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Rams LB Micah Kiser tackled pain, gets a new chance to start
Saturday’s scrimmage at SoFi Stadium marks Kiser’s first time on field in uniform since a freak injury cost him his 2019 season.
www.dailybulletin.com
THOUSAND OAKS — They knew about his talent. They knew about his intelligence.
A year ago this week, the Rams learned about Micah Kiser’s determination.
Kiser was making a routine tackle against the Dallas Cowboys in a preseason game Aug. 17, 2019, in Honolulu when his left pectoral muscle tore. The rest of us would be writhing in pain from such an injury, in the unlikely event we had pectoral muscles like Kiser’s to begin with. Kiser played four more downs before coming out.
He made that revelation, about trying to stay in the game, Friday in a Zoom chat with reporters. Some reporters were incredulous. The linebacker explained it matter-of-factly.
“I couldn’t really run, I couldn’t really move,” Kiser said of the effect of the freak injury. “At the time, I was competing with Bryce (Hager) to get a lot of playing time, and I was like, ‘I’m not going to waste this opportunity.’ They were going to have to pull me out of the game for me to come out. I was ready to go out on my shield.”
Kiser went on injured reserve and missed the 2019 season, undergoing surgery and five months of rehabilitation.
On track for a starting role at middle linebacker before the injury, the Rams’ fifth-round draft pick in 2018 out of Virginia had to put off that goal for a year.
Now, with star middle linebacker Cory Littleton gone to the Raiders and Hager not re-signed, Kiser, 25, is competing with Troy Reeder, Travin Howard and Kenny Young at the Rams’ middle-linebacker spots.
“You see the instincts, you see the awareness, great communication ability,” coach Sean McVay said of Kiser, whose only action as a rookie was on special teams. “He’s been attacking at the football, he’s forced a couple (of fumbles in practice).”
Kiser, listed at 6 feet and 244 pounds, was All-ACC and the conference’s leading tackler in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, and won the William V. Campbell Trophy, the award known as the Academic Heisman.
“He’s got an innate feel (for the game). Football makes sense to him. It’s been good to see him out here healthy, and we’re optimistic he’s going to be a big contributor this year,” McVay said.
That optimism was tested. Among the Rams medical staffers helping with Kiser’s recovery was sports psychologist Carrie Hastings.
“It’s been pretty tough mentally,” Kiser said. “The easiest thing was to feel sorry for myself. It took a while to get over that, honestly. Going to the games was tough, not being able to be in the foxhole.”
He said that after recovering, he spent the offseason working on his ability to change directions and make plays in the open field.
“I’m trying to have a Cooper Kupp-like comeback,” he said, referring to the wide receiver’s 1,100-yard season following a 2018 knee injury.
Kiser’s first time in uniform at an NFL stadium in more than a year comes Saturday evening in the first intrasquad scrimmage at SoFi Stadium, the Rams’ and Chargers’ new home in Inglewood. The Rams will hold one more scrimmage at SoFi on Aug. 29. They open the season there Sept. 13 against the Dallas Cowboys.
“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Kiser said of getting on the field.
The Rams know that once he’s on the field, it won’t be easy to get him to leave.
Notes
• The Rams will follow other sports franchises and put cardboard images of fans in the stands at home games. The team said fans can pay – $70 for season-ticket holders, $80 for others – to have their photos placed in end zone seats at SoFi Stadium. Proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles Rams Foundation “to address social injustices including poverty, education inequities, food insecurity and homelessness.” Details are online at therams.com/game-faces-for-good. The Rams haven’t said how many fans, if any, they’ll have at home games.
• The defense was ahead of the offense in the Rams’ practice Friday in Thousand Oaks. McVay wasn’t happy how it ended for the offense, with two-minute drills in which a deep pass by Jared Goff to Robert Woods was intercepted by Jalen Ramsey and the second team, led by John Wolford, let the clock run out. “We had a lot of guys that panicked, frankly,” the coach said of the clock mismanagement. “Guys have to learn from it, and that’s part of why you practice. Those things will not be tolerated from us, and it’s not good enough.”
• McVay was asked if he’s surprised Blake Bortles hasn’t been picked up by another team after last year’s backup quarterback wasn’t re-signed by the Rams. “I am surprised, just because he’s played a lot of good football in this league,” McVay said. Wolford, who hasn’t taken an NFL snap, is on track to back up Goff. Both should see action in Saturday’s scrimmage.
