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<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/mcleod-has-dual-role-in-rams-patched-secondary/article_b7ddfba4-7194-5158-a38f-07ab4cf795a8.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... 795a8.html</a>
The Rams knew safety Rodney McLeod had played some nickel back when they signed him as an undrafted rookie out of Virginia following the 2012 draft.
And late last season, when Cortland Finnegan was nursing a leg injury, McLeod got plenty of practice time the last several weeks covering slot receivers in the nickel. So it may have seemed like a desperation move when he took over the nickel job against Jacksonville. You simply don’t see safeties covering slot receivers in the NFL. But it wasn’t.
“He’s our backup,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He was our backup last year at that position. He got a lot of snaps in training camp at it. I mean, we’re not drawing straws now. He works at it. He knows our defense. ... He did a nice job.”
McLeod was part of a truly patchwork secondary in Sunday’s 34-20 victory over Jacksonville. With starters Finnegan and T.J. McDonald out with injury, cornerback Janoris Jenkins was the only member of the secondary’s top five players either on the field or in his normal role.
McLeod shifted back and fourth from nickel back to safety depending on how many wide receivers the Jaguars had in the game. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who normally comes on the field only in nickel or dime situations, played every snap on defense.
Injury-plagued safety Darian Stewart, who had been in for only seven defensive plays all season before Sunday, started and played every snap. Safety Matt Giordano, who until the San Francisco game had been utilized almost exclusively on special teams, saw his most extensive action of the season on defense.
“Yeah, we have a lot of different things going on in the secondary right now,” McLeod said. “But we knew that coming into the week it was next man up. That’s all that we stress. Whoever was playing, if a guy couldn’t play, the next man was ready. So this past week at practice we just prepared well, for whatever the situation was gonna be.”
Had the Rams been playing Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, or Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, it might have been a recipe for a shredding. But with the exception of a couple of coverage breakdowns, it worked well enough against the Jaguars.
Fisher had no issues with how the safeties played, although he fell a couple of steps shy of gushing about their performance.
“They were fine,” Fisher said. “They played hard. Gio had a big play and Stew’s first game back was effective. He graded out well but wasn’t involved in a lot of plays.
“It was kind of a unique game. We kind of funneled the running back to the linebackers, and then Rodney was involved in some plays. They were OK.”
It might have been much worse than OK had McLeod been unable to hold down the fort at nickel back. With the return of Justin Blackmon from a four-game NFL suspension, Jacksonville used three or more wide receivers two-thirds of the time. That meant McLeod spent two-thirds of his day covering wideouts in the slot, and only one-third of his time at safety. He had a lot on his plate switching back and forth between two positions.
“It was a lot but the coaches do a good job in preparing me,” McLeod said. “Just making sure I know where to be on the run fits – that’s the biggest thing, honestly, being down there (in the slot). So I learned a lot just being out there for this past game.”
Before Jacksonville, Finnegan had missed only three games in his eight-year NFL career, and none since 2009. McLeod got a few snaps covering the slot against San Francisco after Finnegan left because of a hamstring injury. He could be in for more work there Sunday in Houston if Finnegan doesn’t return.
“I don’t know the severity of Cort’s injury, so I don’t know how long it’s gonna be,” McLeod said. “He could be up this week but I have no idea.”
If Finnegan can’t play, Giordano once again will step in at safety when McLeod switches to nickel back. Giordano is a nine-year veteran and started 13 times for the Oakland Raiders last season. But after missing almost all of training camp with a nagging calf injury, he conceded it’s tough to stay sharp without seeing game action.
“You can practice all you want, or you can get mental reps,” Giordano said. “But it doesn’t get better until you get the physical reps. And that’s what it’s taking right now as I get playing time on the defense – getting physical reps to fight off that rust and just keep rolling.”
Giordano got rolling on an 82-yard interception return in the first quarter against Jacksonville, scoring the Rams’ first defensive touchdown of the season.
It was the Rams’ fifth-longest “pick six” since the move to St. Louis in 1995. (The longest was a 93-yard return by Dre’ Bly in 2001).
Over the entire 76 seasons of Rams football, it tied for the 11th-longest interception return. (The franchise record is 99 yards by Johnnie Johnson in 1980.)
As for Stewart, whose forced fumble, recovery and return set up a TD, he was delighted to get his first start since the 2011 season finale.
“The feeling was great, just getting back into it and being out there on the field with my teammates,” he said. “It was frustrating just watching. So being able to get out there and run around with them was lovely.”
The Rams knew safety Rodney McLeod had played some nickel back when they signed him as an undrafted rookie out of Virginia following the 2012 draft.
And late last season, when Cortland Finnegan was nursing a leg injury, McLeod got plenty of practice time the last several weeks covering slot receivers in the nickel. So it may have seemed like a desperation move when he took over the nickel job against Jacksonville. You simply don’t see safeties covering slot receivers in the NFL. But it wasn’t.
“He’s our backup,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He was our backup last year at that position. He got a lot of snaps in training camp at it. I mean, we’re not drawing straws now. He works at it. He knows our defense. ... He did a nice job.”
McLeod was part of a truly patchwork secondary in Sunday’s 34-20 victory over Jacksonville. With starters Finnegan and T.J. McDonald out with injury, cornerback Janoris Jenkins was the only member of the secondary’s top five players either on the field or in his normal role.
McLeod shifted back and fourth from nickel back to safety depending on how many wide receivers the Jaguars had in the game. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who normally comes on the field only in nickel or dime situations, played every snap on defense.
Injury-plagued safety Darian Stewart, who had been in for only seven defensive plays all season before Sunday, started and played every snap. Safety Matt Giordano, who until the San Francisco game had been utilized almost exclusively on special teams, saw his most extensive action of the season on defense.
“Yeah, we have a lot of different things going on in the secondary right now,” McLeod said. “But we knew that coming into the week it was next man up. That’s all that we stress. Whoever was playing, if a guy couldn’t play, the next man was ready. So this past week at practice we just prepared well, for whatever the situation was gonna be.”
Had the Rams been playing Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, or Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, it might have been a recipe for a shredding. But with the exception of a couple of coverage breakdowns, it worked well enough against the Jaguars.
Fisher had no issues with how the safeties played, although he fell a couple of steps shy of gushing about their performance.
“They were fine,” Fisher said. “They played hard. Gio had a big play and Stew’s first game back was effective. He graded out well but wasn’t involved in a lot of plays.
“It was kind of a unique game. We kind of funneled the running back to the linebackers, and then Rodney was involved in some plays. They were OK.”
It might have been much worse than OK had McLeod been unable to hold down the fort at nickel back. With the return of Justin Blackmon from a four-game NFL suspension, Jacksonville used three or more wide receivers two-thirds of the time. That meant McLeod spent two-thirds of his day covering wideouts in the slot, and only one-third of his time at safety. He had a lot on his plate switching back and forth between two positions.
“It was a lot but the coaches do a good job in preparing me,” McLeod said. “Just making sure I know where to be on the run fits – that’s the biggest thing, honestly, being down there (in the slot). So I learned a lot just being out there for this past game.”
Before Jacksonville, Finnegan had missed only three games in his eight-year NFL career, and none since 2009. McLeod got a few snaps covering the slot against San Francisco after Finnegan left because of a hamstring injury. He could be in for more work there Sunday in Houston if Finnegan doesn’t return.
“I don’t know the severity of Cort’s injury, so I don’t know how long it’s gonna be,” McLeod said. “He could be up this week but I have no idea.”
If Finnegan can’t play, Giordano once again will step in at safety when McLeod switches to nickel back. Giordano is a nine-year veteran and started 13 times for the Oakland Raiders last season. But after missing almost all of training camp with a nagging calf injury, he conceded it’s tough to stay sharp without seeing game action.
“You can practice all you want, or you can get mental reps,” Giordano said. “But it doesn’t get better until you get the physical reps. And that’s what it’s taking right now as I get playing time on the defense – getting physical reps to fight off that rust and just keep rolling.”
Giordano got rolling on an 82-yard interception return in the first quarter against Jacksonville, scoring the Rams’ first defensive touchdown of the season.
It was the Rams’ fifth-longest “pick six” since the move to St. Louis in 1995. (The longest was a 93-yard return by Dre’ Bly in 2001).
Over the entire 76 seasons of Rams football, it tied for the 11th-longest interception return. (The franchise record is 99 yards by Johnnie Johnson in 1980.)
As for Stewart, whose forced fumble, recovery and return set up a TD, he was delighted to get his first start since the 2011 season finale.
“The feeling was great, just getting back into it and being out there on the field with my teammates,” he said. “It was frustrating just watching. So being able to get out there and run around with them was lovely.”