Rams' Quinton Coples back in his comfort zone, rushing the passer

By VINCENT BONSIGNORE / STAFF COLUMNIST

[www.ocregister.com]

IRVINE – It wasn’t the equivalent of changing a chess board to a checkers board and asking a rook to leap diagonally rather than move horizontally or vertically. But you can’t blame Quinton Coples for feeling a bit out of place throughout the various scheme and position changes during his first four seasons with the New York Jets.

And the adverse affect it had on what began as a promising career for the former first-round pick out of North Carolina, who was released by two teams during a forgettable 12-month period.

The frustrating journey has led him to Los Angeles, where the Rams offer a chance at redemption in a scheme that suits his talent and with a strong roster that allows him to blend in as a supporting player rather than a focal point or star.

“Really a great situation for me in so many ways,” Coples said.

Considering where he came from, it’s football nirvana.

Looking back on it now, Coples can only nod his head and smile at how it all unfolded the last couple of years.

Albeit quietly and respectfully.

Maybe it’s the southern gentleman in him. Or the understanding that playing for his third team in less than a calendar year leaves him very little room to speak bluntly.

So he’ll just leave it at this: “At the end of the day, I’ll do whatever I can and whatever I’m asked to help my team win.”

With the Jets, that meant moving from a hand in the dirt, 3-4 defensive end to a stand-up outside linebacker asked to rush the quarterback but also drop back in pass coverage against running backs and tight ends.

Considering Coples’ 6-foot-6, 291-pound frame and skill set, the pass coverage part was like decking out Brock Lesnar in a leotard and putting him on “Dancing With The Stars.”

The idea was horrible.

The results were even worse.

From his defensive end position, Coples had 161/2 sacks in his first three seasons.

But miscast in the role of outside linebacker, he was lost.

The sack and tackle numbers reflected that. And the criticism mounted for the 16th pick in the 2012 draft.

Never mind that he was playing out of position or in a scheme that nullified his primary talent.

None of that mattered to fans.

Or how he was assessed in some quarters as an underachiever.

“At the end of the day, while I understood I was being graded as a defensive lineman, which focuses on sacks and things like that, that wasn’t my job,” Coples said. “Nothing personal, but only people who truly understand football understand different schemes and how certain skill sets fit in certain systems.”

It all came to a head last November when Coples was released by the Jets and first-year head coach Todd Bowles, who minced few words in describing Coples as too slow to handle the outside linebacker position he was being asked to play.

Bowles had the right to critique, and he was 100 percent correct in the assessment.

But Coples would be the first to tell you he’s a defensive lineman, not an outside linebacker. And it only stands to reason he isn’t physically capable of the requirements of one position when his body is built for another.

“You just deal with it,” Coples said. “I was focused on helping my team win. I was asked to play linebacker – and some other positions – that’s what I was asked to do and I did it.”

He was immediately picked up by the Miami Dolphins, who used a more familiar 4-3 scheme, but jumping on board so late in the season left little time to fit in. Keeping Coples beyond 2015 would have meant paying the fifth year of his original contract – at $7.7 million – which was a non-starter with the Dolphins.

They cut him in February – essentially negating the fifth-year guarantee – and the Rams scooped him up on a two-year deal.

He’s guaranteed nothing beyond an opportunity, but on a deep, talented defensive line he’s already getting run with the second team as a defensive end, and on Monday he practiced at defensive tackle.

“It’s a position I have some experience in and feel I can handle,” Coples said. “So the coaches put me out there. Things happen a little faster down there, but it felt pretty good.”

The Rams look at it as a chance to create pressure inside with Coples and from the outside with Ethan Westbrooks.

“We talked about it (Monday),” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We kind of are going to flip a little bit and give Ethan Westbrooks some defensive end work and we’ll give Quinton some stuff inside, just as a rusher.”

Coples understands his spot on the team depends on the production he provides through whatever reps he gets. The starting line is set with All-Pro Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers inside and Robert Quinn and William Hayes on the outside. But the Rams want to keep the first unit fresh by rotating players in and out, and that requires dependable depth.

As a result, there is an opportunity for Coples to work his way into the rotation along with Eugene Sims, Westbrooks, Matt Longacre, Cam Thomas and Dominique Easley.

Provided he shows he can still create a push on the outside and inside.

If so, he can develop into a dependable piece on a unit many consider one of the best in the NFL.

“We’ve got everybody. From left to right, inside to outside,” Coples said. “Now it’s just a matter of doing it. And giving the offense as many opportunities to put points on the board as we can. Maybe that’s through a turnover, or creating better field position.”

And he’ll be doing it from the position he’s most comfortable.