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Rams' Jamon Brown, Rob Havenstein set to take center stage
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...brown-rob-havenstein-set-to-take-center-stage
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams will start two rookies on the offensive line Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. For left guard Jamon Brown and right tackle Rob Havenstein, it's a difficult task.
Which is why both Brown and Havenstein admitted this week there will be some butterflies before kickoff.
"There’s definitely going to be some nerves," Havenstein said. "I think anytime you step in and play your first NFL game and the bullets count, I think there are going to be a little bit of nerves. But it’s something that if I want to be a good player, I’m going to have to get past them and just go out and trust the guys around me, trust the front five I’m going to have around me and know that I’m going to have their back and they’re going to have my back."
Many eyes will be on the Rams' young offensive line in 2015. It's a group that will go a long way in determining the team's success. The Rams enter the season as the youngest team in the league for the fourth straight year and the offensive line is no exception with the youngest projected group in the NFL. Of the five projected starters, only right guard Rodger Saffold has more than a dozen NFL starts.
Which means plenty of attention will be paid to others across the line, specifically the two rookies. Facing a dominant Seattle defense in their first game won't make things any easier for Brown and Havenstein, but even if both have had their hiccups in the preseason, they have impressed the coaching staff with their resilience and professional approach.
“I think they’ll try to create some one-on-one matchups and step up in some gaps and try to confuse us," coach Jeff Fisher said. "I wouldn’t have asked ‘JB’ or allowed JB or Rob for that matter, we wouldn’t have put them in a position to start if we didn’t think they were going to get the job done, and they’re only going to get better.”
The Rams don't have much time to wait. After spending five draft picks on offensive linemen this year, they're betting big on youth to rule the day. After plugging Brown and Havenstein in on the right side from the day they arrived in St. Louis, the Rams didn't do themselves any favors by waiting until the day before the third preseason game to juggle the line by moving Brown to the left side with Saffold on the right.
It was a logical move considering Saffold's success on the right in 2013, Brown's experience playing the left side and the chance to split the rookies up but the timing was puzzling at best.
"We did it the day before the Indianapolis game so it was very surprising for me," Brown said. "Obviously, the type of guy I am, it doesn’t really matter. As long as I play, that’s all I’m worried about. Making that switch kind of told me something. Coach gave me an idea of what his mindset was going into that game and getting the best matchups and combinations he could. He was pleased with what I did on the left side and decided to make it final."
With Saffold on the sidelines for most of the preseason with a shoulder issue, Brown was probably the Rams' most consistent lineman until an ankle injury slowed him in the game against Indianapolis. The Rams believe Brown's athleticism and ability to get out and pull makes him a better fit on the left side.
As for Havenstein, he did fine as a run blocker but had some issues in pass protection, at times playing too high and, by his own admission, needs to get better at getting off the ball at the snap quicker.
But the Rams' refusal to spend premium picks on the offensive line until the past two years puts Brown and Havenstein in position where much will be expected of them right away -- even though they have yet to take an NFL regular-season snap.
For their part, Brown and Havenstein are aware that they must produce right away in order for the offense to have success in the early part of the season.
"I think we kind of keep all of our motivation kind of in-house," Havenstein said. "We know what we need to do; we know how we need to work. If you start paying attention to what others are saying, you are going to be lost, especially in today’s world. You can be up all night reading everything and go down the rabbit hole. I think this group has done a heck of a job, especially with the older guys in the group kind of keeping us on track, knowing what we have to do and our success will be dependent on our room, not on some outside influences. If we play well, we’re most likely going to have a good game."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...brown-rob-havenstein-set-to-take-center-stage
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams will start two rookies on the offensive line Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. For left guard Jamon Brown and right tackle Rob Havenstein, it's a difficult task.
Which is why both Brown and Havenstein admitted this week there will be some butterflies before kickoff.
"There’s definitely going to be some nerves," Havenstein said. "I think anytime you step in and play your first NFL game and the bullets count, I think there are going to be a little bit of nerves. But it’s something that if I want to be a good player, I’m going to have to get past them and just go out and trust the guys around me, trust the front five I’m going to have around me and know that I’m going to have their back and they’re going to have my back."
Many eyes will be on the Rams' young offensive line in 2015. It's a group that will go a long way in determining the team's success. The Rams enter the season as the youngest team in the league for the fourth straight year and the offensive line is no exception with the youngest projected group in the NFL. Of the five projected starters, only right guard Rodger Saffold has more than a dozen NFL starts.
Which means plenty of attention will be paid to others across the line, specifically the two rookies. Facing a dominant Seattle defense in their first game won't make things any easier for Brown and Havenstein, but even if both have had their hiccups in the preseason, they have impressed the coaching staff with their resilience and professional approach.
“I think they’ll try to create some one-on-one matchups and step up in some gaps and try to confuse us," coach Jeff Fisher said. "I wouldn’t have asked ‘JB’ or allowed JB or Rob for that matter, we wouldn’t have put them in a position to start if we didn’t think they were going to get the job done, and they’re only going to get better.”
The Rams don't have much time to wait. After spending five draft picks on offensive linemen this year, they're betting big on youth to rule the day. After plugging Brown and Havenstein in on the right side from the day they arrived in St. Louis, the Rams didn't do themselves any favors by waiting until the day before the third preseason game to juggle the line by moving Brown to the left side with Saffold on the right.
It was a logical move considering Saffold's success on the right in 2013, Brown's experience playing the left side and the chance to split the rookies up but the timing was puzzling at best.
"We did it the day before the Indianapolis game so it was very surprising for me," Brown said. "Obviously, the type of guy I am, it doesn’t really matter. As long as I play, that’s all I’m worried about. Making that switch kind of told me something. Coach gave me an idea of what his mindset was going into that game and getting the best matchups and combinations he could. He was pleased with what I did on the left side and decided to make it final."
With Saffold on the sidelines for most of the preseason with a shoulder issue, Brown was probably the Rams' most consistent lineman until an ankle injury slowed him in the game against Indianapolis. The Rams believe Brown's athleticism and ability to get out and pull makes him a better fit on the left side.
As for Havenstein, he did fine as a run blocker but had some issues in pass protection, at times playing too high and, by his own admission, needs to get better at getting off the ball at the snap quicker.
But the Rams' refusal to spend premium picks on the offensive line until the past two years puts Brown and Havenstein in position where much will be expected of them right away -- even though they have yet to take an NFL regular-season snap.
For their part, Brown and Havenstein are aware that they must produce right away in order for the offense to have success in the early part of the season.
"I think we kind of keep all of our motivation kind of in-house," Havenstein said. "We know what we need to do; we know how we need to work. If you start paying attention to what others are saying, you are going to be lost, especially in today’s world. You can be up all night reading everything and go down the rabbit hole. I think this group has done a heck of a job, especially with the older guys in the group kind of keeping us on track, knowing what we have to do and our success will be dependent on our room, not on some outside influences. If we play well, we’re most likely going to have a good game."
