Rams take Battle!!!

[Noregar]

A fellow engineer/friend of mine that went to Clemson and follows their football program very closely emailed me these comments about battle.

"Battle needed to stay at Clemson for one more season, to show that he can mature, and learn some more football. He cost himself a lot of money by making this decision, and the decisions previous while at Clemson. The streets are filled with dudes just like Battle, and NFL coaches have seen many of them. He needs to grow up more than anything. But, from what I have heard, he did not have the choice to stay at Clemson. Battle pulled his last straw before Dabo Swinney pulled it for him. Obviously, the Rams saw something in him because they had to give up somebody to pick-up Battle in the supplemental draft.

Battle: All the physical tools in the world to be an all-pro offensive tackle in the League for a long time BUT, not enough maturity between the ears, or work ethic to be a full time starter at Clemson. How does that translate to the NFL……? We will see soon.
At Clemson, he lacked the dedication that the coaches required and it showed on the field. He was inconsistent, most of the time. He played good last season but, still made procedural penalties at key moments in games that he should not have been making. Two seasons ago, he was suspended for a few games for punching an NC State DB in the face. Knocked him on his back like Ali-Frazier. Off the field, barely stayed eligible academically. This season, the word is, he would not have been academically eligible, unless something changed over the summer. Earlier this summer, he was pulled over in Clemson, and found with weed and charged with possession. He also has a child on the way. Even that doesn’t make some dudes wake up. This is just stuff that I have heard or read on the Clemson Football site. Seems that Battle would be a better fit for the Oakland Raiders. HaHa.

If he dedicates himself to football and the weight room, IF,IF he does, and takes coaching, he could be an all-pro. No doubt about that. But, right now, he is weak. I read that he had an arm cramp but, he did 12 reps of 225…..Battle is 6-7, 260 something. That tells me that he was not very diligent in the weight room. He better get serious on the bench now because NFL Defensive Ends will be snatching him off the line on every snap. His other numbers were OK. But, still, he has to be more explosive to play offensive tackle in the NFL. He will get great offensive line coaching with the Rams. It is just a matter of him taking to it and doing his job. The NFL is a different planet compared to college football. "

 

[nighttrain]

exactly what Merlin said, lets hope the low draft position(less money) and his child help him to mature
train

 

[DCH]

Now, friends, let us bring the Battle to our enemies, and make them suffer.

...

...

And when it is all over, let them limp home ashamed to their loved ones and say, "Those barbarians Pead on me"

 

[DaveFan'51]

Obviously, the Rams saw something in him because they had to give up somebody to pick-up Battle in the supplemental draft.

The Rams didn't have to give up anyone. They only had 89 men on their 90 man roster!

 

[Noregar]

The Rams didn't have to give up anyone. They only had 89 men on their 90 man roster!

I had been wandering what the Rams were going to do with the last camp roster spot so now we know.

My friend does not follow the Rams or the NFL that closely so he does not know the nuances of NFL roster management but he is a diehard Clemson fan and he confirmed what many here had already been saying.

With Snead's comments along with his maturity issues, missing OTA's, & general rawness, it appears the rams do not expect him to contribute in 2015 and if he does play this year that probably means GRob and Saffold are hurt so there goes the neighborhood and maybe the season anyway.

Basically my friend may be right though because giving Battle a year to develop and practice with the team gives up a roster spot on the final 53 for possibly another development guy or a fan favorite ST player. Good LT's can be very hard to find and he appears to have a pretty high ceiling if he can get his head on straight so I am Ok with the Rams keeping him around for development if he does not prove to be another Watkins/Wroten/Terrell type knucklehead.

 

[LACHAMP46]

You can find Larry Allen in the second round,

Larry Allen was a beast, and if he'd come from Nebraska (the Bama of the time) he'd have gone high in the 1st round...You just don't find Larry Allens in the 2nd & 3rd rounds....unless, like this instance, you do your due diligence...

I am not for this take it easy stuff ease it in slowly

Now Boni, never thought you to be the "no Vaseline" type...aahahahahahahah!

BUT, not enough maturity between the ears, or work ethic to be a full time starter at Clemson. How does that translate to the NFL……? We will see soon.
At Clemson, he lacked the dedication that the coaches required and it showed on the field. He was inconsistent, most of the time.

see below....

He also has a child on the way. Even that doesn’t make some dudes wake up.

see below....

Battle entered the supplemental draft last month, saying he "had family matters to address," and acknowledging he had a child due this summer.

Key point in my book...dude has a kid on the way...It doesn't work for some, but usually when you DO have an opportunity to improve your lot, you grab it...4th rounders earn $2.5 mil over 4 years...Starting LT's earn up to $7-10 mil a yr....Dude has a real plan laid out to succeed....I think, and if what Fish has done so far, I really believe this kid gets it, and will be a huge GET for the 2016 season....
And I'm still a lil mad that La'el is with those damn Cowboys!!!!!

 

[BonifayRam]

I forgot a few other thoughts on this investment of a 2016 5th rd selection on Isaiah Battle.......

I thought Snead made a very solid good decision here with IB.

Do you think that Saffold would be happy with the addition of IB a talented reserve Left Tackle prospect with good potential ? I do this would permit Saffold remaining on his assigned OLG post when an issue arises a few ft left of him. The last two seasons Saffold has started the last game against SB bound Seahawks @ OLT.

Until yesterday Boudreau's only pure prospect OLT back up was UDFA rookie Darrell Williams. I have posted in the past IMO the best present back up to Greg Robinson, besides Saffold was Barrett Jones who was hot in heavy busy trying to possibly earn a starting post @ center.

Early in this IB discussion post a good member suggested that this may point to the condition of the Rams OL cadre....I would not agree with that assertion. But instead I would run with the assertion & would imagine that during the entire 2015 OTA's 1st team OLT Brandon Washington did not look that good. BW may be a legit OLG prospect but IMO BW is NOT a legit OLT prospect. I would think the best current possible reserve OLT/ORT swing OT on our roster would be Andrew Donnal our 4th rd draft choice.

The Rams didn't have to give up anyone. They only had 89 men on their 90 man roster!

Good Afternoon Dave, If IB sticks here as a Ram then he would bump a OL'er ....then the answer would be yes where IB will cause a dump bump one of the newly drafted OT investments prospects i.e. (Donnal/Wichmann/Havenstein/Williams) I sure do not see one of our very few experienced veterans being dumped for a rookie supplemental pick myself.

 

[OldSchool]

Good Afternoon Dave, If IB sticks here as a Ram then he would bump a OL'er ....then the answer would be yes where IB will cause a dump bump one of the newly drafted OT investments prospects i.e. (Donnal/Wichmann/Havenstein/Williams) I sure do not see one of our very few experienced veterans being dumped for a rookie supplemental pick myself.

Center: Barnes, Jones and Rhaney
Guard: Saffold, Brown, Wichman
Tackle: Robinson, Havenstien, Williams, Reynolds, Washington and Battle.

No need for 3 centers one of those could easily be cut or traded. Reynolds can play both Guard and Tackle. IR Battle and you're down to 9 on the active roster which is what we carried last year with 2 going on incative weekly. We also have Brandon Washington who's taken 2nd team snaps at LT in OTA's but was inactive most of the last 2 years. Darryl Williams is a UDFA not a whole lot invested in him and the pick of Battle seems to suggest he's expendable.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I think it was Bonifay who said he's our new swing tackle. And while he'll be redshirted (expected not to play, build strength and just practice) I think he definitely takes the 3rd tackle spot which is good because we really didn't have a 3rd tackle unless you consider moving Saffold or using Reynolds there). Instead, everyone will practice at their spots in training camp. I cannot overstate how much flipping Robinson back and forth between tackle and guard in training camp set him back a few games. It really was the difference between him starting the season and waiting a few games. Another advantage of having Battle in the fold is that (and he needs to get his head in the playbook after missing OTAs) there's a strong possibility that we don't have to have offensive linemen playing out of position in training camp. His presence allows us to maximize reps in TC which are at a premium ever since new CBA went into effect.

I imagine the depth chart looking like this come start of season:

LT LG C RG RT
Robinson Saffold Jones Brown Havernstein
Battle Reynolds Barnes Wichman Battle

That's your 9 right there. There will be some fierce competition for practice squad spots between Rhaney, Williams, etc... Washington is a goner.

Of course, you could make the argument that Battle won't be ready for even limited snaps at tackle, in that case, Saffold kicks out in an emergency but best case scenario is Battle takes the swing tackle role and Saffold stays put.

 

[BonifayRam]

Center: Barnes, Jones and Rhaney
Guard: Saffold, Brown, Wichman
Tackle: Robinson, Havenstien, Williams, Reynolds, Washington and Battle.

No need for 3 centers one of those could easily be cut or traded. Reynolds can play both Guard and Tackle. IR Battle and you're down to 9 on the active roster which is what we carried last year with 2 going on incative weekly. We also have Brandon Washington who's taken 2nd team snaps at LT in OTA's but was inactive most of the last 2 years. Darryl Williams is a UDFA not a whole lot invested in him and the pick of Battle seems to suggest he's expendable.

Good post! Could I throw out some questions & add some nuggets?

No need for 3 centers one of those could easily be cut or traded. True=Demetrius Rhaney.

Reynolds can play both Guard and Tackle. True = GR is known to have NFL action @ ORG/ORT & now OLG. This is the reason he was signed here to be a game day reserve.

Brandon Washington who's taken 2nd team snaps at LT in OTA's. BW has played four OL positions for Boudreau. Question if BW took 2nd team snaps in 2015 OTA's who took 1st team snaps because Greg Robinson was held out?

9 on the active roster which is what we carried last year. Yep Boudreau after the Long injury had four reserve OL'ers .....Mike Person OLT/OLG/OC. Tim Barnes OC/OLG/ORG, Barrett Jones OC/OLG/OLT/ORT & Brandon Washington OLG/OLT/ORG. I think we will see 10 OL'ers on the master roster this season.

Darryl Williams is a UDFA not a whole lot invested in him. I agree with you here, wonder how Darrell Williams & Brandon Washington held out in OTA's Not that well???

One thing we do know is if your not starting in a Boudreau OL & you want to make this Rams team Its mandated by Boudreau that all his reserves must play 2 to 3 OL positions. Looks like D. Williams & I. Battle who both play just one OLT post have that negative in common here.

 

[Rams43]

Why is it that Donnal is not being mentioned?

He can play at least 2 positions and was a 4th rounder out of the highly regarded Iowa program.

I think he's a cinch to make the 53 and just might earn high ranking in the OL pecking order. Certainly enough for swing OL.

Camp competition at OL is gonna be absolutely fierce this year. The fiercest in maybe a decade? And our DL rotation will be giving them all a crash course throughout.

 

[LACHAMP46]

I sure do not see one of our very few experienced veterans being dumped for a rookie supplemental pick myself.

Agree with everything but this /\ ...I'm cutting one of those "experienced vets" before any of the drafted players unless they just stink up the joint...Ooops, every vet except Reynolds..he was signed for this purpose...and if Donnal & Battle look better than him in TC & preseason games, I'd cut him too.....

 

[OldSchool]

No need for 3 centers one of those could easily be cut or traded. True=Demetrius Rhaney.

I'm driving the Rhaney bus so I think he sticks, but I could see any of the three not making the team including Barnes.

Reynolds can play both Guard and Tackle. True = GR is known to have NFL action @ ORG/ORT & now OLG. This is the reason he was signed here to be a game day reserve.

He was indeed a very good signing.

 

[OldSchool]

Brandon Washington who's taken 2nd team snaps at LT in OTA's. BW has played four OL positions for Boudreau. Question if BW took 2nd team snaps in 2015 OTA's who took 1st team snaps because Greg Robinson was held out?

That is a good question, was GRob held out entirely or just some? I honestly can't recall I just remember a presser where it was discussed that BW was doing 2nd team LT work.

9 on the active roster which is what we carried last year. Yep Boudreau after the Long injury had four reserve OL'ers .....Mike Person OLT/OLG/OC. Tim Barnes OC/OLG/ORG, Barrett Jones OC/OLG/OLT/ORT & Brandon Washington OLG/OLT/ORG. I think we will see 10 OL'ers on the master roster this season.

Say we run GRob-Saffold-Center-Brown-Havenstein then reserves could look Washington LT/LG/RG, Reynolds LG/RG/RT, Wichman RG/LG/RT Backup C which all seem able to play C/G

Darryl Williams is a UDFA not a whole lot invested in him. I agree with you here, wonder how Darrell Williams & Brandon Washington held out in OTA's Not that well???

As an UDFA would D Williams last on the practice squad? Battle on IR with some trumped up injury and we run the season with:

C: Jones, Rhaney
G: Saffold, Brown, Wichman, Washington(LT/G)
T: Robinson, Havenstein, Reynolds (RT/G)

That's 9 with really all 4 of our Guards able to kick outside and both Centers able to kick to Guard. I just realized I went through that whole thing and don't have Donnal accounted for. Do we up it this year with the inexperience of the OLine and keep 10 instead of 9 like last year?

 

[-X-]

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Isaiah-Battle-Highlights/effc3077-b215-4036-a3cd-328e79c7845f

 

[DaveFan'51]

I forgot a few other thoughts on this investment of a 2016 5th rd selection on Isaiah Battle.......

I thought Snead made a very solid good decision here with IB.

Do you think that Saffold would be happy with the addition of IB a talented reserve Left Tackle prospect with good potential ? I do this would permit Saffold remaining on his assigned OLG post when an issue arises a few ft left of him. The last two seasons Saffold has started the last game against SB bound Seahawks @ OLT.

Until yesterday Boudreau's only pure prospect OLT back up was UDFA rookie Darrell Williams. I have posted in the past IMO the best present back up to Greg Robinson, besides Saffold was Barrett Jones who was hot in heavy busy trying to possibly earn a starting post @ center.

Early in this IB discussion post a good member suggested that this may point to the condition of the Rams OL cadre....I would not agree with that assertion. But instead I would run with the assertion & would imagine that during the entire 2015 OTA's 1st team OLT Brandon Washington did not look that good. BW may be a legit OLG prospect but IMO BW is NOT a legit OLT prospect. I would think the best current possible reserve OLT/ORT swing OT on our roster would be Andrew Donnal our 4th rd draft choice.


Good Afternoon Dave, If IB sticks here as a Ram then he would bump a OL'er ....then the answer would be yes where IB will cause a dump bump one of the newly drafted OT investments prospects i.e. (Donnal/Wichmann/Havenstein/Williams) I sure do not see one of our very few experienced veterans being dumped for a rookie supplemental pick myself.

I understand. But my point was, we didn't have to give up anyone to get him. which was stated by the writer of the op.!

 

[RamBill]

Off-Field Issues Allowed Rams to Steal Isaiah Battle in Round 5
The St. Louis Rams selected offensive tackle Isaiah Battle in the fifth round of Thursday’s NFL supplemental draft. How did Battle last until Round 5 of the draft? Why did the Rams eventually pull the trigger and select him? Watch as Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jason Cole breaks down Battle’s future with the Rams.

Watch Cole Talk Battle/Rams

 

[RamBill]

Rams Roll the Dice on Isaiah Battle
ESPN Rams reporter Nick Wagoner discusses the Rams’ selection of Clemson tackle Isaiah Battle in the NFL supplemental draft.

Watch Wagoner Talk Battle

 

[Ramhusker]

I'm still curious how this whole "red shirt" deal is going to work. Can the Rams treat Battle as a 2016 draft pick if he comes to camp then goes back to school when the season starts? Is their a roster waiver to cover this scenario? Maybe if he doesn't participate in pre-season games does this work? And can you pay the guy anything without him taking up a roster spot? I thought this is why Battle entered the supplemental in the first place, getting money for the family ( newborn on the way and all). I'm a bit confused concerning this matter.

 

[ReddingRam]

I'm still curious how this whole "red shirt" deal is going to work. Can the Rams treat Battle as a 2016 draft pick if he comes to camp then goes back to school when the season starts? Is their a roster waiver to cover this scenario? Maybe if he doesn't participate in pre-season games does this work? And can you pay the guy anything without him taking up a roster spot? I thought this is why Battle entered the supplemental in the first place, getting money for the family ( newborn on the way and all). I'm a bit confused concerning this matter.

I'm thinking they might "rehab" him and if they use that.. .. some kind of emotional or substance issue, they could put hhim on the NFIL (Non Football Injury List) and that would give him a year to finish school, get over his "issues", get stronger .... but truthfully ... I have no idea either.