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Rams mailbag: Talking wide receivers
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/20173/rams-mailbag-talking-wide-receivers
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- In Saturday's mailbag, we got a chance to offer some early impressions from training camp with an emphasis on, you guessed it, the offensive line.
Today, we turn our attention to the wide receivers.
Sean Mack @MackSW
What do you expect the WR hierarchy to be this year?
@nwagoner: First, I'm a big fan of the use of the word hierarchy instead of simply asking how the depth chart would shake out. So kudos on that. Right now, it looks like it's going to be quite similar to last season. Assuming Brian Quick continues on his path to recovery, he'll be one of the starters opposite Kenny Britt. The Rams like having the two bigger guys on the outside not only for pass-catching purposes, but also as run blockers. From there, the slot position is an interesting one. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rams sprinkle Stedman Bailey into the slot more with Tavon Austin operating as a sort of movable piece capable of playing inside or outside. I still expect Quick and Britt to get the most reps followed probably by Austin and Bailey.
Edward Henderson @dapipeftr
Previously I asked if any FA Wr's standing out in practice. Since, what can you report now that turning heads?
@nwagoner: I don't think I'd go as far as to say any are really standing out. Bradley Marquez was a guy that did some really good things in the spring and caught some eyes but he hasn't done a whole lot in training camp. He did have some good moments in recent days but I wouldn't say he's been a "standout" necessarily. Daniel Rodriguez has been fun to watch with his ability to catch punts behind his back and with other footballs in his hands but that's obviously not something that's going to put him closer to a roster spot. The others, guys such as Tyler Slavin and Isaiah Ferguson, have been mostly nondescript, though Ferguson has flashed every once in a while. I don't see anyone who looks poised to take Chris Givens' spot right now, though that could change as we get into the preseason slate.
Blayze1 @jblayze611
Do you think any team will you give Aldon Smith another shot
@nwagoner: It's awfully hard to answer right now since we don't know the extent of Aldon Smith's latest run-in with the law and what the subsequent punishments will be in a court of law or from the NFL. Recently, the Jaguars came out and said receiver Justin Blackmon probably won't play again. Of course, Blackmon didn't have the resume of Smith in the NFL, but he did have the draft position. Really, it's up to Smith on how he handles himself moving forward to determine his future. As a human being and, to a far lesser degree, a Mizzou alum, I hope he can figure it out even if he never plays another down.
Justin @Jutt7777Justin
Who's ahead in the center battle right? Your opinion.
@nwagoner: This question is almost as difficult to answer as the previous one. The Rams haven't tipped their hand, as Tim Barnes, Barrett Jones and Demetrius Rhaney continue to rotate. To my eyes, Rhaney looks like he has the most upside as a pure blocker but I'm not sure he'll be comfortable enough handling all of the checks and things a center must do to be ready to start this season. So I'm going to continue to give the slightest of edges to Jones at this point. As I've maintained all along, though, there's not an outcome that would surprise me in this contest.
Gregory Yeh @yeaforyeh
If you had to guess, when do you expect Gurley to make his season debut? Midseason?
@nwagoner: I'd be very surprised if we didn't see Todd Gurley until midseason. Jeff Fisher has said recently that Gurley probably won't play in the preseason and that he doesn't need to see Gurley take preseason reps to know when he's ready. He's moving around well in practice and doesn't look like he's had any setbacks. It's still possible we could see him in Week 1, though I tend to doubt that if he was ready that first week he'd have much of a role. But since your question is when he would debut, as in appear in a game, I'm going to say at some point in the first three weeks. That's just a guess right now, but it seems as though one option might be to slowly start working him in the mix early in the season. As for when he might be prepared to handle a big workload, sometime after the first quarter of the season appears more likely.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/20173/rams-mailbag-talking-wide-receivers
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- In Saturday's mailbag, we got a chance to offer some early impressions from training camp with an emphasis on, you guessed it, the offensive line.
Today, we turn our attention to the wide receivers.
Sean Mack @MackSW
What do you expect the WR hierarchy to be this year?
@nwagoner: First, I'm a big fan of the use of the word hierarchy instead of simply asking how the depth chart would shake out. So kudos on that. Right now, it looks like it's going to be quite similar to last season. Assuming Brian Quick continues on his path to recovery, he'll be one of the starters opposite Kenny Britt. The Rams like having the two bigger guys on the outside not only for pass-catching purposes, but also as run blockers. From there, the slot position is an interesting one. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rams sprinkle Stedman Bailey into the slot more with Tavon Austin operating as a sort of movable piece capable of playing inside or outside. I still expect Quick and Britt to get the most reps followed probably by Austin and Bailey.
Edward Henderson @dapipeftr
Previously I asked if any FA Wr's standing out in practice. Since, what can you report now that turning heads?
@nwagoner: I don't think I'd go as far as to say any are really standing out. Bradley Marquez was a guy that did some really good things in the spring and caught some eyes but he hasn't done a whole lot in training camp. He did have some good moments in recent days but I wouldn't say he's been a "standout" necessarily. Daniel Rodriguez has been fun to watch with his ability to catch punts behind his back and with other footballs in his hands but that's obviously not something that's going to put him closer to a roster spot. The others, guys such as Tyler Slavin and Isaiah Ferguson, have been mostly nondescript, though Ferguson has flashed every once in a while. I don't see anyone who looks poised to take Chris Givens' spot right now, though that could change as we get into the preseason slate.
Blayze1 @jblayze611
Do you think any team will you give Aldon Smith another shot
@nwagoner: It's awfully hard to answer right now since we don't know the extent of Aldon Smith's latest run-in with the law and what the subsequent punishments will be in a court of law or from the NFL. Recently, the Jaguars came out and said receiver Justin Blackmon probably won't play again. Of course, Blackmon didn't have the resume of Smith in the NFL, but he did have the draft position. Really, it's up to Smith on how he handles himself moving forward to determine his future. As a human being and, to a far lesser degree, a Mizzou alum, I hope he can figure it out even if he never plays another down.
Justin @Jutt7777Justin
Who's ahead in the center battle right? Your opinion.
@nwagoner: This question is almost as difficult to answer as the previous one. The Rams haven't tipped their hand, as Tim Barnes, Barrett Jones and Demetrius Rhaney continue to rotate. To my eyes, Rhaney looks like he has the most upside as a pure blocker but I'm not sure he'll be comfortable enough handling all of the checks and things a center must do to be ready to start this season. So I'm going to continue to give the slightest of edges to Jones at this point. As I've maintained all along, though, there's not an outcome that would surprise me in this contest.
Gregory Yeh @yeaforyeh
If you had to guess, when do you expect Gurley to make his season debut? Midseason?
@nwagoner: I'd be very surprised if we didn't see Todd Gurley until midseason. Jeff Fisher has said recently that Gurley probably won't play in the preseason and that he doesn't need to see Gurley take preseason reps to know when he's ready. He's moving around well in practice and doesn't look like he's had any setbacks. It's still possible we could see him in Week 1, though I tend to doubt that if he was ready that first week he'd have much of a role. But since your question is when he would debut, as in appear in a game, I'm going to say at some point in the first three weeks. That's just a guess right now, but it seems as though one option might be to slowly start working him in the mix early in the season. As for when he might be prepared to handle a big workload, sometime after the first quarter of the season appears more likely.
