- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Rookie year is humbling for Rams' Joyner
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_91a7ad88-50eb-5d1c-a8f2-dcb9cfe5e06f.html
It’s not that defensive back Lamarcus Joyner has been a disappointment as an NFL rookie.
It’s just that several draft picks around him — from Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald, to left tackle Greg Robinson, to running back Tre Mason, to cornerback E.J. Gaines — have all flourished.
And after suffering a groin injury in the Rams’ Nov. 9 contest at Arizona, Joyner became something of a forgotten man. He was on the team’s injury report for three games, and then was a healthy scratch the following two weeks because Gaines was playing well in Joyner’s nickel back position.
“For me personally, I’ve learned how to be humble,” said Joyner, a second-round draft pick (No. 41 overall) out of Florida State.
Whether it be high school, where he was USA Today’s national defensive player of the year, or Florida State, where he was a unanimous All-American and finalist for the Nagurski and Thorpe awards, Joyner was a difference-maker.
That could still happen at the NFL; in fact, Rams coach Jeff Fisher thinks it will.
“He’s going to be an outstanding player on our defense,” Fisher said.
But there have been some growing pains this year, complicated by the groin injury.
“Sometimes (success) can be a struggle coming to a whole new level because there’s a lot of new obstacles,” Joyner said. “And you’re no longer the big fish in the pond.
“I have to learn how to ‘dumb down’ and just take coaching. Just be humble and understand that I don’t know everything. I’m not one of the greatest yet at this game.”
Apparently, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams reminded him of that on a regular basis.
“I can honestly say I really appreciated the way that Coach Williams coached me this year,” Joyner said. “It was a struggle. You always have guys patting you on the back.”
That’s, uh, not always the case with Williams, who can dish out the toughest of tough love when warranted.
“You come in and you’re being coached by a wise man, and he knows all the tricks in the trade,” Joyner said. “He knows foolishness, he knows everything. There’s no getting around him. So it was hard to be coached like that because of the success I had at other levels.
“That was the hardest transition for me,” Joyner said. “Not necessarily on the football field. You have to earn Coach Williams’ respect. I’ve still got a lot of learning to do, and he taught me a lot with that.”
By his own admission, Joyner said part of his indoctrination to the NFL has been learning how to be a professional.
“Sometimes you think you know,” he said. “You think you’re mature, but you don’t know anything. It’s the National Football League. This game’s been around for generations.”
Being a pro entails how you approach the game, how you take care of your body, how you study the playbook ...
“It’s all of that,” Joyner said. “It’s not, ‘I’m one of the most talented guys in this locker room, so I can get away from that.’
“Some guys are the first one in the building; some guys are the last ones out of the building. I’ve just got to learn how to study guys like James Laurinaitis, Jo-Lonn Dunbar.
“I mean, all the older guys. Just see what they do. The way they carry themselves. The way they appreciate the game, because you can’t take this game for granted. Like I said, talent (alone) won’t get you by at this level. I learned that the hard way, and the fast way. And that’s really gonna take me a long way in my life.”
Although he didn’t have any “splash” plays in the first two months of the season — interceptions, sacks, forced fumbles and such — Joyner did have 43 tackles in his first eight games, including a season-high 11 on Oct. 26 at Kansas City, followed by seven stops the following week at San Francisco.
Then came that Arizona injury. Early in the second quarter, Joyner came after Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, blitzing out of the slot position. He had a bead on Palmer, and it looked like his first NFL sack was just a couple of steps away.
But with a simple step up in the pocket, Palmer eluded Joyner and completed a pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
“You have to be exact,” Joyner said. “That injury came from technique.”
Bad technique, that is.
“I should’ve timed the blitz a little better,” he said. “And not timing it made me a little too aggressive, and a little too impatient coming around the corner.”
After Palmer stepped up in the pocket, Joyner tried to quickly change directions, and that’s when the groin injury occurred.
Gaines replaced Joyner in the slot after the injury and played so well there that even when Joyner was healthy for the Washington and second Arizona games, Gaines continued to fill the nickel back spot. And Joyner was a pregame inactive.
It was tough enough missing a game because of injury; Joyner said he’d never missed a game in college. It had to be even tougher being a healthy scratch.
“That’s another thing I learned,” Joyner said. “There’s a lot of talent in this league. I was told when I first came here that there’s accountability and availability. Are you accountable? Are you available? Because we’ve got guys that can replace you.”
Joyner, of course, had no hard feelings toward Gaines. “He’s my teammate. He’s helping the team win, so all I can do is support that,” Joyner said.
But now Gaines is going through the concussion protocol after being on the receiving end of a blow to the head from teammate T.J. McDonald in the Giants game.
Joyner replaced Gaines in that game and will do the same if Gaines can’t go in Sunday’s season finale in Seattle.
“Lamarcus was progressing up until the first Arizona game when he injured his groin, Fisher said. “He’s now been healthy for a couple weeks. ... He’s paid attention, and if in fact he has to go in there, then I expect him to be productive.”
“That’s the nature of the game,” Joyner said. “You’ve got to make the best of your opportunities.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_91a7ad88-50eb-5d1c-a8f2-dcb9cfe5e06f.html
It’s not that defensive back Lamarcus Joyner has been a disappointment as an NFL rookie.
It’s just that several draft picks around him — from Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald, to left tackle Greg Robinson, to running back Tre Mason, to cornerback E.J. Gaines — have all flourished.
And after suffering a groin injury in the Rams’ Nov. 9 contest at Arizona, Joyner became something of a forgotten man. He was on the team’s injury report for three games, and then was a healthy scratch the following two weeks because Gaines was playing well in Joyner’s nickel back position.
“For me personally, I’ve learned how to be humble,” said Joyner, a second-round draft pick (No. 41 overall) out of Florida State.
Whether it be high school, where he was USA Today’s national defensive player of the year, or Florida State, where he was a unanimous All-American and finalist for the Nagurski and Thorpe awards, Joyner was a difference-maker.
That could still happen at the NFL; in fact, Rams coach Jeff Fisher thinks it will.
“He’s going to be an outstanding player on our defense,” Fisher said.
But there have been some growing pains this year, complicated by the groin injury.
“Sometimes (success) can be a struggle coming to a whole new level because there’s a lot of new obstacles,” Joyner said. “And you’re no longer the big fish in the pond.
“I have to learn how to ‘dumb down’ and just take coaching. Just be humble and understand that I don’t know everything. I’m not one of the greatest yet at this game.”
Apparently, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams reminded him of that on a regular basis.
“I can honestly say I really appreciated the way that Coach Williams coached me this year,” Joyner said. “It was a struggle. You always have guys patting you on the back.”
That’s, uh, not always the case with Williams, who can dish out the toughest of tough love when warranted.
“You come in and you’re being coached by a wise man, and he knows all the tricks in the trade,” Joyner said. “He knows foolishness, he knows everything. There’s no getting around him. So it was hard to be coached like that because of the success I had at other levels.
“That was the hardest transition for me,” Joyner said. “Not necessarily on the football field. You have to earn Coach Williams’ respect. I’ve still got a lot of learning to do, and he taught me a lot with that.”
By his own admission, Joyner said part of his indoctrination to the NFL has been learning how to be a professional.
“Sometimes you think you know,” he said. “You think you’re mature, but you don’t know anything. It’s the National Football League. This game’s been around for generations.”
Being a pro entails how you approach the game, how you take care of your body, how you study the playbook ...
“It’s all of that,” Joyner said. “It’s not, ‘I’m one of the most talented guys in this locker room, so I can get away from that.’
“Some guys are the first one in the building; some guys are the last ones out of the building. I’ve just got to learn how to study guys like James Laurinaitis, Jo-Lonn Dunbar.
“I mean, all the older guys. Just see what they do. The way they carry themselves. The way they appreciate the game, because you can’t take this game for granted. Like I said, talent (alone) won’t get you by at this level. I learned that the hard way, and the fast way. And that’s really gonna take me a long way in my life.”
Although he didn’t have any “splash” plays in the first two months of the season — interceptions, sacks, forced fumbles and such — Joyner did have 43 tackles in his first eight games, including a season-high 11 on Oct. 26 at Kansas City, followed by seven stops the following week at San Francisco.
Then came that Arizona injury. Early in the second quarter, Joyner came after Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, blitzing out of the slot position. He had a bead on Palmer, and it looked like his first NFL sack was just a couple of steps away.
But with a simple step up in the pocket, Palmer eluded Joyner and completed a pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
“You have to be exact,” Joyner said. “That injury came from technique.”
Bad technique, that is.
“I should’ve timed the blitz a little better,” he said. “And not timing it made me a little too aggressive, and a little too impatient coming around the corner.”
After Palmer stepped up in the pocket, Joyner tried to quickly change directions, and that’s when the groin injury occurred.
Gaines replaced Joyner in the slot after the injury and played so well there that even when Joyner was healthy for the Washington and second Arizona games, Gaines continued to fill the nickel back spot. And Joyner was a pregame inactive.
It was tough enough missing a game because of injury; Joyner said he’d never missed a game in college. It had to be even tougher being a healthy scratch.
“That’s another thing I learned,” Joyner said. “There’s a lot of talent in this league. I was told when I first came here that there’s accountability and availability. Are you accountable? Are you available? Because we’ve got guys that can replace you.”
Joyner, of course, had no hard feelings toward Gaines. “He’s my teammate. He’s helping the team win, so all I can do is support that,” Joyner said.
But now Gaines is going through the concussion protocol after being on the receiving end of a blow to the head from teammate T.J. McDonald in the Giants game.
Joyner replaced Gaines in that game and will do the same if Gaines can’t go in Sunday’s season finale in Seattle.
“Lamarcus was progressing up until the first Arizona game when he injured his groin, Fisher said. “He’s now been healthy for a couple weeks. ... He’s paid attention, and if in fact he has to go in there, then I expect him to be productive.”
“That’s the nature of the game,” Joyner said. “You’ve got to make the best of your opportunities.”
