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THOUSAND OAKS – Matt Longacre has been with the Rams for almost 18 months, but sometimes, he can’t completely shake his apprehension – the feeling that any given week, he could either be thrust into the starting lineup, or cut from the roster entirely.
That’s the mentality that comes with having clawed his way into the NFL – a path that has seem him go from an undrafted defensive end out of Northwest Missouri State, to practice squad member, to one of 53 names on the active roster. In a 17-13 road win over the Cardinals on Sunday, Longacre made his season debut – registering two tackles while playing a career-high 43 snaps on defense.
And with starting defensive ends William Hayes and Robert Quinn limited by ankle and shoulder injuries, respectively, Sunday’s home game against the Bills looms as another potential opportunity.
“You know your time’s going to come,” Longacre said after a recent practice. “You just don’t know when. You just have to look at it like that.”
The Rams have a habit of finding unpolished gems on the defensive line, with four players in the unit having hailed from non-FBS schools. Longacre is one of them. He drew little attention heading into the 2015 NFL draft, but on the advice of his agent, jumped at an offer to sign with a team that hasn’t been scared off by poor measurables.
“The difference (big and small schools) is, a lot of times, competition and coaching,” Rams defensive line coach Mike Waufle said. “But lot of these players have more gifts.”
Though he has only made six regular-season appearances in his young career, Longacre has shown promise. After last season, Pro Football Focus named him one of their top eight low-drafted or undrafted rookies. Two months ago, the site gave him the highest pass-rushing and run-defense grade of any defensive end in Week 1 of the preseason.
After being cut at the end of last year’s training camp, however, he was just as nervous heading into the 2016 regular season. Rams coach Jeff Fisher tried to ease his mind, but the friendly notice came with one round of trimming still to go.
When he made the final cut down to 53, it brought real playing time that much closer.
“It’s completely different from this year, being on active, when you know you’re most likely the next guy up,” Longacre said.
That’s particularly true for the Rams, who have a habit of frequently rotating their defensive linemen. Not even star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, arguably the best player in the NFL on either side of the ball, has played even 70 percent of defensive snaps in every game. (Donald was one snap short of the threshold in a win against the Seahawks, playing on 46 of 67 snaps.)
“That’s the key, is that you have to have depth, and you have to keep them fresh all the time,” Fisher said.
Since last season, Longacre said he’s been able to improve his pass rush. Picking up new techniques took time, and it was difficult for him to get comfortable without game reps.
“It helps knowing to not be afraid to make mistakes,” he said. “That’s one thing that hurt my game. Playing slow is not the right word, but you’re kind of apprehensive when it comes to guessing how you could in college.”
Longacre has a clear goal in mind too: “Get that sack that’s eluded me so far.”
[www.ocregister.com]
Contact the writer: jwang@scng.com
That’s the mentality that comes with having clawed his way into the NFL – a path that has seem him go from an undrafted defensive end out of Northwest Missouri State, to practice squad member, to one of 53 names on the active roster. In a 17-13 road win over the Cardinals on Sunday, Longacre made his season debut – registering two tackles while playing a career-high 43 snaps on defense.
And with starting defensive ends William Hayes and Robert Quinn limited by ankle and shoulder injuries, respectively, Sunday’s home game against the Bills looms as another potential opportunity.
“You know your time’s going to come,” Longacre said after a recent practice. “You just don’t know when. You just have to look at it like that.”
The Rams have a habit of finding unpolished gems on the defensive line, with four players in the unit having hailed from non-FBS schools. Longacre is one of them. He drew little attention heading into the 2015 NFL draft, but on the advice of his agent, jumped at an offer to sign with a team that hasn’t been scared off by poor measurables.
“The difference (big and small schools) is, a lot of times, competition and coaching,” Rams defensive line coach Mike Waufle said. “But lot of these players have more gifts.”
Though he has only made six regular-season appearances in his young career, Longacre has shown promise. After last season, Pro Football Focus named him one of their top eight low-drafted or undrafted rookies. Two months ago, the site gave him the highest pass-rushing and run-defense grade of any defensive end in Week 1 of the preseason.
After being cut at the end of last year’s training camp, however, he was just as nervous heading into the 2016 regular season. Rams coach Jeff Fisher tried to ease his mind, but the friendly notice came with one round of trimming still to go.
When he made the final cut down to 53, it brought real playing time that much closer.
“It’s completely different from this year, being on active, when you know you’re most likely the next guy up,” Longacre said.
That’s particularly true for the Rams, who have a habit of frequently rotating their defensive linemen. Not even star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, arguably the best player in the NFL on either side of the ball, has played even 70 percent of defensive snaps in every game. (Donald was one snap short of the threshold in a win against the Seahawks, playing on 46 of 67 snaps.)
“That’s the key, is that you have to have depth, and you have to keep them fresh all the time,” Fisher said.
Since last season, Longacre said he’s been able to improve his pass rush. Picking up new techniques took time, and it was difficult for him to get comfortable without game reps.
“It helps knowing to not be afraid to make mistakes,” he said. “That’s one thing that hurt my game. Playing slow is not the right word, but you’re kind of apprehensive when it comes to guessing how you could in college.”
Longacre has a clear goal in mind too: “Get that sack that’s eluded me so far.”
[www.ocregister.com]
Contact the writer: jwang@scng.com
