Rams making more late season changes

by Ryan Van Bibber on Dec 10, 2008 9:59 AM CST

More lineup changes...15 weeks into the season. This time its the defense's wise old owl FS Corey Chavous who'll sit on the bench while Todd Johnson gets the start. My only question with the move is why didn't it happen sooner? Chavous struggled with coverage and showed his age last season. Ideally, they would have made the switch in training camp or the preseason, using that time to get Johnson his reps with the defense. This is the kind of decision making that's killing the Rams, giving them a team in such desperate need of talent. Nothing against Chavous, he's one of the classiest guys in the league, but you can't break up passes with class alone.

Tye Hill...Tye Hill. Given how he played in the early going this season, it's probably best he never came back. It would have ruined his confidence. Talk about frustrating though. We've seen talent from this guy, but mostly we've seen him injured. The Rams need CBs for next season which makes it impossible to throw in the towel on Hill. Counting on him as a starter, though, wouldn't be prudent.

Wow. You know the economy's bad when the NFL, a profitable enough operation that small market teams are valued at close to a billion dollars, has to lay off employees.

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Comments

I have always thought of the Super Bowl festivities

as the ultimate in excess…it will be interesting to see how that plays out this year…can an organization that has just canned 150 people afford to go whole hog from a public relations point of view? I don’t want to just pick on the NFL, because there are plenty of other businesses in this country who have laid off people and will party hardy this holiday season…but safe to say that almost all of those organizations won’t have the visibility of the NFL. Just wondering.

by tbell61 on Dec 10, 2008 10:36 AM CST reply actions

TV

I would think TV revenues are even more important as people tune instead of going to games and more tune in for the distraction of it. Bigger audiences should equal higher ad rates, but marketing dollars are usually one of the first things to go for companies (trust me from experience on that one), so how much are they going to pay for tv spots…

by Ryan Van Bibber on Dec 10, 2008 12:06 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah, that’s a real interesting problem. More viewers should equal higher advertising rates, but at the same time, consumer confidence is so low that what are they supposed to advertise? Except for job-hunting sites like Monster.com — and of course beer (good in any economy!) — it’s hard to figure who these advertisers are going to be.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Dec 10, 2008 12:13 PM CST up reply actions

On Chavous

It’s already been said that he holds a lot of “leadership” in the locker room, and I’m sure that played a part in waiting so long to make the switch. But it begs the question, what exactly is leadership based on? If the team couldn’t recognize early on that he wasn’t getting the job done, then it’s just based on pride, and not performance.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Dec 10, 2008 12:20 PM CST reply actions

Chavous and leadership

Is he the defensive captain? I know he wears the helmet with the audio speaker in it, but I’m not sure who the captain is. Also, I know Johnson was hurt around the middle of the season (and, if memory serves me correctly, it was somewhat serious), so maybe that kept Haslett from making the switch earlier.

Plus, Johnson isn’t exactly very good. He’s a great special teams player, but his skills as a starting safety are lacking. Not that he can’t be better than Chavous, but maybe they just never viewed him as anything more than a special teamer and a backup who isn’t ever going to be the starter anyway? I can’t say for sure. Although, I do feel as if gnashing our teeth over Todd Johnson is probably a waste of good enamel.

The boys are all here for ya...we'll back you up...we'll be there...cause, Billy, we don't stink right now. We're the best team in baseball right now...right this minute...because of you. You're the reason. We're not gonna screw that up, we're gonna be awesome for you right now. Just throw.

by Tackle Box on Dec 10, 2008 3:02 PM CST up reply actions

I believe he is. Or was. Captain, that is.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Dec 11, 2008 12:51 AM CST up reply actions

I'm not sure what "leadership" means

on a team that has lost 24 of it’s last 29 games, and has played some very hideous football this season…he clearly hasn’t inspired his teammates to put forth a better effort that would make them more competitive, but to be fair, he is hardly alone on this club.

by tbell61 on Dec 10, 2008 3:05 PM CST up reply actions