Jobs up for grabs as Rams run through special teams practice/Wagoner

[RamBill]

Jobs up for grabs as Rams run through special teams practice
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...bs-as-rams-run-through-special-teams-practice

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- In something of an annual St. Louis Rams tradition, the first day the team puts on the pads is always a special teams practice. It's also maybe the first and best true look at the players jockeying for spots at the bottom of the 53-man roster.

It might be overstating it a bit but only just a bit to say that jobs are won and lost in the first fullypadded special teams practice. But there is plenty of recent evidence that indicates the workout's importance.

In fact, special teams coach John Fassel offered his current crop of hopefuls a look at some of the recent example of those who have taken a simple Monday morning practice turned it into a job interview and then aced the test on their way to becoming core special teams players who stick around for multiple seasons.

"We showed that film yesterday and even 2012 with Eugene Sims and Rodney McLeod, Cory Harkey and 2013 was (Daren) Bates and Cody (Davis) and Chase (Reynolds) and Benny (Cunningham)," Fassel said. "Last year, Lamarcus (Joyner) and Marcus Roberson. Guys that kind of stand out in these kind of very high competition, very high speed, tons of space drills. You can kind of see who might project well to being on there on game day."

You can see it for two very simple reasons.

First, the Rams have a head coach in Jeff Fisher who puts a premium on strong special teams play, allowing for multiple practice days exclusively to work on them. Second, Fassel is a relentless teacher who puts his players in position to go one on one and see who is left standing when the dust settles.

Bates is, perhaps, the ultimate example of a little-known undrafted free agent who announced his presence in physical, dominant fashion in the first special teams practice. Two years ago, Bates found himself matched against incumbent linebacker Josh Hull, who was then considered a key piece on the core special teams units, in the drill known simply as "Compete."

The drill line up one blocker and one gunner next to each other with a pad located about 15 yards away. The goal for each player is simple: for the gunner, get to the pad as efficiently as possible. For the blocker, prevent the gunner from getting to the pad. It's a full contact drill that tests a player's will more than any single physical attribute.

Before the practice, Bates tweeted that he was going to go out and win a job. He manhandled Hull, igniting a couple of skirmishes as he informed Hull of how well he was doing. But the message was clear, and Bates is now an integral piece of multiple special teams units.

"I think about it because I always want to get better from where I started or where I was last year," Bates said. "There's a lot of things I can get better at and a lot of things I can strengthen up."

With that in mind, here's a few nuggets of those who might have helped themselves or solidified their spots with some of the action from Monday's practice:

Reynolds is perhaps one of the more underrated players on the Rams, consistently making the team and then going about his business as a core special teams player. He was his usual, solid self on Monday but actually drew plenty of cheers from teammates when he stonewalled linebacker Korey Toomer in a one-on-one drill. Reynolds is listed at 6 feet, 205 pounds and Toomer is listed at 6-2, 234 pounds but the size difference didn't matter. Reynolds barely budged.

Cornerback Janoris Jenkins continued his strong camp with a similar stoppage of running back Trey Watts in the same drill.
Safety Maurice Alexander, whom Fisher has cited as one of his most improved players from organized team activities and early in this camp, also had a moment that drew some cheers when he took down receiver Bradley Marquez.

There was a little cornerback-on-cornerback crime during the "Compete" drill as Trumaine Johnson and Lamarcus Joyner mixed it up. Johnson, who is not afraid to chirp at an opponent or teammate, handled Joyner in a couple of matchups and spent a few moments after telling Joyner "you're too little." Joyner, who is about as tenacious as they come, immediately challenged Johnson to a rematch or two and told Johnson, "Let's go, we can go all day." Joyner fared better in subsequent matchups.

The Rams will have their first full-team, fully padded practice on Tuesday. It's scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET and is open to the public.

 

[RamBill]

Rams in pads for spirited special teams workout
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_1b50817a-2285-5388-b4de-fa6fac88629f.html

The Rams put on the pads for the first time Monday in a morning special teams workout that was not open to the public.

“It's always good to put the pads on again; hitting each other, that's football,'' special-teams leader and back-up linebacker Daren Bates said.

The highlight of the spirited workout came at the end of the session when players battled one-on-one in a gunner drill in which one player tries to keep another from getting to a tackling dummy. The drill produced plenty of competition to go along with a bit of trash-talking.

“It's definitely fun to watch, seeing those guys going at it as hard as they do,'' punter Johnny Hekker said.

For the majority of young players looking to make their mark in the NFL, it usually begins with special teams. And for the young Rams, Monday was the first day to start making an impression.

The team will hold its first full practice in pads on Tuesday at Rams Park in Earth City. That workout, scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., is free and open to the public.

After an off day Wednesday, the team will resume workouts Thursday with a 5:30 p.m. workout at Rams Park that is free and open to the public.

The team will shift to Lindenwood University in St. Charles for an open-to-the-public Friday scrimmage that's scheduled from 5-6:30 p.m.

 

[RamBill]

Bates still bringing the heat for Rams special teams, hopes to inspire others
By Norm Sanders

http://www.bnd.com/sports/nfl/st-louis-rams/article29898355.html

EARTH CITY, Mo.

As an undrafted free agent in 2013, linebacker Daren Bates was looking for a way to earn a job with the St. Louis Rams.

He found that opportunity as a special teams demon, using his speed and aggression to force his way onto the roster. Bates, now in his third NFL season, even predicted he was going to win a spot the night before the first day of special teams practice on his Twitter account.

“I said I was going to try to come out here and get me a job,” Bates said Monday after the Rams’ broke out shoulder pads for the first day of special teams practice. “When I put it out there, I felt that I had to go out there and do it.”

Bates used his first practice in shoulder pads two years ago to begin doing the type of damage that fired up some teammates and caught the attention of the coaching staff.

What kind of impact did Bates make? On Sunday, Rams coaches showed film of Bates from that practice to the team.

“Up until that day we had never had pads on in OTAs (organized team activities) or in training camp to that point, so you think this guy might have a little something to him,” said John Fassel, the Rams’ special teams coordinator. “He may be scrappy, he may be tough, but you don’t know until you can go out there and bang with the pads on.

“Obviously that day kind of woke everybody up as far as the coaches (were concerned) and we said let’s keep an eye and see what happens in the games. Then he did it in the games.”

The 5-foot-11, 225-pounds Bates has been proving people wrong since his days at Olive Branch (Miss.) High School. He had only one real scholarship offer, from Arkansas State, until Auburn coaches who came to watch another Olive Branch player during a basketball game liked Bates as well and decided to make an offer.

He led Auburn with 94 tackles as a senior in 2012 and has played in 29 games with the Rams, primarily on special teams.

On Monday, Bates was encouraging younger players to bring everything they could on the field. The final 20 minutes of practice featured a “gunner” drill, a one-on-one contest in open space with one player trying to reach a target and the other doing everything he can to keep him from getting there.

Before the drill began, the camp DJ played the “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” theme, quickly followed by the George Thorogood guitar anthem “Bad to the Bone.” Players loved it and got fired up..

“When it comes inside these line, you have to turn a switch and have a different mentality,” Bates said. “You can’t bring the basketball game out here on the football field. It won’t work.”

Bates’ toughness and execution is an inspiration to everyone on the special teams units, including All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker.

“He just does an amazing job using his body and his leverage and just dominating people on the special teams arena,” Hekker said. “Every play he’s out there either locking somebody down or getting past someone or influencing tackles or making the tackle himself

“That’s the kind of guy you want on special teams. When you see a guy dominating like that so often, then it gives everybody else energy and the want-to to dominant as well.”

Bates trained with former U.S. Olympian sprinter Michael Johnson in the Dallas area during the offseason.

“They worked on my vertical, my speed, everything,” Bates said. “Hopefully y’all can see a little vertical jump here soon.”

Johnson, who won four gold medals, was known for some flashy gold track spikes he wore during the Olympics.

“He doesn’t wear the fancy shoes,” Bates said, “but he drives fancy cars though.”

Bates knows he still has to work hard to keep a spot on the 53-man roster, but his hard work had made him a core part of one of the NFL’s most improved special teams units. He racked up 10 special teams tackles a year ago.

“You always want to play your position,” Bates said, “so I do want to get out there and make some tackles on defense, get some interceptions, make some big plays for the defense. But I know where my home is and special teams is where it’s at.

“That’s where I can make plays. I can go out and be myself and get to show my athleticism, just get to play free.”

Bates tries to encourage players who rarely fell below first team on their collegiate depth charts that special teams might be their only hope of making an NFL roster.

“I don’t try to tell them ‘I did this,’ everybody’s different,”’ Bates said. “Do what you can do, use your strengths when you’re out there because that’s going to keep you alive, keep you going through the drills. If you don’t think too much and play ball, you’re be all right.”

Rams Camp Notes

It was strictly a special teams workout Monday at training camp as the players enjoyed being able to hit on the first day with shoulder pads after three days without them.

“That’s what today was about, to see who could run, scrap, get off the ground when they get knocked down,” Fassel said. “We didn’t do any scheme work, it was all running around and trying to keep everybody on two feet by the end of the day, which I think we did.”

One player singled out for praise recently is safety Maurice Alexander, a fourth round pick in 2014 who played primarily on special teams last season.

“You know he is playing really fast right now and that implies that he knows what to do,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “I mean he’s sure He’s decisive. He makes good decisions. He is reacting, he’s very athletic and he’s playing fast. He’s going to make a lot of plays for us.”

 

[RamBill]

Practice Report 8/3: Special Teams Day
By Austin Lankford

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-83-Special-Teams-Day/a3a17036-ef15-41e8-ab26-f278ff5fef35


The Rams dedicated day four of training camp to special teams and after practice, coordinator John Fassel addressed questions about more than just football.

During the period between the OTAs and the start of camp, Fassel, known around Rams Park as “Bones,” vacationed with his family in Southern California. As was reported a couple weeks ago, Fassel played an instrumental role in the saving of a man’s life off the shore of Manhattan Beach.

While boogie boarding he noticed a man caught in a riptide, struggling and gasping for air about 30 yards to his right. He and a fellow surfer swam to assist the man, putting him on top of a surfboard and swimming to safety.

“We had to hold him on the surfboard because he had no power,” Fassel said. “He couldn’t even hold onto it on his own and all three of us were dangling out in the water for a little bit. We kicked ourselves out of the riptide and started to head back to shore and by then the lifeguards came out. It was quite the open-water experience.”

Fassel said when they made it to shore, paramedics took over and worked on the man for about an hour before taking him away in an ambulance. He added that the man did not speak English so there was no way to communicate during the rescue.

After Monday’s practice, a few of the players spoke of Fassel’s bravery and the type of person he is.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” linebacker Daren Bates said. “I saw it actually on my ESPN app, and when it popped up, I just started laughing and said, ‘That’s something Bones would do. I’m not surprised.’ If he would’ve done it by himself, I still wouldn’t have been surprised.”

“The guy just has a genuine, genuine heart for people,” punter Johnny Hekker said. “And, of course, he was out there enjoying the water like he always does, staying active, staying fit. And he saw someone who needed help and just jumped into immediate action. That’s the kind of guy he is. He’s not the kind of guy who waits around and waits for someone else to take the reins. He’s going to be proactive and go find a solution immediately.”

While an ocean rescue might seem out of the ordinary, open water swimming isn’t unusual for Fassel, who competes in triathlons during the off season.

“Every spring and summer I’ll compete in three or four and I think the open water swimming in a triathlon helped me out a little bit,” Fassel said.

SPECIAL TEAMS PRACTICE

As it relates to football, the players participating in Monday morning’s practice were in full pads for the first time and running drills simulating various special teams scenarios.

“That’s what today was about,” Fassel said. “We wanted to see who can run, scrap and get off the ground when they get knocked down. We didn’t do any scheme work so it was just all running around and trying to keep everybody on two feet by the end of the day, which I think we did.”

As is common on any team, there is a certain amount of crossover of starters and full-time special teams players comprising the unit, which is something that Fassel enjoys piecing together.

“I love that challenge of trying to get the guys who may seem disinterested or are our starters and kind of find a role for them because we need some starters to spot play,” Fassel said. “You have your core, but you don’t have 11 core guys, so you need some guys to step in.”

The Rams’ special teams unit ranks highly in the NFL and Fassel hopes to see the trend continue with the core group he’s put together over the last couple years with players like Bates and Chase Reynolds.

“There’s something’s about them where they each have their own unique traits,” Fassel said. “Whether it’s that they’re really fast, tough, or maybe a combination of both, they show the ability to block and tackle and are able to do both well.”

LEFTOVERS

…Fassel spoke about Benny Cunningham, who led the NFC in kick return average last year.

“He’s got really good vision and great feet,” Fassel said. “He is a really strong looking and stout guy where you think he might be a little bit stiff, but he’s not. He’s got great feet and he is a tackle breaker.”

“If the return is designed to go here, but there’s a pocket of air over there, he’ll hit it,” Fassel added. “He has great ball skills and I was very proud of Benny last year he did a great job.”

…Finally, entering his fourth season with the Rams, Fassel believes the best days with regards to special teams are still to come.

“There’s a lot of tricks of the trade in special teams that I think are unique to the game that we see on tape that the fans don’t see,” Fassel said. “So we practice those little things and the more reps and experience we have doing it the better we get. To me, we are only really going into our third year as a group. We play against teams that have more experience than that, so hopefully in years three, four, five, and six we’ll really take off.”

 

[RamBill]

Rams notes: Bates’ initial splash still making waves
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a3cbee02-78b8-5478-90d2-3a1b14564500.html

Rams special teams standout and reserve linebacker Daren Bates was just days into his first NFL training camp when he posted the following tweet: “Time to get a job today.’’

Later that day in 2013, in a special teams practice, Bates backed up his words against then-special teams leader Josh Hull. The two clutched, grabbed and trash-talked and eventually needed to be separated by teammates.

Hull did not survive that year’s cuts.

“We showed that film (Sunday), just so that everybody knew,” Rams special teams coordinator John Fassel said Monday after this training camp’s first special teams practice — and the Rams’ first in pads. “You think, ‘This guy might have something to him.’ ... But you don’t know until you go out there and bang with the pads on. Obviously, that day kind of woke everybody up. The coaches said, ‘Hey, let’s keep an eye on this guy. Let’s see what happens in the games.’ And he did it in the games, too.”

Bates, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn, has come a long way since that day two years ago. He has become a core special teams player with the Rams and just the mention of that first practice in pads brings a smile to his face.

“It’s always good to remember where you started from, where you came from,” the 5-foot-11, 225-pound Bates said Monday. “Coming in, nobody knew anything about me. Mainly, it’s just going out and giving the effort, trying to do what the coaches ask you to do.”

As much as anything else, Bates said the pre-practice tweet was self-motivation.

“I like to put stuff like that out there because it gives me something to work toward, to live up to,” he said. “I always want to be working to get better. I want to get better at my position, make plays on defense. But I know where my home is and special teams is where it’s at. That’s where I can make plays, show my athletic ability and play free.’’

Rated as a two-star recruit coming out of high school in Mississippi, the Memphis native had just one scholarship offer — from Arkansas State — as the signing day neared.

“Auburn came to look at another guy at one of our basketball practices,” Bates recalled. “But they saw me playing and dunking and made me an offer right there in the gym. No love coming out of college either, but that’s OK. I just try to take it out on everybody else with my play every Sunday.”

As a rookie, Bates saw action in 15 games on special teams and scored a touchdown by returning a fumbled kickoff return in a road victory against Houston. Last year, he was among the team leaders with tackles on special teams (10) and flashed his superior athletic ability by leap-frogging the long snapper to block a field-goal attempt by the New York Giants’ Josh Brown.

“Daren brings toughness and execution,” Rams punter Johnny Hekker said. “He’s a very smart, instinctual player who uses his body and leverage to dominate. Every play, he’s either locking somebody up or running by them to make a tackle or somehow influence the play. He’s a guy who plays with a lot of energy and that gives everybody around him the want-to to try and do the same.’’

Fassel added: “He’s a guy that everybody can see on tape, in practice and in games doing the right thing.”

Bates will carry some special incentive into the 2015 season. In late March, his mother, Weslyn Bates, died at age 56.

“She was my best friend,” he said. “It’s hard not having her here with me, but every day I come out here, she’s my motivation.”

STAFF SHUFFLING

Rams coach Jeff Fisher has done some tweaking on the defensive side of the coaching staff.Chuck Cecil, who coached the defensive backs the last three seasons, now has broader duties as senior defensive assistant.“Rather than dealing specifically with DBs, we felt like his value was greater on a big-picture basis, overseeing everything,” Fisher said.

Brandon Fisher and Dennard Wilson will share defensive back coaching duties. Brandon Fisher, the coach’s son, will spend most of his time with the safeties, with Wilson focusing on the cornerbacks.

Wilson, 33, has pent the last three seasons as a defensive quality control coach with the Rams. From 2008-11, he was a scout with Chicago. Brandon Fisher, 28, joined the Rams in 2012 after spending the 2011 season as a defensive assistant with Detroit.

Additions to the staff, which now includes 26 assistants, are quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke, offensive assistants Jeff Garcia and Barrett Trotter and defensive quality control coach Jeff Imamura.

RAM-BLINGs

The team’s first day in pads produced a spirited special teams workout highlighted by an entertaining gunner drill to close the day. It’s a one-on-one battle with one player doing whatever he can to keep the other from a tackling dummy.“We have a very competitive team, top to bottom and it’s definitely fun to watch, seeing those guys going at it as hard as they do,’’ Hekker said. “I think that level of competition will help us take that next step as a team.’’• The week’s practice schedule at Rams Park: Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. (first full practice in pads); off Wednesday; Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

• The team shifts Friday to nearby Lindenwood University for a scrimmage to begin at 5 p.m.

• All the above workouts are free and open to the public.

Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch staff contributed to this report.