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Rams need big things from Saffold, Robinson on O-line this season
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a36fb060-89ad-50b7-a394-16722ab9baf5.html
If the Rams are going to get it done on the offensive line this season, the left side tandem of guard Rodger Saffold and tackle Greg Robinson must lead the way.
Just four days removed from his 27th birthday, Saffold suddenly finds himself the most experienced Rams offensive lineman with 60 NFL starts. He’s also the second-oldest member of the unit. (Free-agent pickup Garrett Reynolds, who turns 28 on July 1, has Saffold by 11 months.)
“Yeah, I’m doing my best with that,” Saffold said. “It’s kinda different. Especially with this team, being with this team the longest.”
Saffold is the longest-tenured member of the Rams’ offense, entering his sixth season in St. Louis after being picked in the second round of the 2010 draft out of Indiana University. Only defensive end Chris Long (2008) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (2009) have been with team longer overall.
“It’s a big role, but I like those things,” Saffold said. “I like changes because that way it keeps you more engaged. Things start getting a little less boring.”
Things figure to be anything but boring on the offensive line this season. The Rams could very well be starting rookies at both right guard and right tackle, as well as a center who’s never started an NFL regular-season game.
Strangely, Robinson has gone from a raw rookie attempting to learn the game in 2014 to one of the team’s most experienced blockers in a year’s time. Robinson’s 12 starts are more than any offensive lineman other than Saffold’s 60 and Reynolds’ 27.
“It’s kinda shocking just to see that because there’s a lot of young guys that were in my position last year,” Robinson said.
Last year, Robinson’s head was spinning as he went from a simple run-oriented offense at Auburn to a pro-style offense brimming with formations and complex pass protection schemes. This year, Robinson finds himself getting questions from the Rams’ six rookie offensive linemen trying to figure out who to block.
“And surprisingly, I can talk to them about it,” Robinson said, laughing. “Last year, I was the one asking questions.”
This year, Saffold and Robinson must help answer questions on a unit that is the team’s biggest question mark.
“I have to step up — along with Rodger,” Robinson said. “Me and him were here the whole offseason, so it should pay off.”
They were around so much because they have been recovering from early offseason operations and working frequently with the Rams athletic training staff on their rehab. Saffold underwent shoulder surgery (specifically a torn labrum), while Robinson had a turf toe injury repaired.
They have rehabbed together, worked out together and watched film together long before the formal start of the offseason conditioning program April 20. Both have been limited on the practice field since the OTA sessions started last week.
The Rams are hoping Saffold can take a step forward career-wise after being bothered by shoulder issues the past couple of years.
“Well, it’s fixed,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We have every reason to expect that thing’s not going to pop out every three weeks like it did. There’s so much ahead for him, right now, from an upper-body strength (standpoint). We’re just trying to be smart with him right now.”
Saffold had the surgery done as soon as the season ended, and it was a clean surgery. In other words, there was damage only to the labrum — and nothing else.
“I haven’t had much pain or problems,” Saffold said. “It’s been pretty much smooth sailing. Right now I’m ahead of the curve.”
The Rams are taking it slow with Saffold, and Robinson as well. No need to rush things in early June.
Robinson suffered his turf toe at the end of last season, and similar to Saffold, had surgery right after the season.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Robinson said. “But the first part, just staying off it, was real tough. But as I got to moving a little more, I became a lot more comfortable. So it was really just staying focused and getting stronger, keeping my conditioning up.”
Robinson said he’s making progress on a daily basis and expects to be full-go by the start of training camp. The conditioning work and weight training have paid off. He has dropped 20 pounds, to 319, and the baby fat is gone.
“He feels good,” Fisher said. “His strength has increased, so if there’s a little bit of weight loss and an increase in strength, that’s a good thing.”
Besides all the conditioning work, Robinson said he started eating healthier in the offseason. Not that he’s become a health freak and is subsisting on tree bark and trail mix.
“I still cheat here and there but it’s a lot more limited than usual,” he said.
So he didn’t give up a favorite food, such as doughnuts?
“No, I didn’t,” he told a reporter. “You want to go out for some doughnuts?”
At the lighter weight, Robinson hopes to increase his quickness — the better to handle all those speed rushers at left tackle.
At this point, Robinson can’t really gauge if he has indeed gotten quicker, because he isn’t practicing full-go yet. But it feels that way.
“I feel like I’m moving a lot better,” Robinson said. “Hopefully, it goes through as planned. I really can’t sense the future, but now my main focus is just making progress each day.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a36fb060-89ad-50b7-a394-16722ab9baf5.html
If the Rams are going to get it done on the offensive line this season, the left side tandem of guard Rodger Saffold and tackle Greg Robinson must lead the way.
Just four days removed from his 27th birthday, Saffold suddenly finds himself the most experienced Rams offensive lineman with 60 NFL starts. He’s also the second-oldest member of the unit. (Free-agent pickup Garrett Reynolds, who turns 28 on July 1, has Saffold by 11 months.)
“Yeah, I’m doing my best with that,” Saffold said. “It’s kinda different. Especially with this team, being with this team the longest.”
Saffold is the longest-tenured member of the Rams’ offense, entering his sixth season in St. Louis after being picked in the second round of the 2010 draft out of Indiana University. Only defensive end Chris Long (2008) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (2009) have been with team longer overall.
“It’s a big role, but I like those things,” Saffold said. “I like changes because that way it keeps you more engaged. Things start getting a little less boring.”
Things figure to be anything but boring on the offensive line this season. The Rams could very well be starting rookies at both right guard and right tackle, as well as a center who’s never started an NFL regular-season game.
Strangely, Robinson has gone from a raw rookie attempting to learn the game in 2014 to one of the team’s most experienced blockers in a year’s time. Robinson’s 12 starts are more than any offensive lineman other than Saffold’s 60 and Reynolds’ 27.
“It’s kinda shocking just to see that because there’s a lot of young guys that were in my position last year,” Robinson said.
Last year, Robinson’s head was spinning as he went from a simple run-oriented offense at Auburn to a pro-style offense brimming with formations and complex pass protection schemes. This year, Robinson finds himself getting questions from the Rams’ six rookie offensive linemen trying to figure out who to block.
“And surprisingly, I can talk to them about it,” Robinson said, laughing. “Last year, I was the one asking questions.”
This year, Saffold and Robinson must help answer questions on a unit that is the team’s biggest question mark.
“I have to step up — along with Rodger,” Robinson said. “Me and him were here the whole offseason, so it should pay off.”
They were around so much because they have been recovering from early offseason operations and working frequently with the Rams athletic training staff on their rehab. Saffold underwent shoulder surgery (specifically a torn labrum), while Robinson had a turf toe injury repaired.
They have rehabbed together, worked out together and watched film together long before the formal start of the offseason conditioning program April 20. Both have been limited on the practice field since the OTA sessions started last week.
The Rams are hoping Saffold can take a step forward career-wise after being bothered by shoulder issues the past couple of years.
“Well, it’s fixed,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We have every reason to expect that thing’s not going to pop out every three weeks like it did. There’s so much ahead for him, right now, from an upper-body strength (standpoint). We’re just trying to be smart with him right now.”
Saffold had the surgery done as soon as the season ended, and it was a clean surgery. In other words, there was damage only to the labrum — and nothing else.
“I haven’t had much pain or problems,” Saffold said. “It’s been pretty much smooth sailing. Right now I’m ahead of the curve.”
The Rams are taking it slow with Saffold, and Robinson as well. No need to rush things in early June.
Robinson suffered his turf toe at the end of last season, and similar to Saffold, had surgery right after the season.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Robinson said. “But the first part, just staying off it, was real tough. But as I got to moving a little more, I became a lot more comfortable. So it was really just staying focused and getting stronger, keeping my conditioning up.”
Robinson said he’s making progress on a daily basis and expects to be full-go by the start of training camp. The conditioning work and weight training have paid off. He has dropped 20 pounds, to 319, and the baby fat is gone.
“He feels good,” Fisher said. “His strength has increased, so if there’s a little bit of weight loss and an increase in strength, that’s a good thing.”
Besides all the conditioning work, Robinson said he started eating healthier in the offseason. Not that he’s become a health freak and is subsisting on tree bark and trail mix.
“I still cheat here and there but it’s a lot more limited than usual,” he said.
So he didn’t give up a favorite food, such as doughnuts?
“No, I didn’t,” he told a reporter. “You want to go out for some doughnuts?”
At the lighter weight, Robinson hopes to increase his quickness — the better to handle all those speed rushers at left tackle.
At this point, Robinson can’t really gauge if he has indeed gotten quicker, because he isn’t practicing full-go yet. But it feels that way.
“I feel like I’m moving a lot better,” Robinson said. “Hopefully, it goes through as planned. I really can’t sense the future, but now my main focus is just making progress each day.”
