LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams spent the offseason preparing to play Jonah Jackson at left guard and Steve Avila at center.
The two flipped spots late in the buildup to Sunday’s season opener at the Detroit Lions, and all indications are it will be Jackson snapping the ball to quarterback Matthew Stafford and making the calls with Avila next to him.
Avila indicated there is a sound logic behind the change. Jackson’s natural position is center. Avila performed well at left guard as a rookie. And with a change at one tackle spot and uncertainty at the other, the Rams want to maximize their strength up the middle.
“From my understanding, it was we want to put the best five out there, which they are,” Avila said Wednesday. “This was always a possibility that this could happen. We want to flex what we can do because we know we have the guys to, and right now we feel like this is the best thing to do.”
Jackson’s familiarity with the center position is one reason the Rams are comfortable making the adjustment. He started his football career as a center and played there in college.
Jackson came into the NFL with the Lions ready to man the spot after moving to guard at Rutgers and Ohio State, but the presence of Frank Ragnow kept him there.
“Had we not had an All-Pro and Pro Bowl center, I probably would have played center,” Jackson said. “It’s just what it is.”
After signing a three-year contract with the Rams in March that included $34 million in guaranteed money, Jackson might have made the move earlier if not for a shoulder injury in training camp. Declaring himself fully healthy, Jackson is ready wherever he is needed.
“I’m doing everything I need to do, everything they brought me here to do,” Jackson said. “So it feels good to be back out there with the guys, getting back to it, and we’re excited for this week.”
For Avila, he appreciates having had the chance to work on playing center for nearly the entire offseason. He tried to learn the nuances of guard and center at this level in his first season but quickly realized it would have to wait.
“I wanted to focus on what I needed to do because it’s not that I was just trying to learn the plays,” Avila said. “I was learning how the coach wants it to be done from a technique standpoint. There was a lot of different things I was navigating, so I was trying to, but it got to a point to where I was like I can’t. I have to focus on what I’m doing.”
Now back at guard, Avila is seeing the benefits of his time at center and playing with a better understanding of the whole offense.
Even better, Avila is now ready to handle center if called upon because of the harsh nature of the NFL.
“It’s never just one guy that’s the center,” Jackson said. “It’s the NFL, things happen, guys get hurt, so we all prepare like we have to play a different position.”
The Rams are already familiar with that uncertainty. Left tackle Alaric Jackson hurt his ankle in camp and then received a two-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, meaning Joe Noteboom will start against the Lions.
Right tackle Rob Havenstein missed time because of an ankle injury and was limited in practice. Warren McClendon Jr. would start if the veteran Havenstein, the last holdover from the Rams’ time in St. Louis, is not available.
Everyone has to be ready to contribute, Jackson said.
“Like it’s never just only the centers being coached on how to be centers,” Jackson said. “Multiple guys, and that goes for guys who slide in from playing tackle, guys who slide out from playing tackle. It’s all interchangeable.”
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