Tag: Rob Havenstein

Rob Havenstein, two other Rams cleared to return from COVID-19 reserve

The Rams are getting three players back from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, including Rob Havenstein.

Slowly but surely, the Rams are beginning to get players back from the reserve/COVID-19 list. After activating Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. (among others) off the list before Tuesday’s game, the Rams will have three more players return Wednesday.

Sean McVay told reporters that Terrell Burgess and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo were both cleared to return from COVID-19 reserve and will be activated. Rob Havenstein will also be activated after his 10-day stay on the reserve list expired.

Burgess is a role player who doesn’t play many snaps, but getting Havenstein and Okoronkwo back is helpful – particularly in Havenstein’s case with the Rams down to their third-string tackle Tuesday night.

Burgess seems happy about being cleared after being forced to watch last night’s game from home.

Among the key players still on COVID-19 reserve are Tyler Higbee, Jordan Fuller and Joe Noteboom. There’s still time for all of them to return in time for Sunday’s game against the Vikings, but they haven’t been activated yet.

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Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee and Jordan Fuller out vs. Seahawks due to COVID-19

The Rams will be without three starters against the Seahawks due to COVID-19: Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee and Jordan Fuller.

The Rams fortunately got Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr. and Darell Henderson Jr. back from COVID-19 reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Seahawks, but they’ll still be without three starters.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee and Jordan Fuller will not play against the Seahawks after they failed to test out of the league’s COVID-19 protocols. That’s disappointing news because all three are important players and almost never come off the field.

Even after today’s moves, the Rams still have 16 total players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Among them are Joe Noteboom, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Terrell Burgess, who stepped up against the Cardinals in Week 14.

Noteboom replaced Havenstein last week at right tackle and played well, but the Rams will need a new plan if he isn’t activated before kickoff. It’s possible Bobby Evans will get the start, or they could move Austin Corbett or David Edwards outside to tackle.

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4 Rams players to watch vs. Seahawks on Sunday

Here are four Rams players to watch during Sunday’s impending bout with the Seahawks.

The Los Angeles Rams will be heading back to SoFi Stadium to clash with the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15 following a massive road victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The last time we saw the Rams and Seahawks square off back in Week 5, Los Angeles emerged victorious by a score of 26-17.

Both teams are vastly different than they were in Week 5 as the Seahawks have looked out of sorts since Russell Wilson made his return to the offense from an injury he suffered in the first matchup with the Rams. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has altered their offense a bit in recent weeks, and Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller are now sporting horns on their helmet.

Ahead of Sunday’s divisional showdown, Seattle and Los Angeles are dealing with a variety of injuries and COVID-19 issues, making it tough to gauge who will be active on game day. Amid the chaos happening across the NFL, here are four players to watch on the Rams in their upcoming tilt with the Seahawks.

Rob Havenstein’s uncertain status could force Rams to make last-minute game-plan change

Rob Havenstein is unlikely to play against the Cardinals, which could force the Rams to make a last-minute game-plan change

The Rams were already facing the tall task of beating the Cardinals, who own the best record in football, on Monday night in Arizona. They were listed as underdogs all week, which wasn’t the least bit surprising.

But this matchup got even tougher for Los Angeles when Darrell Henderson Jr., Rob Havenstein and Dont’e Deayon were all placed on the COVID-19 reserve list over the weekend. Henderson landed on it Saturday, while Havenstein and Deayon were added Sunday.

The sudden and likely absence of Havenstein is a major hurdle for the Rams and could cause Sean McVay to make a last-minute change to his game plan.

Assuming Havenstein misses Monday’s game, the Rams will be forced to plug in a backup at right tackle. Logic would tell you Joseph Noteboom is the most probable candidate to replace Havenstein, which takes away a wrinkle within the Rams offense that McVay unleashed last week against the Jaguars.

Noteboom reported as an eligible receiver on nine plays in the win over Jacksonville. The Rams averaged about 9 yards per play on those snaps, gaining a total of 80 yards. Sony Michel averaged 9.8 yards per carry alone when Noteboom reported as eligible, taking full advantage of the extra blocker up front.

If Noteboom has to start at right tackle, he can’t sub in as the sixth offensive lineman like he did so successfully last week. That’s not to say the Rams can’t use Bobby Evans or Tremayne Anchrum as the extra lineman on occasion, but Noteboom is much better suited for that role than those two players are.

There’s also the possibility of starting Evans or Anchrum at right tackle and using Noteboom as the sixth lineman. However, do you really want Evans or Anchrum lining up across from Chandler Jones and Markus Golden 60 times tonight? That’s not exactly a recipe for success.

It’s no coincidence that McVay deployed this new-look offense with heavy packages and 13 personnel one week before facing the Cardinals, who have one of the worst run defenses in football. He was probably getting a feel for how it would look with Noteboom mixing in and Sony Michel pounding the ball up the middle.

It looked great, but he’ll probably be unable to use it again tonight in Arizona because of Havenstein’s expected absence.

So it’ll probably be more of what we’ve already seen throughout the year for the Rams. Straight drop-backs for Matthew Stafford, potentially less play action out of fear of Noteboom/Evans/Anchrum failing to sustain blocks long enough at right tackle and very few heavy packages, if any at all.

The Rams’ best chance to win this game is by running the ball and moving the chains against a defense that has struggled to stop the run all year. But without Havenstein – and not to mention, Brian Allen – that approach might have to change a little bit.

Learning you could be without your starting right tackle 28 hours before kickoff isn’t an easy hurdle for any head coach to clear. And so McVay certainly has his work cut out for him on Monday night.

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Which colleges are the Rams’ 2021 snap leaders from?

These are the five colleges that hold the highest snap percentage on the Los Angeles Rams this season.

Across the NFL, there is an endless number of players from different colleges and backgrounds. Some colleges have proven to be better at producing NFL talent than others, but there are still small-college players that overcome the odds and achieve their dream of playing professional football.

For the Los Angeles Rams, there are a couple of colleges that are obvious when it comes to leading the team in snaps this season. But through the first 12 weeks of the regular season, here are the colleges that are in the top five for the percentage of snaps played for the Rams.

It shouldn’t shock anyone that Georgia comes in at No. 1 for the Rams this season. Matthew Stafford is a Georgia alum and is fifth on offense with 685 snaps, putting him behind only four of his offensive linemen.

The other Georgia players on the Rams are Leonard Floyd and Sony Michel, who have combined for 694 total snaps. Floyd has seen the fifth-most snaps on defense this season, only behind Taylor Rapp, Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald, and Jordan Fuller.

Wisconsin is the college with the second-highest snap share on the Rams with David Edwards and Rob Havenstein leading the way. Edwards and Havenstein have been on the field for nearly every snap on offense as they have both accumulated 1,399 offensive snaps together.

After Georgia and Wisconsin, Washington comes in as the college with the third-highest snap share. Rapp leads the entire team with 733 snaps this season, while Greg Gaines (421 snaps) and Coleman Shelton (9 snaps) are the other Washington products on the Rams.

Ramsey is the sole reason why Florida State cracks the top five as the Seminoles would be higher on the list if Cam Akers wasn’t sidelined with an Achilles injury. The All-Pro cornerback is second on the roster with 722 snaps through the first 12 weeks.

Similar to Ramsey, Austin Corbett is single-handedly helping Nevada make the top five as he’s the lone Nevada alum on the roster. The former second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns is tied for second on the offense with 695 snaps.

Even though this doesn’t tell us much about the makeup of the roster, it’s interesting to see where some of the Rams’ key contributors played in college.

Metrics show the Rams are dominating the trenches on both sides of the ball

The Rams have been dominant in the trenches on both sides of the ball through the first nine weeks.

There’s no debating that the Los Angeles Rams got outclassed by the Tennessee Titans in Week 9, especially in the trenches. Matthew Stafford was sacked a season-high five times, but not all of them should be pitted on the offensive line.

Even after Week 9’s collapse versus the Titans, The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin created charts that show just how well the Rams have performed in the trenches on both sides of the ball this season.

Aside from this past week, the interior of Brian Allen, David Edwards, and Austin Corbett was keeping pace with Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein. It should come as no surprise that Whitworth (89.4) and Havenstein (76.5) have the Rams’ highest pass-blocking grades, according to PFF.

While Stafford has had plenty of time to set up shop in the pocket, the offensive line has also created plenty of running lanes for Darrell Henderson. All five of the starters on the offensive line have run-blocking grades on PFF of 62-plus, with Havenstein boasting the highest grade at 72.5.

Rushing the passer hasn’t been an issue for the Rams, as having Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd makes life easier for everyone else. It’s still surreal to think that we’ll see Von Miller join this defense soon. And it has been a positive sight to see Greg Gaines incite pressure from the interior, as he’ll see more time with Sebastian Joseph-Day potentially out for the year.

Over the years, we’ve seen the run defense of the Rams waver as an average or below-average group. However, while allowing the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game and the 10th fewest yards per carry, Los Angeles is consistently imposing their will on the defensive front in the running game this season.

A’Shawn Robinson, Donald, Gaines, Floyd, and even Jalen Ramsey all have run-defense grades of 71-plus over at PFF. While there are. plenty of games to be played still, it will be interesting to see if the Rams can remain near the top in all of these metrics when the season is over.

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Stats show Rams OTs performed well in running game vs. Titans

Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein performed extremely well for the Rams when run blocking in Week 9 against the Titans.

It was a disastrous outing for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football versus the Tennessee Titans, resulting in their second loss of the season. Even though the Rams didn’t run the ball often on Sunday night, and there weren’t many positives to take away from the game, Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein shined in the running game.

Whitworth and Havenstein rounded out the top five in run-block win rate in Week 9, ahead of Monday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears. While Los Angeles found itself in a hole early, it did have success running the ball with Darrell Henderson Jr., who carried it 11 times for 55 yards.

 

Altogether, the Rams ran the ball 19 times, compared to Matthew Stafford’s 48 passing attempts. With Stafford dropping back more, the Titans continued to create pressure on the veteran quarterback throughout the game, sacking him a season-high five times.

I’m the last person to say that the Rams need to run the ball just for the sake of running the ball. But there are instances where Sean McVay inexplicably elects to air it out when Los Angeles needs just 1 yard.

I’d understand if the Rams strayed away from the run if they weren’t able to have success on the ground. However, they averaged 5 yards per carry with Henderson and the offensive line was creating plenty of holes to run through.

Calling passing plays nearly every play allowed the Titans to dial up their pass rush, mainly from the interior. It’s only the Rams’ second loss of the season, so it’s far from the time to panic. Even in a game that concluded in a double-digit defeat, it was a positive sign to see Whitworth and Havenstein perform well in the trenches when the Rams were able to run the ball.

 

4 players to watch in Rams vs. Texans on Sunday

Who are four Rams players fans should be watching in Week 8 versus the Texans?

Emotions were running high for the Los Angeles Rams last week when they hosted the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium. It was Matthew Stafford’s first game against the Lions, while the Rams faced their former quarterback in Jared Goff.

Los Angeles would be able to secure a win over Detroit, improving their record to 6-1 on the season. After defeating the winless Lions, the Rams will not get an opportunity to square off with the 1-6 Houston Texans in Week 8.

With the Arizona Cardinals losing on Thursday night to the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles can’t afford to let Sunday’s game be a trap game versus Houston. Even though the Cardinals would hold the lead over the Rams due to them beating Los Angeles in Week 4, Los Angeles could inch closer to seizing the division lead with a win on Sunday.

Just like last week, the Rams are massive favorites versus the Texans on the road. Los Angeles began the week as the biggest favorite of any NFL team in Week 8, and that has held true as they enter Sunday as 14.5-point favorites. In a game where the Rams should be able to dominate throughout, here are four players to watch against the Texans.

Sean McVay: Rob Havenstein playing ‘as good as anybody’ at right tackle

Sean McVay says it’d be hard to find a right tackle in the NFL playing better than Rob Havenstein right now.

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With all the stars that the Los Angeles Rams have, Rob Havenstein is an underrated player who probably deserves more credit for the job he’s done at right tackle. He’s the team’s fourth-highest graded player on offense, according to Pro Football Focus, and has allowed just nine pressures and one sack in 266 pass-blocking snaps.

Havenstein has been a stud for the Rams the last two seasons after a difficult 2019 campaign, regaining the form that helped him earn a contract extension three years ago. Sean McVay loves the way Havenstein has played this season, saying it’d be tough to find a right tackle better than him right now.

“He’s the man,” McVay said on the “Coach McVay Show” Monday. “Rob is very athletic, sudden out of his stance, great movement. You show me a right tackle that’s playing as good as him, he’s playing as good as anybody. He’s doing a great job. I love Rob Havenstein.”

Havenstein has not only been a solid pass blocker, but he’s also done a great job in the running game. He has a 69.1 run-blocking grade this season, third among the Rams’ offensive linemen and 17th among all NFL tackles.

He’s under contract through 2022 and still looks like a bargain on his current contract, which pays him $8.125 million per year. That’s only the 12th-highest salary in the NFL for a right tackle, making the Rams look smart for signing him when they did.

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Stats show Rams’ offensive line has been one of NFL’s best this season

The Rams’ offensive line has surpassed expectations through the first seven weeks of the season, ranking as one of the best in football.

Regardless of who you have at quarterback, keeping him upright is required for him to have success through the air. Before the season began, there were question marks surrounding the offensive line of the Los Angeles Rams, particularly on the interior.

Those questions have subsided as the Rams’ O-line has been utterly dominant through the first seven weeks of the season. As shown by a graphic from The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin, Los Angeles has done a fantastic job protecting Matthew Stafford.

The Rams have the lowest sack rate in the NFL, while also boasting the best pass-block grade this season.

On 241 pass attempts this season, Stafford has been sacked just seven times. And according to PFF’s Trevor Sikkema, the Rams own the fifth-lowest pressure percentage allowed.

It was expected for Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein to perform well at the tackle spots this season. But with Los Angeles losing Austin Blythe in free agency, there was warranted concern with how Brian Allen, Austin Corbett and David Edwards were going to perform on the interior.

All three of Allen, Corbett and Edwards have exceeded expectations nearly halfway through the season. Allen is the most surprising of the bunch as he’s done well at the center position despite the criticism he received from fans and media alike during the offseason.

Of course, it’s nice for the Rams to now have a quarterback like Stafford who can excel in off-script situations. At the same time, it’s helpful when the offensive line can match Stafford’s talent by giving him a clean pocket to operate from.

While Stafford has been airing it out with plenty of success this season, the offensive line of the Rams deserves a ton of credit for his numbers thus far. With the holiday season right around the corner, maybe Stafford will consider getting some worthwhile gifts for the guys that keep his jersey clean.

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