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O-line's subs rise to occasion
By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, Nov. 14 2004
Orlando Pace had been ejected. Chris Dishman had been injured. And suddenly the
Rams' offensive line sported a new look.
Grant Williams moved from right tackle to Pace's spot at left tackle. Blaine
Saipaia took over at right tackle. Tom Nutten slid into Dishman's left guard
position. And the Rams' offensive line didn't miss a beat in the last
quarter-plus in a 23-12 victory Sunday over Seattle at Edward Jones Dome.
"It's kind of like the worst-case scenario," said Saipaia, who had appeared in
one game in four previous NFL seasons - on special teams. "But everybody on the
line all are players. You plug us in anywhere, and we'll all perform and give
you a good product."
Good enough to stand tall in a brutish 86-yard drive on the Rams' last
possession that culminated in a 23-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins and a
virtually insurmountable two- score spread with 26 seconds remaining.
Dishman suffered a sprained right knee early in the third quarter and will have
an MRI today. He returned for one series "but it was just giving out on me. So
I think Tommy was a better choice," he said.
Other than a brief goal-line appearance earlier this year in San Francisco,
Nutten hadn't played in an NFL game since 2002. He retired before the start of
the 2003 season but was lured back by coach Mike Martz in late August when the
Rams were severely short-handed on the offensive line.
"Obviously, there was pressure; I'd be lying if I'd say it was like riding a
bike," said Nutten, who has been bothered by a toe injury and was inactive for
six of the first eight games. Nutten was a Rams starter from 1999 through 2002,
a span that included two Super Bowl appearances.
"We've won an awful lot of games with Tommy Nutten at the left guard spot,"
Martz said. "Tommy came in and did just an extraordinary job."
Pace was tossed with 5 minutes 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter. He
was involved in a scrum after the Seahawks recovered a fumble by Rams running
back Marshall Faulk. Referee Bill Leavy said he saw Pace "pull the side judge
(Don Carlson) down to the ground" during the scuffle, but Pace contended that
he was "just trying to hold myself up ... I'd never intentionally try to hit a
referee."
Williams manned left tackle for the first time since the preseason. He said
swapping sides is "not fun. But fortunately you don't have time to think about
it."
And on came Saipaia, a free-agent pickup on Sept. 8 who hadn't been on the
45-man roster for any of the first eight games. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound
Colorado State product asserted himself with a rousing first series that
included a "pancake" block on his initial snap.
"The guys really rallied around me, to keep me calm and keep me focused,"
Saipaia said. "I'm proud of myself, but I'm especially proud of my teammates
for (supporting) me. I really appreciate them for doing that and not really
losing hope or focus when I got in there."
The offensive line had been struggling, and Williams acknowledged that the
stress was wearing. "You could feel some pressure during the week," he said.
"We practiced harder, and I think it showed. We weren't necessarily perfect,
but you could just tell the determination."
That was especially evident on the Rams' final drive, an 11-play march that
featured nine running plays and trimmed 5:35 off the clock. "That was
definitely a good feeling," Williams said. "We had put ourselves in a position
where we knew we were going to get to run the ball, which is what all linemen
really want to do. And we knew if we get some first downs here, it's our game."
When Wilkins' kick went through, "It kind of put the cherry on top of
everything," Nutten said. "I kind of had to sit on the field for a second and
savor the moment for a little bit."
By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, Nov. 14 2004
Orlando Pace had been ejected. Chris Dishman had been injured. And suddenly the
Rams' offensive line sported a new look.
Grant Williams moved from right tackle to Pace's spot at left tackle. Blaine
Saipaia took over at right tackle. Tom Nutten slid into Dishman's left guard
position. And the Rams' offensive line didn't miss a beat in the last
quarter-plus in a 23-12 victory Sunday over Seattle at Edward Jones Dome.
"It's kind of like the worst-case scenario," said Saipaia, who had appeared in
one game in four previous NFL seasons - on special teams. "But everybody on the
line all are players. You plug us in anywhere, and we'll all perform and give
you a good product."
Good enough to stand tall in a brutish 86-yard drive on the Rams' last
possession that culminated in a 23-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins and a
virtually insurmountable two- score spread with 26 seconds remaining.
Dishman suffered a sprained right knee early in the third quarter and will have
an MRI today. He returned for one series "but it was just giving out on me. So
I think Tommy was a better choice," he said.
Other than a brief goal-line appearance earlier this year in San Francisco,
Nutten hadn't played in an NFL game since 2002. He retired before the start of
the 2003 season but was lured back by coach Mike Martz in late August when the
Rams were severely short-handed on the offensive line.
"Obviously, there was pressure; I'd be lying if I'd say it was like riding a
bike," said Nutten, who has been bothered by a toe injury and was inactive for
six of the first eight games. Nutten was a Rams starter from 1999 through 2002,
a span that included two Super Bowl appearances.
"We've won an awful lot of games with Tommy Nutten at the left guard spot,"
Martz said. "Tommy came in and did just an extraordinary job."
Pace was tossed with 5 minutes 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter. He
was involved in a scrum after the Seahawks recovered a fumble by Rams running
back Marshall Faulk. Referee Bill Leavy said he saw Pace "pull the side judge
(Don Carlson) down to the ground" during the scuffle, but Pace contended that
he was "just trying to hold myself up ... I'd never intentionally try to hit a
referee."
Williams manned left tackle for the first time since the preseason. He said
swapping sides is "not fun. But fortunately you don't have time to think about
it."
And on came Saipaia, a free-agent pickup on Sept. 8 who hadn't been on the
45-man roster for any of the first eight games. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound
Colorado State product asserted himself with a rousing first series that
included a "pancake" block on his initial snap.
"The guys really rallied around me, to keep me calm and keep me focused,"
Saipaia said. "I'm proud of myself, but I'm especially proud of my teammates
for (supporting) me. I really appreciate them for doing that and not really
losing hope or focus when I got in there."
The offensive line had been struggling, and Williams acknowledged that the
stress was wearing. "You could feel some pressure during the week," he said.
"We practiced harder, and I think it showed. We weren't necessarily perfect,
but you could just tell the determination."
That was especially evident on the Rams' final drive, an 11-play march that
featured nine running plays and trimmed 5:35 off the clock. "That was
definitely a good feeling," Williams said. "We had put ourselves in a position
where we knew we were going to get to run the ball, which is what all linemen
really want to do. And we knew if we get some first downs here, it's our game."
When Wilkins' kick went through, "It kind of put the cherry on top of
everything," Nutten said. "I kind of had to sit on the field for a second and
savor the moment for a little bit."
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