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Rams notebook: Rookie Laskey will not shy from contact
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_de5aa59b-eafd-5add-9043-e7548e0053eb.html
Early this week, when the Rams put on pads for the first time, there was a noticeable bump in intensity on the practice field in Earth City.
But nobody was any more excited than Zach Laskey.
The only fullback on the 90-man training camp roster, Laskey spent organized team activities and the first few days of camp working with the team’s running backs. For the most part, it’s a position group that relies on speed and agility. Laskey’s game, on the other hand, lends itself more toward power.
“I was pretty excited, looking forward to the last couple of days,’’ said Laskey, an undrafted rookie free agent from Georgia Tech who signed with the Rams shortly after the draft. “There’s only so much you can do when you’re in shorts and a jersey. But yesterday in the special teams practice and again today, it finally felt like we were playing football. I’ve always loved to hit, so today was a good day. I was able to make some blocks and get some things accomplished.’’
Only a handful of teams in the NFL employ a fullback these days. Even the Rams, who hope to play more of ground and pound style this season, have relied on tight ends Lance Kendricks and Cory Harkey as their primary blockers out of the backfield. But Laskey can’t worry about that.
“I’m here to play football, to do whatever the coaches ask me to do,’’ the 6-foot-2, 222-pounder said. “The Rams have given me an opportunity and now it’s up to me to try and make the most of it. Maybe fullback is a dying position, but it’s still football. All I can do is go out every day and try to show the coaches I can play the game and help this team.’’
In the run-heavy attack at Georgia Tech, Laskey wasn’t a true fullback. In four seasons, he rushed for 2,033 yards, including 851 as a senior, and scored 17 touchdowns. As a receiver, he averaged better than 15 yards a catch and added four more TDs.
“I was more of running back, really,’’ he said. “We incorporated a lot of one-on-one blocks, so I’m used to running power leads and stuff like that.’’
With the Rams, he has worked at fullback, H-back and even some tight end.
“Trying to be a utility guy, doing whatever the coaches ask of me,’’ he said. “Every day, the focus is on getting better.’’
Running back is one of the Rams’ more intriguing positions. Todd Gurley, the No. 10 pick in the draft, is expected to eventually take over but he’s being brought along slowly after having knee surgery in November. Tre Mason, who led the way as a rookie with 765 rushing yards and tied for the team lead with five touchdowns, returns along with third-year pro Benny Cunningham, last year’s third-leading rushing and pass catcher. Cunningham also averaged an NFC-leading 27.5 yards on 35 kick returns a year ago.
Another core special teamer, Chase Reynolds paced the Rams with 19 tackles on special teams last season.
Isaiah Pead, a second-round draft pick in 2012, is coming off ACL surgery and Trey Watts, who showed some promise as an undrafted rookie a year ago, will sit out the first four games this season while serving a suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Like Laskey, Malcolm Brown (Texas) and Terrence Franks (Texas State) were signed as free agents after the draft.
“Every day, we’re competing and pushing each other to get better,’’ Laskey said. “That’s football; it’s what we do. All you can do is go out every day, give it everything you have and hope that it’s enough to get coaches’ attention.’’
WILLIAMS GIVES BACK
Veteran receiver Damian Williams, through his I AM H.I.M. (History in the Making) Foundation, held a dinner Wednesday at Jennings High for that school’s Scholar Achievement students and their families. The foundation, started by Williams and his brother to give back to America’s youth through education, has put up nearly $20,000 to provide a tablet and personal tutoring for seven Jennings students throughout the 2015-16 school year.“To me there is nothing more important for the future of our kids then ensuring all kids receive a quality education and a chance to learn beyond high school,’’ Williams said in a press release. “The best way I can help kids receive that education is to make sure they have access to the resources and tools they need as well as the support to know they can achieve their goals. I can’t ask for a better partner than Jennings Senior High, a school that matches my passion for ensuring success for every one of their students and supports them inside and outside of the classroom.’’In his second year with the Rams, Williams, a sixth-year pro, ran a similar program the last two seasons that he spent in Tennessee with the Titans.
RAM-BLINGS
After taking Wednesday off, the Rams return to the practice field Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. workout in Earth City. On Friday, they’ll take the show on the road for a 5 p.m. scrimmage at Lindenwood University.Both practices are free and open to the public.• Thursday’s practice will be highlighted by a visit from NFL Network’s Inside Training Camp Live.
Andrew Siciliano, who has worked on the Rams’ preseason broadcasts in recent years, will be reporting live from Earth City, with Lindsay Jones, Jamie Dukes and Heath Evans working from the studio in Los Angeles.
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_de5aa59b-eafd-5add-9043-e7548e0053eb.html
Early this week, when the Rams put on pads for the first time, there was a noticeable bump in intensity on the practice field in Earth City.
But nobody was any more excited than Zach Laskey.
The only fullback on the 90-man training camp roster, Laskey spent organized team activities and the first few days of camp working with the team’s running backs. For the most part, it’s a position group that relies on speed and agility. Laskey’s game, on the other hand, lends itself more toward power.
“I was pretty excited, looking forward to the last couple of days,’’ said Laskey, an undrafted rookie free agent from Georgia Tech who signed with the Rams shortly after the draft. “There’s only so much you can do when you’re in shorts and a jersey. But yesterday in the special teams practice and again today, it finally felt like we were playing football. I’ve always loved to hit, so today was a good day. I was able to make some blocks and get some things accomplished.’’
Only a handful of teams in the NFL employ a fullback these days. Even the Rams, who hope to play more of ground and pound style this season, have relied on tight ends Lance Kendricks and Cory Harkey as their primary blockers out of the backfield. But Laskey can’t worry about that.
“I’m here to play football, to do whatever the coaches ask me to do,’’ the 6-foot-2, 222-pounder said. “The Rams have given me an opportunity and now it’s up to me to try and make the most of it. Maybe fullback is a dying position, but it’s still football. All I can do is go out every day and try to show the coaches I can play the game and help this team.’’
In the run-heavy attack at Georgia Tech, Laskey wasn’t a true fullback. In four seasons, he rushed for 2,033 yards, including 851 as a senior, and scored 17 touchdowns. As a receiver, he averaged better than 15 yards a catch and added four more TDs.
“I was more of running back, really,’’ he said. “We incorporated a lot of one-on-one blocks, so I’m used to running power leads and stuff like that.’’
With the Rams, he has worked at fullback, H-back and even some tight end.
“Trying to be a utility guy, doing whatever the coaches ask of me,’’ he said. “Every day, the focus is on getting better.’’
Running back is one of the Rams’ more intriguing positions. Todd Gurley, the No. 10 pick in the draft, is expected to eventually take over but he’s being brought along slowly after having knee surgery in November. Tre Mason, who led the way as a rookie with 765 rushing yards and tied for the team lead with five touchdowns, returns along with third-year pro Benny Cunningham, last year’s third-leading rushing and pass catcher. Cunningham also averaged an NFC-leading 27.5 yards on 35 kick returns a year ago.
Another core special teamer, Chase Reynolds paced the Rams with 19 tackles on special teams last season.
Isaiah Pead, a second-round draft pick in 2012, is coming off ACL surgery and Trey Watts, who showed some promise as an undrafted rookie a year ago, will sit out the first four games this season while serving a suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Like Laskey, Malcolm Brown (Texas) and Terrence Franks (Texas State) were signed as free agents after the draft.
“Every day, we’re competing and pushing each other to get better,’’ Laskey said. “That’s football; it’s what we do. All you can do is go out every day, give it everything you have and hope that it’s enough to get coaches’ attention.’’
WILLIAMS GIVES BACK
Veteran receiver Damian Williams, through his I AM H.I.M. (History in the Making) Foundation, held a dinner Wednesday at Jennings High for that school’s Scholar Achievement students and their families. The foundation, started by Williams and his brother to give back to America’s youth through education, has put up nearly $20,000 to provide a tablet and personal tutoring for seven Jennings students throughout the 2015-16 school year.“To me there is nothing more important for the future of our kids then ensuring all kids receive a quality education and a chance to learn beyond high school,’’ Williams said in a press release. “The best way I can help kids receive that education is to make sure they have access to the resources and tools they need as well as the support to know they can achieve their goals. I can’t ask for a better partner than Jennings Senior High, a school that matches my passion for ensuring success for every one of their students and supports them inside and outside of the classroom.’’In his second year with the Rams, Williams, a sixth-year pro, ran a similar program the last two seasons that he spent in Tennessee with the Titans.
RAM-BLINGS
After taking Wednesday off, the Rams return to the practice field Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. workout in Earth City. On Friday, they’ll take the show on the road for a 5 p.m. scrimmage at Lindenwood University.Both practices are free and open to the public.• Thursday’s practice will be highlighted by a visit from NFL Network’s Inside Training Camp Live.
Andrew Siciliano, who has worked on the Rams’ preseason broadcasts in recent years, will be reporting live from Earth City, with Lindsay Jones, Jamie Dukes and Heath Evans working from the studio in Los Angeles.
