Camp Report 7/29/14

[CoachO]

I wonder if they would consider keeping 5 DTs and 4 DEs

Brockers, Donald, Lankford, Conrath, Carrington

Quinn, Long, Hayes, Sims

Still leaves guys like Michael Sam and Westbrooks on the outside looking in. Unless they flash in the preseason, both ought to be safe moves to the PS.

I don't see that , mainly because of Hayes and Sims' ability to slide inside in the 4 DE look they like to use on occasion. If one of the DE's were to go down, having only a 3 man rotation would leave them woefully shorthanded.

 

[Stranger]

Theme of the day: Schottenheimer: “Brian Quick is the most improved player out here”

Highlights:

First play of 11 on 11: CB Blitz & Bradfod hits Quick on sight adjustment (Quick slant) with no one in seam he goes untouched for big play

Very NEXT play: Play Action: Bradford to Quick double move (turns McGee around) for a 40 yard completion

2nd Unit Offense: Play Action Rollout: Gilbert to Givens for 18 yard sliding completion (out route)

Bradford to Britt ( 9 route) in the back of the EndZone over McGee and with McGee finishing the play with a shove to the face of Britt. Britt spikes the ball at McGee’s feet and gets mobbed by teammates

In 2 minute drill at end of practice: Bradford connect with quick on deep post route, (single coverage by McLeod) Quick uses his body like going up for a rebound, McLeod had NO chance to make a play on the ball

Chris Givens showed he is still on the team: while relegated to mostly 3rd unit reps, he made a few nice catches to show he can still contribute

 

[ChrisW]

I get all that, I agree with it. But I just don't understand how that translates into him now being touted as a STARTING LB when he 1) is still new to the position; 2) is still UNDERSIZED for the position & 3) doesnt show the instincts YET to be productive in the position.....

But because he made a dozen ST tackles, let's hand him Dunbar's reps? Sorry,,,,, just doesn't compute to me.

I get the rest of this, but the undersized myth about Armstrong has to stop. Dunbar is 6' and 235 lbs. Armstrong is 6'3 234lbs. He appears to be undersized with the extra 3" on his frame, but his weight is identical to Dunbar.

I like Armstrong, but I'm not delusional to think that he should be starting over Dunbar. He needs more time to acclimate to the LB position. I wonder if he could put on 15 lbs in a year or 2 and bump inside to back up J. Lau. He thrives on run support, and athletic enough to drop into coverage. It would obviously be a step down from James, but just a thought.

 

[CoachO]

I get the rest of this, but the undersized myth about Armstrong has to stop. Dunbar is 6' and 235 lbs. Armstrong is 6'3 234lbs. He appears to be undersized with the extra 3" on his frame, but his weight is identical to Dunbar.

I like Armstrong, but I'm not delusional to think that he should be starting over Dunbar. He needs more time to acclimate to the LB position. I wonder if he could put on 15 lbs in a year or 2 and bump inside to back up J. Lau. He thrives on run support, and athletic enough to drop into coverage. It would obviously be a step down from James, but just a thought.

And at the same weight on a 6'0 frame makes Dunbar much more acclimated to stand up at that position. Just by nothing more than viewing Armstrong on the field, he IS too light to play the position as A LB, and not as a big safety.

 

[The Rammer]

The play that really got me with Dahl, I think it was in that same Minnesota game, he read the route perfectly and jumped it...then missed the football. And it resulted in a completed pass. Just summed up Craig Dahl as a player.

Yeah I remember that exact play and went nuts when it happened! Funny we both have that play stand out to us! lol That's why I can't be to hard on McLeod since he's leaps and bounds ahead of Dahl but not perfect by any means!

 

[ChrisW]

And at the same weight on a 6'0 frame makes Dunbar much more acclimated to stand up at that position. Just by nothing more than viewing Armstrong on the field, he IS too light to play the position as A LB, and not as a big safety.

I don't understand how you can say he is too light when the weight is identical between the two. If you mean that he loses leverage at the point of attack because he's 3" taller at the same weight, I might be able to go with that. But, I can't remember a time when he ran up to make the tackle and got run over.

 

[PolarBear]

Thanks Coach, how did Travis Bond play? He looked huge when I saw him earlier in training camp.

 

[CoachO]

I don't understand how you can say he is too light when the weight is identical between the two. If you mean that he loses leverage at the point of attack because he's 3" taller at the same weight, I might be able to go with that. But, I can't remember a time when he ran up to make the tackle and got run over.

That's exactly what I am saying, and you wouldn't be saying that if you had seen Harkey RUN OVER HIM yesterday in the 2 minute drill. I was back up on the hill with more than a field between us, and I heard the impact and result from there. Armstrong ended up on is back and Harkey just ran thru him.

Can he add more weight to his frame. Of course. But lets not pretend because he and Dunbar are the same weight, that it means they are the same size. He is still at this point, playing the position like a "big" safety.

That's like saying Kenny Britt and Zach Stacy are the same because they are a single pound apart, so if Britt was a RB, he would be just as powerful as Stacy.

 

[CoachO]

Thanks Coach, how did Travis Bond play? He looked huge when I saw him earlier in training camp.

I like him. He's a big powerful guy, and they have settled on him at RG for the time being. He moves pretty well, and the kind of guy that when he gets his hands on you, its over.

 

[ChrisW]

That's exactly what I am saying, and you wouldn't be saying that if you had seen Harkey RUN OVER HIM yesterday in the 2 minute drill. I was back up on the hill with more than a field between us, and I heard the impact and result from there. Armstrong ended up on is back and Harkey just ran thru him.

Can he add more weight to his frame. Of course. But lets not pretend because he and Dunbar are the same weight, that it means they are the same size. He is still at this point, playing the position like a "big" safety.

That's like saying Kenny Britt and Zach Stacy are the same because they are a single pound apart, so if Britt was a RB, he would be just as powerful as Stacy.

Yea, being too far away to go to practices, I have to limit my first hand experiences to preseason games and the regular season. As well as your reports (thank you, by the way.)

The Britt and Stacy comparison makes more sense, but how confident are you that Harkey wouldn't run over Dunbar as well? Has there been an instance yet where this scenario has come up?

 

[CoachO]

Yea, being too far away to go to practices, I have to limit my first hand experiences to preseason games and the regular season. As well as your reports (thank you, by the way.)

The Britt and Stacy comparison makes more sense, but how confident are you that Harkey wouldn't run over Dunbar as well? Has there been an instance yet where this scenario has come up?

Pretty confident, and that's where Dunbar's experience & height (or lack thereof) works to his advantage. HE has the leverage to get underneath someone Harkey's size and can get to his legs. Where Armstrong is trying to take him down by getting on top of him and riding him to the ground. Didn't work this time.

 

[ChrisW]

Pretty confident, and that's where Dunbar's experience & height (or lack thereof) works to his advantage. HE has the leverage to get underneath someone Harkey's size and can get to his legs. Where Armstrong is trying to take him down by getting on top of him and riding him to the ground. Didn't work this time.

Yep, sounds like his trademark Boom King. Sound comes from shoulder pad to shoulder pad contact. Thanks Coach...Hadn't put a ton of thought into the leverage portion of Dunbar's run stoppage.

 

[CoachO]

I will go so far as to concede that Armstrong may develop into the long term WLB. Dunbar is not likely to be here beyond this year, and certainly not past next year. If in that time Armstrong puts on some weight, and gains some valuable experience in gap integrity, and becomes a factor in stopping the run, then i say more power to him.

But the thing that always comes up when people are clamoring for him to get more reps, is his coverage ability, but it's never about his presence in the run game. AS the 3rd LB, that job is to stop the run. There aren't that many reps for that position to play a guy solely on his coverage skills.

 

[jrry32]

The thing about Dunbar is that he plays with complete reckless abandon. Guy will come full speed into the hole and throw his body into the FB, pulling OL, or HB without thinking twice. He plays with no fear and will take on blockers much bigger than him and still fill the gap.

 

[LACHAMP46]

You do realize that Pead and Isaiah are the same person, don't you?

So is Reid and Greg, you knew that, correct?

 

[LACHAMP46]

I get the rest of this, but the undersized myth about Armstrong has to stop. Dunbar is 6' and 235 lbs. Armstrong is 6'3 234lbs. He appears to be undersized with the extra 3" on his frame, but his weight is identical to Dunbar.

I like Armstrong, but I'm not delusional to think that he should be starting over Dunbar. He needs more time to acclimate to the LB position. I wonder if he could put on 15 lbs in a year or 2 and bump inside to back up J. Lau. He thrives on run support, and athletic enough to drop into coverage. It would obviously be a step down from James, but just a thought.

As you may know, I too have put my pom-poms on for Ray Ray, but from reports, especially Coach's, as fans we've gotta realize he's not ready. Remember he was a safety...Never played LB, and just has average speed (high 4.6's)....Until he truly commits to gaining 10-13 lbs the right way, he'll continue to have problems to take on blocks, bring down powerful runners, and match-up with this new age TE's...I don't doubt he can do this, he's only 23, but his commitment has me worried. He should have came into camp closer to 245 and faster. He's getting paid, he needs to invest in himself and get better. Until he starts making splash plays (oh, I'll be watching the scrimmages looking for him as well as Mo Alexander) on the regular, I can't do anything but agree with the masses that Jo Lonn Dunbar, at this moment, gives our Rams the best chance to succeed. Look at Stewart, and Bates...They have physically transformed themselves into better looking LB's. They know what the position entails, and they prepared. And the results are showing. Heart and effort can only take you so far, you gotta put in the extras to last past the average of 3 years....

 

[simonblaze]

Awesome CoachO, report is greatly appreciated...

 

[BD-TomCat]

Hey coach how has Daven Joseph looked in practice?

 

[FRO]

Not saying you should give up on anyone, but to over rate their place AT THIS TIME is what gets me. It almost seems like people root for some guys to fail, so "their guy" can succeed.

And while he lead the ST in tackles with TWELVE, he had just as many negative result plays on ST too, but those always seem to be overlooked or completely negated because he is "young". Assuming he is gonna displace Dunbar because he has a few SPLASH plays is pretty naive, and I know you aren't naive.

Quick was picked 33rd and had 2 seasons to show his worth. Armstrong was a UDFA who came into a new position and is learning. People like the underdog and expect more from highly drafted guys. That's probably why.

 

[Zaphod]

Conrath came to camp looking like he spent a LOT of time in the weight room. For all of the talk about how Barrett Jones reshaped his body, the two guys who stand out to me, are Hooey and Conrath.

He is getting regular reps with the 2's and an occasional situational rep with the 1's. I really they like him a lot. They love his height, and reach. Again, I know its early, but i could actually see a scenario develop where he is competing with Carrington for the last roster spot in the DL

How did Sean Hooey stand out to you?

He's always intrigued me as a prospect.