|
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams defensive lineman William Hayes was a hit in the team's locker room from the day he first arrived in St. Louis back in 2012. He immediately grew close with most of his teammates, especially on the defensive line. In his nearly three years with the Rams, there's nobody Hayes has grown closer to than fellow defensive end Chris Long. When the news came Wednesday that Long would need ankle surgery that would keep him out for eight to 10 weeks, nobody took the news harder than Hayes. "He’s one of my closest friends on the team so it’s kind of hard when you hear he is not going to be here but we’ve got a next-man-up philosophy around here," Hayes said. As it turns out, the next man up in Long's absence is Hayes. In Hayes, Long's left defensive end spot lands in more than capable hands. Amongst the free agents whiffs the Rams have had since coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead took over, Hayes has been on the opposite end of the spectrum as a true diamond in the rough find. Hayes first signed with the Rams in 2012, following Fisher to St. Louis from Tennessee, where he was once a fourth-round pick out of Winston-Salem State. In the time since, he's become the defensive line's ultimate Swiss Army Knife, providing a stout presence against the run from his end position while offering pass rush ability from the interior. Over those two season in St. Louis, Hayes has 63 tackles and 12 sacks while working in a reserve role. The other side to Long's absence is the loss of his fiery brand of leadership. That's another area where Hayes can help provide some cover. Most of the other defensive linemen tend to err on the quiet side but Hayes is the same player who smashed a mirror in the team's locker room after last season's loss to Tennessee, a blow that led to him getting stitches in his arm. Even without Long, the Rams are confident in what Hayes brings to the table. "We know that Will Hayes can get the job done," defensive tackle Kendall Langford said. "Whoever we put out there on the field, we are a brotherhood of men and we trust in each other that we’ll get the job done. I don’t think it will be a drop off." While Hayes figures to get the first shot at replacing Long, it's important to note that it will take more than just one player to fill the void. Hayes is still working his way back into football shape from a trio of offseason surgeries, the most serious of which was a hip procedure. He did not play in any preseason games and was admittedly rusty in his return to game action last week. Likewise, the Rams would like to limit his snaps when possible to keep him fresh, as evidenced by his 27 snaps against Minnesota last week. That means the Rams will turn to fellow veteran backup Eugene Sims and undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks to ease the burden. For his part, the always motivated Hayes has even more motivation to play well in Long's stead. He's replacing a good player but an even better friend. "I hate the idea that Chris got hurt but at the end of the day, things happen and the next man has to step up," Hayes said. "I just don’t want to be a drop off this week, that’s one of the big things. I feel like he would be disappointed in me if I was to go out there this week and just really [struggle]."
|
