SB Nation - John Greco

Changing of the guards at Rams Park

VanRam — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:51:10 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Jacob Bell joins the pile.

On the same day the St. Louis Rams dumped troubled asset starting right guard Richie Incognito, they sent starting left guard Jacob Bell to the injured reserve list. One to purgatory, one to heaven or hell, depending on how you feel as a player being a member of the Rams.

That means the Rams will have three backup linemen when they take the field against the Houston Texans. One of the two remaining starters, Alex Barron, will have the unenviable task of containing Mario Williams who has four sacks in his last three games. In the middle, C Jason Brown will be flanked, most likely, by John Greco and Mark Setterstrom. As frustrating as it is to see two more starters off the roster, the silver lining here is getting Setterstrom and Greco some playing time. Setterstrom started six games in 2006 at guard, and made a real impression as a rookie. Injuries have limited his progress since then, but the Rams made resigning him during this offseason a priority. Second year man John Greco, a third round pick from the 2008 draft, is no stranger to filling in for Richie Incognito. The Toledo product started in Cog's place during the final game of the season last year; Richie was seen eating a candybar on the sidelines...connect the dots between here and there for Richie.

A flurry of other moves to bolster o-line depth: The Rams signed OT Ryan McKee who was released by the Jets. At 6' 6" 291 lbs, McKee may be more of a guard than anything, until he adds some weight. OT Eric Young was signed from the Rams practice squad to the active roster.

In two seasons with the Rams, Bell has dealt with injuries and played just 13 games in both seasons. Bell improved his play considerably this year, after playing through injuries and underwieght last season. The Rams need this guy to stay healthy, but since he hasn't shown the ability to play 16 games, it's good to get a look at the depth behind him.

I miss Jason Smith in the lineup.

Rams finished with Richie Incognito

VanRam — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:58:24 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

The end arrived for Incognito today.

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You want credibility, you got it. The St. Louis Rams released former starting RG RIchie Incognito this afternoon. Incognito committed two pretty blatant personal foul penalties that put the Rams offense in a bad spot against the Titans. It wasn't even the first game this year that Incognito had more than one personal foul called on him; in the opener against Seattle he had two flags for personal fouls that week too.

After that first game, Cogs got a talking to and played consistently well and level-headed...until this week. His "it's not my fault" routine with Spagnuolo, documented by the Fox camera crews yesterday, probably proved to be the final nail in his coffin.

Some team will snap him up. He has the talent, and some coach will think for sure that he has what it takes to keep him on the straight and narrow...or tolerate his antics. The Rams have depth at the guard position, though the news that Jacob Bell will most likely land on IR, ending his season, will stretch that depth. With Adam Goldberg filling in for the concussed Jason Smith at RT, Mark Setterstrom and John Greco will most likely be the Rams starting guards this week.

The call for Incognito's release from fans and the local media was impossible to miss in the wake of his most recent outing. Have to give him props on handling it with class though. Here's the meathead himself on Spags and the team:

I passed along to Spags and Billy. I told them they’re doing a wonderful job. I really do think Spags is doing a great job. It’s obvious what the team needs here _ and it’s talent. It’s not a lack of coaching. And it’s not a lack of desire. It’s just a lack of talent right now. And they’ll get that sorted out. They’re the right men for the job.

Snowball Effect: Random Ramsdom, 10/27

VanRam — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:56:54 -0000

Just when you thought 0-7 for the St. Louis Rams was enough bad news, comes a morning like this. What is it about struggling teams like the Rams and the snowball effect? What cosmic force looks down on this team and decides to heap additional punishment onto the Rams, on top of their general suckiness?

Let's delve into the bad news.

Fletcher likely to miss part of 2010 too - Here's the worst news of all this morning. Fletcher was looking like a real find for the Rams. Once a head scratcher of a pick in this year's draft, he was the poster boy for the new regime's drafts, righting the wrongs of the past. Not only could Fletcher now miss part of 2010, what happens when does come back? Is he the same player? Does he catch Tye Hill syndrome and never fully regain his ability and confidence after an injury? Add CB to the list of team needs. If the Rams do get a new stadium, wherever it might be, let's hope they dump the turf.

Witherspoon flies with Eagles - From the rubbing it in department...Will Witherspoon took off with his new team this week, scoring a TD, forcing a fumble, and splitting the atom. Ever notice that former Rams get better when they leave? Why is that?

Null could see mop up duty - Next time the Rams are down by 30 points or so, there's a chance that rookie QB Keith Null could see some playing time. Why not? Start turning this operation over the youngsters. His future may not be more than a backup, but let's have a look.

Goldberg to fill-in for Incognito - Nothing against Goldberg, but why not Setterstrom or Greco? Setterstrom has started at G before, and did quite well. Greco will assume Goldberg's swing OL role.

Vobora is back- He's no lock to play this week after sitting out the last four, but it's good to get him back on the team. The former Mr. Irrelevant has played well for the Rams this season.

Lions without Stafford this week? - The Lions could be without first overall pick Matt Stafford when they play the Rams this week.

Rams at Washington: Injury report

VanRam — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:36:20 -0000

It's game day, baby. And the St. Louis Rams have a second chance to get their season on track. We'll have a game thread up for kickoff. For now, here's a round-up of the morning yack yack...in link form.

WR Donnie Avery makes an allusion that there some more plays in the playbook that we'll see this week.
Why can't the Redskins play smarter football? And will the Rams use that to their advantage?
At some point, you've got to think Bulger, Jackson, and the guys who were there last year will get tired of losing games. They say they're ready today.

It's a pretty light injury list for the Rams and Redskins this week, eliminating that excuse. Here's the full list:

St. Louis Rams

Craig Dahl, S, Out (hamstring)

John Greco, T, Out (wrist)

Washington Redskins

Anthony Montgomery, DT, Questionable (knee)

Robert Henson, LB, Probable (illness)

Chris Samuels, T, Probable (knee)

Fred Smoot, CB, Questionable (rib)

Week 1: Rams 0, Seattle 28: Rams lose 11th consecutive division game

VanRam — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:00:34 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

The St. Louis Rams 2009 season started much like their 2008 season.

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Stop me if you've heard this one before...

The St. Louis Rams coughed up another one-sided loss. This week, they opened the season with a X-X loss to the hated Seattle Seahawks.

The Rams started the game auspiciously enough with a Donnie Avery fumble on a kick-return. The Rams defense quickly washed those horrible memories of recent Rams team away with a three-and-out. You can probably count on one hand how many red zone three-and-outs the Rams defense produced last season.

And then the offense came on the field. From there it's a familiar refrain. On the first snap of the first possession, Rams starting RB Richie Incognito gets flagged for a false start. After the defense put up another three-and-out (or did Seattle's offense just not have it's rhythm?), the second offensive drive crashed on the rocks of an Incognito unnecessary roughness. The more things change...

Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, not even the Keystone Cops themselves could have performed a better first quarter...first half really, except it got tragic by the half's dwindling minutes. A penalty for too many men on the field on a blocked field goal that would have made it 7-7 tells the whole story. That penalty made it 14-0. Worst case scenario, it would have been 10-0.

Throw in a missed 37-yard field goal and it suddenly it looks like something out of Cpt. Yossarian's imagination. Seahawks win 28-0, their first ever shutout of the Rams. And it could have been worse.

The mind-blowing

It could have been worse.
You spent your Sunday afternoon watching this game to through more than three quarters. I kept thinking my son would take his first steps and I'd be watching the fourth quarter of this game.
Bulger had more time in the pocket than maybe ever. And he still couldn't make throws. Only part of that goes on Bulger's shoulders though. Even when he went through his reads...oh...so...slowly, there would be plays where no receiver was to be found
The offensive line was shaky, at best. They did nothing in run blocking, except for getting runs called back. Coaches hid Steven Jackson after the first couple drives produced nothing, thanks in large part to the run blocking. C Jason Brown, with his pound to dollar contract, not only whiffed a call that resulted in a sack, he missed a snap because of crowd noise.
I've been a RIchie Incognito defender because they guy can block, but his penalties made him such a liability he was replaced by Adam Goldberg before game's end. Let the John Greco era being.
Was it the time on the field or was it a complete breakdown of morale? The defense had a bad case of the Charlie Browns as the second half went on.
Rams defensive ends were MIA.
So were players guarding Seattle TE John Carlson.
Um, the decision to carry just three receivers. Help wanted in this department.

Missing in Action...

Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of tricked out pass rush in Steve Spagnuolo's pimp my defense defense? The Rams seemingly brought nothing. Hasselbeck was hurried a couple times, but other than that the Rams finished the game with no sacks. Part of that was bad play from our defensive ends; part of that was playcalling.
Speaking of playcalling...those of you thinking the Rams were a run first team got a rude awakening. The run got dropped fast with the chips down. and the playcalling got predictable.
And that doesn't just apply to the running game with Steven Jackson. Where was the RB in the passing game? A few times I saw a runner open for a junk pass to move the ball a few yards, and nothing. The ball sailed elsewhere.

Uh, Highlights...

It's strange to come away from this game, as 3k said in the comments, with some confidence in the defense. Go back through the box score. Four Seattle possessions in the first quarter ended in turnovers. The other was a punt. The breakdowns that came in toward the end of the game were to be expected. That's something to build on.
The defensive tackles were not as bad as we might have thought. The defensive ends though...
Laurent Robinson can make plays. If Donnie Avery hadn't been so rusty, Robinson might have had more to work with, but since he was the only guy who could threaten a first down (barely) he got enough attention to keep him under wraps.
James Laurinaitis is a great addition to this defense. Let's not overlook a couple of mistakes; the rookie from Ohio State got duped on the play that made it 14-0, but he made some plays and generally looked in confident...even if his teammates didn't. He had a better game than Aaron Curry.
Some players showed a little fire...mostly too little, too late. I'm stretching here. Mull this over and we'll have more later.

I can't help but think about the brutal losses Spagnuolo's Giants suffered in the first two games of their 2007 Super Bowl season, not that I'm delusional enough to think the Rams could go to the Super Bowl. More than the power of motivation, belief and sticking with what works, I think that tale says more about a team being ready to play than anything else.

It was painfully obvious that missing three-quarters of the preseason hurt Marc Bulger. He looked lost out there at times, not knowing what to do with time in the pocket, but that's just a small part of the blame. The offensive line hasn't played together as a complete unit throughout most of the month of August, and even when it did it was never anything beyond practice. Donnie Avery is a talented receiver; you might have never guessed that tonight. The game ended before it began because of two stupid penalties by Richie Incogntio. The point I'm trying to make is that this was a team clearly not ready to play football, at least not the offense.

Things don't get any easier next week. The Redskins gave the Giants a run for their money today. The Rams may not be a favorite in that game, but they can't afford to come out like this again.

Rams at Seattle, week 1 injury report

VanRam — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:01:06 -0000

Here's the injury report for the St. Louis Rams week one opener at the Seattle Seahawks, pieced together from official reports and a few good Google searches. Keep your fingers crossed, knock on wood, all that stuff because right now, the Rams are looking like a pretty healthy bunch. Remember, that's the key to their season, staying healthy. According to Football Outsiders 2009 Almanac, the Rams should see significant improvement as injury is unlikely to take as big of a toll as it has the last three years. Of course, the same goes for the Seahawks, but they're starting the season without several important players.

St. Louis Rams

S Craig Dahl (Hamstring)	OUT
OG John Greco (hand)	OUT
LB Larry Grant (knee)	QUESTIONABLE

Comment: I'm still shocked at how thin the injury report is for the Rams. Of course, I am leaving off the IR guys which includes Adam Carriker and Brooks Foster. Grant was not expected to play this week, but his recovery has been faster than expected. With the unceremonious release of Chris Draft this week, getting Grant in there at SLB with David Vobora, today's starter, would help the Rams since Grant gives them a nice blitzer.

Seattle Seahawks

OT Walter Jones (shoulder)	OUT
WR Deion Branch (hamstring)	OUT
C Chris Spencer (Quadricep)	OUT
CB Marcus Trufant (back)	OUT, PUP list
CB Travis Fisher (hamstring)	QUESTIONABLE
DE Derek Walker (hamstring)	DOUBTFUL
S C.J. Wallace (ribs)	DOUBTFUL

Comment: Those are some glaring injuries on their offensive line. Those much-talked about blitz packages will be key for the Rams to take advantage of Jones' absence and get Hasselbeck off his game early. I'm not 100% as to whether Branch is out or not. It's been trending that way. Without or with Branch, Seattle doesn't have a WR that demands double coverage the way Ochcocinco did in Cincy, which should change the way Housmanzadeh experiences the field.

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks Injury Report

John Morgan — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:10:37 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

C.J. Wallace, face mask lodged in Darren Sproles back, is not likely to play this Sunday. His injury and the injury of Travis Fisher leaves Seattle thin in the secondary and thin at special teams.

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The NFL has released the official injury report for Sunday's Seahawks game at Qwest Field.

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Name	Position	Injury	Practice Status	Game Status
St. Louis Rams
Craig Dahl	S	Hamstring	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
John Greco	T	Wrist	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Larry Grant	LB	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Marc Bulger	QB	right Finger	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Seattle Seahawks
Walter Jones	T	Knee	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Chris Spencer	C	Quadricep	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Travis Fisher	CB	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Doubtful
Derek Walker	DE	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Doubtful
Deion Branch	WR	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable
C.J. Wallace	S	Rib	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable

Marc Bulger headlines the Rams injuries. Probable means St. Louis projects a 25% chance Bulger will not play. Craig Dahl is depth and was not likely to contribute. John Greco is also depth, but is listed at guard on the Rams depth chart. Larry Grant's injury and the recent release of Chris Draft have thrust David Vobora, the last man selected in the 2008 draft, into starting at strongside linebacker. Vobora is an undersized tackler that tackles too far from the line of scrimmage. He was active in special teams and recorded a tackle for a loss and a sack in the preseason. The Seahawks need their lead blockers to get up to Vobora and shove him out of the play.

Deion Branch has missed three straight practices with a hamstring injury and is 50-50 to play on Sunday. Derek Walker is likely to be deactivated, so his injury is of no concern. I doubt C.J. Wallace will play. That and the injury to Travis Fisher leaves Seattle thin in the secondary and thin at special teams. Nick Reed could be activated to bolster the special teams. If Fisher can't play, Seattle will be barred from a true Dime defense. I, for one, think Will Herring should pick up snaps in obvious passing downs.

NFL Cut Down Day: Open Thread

VanRam — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:52:03 -0000

3k will be keeping tabs on potential future Rams with game threads throughout the day.

3k note: I'll be in this open thread through the OSU-Georgia game.

[Note by VanRam, 09/05/09 3:38 PM EDT ] Jeez, OG John Greco broke his wrist against the Chiefs, has to have surgery and is out 2-3 weeks. Could be worse, but, man, the minor breaks and strains are dogging the Rams this month. Hopefully, they won't need him in that time.

[Note by VanRam, 09/05/09 2:37 PM EDT ] Berlin gets the axe, making Null third QB. Schuening and two other OL are gone as is FB Jerome Johnson (who could be a practice squader).

[Note by VanRam, 09/05/09 12:57 PM EDT ] The Rams have cut WR Ronald Curry. Are they going to go with just five WRs? Surely Tim Carter doesn't make the final cut?

[Note by VanRam, 09/05/09 12:59 PM EDT ] Dominic Rhodes is now available...hmmm. THoughts?

Lots of names you've heard of and never heard of will be getting their walking papers today. Team will be making cuts based on performance and salary savings. St. Louis Rams GM Billy Devaney has been pretty astute cherry picking the waiver wire for help, so keep an eye on what names emerge that could be of potential interest to the Rams.

Based on preseason and camp results, I'd say the priorities for positions of need for the Rams are:

Defensive tackle - with Carriker out, and a question mark in Hollis Thomas, we could use someone else, especially since the run defense still looks vulnerable to the big play.
Running back - Maybe Gado's ribs are fine, but I'd still keep an eye out for a real speedster to complement SJ39.
Cornerback - Don't get me wrong, this unit has a great future ahead. Still, a veteran presence would ease a lot of minds, especially in a division featuring Fitzgerald and Boldin. Don't forget we have a game against the Colts this season too.
Wide receiver - This would have atop the list four weeks ago, but Avery looks ready to go and Laurent Robinson really made his mark this month.

Keep your eyes on the wire and jump in. We'll have the Rams cuts as soon as we know.

Poll

What position is the Rams biggest need right now?

DT

189 votes

RB #2

71 votes

CB

18 votes

WR

63 votes

other

14 votes

355 votes | Poll has closed

Three questions for the Rams vs Falcons: #2 Testing the depth chart

VanRam — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:31:26 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

St. Louis Rams offensive lineman John Greco will get a chance to prove himself against the Falcons in the Rams preseason home-opener.

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Anyone who has watched the St. Louis Rams over the last three years (especially those that actually watched all 16 games) knows just how damaging injuries and the team's lack of depth on the offensive line was for the team, not to mention the well-paid guys playing behind said line.

This year, the Rams look to have much improved o-line depth behind their starters. Tonight, against the Falcons, two starters will sit out: LT Alex Barron and LG Jacob Bell. Which brings us to the question:

Is the Rams offensive line depth good enough?

This week, with Barron and Bell out, the left of the Rams line will have quite a different look. Adam Goldberg has filled in at LT during the regular season. Next to him will be John Greco, as well as Mark Setterstrom and Roy Scheuning who'll get some time with the first team.

The Falcons totaled 34 sacks last season, for a 6.9% adjusted sack rate. That put them solidly in the middle of the pack. They sacked Marc Bulger three times last season, which was really no great feat for opposing defenses. They were, however, rather costly sacks considering how close the game was. One came late in the second quarter, on 4th-and-3 with the Rams leading 7-3. The Falcons scored on their next possession. The last sack came on the Rams final possession of the game, just after the two minute warning with the Falcons leading 31-27. It was 2nd-and-2, and the sack made it 3rd-and-10. The rest is history.

None of those three sacks came from the Falcons' sack leader John Abraham, who had 16.5 last year. However, the Falcons move him from side-to-side to play the matchup, so this could create problems for the Rams blockers. Atlanta uses LB Stephen Nichols against the pass, mostly because of his coverage skills, but he did get a sack against the Rams last year.

Atlanta struggled against the run last year. Staring in the are 2009 first round pick Peria Jerry and Jonathan Babineaux; both players are good one-gap technique tackles who could figure heavily in the team's pass rush, but could struggle against the run. The Rams tough middle linemen should be able to handle both players, and I'm curious as to whether or not the Falcons will double team Jason Brown. The guards filling in for Bell have a decent matchup with either of these two DTs.

Players to watch:

Jason Smith - He'll be starting on the right side tonight. Smith has shown real aplomb in run blocking but Abraham and other Atlanta rushers will be looking to give him a proper introduction to NFL-level pass blocking. I suspect the Rams, on passing plays, will put the TE on the right side or assign someone from the backfield to reinforce pass protection on Smith's side of the line. This is Smith's golden opportunity to play himself into a starting job.

John Greco - Last year's third round pick, Greco got his first NFL start against the Falcons, making a good impression and giving us all reason to believe that the line's depth was indeed better.

Mark Setterstrom - Had a great debut filling in for injured starters in his rookie season, 2006, playing both guard positions. His injury early in 2007 hurt the Rams line, making Milford Brown the starter. A serious preseason knee injury put him out all last season. Setterstrom has proven his ability, and now needs to prove that he's 100% ready to play again.

Injuries and depth on the Rams and Jets offensive lines

VanRam — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:07:31 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

New York Jets' Alan Faneca broke his finger and will miss the preseason opener against the St. Louis Rams. His Wild West hair is reportedly in good condition.

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Here's an interesting parallel between the Jets and the Rams: offensive line depth.

I still have nightmares about the injury-decimated offensive lines of the recent past. An injured running back, an injured and gun-shy quarterback, we're just now digging ourselves out from the hole caused in part by an injured o-line.

And now the Jets find themselves in a similar situation. They're without three starters up front this week with LG Alan Faneca, C Nick Mangold and RT Damien Woody sitting it out this week. Right now, all of those guys should be ready to go for the regular season, but it's a reminder of just how important depth is up front. It's got Jets fans worried. From Gang Green Nation:

A theme you've heard over and over from us is how scary the lack of offensive line depth is for this team. It plays out again here. Faneca should be healthy for the Houston game, but the Jets are one play away from having real problems. Considering how physical it gets up front, it's a minor miracle Gang Green didn't lose a single start to injury on the offensive line in 2008. Even a fluke play like what happened to Faneca can bring a disaster. Losing even one of the five could throw off the entire equilibrium. Lines function as a unit.

Painful, painful memories. This also gets back to a point made in the 2009 Football Outsiders Almanac about injuries. It's unlikely, especially with a younger group up front, that the Rams will suffer as many season-wrecking injuries as they have in the past. According to the FO Almanac, that's one reason we can expect a better season from the Rams this year. The Jets, on the other hand, had an unusual season in 2008 because of the lack of injuries they had to deal with.

The other difference between the Rams and Jets situation is depth. We now find ourselves in a position where we have good depth behind our starters. We've scored with draft picks like John Greco and Mark Setterstrom, and made some nice finds on the waiver wire with guys like Adam Goldberg. Something to think about.