Wednesday, August 20, 2014 | The Newnan Times-Herald — 11C
TREE Continued from page 1C
Prior to last year’s bye week, he averaged just over six tackles over the first 10 games of his career. Those numbers, however, blossomed to averaging nine tackles while more importantly, making nine of his 11 hits behind the line of scrimmage during the span. They also included his first career sack against Arizona and two forced fumbles against Tampa Bay. “Just making sure that I was lined up correctly, that was the biggest thing,” he said. “From the beginning of the season to the end of the season, I could tell the difference. It just feels more comfortable. You know what you’ve got to do and where to line up.” That still may mean sizable changes this fall in a switch in comfort level that he referred to as “night and day.” Veteran defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, in his first season with the Rams after being reinstated by the NFL last year, has plans to use Ogletree’s athletic 6-2, 245-pound frame in more pass-rushing situations after finishing with just 1.5 of the Rams’ 53 sacks last year — third most in the league. “It’s way more intense. His style of call is aggressive, where you’re coming at the quarterback all the time,” Ogletree said of Williams. “I think with the type of team we have with a lot of young guys, it fits us well.” Along with Ogletree, the nucleus includes All-Pro Robert Quinn and Chris Long up front as well as middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, a second-round pick in 2009 out of Ohio State. Quinn, a first round pick in 2011, set a Rams single-season record for sacks last year with 18, while Long, at 29, is one of the most seasoned defensive starters while still adding 8.5 sacks of his own last year. “It’s fun to line up with
them. They’re some of the smarter guys in the league and some of the most athletic like Robert and James,” said Ogletree , adding that Laurinaitis is “probably the smartest player I’ve ever met. No joke. He rarely makes a mistake.” Ogletree said veteran linebackers Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Will Witherspoon, another former Bulldog, also had an influence on helping him adapt to the pro game. The Rams, meanwhile, are already learning how fortunate they are that so many other NFL teams took a pass on Ogletree. While some had him ranked among the top-10 in talent, others couldn’t see past transgressions made off the field. A pair of arrests, one for the theft of a $35 scooter helmet as a freshman and the other a DUI charge while training for the draft,were bookends in between a fourgame suspension at UGA during his final season for allegedly failing a post-Spring Break drug test. Ogletree may already be well on his way to proving his detractors wrong. “He made the big plays and he’s got the big-play potential,” Fisher said. “[Coach Williams] is doing a nice job moving him around in the defense. He might be doing a little more pressure than he’s done before. From a cover standpoint, he can do it. So I’m pleased where he is right now.” At Newnan High, the onetime All-State high school safety was known for feats that could eventually be passed down like folk tales locally. Two came in the same game against Grayson — a one-handed touchdown grab followed by a lunging gamesaving block to hold on to a victory. Both well on their way to a mix between sheer truth and herculean-like heroics. Even as an NFL rookie, Ogletree seemed to provide a glimpse of that athleticism during a victory over the Houston Texans in Week 6.
MERCER Continued from page 1C
With Houston driving deep into St. Louis territory and dropping back to pass, Ogletree made his move. “That whole time I had been telling myself, they’re going to throw this little route. Every play, I’m waiting just to jump that route so bad,” he said. “When it got to the goal line, I saw their quarterback go to it and I was like ‘Yes.’” “Yes,” as in a 98-yard interception return for his first career touchdown while also tying the longest ever by a rookie NFL linebacker. Two months earlier in the preseason, those passes were getting by him for completions. “At the beginning of the year, things were moving a lot faster,” Ogletree said. “But by the end of the year, those things, I was able to anticipate it and break on the ball.” If St. Louis has any hopes of making a move on the likes of Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona, all with at least 10 wins in the league’s most competitive division, it’ll mean more of the same from the Newnan native up against a group of quarterbacks that include two rising stars in Russell Wilson of the Seahawks and Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers. Neither seems any less of a challenge than the other. “They’re both tough because they run different schemes,” Ogletree said. “But we’ve got a great team. Things are coming together slowly but surely.”
Now, the Bears will go head-to-head with Furman, Wofford, and defending Southern Conference champion Samford among the others in a quest to win a league title. “We are excited about the new season and joining the Southern Conference,” Usher said. “There is a lot of tradition and there are some good teams in the league, but we are going in with the feeling we can win every game.” Usher is already entrenched in the Bears’ backfield after a solid freshman season while gaining 776 yards on 114 carries and two touchdowns. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in four games last year including a season-best 115-yard effort in a season-opening win over Reinhardt in his college debut. The sophomore was recently named to the preseason College Football Performance Running Backs Watch List. Lakes observed last year’s success from the sidelines as a redshirt freshman, but is anxious to tote the football again after sitting out last season. He made an impressive showing in this year’s spring game Usher for the Bears, rushing for 109 yards on 13 carries. “It’s good to be back with Payton,” Lakes said.”We kind of feed off each other.” The two running backs shared NewnanTimes Herald honors as juniors at Northgate, each rushing for more than 1,000 yards. “They are two really good football players, but they are even better people,” Northgate head coach Tommy Walburn said. “The one thing as a coach I have always appreciated is when a former player comes back to visit. That’s when you know you have really made an impact.” Lakes and Arnold both planned on playing at the Air Force after high school. Each spent a year at Air Force Prep before finding their way back to Georgia to be a part of the new program at Mercer. Arnold made an immediate impact upon his arrival, playing in all 12 games as a freshman, including seven starts, while also finishing second on the team with 66 tackles. Maybe the hardest part for Arnold and Usher was sitting out a year until the Reinhardt opener, after each was part of head coach Bobby Lamb’s first signing class. “We were really ready to play once last season finally got here, Usher said. “That first fall all we did was practice. It was hard not to play and just sit around waiting.” The long wait may have been worthwhile, as Mercer defeated Reinhardt 40-37 at home. “We practiced five days a week that first
Alex Lakes was Mercer’s top rusher in its spring game and has continued his early success during team scrimmages this month. year and had nothing to look forward to at the end of the week,” Arnold added of the wait. “It was great to finally have a chance to play for real last year. After jump-starting the season with the win against Reinhardt, the Bears flexed their muscles winning the first four games in their return to football. Arnold helped anchor the defense with back-to-back shutouts, including a 61-0 win over Warner and a 43-0 victory over Berry early in the season. The Bears played last season in the Patriot League, a conference that geographically is spread out all across the country, and defeated Drake 31-17 in the league opener. “That was a big win for us,” Arnold said. “That sort of set the tone for us the rest of the year against some bigger opponents. “We really felt like we were going to be a pretty good team after that win.” Mercer didn’t drop its first game until falling to San Diego University 45-13 in a Patriot League game, but Arnold was the Bears’ leading tackler, finishing with eight in the contest. Usher earned his preseason accolades this season with hard work in 2013. Not only did he show he could make the transition from the high school game to the college game, with his ability to run through opposing defenses, he also had a knack for changing the Bears’ field position on kickoffs, leading the team with 30.5 yards per return. Lakes took a roundabout way to joining the Bears. After signing with the Air Force Academy out of high school, the former Northgate standout enrolled at West Georgia. However Usher and Arnold convinced him to join the upcoming program at Mercer. “They told me about some of the things that were happening at Mercer,” Lakes said, “and it just seemed like a really good fit for me. It is a good school and something I really wanted to be a part of.”
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