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Sports Feb 10, 2022
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The Los Angeles Rams are playing the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 13 for a chance to win the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy.
After two weeks of waiting for a professional battle on a football field (the NFL’s Pro Bowl happened this past Sunday, but we won’t count that spectacle as legitimate competition), Super Bowl Sunday is now just four days away.
The storylines that are arising from this yearly world championship game are yet again noticeable. I mean, just look at the quarterback comparison: A long-time quarterback who endured years of losing with a historically miserable franchise and has a chance to win his first ring is playing a two-year quarterback who learned to trust his depleted knee at the start of the season and led his team to the game’s biggest stage — with a swagger the franchise hasn’t seen since Chad Ochocinco Johnson.
I am, of course, talking about the head-to-head matchup between the Rams’ Matthew Stafford and the Bengals’ Joe Burrow.
Yet for the city of Los Angeles and throughout Southern California, the biggest storyline is that they have a football team attempting to bring home a Lombardi Trophy to the Southland for the first time since the Los Angeles Raiders won 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII — which happened 38 years ago.
Yes Angelenos, if that reality has not stuck yet, it needs to soon: Your Rams are in the Super Bowl! And they will have a chance to win it at their home stadium in Inglewood!
And with this whole weekend being so dedicated to Southern California, it is only fitting to pick out the local players who are on each of the Rams and Bengals rosters and have a chance to compete in Sunday’s big game.
First, however, let’s place a distinction on one player from the area who will not touch the field due to injury — Rams’ star wide receiver Robert Woods.
Woods was born in Gardena, Calif. and played high school ball at Junipero Serra High. After winning a CIF Division 3 state championship, he was named an All-American and accepted a scholarship offer to play for USC where he thrived under head coach Lane Kiffin.
He is an Angeleno through and through, and despite being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2013 and having a solid four-year tenure with the franchise, he was destined to find his way back home after signing with the newly relocated L.A. Rams in 2017. Head coach Sean McVay immediately declared Woods as the number one receiver on their depth chart, and he has proven to be a top target for whoever is behind center when he’s on the field; while also being a leader in the locker room for younger weapons such as Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson.
Surely it is killing Woods to not get another chance to play in the Super Bowl (he was on the field for the disappointing loss in Super Bowl LIII against Tom Brady and the Patriots). However, he will remain an important voice for the Rams on the sidelines, and his loss means that the recently-acquired Odell Beckham Jr. will need to step up to fill that void at the second pass-catching position.
With all that being said, here are local players that are hopeful to touch the field this Sunday on both teams.
Rams: CB Donte Deayon
Deayon has had a rugged journey so far between jumping into the Rams roster and being sent back down to the practice squad. Born in Rialto, Calif. in San Bernardino County, Deayon played for Summit High in Fontana before he joined Boise State’s football program. He was named to the All-Mountain West Second Team his sophomore year and earned the distinction two more times after that before signing with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2016.
In 2018 the Rams signed him to their practice squad, and in October 2021 he was called up to the main roster and hasn’t been sent down since then. Although he saw some minutes in the Wild Card matchup against the Cardinals, picking up two tackles, he didn’t get much playing time throughout the rest of the playoffs. If he sees minutes on Sunday, expect to see him covering punts or kick returns on special teams.
Rams: DL Greg Gaines
This 6-foot-1, 312-pound defensive tackle is a big body among one of the best defensive line groups in the NFL. Playing alongside all-time great Aaron Donald, Gaines is generally the man lined up directly opposite of the center. As a nose tackle, his numbers are not eye-popping. He played in every game for the Rams this season, and he collected 28 solo tackles along with 4.5 sacks. However, Gaines plays his role quite well, and he will be on the field this upcoming Super Bowl nearly every single down, particularly on early downs when McVay and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will attempt to defend the Bengals rushing attack.
Gaines was born in La Habra, Calif., which is in the northwestern corner of Orange County. He had a stellar high school career at La Habra high, and he built a strong relationship with then Boise State head coach Chris Petersen during his recruiting process. Although he initially committed to playing for Boise State, once Petersen announced he would be the head coach at the University of Washington Gaines followed him. He won the Morris Trophy in 2018, which is handed to the best defensive lineman of the Pac-12 Conference, and was later drafted in the fourth round by the Rams in 2019.
Bengals: WR Trenton Irwin
In such a crowded room of wide receivers, a guy like Trenton Irwin doesn’t get much attention. Born in Glendale, Calif. and playing football at Santa Clarita’s Hart High School, Irwin was a five-star recruit at his position before attending Stanford. There he accumulated a strong collegiate career as he was able to play anywhere on the field, whether it be out wide lined up as the X-receiver or in the slot position. He was also an impressive scholar, as he was a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention. Irwin went undrafted in 2019 but signed with the Dolphins before being released four months later.
The Bengals signed him to their practice squad in October 2019, and after catching his first reception in 2020 he started the 2021 season on the practice squad. He was called up yet again in September 2021, and against the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football he made a 25-yard reception that went somewhat viral (mainly because his long hair looks eerily similar to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawerence). Nevertheless, Irwin is sixth on the Bengals receiver depth chart, and with guys like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins that shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s doubtful that Irwin is on the field with the offense barring any injuries at the position. Instead, Irwin might touch the field with the special teams unit.
Rams: CB David Long
This cornerback may be the feel-good story in terms of LA-based talent during these playoffs for the Rams. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Pasadena, Long played the majority of his high school career at Loyola High. He had a lot of attention coming out of high school, and after committing to Stanford he changed his mind and decided to take his talents to Michigan after Jim Harbaugh attempted to connect with the recruit by climbing a tree to show his dedication towards making him a part of his program (isn’t that so Harbaugh-esque?).
After his junior year, he entered the 2019 draft where the Rams selected him in the third round. He made a massive jump in 2021, starting five games at corner and corralling his first career interception in the season opener against the Chicago Bears. These playoffs, though? The last three games have created some early defining moments in Long’s young career.
He made arguably the biggest play of the game in the Rams win over the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card round, as a pick-six against Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray gave them a 21-0 lead. In the next round, Long played 85% of the Rams defensive snaps against the Buccaneers and made a career-high seven tackles. Long will certainly get thrown onto the field Sunday, particularly in dime looks when the Rams plan to apply extra secondary help on later downs.
Rams: C Coleman Shelton
Another Pasadena-born player and Loyola High alumni, Shelton has played consistent snaps throughout his early professional career, which is fairly shocking when looking at his football career. He played with the Washington Huskies for five seasons after redshirting his true freshman season. Shelton started every game as a freshman, moving throughout several positions on the offensive line. He officially became the starting center his junior year and after his senior year he was named first-team All-Pac-12. Yet, he went undrafted and signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers in 2018.
From there he was released, picked up by the 49ers division rival in the Cardinals, which was followed by another NFC West team in the Rams picking him up in 2019 after his release from Arizona. 20 days later Shelton made his career debut against the Browns, and he went on to play in 11 regular season games. In 2020 Shelton played in 15 games, along with the two Rams’ postseason contests as well. This season, however, his production dipped as guard David Edwards took a major step forward during the summer. Shelton has yet to start in these playoffs, so he will likely only see action if there is an injury to one of the Rams’ interior linemen or if they are in a short-yardage situation and plan to stack their line of scrimmage with more big bodies.
Bengals: DT Josh Tupou
Born in Long Beach, defensive tackle Josh Tupou is one of the older players on this list (27 years old). He played high school football at Buena Park High, where he only began playing defense as a senior. Tupou impressed enough to earn a spot on the University of Colorado’s roster. By his sophomore year, he was the consistent starter at nose tackle. In 2016 he was one of the leaders of a defensive unit that ranked second in total defense in the Pac-12.
He signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2017, yet his early professional career was plagued by missed time. After spending the year on the practice squad, Tupou suffered a torn pectoral at practice in 2018. He re-signed with Cincinnati in 2020, but he opted out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This 2021-22 campaign is truly the first time Tupou has seen the field consistently. He started in nine games — none of which he collected a sack — and played in 40% or more of those defensive snaps. So far he has seen the field five times in these playoffs before hurting his knee against the Titans. He will likely be available Sunday, and similar to Gaines, Tupou should be on the field when the Bengals are looking to play in packages against the run.
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