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Nick Wagoner joined Kevin Wheeler to answer the question about the difference between this year and last year at this time, what are the top stories heading into OTAs, and why two of the stories have to do with players that won’t be seen until closer to the season.
Listen to Wagoner Talk OTA's
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Nick Foles' transition to Rams' offense an important piece of OTAs
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...on-to-rams-offense-an-important-piece-of-otas
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- At the news conference introducing new St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles back in March, coach Jeff Fisher lamented the fact that he couldn't simply get Foles in the building and up to speed on the team's offense right away.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, there are rules on when players can be in their training facilities, who they can meet with and what they can do when they're there. For his part, Foles was eager to get started after the Philadelphia Eagles traded him and a 2016 second-round pick to the Rams for Sam Bradford. But he had to wait.
Now that waiting is over and as the Rams began organized team activities on Tuesday, Foles can set about getting to know an offense that figures to be quite different from the one he ran under Chip Kelly with the Eagles.
In Kelly's wide-open, spread based system, Foles was asked to do a lot of things that he probably won't in St. Louis. Despite not qualifying as a running quarterback, the Eagles still asked Foles to run read-option out of the shotgun the majority of the time. Over the past two seasons, Foles lined up in the shotgun on 645 drop-backs and was under center for just 42 snaps in 21 games. As a team, the Eagles had their quarterbacks drop back out of shotgun formation 1,188 times, the most in the league and clear of second-place San Diego by 38 snaps.
By comparison, the Rams have had 756 drop backs out of the shotgun over the past two seasons, which is second-fewest in the league. So not only will Foles be adjusting to a new power run-heavy scheme, he will even be adjusting to taking snaps under center on a regular basis.
One thing that won't be new for Foles in St. Louis is throwing play-action passes, long ones.
The Rams didn't use play-action as much as they'd like last season, opting for such calls on 97 dropbacks for the season (tied with the Jets and Falcons for 22nd in the NFL). But that easily could be a product of not having an offensive line capable of protecting the quarterback or a running game operating at a high level on a consistent basis.
Fisher has repeatedly said he'd like his offense to be centered on the run with a successful run game setting up play-action opportunities down the field.
On play-action, Rams quarterbacks were 63-of-90 for 732 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions for a passer rating of 108.7, which ranked seventh best in the league on such plays in 2014. Given that success, it's something they would like to do more of in 2015.
That could be a good fit for Foles, who in two seasons as the starter in Philadelphia averaged 9.1 yards per attempt with 21 touchdowns and three interceptions on play-action passes.
Foles still has plenty of time to learn the new scheme, and it will be just as important for him to develop rapport with his new teammates over the next few weeks. Fisher is generally OK with using OTAs and the offseason program as a way to get his players up to speed, but when training camp comes, there's no time to wait and see.
During these OTAs, Foles' progress might be the most important item on the agenda.
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Three undrafted rookies to watch as Rams begin OTAs
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...undrafted-rookies-to-watch-as-rams-begin-otas
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams finally began Organized Team Activities on Tuesday.
Though there will be no media access until Thursday, one thing to monitor as we get further into OTAs and especially training camp is the development of some of the lesser-known rookies. It's been common practice since Jeff Fisher arrived in 2012 for undrafted rookies to win roster spots and stick around for awhile.
Just last year, the Rams kept four undrafted rookies in defensive end Ethan Westbrooks, cornerback Marcus Roberson, running back Trey Watts and tight end Alex Bayer. Starting free safety Rodney McLeod was once an undrafted free agent himself and is now so valued by the Rams that they placed a second-round tender on him as a restricted free agent this offseason.
So with that in mind, let's take a look at three to watch as the Rams enter OTAs:
Louis Trinca-Pasat, DT, Iowa --Trinca-Pasat is the rare undrafted rookie where it might qualify as a surprise if he doesn't make the team's 53-man roster out of training camp. The Rams don't have much depth at defensive tackle after Michael Brockers, Aaron Donald and Nick Fairley. In fact, Trinca-Pasat is really about it unless you count ends who can play multiple positions such as Eugene Sims, William Hayes and Westbrooks. Last year, Westbrooks looked like an early favorite to win a spot in part because the Rams handed him a hefty signing bonus. Trinca-Pasat also qualifies on that level. The Rams gave him $15,000 to sign and guaranteed $25,000 total. That's not much in the grand scheme of things but it shows how much they valued him after the draft.
Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas --Like Trinca-Pasat, Brown was one of the team's priciest undrafted rookies. The Rams paid him a $8,500 signing bonus, second only to Trinca-Pasat amongst the undrafted rookies. Brown's path to a roster spot figures to be more tricky, however. While Brown is a big, powerful runner from an elite program, he also didn't produce as much as many expected in his time with the Longhorns. The Rams have Todd Gurley, Tre Mason and Benjamin Cunningham in place in well-defined roles. After that group is where Brown could figure into the mix. With Watts suspended for the first four games because of a violation of the substance abuse policy, there could be room for Brown to win the fourth running back job. The Rams have consistently kept four backs in recent years and could do so again. Isaiah Pead is also back to compete but might have too high of a price tag to win the job. If Brown can prove he belongs on special teams, he would seem to have a very realistic chance of sticking around.
Imoan Claiborne, CB, Northwestern (La.) State -- Claiborne got a signing bonus of $5,000, which is fifth most among the undrafted rookies. That's not much, and the cornerback position figures to be hotly contested. Janoris Jenkins, E.J. Gaines, Lamarcus Joyner and Trumaine Johnson appear mostly set, and Roberson probably figures into the mix as well. But Claiborne comes as one of the more intriguing prospects the Rams landed. He participated in the Senior Bowl and posted three interceptions and four fumble recoveries in 2014. NFL.com even projected him as a third- or fourth-round pick. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams likes competition and won't shy away from going for the unknown commodity who proves himself. If Claiborne can show potential on special teams, he might also be a factor when cutdown day arrives.
Listen to Wagoner Talk OTA's
==========
Nick Foles' transition to Rams' offense an important piece of OTAs
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...on-to-rams-offense-an-important-piece-of-otas
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- At the news conference introducing new St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles back in March, coach Jeff Fisher lamented the fact that he couldn't simply get Foles in the building and up to speed on the team's offense right away.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, there are rules on when players can be in their training facilities, who they can meet with and what they can do when they're there. For his part, Foles was eager to get started after the Philadelphia Eagles traded him and a 2016 second-round pick to the Rams for Sam Bradford. But he had to wait.
Now that waiting is over and as the Rams began organized team activities on Tuesday, Foles can set about getting to know an offense that figures to be quite different from the one he ran under Chip Kelly with the Eagles.
In Kelly's wide-open, spread based system, Foles was asked to do a lot of things that he probably won't in St. Louis. Despite not qualifying as a running quarterback, the Eagles still asked Foles to run read-option out of the shotgun the majority of the time. Over the past two seasons, Foles lined up in the shotgun on 645 drop-backs and was under center for just 42 snaps in 21 games. As a team, the Eagles had their quarterbacks drop back out of shotgun formation 1,188 times, the most in the league and clear of second-place San Diego by 38 snaps.
By comparison, the Rams have had 756 drop backs out of the shotgun over the past two seasons, which is second-fewest in the league. So not only will Foles be adjusting to a new power run-heavy scheme, he will even be adjusting to taking snaps under center on a regular basis.
One thing that won't be new for Foles in St. Louis is throwing play-action passes, long ones.
The Rams didn't use play-action as much as they'd like last season, opting for such calls on 97 dropbacks for the season (tied with the Jets and Falcons for 22nd in the NFL). But that easily could be a product of not having an offensive line capable of protecting the quarterback or a running game operating at a high level on a consistent basis.
Fisher has repeatedly said he'd like his offense to be centered on the run with a successful run game setting up play-action opportunities down the field.
On play-action, Rams quarterbacks were 63-of-90 for 732 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions for a passer rating of 108.7, which ranked seventh best in the league on such plays in 2014. Given that success, it's something they would like to do more of in 2015.
That could be a good fit for Foles, who in two seasons as the starter in Philadelphia averaged 9.1 yards per attempt with 21 touchdowns and three interceptions on play-action passes.
Foles still has plenty of time to learn the new scheme, and it will be just as important for him to develop rapport with his new teammates over the next few weeks. Fisher is generally OK with using OTAs and the offseason program as a way to get his players up to speed, but when training camp comes, there's no time to wait and see.
During these OTAs, Foles' progress might be the most important item on the agenda.
==========
Three undrafted rookies to watch as Rams begin OTAs
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...undrafted-rookies-to-watch-as-rams-begin-otas
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams finally began Organized Team Activities on Tuesday.
Though there will be no media access until Thursday, one thing to monitor as we get further into OTAs and especially training camp is the development of some of the lesser-known rookies. It's been common practice since Jeff Fisher arrived in 2012 for undrafted rookies to win roster spots and stick around for awhile.
Just last year, the Rams kept four undrafted rookies in defensive end Ethan Westbrooks, cornerback Marcus Roberson, running back Trey Watts and tight end Alex Bayer. Starting free safety Rodney McLeod was once an undrafted free agent himself and is now so valued by the Rams that they placed a second-round tender on him as a restricted free agent this offseason.
So with that in mind, let's take a look at three to watch as the Rams enter OTAs:
Louis Trinca-Pasat, DT, Iowa --Trinca-Pasat is the rare undrafted rookie where it might qualify as a surprise if he doesn't make the team's 53-man roster out of training camp. The Rams don't have much depth at defensive tackle after Michael Brockers, Aaron Donald and Nick Fairley. In fact, Trinca-Pasat is really about it unless you count ends who can play multiple positions such as Eugene Sims, William Hayes and Westbrooks. Last year, Westbrooks looked like an early favorite to win a spot in part because the Rams handed him a hefty signing bonus. Trinca-Pasat also qualifies on that level. The Rams gave him $15,000 to sign and guaranteed $25,000 total. That's not much in the grand scheme of things but it shows how much they valued him after the draft.
Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas --Like Trinca-Pasat, Brown was one of the team's priciest undrafted rookies. The Rams paid him a $8,500 signing bonus, second only to Trinca-Pasat amongst the undrafted rookies. Brown's path to a roster spot figures to be more tricky, however. While Brown is a big, powerful runner from an elite program, he also didn't produce as much as many expected in his time with the Longhorns. The Rams have Todd Gurley, Tre Mason and Benjamin Cunningham in place in well-defined roles. After that group is where Brown could figure into the mix. With Watts suspended for the first four games because of a violation of the substance abuse policy, there could be room for Brown to win the fourth running back job. The Rams have consistently kept four backs in recent years and could do so again. Isaiah Pead is also back to compete but might have too high of a price tag to win the job. If Brown can prove he belongs on special teams, he would seem to have a very realistic chance of sticking around.
Imoan Claiborne, CB, Northwestern (La.) State -- Claiborne got a signing bonus of $5,000, which is fifth most among the undrafted rookies. That's not much, and the cornerback position figures to be hotly contested. Janoris Jenkins, E.J. Gaines, Lamarcus Joyner and Trumaine Johnson appear mostly set, and Roberson probably figures into the mix as well. But Claiborne comes as one of the more intriguing prospects the Rams landed. He participated in the Senior Bowl and posted three interceptions and four fumble recoveries in 2014. NFL.com even projected him as a third- or fourth-round pick. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams likes competition and won't shy away from going for the unknown commodity who proves himself. If Claiborne can show potential on special teams, he might also be a factor when cutdown day arrives.
