By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Friday, Aug. 05 2005
Coach Mike Martz didn't really mean it the way it sounded Friday when,
discussing offensive lineman Rex Tucker, he said, "When I watched him practice
at guard, there was no question in my mind he'd make a good tackle."
Granted, Tucker was a bit of a disappointment early at training camp. A
six-year veteran signed as a free agent to a one-year, $590,000 contract in
April, Tucker had been penciled in as the starting left guard. But he was slow
to grasp the Rams' system, and Martz even wondered publicly whether Tucker
would make the 53-man roster.
"He'd better get it in gear," Martz grumbled.
Just a few days later, however, Tucker is a first-teamer again, but at right
tackle. "I'm happy as can be," said Tucker, 28. But he's not surprised. "Hey,
in this game, nothing surprises me," he said.
Two developments since practice began July 28 led to the switch:
First, stout play by rookie Claude Terrell, a fourth-round draft
pick, convinced the coaching staff that he could man the left guard spot
effectively.
Second, Grant Williams' back flared up, compounding a shortage of
personnel at tackle. Williams had taken over on the first unit for Blaine
Saipaia, who was moved into a backup role at guard.
An MRI showed inflammation in Williams' lower back, a condition he also
suffered in 2003. "It's nothing new, just a re-aggravation," Williams said.
He's expected to be sidelined a week to 10 days.
Of course, had first-round pick
Alex Barron signed and arrived at Rams Park on
time, all the juggling might have been avoided. Martz essentially handed Barron
the right-tackle job just days after the draft.
But Barron remains a holdout, and with each day that passes, his chance of
contributing appreciably this season dwindles.
Tucker's older brother, Ryan, started 31 games at right tackle during five
seasons with the Rams (1997-2001), but Rex hasn't played the position since his
days at Texas A&M. About 30 minutes after practice ended Friday morning, he
remained on the field under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Jackie Slater.
"He's the best right tackle that ever played," said Tucker, 6 feet 5 and 315
pounds. "It was great to have him give you that extra time and coach you up on
things that you need to learn; things that'll help you block people."
Tucker emphasized there is a lot to learn. "It is an adjustment," he
said. "There are a lot of things: the stances, the timing, the playing in
space. There are a lot of differences. But that's part of this game....
"I'm just going to do the best I can at what they ask me to do. That's all
there is to it."
Martz indicated that tackle might be Tucker's natural position anyway. "That's
probably where he belongs," Martz said. "We felt like he was going to have to
play for us at guard, but having Claude come in and do what he's done, it's a
bonus for us. Now we can take Rex and groom him to be a right tackle.
"We'll see how he does out there. But I liked what I saw" Friday.
Not as many injuries
A year ago at this time, 13 players had landed on the Rams' injury report at
camp. Six of them would miss significant playing time.
Today, a mere eight are listed, and none of the injuries appears to be serious.
Martz believes that a shift in routine, in which he deploys a two-hour morning
workout (usually in pads), followed by a shorter, low-stress afternoon
practice, is at least partly responsible.
"It's cut way down on our injuries, and the attention and the focus is way
better than it's ever been," Martz said. "They're not just trying to survive
practice now. We've gotten more complicated at a higher level than we've ever
done (in camp) before.
"It's better than what I thought it'd be. Now ... let's just see how we play."
Linear Mode
