Havenstein, Brown Looking to Make Immediate Impact
By Myles Simmons
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It’s rare to see two rookies not only playing next to one another, but also excelling on an offensive line in the NFL. But that’s exactly what Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown will strive to do for the Rams in 2015.
Havenstein and Brown, the No. 57 and No. 72 overall picks in the spring’s draft, respectively, have been working with the first unit at right tackle and right guard in training camp. The Rams invested heavily in their offensive line this offseason, in part because of the surplus of talent at the position coming out of college.
“This year’s draft, at least subjectively, we felt like there were some quality guys and we could maybe address our goal of building a unit where we can now grow them together,” general manager Les Snead said just before the start of camp. “If this draft wouldn’t have been that deep in our minds, maybe we would’ve gone about it in a different way. So it wasn’t just, ‘Hey, let’s go young.’ [It was], ‘Let’s get quality players that we can groom and grow together for the long term.’”
And so Havenstein and Brown now have the goal of developing as a core unit on the right side. It’s a task made easier given how well the pair gets along.
“Jamon and I have a great relationship,” Havenstein said. “Anytime he walks in, he’s smiling, cracking jokes. But when it’s time to work, it’s time to work. And something I really admire about Jamon is he really gets after it, but he knows how to have a good time.”
“Rob and I work together a lot,” Brown said. “And Rob is a person who grasps the system pretty well. So when I have a question or a problem, pretty much he and I can sit down, we can talk it through, kind of figure it out together.”
The two developed a system during rookie orientation and OTAs where they would sit next to each other in the meeting room, sometimes whispering vocal notes back and forth to ensure a solid grasp of the system.
“I don’t want to come out and make a call that I had in college and he has no idea what I’m talking about. So we really wanted to learn the lingo as fast as possible, learning at the same speed together,” Havenstein said. “And that just puts us on the same page, especially on the field.”
Both Havenstein and Brown gave plenty of credit to fellow offensive lineman Rodger Saffold for his leadership. Entering his sixth NFL season, Saffold has been around long enough to know how to inform young linemen of keys to success when they enter the league.
“Rodger’s the type of guy you really want to stick close to in any aspect of life -- whether that’s the weight room, practice, film room, anything that has to do with how to be a professional football player,” Havenstein said. “He demands a lot out of us young guys, but it’s something that we’re definitely more than happy to prove to him that we have his back.”
“He’s kind of taken me under his wing and given me little insights that he’s experienced at playing guard and different things that I’m most likely going to experience, too,” Brown said of Saffold. “Having him in my ear, kind of giving me advice and different things that he knows helps me out a lot.”
So far, Saffold has liked the inquisitive nature of both rookies.
“Right now, they’re asking questions, which is good,” Saffold said. “They’re working hard, running to the ball. Those types of things are going to make them good when the season comes around.”
The duo has also performed well enough to earn the praise of veteran offensive line coach Paul T. Boudreau.
“Every day, they just do something more to impress me,” Boudreau said. “The good thing about Rob is in the offseason, when we went on vacation, they were here. And he was having meetings in the room and they were going over the cut ups that they had on the iPad.”
“He and Jamon are working really well together,” Boudreau continued. “Jamon is physical as hell. He was at tackle [in college], but he is really suited to be a guard. He’s got great quickness. Playing against Aaron [Donald] every day has helped him out as far as leverage and balance, because Aaron doesn’t take a play off.”
Boudreau has spent many years working with a variety of O-linemen, and said that normally he wouldn’t like two rookies playing next to one another. But Havenstein and Brown aren’t typical first-year pros.
“They’re so smart it really doesn’t matter now,” Boudreau said. “If one guy was having trouble learning and the other guy was new to the NFL, I’d probably move Rodger over and put the other guy next to Greg. But I think in their case, they’ve been working so well together, I have no issue with that.”
Neither does head coach Jeff Fisher, who has consistently complimented the work of both rookies throughout training camp.
“I have no reservations whatsoever when we line up for the opener, playing rookie offensive linemen,” Fisher said. “They’re going to get plenty of reps and they’re the best that we’ll put on the field in confidence.”
“To receive that from him is awesome,” Havenstein said of Fisher’s comments. “I still have a lot of work to do. I’ve got to make sure I’m solid in everything I do."
“There can’t be any excuse for me being young, or a rookie -- that kind of gets thrown out the window if I want to help this team win in any way I can,” Havenstein added. “I’ve got to go ahead and make sure my assignments are correct and then hone in on making sure my technique is solid.”
While Saffold has been helping the rookies in that area, one aspect that may aid in the pair’s progression is that they are working side-by-side. Saffold has somewhat undergone the same process of developing a bond by partnering with left tackle Greg Robinson not only on the field, but also during the offseason. But the veteran guard said being a part of the same rookie class inherently connects players.
“It’s just a special bond between the guys that you got drafted with and it’s great to be able to have that fit,” Saffold said. “If you do the right things, it can last for a long time -- long friendships. And then as they become older and as they become veterans, it’s easier for things to pick up for them.”
Yet even as rookies, the connection between Havenstein and Brown has been helpful for both in acclimating to their new environment.
“You know, it makes you feel like you’re not in it alone,” Brown said. “Day in and day out, Rob and I, we face pretty much the same problems -- different fronts, different looks that we see out there. And having those different situations that come up helps us be able to kind of sit down and really learn the system and put it to work. And put the rules to work and really understand what we’re doing out there.”
Excelling at the pro level as a rookie is never easy. But both players cited having trust and love for their teammates as brothers as the biggest key to making the offensive front click as one unit.
“I think it comes down to having that a little more,” Havenstein said. “I play next to Jamon and I have to know how he plays on certain blocks. Some guys will play certain things differently. He has to know how I play and what I’m thinking, and I guess I really have to know how he’s going to play and he has to know how I’m going to play if we’re really going to make this thing work.”
“Offensive line is a group that isn’t individually based,” Brown said. “We’ve got to be a cohesive group, meaning we’ve got to be together. So to me, the camaraderie between all five of us can help us overcome different forms of adversity that we’re going to see.”
If the first few weeks of camp are any indication, the bond between teammates has already formed a solid foundation. And if that trust continues to grow, the Rams could have a strong offensive line for years to come with a right side anchored by two members of the 2015 rookie class.
Sure, sure you can...I knew you could.
