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Barron may have tamed a Titan, but Strahan is a Giant challenge
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/29/2005
It's not as if Alex Barron was eased gently into his NFL career last Sunday. With the game on the line and Tennessee defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch looking like the second coming of Deacon Jones, Barron was called off the bench to make his NFL debut late in the third quarter.
Barron performed well. Very well. Vanden Bosch didn't touch Rams quarterback Marc Bulger the rest of the day - at least not when Barron was blocking him.
But if Barron thinks he was thrown into the fire last week, just wait till this Sunday at Giants Stadium. Barron, a rookie offensive tackle, will be making his first NFL start. His draw? None other than defensive end Michael Strahan of the New York Giants.
"It'll be a real challenge," said John Matsko, who coaches Rams offensive linemen along with John Benton. "Michael's playing at a high level. He's one of the best players ever to play in the National Football League."Advertisement
Matsko knows better than most. Before joining to the Rams in 1999, he spent two seasons coaching the Giants' offensive line. His charges went up against Strahan every day in practice.
"Michael goes as hard as he can go every day, every snap," Matsko said.
At age 33, Strahan is playing noticeably lighter than his listed playing weight of 275. But even the trimmed down Strahan looks as strong as ever on tape.
"And he still seems to have the same quickness to me," Matsko said. "When I was with the Giants, we had a lot of good athletes on that football team, and he was the best-conditioned athlete on the team. He still looks like he's the best-conditioned athlete. ... He looks like he could go forever."
Strahan is the NFL's active leader in career sacks with 120 1/2, a figure that ranks 12th for all time. Of that total, eight and a half have come against the Rams in eight games dating back to the 1993 season. The most memorable of those eight contests came Oct. 14, 2001, when Strahan rang up four sacks and forced a fumble against the Rams.
Best of luck, Alex. The soft-spoken Barron, who turned 23 on Wednesday, says he's up for the challenge.
"Yeah, I'm all right," Barron said. "I'm going to take it day by day, watch a good amount of film, try to get some notes down about some different things."
So what has he noticed watching tape of Strahan?
"Just how good he uses his technique and things like that," Barron said. "He's a veteran in the league, and he knows a lot of tricks of the trade."
In college at Florida State, Barron played against many talented defensive ends.
"Chris Canty (Virginia), Shawne Merriman (Maryland), Justin Tuck (Notre Dame), David Pollack (Georgia)," Barron said.
All are rookies in the NFL this season. But Strahan is a veteran of 13 NFL seasons, a six-time Pro Bowler and a potential Hall of Famer.
"Yeah, it's a little different," Barron said. "Nothing I've been through before. ... He's a great player on a good defense."
So how does Barron keep from getting nervous or too excited about his first start?
"All that may come or may not come by the time Sunday gets here," Barron said Thursday. "But until then, I'm just focusing on what I need to do."
Then again, if Barron gets excited, it might be a first.
"I don't know if he can get excited," Matsko said. "I'm serious. He is as quiet as Orlando (Pace). But he has a lot of personal pride. And a lot of heart. He's extremely, extremely focused and a hard worker. He'll play as good as he can play."
Right tackle, obviously, has been a trouble spot for the Rams this season. Six of the Rams' league-high 15 sacks allowed have come on plays where the right tackle was beaten. Some others came on plays where Bulger was flushed into trouble because of pressure from that side.
Barron is being called upon to shore up the position against one of the best defensive ends in the business.
For his part, coach Mike Martz wants Barron to treat Sunday's matchup as that day's job assignment. Nothing more. Nothing less.
"You line up and you play," Martz said. "Obviously, we're going to try and help him a little bit (against Strahan)."
That could come in the form of double-team blocks, lining up a tight end on Barron's side or chip-blocking with a running back. But at the end of the day, Barron must get it done with his long arms, his athleticism and his toughness and tenacity.
"He's got to play," Martz said. "That's why he's here. It's why he's a first-round pick. That's why he's starting. We're not trying to develop him. You know, this isn't the Boys' Club. He's got to go play."
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/29/2005
It's not as if Alex Barron was eased gently into his NFL career last Sunday. With the game on the line and Tennessee defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch looking like the second coming of Deacon Jones, Barron was called off the bench to make his NFL debut late in the third quarter.
Barron performed well. Very well. Vanden Bosch didn't touch Rams quarterback Marc Bulger the rest of the day - at least not when Barron was blocking him.
But if Barron thinks he was thrown into the fire last week, just wait till this Sunday at Giants Stadium. Barron, a rookie offensive tackle, will be making his first NFL start. His draw? None other than defensive end Michael Strahan of the New York Giants.
"It'll be a real challenge," said John Matsko, who coaches Rams offensive linemen along with John Benton. "Michael's playing at a high level. He's one of the best players ever to play in the National Football League."Advertisement
Matsko knows better than most. Before joining to the Rams in 1999, he spent two seasons coaching the Giants' offensive line. His charges went up against Strahan every day in practice.
"Michael goes as hard as he can go every day, every snap," Matsko said.
At age 33, Strahan is playing noticeably lighter than his listed playing weight of 275. But even the trimmed down Strahan looks as strong as ever on tape.
"And he still seems to have the same quickness to me," Matsko said. "When I was with the Giants, we had a lot of good athletes on that football team, and he was the best-conditioned athlete on the team. He still looks like he's the best-conditioned athlete. ... He looks like he could go forever."
Strahan is the NFL's active leader in career sacks with 120 1/2, a figure that ranks 12th for all time. Of that total, eight and a half have come against the Rams in eight games dating back to the 1993 season. The most memorable of those eight contests came Oct. 14, 2001, when Strahan rang up four sacks and forced a fumble against the Rams.
Best of luck, Alex. The soft-spoken Barron, who turned 23 on Wednesday, says he's up for the challenge.
"Yeah, I'm all right," Barron said. "I'm going to take it day by day, watch a good amount of film, try to get some notes down about some different things."
So what has he noticed watching tape of Strahan?
"Just how good he uses his technique and things like that," Barron said. "He's a veteran in the league, and he knows a lot of tricks of the trade."
In college at Florida State, Barron played against many talented defensive ends.
"Chris Canty (Virginia), Shawne Merriman (Maryland), Justin Tuck (Notre Dame), David Pollack (Georgia)," Barron said.
All are rookies in the NFL this season. But Strahan is a veteran of 13 NFL seasons, a six-time Pro Bowler and a potential Hall of Famer.
"Yeah, it's a little different," Barron said. "Nothing I've been through before. ... He's a great player on a good defense."
So how does Barron keep from getting nervous or too excited about his first start?
"All that may come or may not come by the time Sunday gets here," Barron said Thursday. "But until then, I'm just focusing on what I need to do."
Then again, if Barron gets excited, it might be a first.
"I don't know if he can get excited," Matsko said. "I'm serious. He is as quiet as Orlando (Pace). But he has a lot of personal pride. And a lot of heart. He's extremely, extremely focused and a hard worker. He'll play as good as he can play."
Right tackle, obviously, has been a trouble spot for the Rams this season. Six of the Rams' league-high 15 sacks allowed have come on plays where the right tackle was beaten. Some others came on plays where Bulger was flushed into trouble because of pressure from that side.
Barron is being called upon to shore up the position against one of the best defensive ends in the business.
For his part, coach Mike Martz wants Barron to treat Sunday's matchup as that day's job assignment. Nothing more. Nothing less.
"You line up and you play," Martz said. "Obviously, we're going to try and help him a little bit (against Strahan)."
That could come in the form of double-team blocks, lining up a tight end on Barron's side or chip-blocking with a running back. But at the end of the day, Barron must get it done with his long arms, his athleticism and his toughness and tenacity.
"He's got to play," Martz said. "That's why he's here. It's why he's a first-round pick. That's why he's starting. We're not trying to develop him. You know, this isn't the Boys' Club. He's got to go play."
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