a huge leap in year three.

 

[BuffaloRam]

I'm here to say that Quick, if healthy, will be a dominant force in 2015. Before the shoulder injury, the dude was ballin - no reason why he won't continue if he can get back to shape

 

[Ballhawk]

I think that GRob will be much better this year and there wasn't really that much of a drop off when he took over for Long. He really did a remarkable job when you consider all of the circumstances with the Oline due to the injuries and the resulting moves.
He also was much better late in the year so he has already shown improvement.

 

[CoachO]

I wish we ran more pick plays in our offense for Tavon. Or at least had WRs who could execute the plays w/o getting nabbed for OPI.

People can say what they want about Tavon, but one can certainly argue that playing 3/4 of his career w/back up QBs hasn't helped. Please football Gods give us a season of healthy Sam :bow:

I think you are over simplifying things when it comes to being able to "incorporate" Austin into the passing game. If you look back at the games he excelled in his rookie year, you may have noticed that it came exclusively against MAN TO MAN coverage (Indy, Carolina, for example). Teams just don't play man against the Rams very often.

Say what you want about Schottenheimer, he was able to exploit man coverage when they ran up against it. Be it Austin, or even Givens, they are the most successful on crossing routes, when they can be matched up in single (man) coverage.

Teams force him to "settle in" to the windows of the zone, catching the ball while STOPPED. The only effective alternative to that is underneath crossing routes, or bubble screens. But Austin is just too small to run the deep dig, and sending him on "9" routes just isn't effective against 2-deep safeties. Again, he is just too small to win contested balls.

Forcing the ball to him, even with the Jet Sweeps, became very predictable, and less effective the more they tried.

IMO, for him to be effective, he has to rely on the others guys being more of a factor, (Quick, Britt, Cook) all becoming the focus in the intermediate passing game, which will open up the middle of the field for Austin. IF opposing LBs are forced to get deeper in their drop, it will give Austin more room on the underneath stuff.

Combine that with a successful running game, which makes the play action passing game go, it will now allow for Austin to run his routed BEHIND the LBs and in front of the Safeties.

But, with all due respect, running "pick plays" against zone defenses just don't work. I know I am in the minority here, but it just doesn't make sense to me to focus so much on making him the "go to guy" in this offense, when he is so easily taken out of the offense by simply playing zone defense against him.