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| AP |
Though
I risk jinxing him, I believe Alec will be a star in this league next
season. Sure, he struggled in pass coverage early in his rookie
season, and if I'm a Rams opponent next season, I'm running at him to
make him prove he can stop a power running game. But Ogletree is a
gifted LB the likes of which the Rams have not seen in St. Louis. By
the end of 2013, he was very good in coverage and against the run and
was even a dangerous blitzer. His speed lets him do some things in
coverage that I find amazing for a LB, like covering slot receivers
1-on-1 or taking down Chris Johnson on a wide-open screen play from
halfway across the field. Teams couldn't screen on him by the end of
the season; he got out on the edge and blew those up like he was born
to do it. Ogletree also excelled at creating turnovers, forcing 6
fumbles and returning a pick-six against Houston. He has mastered the
art of holding up a ball-carrier to allow a teammate to come in and
force a fumble. Another thing to love about Ogletree's play is his
veteran-like "short memory". He'd often make up for a
misplay with a big play the very next snap. He had some misplays and
weird footing problems at the end of the season, true, but made up
for a lot of that with elite closing speed; imagine how good he'll be
when he knows what he's doing! A mentally-stronger Alec Ogletree will
be poised to torment Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick for years to
come.
James Laurinaitis (116 tkl, 3.5 sacks, 2 INT): B-
Still
a solid run defender, always around the ball and makes a ton of
tackles. Has gotten better and better as a pass defender every season
and really contributed this year with some key INTs and pass
breakups. Covering backs out of the backfield is a weakness. Not the
most effective blitzer but did have 3.5 sacks. Wish it was harder to
take him out of a play with a fullback than is often the case. James
may never be a big-play LB, but when he's on his A game he is still a
handful to deal with.
Jo-Lonn Dunbar (39 tkl in 10 starts): D+
Seemed
to help the run defense once he returned from a 4-week PED suspension
but was still pretty hit-or-miss. Misses too many tackles and gap
assignments for a veteran and was off the field a lot with the Rams
in nickel anyway. Never really sparked the defense.
Will Witherspoon (12 tkl, 1 INT in 3 starts): D-
Was
there when the Rams needed him the first month, and played ok. Plays
the pass better than the run and isn't great against that. Not a
solid tackler.
Looking ahead: Dunbar and Witherspoon are free agents, so a move or two at the position will be needed. I doubt either will return because it'll take at least $1 million to keep them. The Rams use so much nickel that a big splash at LB won't be their best use of resources. I'd draft one in the middle rounds and also expect Ray Ray The Penalty Machine Armstrong to get a shot.
-$-
Looking ahead: Dunbar and Witherspoon are free agents, so a move or two at the position will be needed. I doubt either will return because it'll take at least $1 million to keep them. The Rams use so much nickel that a big splash at LB won't be their best use of resources. I'd draft one in the middle rounds and also expect Ray Ray The Penalty Machine Armstrong to get a shot.
-$-
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