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Pair of Tigers Making Offensive Impact
By Myles Simmons Rams Insider
View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Pair-of-Tigers-Making-Offensive-Impact/d4ab8cce-dcf9-4f86-bec4-98148ff356c1
They were college teammates -- two players integral to their offense’s success for a run to last season’s national championship game. Fast forward a year and they’re still teammates, but now they’re contributing at the professional level.
You probably know rookies Greg Robinson and Tre Mason played together at Auburn, with the big offensive lineman habitually opening up running lanes for the shifty running back. In 2013, coaches credited Robinson with 130 “knockdown” blocks, which comes out to average just over nine per game. And Mason led the SEC in rushing with 1,816 yards and 23 touchdowns, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
But those accolades and distinctions didn’t mean either player could come to the NFL and contribute right away. Robinson and Mason both acknowledged this week that taking a step back to watch and learn aided their development.
“I tried my best not to get discouraged, and try my best to work hard every day,” Robinson said. “I learned a lot from Davin [Joseph] and a lot of guys that I was sitting back watching.”
“Honestly, Week 1, even though I wanted to play as bad as I wanted to, I really wasn’t ready,” he added. “I think this whole process was set up to be what it is now, and I think it has paid off.”
Mason echoed the same sentiment.
“I feel like patience is a virtue, and that’s kind of what it took when we came from high school to college, also,” he said. “It took a little time so we could get acclimated to certain things. But now we feel like we’re ready and we’re good to go.”
It certainly looked like both former Tigers were primed for the big stage of Monday Night Football against the 49ers. Robinson made his first career start at left guard, and head coach Jeff Fisher said he thought the rookie played well.
“He was physical and athletic,” Fisher said. “He was in the right place more times than we thought.”
The head coach also said that he saw production from Mason on all of his snaps against San Francisco. The running back caught a 12-yard pass and led the team with 40 yards on the ground. His 24-yard run is the longest for the Rams so far this season.
“He blocked on one and made a nice run after catch and split the two tacklers,” Fisher said. “Got what he could on a couple of the runs. The 24 yarder, it was great vision and acceleration. Think he might have caught them a little off guard.”
“I did what I could with the reps I had,” Mason said. “Hopefully, I’ll get more.”
While it was tough on both players to wait for their opportunities to play, they were able to lean on each other in order to stay encouraged and get better.
“That’s my boy,” Robinson said of Mason. “I like to see him do well, and I’m sure he would like to see me do well. I work hard for any one of my teammates, so it’s not just singling him out. But he did real well.
“I appreciate the hard work he’s put in, and not letting himself get down with not really playing much at the beginning of the year,” Robinson continued. “We talked a lot and I just told him to stick with me, and we’re going to continue working, and try our best to work our way into the game plan.”
And now that both players have accomplished that step, their history at Auburn aids them when they’re out on the field together.
“That’s my brother. I know what he’s capable of doing, and we know each other’s tendencies,” Mason said. “So now I’m working toward knowing the rest of the O-line’s tendencies so we can get this train rolling.”
As long as they keep working hard and performing on Sundays, that train will be chugging along just fine.
By Myles Simmons Rams Insider
View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Pair-of-Tigers-Making-Offensive-Impact/d4ab8cce-dcf9-4f86-bec4-98148ff356c1
They were college teammates -- two players integral to their offense’s success for a run to last season’s national championship game. Fast forward a year and they’re still teammates, but now they’re contributing at the professional level.
You probably know rookies Greg Robinson and Tre Mason played together at Auburn, with the big offensive lineman habitually opening up running lanes for the shifty running back. In 2013, coaches credited Robinson with 130 “knockdown” blocks, which comes out to average just over nine per game. And Mason led the SEC in rushing with 1,816 yards and 23 touchdowns, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
But those accolades and distinctions didn’t mean either player could come to the NFL and contribute right away. Robinson and Mason both acknowledged this week that taking a step back to watch and learn aided their development.
“I tried my best not to get discouraged, and try my best to work hard every day,” Robinson said. “I learned a lot from Davin [Joseph] and a lot of guys that I was sitting back watching.”
“Honestly, Week 1, even though I wanted to play as bad as I wanted to, I really wasn’t ready,” he added. “I think this whole process was set up to be what it is now, and I think it has paid off.”
Mason echoed the same sentiment.
“I feel like patience is a virtue, and that’s kind of what it took when we came from high school to college, also,” he said. “It took a little time so we could get acclimated to certain things. But now we feel like we’re ready and we’re good to go.”
It certainly looked like both former Tigers were primed for the big stage of Monday Night Football against the 49ers. Robinson made his first career start at left guard, and head coach Jeff Fisher said he thought the rookie played well.
“He was physical and athletic,” Fisher said. “He was in the right place more times than we thought.”
The head coach also said that he saw production from Mason on all of his snaps against San Francisco. The running back caught a 12-yard pass and led the team with 40 yards on the ground. His 24-yard run is the longest for the Rams so far this season.
“He blocked on one and made a nice run after catch and split the two tacklers,” Fisher said. “Got what he could on a couple of the runs. The 24 yarder, it was great vision and acceleration. Think he might have caught them a little off guard.”
“I did what I could with the reps I had,” Mason said. “Hopefully, I’ll get more.”
While it was tough on both players to wait for their opportunities to play, they were able to lean on each other in order to stay encouraged and get better.
“That’s my boy,” Robinson said of Mason. “I like to see him do well, and I’m sure he would like to see me do well. I work hard for any one of my teammates, so it’s not just singling him out. But he did real well.
“I appreciate the hard work he’s put in, and not letting himself get down with not really playing much at the beginning of the year,” Robinson continued. “We talked a lot and I just told him to stick with me, and we’re going to continue working, and try our best to work our way into the game plan.”
And now that both players have accomplished that step, their history at Auburn aids them when they’re out on the field together.
“That’s my brother. I know what he’s capable of doing, and we know each other’s tendencies,” Mason said. “So now I’m working toward knowing the rest of the O-line’s tendencies so we can get this train rolling.”
As long as they keep working hard and performing on Sundays, that train will be chugging along just fine.
