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Michael Brockers lets it go so he doesn't get lost on Rams' D-line
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...so-he-doesnt-get-lost-on-rams-dominant-d-line
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- As part of a defensive line tradition before every game, the St. Louis Rams have a conversation about which of them is going to step forward and set the tone for the day.
Those conversations often spawn a healthy competition among one of the league's most talented position groups, pushing each member forward in an on-going race to the ball. As the resident nose tackle on a line that boasts ends Robert Quinn and Chris Long and Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers knows that the nature of his job will often mean he's not going to win the race.
"We talk about who is going to eat today?" Brockers said. "There’s probably no food left at the end of the day when you have Rob and Aaron and Chris. I’m just trying to get the little scraps I can, man."
Brockers feasted as much or more than his fellow linemates last week against Seattle. According to the coaches review of the film, he had 13 tackles, which is rare for someone playing Brockers' position. None of those were more important than the fourth-and-1 stop he and Donald combined for on Seattle back Marshawn Lynch to cement the team's overtime victory.
Before the play, Brockers lobbied defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to go back to a defensive scheme he used earlier in the game but Brockers didn't play as well as he'd hoped. That Brockers and the Rams knew what Seattle was going to do is actually not the most important part of the play.
"The last play of the game spoke for itself," Brockers said. "Early in the game I had a bad play on that same play. I wasn’t in my gap or something happened where I messed it up. I told coach, ‘You have got to trust me on the next one and next time you call that call I will be in the backfield and I will do my assignment,' and it showed up on the last play of the game. I told him to call it and he came back to it and I did my job."
That Brockers relentlessly pushed for Williams to go back to a play he didn't handle properly the first time represented an important step forward in Brockers' development. It's easy to forget that when the Rams drafted Brockers in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, he was only 21 years old.
By his own admission, Brockers has struggled with forgetting about the bad plays and moving on to the next snap when something goes wrong. Developing a short memory was a point of emphasis for him during the offseason.
"I think I just let it go," Brockers said. "Usually I get in my own way. I’m very critical of myself so if I have a bad play, I’m stuck on that bad play for awhile. I just let it go and ran to the ball, tried to get as many tackles as possible."
Having the competition with his fellow defensive linemen doesn't hurt. Brockers is one game into his fourth NFL season and though the Rams have already picked up his fifth-year option for 2016, a big season would go a long way in solidifying his future with the franchise. For the record, both parties have expressed interest in keeping Brockers a Ram.
And though the nature of his position and the supernova that is Donald conspire to keep Brockers out of the spotlight, linebacker James Laurinaitis is quick to point out that Brockers is a valuable piece to making the defense work.
"(Donald) is special and I think people forget about (Brockers)," Laurinaitis said. "Mike has had a really good offseason overall. He came into OTAs with a phenomenal attitude, worked extremely hard this offseason, has taken practice seriously and you’ve seen his growth through camp. He’s motivated. I think he’s starting to understand that he can dominate guys when he wants to."
Make no mistake, Brockers wants to do just that and if he can feast like his fellow line mates, all the better.
"I still have time to grow, that’s what’s crazy," Brockers said. "It’s funny to say but I’m just now starting to believe in my technique, in my pass rush, not being so hard on myself that I get in my own way. This year is a big year for me. I can feel it. Playing with all these guys makes it easy and I’m just now coming into my own."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...so-he-doesnt-get-lost-on-rams-dominant-d-line
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- As part of a defensive line tradition before every game, the St. Louis Rams have a conversation about which of them is going to step forward and set the tone for the day.
Those conversations often spawn a healthy competition among one of the league's most talented position groups, pushing each member forward in an on-going race to the ball. As the resident nose tackle on a line that boasts ends Robert Quinn and Chris Long and Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers knows that the nature of his job will often mean he's not going to win the race.
"We talk about who is going to eat today?" Brockers said. "There’s probably no food left at the end of the day when you have Rob and Aaron and Chris. I’m just trying to get the little scraps I can, man."
Brockers feasted as much or more than his fellow linemates last week against Seattle. According to the coaches review of the film, he had 13 tackles, which is rare for someone playing Brockers' position. None of those were more important than the fourth-and-1 stop he and Donald combined for on Seattle back Marshawn Lynch to cement the team's overtime victory.
Before the play, Brockers lobbied defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to go back to a defensive scheme he used earlier in the game but Brockers didn't play as well as he'd hoped. That Brockers and the Rams knew what Seattle was going to do is actually not the most important part of the play.
"The last play of the game spoke for itself," Brockers said. "Early in the game I had a bad play on that same play. I wasn’t in my gap or something happened where I messed it up. I told coach, ‘You have got to trust me on the next one and next time you call that call I will be in the backfield and I will do my assignment,' and it showed up on the last play of the game. I told him to call it and he came back to it and I did my job."
That Brockers relentlessly pushed for Williams to go back to a play he didn't handle properly the first time represented an important step forward in Brockers' development. It's easy to forget that when the Rams drafted Brockers in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, he was only 21 years old.
By his own admission, Brockers has struggled with forgetting about the bad plays and moving on to the next snap when something goes wrong. Developing a short memory was a point of emphasis for him during the offseason.
"I think I just let it go," Brockers said. "Usually I get in my own way. I’m very critical of myself so if I have a bad play, I’m stuck on that bad play for awhile. I just let it go and ran to the ball, tried to get as many tackles as possible."
Having the competition with his fellow defensive linemen doesn't hurt. Brockers is one game into his fourth NFL season and though the Rams have already picked up his fifth-year option for 2016, a big season would go a long way in solidifying his future with the franchise. For the record, both parties have expressed interest in keeping Brockers a Ram.
And though the nature of his position and the supernova that is Donald conspire to keep Brockers out of the spotlight, linebacker James Laurinaitis is quick to point out that Brockers is a valuable piece to making the defense work.
"(Donald) is special and I think people forget about (Brockers)," Laurinaitis said. "Mike has had a really good offseason overall. He came into OTAs with a phenomenal attitude, worked extremely hard this offseason, has taken practice seriously and you’ve seen his growth through camp. He’s motivated. I think he’s starting to understand that he can dominate guys when he wants to."
Make no mistake, Brockers wants to do just that and if he can feast like his fellow line mates, all the better.
"I still have time to grow, that’s what’s crazy," Brockers said. "It’s funny to say but I’m just now starting to believe in my technique, in my pass rush, not being so hard on myself that I get in my own way. This year is a big year for me. I can feel it. Playing with all these guys makes it easy and I’m just now coming into my own."
