C Brown Returns To Practice, As Promised

St Louis Rams Team Report

by eldfan

When you are the coach of a team that is 0-2, has lost 12 consecutive games and is 5-29 since the start of the 2007 season, fragile can be the psyche.
It's why coach Steve Spagnuolo is trying to stay consistent, and emphasizing the positive as the Rams prepare for their home opener Sunday against Green Bay.

While noting the fact that the offense had three possessions of 10 plays or more and the defense prevented the Redskins from scoring touchdowns on four trips to the red zone, Spagnuolo acknowledged, "We have a lot to work on. As I told the team, I'm disappointed, but not discouraged. We have to continue to emphasize the details, because this loss came down to the details."

Yes, the Rams had those three possessions that totaled 33 plays. But they managed just one touchdown, and there were only 17 plays on their other five possessions.

Yes, the Rams stopped the Redskins in the red zone, but four of Washington's possessions lasted 55 plays, gained 302 yards and took 27:04 off the clock. Overall, the Redskins ran 70 plays to the Rams' 50 and had the ball for 34:53.

Spagnuolo added, "There's no moral victories in this league. But I'm mostly disappointed in the fact that we've got a football team that works their butts off, and they haven't had a chance to feel victory yet. We've got a long ways to go here.

"It is a cliche that you take one or two plays out of a game and the outcome changes. But in this particular (game), that would be true. Because there were certain plays in there that if they went differently, we might be on the other end of the win-loss column."

Two of the plays were a fumble by Donnie Avery at the Washington 5-yard line in the fourth quarter that stopped a drive, and a sack of quarterback Jason Campbell on which he barely got out of the end zone.

Said Avery, "I was just trying to get more yards. I was trying to get YAC (yards after the catch) on the play, and ended up fumbling. I let the team down."

Adam Goldberg, who replaced rookie Jason Smith at right tackle in the first half after Smith injured his knee, said, "We know as a team we have to tidy things up and go out and get it done. We all feel this way. It's time to get it done and go out and get a W."

NOTES, QUOTES

�Quarterback Marc Bulger received treatment after the Washington game for a sore back that was the result of a three-yard run in the second half. Bulger went into a slide, but that didn't stop two Redskins players from hitting him. Bulger wasn't pleased that a penalty wasn't called on the play. The Rams called time out to allow Bulger to recover, and during the break, he made his point to referee Jerome Boger.

After the game, Bulger said, "I think my thoughts were obvious. But I don't want to go back and re-hash it."

Early in...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-09-23-2009, 04:20 PM
Newest additions practice

by RamWraith

By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Monday, Jul. 30 2007

When the phone calls came Saturday, Milford Brown was working out in Phoenix
and Jamal Brooks was at a mall in Raleigh, N.C. A day later, both were on the
practice field with the Rams, the newest additions to a training camp roster
that numbers 86.

"My plane got in at 1:30 a.m., and it took about 45 minutes to get my luggage,"
said Brown, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound guard. "I got to the hotel about 2:30, and I
was up at 6:30 and went through a full practice."

Asked what his plans were before Sunday's second workout, Brown said, "I'm
going to sleep. Hopefully, I'll have a couple of dreams."

Brown seemed to be fulfilling his NFL dream pretty well. He made Houston's
lineup in 2005 and then started 12 games last year in Arizona. But Brown lost
his job to Reggie Wells, and in June, the Cardinals asked him to take a pay
cut. He declined and was released.

"They were trying to go in a different direction, so I just figured I'd start
fresh," said Brown, a Florida State product from Montgomery, Ala.

Brown started both games against the Rams last year, and he made an impression.

"I thought he played pretty well," coach Scott Linehan said. "He's very
physical. He's got a little mean streak in him, too."

Brown is the fifth guard on the roster, and all have started in the NFL. Only
four figure to make the final roster. Richie Incognito and Mark Setterstrom
should be locks, so Brown will battle Claude Terrell and Adam Goldberg for the
last spot.

Brooks, 6-2 and 238 pounds, is a linebacker who is valued most for his
special-teams work. He played in seven games with the Rams last year.

WADE IN DEEP

With cornerback Fakhir Brown facing a four-game suspension to start the season,
rookie Jonathan Wade is getting a crash course during camp. The speedy Wade, a
third-round draft pick, originally was a wide receiver at Tennessee. He also
was a track All-American.

"I really anticipate he's going to continue to compete to be on the field on
defense, whether he's at corner or in the nickel spot or wherever it is,"
Linehan said. "That's our goal, and he's not disappointing."

100 PERCENT

Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, who had shoulder surgery in the offseason and still
was limited in minicamp last month, has had no problems in contact drills.

"He's a hundred percent," Linehan said. "I don't see any reason that he's not
going to be just like he was before he hurt it."

RAM-BLINGS

Linebacker...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-07-30-2007, 04:55 AM
Brown Enjoys New View

by RamDez

Brown Enjoys New View
Friday, May 9, 2008
By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
If Josh Brown came to St. Louis from Seattle in search of escaping the relentless drizzle of rain and dreary days, he certainly has yet to find that relief.
As the drops keep falling and the temperatures keep dropping, Brown can�t help but feel like he�s still playing in the Pacific Northwest.
�There is lots and lots of rain,� Brown said. �I am sick of rain. But that�s what happens in the Midwest in April and May.�
Brown speaks with some authority about the vicissitudes of weather in the nation�s bread basket.. He grew up in Oklahoma and attended college in Nebraska.
While things might seem familiar to the Rams� prized free agent addition outside the Russell Training Center, they couldn�t be more different when he steps on to the football field.
After the retirement of long time Ram and record holding kicker Jeff Wilkins, the Rams wasted no time in finding a long term replacement. To do so, they turned to Brown, signing him to a lucrative five-year contract on March 2.
The signing of Brown served dual purposes, though as the Rams not only found a qualified replacement for Wilkins but also weakened NFC West Division rival Seattle.
�It is a little odd,� Brown said. �For so long you concentrated on making sure this team never beat you and now to be on the other side of the ball it is taking a little getting used to. Things are going well, I am happy with the change and looking forward to getting ready to play.�
For Brown, the choice wasn�t terribly difficult. A native of Tulsa, Okla., Brown wanted to move closer to home and when he was given the chance to become the highest paid kicker in the league and be as close to home as possible, the decision was easy.
As the Rams� full squad minicamp opened Friday afternoon, Brown expected to hear plenty about his exploits with the Seahawks. Brown had developed a reputation not only as one of the strongest legs in the league with Seattle but also for being a Ram killer in his time there.
In 2006, Brown kicked a pair of last-minute field goals, including a 54-yarder in St. Louis to beat the Rams twice. Those kicks kept the Rams from winning the division and ultimately out of the playoffs.
�I think every player on this team has probably ribbed me about that at least once,� Brown said. �It�s kind of building camaraderie, guys are joking with me about it and are able to joke now. I hope that is a good reputation that I bring that we are capable of finishing that way and I am making the big kick.�
Brown apparently has fit in right away with his new team. Players are quick to crack jokes but also acknowledge his ability to perform under pressure.
Of course, everyone is well aware that Brown isn�t exactly stepping into some small shoes. Wilkins holds almost every franchise record in scoring and kicking...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-05-10-2008, 09:08 AM
Good Article on Jason Brown

by lostsoul

NFL - Rams center Jason Brown grieves his brother's death in Iraq - ESPN The Magazine - ESPN

Good Article on Jason Brown

SOMETIMES JASON BROWN'S HANDSHAKES last a beat longer. It doesn't happen often. Brown, the Rams center, shakes a lot of hands -- those of fans, reporters, sponsors, marketers, anyone who wants a minute. Today, after an August practice, a group of soldiers dressed in fatigues and holding cameras and Sharpies waits to meet the team. Brown enters the line, filthy and wet, with dried blood on his knuckles and grass stuck to his limbs. Other Rams quickly cycle though the soldiers. After a decade of wars, most athletes have the routine down: grip, pump, pose, thank the "real heroes" for "keeping our country safe" and move on. That's not how Brown operates. He extends his right hand to the first soldier in line, an Air Force vet who's in his 20s. "It's an honor to meet you," the soldier says. Brown's left hand secures the troop's shoulder, and he smiles. "Thank you for your service," he says. Before Brown releases his grip, he spends a moment looking into the soldier's eyes, and his mind slips very far away.

A FOOTBALL TEAM is not a haven of worldly perspective. Most of the guys in the locker room are perfectly aware that their work is insignificant compared with that of those who fight wars. But to do their jobs, to keep from losing focus, they have to bury this awareness, the same way New Yorkers learn to walk past the homeless on their way to work. Football, after all, is an instrument that helps both players and fans forget about the real world.

Jason Brown's problem? Football only makes him remember.

On the surface, Brown has much to celebrate. At 28, he's one of the NFL's best centers on a young, playoff-ready team. He's in the third season of a five-year, $37.5 million contract, which drew him away from the Ravens in 2009. At 6'3", 328 pounds, he is stout with a low center of gravity, but he's also lithe enough to pull on runs and smart enough to read fronts and coverages.

Plus, Brown has great teeth. His wife, Tay, whom Jason married before his junior year at North Carolina, is a dentist. To his teammates, Brown is known as a good man, a man of God, a man whose deep voice and ruffled beard earned him the nickname Chef, after the character from South Park. But he's perhaps best known for flossing. Brown brings a bag of floss picks to meetings, and the linemen analyze video to the snap and pop of tartar-stained nylon. "They've got the best dental hygiene on the team," says running back Steven Jackson.

All in all, as he prepares for his seventh season, Brown can't quibble with the life football has given to him. "You want your cup to overflow," he says as he sits on a bench near the Rams' practice fields. "My cup is causing a flood."

Yet it's...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-09-09-2011, 12:31 PM
Brown back kicking with Rams

by Nick

Brown back kicking with Rams
BY KATHLEEN NELSON
Posted: Friday, August 20, 2010 5:30 am

For the first time in nearly two weeks, kicker Josh Brown sent a ball sailing through the uprights at Rams Park on Thursday.

"Felt pretty good," he said.

Brown hadn't kicked since injuring his hip flexor before the Rams' scrimmage at Lindenwood University on Aug. 7. He said he had been nursing a minor sore groin before warm-ups, when he felt "a deep, stabbing pain. Bam. It got progressively worse in the warm-up to the point where I couldn't move, so I just stopped."

To pass the time at practice, he and his teammates amused themselves as several of the Rams took a shot at Brown's craft. He said wide receiver Jordan Kent earned the highest marks.

"I think everybody enjoyed it with the humor that's behind it," Brown said, "But the real situation is that if something were to happen, somebody's got to go in. Jordan toward the end got to be more consistent and was trying to figure things out. I think a lot of the guys would never put themselves in that situation if they had the choice."

Brown was a fish out of water Saturday, when Shaun Suisham took his place on the field, and he sat with the injured players in one of the upper level boxes. The game was the first that Brown had missed in his eight-year career, preseason or otherwise.

"I kind of felt like a reporter," he said. "It was definitely interesting to see the game. I never watched an NFL game from the stands. It was enjoyable. Pretty good product."

Coach Steve Spagnuolo said he hoped to have Brown on the field Saturday, when the Rams face the Browns in Cleveland.

"I can't say that for definite right now," Spagnuolo said. "What we don't want to do is go out there and set him back."

Brown said he was ready, if needed. But his longest kick Thursday was from 35 yards, meaning that someone else could handle kickoffs.

Starters return

Spagnuolo said guard Jacob Bell would return to the starting lineup Saturday after suffering an abdominal strain two weeks ago. Bell's return means that all five members of the starting line will play together for the first time since the start of camp.

Also expected to play together for the first time are starting cornerbacks Ron Bartel (ankle) and Bradley Fletcher, pending Fletcher's evaluation after practice Thursday.

"You're talking about coming off a knee injury in less than a year," Spagnuolo said. "The speed out here is always different than the speed in games. We'll see how Bradley feels based on how he did today."

Playing time

Spagunolo said he expected the plan for quarterbacks A.J. Feeley and Sam Bradford to be similar to last...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-08-20-2010, 09:40 AM

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C Brown Returns To Practice, As Promised

C Brown Returns To Practice, As Promised

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