The non-existent FS battle

[Fatbot]

By popular* demand, here is the thread that contains zero news to post about the free safety position. As @WestCoastRam succinctly summed up, it appears that an anticipated camp battle for the position between at a minimum Cody Davis and Maurice Alexander has vanished, and it's Mo's job to lose.

Yes color me somewhat nervous about this. I like Mo but we haven't exactly seen any elite ball-hawking instincts from him. My concern is Fish is looking for him to be McLeod 2.0... Which is fine when you have McLeod of 2015 in mind, but remember it took three years for McLeod to reach that level. So my fear is we have an inexperienced free safety that's going to give up coverage mistakes, mix up some calls, and not flash any big turnover capability (i.e., back to year 1 McLeod days).

Personally I would like to see some competition here to some guys that seemingly aren't being given a shot, but of course I am going to give Alexander the benefit of the doubt and watch him in action at the position before I really panic.

(*note "popular demand" is defined as @Roman Snow and @LACHAMP46 , so please direct all complaints about this terrible thread to their department. )

 

[Rams43]

By popular* demand, here is the thread that contains zero news to post about the free safety position. As @WestCoastRam succinctly summed up, it appears that an anticipated camp battle for the position between at a minimum Cody Davis and Maurice Alexander has vanished, and it's Mo's job to lose.

Yes color me somewhat nervous about this. I like Mo but we haven't exactly seen any elite ball-hawking instincts from him. My concern is Fish is looking for him to be McLeod 2.0... Which is fine when you have McLeod of 2015 in mind, but remember it took three years for McLeod to reach that level. So my fear is we have an inexperienced free safety that's going to give up coverage mistakes, mix up some calls, and not flash any big turnover capability (i.e., back to year 1 McLeod days).

Personally I would like to see some competition here to some guys that seemingly aren't being given a shot, but of course I am going to give Alexander the benefit of the doubt and watch him in action at the position before I really panic.

(*note "popular demand" is defined as @Roman Snow and @LACHAMP46 , so please direct all complaints about this terrible thread to their department. )

I'm pretty sure that this is at least a 4 way competition, Fatbot.

It will sort itself out sometime before opening day.

 

[Roman Snow]

It would be nice to hear more about Cody and Christian Bryant. I suppose we will hear more of them over the next few weeks.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Yes color me somewhat nervous about this. I like Mo but we haven't exactly seen any elite ball-hawking instincts from him. My concern is Fish is looking for him to be McLeod 2.0

LOL...well well

Don't be nervous about new starters....Hell, McLeod had me nervous even last year...esp. when he was on the Jackrabbits side....

Mo should be able to cover the ground necessary for an elite FS....It's all about anticipation and film study...plus experience.....

I never considered Rodney McLeod a ball-hawk...This is when PFF DOES come in handy....Really Football Outsiders....How many pass breakups did he have? Int's? Missed tackles?

Mo by a mile over Cody...Sorry guys, practice int's mean something, missed tackles in games means more...But I love Cody's range & speed...he seems very instinctive and intelligent....he has a chance.

Don't know why Christian Bryant doesn't get any love? He was coming on last year. His special teams play reminded me of Rodney McLeod. B4 he became a starter.

I need to see Brian Randolph in some games...he also needs to start making some noise in camp. Is he still on the team?
I would love to see Michael Jordan get some safety time, appears he's just a corner at this time...

 

[Fatbot]

All good points, which gets back to my original confusion over the lack of attention because I want to see these guys getting a shot and hearing about their success/fails. All due respect to Mo, but he's a converted linebacker. I loved him at SS, but expecting him to become an elite FS just seems a stretch. The Rams have given lip service to wanting two safeties on the field that are interchangeable, but they played 1 high a lot of the time (I think) so I think they need the more traditional free alongside TJ. Even if he wins the job, as it appears he has the inside track, I'm not sold he has that skillset and the Rams are settling on something less than an ideal solution at the position.

 

[OldSchool]

All good points, which gets back to my original confusion over the lack of attention because I want to see these guys getting a shot and hearing about their success/fails. All due respect to Mo, but he's a converted linebacker. I loved him at SS, but expecting him to become an elite FS just seems a stretch. The Rams have given lip service to wanting two safeties on the field that are interchangeable, but they played 1 high a lot of the time (I think) so I think they need the more traditional free alongside TJ. Even if he wins the job, as it appears he has the inside track, I'm not sold he has that skillset and the Rams are settling on something less than an ideal solution at the position.

Not sure we're going to hear a whole lot about the defense this camp honestly. The focus will be on the offense, Goff, and the young receivers/OLine. Might have to wait for hard knocks and game film to really get much defensive coverage. It's understandable the offense was bad last year so they want to show you its growth plus they have to sell the young QB we traded up for.

 

[Florida_Ram]

All good points, which gets back to my original confusion over the lack of attention because I want to see these guys getting a shot and hearing about their success/fails. All due respect to Mo, but he's a converted linebacker. I loved him at SS, but expecting him to become an elite FS just seems a stretch. The Rams have given lip service to wanting two safeties on the field that are interchangeable, but they played 1 high a lot of the time (I think) so I think they need the more traditional free alongside TJ. Even if he wins the job, as it appears he has the inside track, I'm not sold he has that skillset and the Rams are settling on something less than an ideal solution at the position.

Good points about Mo and many reasons to be extra tuned in for even the first preseason game to see how the FS position shakes out with Mo being the early favorite as of today..

2016 Rams Camp: Total Number of Safeties on the current Roster is (7)

(The Safeties)

How many of these guys can play both FS and SS due to their size and experience?

(The Early Camp Top 4 Safeties until proven different)

1.) TJ MCDONALD (SS)
2.) M. ALEXANDER (FS) moves to SS if TJ Mcd gets injured
3.) C. DAVIS (FS)
4.) C. BRYANT (FS) can he play SS if needed?

(The Next Tier Up)

5.) B. RANDOLPH (FS) has the size to play both FS/SS ?
6.) J. LOMAX (FS) former cornerback
7.) R. GAINES SS/FS ? only 5'11 195 lbs

 

[DaveFan'51]

By popular* demand, here is the thread that contains zero news to post about the free safety position. As @WestCoastRam succinctly summed up, it appears that an anticipated camp battle for the position between at a minimum Cody Davis and Maurice Alexander has vanished, and it's Mo's job to lose.

Yes color me somewhat nervous about this. I like Mo but we haven't exactly seen any elite ball-hawking instincts from him. My concern is Fish is looking for him to be McLeod 2.0... Which is fine when you have McLeod of 2015 in mind, but remember it took three years for McLeod to reach that level. So my fear is we have an inexperienced free safety that's going to give up coverage mistakes, mix up some calls, and not flash any big turnover capability (i.e., back to year 1 McLeod days).

Personally I would like to see some competition here to some guys that seemingly aren't being given a shot, but of course I am going to give Alexander the benefit of the doubt and watch him in action at the position before I really panic.

(*note "popular demand" is defined as @Roman Snow and @LACHAMP46 , so please direct all complaints about this terrible thread to their department. )

Well .. someone has to say it .. so I will .." They haven't even played a single down of Pre season games yet, So let's wait and see how things play out!" I think the competition will be stiffer than you think!

 

[StealYoGurley]

Mo is the second most talented safety on the team. Yes he is inexperienced, but I would rather he get as many reps as possible and gel with the secondary instead of taking away valuable reps/experience in favor of a guy who wont beat him out anyway. Look at his competition, Cody's new contract shows they value him mainly as depth and special teamer, Bryant is a 7th rounder who was just promoted from the practice squad midway through last season after injuries, and while UDFAs like Randolph may be talented they are even less experienced than Mo.

Rams play there FS really deep as a last line defense so they don't really need a ball hawk and the FS isn't really in position to pick off alot of balls anyway. The main thing he has to do is not get beat over the top and be solid in run support. I am not concerned about the run support we will have the hardest hitting safety duo in the league, but the coverage comes with time and experience. Look how far Rod came with the experience he got. People really hated Rod his first 2 years as a starter and now he is one of the highest paid safeties in the league. Mo has even more raw ability than rod gotta let that develop by giving him as many reps as possible

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

i believe the rams drafted mo with the knowledge mcleod was walking in a couple of years. fisher loved him and wouldn't let snead move back in the draft when their 4th round pick came up. snead said fisher would be "bobby wagner" angry if he missed out on mo.

they have been grooming him to take over. and take over he will.

.

 

[BonifayRam]

Some small nuggets here.....Mo seeing a ton of action thus far in camp...maybe there is a suspension pending for our other starting strong safety or our starting SS has 2 out of 3 injury plagued seasons or its our starting SS contract yr? Whichever Mo needs to be ready to step it up fully.

This will be Cody Davis 4th Training Camp & I think both Fisher & Williams fully know what he is capable of doing he has suited up for 43 NFL games of experience of knowledge to pad him up. Cody has more games under his belt than TJ but zero starts.

Its been mentioned here that Lamarcus Joyner has been sliding back into the safety area on many different Williams defenses. So there is a new early wrinkle ongoing a trial? Is it really new wrinkle ??? I saw this late last season but no one mentioned it during the games but we did burp it out in the chat room. Rod McLeod would run up from deep & cover the slot. I think Williams needed Rod's extra 3 inches to cover the larger WR.

Lastly, I been talking up Mo since last season, does that count?

 

[Ram65]

I'm sure we will see some comp at FS. Looks like Mo's job to lose but, it's early. I think the Rams will be play lots of different sub packages on defense. They have some versatile DBs and Barron at LBer that can be moved around. It will be interesting and fun to see what Williams puts together.

 

[Merlin]

Fish and Williams coveted Mo in that draft and reached for him. Then they let their home grown FS walk for a big payday in Philly. No way that happened to Fisher's defense and that key position in Williams' crazy defense unless they were insanely high on Mo still.

And we discussed this at the time btw. Look at the Rams' size and speed up the middle now... Ogletree dropping from the middle on passing downs, and getting real deep quick when called for. TJ and Mo two immense and physical dudes who can move too. Donald collapsing the interior of the pocket and Quinn on the edge... It's gonna be fun to watch develop.

 

[So Ram]

Not sure we're going to hear a whole lot about the defense this camp honestly. The focus will be on the offense, Goff, and the young receivers/OLine. Might have to wait for hard knocks and game film to really get much defensive coverage. It's understandable the offense was bad last year so they want to show you its growth plus they have to sell the young QB we traded up for.

Say what ?? OK ..
The defense will make a name for itself though. What's your take on Mo ??

 

[So Ram]

Fish and Williams coveted Mo in that draft and reached for him. Then they let their home grown FS walk for a big payday in Philly. No way that happened to Fisher's defense and that key position in Williams' crazy defense unless they were insanely high on Mo still.

And we discussed this at the time btw. Look at the Rams' size and speed up the middle now... Ogletree dropping from the middle on passing downs, and getting real deep quick when called for. TJ and Mo two immense and physical dudes who can move too. Donald collapsing the interior of the pocket and Quinn on the edge... It's gonna be fun to watch develop.

Good points-

All you have to do is listen to Greg Williams last couple video interviews to understand what thinks about Mi Alexander.

If you watch practice you will see how Mo Alexander owns the FS postion right now !!!

 

[OldSchool]

Say what ?? OK ..
The defense will make a name for itself though. What's your take on Mo ??

The defense has already made a name for itself is my point. As for Mo I think based on history he'd be better at SS than FS. He may surprise us all and show great ball skills. But he was a LB that was converted to SS in college, the opposite of what Mark Barron did. Either way I trust Williams and Fisher to be able to coach up the secondary.

 

[RaminExile]

Great how we develop a guy for three years for him to blossom in his fourth (and contract) year and lose him to free agency. We've gotta get predicting guys we think are going to be stars before they become stars and lock them up. Unfortunately this only happens with game time - and they will make mistakes while they learn. Just gotta suck it up. If Fisher (who knows safeties) thinks Mo is the best guy for the job, I think we're going to be ok in the secondary (injuries depending of course!).

 

[BonifayRam]

Great how we develop a guy for three years for him to blossom in his fourth (and contract) year and lose him to free agency. We've gotta get predicting guys we think are going to be stars before they become stars and lock them up. Unfortunately this only happens with game time - and they will make mistakes while they learn. Just gotta suck it up. If Fisher (who knows safeties) thinks Mo is the best guy for the job, I think we're going to be ok in the secondary (injuries depending of course!).

I too believe that we will be better than fine in this secondary. TJ Mc Donald who was drafted by Fisher on the second day of the draft. Developed like you said for 3 yrs & now in his 4th & final contract could easily be lost to UFA'cy but that why all the attention being given to Mo. I would prefer that Mo moves into TJ's post before the season begins & TJ moves into Rod McLeod's this season.

TJ McDonald has pro bowl talent but also has some baggage too. 2 out of his past 3 seasons on the IR due to injuries now has possible pending suspension in his 4th season & most likely final Ram season. Not the best resume for a major pay raise/big contract.

 

[Mackeyser]

Mo is the second most talented safety on the team. Yes he is inexperienced, but I would rather he get as many reps as possible and gel with the secondary instead of taking away valuable reps/experience in favor of a guy who wont beat him out anyway. Look at his competition, Cody's new contract shows they value him mainly as depth and special teamer, Bryant is a 7th rounder who was just promoted from the practice squad midway through last season after injuries, and while UDFAs like Randolph may be talented they are even less experienced than Mo.

Rams play there FS really deep as a last line defense so they don't really need a ball hawk and the FS isn't really in position to pick off alot of balls anyway. The main thing he has to do is not get beat over the top and be solid in run support. I am not concerned about the run support we will have the hardest hitting safety duo in the league, but the coverage comes with time and experience. Look how far Rod came with the experience he got. People really hated Rod his first 2 years as a starter and now he is one of the highest paid safeties in the league. Mo has even more raw ability than rod gotta let that develop by giving him as many reps as possible

While Christian Bryant was a 7th rounder, it wasn't due to talent, but a very late season injury that decimated his draft stock. He broke his ankle late in the season as a senior at OSU and was very much a Tyrann Mathieu do it all type defensive back and heart of the defense that even made Urban Meyer visibly emotional when he'd been lost for the last few games of his college career not only for how badly it hurt the team, but how much it would affect him going forward.

I knew when we drafted Bryant that his first year, he would be red-shirted a year and then with our depth, likely practice squaded a year. He was actually ahead of that and broke into the lineup and after a few shaky initial moments really started to stand out.

This year, Bryant may not start, but we WILL see his name being called on good plays for our D and I expect his stock to continue to rise. He was a steal in the 7th round and the patience the Rams showed will pay off.

 

[StealYoGurley]

While Christian Bryant was a 7th rounder, it wasn't due to talent, but a very late season injury that decimated his draft stock. He broke his ankle late in the season as a senior at OSU and was very much a Tyrann Mathieu do it all type defensive back and heart of the defense that even made Urban Meyer visibly emotional when he'd been lost for the last few games of his college career not only for how badly it hurt the team, but how much it would affect him going forward.

I knew when we drafted Bryant that his first year, he would be red-shirted a year and then with our depth, likely practice squaded a year. He was actually ahead of that and broke into the lineup and after a few shaky initial moments really started to stand out.

This year, Bryant may not start, but we WILL see his name being called on good plays for our D and I expect his stock to continue to rise. He was a steal in the 7th round and the patience the Rams showed will pay off.

Good points. I believe he is backing up TJ at SS right now, so maybe he will get his shot next year if we don't resign TJ as FA after this season.