Rams INside Slant

When the Rams’ minicamp opened on April 2, it was expected that quarterback Gus Frerotte would be on the field as the backup to Marc Bulger.


But minicamp came and went without Frerotte, and within a few hours after the final practice was over, the Rams had their new backup. But it wasn’t Frerotte. Instead, it was Kyle Boller, who quietly had a tryout April 3 and signed a one-year contract the next day.


Boller was Baltimore’s first-round pick in 2003, and during an inconsistent career with the Ravens, he started 42 games, played in 53, passed for 7,846 yards with 45 touchdowns and 44 interceptions. He spent all of the 2008 season on injured reserve with an injury to his throwing shoulder.



The injury was a partially torn labrum, and after it happened in the preseason, he opted to have surgery immediately. He was throwing by the end of the season and now proclaims the shoulder to be “100 percent.”


Boller had an anchor put in his shoulder, similar to the surgery New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees had in 2006.


Boller told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “It’s one of those deals where I feel very confident that the surgeon that did it, did it fine. I was talking to Drew Brees because he’s one of the guys I work out with in San Diego and he told me he had 10 anchors put in his shoulder and I only had one so if he can come back from that, I’m sure I’ll be just fine.”


“One of the things is you work so much shoulder strengthening that my arm actually feels stronger than it did before just by all the rotator cuff stuff you do and working your biceps tendon so it does feel stronger.”


Said general manager Billy Devaney, “We think he’s a good fit for us backing up Marc. He’s a young guy that still has a ton of ability and a lot of upside. This is a really good pickup for us.”


Boller’s arrival had some irony because of comments center Jason Brown made after signing with the Rams early in free agency. Talking about the importance of protecting the quarterback, the former Baltimore center said, “That relationship between the quarterback and the offensive line, it’s more important than what people think because we give that guy confidence. Kyle Boller with the Ravens, I love him to death, but you see what getting hit one too many times early in your career can do to you.


“He became gun shy instead of getting the ball and standing back there with poise and then being able to step up. If there was a flash of anything, something, it might have been far to the edge, he was like (flinching). And he started to scramble. You have to have the faith in your offensive line to where you say, ‘Hey, I know these guys are going to give me the seconds that I need in order to get this ball off.’ “


Boller acknowledged he was disappointed when he heard what Brown said, and added that Brown “was surprised to see me” when he showed up for his tryout.


But, Boller said, “I talked to Jason. I’ve been with Jason for the last four years, and I don’t have a bad thing to say about him. I think if you talked to him, we’ve never had any problems. So we cleared that up right away. It wasn’t a big issue at all.”


Asked about the “gun-shy” accusation, and whether it was accurate, Boller said, “No. I don’t think so at all. I’ve never had anybody tell me I was gun-shy before. I’m not afraid to go back there and throw that thing.”


What Boller is most excited about is getting a new opportunity and working in the West Coast offense being implemented by offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.


“(It’s) an offense I have always wanted to be in,” he said. “You get the ball out of your hand fast, run the football and get your downfield shots. It’s something I am excited about. Coach Shurmur said this was an offense he thought I would thrive in. I’m looking forward to picking his brain and trying to learn as much as I can from him and go from there.”


As for the new beginning, Boller concluded, “I’m ready for a fresh start. I could’ve gone back to Baltimore. But with the situation and stuff, I was just ready to get out of there. I was ready for a clean start, new faces, new places - everything.


“It’s a tough business and there’s a lot of stuff you have to go through but I think that’s what separates guys that make it and have long careers and guys that don’t. You have to be mentally strong; a huge part of it is the mental part. If you let the little things scare you and bother you, you don’t have a chance. I was thrown in early, learned my lessons and hopefully my next 10 years will be the best years of my football career.”


Notes, Quotes

• When Rams general manager Billy Devaney was with the Falcons in 2007, they drafted WR Laurent Robinson in the third round. As a rookie, the 6-2, 194-pound Robinson started six games and caught 37 passes for 437 yards and a touchdown.


However, hamstring problems affected him last season, and he played just six games and had 52 yards on five receptions. He was placed on injured reserve Dec. 16.


Robinson has rejoined Devaney as the Rams and Falcons swapped fifth- and sixth-round picks. The Rams moved down 22 spots in the fifth round and 20 in the sixth round to acquire Robinson.


“He showed a lot of potential his rookie year,” Devaney said. “Good ball skills, smooth route runner. He’s got some size, too.”


• There was a strange disconnect between coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney when the team’s recent minicamp ended.


Asked if the five practices assisted the evaluation process when it comes to draft plans, Spagnuolo said, “Yeah, no question. And that was one of the reasons why Billy and I decided to have a camp before the draft. I think that will be huge. It will be huge for him; I think it’ll be huge for me. It’s important.”


However, Devaney had a different take. Asked how much the minicamp helped the draft plan, he said, “Not much. We’re not going to alter our draft board based on what we see out here, guys kind of running around in shorts and t-shirts. That wasn’t the intent. We didn’t think going in that with these couple of practices we’d find out about guys and say, ‘OK, you know what? Forget about drafting this position, we need to move on to this position based off the practices.’ It was more just to get our feet wet with the players and coaches and really has no effect on the draft.”


• Last summer, coach Scott Linehan moved the team’s training camp from St. Louis to Wisconsin in hopes of turning things around from a 3-13 record in 2007. Running back Steven Jackson was absent because of a contract impasse, and the Rams sputtered out of the gate. Linehan was fired after the fourth game of the season, and the Rams finished 2-14.


As it turns out, Spagnuolo was hoping to have the first part of camp away from the team’s training facility, just not as far away as Wisconsin. While with the Eagles, the team trained in nearby West Chester, and with the Giants, camp was held in Albany.


After investigating options at Lindenwood University, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Southern Illinois-Carbondale, the decision was made this week to hold camp at their Russell Training Facility.


However, efforts will be ongoing to see if a move makes sense in 2010. Logistics made it difficult to go somewhere this year.


“We looked at and considered a lot of different options,” Spagnuolo said. “And ultimately, we decided that for this year and this summer, this was the best place for us and our fans.”


Added Kevin Demoff, the team’s executive vice president of football operations, “In the end, we just felt that this was the most practical option for 2009, from a football standpoint and also from a fan standpoint.


“Nobody had ever really taken the time to research local options, at least not in the past few years. It’s possible in 2010 we could go elsewhere. But in the end, all of our research this year led us to want to stay here.”


Part of the problem involved camp starting later than normal this year and bumping into the time when students arrive on the various campuses.


As Demoff further explained to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “By the time we started seeking out schools, it was a little late in the process for them to be able to commit. This will give everybody lead time of a year to really give us a proposal that makes sense. And for us to consider what makes sense.


“But, we’d also like to see how it plays out here … and really get a sense for how fans react to practice here, and the advantages that come with that.”


When the Rams camped at home from 2005-2008, night practices were closed. In addition, the facility isn’t equipped to handle large crowds. It’s possible a scrimmage will be held at either Lindenwood or Washington University.


Concluded Demoff, “Our goal is to make as many practices as possible open to the public, if not all practices.”


• Added to the list of draft eligible players expected to visit the Rams next week are OTs Eugene Monroe (Virginia), Michael Oher (Mississippi) and William Beatty (Connecticut).


Others known to be visiting are OT Jason Smith (Baylor), WRs Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech), Darrius Heyward-Bey (Maryland), Jeremy Maclin (Missouri) and Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate (both North Carolina); QBs Thomas Brandstater (Fresno State) and Mark Sanchez (Southern Cal); LBs Aaron Curry (Wake Forest) and Rey Maualuga (Southern Cal); DT Ziggy Hood (Missouri); CB Mike Mickens (Cincinnati); DE Tyson Jackson (Louisiana State); DEs Connor Barwin (Cincinnati) and Lawrence Sidbury (Richmond).


Quote To Note: “They’re very detail oriented. Very team oriented. I’m glad to be a part of it. I’m going to put my best foot forward and show ‘em I’ve bought in.”—DT Clifton Ryan on Steve Spagnuolo and the Rams’ new coaching staff.


Strategy And Personnel

TEAM NEEDS/OFFSEASON STRATEGY


The Rams have made some key additions, but there were holes created with the release of tackle Orlando Pace, wide receivers Torry Holt and Drew Bennett, backup quarterback Trent Green and blocking tight end Anthony Becht.


The departures of Pace and Holt created $14 million in salary-cap space, which the Rams used some of for quarterback Kyle Boller. They also could possibly add depth at defensive tackle and running back. The draft could also be used for those spots, including wide receiver, where Laurent Robinson was acquired from the Falcons. They will need about $6 million in cap space for their draft picks.


Coach Steve Spagnuolo would like to get bigger on the defensive line, where the Rams ended 2008 without a nose tackle behind starter Clifton Ryan.


The draft could also be the place where the Rams find a back capable of taking over for Steven Jackson during games or if is injured, which has been the case the last two seasons.


TEAM NEEDS


1. Tackle: With left tackle Orlando Pace having been released and Alex Barron entering the final year of his contract, a revamping of the position is possible. In the short term, the Rams plan to move Barron from right tackle to left tackle, the position he played in college and for 15 games in 2007 when Pace was injured. That still leaves a void on the right side, where Adam Goldberg worked in the team’s recent minicamp.


2. Wide receiver: With Torry Holt and Drew Bennett released, there is no real veteran presence at the position. Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton return for their second season, and it’s possible the Rams could add a receiver in free agency while still going for another young player in the draft. They did add third-year pro Laurent Robinson in a trade with Atlanta.


3. Middle linebacker: Will Witherspoon is moving from the middle to the outside where it is believed he will be able to excel. For now, Chris Draft is the starter, but he is not a long-term answer. The Rams have been looking for excellence in the middle ever since London Fletcher left after the 2001 season.


Medical Watch: No updates.


FRANCHISE PLAYER: S Oshiomogho Atogwe: Tendered at $6.342M.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS


• CB Fakhir Brown was a favorite of former coach Jim Haslett, and is not expected to return.


• CB Jason Craft was acquired during the 2008 season and made some valuable contributions. Could be back at the right price.


• OT Anthony Davis didn’t play after being signed during the season, but might be back to compete for depth.


• DT La’Roi Glover played with a bad knee for most of the second half of the season and is contemplating retirement.


• OT Brandon Gorin missed the entire 2008 season with a shoulder injury and is unlikely to return.


• WR/KR Dante Hall has experienced leg injuries the last two seasons, and his age is catching up to him.


• WR Dane Looker has always gotten the most out of his ability, but coaching change might means it’s the end of the line for him.


• CB Ricky Manning played five games before going on injured reserve, but could compete for a spot if recovered from his injury.


• RB Travis Minor has contributed on special teams, but it seems to be a longshot that he’ll be re-signed.


• OT Rob Petitti never made it to training camp after being injured in offseason workouts. Very unlikely to be back.


• LB Gary Stills added leadership to the special teams before being slowed by a knee injury. It’s unknown how the new coaching staff views him.


• C Cory Withrow is another undersized lineman added to the roster because of injuries. Not expected to be re-signed.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS


• DE Victor Adeyanju (tendered at $1.01M with fourth-round pick as compensation) has showed steady progress in his three seasons, and he is needed for depth on the line.


• OG Richie Incognito (tendered at $1.01M with third-round pick as compensation) has ability, but has to curb his emotions during games. The question is whether he’s worth a $1 million tender.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED


• CB Ron Bartell: UFA; $25M/4 yrs, $4.1M SB/$8.6M base guarantees; 2009 cap: $5.35M.


• QB Brock Berlin: Potential ERFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.


• LB Quinton Culberson: Potential ERFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.


• T/G Adam Goldberg: UFA; $1.52M/2 yrs, $100,000 SB; 2009 cap: $670,000.


• DE Eric Moore: UFA; terms unknown.


• OG Mark Setterstrom: Not tendered as RFA; terms unknown.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED


• TE Billy Bajema: UFA 49ers; terms unknown.


• QB Kyle Boller: UFA Ravens; $1.5M/1 yr.


• C Jason Brown: UFA Ravens; $37.5M/5 yrs, $11M SB/$9M base guarantees; 2009 cap: $6.2M.


• SS James Butler: UFA Giants; $12M/4 yrs, $1.075M SB; 2009 cap: $2.194M.


• S Craig Dahl: Not tendered as ERFA by Giants; terms unknown.


• FB Mike Karney: FA Saints; $3.5M/3 yrs, $275,000 SB/$225,000 RB; 2009 cap: $1.017M.


• WR Laurent Robinson (trade Falcons).

PLAYERS LOST


• TE Anthony Becht (released).


• WR Drew Bennett (released).


• S Corey Chavous (released).


• QB Trent Green (released/failed physical).


• WR Torry Holt (released).


• C Nick Leckey: UFA Saints; 1 yr, terms unknown.


• OT Orlando Pace (released).


• C Brett Romberg: UFA Falcons; terms unknown.

Rams secondary takes shape

By Bill Coats

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Sunday, Mar. 15 2009

In mid-February, the Rams' secondary was in a state of flux. Strong safety
Corey Chavous had been released, cornerback Fakhir Brown had been removed from
the team's plans, and free safety Oshiomogho "O.J." Atogwe and cornerback Ron
Bartell were about to become free agents.

Less than a month and more than $50 million later, the new regime at Rams Park
has solidified most of its defensive backfield:

Feb. 19 — Atogwe, 27, is assigned the team's franchise tag, assuring his
presence in 2009 and earning him a one-year salary of $6.34 million.

March 2 — After a visit to New Orleans and a contract offer from the Saints,
Bartell, 27, re-signs with the Rams. His four-year deal could max out at $28
million

March 10 — Strong safety James Butler, 27, a free agent who spent the previous
four seasons with the New York Giants, signs for four years and, if certain
incentives are met, about $17 million.

"It's very exciting," Butler said. "O.J.'s been having a lot of interceptions
the past two years, and Ron Bartell's arrow is definitely going up."

With a laugh, Butler added, "We've got a lot of young players, and they're fast
— I might be the slowest one out of the bunch. I might have to start working on
my 40s."

Atogwe, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound third-round draft pick in 2005, is a three-year
starter who has developed into one of the NFL's top ball-hawking defenders. He
led the NFC with eight interceptions two years ago and picked off five more
passes in 2008. He also finished second on the team in tackles this past
season, with 109.

Bartell, a 6-1, 209-pounder drafted in the second round in 2005, cobbled
together a breakout season in '08. After shuttling between safety and
cornerback his first three seasons, Bartell became a full-time starter. He was
the team's best defender in coverage, compiling one of the league's best "burn"
rates (percentage of passes completed against him), and his three interceptions
were second to Atogwe.

Butler, a 6-3, 215-pound Georgia Tech product, wasn't drafted after his senior
season in 2005, which shocked the two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference
honoree.

"It was very tough. I was like, 'Man, these guys aren't better than me,'"
Butler said. "But I think every player has things he has to go through, and I
went through that. You just have to roll with the punches."

The snub amped up his determination to prove the skeptics wrong, Butler
stressed.

"Every player has a motivation. ... that was my motivation," he said.

Signed by the Giants as a free agent, Butler kept his initial goals simple.

"My first year with the Giants, it was just, 'make the team ... keep
grinding,'" he said.

He filled a reserve role his first two years, then earned a starting job in
2007. Coincidentally or not, that was the same year Giants coach Tom Coughlin
hired Steve Spagnuolo as his defensive coordinator.

"Coach Spags came over with a different mind-set, an aggressive mind-set, and
we bought into it," Butler said. The effect was immediate.

The Giants' defense improved from 25th in the 32-team NFL in 2006 to seventh in
'07 under the future Rams head coach. Spagnuolo's scheme vs. New England's
record-setting offense was widely hailed as a primary factor in the Giants'
stunning 17-14 Super Bowl triumph.

Butler had a team-high 10 tackles vs. the Pats, but he played down his
contribution.

"It really wasn't about the personal things," he said. "Just to win as a team,
and the way we won, that was the biggest thing."

Spagnuolo's defense moved up to No. 5 this past season, and his stock as a
potential head coach soared. The Rams hired him Jan. 17. And when Spagnuolo
called at the start of the free agency period, Butler listened.

"Coach Spags gave me my first opportunity to start in the league, and he helped
my career grow. I wanted to stay with him," Butler said. "I was talking to
other teams, but in the back of my mind, I was going to be here."

As for the fourth member of the secondary ...

"Wide open," Spagnuolo said. "There's going to be a lot of competition in (the
three) minicamps, and we'll just let guys compete and see who surfaces."

Tye Hill, the Rams' first-round draft pick in 2006, probably is the top
candidate among the incumbent corners. He started 10 games as a rookie but has
played in just nine games over the past two seasons because of injuries.

"I don't think Tye has lost his swagger," said Butler, who co-owns a Golden
Corral restaurant in Centerville, Ga., with Hill. "He's definitely motivated to
be one of the best corners in the league this year, and he's been working hard
this offseason. Tye Hill will be a great player this year."

Other cornerbacks under contract are Eric Bassey, Quincy Butler, Justin King
and Jonathan Wade. Also, Jason Craft, a free-agent acquisition last year, could
be brought back.

Butler "was a real key piece of the puzzle" in the secondary, Spagnuolo said.
"He's going to be kind of the glue that brings these guys together."

---

Brown Ready to Work

By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

It would have been easy to mistake Jason Brown’s mostly stoic, focused expression for indifference or apathy as he was introduced as the newest St. Louis Ram on Saturday afternoon.

Brown wasn’t sporting the wide smile of a guy who had just cashed in a five-year contract worth upwards of $37 million except when the cameras were on him.

Make no mistake; Brown is excited about becoming the literal and figurative center of what figures to be a new look offensive line. He just doesn’t show it because he knows the task that awaits him and his new teammates.

“I want to be able to put on a show and smile for the cameras right now and act as though I am excited,” Brown said. “But to tell you the truth, the excitement factor is over. Right now - and the coaching staff understands - me coming from a team last year on the rebound, with a rookie head coach, a rookie quarterback, you had a brand new offensive scheme, all of those things you have to overcome…I am thinking about working right now because I know the challenges that we are going to have to overcome in order to be a great team this year.”

It’s that focus and passion that has landed Brown here in St. Louis, the top priority and the first major step of what figures to be a dramatic overhaul of the team’s roster for 2009.

It’s that heart and drive that has taken Brown from fourth-round draft pick in 2005 to one of the league’s highest paid centers. It’s that total package that will almost certainly make Brown a fast favorite for fans, teammates and coaches alike.

“He was kind of joking a little bit about people saying how come you are not more excited,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “He has a very serious attitude. He is very, very serious about his job and I could see that immediately when I met him. I think he is mature beyond his age. He’s only 25. He seemed a lot more mature than 25 to me.”

For the record, Brown will turn 26 on May 5 but there’s plenty of merit to Spagnuolo’s theory that Brown is wise beyond his years.

Late last week, the Ravens broke off talks with Harold Lewis and Kevin Omell, Brown’s St. Louis-based agents. When it became clear that Brown would not be able to continue his career with the team that used the 124th selection in the 2005 NFL Draft on him, the suitors began lining up.

When the clock hit 12:01 on the east coast or 11:01 p.m. in the central time zone, the Rams wasted little time placing a call to Brown and letting him know of their interest. In addition, the team put in a call to Lewis and let him know that they had made Brown their top free agent priority.

“After the bell rings, you get a lot of phone calls from a lot of different places,” Lewis said. “You put together teams of interest and I told Jason that in this market you have got to hit it fast and hit it hard. I don’t think you need to make a tour around the world.”

Indeed, Lewis and Omell encouraged Brown to narrow his focus to places where he could become a fixture and raise a family. Much like Spagnuolo suspected, Brown’s maturity and family situation made Lewis believe his client fit better in a place like St. Louis than say Philadelphia or Washington.

Brown’s wife, Tay, is about to become a dentist and the couple had son Jason Jr. just 16 months ago.

“My feelings were that with having a young family and being the type of person he is, this would be the perfect place,” Lewis said.

The Rams moved quickly to set up a visit and only hours after that initial phone call, Brown was on a 6:15 a.m. flight to St. Louis via a small, regional jet. Upon his arrival in St. Louis, Brown wasted no time making an impression on Spagnuolo, general manager Billy Devaney and just about everyone else he came into contact with.

After long negotiations and a Friday night dinner, a deal had been struck and Brown put pen to paper on Saturday afternoon.

For Brown, the hardest part of the process was coming to terms with the fact that he’d be leaving the team that gave him his first chance.

“”Many players would like to stay with the team that drafted them and would like to finish their careers there,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, there’s a separation between business and the personal side of football and they had to make a business decision. Right now, in my career, I have to make a business decision as well and that is to take care of my family to the fullest of its extent. I’m just so glad and fortunate that I am welcomed into another family here with the Rams.”

Brown’s warm welcome to the Rams should come as no surprise for a variety of reasons. Aside from the aforementioned leadership and personal traits that made Brown appealing, his fit as a football player makes him all the more appealing.

At 6’3, 320 pounds, Brown represents an upgrade of about 3 inches and 30 pounds over any of the centers the Rams used in 2008.

Brown was a three-year starter in the middle at North Carolina before moving to guard when the Ravens first plugged him there in 2006. Brown grew accustomed to the guard spot, starting 28 games there in 2006 and 2007.
When Mike Flynn vacated that spot, Baltimore moved Brown back to his more natural center position. The transition wasn’t too difficult for Brown, who had made his name at that spot for the Tar Heels.

Brown’s steady hand in the middle of the Ravens line helped Baltimore rush for an AFC best 2,376 yards in 2008 and made him one of the most coveted names on the free agent market.

Brown’s professional approach and even keeled demeanor help him stay poised under pressure.

“There’s not another position on the team where you are going to have a Shaun Rogers – 380 and I’m being generous pound – pretty solid guy lined up on you,” Brown said. “And then you have the rules from the officials that they are allowed to encroach on the ball until half of the ball so their helmets can be halfway across what they call the line of scrimmage. So they can encroach the ball that much so we are pretty much touching noses. They are breathing down my neck.

“Now, imagine this…it’s a third down situation, third and long, the guy is on your guard, put your head in between your legs, you come back up and he’s right on you. That’s a dilemma. What was the movie, Speed, with Keanu Reeves? What do you do? That’s what it is. But you know what, you stay calm, focus on the fundamentals, techniques, all those things and you will be fine.”

Oddly enough, the Ravens viewed Brown’s switch back to center as a means to lower his value on the free agent market. While the dollars going to guards has been steadily on the rise in recent years, Brown believes he helped re-establish the market for centers with the help of his agents.

Brown couldn’t help but thank Lewis and Omell with another film reference.

“I have an extended family out here as well,” Brown said. “My agents Kevin Omell and Harold Lewis are out here. They set up office right below our facilities here in Maryland Heights. It’s funny. I was just thinking about Jerry Maguire, because they are my ambassadors of ‘quan.’ They truly are.”

Now that Brown has been shown the money and the business part of his offseason is complete, he’s ready to get right back to work and do whatever it takes to help the Rams enjoy a turnaround season similar to what happened in Baltimore in 2008.

“I’m excited but like I said before, I have the vision of knowing right now, ‘What’s it going to take?’” Brown said. “There’s an X factor. And the X factor is heart. When I come back here on March 16 on the first day of offseason workouts, I’m going to be very observant to see everyone’s reactions, everyone’s attitude because it’s going to take nothing short of a miracle in order for everyone to get on that right page. It takes something special, something extremely special.

“I definitely want to bring my work ethic to this team. I’ve heard that there are some areas lacking leadership-wise. I can be vocal, but I choose to be a servant-leader first and to lead through example. I will be the first person in these facilities in the morning and I will be the last person to leave.”