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Givens gets reprieve in what has become competitive WR unit
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_7242f255-6417-5271-a697-57346494ec23.html
Rams wide receiver Chris Givens got the word personally from coach Jeff Fisher that his two weeks in exile were over.
“He came into our meeting Saturday and let me know,” Givens said.
And it’s not like Fisher pulled him aside — he let him know in front of everybody in the meeting room that he was playing against Seattle.
Givens’ response?
“I said, ‘Let’s go. I’m ready to go,’ ” Givens replied.
Normally, players don’t know whether they’re active or not until game day, usually less than two hours before kickoff. The fact that Givens learned his status a day before the Seattle game may have been a reflection of Austin Pettis showing up late for a meeting Saturday (followed by his release Monday).
In any event, after sitting out the San Francisco and Philadelphia games, Givens made the most of his opportunity — however limited — against the Seahawks. He was in for only five plays on offense and was targeted only once by quarterback Austin Davis.
He turned that one pass thrown his way into a key play in the Rams’ 28-26 upset victory over the defending Super Bowl champions. On third-and-6 from the Seattle 44 midway through the fourth quarter, Givens lined up in the slot, beat nickel back Marcus Burley off the line of scrimmage and caught a Davis pass on a crossing pattern for a 30-yard gain.
“We called on him and he came through, so I’m proud of him from that standpoint,” Fisher said.
It gave the Rams a first down on the Seattle 14, and three plays later they were in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown (on a Lance Kendricks reception).
“(Burley) manned me up,” Givens said. “I just froze him at the line, and used my speed and played to my strengths.”
Who knows if Givens even dresses against Seattle had Pettis shown up to the meeting on time? As it is, Givens is back in the mix in what has become a highly competitive wide receiver group.
“Nobody likes being inactive, especially if you’ve been a contributor like he has been,” Fisher said. “But he worked right through it. Some guys can just mope around and not work hard. He worked even harder, which was good to see.”
Fisher said benching Givens for two weeks wasn’t any kind of punishment.
“It was by no means intended as a message sent to him,” Fisher said.
It was simply a case of the Rams not having enough reps to go around for six wide receivers in a game.
Both Pettis and practice squad wide receiver Emory Blake were late for a team meeting Saturday, according to team sources, and both were cut Monday. Two weeks earlier, Fisher released linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong after a silly special teams penalty against Philadelphia.
“I think Coach Fisher is just trying to do certain things to help put our team in better position to win,” Stedman Bailey said.
Pettis’ release, as might be expected, came as a surprise in the wide receiver room.
“Yeah, it was a surprise just because of the type of guy he is, and the things he’d done,” Givens said. “It just goes to show you that you’ve always got to take care of yourself, and be responsible and be accountable.”
Bailey said: “Austin was a great help for me when I first got here my rookie year. He definitely wasn’t a guy that tried to be stingy and not share the knowledge that he had. I definitely appreciated him for that.
“I just hope he gets another opportunity somewhere else and he can continue to play football.”
Just a few years ago, the Rams didn’t have enough depth to jettison wide receivers. But they do now. As the draft and free agency came and went, the Rams did nothing to upgrade their receiver corps other than taking a flyer on Kenny Britt.
The Rams decided to have patience with their young receivers corps; it looked like a big gamble at the time. But so far it looks like it’s working out. No one’s saying this unit is Bruce, Holt, Hakim and Proehl, but the group is getting open, making plays and dropping fewer passes.
For some, playing time has been hard to come by. The Rams decided to go the big receiver route, with Brian Quick and Britt getting the lion’s share of the playing time. Quick has been in for 83 percent of the Rams’ offensive snaps so far this season. Britt has been in for 64 percent.
Next comes Tavon Austin at 27.5% — it would be more, but he missed 1½ games with a sprained knee. That has left Givens (13.5%) and Bailey (9.3%) scrounging for time.
During training camp and the preseason, Bailey looked like he had the potential to be the team’s go-to receiver. He was that impressive. But he fell behind after missing two games because of an NFL suspension.
“It’s all about patience at this level,” Bailey said. “And for the time that I was out, a couple of the other guys were able to step up and make some plays. Which kind of slowed up the process for me in being able to jump right back in the rotation.”
In the five games he played, Pettis averaged 28 snaps a game. Some of those plays may now go Bailey’s or Givens’ way.
“It’s a competitive group,” Givens said. “At the same time, we all want to see each other succeed. So we just have fun with each other. Push each other, and be ready when your number’s called.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_7242f255-6417-5271-a697-57346494ec23.html
Rams wide receiver Chris Givens got the word personally from coach Jeff Fisher that his two weeks in exile were over.
“He came into our meeting Saturday and let me know,” Givens said.
And it’s not like Fisher pulled him aside — he let him know in front of everybody in the meeting room that he was playing against Seattle.
Givens’ response?
“I said, ‘Let’s go. I’m ready to go,’ ” Givens replied.
Normally, players don’t know whether they’re active or not until game day, usually less than two hours before kickoff. The fact that Givens learned his status a day before the Seattle game may have been a reflection of Austin Pettis showing up late for a meeting Saturday (followed by his release Monday).
In any event, after sitting out the San Francisco and Philadelphia games, Givens made the most of his opportunity — however limited — against the Seahawks. He was in for only five plays on offense and was targeted only once by quarterback Austin Davis.
He turned that one pass thrown his way into a key play in the Rams’ 28-26 upset victory over the defending Super Bowl champions. On third-and-6 from the Seattle 44 midway through the fourth quarter, Givens lined up in the slot, beat nickel back Marcus Burley off the line of scrimmage and caught a Davis pass on a crossing pattern for a 30-yard gain.
“We called on him and he came through, so I’m proud of him from that standpoint,” Fisher said.
It gave the Rams a first down on the Seattle 14, and three plays later they were in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown (on a Lance Kendricks reception).
“(Burley) manned me up,” Givens said. “I just froze him at the line, and used my speed and played to my strengths.”
Who knows if Givens even dresses against Seattle had Pettis shown up to the meeting on time? As it is, Givens is back in the mix in what has become a highly competitive wide receiver group.
“Nobody likes being inactive, especially if you’ve been a contributor like he has been,” Fisher said. “But he worked right through it. Some guys can just mope around and not work hard. He worked even harder, which was good to see.”
Fisher said benching Givens for two weeks wasn’t any kind of punishment.
“It was by no means intended as a message sent to him,” Fisher said.
It was simply a case of the Rams not having enough reps to go around for six wide receivers in a game.
Both Pettis and practice squad wide receiver Emory Blake were late for a team meeting Saturday, according to team sources, and both were cut Monday. Two weeks earlier, Fisher released linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong after a silly special teams penalty against Philadelphia.
“I think Coach Fisher is just trying to do certain things to help put our team in better position to win,” Stedman Bailey said.
Pettis’ release, as might be expected, came as a surprise in the wide receiver room.
“Yeah, it was a surprise just because of the type of guy he is, and the things he’d done,” Givens said. “It just goes to show you that you’ve always got to take care of yourself, and be responsible and be accountable.”
Bailey said: “Austin was a great help for me when I first got here my rookie year. He definitely wasn’t a guy that tried to be stingy and not share the knowledge that he had. I definitely appreciated him for that.
“I just hope he gets another opportunity somewhere else and he can continue to play football.”
Just a few years ago, the Rams didn’t have enough depth to jettison wide receivers. But they do now. As the draft and free agency came and went, the Rams did nothing to upgrade their receiver corps other than taking a flyer on Kenny Britt.
The Rams decided to have patience with their young receivers corps; it looked like a big gamble at the time. But so far it looks like it’s working out. No one’s saying this unit is Bruce, Holt, Hakim and Proehl, but the group is getting open, making plays and dropping fewer passes.
For some, playing time has been hard to come by. The Rams decided to go the big receiver route, with Brian Quick and Britt getting the lion’s share of the playing time. Quick has been in for 83 percent of the Rams’ offensive snaps so far this season. Britt has been in for 64 percent.
Next comes Tavon Austin at 27.5% — it would be more, but he missed 1½ games with a sprained knee. That has left Givens (13.5%) and Bailey (9.3%) scrounging for time.
During training camp and the preseason, Bailey looked like he had the potential to be the team’s go-to receiver. He was that impressive. But he fell behind after missing two games because of an NFL suspension.
“It’s all about patience at this level,” Bailey said. “And for the time that I was out, a couple of the other guys were able to step up and make some plays. Which kind of slowed up the process for me in being able to jump right back in the rotation.”
In the five games he played, Pettis averaged 28 snaps a game. Some of those plays may now go Bailey’s or Givens’ way.
“It’s a competitive group,” Givens said. “At the same time, we all want to see each other succeed. So we just have fun with each other. Push each other, and be ready when your number’s called.”
