Running down the Rams roster
by Ryan Van Bibber on Aug 29, 2009 8:36 AM CDT
in 2009 St. Louis Rams preseason
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PrintThe St. Louis Rams, and the rest of the league for that matter, have some decisions to make between now and Tuesday when rosters have to be trimmed from 80 to 75 players. Prediction-wise, there are enough guys on the bubble to make it tough to identify five players most likely to get their walking papers.
The PD runs down the roster by position, speculating what players are on the bubble. Using that list, we can go through a few spots, assess what we do know and try to make a guess ourselves.
QB - With Bulger unlikely to play against Kansas City next week and the third QB battle still to be determined, there's no way those guys feel the scissors before the September 5 deadline to trim rosters to their final 53-man incarnations.
RB - The PD says Gado is safe, and that sounds about right. Darby could have easily played himself onto the cut list, but since he was recently pegged to be the main backup to Steven Jackson, the coaches may still want to let him and Pittman battle it out in the last preseason game. Word is that the team would like to quietly stash 7th round pick Chris Ogbonnaya on the practice squad without other teams getting much chance to see what he can do. FB Jerome Johnson seems like he could be ready to leave.
WR - Lots of questions still to be answered here. Putting Brooks Foster on IR frees up a spot, and I can't imagine his return would have much of an impact on the Rams mid-season.
OL - Lots of cuts that can made here. I hardly recognize some of those names.
DL - I can't believe that Gary Gibson's on the bubble given his strong play. He unseated Adam Carriker for a starting DT spot. Big man Hollis Thomas probably battling his own weight for a spot, but he did well playing some with the starters against the Bengals this week. I wonder what Spags and Flajole think of C.J. Ah You...
LB - Could undrafted rookie K.C. Asiodu get consideration for the practice squad? The Rams seem thin enough at the position that they could stash a guy there...or look for other roster casualties.
DB - It seems like an early cut or two could easily come from this group, especially since guys that will stay on the roster still have lots to prove.
And now for some links...
- The Arizona Cardinals starters didn't have such a great night.
- Do you think defensive coordinator Ken Flajole being in the booth this week helped the defense, especially rookie MLB James Laurtinaitis, adjust better? Hard not to think that it made a difference.
- CB Justin King has a thumb injury...not serious.
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Gary Gibson?
That was a name I didn’t expect anyone to suggest was on the bubble. Strange.
As for Flajole in the booth, it might have been a factor, but not the deciding factor, methinks. There was obviously a shift in the approach from the Jets to the Bengals. Another thing to keep in mind is Laurinaitis’ role. As he gets more comfortable with the playbook and the personalities and characteristics of the other players on defense, he can be more effective in “holding the mic” on D.
Your uncle molests collies.
D-Line
From that list it looks to me that the d-line will be the hardest to make the cuts from. Gibson should make the final squad. Cj Ah You is also interesting. And Eric (The Closer)Moore has had a sack and a forced fumble against the Jets and Bengals to help seal those games. And we signed Hollis Thomas for his size. Im also curious as to what the rams do with Tye Hill. Guess we will find out on Sep. 5th.
Rams fan since '91
I've always thought
having the coordinators up in the box gives them a better chance to see and understand what the other team is doing. The position coaches and the head coach need to be on the field, but having the coordinators in the booth makes sense.
When I read the list in the paper this morning, it seemed to me like the DB spot was going to be the source of a couple of the first 5 cuts, and WR & TE were other likely sources of at least one each. I think the DL is going to be the toughest, and I’ll be surprised if any of them are in the early 5 unless they are trying to sneak someone through. The cut down to 53 is when it’s really going to be tough. At least we have some players we would like to keep that will have to be cut. Last year I thought they had to work pretty hard to identify 53 they wanted to keep.
I would not be surprised to see...
Tye Hill and Adam Carriker get dumped because of poor play and perennial injuries. Either Darby or Pittman is gone. Toss a coin, they’re equally bad. I think Brock Berlin’s run his course. And, get your train ticket ready Klop. The Rams will hang onto an extra O-Lineman because if Incognito starts showing his butt on the field with this coaching staff, he’ll be gone quicker than crap through a goose. Also, Barron’s very likely in his last year with the Rams. With Carriker likely a bust, and Chris Long needing to actually show something out on the field, the D-Line is gonna be a big trouble spot. While they may be showing something right now, Father Time will take out both Little and Hall after this season. C’mon Moore, Gibson and Ah You! And while he’ll be around for sometime with a $33M contract, our 2nd overall draft pick may not even make the starting line-up. Sanchez and/or Curry are looking pretty good about now as much better picks. Lastly, I’d say it’s > 50/50 odds that the $65M man will be playing backup QB for another team next year. Meanwhile, Andy Reid and the Eagles are looking like genius material for grabbing Michael Vick. But nobody has accused the Rams of making smart trades or draft picks for years now. And remember a couple years ago letting a talented guy named Brandon Chillar walk? The “D” could sure have used him. Thanks Lineham.
You may not be...
but I would be shocked if Carriker was let go…I just see no way that he is going to be. Too much money, non-depth at the D line, and potential in him to let him go. I wouldn’t mind Hill getting the boot though (always hated that pick) and Klop should be as good as gone.
Free Brandon Wood!
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