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Monday, September 13, 2004
By Nick Wagoner
Staff Writer
Patchwork. Pieced together. Makeshift. Pick an adjective and the Rams’ offensive line was called it during the preseason. As the injuries mounted, the questions about the unit became as big as the men who played on it.
With one regular season game down and a win on its record, St. Louis answered many of those questions with a resounding response. The starting group consisted of Orlando Pace (left tackle), Chris Dishman (left guard), Andy McCollum (center), Adam Timmerman (right guard) and Grant Williams (right tackle), playing its first game together.
Finishing with zero sacks leading to 272 passing yards and a piledriving effort in the trenches that resulted in 176 rushing yards, the offensive line did more than jell, it dominated.
After struggling with a trio of turnovers in the first quarter, the Rams decided to put it on the line, ramming (no pun intended) the ball down Arizona’s throat, leading the way to a 17-10 win at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday. The win was St. Louis’ first victory in an opener since it beat Philadelphia in 2001.
Rams’ coach Mike Martz said he was more than pleased with the dominance of his offensive line.
“I told our staff today that I felt like this is probably the best performance of an offensive line since I’ve been here,” Martz said. “Anytime you rush for those kind of yards and don’t give up any sacks, that’s a pretty exceptional day for any offensive line.”
On the surface, it seemed like it would be difficult to put the line together in time to have any kind of continuity entering the regular season. Somehow, someway, the Rams made it work.
The injury bug hit early when right tackle Kyle Turley left camp with back problems. Pace was absent on the other side because of a contract stalemate, leaving the Rams without either of their top-flight tackles. To make matters worse, center Dave Wohlabaugh struggled with a nagging hip injury, forcing left guard Andy McCollum to slide back to his center position.
The only sure thing was Timmerman, who was forced to play through pain in his shoulder, just so the group could have some kind of consistent presence. Instead of crying over their losses, St. Louis got proactive, seeking help in the form of available free agents and looking within its own roster for possible help.
Williams, who has been a steady hand in his time with the team, manned Pace’s position admirably, even playing on a badly sprained ankle. Scott Tercero was the utility man of the group, sliding between the two tackle spots and left guard at various times. In his second year, Tercero came of age, providing the Rams with a valuable commodity off the bench.
Aside from the homegrown talent, St. Louis went shopping and found a high school football coach in Nebraska. Chris Dishman, who did nothing but win as a road-grading guard for the Cornhuskers in college, retired from the league after eight seasons in Arizona. When the Rams came calling, Dishman was out of shape and coaching the Lincoln Northstar Gators.
Dishman was unable to pass on the opportunity to play for a contender after leaving the Cardinals and reported to camp on Aug. 8. Since his arrival, Dishman has lost around 20 pounds. He overcame an ankle injury and a case of gout to claim the starting spot at left guard.
With four spots accounted for, the only missing piece was the biggest. Pace arrived at Rams Park on Sept. 8, leaving him about four practices to get used to his new linemates. Pace came in 16 pounds under where he was the year before, saying he felt light years better. Apparently, the time he spent was plenty to get where he wanted to be. Pace started at left tackle and was his usual, dominant self.
Martz said Pace’s play never ceases to amaze him.
“Big O hasn’t missed a beat,” Martz said. “It’s like he’d been at camp, probably a good argument to keep everybody out of camp until the opener. If they were all like Big O, it would probably be to do.”
The group played most of the game like it had been together for years, tossing the Arizona defense around like rag dolls. Williams made a seamless transition to the right side, Dishman looked like he had been watching game film instead of fishing and coaching and McCollum looked his best at his best position.
Martz said McCollum’s looked at home at center.
“I’ve been with him all these years and this is, by far, the best he’s ever played,” Martz said. “(He is) very intelligent and yet very physical and athletic. We pull him, we do everything with him. He has just been exceptional.”
The group probably wouldn’t have come together as it did without the help of some coaching. Chemistry, after all, isn’t created overnight. For that kind of cohesiveness to develop, someone has to be overseeing the process.
Martz said his pair of offensive line coaches were the right people to bring the group together so quickly.
“You’ve got to go back and give John Benton and John Matsko credit,” Martz said. “I think they’ve done a terrific job of keeping this thing together. We’ve had all kinds of different combinations in there throughout training camp, but they’ve kept everybody focused… Somebody has got to be doing some coaching out there; I think both of those guys have done a great job.”
After the offensive line’s performance against the Cardinals, adjectives such as dominant, tough and powerful were bandied about. Not bad for a group that only a week ago was one of the team’s biggest concerns.
By Nick Wagoner
Staff Writer
Patchwork. Pieced together. Makeshift. Pick an adjective and the Rams’ offensive line was called it during the preseason. As the injuries mounted, the questions about the unit became as big as the men who played on it.
With one regular season game down and a win on its record, St. Louis answered many of those questions with a resounding response. The starting group consisted of Orlando Pace (left tackle), Chris Dishman (left guard), Andy McCollum (center), Adam Timmerman (right guard) and Grant Williams (right tackle), playing its first game together.
Finishing with zero sacks leading to 272 passing yards and a piledriving effort in the trenches that resulted in 176 rushing yards, the offensive line did more than jell, it dominated.
After struggling with a trio of turnovers in the first quarter, the Rams decided to put it on the line, ramming (no pun intended) the ball down Arizona’s throat, leading the way to a 17-10 win at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday. The win was St. Louis’ first victory in an opener since it beat Philadelphia in 2001.
Rams’ coach Mike Martz said he was more than pleased with the dominance of his offensive line.
“I told our staff today that I felt like this is probably the best performance of an offensive line since I’ve been here,” Martz said. “Anytime you rush for those kind of yards and don’t give up any sacks, that’s a pretty exceptional day for any offensive line.”
On the surface, it seemed like it would be difficult to put the line together in time to have any kind of continuity entering the regular season. Somehow, someway, the Rams made it work.
The injury bug hit early when right tackle Kyle Turley left camp with back problems. Pace was absent on the other side because of a contract stalemate, leaving the Rams without either of their top-flight tackles. To make matters worse, center Dave Wohlabaugh struggled with a nagging hip injury, forcing left guard Andy McCollum to slide back to his center position.
The only sure thing was Timmerman, who was forced to play through pain in his shoulder, just so the group could have some kind of consistent presence. Instead of crying over their losses, St. Louis got proactive, seeking help in the form of available free agents and looking within its own roster for possible help.
Williams, who has been a steady hand in his time with the team, manned Pace’s position admirably, even playing on a badly sprained ankle. Scott Tercero was the utility man of the group, sliding between the two tackle spots and left guard at various times. In his second year, Tercero came of age, providing the Rams with a valuable commodity off the bench.
Aside from the homegrown talent, St. Louis went shopping and found a high school football coach in Nebraska. Chris Dishman, who did nothing but win as a road-grading guard for the Cornhuskers in college, retired from the league after eight seasons in Arizona. When the Rams came calling, Dishman was out of shape and coaching the Lincoln Northstar Gators.
Dishman was unable to pass on the opportunity to play for a contender after leaving the Cardinals and reported to camp on Aug. 8. Since his arrival, Dishman has lost around 20 pounds. He overcame an ankle injury and a case of gout to claim the starting spot at left guard.
With four spots accounted for, the only missing piece was the biggest. Pace arrived at Rams Park on Sept. 8, leaving him about four practices to get used to his new linemates. Pace came in 16 pounds under where he was the year before, saying he felt light years better. Apparently, the time he spent was plenty to get where he wanted to be. Pace started at left tackle and was his usual, dominant self.
Martz said Pace’s play never ceases to amaze him.
“Big O hasn’t missed a beat,” Martz said. “It’s like he’d been at camp, probably a good argument to keep everybody out of camp until the opener. If they were all like Big O, it would probably be to do.”
The group played most of the game like it had been together for years, tossing the Arizona defense around like rag dolls. Williams made a seamless transition to the right side, Dishman looked like he had been watching game film instead of fishing and coaching and McCollum looked his best at his best position.
Martz said McCollum’s looked at home at center.
“I’ve been with him all these years and this is, by far, the best he’s ever played,” Martz said. “(He is) very intelligent and yet very physical and athletic. We pull him, we do everything with him. He has just been exceptional.”
The group probably wouldn’t have come together as it did without the help of some coaching. Chemistry, after all, isn’t created overnight. For that kind of cohesiveness to develop, someone has to be overseeing the process.
Martz said his pair of offensive line coaches were the right people to bring the group together so quickly.
“You’ve got to go back and give John Benton and John Matsko credit,” Martz said. “I think they’ve done a terrific job of keeping this thing together. We’ve had all kinds of different combinations in there throughout training camp, but they’ve kept everybody focused… Somebody has got to be doing some coaching out there; I think both of those guys have done a great job.”
After the offensive line’s performance against the Cardinals, adjectives such as dominant, tough and powerful were bandied about. Not bad for a group that only a week ago was one of the team’s biggest concerns.
