Tag: Justin Hollins

5 Rams to watch in Week 1 vs. Bills

The Rams kick off the 2022 season against the Bills on Thursday night and here are 5 players to keep a close eye on.

The quest for the Los Angeles Rams to defend their title as Super Bowl champions begins on Thursday night versus the Buffalo Bills. It’s been months since the Rams took down the Cincinnati Bengals to secure their first Super Bowl victory since 1999, but it’s now time for them to shift their focus to the 2022 season.

Both teams in Thursday’s season opener are among the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season. The Bills are coming off a 2021 campaign in which they looked poised for a Super Bowl run themselves before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.

With the Rams looking to prove that they are here to stay as Super Bowl contenders for years to come, let’s take a look at five players to watch in Week 1 against the Bills.

Leonard Floyd, Terrell Lewis and Justin Hollins have separated themselves at OLB

It seems Terrell Lewis and Justin Hollins are the only real candidates to replace Von Miller for the Rams

Entering training camp, it was pretty clear that Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis were the top candidates to start at outside linebacker opposite Leonard Floyd. They won’t be one-for-one replacements for Von Miller, but they’re the Rams’ best options.

Nothing in practice seemed to change that, but when the Rams released their first unofficial depth chart, Lewis was listed as a third-stringer – a shocking development that caught us off-guard. Fortunately, the Rams quickly updated the depth chart and have since listed him on the same line as Hollins as a co-starter.

After practice on Monday, Sean McVay left no doubt that Hollins and Lewis are the top edge rushers alongside Floyd.

“I think those three (Hollins, Lewis, Floyd) have separated,” McVay said. “Obviously, Leonard has been a great player for us for the last couple years and then I thought Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis did an outstanding job earlier on in the season really being able to play off one of their opposite. Those guys have done a really good job. It’s been good to see them. That’s kind of where we’re at right now. There’s other guys that are in the mix. The Hardys, the Chris Garretts … I think when you really look at it with Leonard establishing himself as one of those guys, and we feel good about what Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis have done opposite Flo if you were to have to answer that right now.”

He didn’t specify which one, Hollins or Lewis, will work as the official starter on the defensive front. There’s still time to determine that with three weeks left until the season opener. Neither will play in the preseason, so it’ll strictly come down to practices.

Lewis may not be on the field as often as Hollins, however, because the Rams plan to always manage his workload to guard against his knee flaring up again.

“I think we’ll always manage him,” McVay said of Lewis. “You don’t want to get to where, if his knee does flare up and start bothering him again, I think we want to be proactive and get ahead of that just based on some of the previous things that he’s had to overcome. It’s a real credit to his resilience, his mental toughness and his physical toughness. We’ll always have him on kind of a modified workload and that was the plan coming into camp, regardless of if that thing just continues to feel good. That’s the goal for us.”

The end result could be Hollins starting on first and second down, with Lewis rotating in as a situational pass rusher on third down. Hollins is the more well-rounded defender, but Lewis has much more upside as a pass rusher.

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Kendall Blanton and Justin Hollins went to see LeBron play in the Drew League

Kendall Blanton and Justin Hollins went to see LeBron play in the Drew League and accidentally angered fans watching the stream

Over the weekend, LeBron James made his first appearance in a Drew League game since 2011. He played in the pro-am league, which is based in L.A., at King-Drew Magnet High School and the place was absolutely packed to see him take the floor.

According to the NBA’s website, about 2,500 fans were in attendance, nearly double the normal capacity of the gym. Kendall Blanton and Justin Hollins were both there to watch LeBron play, taking in the experience for the first time.

As fun as I’m sure the game was for the two Rams players, they also enraged fans who were trying to watch LeBron online. They accidentally blocked the camera of the live stream, which fans were not happy about.

As you can see from the replies to Overtime’s original tweet, there were a lot of upset viewers – though their outrage probably subsided once the camera situation improved. Someone even called them the “Bootleg Morris twins.”

Sebastian Joseph-Day pointed out some of the angry replies on Twitter, but Blanton wanted everyone to know they weren’t the enemy.

Justin Hollins confident in Rams’ edge rushers, doesn’t feel help is needed

Justin Hollins is confident in the Rams’ pass-rushing group despite losing Von Miller this offseason

The Los Angeles Rams did what they could to retain Von Miller this offseason after acquiring him in a trade with the Denver Broncos mid-season, but he ultimately picked the Buffalo Bills in free agency. The Bills threw a $120 million deal at the All-Pro pass rusher, believing he would put them over the top as Super Bowl contenders.

That departure left the Rams much thinner at outside linebacker. Leonard Floyd is going to be one of the starters, but the other spot is very much up for grabs. Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis are the top candidates to take Miller’s spot, though a trade or free-agent signing should never be ruled out with Les Snead and Sean McVay.

If Hollins has any say, he doesn’t think they need any outside help at edge rusher. He’s confident in the group they have, including himself.

Hollins and Lewis are solid players, but they’re also injury prone. Both missed a good chunk of the 2021 with injuries, and Lewis’ recurring knee issues go back to his college days.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo’s departure left the Rams with even less depth, though Chris Garrett and Daniel Hardy might have a chance to capitalize as role players.

There’s still reason for concern with the Rams’ pass-rushing group behind Floyd, and it’ll be something to monitor throughout the summer.

With Von Miller gone, edge rusher is Rams’ biggest offseason need

The Rams have a glaring hole at outside linebacker with Von Miller now out of the picture

The Los Angeles Rams came into this offseason with a handful of positions that needed addressing. They were in danger of losing their starting center, right guard, left tackle, No. 2 cornerback and top edge rusher, all of which made those positions of need.

They’ve addressed the center and guard positions, and also signed their future left tackle in Joseph Noteboom, but the loss of Von Miller leaves the Rams without a great option at outside linebacker opposite Leonard Floyd.

Currently, it would be Justin Hollins stepping in at that position, with Terrell Lewis also contributing in a rotational role. Hollins is a decent all-around edge defender, but he’s not even close to the pass rusher that Miller is.

And with Lewis, injuries are always a concern. He’s played just 19 games in two seasons and was a healthy scratch at the end of last season – an indication of the Rams’ lack of confidence in him.

With the Rams needing help at outside linebacker, Lewis could be running out of time to learn and develop. At some point, he has to deliver as a former third-round pick because so far, he’s come up short of expectations.

Cornerback is also a position of need after Darious Williams left to join the Jaguars, but the Rams still have David Long Jr. and Robert Rochell, and Dont’e Deayon could also be back as a free agent.

But at outside linebacker, it’s hard to see the Rams generating much pressure off the edge from anyone besides Floyd. That’s a problem, and we saw the impact that a great edge rusher like Miller can have on the defense.

There aren’t any players of Miller’s caliber still out there, so the Rams will have to settle for less – but that doesn’t mean they should ignore the position moving forward.

Which teams to root for in the NFL Playoffs as an Oregon Ducks fan

Are you a Duck fan looking for some rooting interest in the NFL Playoffs this weekend? Here are the 5 players still playing that you can get behind.

We have now reached the divisional round of the 2021-22 NFL Playoffs, and eight teams remain in the mix to try and make it to a coveted Super Bowl appearance.

For Oregon Duck fans who may not have a rooting interest, there are still several former beloved players from Eugene who are in the mix. We lost a few players along the way in the wild card round last weekend, like Henry Mondeaux (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Marcus Mariota (Las Vegas Raiders), but for the most part, the Oregon contingency is still alive.

So do you want to watch the NFL action this weekend with rooting interests? Here are the Ducks who are still alive to help you make your decisions.

Staying Alive: 8 former Oregon Ducks playing in the NFL playoffs

Which NFL teams should Oregon fans now root for? Here are the 8 former Ducks still alive in the playoffs.

The NFL regular season has now come to an end, and we have a clear picture of the 2022 postseason. A total of 14 teams made it to the playoffs this year, and over the next month, they will do the best they can to stay alive and compete for one of the most coveted trophies in all of sports: The Lombardi Trophy.

So on those 14 teams, which players have ties to the Oregon Ducks? Unfortunately, after a brutal overtime loss on Sunday night, one of your favorite Oregon legends was sent packing, with Justin Herbert missing out on the playoffs for the second-straight season. Still, though, there are a number of players for Oregon fans to root for going forward:

Justin Hollins is ‘very likely’ to play vs. Cardinals on Monday

Justin Hollins hasn’t played since Week 3 due to a pec injury, but he’s expected to return against the Cardinals on Monday.

Justin Hollins got off to a strong start this season with two sacks in his first three games but in Week 3, he tore a pec muscle and has been on injured reserve ever since. He’s on the verge of returning, though, bolstering the Rams’ linebacker group.

Sean McVay said Friday that “it’s very likely” Hollins will be activated off IR before Monday’s game against the Cardinals. He was designated to return prior to Week 13 and has been practicing for the last two weeks, being a full participant each day.

Hollins played outside linebacker prior to getting hurt but McVay has hinted that he could line up at inside linebacker upon his return. It remains to be seen where the Rams will deploy him if he takes the field on Monday.

With Von Miller now in the mix, Hollins’ snaps will be limited compared to the the beginning of the season, but he should still be able to carve out a role on defense.

Rams designate Justin Hollins to return from IR

Justin Hollins has been designated to return from IR, allowing him to begin practicing and be activated at any time in the next 21 days.

Reinforcements are on the way for the Rams’ defense. The team announced on Wednesday that Justin Hollins has been designated to return from injured reserve. He can now begin practicing immediately and the Rams can activate him off IR at any time.

They have 21 days to add him to the 53-man roster, which is merely a formality at this point. If they do not activate him in that window, he will remain on IR for the rest of the season.

Hollins has been out since Week 3 when he injured his pec and landed on IR. He was off to a good start with two sacks and 12 tackles in two-plus games, contributing as the starting outside linebacker opposite Leonard Floyd.

With Von Miller now in the fold, Hollins’ role will likely be reduced compared to how often he was playing in the first three games. But he could earn more snaps by rotating at inside linebacker where the Rams desperately need some help.

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Rams are a week away from designating Justin Hollins to return from IR

Justin Hollins has been on IR since Week 4 but he’s nearing his return.

Justin Hollins ascended to a starting role this season, replacing Samson Ebukam opposite Leonard Floyd. He unfortunately suffered a pectoral injury in Week 3 against the Bucs and was placed on injured reserve. He was slated to miss 8-10 weeks and is now nearing his return after making good progress in his rehab.

Sean McVay said Monday that the Rams are a week away from designating Hollins to return, which would begin the 21-day window for him to practice and eventually be activated off IR. That’s great news because upon his return, he’ll give the Rams yet another impactful pass rusher to go with Floyd, Von Miller, Terrell Lewis and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo.

Hollins had two sacks and a tackle for a loss in his first three games of the season before getting hurt, stepping up as a run defender in addition to rushing the passer off the edge.