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Learning curve steep for Robinson, Rams' young O-line
By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_3df7a50e-7518-5bf6-828f-35be42899903.html
When offensive tackle Greg Robinson does it right, Rams offensive line coach Paul Boudreau says, “it’s pretty and it’s dominating.”
That’s because Robinson, the second-year pro from Auburn, is a physical freak at 6-5, 332 pounds. He’s big, strong, fast, and athletic.
“When he’s consistent with his technique and when he’s clean with his hands ... it’s a good thing to watch,” Boudreau said. “He can be a great player.”
Trouble is, that consistency has come and gone as Robinson navigates his way through his first full NFL season at left tackle — the most demanding position on the offensive line.
“When he gets out of sorts is when he tries to either hit a guy too hard, or move too fast, and he ‘overcooks’ it,” Boudreau said. “And he gets himself in trouble mostly with his hands and his balance.”
That can mean getting his hands too wide on a defensive player because he’s trying to knock him into next Tuesday with a hand punch.
In terms of pure physical attributes, Robinson is big and strong enough that not too many defensive linemen or linebackers should be able to overpower him with a bull-rush. He’s also fast enough and nimble enough on his feet that speed rushers shouldn’t be able to get the edge on him.
It’s all about the technique. As the technique gets better for Robinson, the game will slow down for him. When he’s clean with his hands, it looks “pretty” as Boudreau says.
That hasn’t always been the case, however, and as a result there has been as much chaos and consistency for Robinson midway through 2015.
“He’s making progress from the standpoint of knowing exactly what to do,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “But how to do it’s been a little inconsistent here of late. So we have to keep working with him.”
Last Sunday’s game with Chicago was one of those inconsistent days to say the least. Robinson was called for three holding penalties and gave up a sack.
For Robinson, that brought his penalty total up to 11 this season, the second-highest total in the NFL behind New Orleans cornerback Brandon Browner’s 17. His eight offensive holding penalties is tied for the league lead with Philadelphia center Jason Kelce.
“The holding, you know, sometimes they’re called, sometimes they’re not,” Fisher said. “But if they’re looking at him as a grabber right now, then he’s got to keep his hands inside.”
It certainly seems as if Robinson is being watched extra closely by officiating crews. On three occasions this season, including once against Chicago, Robinson was called for holding merely for shoving an off-balance player to the ground.
In essence, he was penalized for either dominating an opponent or finishing off an opponent who lost his balance. That shouldn’t be a penalty.
“I don’t really think most of the calls are fair by the refs,” Robinson said. “Sometimes you can’t be as aggressive as you want to be. It’s something that I have to learn. But like I said, it just comes with time.”
The Rams knew there would be a steep learning curve for Robinson when they selected him No. 2 overall in the 2014 draft. For one, Auburn had the most basic of offenses in terms of volume of plays and pass protection schemes.
It was not a pro-style offense, and Robinson operated in a two-point stance. So not only did he have to learn the complexities of a pro offense once he got drafted, he had to learn how to operate in a three-point stance with a hand on the ground.
“Honestly, I thought just me personally that my athletic ability would make up for a lot of it,” Robinson said.
But in a league where everyone has some athletic ability, that isn’t enough. It takes technique — lots of technique.
“I feel I’ve come a long way,” Robinson said. “I’m just taking the coaching. Coach ‘Boo’ and Andy (Dickerson), they’ve worked a lot with me. I feel like I’m making progress. It’s just coming with time.”
Dickerson is the Rams’ assistant offensive line coach.
As for the holding penalties, Boudreau says the only time he tells Rams linemen that it’s OK to hold is to prevent a “kill” shot on the quarterback.
But he insists: “We don’t teach holding. I mean, I’ve had every drill in the book to keep hands tight.”
Boudreau has drilled Robinson on technique to the point where he has him pretend he’s a coach and critique his own play — in writing — while watching film.
What would you do differently on this play?
“Punch better with my outside hand,” was the answer.
And on this play?
“Be tighter with hands,” was the reply.
The biggest thing Boudreau wants to see is Robinson learning from his mistakes so that the next time he sees an opponent he won’t make those same mistakes. That’s particularly true in the NFC West with the Rams playing Arizona, Seattle, and San Francisco again next month.
But as the Rams head down the back half of their schedule, Robinson — and Boudreau — are dealing with an ever-changing cast of characters on the offensive line.
The team’s most experienced veteran, guard Rodger Saffold, was lost for the season to a shoulder injury suffered in Game 5 against Green Bay. Rookie Rob Havenstein, an opening-day starter at right tackle, missed the Minnesota game with an ankle injury. Now, he’s expected to miss Sunday’s game in Baltimore — and possibly be sidelined longer — with a calf injury.
Undrafted rookie Darrell Williams, a potential replacement for Havenstein, was lost for the season with a wrist injury suffered chasing down Chicago linebacker Willie Young last week on an interception return.
On the same play, rookie Jamon Brown — an opening-day starter at right guard — was lost for the season with a fractured lower leg suffered when his foot got stuck in the Edward Jones Dome turf chasing Young.
Brown underwent surgery Wednesday. No plates or rods were needed to stabilize the fracture, but screws were inserted to assist the healing process. Brown is expected to be 100 percent in four months.
Boudreau jokes that Brown, a third-round pick, and Havenstein, a second-rounder, are his “experienced” rookies. Now, he must go with, uh, inexperienced rookies in their place. Against the Ravens that likely means Andrew Donnal, a fourth-round pick, and Cody Wichmann, a sixth-rounder, are starters.
Donnal played in a pro-style system at Iowa, so he arrived in the NFL much farther ahead than Robinson did a year ago.
“Technique-wise, his hands are very good,” Boudreau said of Donnal. “He hits his target. Coming out, we thought that he and Rob (Havenstein) and even Darrell (Williams), they had good technique, they had good foot speed, and good work habits. They just needed to get in the weight room with Rock (Gullickson) and get bigger and stronger.”
Gullickson is the Rams’ strength and conditioning coach.
Donnal at least has one NFL start under his belt, against Minnesota when Havenstein was sidelined. Wichmann’s NFL experience is limited to a couple of dozen special teams plays, and a handful of snaps replacing Brown late in the Chicago game.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Wichmann said of his potential start. “I’m just gonna do my job and make the most of it. Football’s a crazy thing. You’ve gotta be ready to be that next guy up.
“I wouldn’t wish an injury on anyone, especially ‘JB’ and Darrell. Those guys are my good buddies. But it happens in the game of football.”
It happened last Sunday against the Bears. Now this is happening: a Rams team struggling to remain relevant in the NFC playoff picture probably will start two “inexperienced” rookies (Wichmann and Donnal).
There will be a new quarterback out there as well with Case Keenum, replacing the benched Nick Foles.
And of course, there’s that left tackle (Robinson) still trying to figure out which end of the box is up.
QUINN RULED OUT
The injury issues continue for Rams defensive end Robert Quinn. The two-time Pro Bowler was downgraded to out from questionable for Sunday’s game with Baltimore with what is now being listed as a hip/back injury.
As such, Quinn will miss his second game in the past three weeks. There has been some varied information on just what has been ailing Quinn. He missed the Minnesota game Nov. 8 with what the team described as a knee injury on its official injury report.
After playing only 14 snaps last week against Chicago, Quinn appeared on this week’s injury report with a hip issue. On Saturday, in announcing that Quinn would miss Sunday’s game in Baltimore, the injury was listed by the team as hip/back.
Back issues, in fact, have hampered Quinn for much of this season. Eugene Sims is expected to start once again in Quinn’s place against the Ravens.
By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_3df7a50e-7518-5bf6-828f-35be42899903.html
When offensive tackle Greg Robinson does it right, Rams offensive line coach Paul Boudreau says, “it’s pretty and it’s dominating.”
That’s because Robinson, the second-year pro from Auburn, is a physical freak at 6-5, 332 pounds. He’s big, strong, fast, and athletic.
“When he’s consistent with his technique and when he’s clean with his hands ... it’s a good thing to watch,” Boudreau said. “He can be a great player.”
Trouble is, that consistency has come and gone as Robinson navigates his way through his first full NFL season at left tackle — the most demanding position on the offensive line.
“When he gets out of sorts is when he tries to either hit a guy too hard, or move too fast, and he ‘overcooks’ it,” Boudreau said. “And he gets himself in trouble mostly with his hands and his balance.”
That can mean getting his hands too wide on a defensive player because he’s trying to knock him into next Tuesday with a hand punch.
In terms of pure physical attributes, Robinson is big and strong enough that not too many defensive linemen or linebackers should be able to overpower him with a bull-rush. He’s also fast enough and nimble enough on his feet that speed rushers shouldn’t be able to get the edge on him.
It’s all about the technique. As the technique gets better for Robinson, the game will slow down for him. When he’s clean with his hands, it looks “pretty” as Boudreau says.
That hasn’t always been the case, however, and as a result there has been as much chaos and consistency for Robinson midway through 2015.
“He’s making progress from the standpoint of knowing exactly what to do,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “But how to do it’s been a little inconsistent here of late. So we have to keep working with him.”
Last Sunday’s game with Chicago was one of those inconsistent days to say the least. Robinson was called for three holding penalties and gave up a sack.
For Robinson, that brought his penalty total up to 11 this season, the second-highest total in the NFL behind New Orleans cornerback Brandon Browner’s 17. His eight offensive holding penalties is tied for the league lead with Philadelphia center Jason Kelce.
“The holding, you know, sometimes they’re called, sometimes they’re not,” Fisher said. “But if they’re looking at him as a grabber right now, then he’s got to keep his hands inside.”
It certainly seems as if Robinson is being watched extra closely by officiating crews. On three occasions this season, including once against Chicago, Robinson was called for holding merely for shoving an off-balance player to the ground.
In essence, he was penalized for either dominating an opponent or finishing off an opponent who lost his balance. That shouldn’t be a penalty.
“I don’t really think most of the calls are fair by the refs,” Robinson said. “Sometimes you can’t be as aggressive as you want to be. It’s something that I have to learn. But like I said, it just comes with time.”
The Rams knew there would be a steep learning curve for Robinson when they selected him No. 2 overall in the 2014 draft. For one, Auburn had the most basic of offenses in terms of volume of plays and pass protection schemes.
It was not a pro-style offense, and Robinson operated in a two-point stance. So not only did he have to learn the complexities of a pro offense once he got drafted, he had to learn how to operate in a three-point stance with a hand on the ground.
“Honestly, I thought just me personally that my athletic ability would make up for a lot of it,” Robinson said.
But in a league where everyone has some athletic ability, that isn’t enough. It takes technique — lots of technique.
“I feel I’ve come a long way,” Robinson said. “I’m just taking the coaching. Coach ‘Boo’ and Andy (Dickerson), they’ve worked a lot with me. I feel like I’m making progress. It’s just coming with time.”
Dickerson is the Rams’ assistant offensive line coach.
As for the holding penalties, Boudreau says the only time he tells Rams linemen that it’s OK to hold is to prevent a “kill” shot on the quarterback.
But he insists: “We don’t teach holding. I mean, I’ve had every drill in the book to keep hands tight.”
Boudreau has drilled Robinson on technique to the point where he has him pretend he’s a coach and critique his own play — in writing — while watching film.
What would you do differently on this play?
“Punch better with my outside hand,” was the answer.
And on this play?
“Be tighter with hands,” was the reply.
The biggest thing Boudreau wants to see is Robinson learning from his mistakes so that the next time he sees an opponent he won’t make those same mistakes. That’s particularly true in the NFC West with the Rams playing Arizona, Seattle, and San Francisco again next month.
But as the Rams head down the back half of their schedule, Robinson — and Boudreau — are dealing with an ever-changing cast of characters on the offensive line.
The team’s most experienced veteran, guard Rodger Saffold, was lost for the season to a shoulder injury suffered in Game 5 against Green Bay. Rookie Rob Havenstein, an opening-day starter at right tackle, missed the Minnesota game with an ankle injury. Now, he’s expected to miss Sunday’s game in Baltimore — and possibly be sidelined longer — with a calf injury.
Undrafted rookie Darrell Williams, a potential replacement for Havenstein, was lost for the season with a wrist injury suffered chasing down Chicago linebacker Willie Young last week on an interception return.
On the same play, rookie Jamon Brown — an opening-day starter at right guard — was lost for the season with a fractured lower leg suffered when his foot got stuck in the Edward Jones Dome turf chasing Young.
Brown underwent surgery Wednesday. No plates or rods were needed to stabilize the fracture, but screws were inserted to assist the healing process. Brown is expected to be 100 percent in four months.
Boudreau jokes that Brown, a third-round pick, and Havenstein, a second-rounder, are his “experienced” rookies. Now, he must go with, uh, inexperienced rookies in their place. Against the Ravens that likely means Andrew Donnal, a fourth-round pick, and Cody Wichmann, a sixth-rounder, are starters.
Donnal played in a pro-style system at Iowa, so he arrived in the NFL much farther ahead than Robinson did a year ago.
“Technique-wise, his hands are very good,” Boudreau said of Donnal. “He hits his target. Coming out, we thought that he and Rob (Havenstein) and even Darrell (Williams), they had good technique, they had good foot speed, and good work habits. They just needed to get in the weight room with Rock (Gullickson) and get bigger and stronger.”
Gullickson is the Rams’ strength and conditioning coach.
Donnal at least has one NFL start under his belt, against Minnesota when Havenstein was sidelined. Wichmann’s NFL experience is limited to a couple of dozen special teams plays, and a handful of snaps replacing Brown late in the Chicago game.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Wichmann said of his potential start. “I’m just gonna do my job and make the most of it. Football’s a crazy thing. You’ve gotta be ready to be that next guy up.
“I wouldn’t wish an injury on anyone, especially ‘JB’ and Darrell. Those guys are my good buddies. But it happens in the game of football.”
It happened last Sunday against the Bears. Now this is happening: a Rams team struggling to remain relevant in the NFC playoff picture probably will start two “inexperienced” rookies (Wichmann and Donnal).
There will be a new quarterback out there as well with Case Keenum, replacing the benched Nick Foles.
And of course, there’s that left tackle (Robinson) still trying to figure out which end of the box is up.
QUINN RULED OUT
The injury issues continue for Rams defensive end Robert Quinn. The two-time Pro Bowler was downgraded to out from questionable for Sunday’s game with Baltimore with what is now being listed as a hip/back injury.
As such, Quinn will miss his second game in the past three weeks. There has been some varied information on just what has been ailing Quinn. He missed the Minnesota game Nov. 8 with what the team described as a knee injury on its official injury report.
After playing only 14 snaps last week against Chicago, Quinn appeared on this week’s injury report with a hip issue. On Saturday, in announcing that Quinn would miss Sunday’s game in Baltimore, the injury was listed by the team as hip/back.
Back issues, in fact, have hampered Quinn for much of this season. Eugene Sims is expected to start once again in Quinn’s place against the Ravens.
