RU Ready

Surgery for Brian Leonard

Brian Leonard is making use of the off season to get his body in shape, with some surgery on his shoulders:

Running back-fullback Brian Leonard underwent surgery Friday in New York on both shoulders. The surgery was considered relatively minor, more of the cleanup variety.

“It’s a fairly simple procedure to both his AC joints,” coach Scott Linehan said.

The shoulders bothered him as the season wound down, with Leonard seeing most of his playing time as an undersized blocking fullback over the second half of the season. Leonard, the Rams’ second-round draft pick last April, isn’t expected to miss any of the team’s offseason and preseason work as a result of the surgery.

Davis and Leonard: Getting started

Anthony Davis, a hot recruit, finds he has to work to be in the starting lineup against Buffalo:

The 6-foot-6, 335-pound offensive lineman is like any other freshman these days. The former Piscataway High School star is looking for a starting job for the No. 16 Scarlet Knights heading into the season opener against Buffalo on Aug. 30.

"What I got in the past is gone," Davis said. "There are no (player) rankings here. No one here pays attention to any of that. I'm just another player now. Everyone is treated the same here."

Davis, who lost 40 pounds before the beginning of training camp to improve his footwork and stamina, is making a number of adjustments. A tackle in high school, he is playing guard with the second unit most of the time in practices and scrimmages.

"I'm still learning," he said. "Everyone is helping out. I'm watching a lot of film to learn what I'm supposed to do. Everything comes with time. I'm not in a hurry to get out there. Whatever the coaches feel and when they think I should be out there, I just have to be ready."

Brian Leonard has a similar status. The former Rutgers star is in his first year with the NFL, as a high draft pick for the Rams. They are using him in the preseason to save Steven Jackson:

Leonard got 19 touches in Saturday night's 30-13 preseason loss to the Chargers. Jackson, last year's NFL leader in combined rushing and receiving yards, lined up for just the first play of the game and then headed to the sideline.

Leonard, a tailback at Rutgers for three seasons before moving to fullback as a senior, has been such a quick study that he will likely get some snaps at fullback in the final two preseason games. He had 49 yards on 17 carries and two catches for 18 yards against the Chargers. He scored on a 10-yard run in the preseason opener at Minnesota.

Rutgers Football Game of the Year

Brian Leonard clears the way for Ray Rice's run that set up the game-winning field goal, as Coach Schiano watches from the sideline.

These Daniel Moore prints are on sale from the Beveled Edge.

Fox talks to Leonard

FoxSports is teasing an upcoming interview with the new Rams player: "The two moments that stood out for me in these clips were the pride with which Brian Leonard spoke of the rebirth of the Rutgers program and Garrett Wolfe's determination to make it at every level of the game."
It was the annual Reebok NFL Players Rookie Premiere presented by EA Sports. The interviewer, Mike Harmon, wrote:

Our thanks also go to NFL Players for their hospitality.

In the coming days, you'll be able to check out all the interviews from this event in the NFL section of FOXSports.com .

Some Rams fans, while welcoming Leonard, have expressed worries about Steven Jackson's performance. For example, there is this, from Tom Mantzouranis:

Scott Linehan has made it clear that he's installing a Leonard-ratio in the offense this year, designed to get the former Rutgers back 15-20 touches a game. Seems like a good enough idea -- Leonard is a versatile and talented runner and receiver that could cause mismatches for the Rams offense -- but what about Steven Jackson, maybe the most complete back in the league not named LaDainian Tomlinson?

Brian Leonard's first pro lessons

Brian Leonard was the only running back at Rams minicamp. He talked to an Associated Press writer:

"I think I lost 5 pounds today," Leonard said. "I'm the only running back."

Like most rookies in their first camp, Leonard admitted to feeling a little overwhelmed by everything from the meetings and the tempo of the workout to the playbook.

"I have a lot to learn," Leonard said. "It's so fast. You've got to give it your all out there."

Classic quotes: King on Leonard

From the Peter King "My Sportsman" column on Brian Leonard:

After Rutgers upset Louisville in front of a packed home stadium on Nov. 9, I asked Leonard if he had any regrets about potentially missing out on big money.

"My mom's an accountant," Leonard said, in the middle of a locker room full of joy. "My dad's a cable guy. They don't care that they weren't rich. They're the two happiest people on the planet. Money doesn't buy happiness. People thought I was nuts for staying here instead of going to the NFL, but no money can buy this feeling I have right now. None. This is the happiest day of my life."

If you live in this world, you worry that people like Brady -- who took $6 million a year less than Peyton Manning in a 2004 contract to allow the Patriots to sign more players in free-agency -- and Leonard don't exist anymore. Luckily, they do. Lucky for Rutgers, too.

"You could not have a better leader and a better team player than Brian Leonard," coach Greg Schiano said. "Guys like this are pretty rare in sports today."

"What's best for the team"

The one Brian Leonard stat that doesn't seem to get much mention today is this: zero fumbles during college.  His discipline is a big part of his value.

The Bellevile News-Democrat report on Leonard has high praise from Brian Leonard's new coach, Scott Linehan, for Leonard's unselfishness:

"If you ask a running back what he wants to do, he wants to run the ball," said Linehan after the Rams chose Leonard in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft. "If you look at his numbers going into his senior year, he had numbers that were really outstanding. He could have been a Heisman Trophy candidate from the start of his senior year. What was asked of him was something that many people would be able to pull off, and do it genuinely. We talked about it, and he wanted to win. His whole life it's been about winning and doing what's best for the team."

Leonard said he considered entered the NFL draft after his junior season, but opted to return for his senior season because he believe he had unfinished business at Rutgers.

"I had a chance to leave my junior year, but I told my coach that I wasn't done yet and that I wanted to come back and help this team be champions," Leonard said. "We won a bowl game (37-10 over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl) and now we are champions, so I didn't really accomplish my dreams until my senior year."

Linehan: "Being able to handle the punishment"

Ram's coach Scott Linehan, after drafting Brian Leonard,on why he likes big backs, from STLToday Rams draft blog,

On liking big backs:

“Personally, I like that dimension as far as a player being able to match up. There’s a time and place, don’t get me wrong, for using a smaller back for match-ups, as far as getting that person out on pass routes. But when it comes to pass blocking, it’s hard to add bulk and size to that particular player. He’s got to be able to do it. He has to have the toughness and mindset for it, but he’s also got to have the size for it.

“It’s also a big part of being durable and being able to handle the punishment of playing a 16-game season as a running back. Those guys wear down. Even Steven will tell you. By season’s end, he took a lot of hits and had a lot of touches. You hope that’s what (Leonard) is able to do for us.”

More from St. Louis on Brian Leonard

Our best posts on Brian Leonard Rams select fullback Brian Leonard in second round

By Jeff Gordon

04/28/2007 7:19 pm

To add some beef behind Steven Jackson. Rams coach Scott Linehan predicts he will be the No. 2 tailback behind Steve Jackson this season — and possibly the third-down back and fill-in fullback as well. --- from STLToday

St. Louis Rams

Brian Leonard is going to St. Louis. Go Rams! 2nd-round pick.