After watching Rob Havenstein hold things down on the right side of the offensive line for much of the season, the Los Angeles Rams were forced to call on Warren McClendon Jr. as their starting right tackle for the first time since Week 2.
The results? Well, they were pretty good, much better than his initial efforts across Weeks 1-2.
So what gives? Has McClendon really improved over the past few weeks riding the bench? Or did the Rams come into Week 12 with a new strategy to keep Matthew Stafford upright? Well, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur commented on what he’s seen from the second-year, fifth-round pick out of Georgia both on and off the field.
“I thought sometimes when you get to take a step back… he’s still a young guy and didn’t have a lot of practice time even a year ago as he was kind of battling some injuries and stuff like that,” LaFleur told reporters. “For him to get a little early time with training camp and earlier in the season, take a step back, watch Rob [Havenstein], and then get pushed into action, I thought he did a good job. [He] helped that line have the day they had. As always, [there is] a lot of room for improvement amongst everybody.”
Interesting stuff, right? Well wait, it gets even better, as LaFleur wasn’t the only Rams coach who had something nice to say about McClendon’s play so far this season.
Sean McVay is impressed with Warren McClendon’s play for the Rams
Much like his offensive coordinator, McVay, too, has been impressed by how McClendon has played as of late. While he may not take Havenstein’s job and run with it, McClendon has been getting progressively better as the season has progressed, which is all McVay can really ask of his developmental tackle.
“I thought he did a good job. I thought he was consistent…. The more these guys play if they’re wired the right way, the better that they’re going to get. They’re going to learn from some of the things that you can have opportunities to be able to learn and grow from. You’re going to gain some confidence from some of the successful outcomes you have if you understand why that occurred and then how I can continue to replicate those types of things,” McVay told reporters.
“I thought it was a positive step that he took as it relates to even just coming in for Rob [Havenstein] against Seattle. There were a handful of plays where he did a nice job. I thought he had a good week of preparation even though it was on an abbreviated week coming off the Monday night game and he played well. When you look at those guys up front, there’s always going to be learning opportunities, but I think he’s able to self-correct. He’s able to understand why things don’t always go the way we want, and then you also see the understanding and the improved techniques and fundamentals as it relates to some of the core plays. Then you say, ‘Okay, now this is really starting to make sense. That’s a good job and let’s continue to replicate that.’ I was proud of Warren yesterday. He did a nice job for us.”
If Havenstein can’t go on Monday Night Football, will the Rams be okay with McClendon Jr. protecting Stafford’s right side? Only time will tell, but based on his play in Week 11, fans should feel much more confident than they would have been back in September.
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