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Rams' offensive line shows improvement against Redskins
BY BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/21/2009
LANDOVER, Md. — In an odd scene Sunday in the visiting locker room at FedEx Field, veteran center Jason Brown was repenting previous sins in front of his locker while rookie tackle Jason Smith was repelling reporters' questions at his.
Making it clear that he'd learned his lesson, Brown promised that his jaw-jacking days were over.
"The thing to do is talk with your pads," Brown said after the Rams' 9-7 loss to the Washington Redskins. "I was humbled today, and I'm going to stay humbled."
During training camp, Brown mocked Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, implying that the 6-foot-6, 350-pounder wilts during games.
"I'm so glad we're playing Washington early in the year because it's going to be hot and ... he's going to get fatigued," Brown told WXOS (101.1 FM) radio in August. "He just falls down to the ground ... giving the guy on the sidelines enough time to mosey on out there so (Haynesworth) can get up, go to the sidelines, catch a breather, get something to drink, and then he comes right back out."
The comments provided bulletin-board material for the Redskins, who dangled a seven-year, $100 million contract to sign Haynesworth in the offseason.
Brown and Haynesworth met at midfield after the final whistle. "I apologized," Brown said. "He and I have played against each other several times, and he knows that no matter what I say, I respect him. And I know that he respects me. We shook hands."
A more urgent issue for Brown is the knee injury he sustained Sunday. Although Brown missed only a handful of plays, ligament damage is suspected.
Smith also went down with what is believed to be torn cartilage in his knee. He sat out the second half.
Afterward, Smith refused to even acknowledge the injury. When first asked about it, the No. 2 overall selection in the draft replied: "I feel real bad I wasn't able to be with the guys on the field."
Pressed further, Smith said: "We didn't win the game, and obviously we've got to learn from our mistakes and get ready for our next opponent."
Was Smith suggesting that he wasn't hurt? "Tomorrow we're going to come in and lift some weights, watch some film and get our mistakes corrected and get ready for next week's game," he said.
Whether either or both can be ready when the Green Bay Packers show up at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday won't be known at least until after they have MRI exams today.
Despite their problems, the offensive line rallied after a shaky start vs. the Redskins. Quarterback Marc Bulger was sacked once and slammed into several other times. But overall, it was a decent showing for the front five.
"They opened up for Steven (Jackson) running the ball, and we got in a nice rhythm," Bulger said. "We've started to become balanced (21 runs, 28 passes), which is good."
The Rams scored their first points of the season on a 10-play, 84-yard drive that took 4 minutes, 2 seconds off the clock. Bulger found wideout Laurent Robinson in the left corner of the end zone with a fade pass for a 2-yard touchdown that made it 7-6 late in the first half.
Their lone excursion into the red zone in the second was snuffed when wideout Donnie Avery lost a fumble inside the 10-yard line.
Jackson picked up 104 yards on 17 carries, including a 58-yard burst during the TD march, and the Rams outrushed the 'Skins, albeit only slightly: 126 yards to 125.
"That's definitely encouraging, being able to move the ball," Adam Goldberg said. "But moving the ball doesn't move the scoreboard; getting the ball across the goal line and through the uprights does."
BY BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/21/2009
LANDOVER, Md. — In an odd scene Sunday in the visiting locker room at FedEx Field, veteran center Jason Brown was repenting previous sins in front of his locker while rookie tackle Jason Smith was repelling reporters' questions at his.
Making it clear that he'd learned his lesson, Brown promised that his jaw-jacking days were over.
"The thing to do is talk with your pads," Brown said after the Rams' 9-7 loss to the Washington Redskins. "I was humbled today, and I'm going to stay humbled."
During training camp, Brown mocked Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, implying that the 6-foot-6, 350-pounder wilts during games.
"I'm so glad we're playing Washington early in the year because it's going to be hot and ... he's going to get fatigued," Brown told WXOS (101.1 FM) radio in August. "He just falls down to the ground ... giving the guy on the sidelines enough time to mosey on out there so (Haynesworth) can get up, go to the sidelines, catch a breather, get something to drink, and then he comes right back out."
The comments provided bulletin-board material for the Redskins, who dangled a seven-year, $100 million contract to sign Haynesworth in the offseason.
Brown and Haynesworth met at midfield after the final whistle. "I apologized," Brown said. "He and I have played against each other several times, and he knows that no matter what I say, I respect him. And I know that he respects me. We shook hands."
A more urgent issue for Brown is the knee injury he sustained Sunday. Although Brown missed only a handful of plays, ligament damage is suspected.
Smith also went down with what is believed to be torn cartilage in his knee. He sat out the second half.
Afterward, Smith refused to even acknowledge the injury. When first asked about it, the No. 2 overall selection in the draft replied: "I feel real bad I wasn't able to be with the guys on the field."
Pressed further, Smith said: "We didn't win the game, and obviously we've got to learn from our mistakes and get ready for our next opponent."
Was Smith suggesting that he wasn't hurt? "Tomorrow we're going to come in and lift some weights, watch some film and get our mistakes corrected and get ready for next week's game," he said.
Whether either or both can be ready when the Green Bay Packers show up at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday won't be known at least until after they have MRI exams today.
Despite their problems, the offensive line rallied after a shaky start vs. the Redskins. Quarterback Marc Bulger was sacked once and slammed into several other times. But overall, it was a decent showing for the front five.
"They opened up for Steven (Jackson) running the ball, and we got in a nice rhythm," Bulger said. "We've started to become balanced (21 runs, 28 passes), which is good."
The Rams scored their first points of the season on a 10-play, 84-yard drive that took 4 minutes, 2 seconds off the clock. Bulger found wideout Laurent Robinson in the left corner of the end zone with a fade pass for a 2-yard touchdown that made it 7-6 late in the first half.
Their lone excursion into the red zone in the second was snuffed when wideout Donnie Avery lost a fumble inside the 10-yard line.
Jackson picked up 104 yards on 17 carries, including a 58-yard burst during the TD march, and the Rams outrushed the 'Skins, albeit only slightly: 126 yards to 125.
"That's definitely encouraging, being able to move the ball," Adam Goldberg said. "But moving the ball doesn't move the scoreboard; getting the ball across the goal line and through the uprights does."
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