Rookie free agent profile: Jacob Hagen, FS, Liberty

Liberty University

Jacob Hagen, 6'2" 205
FS, Liberty

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #392 player overall, #17 free safety. 7th round-free agent grade.
Nawrocki: Not ranked; Nawrocki's draft preview listed 14 free safeties.
Kiper: Not in top 300 players.
Draft Countdown: #36 safety, not in top 256 players. Late-round / free-agent grade.
Sports Illustrated: Not in top 300; 13 FS listed.
Scouts Inc: #45 safety. Grade: 30, borderline draft prospect.

Biography/Honors
2014: First team FCS all-America. FCS ADA Top Collegiate Defensive Back. First team all-Big South. Started all 14 games. Team captain. Led FCS with 8 INTs. 108 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 7 pass breakups, 15 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery returned for TD.
2013: Third team FCS all-America. First team all-Big South. Started 11 of 12 games. Led Big South (3rd in FCS) with 6 INTs. 61 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 6 pass breakups, 13 passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
2012: Played in 11 games, starting 10, all at free safety. 46 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one INT, 3 pass breakups, 4 passes defended and a fumble recovery returned for TD.
2011: Played in all 11 games. 30 tackles, 4 pass breakups, 4 passes defended.
2010: Redshirted.

Academics: Majored in sport management.
Twitter: @Jhagen27


Medical

No injuries reported



  
Pro Day Stats
(Not invited to NFL Combine. Averages for safeties at the Combine in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 4.63 (4.57)
10-yard split: 1.59
Vertical: 36.5" (35")
Broad: 10'4" (Top 5 among safeties. Average was 9'11")
3-cone: 7.01 (7.02)
Shuttle: 4.43 (Would have been worst time by a safety. Average was 4.21)
Bench: 22 (Tied for second. Average was 17)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Explosive athlete with ideal size for the position. Moves smoothly, has good feet and flips his hips well. Natural ball-hawk, always around the ball. Makes plays all over the field. Willing run defender. Versatile defender against the run and the pass. Has good hands, a large catching radius and cornerback-quality ball skills to cash in on his interception opportunities. Long strider, covers a lot of ground. Tracks the ball well. Creates turnovers while still playing fundamentally sound. Diagnoses play quickly. Breaks down well in space and accelerates into his tackles. Heavy hitter who looks for the turnover. Has special teams experience. Cerebral player who lets his play do the talking. Hard worker on the field and in the film room. Well-suited to play as a hybrid safety/linebacker in nickel situations.


Minuses: His athleticism is better than his actual play. Needs more work in the weight room. Makes poor decisions in single-high safety role and gives up big plays and TDs. Commits too early. Gets fooled by double moves. Gets fooled by intermediate crossing routes and gives up his deep responsibility jumping them. Takes some bad angles. Makes too many shoulder tackles. Prone to missing tackles or overpursuing while going for the big hit. Inconsistent motor. Needs to improve that and play with more discipline. 

Compares to: Cody Davis

Fun Facts
Jacob enjoys playing chess. He's from the Jacksonville area and was a Jagwires fan growing up. He isn't the first Liberty product to suit up for the Rams; there was Samkon Gado in 2008-09.

RamView
The Rams front office continued its knack for finding very good safety prospects after the draft with this year's signing of Hagen, who sounds like a bigger-hitting version of Cody Davis. I'd prefer if he were faster, and given his level of college competition, his decision-making problems are troubling, and this is not an area I feel the Rams have been good at coaching up. However, his size is ideal. His special teams experience - he's played on every unit - will come in handy since he'll have to excel there. And even at the lower FCS level of competition, you really have to like his record for taking away the ball. Jacob should be able to make a strong run at Davis' roster spot. The main reason he's not closer to 100% is that there's a lot of interesting competition at DB in this year's camp. If the Rams only keep 8 DBs, it could be Davis, Hagen, Brandon McGee, Maurice Alexander and several others competing for just one spot. (9 seems likelier, with Jenkins and TruJo in their walk years.) Just on his dimensions alone, though, I'd expect Hagen to have an inside track for a practice squad slot.

Chance of making team: 50%.

Sources: Liberty University athletics, The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.), NFL.com, DatabaseFootball.com, USA Today, New Era Scouting

Rookie free agent profile: Zach Laskey, FB, Georgia Tech

Orlando Sentinel

Zach Laskey, 6'2" 225
FB, Georgia Tech

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #317 player overall, #8 fullback. 7th round-free agent grade.
Nawrocki: Not ranked; Nawrocki's draft preview listed 14 fullbacks.
Kiper: Not in Kiper's top 300, which listed only 3 fullbacks.
Draft Countdown: Not ranked; 9 fullbacks listed.
Sports Illustrated: Not in top 300; 3 fullbacks listed.
Scouts Inc: Not ranked; Scouts Inc. graded 15 fullbacks, including players from Army, Fordham and Georgetown. Georgetown, Kentucky.

Biography/Honors
2014: Second-team all-ACC. Played in 11 games, starting 7. 171 rushes for 851 yards (5.0 ypc) and 9 TDs, 6 receptions for 49 yards (8.2 ypc) and a TD. Ran for 140 yards and 3 TDs against Georgia, had 29 carries for 133 in win over Miami.
2013: Played in all 13 games. 84 rushes for 485 yards (5.8 ypc) and 7 TDs, 3 receptions for 54 yards (18.0 ypc) and a TD. Ran for 133 and 2 TDs against Virginia and scored 3 TDs against Syracuse.
2012: Played in all 14 games, starting 6. 133 rushes for 697 yards (5.2 ypc) and a TD, 6 receptions for 122 yards (20.3 ypc) and 2 TDs. Only had one carry that lost yardage. Two 100-yard games.
2011: Played in 8 games on special teams. Averaged 8.5 yards on 11 punt returns and had 8 tackles.

Academics: Earned bachelor's degree in history, technology and society.
Twitter: @theZLazer37


Medical

2014: Missed three games due to a shoulder injury (separated AC joint).


  
Pro Day Stats
(Not invited to NFL Combine. Times in parentheses reflect all RBs at the Combine, not just fullbacks)

40-yard dash: 4.50 (Top 5 time. Average was 4.64)
10-yard split: 1.59
Vertical: 35" (35")
Broad: 10'4" (Top 5. Average was 9'9")
3-cone: 6.85 (Top 5. Average was 7.13)
Shuttle: 4.17 (4.25)
Bench: 19 (19)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Smart, tough, "outstanding blocker" according to Jeff Fisher. Very athletic for his size; his pro day numbers compare well to the Combine numbers of smaller backs. Downhill runner, quick to the hole. Rarely stopped for a loss. Quick and physical enough to be a solid lead blocker, but also has versatility to his game. Can contribute on special teams, credible as a receiver and even as an edge runner. Team player. Patriots and Titans among other interested teams.


Minuses: Runs far too upright, does not get behind his pads at all. Gets no leverage and doesn't make good use of his size. Doesn't break many tackles. Has to learn to play with lower pad level. Questionable effort on plays away from his area. Needs to add 10-15 lbs.


Compares to: Zach Line

Fun Facts
May 2nd was a big day for Zach; he both got his diploma from Georgia Tech and got the call from the Rams. In fact, he got the call from the Rams during his graduation ceremony. Keeping a tradition from high school, he collects "holy" water from a creek that runs behind his high school and sprinkles some in the end zone before games for good luck.

RamView
I like the Rams' thinking in signing Zach to play fullback. With his good quickness and recognition, the back who was rarely tackled for a loss in college profiles as an ideal lead blocker who could regularly spring the Rams' tailbacks. Zach's not a player I'd expect to miss many blocks, and he has enough versatility that he wouldn't tie up a roster spot as a one-skill player. I would hope the Rams see the potential to use him in a hammer back role. If he first stands out as a blocker, then flashes on special teams or as a receiver, suddenly there's heat on Justice Cunningham and Alex Bayer for those TE4/TE5 roster spots. One of those could easily be re-purposed for a pure fullback. (Or the supplemental draft pick the Rams are going to have to protect all season.) Zach's got an uphill road, but you can see a path to the roster for him.

Chance of making team: 30%.

Sources: Georgia Tech athletics, Baltimore Sun, Boston Herald, Fox Sports, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, SBNation, Fansided.com, Albany (Ga.) Herald

Rookie free agent profile: Louis Trinca-Pasat, DT, Iowa

University of Iowa

Louis Trinca-Pasat, 6'1" 290
DT, Iowa

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #228 player overall, #21 defensive tackle. 6th-7th round grade.
Nawrocki: #23 RB, not in top 150 players. Grade: 5.06, late draftable or priority free agent capable of battling for a roster spot.
Kiper: #150 player overall, #17 DT. 
Draft Countdown: #24 DT, not in top 256 players. Late-round / free agent grade. 
Sports Illustrated: #202 overall, #18 DT.
Scouts Inc: #210 player overall,  #19 DT. Grade: 46,  borderline draft prospect. 

Biography/Honors
2014: Second team all-Big "Ten". Started all 13 games. Team captain. Defensive MVP. 69 tackles with 11.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 3 QB pressures, 3 batted passes and a safety. 3-sack game vs. Northwestern. Played in Senior Bowl.
2013: Honorable mention all-Big "Ten". Started all 13 games. 38 tackles with 8 tackles for loss, a sack (a game-winner, on the last play of an OT game), a QB pressure, a fumble recovery and 2 batted passes. Iowa's website says one of his starts was at DE.
2012: Started all 12 games. 40 tackles with 4 tackles for loss, a batted pass (which led to an INT), a fumble recovery and a blocked FG.
2011: Played in one game and had one tackle. Nearly quit football after the season.
2010: Redshirted.

Academics: Earned bachelor's degree in sports studies and is pursuing a master's in educational leadership. Conference all-academic honors in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Twitter: @LouisTrinca


Medical

2014: Played at least 10 games with an ankle injury suffered in September. Missed no games. Also played 2-3 games with an elbow injury.
2012: Played all season with a torn left rotator cuff. Had surgery after the season which kept him out of 2013 spring practice.

  
NFL Combine Stats
(Combine averages for defensive tackles in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 4.96 (2nd-fastest 40 by a DT. Average was 5.15)
10-yard split: 1.71
Vertical: 32" (Finished in top 5. Average was 29.5")
Broad: 8'9" (8'8")
3-cone: 7.40 (Top 5. Average was 7.77)
Shuttle: 4.30 (Average was 4.64. Not only was Louis' shuttle time the fastest by a DT, he was only 0.05 off the average RB's shuttle time)
Bench: 21 (Only benched at pro day. Combine average was 28)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Packs strength and power into a small package. Stout with low center of gravity, good at getting low and under blockers. Also very good at slipping blocks and penetrating. Shows good handwork. Good rip and slap moves. Elite short-area agility and quickness. Gets into the backfield and harasses QBs without losing effectiveness against the run. Holds his ground well one-on-one. Effective at tying up blockers on stunts and twists to free up teammates. Very effective on slants and stunts. Excellent balance, rarely gets knocked down. Relentless in pursuit, plays to the whistle, just finds the way to make a play. Team player. Intelligent player and hard worker. Great competitor with a great motor. Can thrive in an aggressive scheme.

Minuses: Undersized, too small for DT, not quick enough for DE. Arrived at Iowa weighing 240 and has maxed out his frame. Has short arms and small hands.  Will struggle to get off blocks. Stiff lower body. Gets stuck on blocks. Gets bounced around. Has limited power and struggles one-on-one vs. larger opponents. Stalls out when he tries to power rush. Punch is OK but he can't knock anyone off-balance with it. Can't occupy multiple blockers. Below-average body control. Does not finish his tackles consistently. Needs to work on timing the snap. If he misses anything on his technique, he'll get pushed around. Will have durability concerns because of his lack of size and maxed-out frame.

Compares to: poor man's Clinton McDonald

Fun Facts
Louis' parents fled communist Romania and immigrated to the U.S. in 1989. He was the first of their four children born here. He lettered in football, basketball and track in high school.

RamView
It will be very difficult for Louis to find a vacancy in Sack City. The Rams should have eight locks for their defensive line the day camp starts. Each of the past two years, they've had a ninth lineman force his way onto the final 53 with an excellent camp, but odds favor that 9th lineman being a DE, like Gerald Rivers in 2013 and Ethan Westbrooks last year. The Rams did carry a DT4 on last year's roster, but with all the DE talent they have, and the amount of time those guys line up inside, it's a very expendable roster position. Alex Carrington was one of the least memorable Rams ever as last year's DT4. So there may not be an opening for Louis even if he has a big camp. He's got versatility, quickness and a lot of traits to his game that coaches love, though, so he should have a good shot at making the practice squad.

Chance of making team: 60%.

Sources: University of Iowa athletics, NFL.com, SBNation, Wikipedia

Rookie free agent profile: Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas

USA Today

Malcolm Brown, 5'11.5" 224
RB, Texas

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #178 player overall, #16 running back. 5th-6th round grade.
Nawrocki: #15 RB, not in top 150 players. Grade: 5.24, should make a roster and contribute on special teams.
Kiper: Not in top 300 players. Kiper ranked at least 24 RBs, including players from North Dakota State and Azusa Pacific.
Draft Countdown: #179 overall, #14 RB. Late-round / free agent grade. 
Sports Illustrated: #209 overall, #21 RB.
Scouts Inc: #224 player overall,  #18 RB. Grade: 43,  borderline draft prospect. 

Biography/Honors
2014: Second team all-Big "12". Started all 13 games. 186 carries for 708 yards (3.9 ypc) and 6 TDs, 16 receptions for 58 yards (3.6 ypc). Played in East-West Shrine Game.
2013: Second team all-Big "12". Played in 13 games, starting 4. 214 carries for 909 yards (4.2 ypc), 17 receptions for 195 yards (11.5 ypc). Had five 100-yard games, including 130 in bowl game vs. Oregon.
2012: Played in 8 games, starting one. 61 carries for 324 yards (5.3 ypc) and 4 TDs, 15 receptions for 112 yards (7.5 ypc).
2011: Played in 10 games, starting 7. 172 rushes for 742 yards (4.3 ypc) and 5 TDs, 3 receptions for 17 yards (5.3 ypc). Conference Newcomer of the Year and first freshman to lead Longhorns in rushing since Cedric Benson in 2001.


Academics: Graduated in December 2014 with degree in physical culture and sports with a minor in social work. Conference academic  honors in 2013 and 2014.
Twitter: @MallyCat_28


Medical

2014: Missed first four games due to knee injury.
2013: Played through nagging ankle injury but did not miss any games.
2012: Missed six games due to a high ankle sprain.
2011: Missed two games due to turf toe. Also missed one game and part of another due to a right knee injury.
2008: Ankle injury ended his sophomore high school season after seven games.

  
NFL Combine Stats
(Combine averages for running backs in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 4.62 (4.64)
10-yard split: 1.64
Vertical: 34.5" (35")
Broad: 9'9" (9'9")
3-cone: 6.86 (Top-five time at RB. Average was 7.13)
Shuttle: 4.15 (4.25)
Bench: 19 (19)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Has an NFL build. Excellent height/bulk and thick frame. Has big hands and long arms. Very agile for his size. Quick-footed. Effective one-cut runner with good playing speed and vision. No hesitation or dancing in his game. Has a good jump-cut. Strong finisher, gets yards after contact, delivers the blow on initial contact. Runs hard, stays square to the line, stays behind his pads. Plays with good pad level. Follows his blocks well. Productive short-yardage back. Physical, grind-it-out, move-the-pile runner. Difficult to bring down one-on-one or with arm tackling. Played behind a terrible offensive line. Ball protection is textbook and he fumbled only twice in over 800 career carries at Texas. Capable receiver. Takes pride in his blitz pickup. Very good at identifying blitzers and blitz-protects with excellent technique. Team player, good worker, high-character individual and player. Productive short-yardage back who keeps his feet moving and always seems to gain positive yardage.

Minuses: Pretty average back with no elite traits. Won't make people miss, just-average power and explosion. No extra gear. Not a big-play threat or a threat around the edge. Doesn't seem to have the instinct to string together moves to make a big play. Not a sharp cutter and doesn't change directions well. May not be physical enough a runner. Lengthy injury history.

Compares to: Zac Stacy, Chris Ogbonnaya

Fun Facts

Malcolm is well-traveled: he was born in Mississippi and has lived in Texas, Florida, D.C., Turkey and Guam. He ran the 4x200 relay in high school and earned four letters in track. He is not related to Longhorn teammate and Patriots first-round draft pick Malcom Brown. Malcolm volunteers time to his church, helping the homeless, children's reading programs and working with special-needs students.


RamView
This year's Rams camp will have many interesting position battles, and RB5 should be one of them. Trey Watts looks like the favorite to hold the spot for his special teams play, and Isaiah Pead will likely get every possible chance to come back from the ACL tear that ended his 2014 season early. All that considered, Brown still has an excellent shot to make the team. With Zac Stacy having "Yikes"ed himself to the Jets on draft weekend, Brown comes to camp as the Rams' best hammer back, and he seems like the kind of back Jeff Fisher always likes to have around. He seems a solid bet to keep the seat warm while Watts is suspended the first four weeks and could take the seat out from under him by hustling on special teams. At worst he'd mark time on the practice squad after a return by Watts. The uncertainty of Pead's injury, as well as Todd Gurley's, also work in Brown's favor. Seems like Brown would really have to drop the ball to miss out on an opening day roster spot, and he doesn't do that much.

Chance of making team: 70%. (Sorry in advance for the jinx.)

Sources: University of Texas athletics, SBNation, NFL.com

Rams alumni offseason recap: July

July has been a quiet month on the transaction wire, as it should be. The only notable transaction involving a former Ram in July was Wayne Hunter's three-week stint with the Bills, which ended with his release on the 21st. He had been signed on the 1st. With Richie Incognito already aboard, they're really looking under rocks for linemen in Buffalo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Philadelphia Inquirer

Sam Bradford is supposedly going to be ready to go when Eggles training camp starts on August 2 and will participate in 11-on-11 drills right away. Rams Nation's advice to Eggles fans remains the same it was the moment the Nick Foles-for-Bradford deal was made: have a backup plan ready.

Montreal Gazette

Michael Sam has only been a gameday inactive so far for the Montreal Alouettes. He reportedly is not in football shape and isn't likely to see action until at least August 1st. His personal reasons for leaving the team earlier this summer appear to have been related to the breakoff of his engagement. His teammates are said to be unhappy about the amount of attention he's getting. Michael should have his focus 100% on football now - if not now, never; let's see what he can do.

RamView found some previously unfound former Rams still in football by scraping Arena Football League rosters. In fact, the two former Rams camp players in the league ran into on another July 12th. Andre Martin of the Portland Thunder stripped Greg Reid of the Jacksonville Sharks on a kickoff return and recovered the fumble for a TD in the Thunder's 72-48 upset win. Martin has 26.5 tackles and 6 passes defended for Portland in 6 games. However, the St. Louis native, who has also spent time in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts, is listed as having been suspended by the 4-11 Thunder this past Monday.

Jacksonville Sharks

Despite that turnover, Reid is by far having the better AFL season. He returned a kick for a TD earlier in that game and has also been one of the most valuable defensive players in the league. Jacksonville was 1-5 when they signed Reid, but have been 7-2 since, and it hasn't been a coincidence. He sparked them to a win with two picks in his first game and has 7 this season to go with 53 tackles and 17 pass breakups. Reid was the AFL Playmaker of the Week last week for his two picks, one a pick-six, in the Sharks' 76-67 upset of the Philadelphia Soul. Reid and the Sharks can clinch a playoff berth this weekend with a win over the Tampa Bay Storm (and assistant coach/former Ram Chris Hovan).

RamView's plan right now is to be at the Rams' first full team session of training camp next Friday and possibly cover another practice over the weekend. Until then, time to get cracking on some rookie free agent profiles.

-$-

Rams supplemental draft profile (5th round): Isaiah Battle, OT, Clemson

Clemson University

Isaiah Battle, 6'6" 312
OT, Clemson

Rankings
Rankings for Battle are all over the place. NFLDraftScout.com ranked him the #5 tackle in the 2016 draft as of June 16. (The fifth tackle drafted this year, D.J. Humphries, went #24 overall.) Yahoo Sports reported two NFL sources calling Battle a 3rd-round prospect now, but that he could have been a top-5 tackle if he'd gotten to play his senior year. Gil Brandt ranked him a 3rd-4th round prospect. An NFL scout interviewed by ESPN.com at Battle's pro day ranked him as a 4th-7th round prospect.

Biography/Honors
2014: Started 11 of 12 games. Played 823 snaps (most on the team) and made 18 knockdown blocks.
2013: Appeared in 10 games, starting 4. Played 359 snaps with 13 knockdown blocks.
2012: Appeared in 5 games. Played 153 snaps with one knockdown block.

Kicked off the team for a marijuana possession citation June 11th which was his third drug-related strike, suggesting he'd previously failed two drug tests. Was suspended twice, for one game in 2013 for punching a North Carolina State player and once by Clemson in 2014 for disciplinary reasons.


Academics: Majored in parks, recreation & tourism management. Left school before senior season to enter NFL supplemental draft.
Twitter: no Twitter ID found


Medical

No injuries reported

  
Pro Day Stats
(NFL Combine averages for tackles in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 5.21 (5.27)

Vertical: 24.5" (29")
Broad: 8'5" (8'7")
3-cone: not reported or did not run
Shuttle: not reported or did not run
Bench: 12 - did not finish due to arm cramps (25 was the average for tackles. What is it with the Rams and poor-benching tackles this year? 12 would have been dead last at the Combine, 4 behind, yes, Rob Havenstein, and doesn't even beat the mark claimed a couple of years ago by the then-66-year-old owner of the Rams)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Prototypical NFL tackle build; ideal height and weight and long arms. Good agility and burst. Moves well on the pull and gets downfield well on screens. Gets to the second level quickly and adjusts well to moving targets in space. Excellent kick-slide and footwork in pass protection. Combined with his wingspan, that makes him hard to get around. Technique is good off the snap; he shows good bend and balance and quick hands. Would fit best in a quick-passing scheme that uses a lot of 3-step drops. Has played left and right tackle. Had significant interest from the Falcons and Bills. Left tackles with his size and fluid movement are not easy to find.

Minuses: Gifted but very raw. Attitude and effort have been questioned. Has average strength at best and questionable work ethic in the weight room. Needs to fill out frame. Skinny-legged. Some scouts say he's lazy on the field and gets sloppy in his technique. Bends at the waist too often, will be vulnerable to bull rushes and inside moves. Anchors poorly because he has poor lower body strength and technique. Doesn't play with dominating force. Plays a little high, which costs him some power as a run blocker. Doesn't mirror well. Gets stuck in place when opponent attacks his outside shoulder, leading to poor positioning. Needs to improve hand use. Does not have violent hands. Multiple character red flags.

Compares to: Mike Adams

Fun Facts 
Isaiah is the first player the Rams have ever selected in the supplemental draft, which began in 1977, and the first selected in the NFL since Josh Gordon in 2012. He's not the first supplemental pick to have played for the Rams; Steve Walsh was drafted by the Cowboys in 1989, Milford Brown by the Texans in 2002.


RamView
Something I meant to comment on during the 2015 draft was that, refreshingly, the Rams' whole draft class was clean off the field. Apparently going through withdrawal, then, today Snead and Fisher spent the team's 5th-rounder next year on a player who's apparently had trouble staying clean to the point of getting kicked off his college team. There is little I like about this pick, which has memories of Claude Wroten all over it. Snead says that Battle will only be a practice player until 2016, which would be fine if he were just tying up a practice squad slot, but I don't believe the Rams can pull that off without having Battle tie up a main roster spot all of 2015. Talk about the upside, Battle's first-round potential, all you want; draft assessments before the coming college season, 11 months before the next draft, make a mockery of even mock drafts in their inaccuracy. Does Battle have the physical tools to succeed in the NFL? It looks like it for the most part. The Rams are really going to have to stay on top of him, though. The price is probably right here, but nothing about this maneuver helps the Rams win in St. Louis in 2015, and I have little use for it. Thanks for the urgency to win here, guys. Thumbs down hard.


Sources: Clemson athletics, Sporting News, Wikipedia, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, NFL.com, ESPN.com, SBNation.com, The Clemson Insider

FolesView, 9/7/2014: Eggles 34, Jagwires 17

Showing resiliency he'll have to have as the Rams' QB, Nick Foles (27-45-322, 2 TD) overcame an awful first half as the Eagles rallied to an opening day 34-17 win over the Jagwires. Jacksonville lost despite rolling out to a 17-0 lead by way of five first-half sacks and three Foles turnovers. The high-powered Chip Kelly offense looked out of sync from the opening snap - Foles had to throw his first pass away - and sputtered and ground to a halt. They did little on the ground. Foles looks great when he can get rid of the ball quickly, but in the first half, the Jags made him hold on to it, and problems ensued. Foles hit Zach Ertz perfectly down the seam for 20-25 to get the Eggles' opening drive going, but coughed the ball up on a sack the next play. Foles recognized the Jags rotating coverage and smartly didn't force the ball to his first read, but before he could make his next read, Jason Peters had gotten beat. A supposed all-pro has to do better than that on the opening series of the doggone season. Don't blame that sack on Foles. The next drive, Foles humorously "sprung" Shady McCoy for a 10-yard cutback run, cleverly getting in the DE's way without taking on any contact. After that, though, Foles might have wished he'd stuck to blocking. He threw a bad deep ball, over the wrong shoulder, for Jordan Matthews open behind the secondary, missing a chance at a TD. The whole half Foles had trouble finding receivers. He double-pumped on almost every dropback, including the second sack/fumble, which was all his fault. He got forever to throw, pumped once, then held the ball out and down by his thigh instead of re-setting. That just invited trouble, which came in happily without even bringing a side dish. Philly's third drive was little better and squandered great field position. Jeremy Maclin dropped a quick pass, not the greatest throw but catchable, and Foles settled for a dumpoff on 3rd-and-11. Foles got outplayed by Chad Freaking Henne the whole first half, too, as the Jagwire QB repeatedly stroked nice deep passes behind pathetic play by the Eggle secondary. Down 17-0, Foles responded by nearly getting picked off trying to force a pass to Maclin, and on 3rd-and-11, the Jagwire pass rush was on him in roughly a blink for their third sack. Foles finally got the Eggles in scoring range after a missed Jagwire TD, hitting Matthews in stride on a crossing route for 30, and firing a bullet to Maclin at the 5.

But just when the tide appeared to be turning, Foles put up a woeful end zone throw picked off easily by Alan Ball. Nick got fooled there. At the moment he threw, Brent Celek had gotten a great release on the slot DB, but the Jags were rotating coverage again, and a back-pedaling Ball moved in right on time. A blocked FG got Foles another chance before halftime, but mainly another chance to get pounded. He double-pumped and found Riley Cooper at midfield, but the next play, took a late hit (no flag from the incompetent Jeff Triplette) and got up limping with an apparent knee injury. (Get used to no flags for late hits now that you're a Rams QB.) Foles then got sacked a FOURTH time on 2nd down and settled for a dumpoff on 3rd-and-long. The Jagwires bailed him out once with a penalty but the Eggles continued to look completely out of sync. Foles threw a dumb deep ball into double coverage and was only spared a third INT because Jonathan Cyprien hit his head HARD on the turf and lost the ball while flat on his back unconscious. (That would prove a crucial injury for the Jags.) Foles avoided a couple of sacks after that but still got splattered for the FIFTH time at the 2:00 warning. Three Jags beat their blocks to blow up a screen pass where  Foles couldn't even get his arm cocked before getting hit. At least he fell on the loose ball. A miserable first half ended with Maclin getting tangled up in the end zone on an improvised deep ball.

Foles' first half was terrible - 12-24-139, 3 turnovers, 5 sacks - but he wasn't exactly getting a lot of help. Open receivers were rare. The Eggle WRs were all playing small and non-physical and the Jagwires were taking it to them. Pass protection was all-or-nothing. LG play was especially bad. Evan Mathis stunk on ice, and when he left the game after getting rolled up on, his replacement was even worse. And it took a long time to get the TEs and RBs more involved in the passing game. I assume Kelly calls the plays, though I am nostalgic for the chance to blame Pat Shurmur. Nick Foles is an accurate QB, lacks a great deep arm, throws pretty well on the move and looks especially good when he's getting the ball out really quickly, all very much like the guy he was traded for. The first half of this game, he saw all the conditions he's going to see as the Rams' QB. And it did not go well. At all.

It took several explosive plays by Darren Sproles, including a 40-plus-yard TD run on 4th down, to get the Eggles' fire lit. A couple of plays before that run, Foles badly missed another opportunity to hit Matthews wide open, this time over the middle, but the throw was again well behind him. It  looked like the Jag coverage scheme got much softer with Cyprien out, though, and Foles started taking advantage with a lot of his bread-and-butter, short, quick throws. The quick passing and the success of the running game now seemed to cool off the Jagwire pass rush, which was silent in the 2nd half.  On 3rd-and-5 the next drive, Foles feathered a perfect 25-yard TD pass to Ertz, who got behind the LBs on a simple post route and was wide open at the goal line between the safeties. Foles made a couple more nice throws on the move in the 3rd but took till the 4th getting the game tied up. He was key to that FG drive, though, with a strong sideline throw to Matthews on 3rd-and-6 and another 20-25-yarder to Ertz up the seam. Foles also survived another big late hit that wasn't flagged. He followed the FG drive with everyone's favorite, a 1-play TD drive, with a 68-yard bomb to Maclin. Cyprien's replacement bit extra-hard on a play-fake, which Foles/Kelly do a LOT, and Maclin was all alone behind the secondary, with time to stop and wait for the long ball before cruising away for the lead. That basically won the game. Henne, whose 2nd half was as bad as Foles' 1st, blew a 4th-down pass deep in his own end that gifted Philly a FG, and Fletcher Cox tacked on a defensive TD in the final minute for the 34-17 final score.

So, from this game, we see that Nick Foles is nothing if not resilient. That's a great leadership quality not to be dismissed lightly. Kind of like Sam Bradford, he's good-to-very-good making quick reads and getting the ball out quickly. Kind of like Sam Bradford, his arm is good enough to make strong short-area sideline passes. And, kind of like Sam Bradford, he has some athleticism and mobility but it's not a part of his game he uses that much to make plays. He very much sticks with his throws and didn't take off upfield once despite all the pass pressure he got. Bradford's deep ball rarely impressed me, but Foles' looked worse here, as he lacked timing and accuracy. After his eye-popping 27 TD, 2 INT 2013 season, the Jags made Nick Foles look pretty ordinary a lot of this game.

Obviously, this is only one game, but the first half of it is a worry looking ahead to Nick Foles QBing the Rams. With a defense taking the quick passing game away, he didn't look any better than Austin Davis looked last year in similar conditions. Foles' biggest advantage is his quick thinking and quick throwing, and with all the pass-action he did in Philly, he'll be a natural to do a lot of that in St. Louis. The Ram offense hasn't been the quick-throwing offense Foles ran in Philadelphia, though. Jared Cook has yet to prove the kind of reliable TE target he had in Ertz, and the Rams have no receiver playing at Maclin's speed and level. The o-line will have three new starters and may start two rookies, a 2nd-year tackle and a center with no career starts. The Rams gained some advantages when they dealt Bradford for Foles; namely, healthy knees (I think) and a 2nd-round pick in 2016. But to have an advantage when they actually have Foles under center, they may have to depend on the kind of resilience he showed in this game.

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