Los Angeles Times - 29.08.2019

LATIMES.COM/SPORTS THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2019D7

FOOTBALL

As a three-time Super
Bowl champion and seven-
time Pro Bowl selection,
Matthew Slaterof the New
England Patriots is a role
model for Rams rookie safety
Nick Scott.
Slater is a special teams
standout.
Scott, a seventh-round
draft pick from Penn State,
said he and special teams co-
ordinator John Fasselsit
down at least once a week for a
film session to study Slater
and other NFL special teams
leaders.
“That’s exactly how I want
to impact this team,” Scott
said.
Scott’s final opportunity to
show coaches he is worthy of a
roster spot comes Thursday

when the Rams play the Hous-

ton Texans at NRG Stadium.

In preseason games

against the Oakland Raiders,

Dallas Cowboys and Denver

Broncos, Scott has played 100

defensive snaps and 38 spe-

cial-teams plays. Rams coach

Sean McVaysaid Scott was

“doing a great job” as part of

the kickoff, kickoff-return,

punt and punt-coverage units.

“Really similar when you

look at the difference that a

Slater made for New England,

and that’s kind of what you

hope the role is,” McVay said.

“I think he’s done a pretty

good job as a safety as well.”

Scott, 5-feet-11 and 201

pounds, played multiple posi-

tions in high school in Fairfax,

Va., before going to Penn State

as a running back.

In 2015, as a redshirt fresh-

man, he was the Nittany Li-

ons’ special teams player of

the year. But as a running back

“things weren’t going so well,”

he said.

Penn State had a couple of

pretty good running backs.

Saquon Barkley, who would

go on to become the second

pick in the 2018 draft, was be-

coming a star. Penn State also

brought in Miles Sanders,

the Philadelphia Eagles sec-

ond-round pick last April.

“It was around that time, I

was like, ‘Maybe I’ll find a dif-

ferent route, try safety or

something,’ ” Scott said.

But Scott sensed special

teams would be his ticket to a

possible NFL career.

“I had always sort of under-

stood that special teams was,

for a lot of guys, how you make

the team, especially if you’re

not that go-to starter,” he said.

“My motivation was always to

become the best safety I could

be to get me a chance, and

then let my ability on special

teams take care of the rest.”

As a senior, Scott started

at safety. He intercepted three

passes and also recorded a

sack.

He was not invited to the

NFL scouting combine, but

Fassel called him from the

event in Indianapolis to ex-

press his interest and tell

Scott that he would remain in

touch.

Fassel has a knack for de-

veloping special teams players

into major contributors.

Starting inside linebackers

Cory Littletonand Bryce

Hagerremain special-teams

stalwarts, as does backup run-

ning back Malcolm Brown,

among others.

Scott knows the history.

“I’m just trying to do what I

can to start on the core-four,”

special teams, he said. “Not

just start and play, but have a

huge impact.”

First, Scott needs to secure

a spot on one of the NFL’s

most talented rosters.

After Thursday’s game,

McVay and his staff will cut the

roster from 90 players to 53. A

maximum of 10 players can be

signed to the practice squad.

Much of the roster is set, but

inside linebacker, cornerback

and the offensive and defen-

sive lines are position groups

that could come under extra

scrutiny Thursday.

Some roster decisions will

be influenced by a player’s per-

formance on special teams.

Scott said he welcomes the

pressure.

“In any profession, when

you’re hired, you’re expected

to perform to the best of your

ability,” he said, “or else

they’re going to bring some

else in.”

Etc.

The Rams signed offensive

lineman Abdul Beecham, an

undrafted free agent who

played at Kansas State. ... The

Rams attended a kick-off

charity luncheon in downtown

Los Angeles before departing

for Houston.

RAMS REPORT

Rookie needs to show something special

By Gary Klein

He played for four years

and appeared in 43 games

and, by the time he left the

University of Houston, every-

one there was quite familiar

with the name Emeke Egbule.

In his first NFL training

camp, when he stepped be-

hind a lectern to take ques-

tions from reporters, one of

those questions couldn’t have

been more telling:

How, exactly, do you pro-

nounce the name Emeke

Egbule?

The distance from college

star to professional hopeful

can be daunting, particularly

for a sixth-round pick like EH-

meh-keh EGG-boo-leh.

“Once you get to this posi-

tion, you’re like a freshman

again and you’re just working

your way up and you’re just

building a resume,” he said. “I

kind of expected it. But I

didn’t expect to feel like a

freshman again.”

The rookie linebacker

faces his final preseason exam

Thursday night when the

Chargers meet the San Fran-

cisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

Egbule is vying for a spot

among the Chargers’ deep

linebackers group, leaning on

his versatility, pass-rush po-

tential and performance on

special teams.

With the exception of a few

young offensive linemen, the

Chargers’ starters won’t play

against the 49ers, the game

serving mostly as a last-

chance audition for those on

the fringes of the roster.

“Nothing’s guaranteed,”

Egbule said. “So the next op-

portunity I get, I have to make

something out of it.”

The Chargers’ decision-

makers already have a good

idea of what they plan to do

Friday and Saturday when

cuts must be made to reach

the NFL-mandated 53-man

roster. After that, 10 more

players will be placed on the

practice squad.

Coach Anthony Lynn ac-

knowledged that usually only

“one or two” spots remain un-

decided this late in the pre-

season. But he also said

there’s still time for someone

to change the minds of the

coaches.

Cardale Jones will start at

quarterback for the Chargers,

followed by Easton Stick.

They’re competing for the No.

3 job behind Philip Rivers and

Tyrod Taylor.

The Chargers are also

likely to play offensive line-

men Trent Scott and Forrest

Lamp as the two attempt to

gain as much experience as

possible.

Scott, who has one career

start, is in line to open the sea-

son at left tackle in place of

medically sidelined Russell

Okung. Lamp, who has ap-

peared in two NFL games, is

an option at guard.

Lynn said he would like to

settle on five starters across

the offensive line and be able

to stick with that group as

much as possible.

“You can always have a

sixth man,” he said. “There’s a

time and place for that. But

you like five guys because that

offensive line, they need that

chemistry. That’s really im-

portant — the communica-

tion.”

Rookie safety Nasir Adder-

ley is expected to see his first

game action since the Char-

gers selected him in the sec-

ond round in April. He suf-

fered a hamstring injury be-

fore the draft and has been

battling it since. Adderley

missed nearly all of training

camp and has done little hit-

ting so far.

“We’ve repped him all we

could in the last week or so,”

Lynn said. “He knows enough

to go in and play. So he’s going

to play a couple quarters.”

The issue for Adderley’s

development will come once

the regular season begins and

practice snaps increase in val-

ue. At that point, preparation

turns more opponent specific

and there is little time to focus

on a single player.

“Things are going 100 miles

an hour and it’s just hard to sit

down and catch a young man

up,” Lynn said. “He’s going to

have to do a lot of work on his

own, a lot of film study. His

teammates will work with

him, I’m sure. Coaches will

work with him as much as we

can, but he’s behind. No doubt

about it.”

A year ago in the pre-

season finale, also played at

Levi’s Stadium, wide receiver

Artavis Scott went from ap-

pearing to have secured a ros-

ter spot to missing the season.

He suffered a significant ankle

injury that required surgery

and sidelined him for months.

A year later, Scott is in a simi-

lar situation, though he has

been even more impressive

this time around.

“I like the way he bounced

back,” Lynn said. “He didn’t

play at all last year, but he has

bounced back. He kind of

picked up where he left off.”

For these young players,

players like Egbule, this game

couldn’t be any more impor-

tant.

“Learning from the mis-

takes I make, I feel like that

helps a lot,” Egbule said of

playing in the preseason. “Be-

ing able to see it and not let it

happen again ... just getting a

feel for what it’s like to be in an

NFL game.”

Egbule among

players fighting

for roster spot

First-year linebacker

gets another chance

to display his skills in

the preseason finale.

By Jeff Miller

EMEKE EGBULEis

versatile and can be an

asset in the pass rush

and on special teams.

Harry HowGetty Images

Camaraderie, as Graham
Harrell saw it, was the crux of
any good offensive line. So
this summer, as USC pre-
pared to replace three start-
ers along a front that strug-
gled a season ago, the offen-
sive line opted to throw a bar-
becue.
The players did so at the
behest of their offensive coor-
dinator, who since his arrival
in January from North Texas
harped on the importance of
the group’s chemistry. How-
ever subtle it was, Harrell
understood how a listless line
could sink an entire offense.
So in the weight room, the line
always worked together, and
when the team ate, they were
encouraged to eat together.
Then, one Sunday, the
group took it one step further.
The players gathered at one
of the complexes where most
of the line lived, plopped
down a few pounds of meat
and vegetables, and got to
grilling.
For a line replacing three

key seniors, it was a vital exer-

cise. Last year’s line endured

its share of criticism, as the

unit allowed 30 sacks and

struggled to create room for a

run game that finished 10th in

the Pac-12. Only two starters

from that front, left tackle

Austin Jackson and right

guard Andrew Vorhees, were

set to return, leaving an un-

settling situation from last

season even more uncertain

heading into this one.

But after a summer of bar-

becues and bonding, the of-

fensive line has been a point of

preseason pride for USC

coach Clay Helton. With the

season opener Saturday

against Fresno State and its

stout defensive front ap-

proaching, there are few posi-

tion groups where Helton has

been more positive.

“We’ve been waiting on

this group to really grow up,”

Helton said, “and when you

look at this front five ... it’s

really a group that’s going to

be the most improved on our

team.”

Whether that optimism

will prove misguided remains

to be seen, but the group has

jelled as much as one can

without an enemy defense to

oppose it.

For all the talk of competi-

tion elsewhere, USC’s first-

team offensive line has re-

mained entirely unchanged

since the start of fall camp,

with left guard Alijah Vera-

Tucker, center Brett Neilon

and right tackle Jalen Mc-

Kenzie gaining a stranglehold

on their respective spots last

spring.

That consistency is no ac-

cident.

“The more reps you can

get with the same guys next to

you, the better you’re going to

be,” Harrell said. “Every week,

I think they’ll play better and

better because that’s just one

more week they will have had

together.”

But chemistry up front is

more complicated than sim-

ply standing shoulder to

shoulder, day after day, and

that’s where the barbecues

came in.

“Talking, sharing stories,

laughing,” Neilon said. “We’re

a great group of guys who like

each other and enjoy each

other’s company. It trans-

lates on the field.”

After the first barbecue,

the line threw another. And

another. They tried other out-

ings, including a trip to a golf

course, where their skills

translated far less. They even

handed out awards to rag on

each other, the most brutal of

all going to Vera-Tucker, who

won “worst swing” after he

swung his club straight into

the sod, missing the ball en-

tirely.

In his playing career at

Texas Tech, Harrell had seen

firsthand how a bonded offen-

sive line could make a differ-

ence. Some of the linemen his

senior season had played next

to each other for three years.

They understood exactly

what to expect, up and down

the line.

“They were like an impen-

etrable wall up there,” Harrell

said. “I could do whatever I

wanted.”

It may be a while before

that kind of camaraderie

takes hold for USC along its

offensive line. Barbecues can

do only so much. But on the

doorstep of his first season as

coordinator with the Trojans,

with all eyes on his revamped

line, Harrell is confident in

what’s cooking up front.

Angeles.
“That’s no different than
taking over a program where
maybe there was another
dominant team in the confer-
ence and you have to go beat
them,” Meyer said. “How do
you do that? First of all, you
respect them. You learn from
them. And that’s why we have
producers and directors and
we all try to work together and
try to do the best we can.
“I think they’ve done a
great job putting extremely
relevant people on the show.
We’re talking about two Heis-
man Trophy winners, a Notre
Dame star, and a coach, and I
think that’s really intriguing
how they put that together.”
The group is a dream team
for executive producer Brad
Zager. “We want to be a college
football show for everybody,”
he said, “and with Urban’s
background in the SEC and
the Big Ten, Brady at Notre
Dame, Matt and Reggie in the
Pac-12 and Reggie’s experi-
ence in New Orleans [with the
Saints], we’ve got it covered.”
They knew one another be-
fore they were brought to-
gether, which should acceler-
ate their on-air familiarity
and, ideally, leave viewers feel-
ing they’re eavesdropping on
a bunch of friends and being
educated without being lec-
tured.
“Me, I’m probably the one
that links with every single
person,” Quinn said. “Coach
Meyer was at Bowling Green
when I was in high school, so
he tried to recruit me a little
bit then and I tried to recruit
him to come to Notre Dame
when he was at Utah and we
had a coaching vacancy. We’ve
kept in touch. Matt, Reggie
and I played against one an-
other, and Matt and I have
been transitioning here to

Fox, so we’ve continued to

keep in touch.”

Working in a studio envi-

ronment was an adjustment

for Meyer, who said an early

critique reminded him to

maintain his energy. “It’s not

hard to keep energy up in a

100,000-seat stadium. The stu-

dio is much different. There’s

zero energy there,” he said.

“So we have to create our

own.”

Quickly creating a distinct

and likable identity is crucial

to drawing and keeping view-

ers. This group can rely on its

exceptional resumes, even

subtracting the Heisman Tro-

phy that Bush gave back after

the NCAA imposed heavy

sanctions against USC be-

cause of improper benefits re-

ceived by Bush and basketball

player O.J. Mayo. The chal-

lenge is to be entertaining

while they share their knowl-

edge. It’s not easy.

“For us it’s just about being

genuine. Be you. Don’t try to

be somebody else, something

different,” Bush said. “I

learned that a long time ago.

When you decide to be you,

you bring something else into

this world that nobody else

can replicate because you

bring a different personality, a

different experience, all those

things that make you unique.

“I’m not going to try to be

anybody else or try to use this

show as competition vs.

ESPN. I love what ‘GameDay’

does. I’ve been a huge fan for a

long time. So I just think now

we have something special

here and we have our opportu-

nity to make a mark and I love

that Fox is behind it.”

Bush predicted Meyer will

be “the serious guy, but I think

Brady is going to be the talker.

He’s a guy that talks a lot.”

Otherwise, they said they ex-

pect to slide into roles without

being shoved into a mold.

“The more we’re together

you just naturally find your

niche on a show, whatever

that is,” Leinart said. “I think

we all have different stories to

tell and different back-

grounds. And that’s our goal,

to bring that across for the au-

dience.”

Although Bush told The

Times earlier this year he

would recruit Meyer to coach

USC if Clay Helton stumbles,

Bush said last week he had

been joking and he hopes the

Trojans succeed.

“USC still has a special

place in my heart because it

was a special stop during my

life and my career,” said Bush,

who remains banned from the

campus. “I’m rooting for Clay

Helton. I think that he has an

opportunity to leave a mark,

get this team over the hump,

get USC back to restoring

some of that greatness. I think

USC has to get mentally

tougher and I’d like to see

them play off of their chem-

istry.”

But to satisfy his curiosity

about Meyer’s coaching inten-

tions, Bush approached him

one-on-one. “I said, ‘Are you

actually done? What if some-

body comes and offers you a

$100-million contract?’ ” Bush

said. “He’s like, ‘I’m done

coaching.’ I have no reason to

not believe his words. He

seemed very serious about it.”

Leinart got the same

sense. “I know that coach is

100% all-in on here at Fox for

us to build the best show and

put out the best show that we

possibly can,” Leinart said.

“Coach is a huge part of that,

because he is as credible as

they come. He’s one of the

best top two, three to ever do it

in the college game.”

Meyer intends to stay cur-

rent on USC but as an ob-

server, not a potential succes-

sor to Helton. “I work for Fox

and I’m going to do the best I

can for Fox,” said Meyer, who

is an assistant athletic direc-

tor at Ohio State and teaches

a class there. “And we’ve stud-

ied the Pac-12 because the last

two years we played USC in

the Cotton Bowl and we

played Washington in the

Rose Bowl, so this is a big year

for the Pac-12 and obviously

USC is a big part of that.”

If USC calls and Meyer

feels the urge to coach again,

at least he won’t have far to go.

In the meantime, he can’t lose

while putting his coaching

skills to work every Saturday.

Fox cast

creates

unique

persona

[Kickoff,from D1]

READY FOR LIFTOFF,from left, are Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Urban

Meyer for the debut of “Big Noon Kickoff,” Fox’s new college football show.

Marcus YamLos Angeles Times

PRESEASON: WEEK 4

Chargers at

San Francisco

Tonight, 7

TV: Channel 7, NFL

SEASON OPENER

USC vs.

Fresno State

AT THE COLISEUM

Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

TV:ESPN

PRESEASON: WEEK 4

Rams at Houston

Tonight, 5 PDT

TV:Channel 2

Trojans turn to grilling to beef up cohesion

USC’s offensive line

finds off-field bonding

experiences vital to

building the unit.

By Ryan Kartje