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Practice Report 12/16: Defending Winston and Martin, Donald Wins POTW
By Myles Simmons
View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-1216-Defending-Winston-and-Martin-Donald-Wins-POTW/87232f82-3532-41fb-878d-41891db1082f
When the Rams and Buccaneers last met in Week 2 of 2014, both teams looked vastly different than they do now. Among the many changes, safety Mark Barron was on the opposite sideline, putting big hits on St. Louis players instead of the club’s opponents as he’s routinely done since the trade that brought him to town.
But there may not be a more significant change than the man who is behind center for Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston.
As the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, there were clearly high expectations for Winston. And according to Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith, the rookie has done well to meet them.
“He was a rookie quarterback coming in, but Jameis Winston has been just outstanding in any way you want to evaluate a player,” Smith said this week. “On the football field, it’s documented how intelligent he is and he’s a football junky. He can throw a football, so everything you’re looking for in a franchise quarterback, he has. He came in well-advertised, but you could say that he’s even been better than that.”
According to head coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams studied Winston throughout the draft process and got to know him. And now that he’s playing, Fisher said it’s clear how much the quarterback has improved throughout the year.
“I think the thing that’s most impressive about Jameis is that their offense is at 42 percent on third down right now,” Fisher said. “When you play a rookie quarterback all year and they’re converting 42 percent of their third downs -- that’s impressive.”
“You can see why he was the first pick,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “And you can tell from a leadership standpoint, there are those natural leaders and there are those guys who kind of evolve into leadership. You can see he’s a natural leader. You can see those guys respond to him. So I’m anxious to see him in person.”
Anyone who watched the 2014 BCS National Championship game between Florida State and Auburn probably remembers Winston’s competitive nature that helped bring his team down the field for a game-winning touchdown drive. Linebacker James Laurinaitis said that’s still apparent from what he’s seen of Winston in the league so far.
“You can tell the team really believes in him,” Laurinaitis said. “Late in games, he'll do whatever it takes -- whether it's scrambling, he'll shrug off tackles, make big throws.”
“I think he's going to be a star,” Laurinaitis added. “You can tell he's a fighter and one of those guys who wants the ball at the end of the game. You can sense it. He's a heck of a ball player.”
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 231 pounds, Winston can be a load to take down. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald knows that well, as he faced the quarterback in college at Pitt.
“Make sure you get your big-boy pads on, because he’s not going to let you get him down easily,” Donald said. “He actually got away from me. I should’ve gotten him three times and he got away from me two times. So I owe him. But he’s a big quarterback, he can move around in the pocket, and he can throw the big passes downfield.”
“One of the most dominant guys in the pocket is Ben [Roethlisberger],” Williams said. “We’ve even kind of said a few things about that similarity in the pocket. He doesn’t go down easily. He’s very strong in the pocket. He’s got decent speed, not great speed, but you have a hard time bringing him down because of his size.”
While Winston may garner many of the headlines, running back Doug Martin has been just as important for the Buccaneers’ offense. Martin is No. 2 in the NFL with 1,214 yards rushing in 2015, trailing Adrian Peterson by just 37 yards.
“He has unbelievable vision. He runs hard and behind his pads well,” Laurinaitis said. “I'm glad that he's healthy and playing well again. You always want to play against their best players. He's playing really well, and he's patient, and finds holes. He'll sliver through that hole and the next thing you know, he's off to the races. I've got a lot of respect for him.”
“He has had on film the most explosive runs that I’ve seen anybody all year long that we’ve played,” Williams said. “He has really done a great job with explosive runs. They’ve done a very good job in their run blocking schemes.”
Plus, the short week presents its own set of challenges for defensive preparation.
“I think our guys have done a very good job of adjusting to the schedule,” Williams said. “From the assistants to everybody on, they’ve got to handle the information quick, guys process it quick. We’ve had some good work this week, so I’m anxious to see them play tomorrow night.”
DONALD WINS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
With his 3.0 sacks and six quarterback hits against the Lions on Sunday, defensive tackle Aaron Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday morning.
“It means a lot -- being a younger guy, to only be in this league for two years,” Donald said Wednesday. “But like I always say, hard work pays off. So just watching it pay off, it feels good.”
Donald has put together a stellar second NFL season, as he’s now just a half-sack away from the Rams’ single-season record by a defensive tackle. D’Marco Farr set the mark with 11.5 in 1995, and now Donald has a good chance to break it 20 years later.
“It would mean a lot, but right now I’m just trying to do my job and help my team win,” Donald said. “If it comes, it comes. If not, I’m just going to do my part.”
INJURY REPORT
With the short practice week now complete, the Rams should be relatively healthy heading into Thursday’s matchup.
Running back Todd Gurley (rest), wide receiver Kenny Britt (shoulder), and right tackle Rob Havenstein (calf) are all listed as probable.
Cornerback Janoris Jenkins (concussion) has cleared all steps of the protocol and the exertion phase, and is also listed as probable.
Cornerback Eric Patterson (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday and is listed as questionable.
Defensive end Robert Quinn (back) and offensive lineman Andrew Donnal (knee) have both been declared out.
By Myles Simmons
View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-1216-Defending-Winston-and-Martin-Donald-Wins-POTW/87232f82-3532-41fb-878d-41891db1082f
When the Rams and Buccaneers last met in Week 2 of 2014, both teams looked vastly different than they do now. Among the many changes, safety Mark Barron was on the opposite sideline, putting big hits on St. Louis players instead of the club’s opponents as he’s routinely done since the trade that brought him to town.
But there may not be a more significant change than the man who is behind center for Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston.
As the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, there were clearly high expectations for Winston. And according to Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith, the rookie has done well to meet them.
“He was a rookie quarterback coming in, but Jameis Winston has been just outstanding in any way you want to evaluate a player,” Smith said this week. “On the football field, it’s documented how intelligent he is and he’s a football junky. He can throw a football, so everything you’re looking for in a franchise quarterback, he has. He came in well-advertised, but you could say that he’s even been better than that.”
According to head coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams studied Winston throughout the draft process and got to know him. And now that he’s playing, Fisher said it’s clear how much the quarterback has improved throughout the year.
“I think the thing that’s most impressive about Jameis is that their offense is at 42 percent on third down right now,” Fisher said. “When you play a rookie quarterback all year and they’re converting 42 percent of their third downs -- that’s impressive.”
“You can see why he was the first pick,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “And you can tell from a leadership standpoint, there are those natural leaders and there are those guys who kind of evolve into leadership. You can see he’s a natural leader. You can see those guys respond to him. So I’m anxious to see him in person.”
Anyone who watched the 2014 BCS National Championship game between Florida State and Auburn probably remembers Winston’s competitive nature that helped bring his team down the field for a game-winning touchdown drive. Linebacker James Laurinaitis said that’s still apparent from what he’s seen of Winston in the league so far.
“You can tell the team really believes in him,” Laurinaitis said. “Late in games, he'll do whatever it takes -- whether it's scrambling, he'll shrug off tackles, make big throws.”
“I think he's going to be a star,” Laurinaitis added. “You can tell he's a fighter and one of those guys who wants the ball at the end of the game. You can sense it. He's a heck of a ball player.”
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 231 pounds, Winston can be a load to take down. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald knows that well, as he faced the quarterback in college at Pitt.
“Make sure you get your big-boy pads on, because he’s not going to let you get him down easily,” Donald said. “He actually got away from me. I should’ve gotten him three times and he got away from me two times. So I owe him. But he’s a big quarterback, he can move around in the pocket, and he can throw the big passes downfield.”
“One of the most dominant guys in the pocket is Ben [Roethlisberger],” Williams said. “We’ve even kind of said a few things about that similarity in the pocket. He doesn’t go down easily. He’s very strong in the pocket. He’s got decent speed, not great speed, but you have a hard time bringing him down because of his size.”
While Winston may garner many of the headlines, running back Doug Martin has been just as important for the Buccaneers’ offense. Martin is No. 2 in the NFL with 1,214 yards rushing in 2015, trailing Adrian Peterson by just 37 yards.
“He has unbelievable vision. He runs hard and behind his pads well,” Laurinaitis said. “I'm glad that he's healthy and playing well again. You always want to play against their best players. He's playing really well, and he's patient, and finds holes. He'll sliver through that hole and the next thing you know, he's off to the races. I've got a lot of respect for him.”
“He has had on film the most explosive runs that I’ve seen anybody all year long that we’ve played,” Williams said. “He has really done a great job with explosive runs. They’ve done a very good job in their run blocking schemes.”
Plus, the short week presents its own set of challenges for defensive preparation.
“I think our guys have done a very good job of adjusting to the schedule,” Williams said. “From the assistants to everybody on, they’ve got to handle the information quick, guys process it quick. We’ve had some good work this week, so I’m anxious to see them play tomorrow night.”
DONALD WINS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
With his 3.0 sacks and six quarterback hits against the Lions on Sunday, defensive tackle Aaron Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday morning.
“It means a lot -- being a younger guy, to only be in this league for two years,” Donald said Wednesday. “But like I always say, hard work pays off. So just watching it pay off, it feels good.”
Donald has put together a stellar second NFL season, as he’s now just a half-sack away from the Rams’ single-season record by a defensive tackle. D’Marco Farr set the mark with 11.5 in 1995, and now Donald has a good chance to break it 20 years later.
“It would mean a lot, but right now I’m just trying to do my job and help my team win,” Donald said. “If it comes, it comes. If not, I’m just going to do my part.”
INJURY REPORT
With the short practice week now complete, the Rams should be relatively healthy heading into Thursday’s matchup.
Running back Todd Gurley (rest), wide receiver Kenny Britt (shoulder), and right tackle Rob Havenstein (calf) are all listed as probable.
Cornerback Janoris Jenkins (concussion) has cleared all steps of the protocol and the exertion phase, and is also listed as probable.
Cornerback Eric Patterson (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday and is listed as questionable.
Defensive end Robert Quinn (back) and offensive lineman Andrew Donnal (knee) have both been declared out.
. I sure do not want Rob to get injured any worse.