Rams Begin OTAs on Tuesday

[CoachO]

I bet you see Jones or Rhaney in at C with the first team next practice. I would imagine they have an open competition between the three of them. Barnes has the most experience so he gets the first crack. That seems to be how they do things. This is do or die for Jones. It's his third year, time to step it up.

not directing this solely at you.... but why do people just not want to give Barnes his due?

 

[FRO]

not directing this solely at you.... but why do people just not want to give Barnes his due?

Because he hasn't done anything outside of a few starts yet. Most of us know very little about him. You think they are going to hand him the keys? I think they open up the competition, but Barnes is getting first crack at it and will be given every chance to win the job.

 

[Rams43]

I'm trying my best to remain neutral on the C competition this year.

Jones is the sentimental favorite for me. I just kinda "adopted" him when he was drafted. Every year there seems to be a player or two that I root extra hard for, know what I mean?

But that was then and this is now. If CoachO says that Barnes is the better player, then that carries a lot of weight with me.

Truth be told, there will likely be a fierce battle to establish pecking order at C among at least 4 players. And I mean fierce. We are a looooong way from knowing our starter there just yet. CoachO will have a front row seat and we all look forward to his outstanding reports. Winner of the competition will start. Whomever that is will be fine by me.

For that matter, RG might be even more competitive, still. And RT isn't exactly written in stone, either.

CoachO will be as busy as a one eyed cat peeping in the seafood store while watching all these competing OL players this summer. Lol.

Wish I could be there to help. Sigh...

 

[Stranger]

CoachO will have a front row seat and we all look forward to his outstanding reports

I'm not nearly as invested in the battle for C as some other are here, but I'm certainly looking forward to Coach O's camp reports. It's soooo much better than anything the media puts out. I feel like we have our own personal front line reporter, just for us. It's fantastic.

 

[OldSchool]

not directing this solely at you.... but why do people just not want to give Barnes his due?

What is his due? He wasn't good enough last year to take the job from Wells who was one of the worst centers in the NFL in 2014. When he did get playing time he didn't exactly knock us off our feet. I'd love nothing better than he secures the job and leads the OLine from the center position. But I don't think I've seen anything in his play yet that makes me feel he'll do that.

 

[Dodgersrf]

If Barnes is our starting C this year, I want it to be because he won the job. Not because Jones lost it, due to lack of ability or health.

 

[RamsOfCastamere]

not directing this solely at you.... but why do people just not want to give Barnes his due?

Is Barrett Jones this year's Ray-Ray Armstrong, in the sense that he's a forum favorite and supporters believe and want him to be someone that he perhaps is not?

 

[shaunpinney]

Sam looks totally different this year...

 

[Alan]

OldSchool unable to ignore the facts on the ground:
He wasn't good enough last year to take the job from Wells who was one of the worst centers in the NFL in 2014. When he did get playing time he didn't exactly knock us off our feet. I'd love nothing better than he secures the job and leads the OLine from the center position. But I don't think I've seen anything in his play yet that makes me feel he'll do that.

Can't argue with that OldSchool.

The only bright side I can see in our C competition is the fact that two of the candidates (Jones & Rhaney) haven't been healthy/on the field enough to show they weren't as good (or should I say as bad) as Wells. If Barnes actually wins the competition I don't think that bodes well for the quality we have at that position. If Barnes or Rhaney win then it's less clear how good we'll be at a very critical position on our O-line but there's at least the chance it's an upgrade.

 

[shaunpinney]

In a bid to improve the touchdown count this season, new Rams OC has found a loop-hole in the rule book where two balls can be on the field of play at the same time, as long as they're inflated correctly

 

[shaunpinney]

not directing this solely at you.... but why do people just not want to give Barnes his due?

I'm all for the best player being on the field of play, I don't know about the other guys on here, my man-crush on Jones boils down to the fact that I had him in my mock that year for the Rams, so I sort of feel like he's 'my pick' if you know what I mean, I'll also be championing Jamon Brown and Sean Mannion until I'm blue in the face, so I'll apologise now to you all...

 

[CoachO]

What is his due? He wasn't good enough last year to take the job from Wells who was one of the worst centers in the NFL in 2014. When he did get playing time he didn't exactly knock us off our feet. I'd love nothing better than he secures the job and leads the OLine from the center position. But I don't think I've seen anything in his play yet that makes me feel he'll do that.

So the fact that he was hurt throughout most of the season is irrelevant to you?

It had absolutely nothing to do with not being able to "beat out Wells".

Jones gets a pass in the same thing because he was injured. But Barnes "wasn't good enough"?

The thing that stands out to me. Tim Barnes is the one who took virtually all of the reps throughout training camp last year at a center when Wells was recovering from his illness. And that was prior to Jones going down with his back injury.

Wells played because he was the only "heathy" option at the position. And that was while he was undersized and not close to being 100% himself.

Just because people don't know much about Barnes, IMO is the biggest reason they discount his ability. There must be a reason why this staff has had him on the roster all fours years they have been here.

But because Barrett Jines was some whiz kid boy wonder coming out of Alabama everyone assumes he is the better player. When in fact the only thing he has done this far in his career is collect a paycheck while standing in street clothes in the sideline.

 

[den-the-coach]

I'll also be championing Jamon Brown and Sean Mannion until I'm blue in the face, so I'll apologise now to you all...

I get it, but I do want the best player to win the job. The center position is going to be fun to watch because you would have three great stories. Barnes the guy who would not go away and improved himself every year. Everybody's all american in Jones and the guy that was picked after Michael Sam and nobody knows that well in Demetrius Rhaney.

Let the camp battles begin and are you posting that you had Jamon Brown going to the Rams in your mock? If so, WTG...I knew they liked him, but I did not see them taking him over some others.

 

[Mojo Ram]

But because Barrett Jines was some whiz kid boy wonder coming out of Alabama everyone assumes he is the better player. When in fact the only thing he has done this far in his career is collect a paycheck while standing in street clothes in the sideline.

A certain segment of the fanbase are going to continue to wish for a Barrett Jones success story so get used to it. It's not a knock on Barnes, Rhaney or any other player on the team either. I would suggest you don't concern yourself too much with "why fans say this or think that."

 

[Memphis Ram]

So the fact that he was hurt throughout most of the season is irrelevant to you?

I'd venture a guess that a lot of people didn't know this little tidbit about Barnes.

 

[CoachO]

A certain segment of the fanbase are going to continue to wish for a Barrett Jones success story so get used to it. It's not a knock on Barnes, Rhaney or any other player on the team either. I would suggest you don't concern yourself too much with "why fans say this or think that."

Isn't that the point of a message board? To converse about "why fans say this or think that"? I have a different opinion, because I think Tim Barnes is being slighted by the majority of that fan base. So, me choosing to share that opinion somehow should be muted?

I also "get" the part about wishing for Jones to succeed. But I disagree with your take that is somehow NOT a knock on Barnes. Members of this forum have wanted to discard better players than Jones for the very reason he hasn't been on the field. Denario Alexander, , and dare I say it, Sam Bradford are prime examples of guys who at one time or another have been lambasted for thier failure to stay healthy. But it seems as if Barrett Jones is somehow immune to that same line of thinking.

I don't mean to make this into a bash Barrett, as much as I think Tim Barnes does indeed get slighted in many fans eyes, because they don't know much about him. And the only thing I would ask about that, is who's "fault" is that? He has been a member of this team going on his 4th year, and has been on the field a whole lot more than Jones in the past 2 seasons.

 

[T-REX]

There’s something you don’t see every day , a RAMS QB without a knee brace on, refreshing! No disrespect to our former QB.

 

[OldSchool]

So the fact that he was hurt throughout most of the season is irrelevant to you?

It had absolutely nothing to do with not being able to "beat out Wells".

Jones gets a pass in the same thing because he was injured. But Barnes "wasn't good enough"?

The thing that stands out to me. Tim Barnes is the one who took virtually all of the reps throughout training camp last year at a center when Wells was recovering from his illness. And that was prior to Jones going down with his back injury.

Wells played because he was the only "heathy" option at the position. And that was while he was undersized and not close to being 100% himself.

Just because people don't know much about Barnes, IMO is the biggest reason they discount his ability. There must be a reason why this staff has had him on the roster all fours years they have been here.

But because Barrett Jines was some whiz kid boy wonder coming out of Alabama everyone assumes he is the better player. When in fact the only thing he has done this far in his career is collect a paycheck while standing in street clothes in the sideline.

What I said about Barnes goes equally for Jones also. I said in another thread I'll back Rhaney to take the Center job because neither Barnes or Jones have shown us anything at Center. We can trot out rookies at both Guard and Tackle spots and looking at what we have at Center it will be our weak spot on the OLine IMHO.

 

[CoachO]

What I said about Barnes goes equally for Jones also. I said in another thread I'll back Rhaney to take the Center job because neither Barnes or Jones have shown us anything at Center. We can trot out rookies at both Guard and Tackle spots and looking at what we have at Center it will be our weak spot on the OLine IMHO.

I respectfully disagree that the Center position will be the weak spot on this unit. And I will be shocked to see another "rookie" get the nod at the starting job. Rhaney is a longshot to start.

That Barnes and Jones haven't shown "us" anything is of little consequence to me. They have both been here long enough to have shown the coaching staff enough, obviously to feel confident enough to NOT go outside the organization for their replacement. Jones has only shown that he cannot stay on the field. Barnes has shown that he understands what it takes to be an NFL lineman. IMO, he is the protoype of the guy who has developed into a NFL caliber starter.

 

[OldSchool]

I respectfully disagree that the Center position will be the weak spot on this unit. And I will be shocked to see another "rookie" get the nod at the starting job. Rhaney is a longshot to start.

That Barnes and Jones haven't shown "us" anything is of little consequence to me. They have both been here long enough to have shown the coaching staff enough, obviously to feel confident enough to NOT to go outside the organization for their replacement. Jones has only shown that he cannot stay on the field. Barnes has shown that he understands what it takes to be an NFL lineman. IMO, he is the protoype of the guy who has developed into a NFL caliber starter.

I certainly hope you're right. And I hope he's shown the coaches enough that they have confidence in him to take the Centers job and run with it. However they were confident enough in him to do this to not tender him as a restricted free agent. They then let him go out and make visits with other teams. And then when all was said and done signed him to only one year. Non tendering a RFA and only signing him then to one year doesn't scream to me that they have confidence in Barnes. If they were so sure of him he would have been tendered and signed to multi years. Again I hope you're right but none of this to me says confidence.