Now Barron needs to reduce mistakes: NOTEBOOK
By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Aug. 01 2006
It's not as if tackle
Alex Barron arrived in the NFL last year lugging a bunch
of excess weight: His body-fat was measured at a mere 7 percent just before the
Rams grabbed him in the first round of the draft.
Still, Barron made honing his body a priority in the offseason. After working
with fitness guru Tom Shaw in Orlando, Fla., Barron showed up for training camp
with a noticeably thicker chest and trimmer waistline. The 6-foot-7 Barron
played at about 320 pounds last year; now he checks in at just over 300.
"That was something I wanted to do," said Barron, 23. "I knew it would help me
if I got a little stronger. If it came by losing weight ... it really didn't
matter to me."
Coach Scott Linehan is pleased with Barron's new look, saying he'd like for him
to play at "310-ish." Now Linehan wants to see the same kind of improvement in
Barron's on-field discipline.
"He's still a young player, and he makes mistakes ... more pre-snap than
post-snap. He still has those issues," Linehan said. "I'm not harping on the
negative; it's just that he's got to grow up. The tackle position requires a
lot of anticipation and being smart. There are a lot of tricks of the trade
he's got to learn."
Barron agreed that trimming back on unforced errors, such as false-start
penalties, is a high-priority issue.
"I believe if you get the mental aspect of the game down, everything else will
just come to you," he said. "There are a lot of guys out there who aren't as
big and strong or as fast as the guy in front of them or beside them, but
they're smart players and they use that to their advantage."
Barron was woefully behind last year after missing 21 training-camp practices
in a contract dispute. "When I got here, camp was about over with," he pointed
out. "It was kind of difficult. I had to learn the plays, learn the system,
just coming from college and the different speed of the game."
But Barron rallied impressively and by Week 4 was the starting right tackle. An
accomplished pass-blocker coming out of Florida State, Barron held the position
the rest of the season, although he missed two games with a thumb injury that
required surgery.
Now, Linehan stressed, he needs to take another step. "You've got to make great
strides from your rookie year to your second year," Linehan said. "But he's
making really good progress. I'm happy with him."
Faulk makes room for Hill
Running back Marshall Faulk has been shifted to the "reserve/PUP" (physically
unable to perform) list, which officially ends his season. Faulk underwent
surgery on his right knee Friday in Los Angeles but might need more work on the
knee.
Faulk originally was on the "active/PUP" list, which meant he could have been
reinstated to the roster at any time. The new designation freed up a roster
spot for cornerback
Tye Hill, the first-round draft pick who signed a five-year
contract Sunday and practiced for the first time Monday.
Mornings off for Bruce
Linehan plans to excuse wide receiver Isaac Bruce from most of morning work on
two-practice days, limiting him to "mental reps." Linehan indicated that he may
extend the courtesy to some other veterans, too.
Linehan explained that in his experience, veterans "who are accountable and
always in their (play)books get it done" without major doses of physical work
on the field during camp. He said Bruce had shown that he was "comfortable with
the terminology and the newness of things."
"The other thing is, he works out before practice and after practice," Linehan
said. "He has an unbelievable training regimen, and he stays in great shape
anyway. So I'm not worried about him."
Ram-blings
An intrasquad scrimmage has been scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Saturday at Rams
Park, replacing the scheduled 3:15 p.m. practice. The scrimmage is open to the
public. ... Punter Matt Turk, bothered by fluid build-up behind his right
(kicking) knee, has cut back on his reps. He's competing with Andy Groom, who
has impressed.
Linear Mode
