Rams preseason games mean everything to UDFA's like running back Aaron Green

Rams' preseason games mean everything to undrafted free agents like running back Aaron Green

By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER

[www.ocregister.com]

IRVINE – In the early-evening hours Saturday, when Rams starters relax on the sideline during the second half and even diehard fans reach for the remote control, Aaron Green will be running for his football life.

The Rams’ preseason opener against Dallas doesn’t mean the same to everyone. For the (possible sellout) crowd at the Coliseum, it’s the symbolic return of NFL football for the first time in 22 years. For veteran players, it’s a low-key tune-up game. For those on the fringes of the roster, it’s a night of survival.

The Rams have 89 players in training camp, and 53 will make the season-opening roster. That’s brutal math, and the four preseason games present the best opportunities for players to stand out to coaches.

After the starters play a handful of series against the Cowboys, most of the game will be contested by little-known rookies such as Green, who seemingly is in a perilous position. Last year, the Rams kept five running backs coming out of training camp. Green might be running back No. 5 or No. 6 at this point.

“There’s not anxiety at all,” Green said this week. “I really feel like I have ice water in my veins. That’s why I’m able to come out here and make plays. There’s no reason to be nervous when you’re prepared and ready. I’ve waited my whole life for this opportunity, and I’m here and enjoying the ride.”

First roster cuts, which will take the Rams down to 75 players, don’t have to be completed until Aug. 30, but players – particularly rookies – can be released at any point, so there’s no margin for error.

A big run, a key kickoff-return hit or, on the other hand, a missed tackle in a nationally televised preseason game could swing the momentum for a young player, and that’s why Green is one to watch.

NFL teams made 253 picks at this year’s draft, and Green’s phone didn’t ring. In the view of scouts, Green, listed at 5-foot-11, 201 pounds, wasn’t strong enough to be a between-the-tackles runner and went down too easily upon first contact.

Still, Green’s 1,272-yard senior season at TCU made him an intriguing back, and shortly after the draft, the Rams signed Green as a free agent.

That’s a contract with very few strings attached, with no promises. Green earned the right to show up at rookie mini-camp in May, at OTA practices in June and training-camp practices in July and August. That’s it. Anything else would have to be earned.

“You definitely remember all the people drafted ahead of you and all the running backs, especially,” Green said. “But now, none of that matters. When the smoke clears, I’ve just got to make sure I’m here.”

Typically, the odds are long. Last year, the Rams signed 15 undrafted players and only two – linebacker Cameron Lynch and receiver Bradley Marquez – made the opening-week 53-man roster. Five other players were signed to the practice squad and eight were released during training camp.

Lynch ended up playing all 16 games last season, mostly in a special-teams role, and this week he instantly recalled his first preseason snap of 2015. The Rams sent him out on a fourth down and asked him to chase down then-Raiders returner Trent Richardson. Lynch had a bit of anxiety.

“My legs were so heavy,” Lynch said. “After a while you settle down and get into a flow and you have so much excitement and so much pent-up energy. It’s a good feeling. I’m excited for the young guys.”

Who will stand out? There’s a fierce competition ongoing among rookie receivers, given that the Rams already return Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt, Brian Quick and Bradley Marquez.

Pharoh Cooper, this year’s fourth-round pick, seemingly is guaranteed a spot, so that leaves four significant undrafted free agents – Paul McRoberts, Nelson Spruce, Mike Thomas and Duke Williams – fighting perhaps to unseat Quick or Marquez or to land a spot on the Rams’ 10-player practice squad.

For a player such as Spruce, who has displayed great hands in camp, it’s a time for excitement, eagerness and anxiety.

“All of it,” Spruce said. “It’s our first NFL game. Camp and OTAs and practice is a big part of it, but ultimately it’s what you do in the games that is going to distinguish you from the rest. For me, it’s a huge day and I’m really looking forward to it.”

So is Green, and it will be fascinating to see how Coach Jeff Fisher divides carries against Dallas.

Todd Gurley isn’t expected to get much work, and with last year’s primary backup, Tre Mason, involved in a bizarre legal situation (and not in camp), Benny Cunningham has slid into the No. 2 spot.

After that, there’s opportunity. Green, Malcolm Brown, Terrence Magee and Chase Reynolds all can contribute on special teams, but it’s likely that only two or three of them will make the Rams’ final cut.

A fumble would be disastrous. A touchdown would be huge. A big special-teams block could turn some heads. Throughout the first two weeks of camp, these young players have been attempting to make an impression, but now things change.

“The players understand that there’s an intensity level on the practice field,” Fisher said, “and it ratchets up a notch before preseason games, especially on special teams, because everybody that’s covering a kick or returning a kick is trying to make the football team. It’s a different deal.”



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2016 09:15PM by RamBill.