St. Louis Rams Game Changer: The veterans
by Ryan Van Bibber on May 14, 2010 9:34 PM CDT
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It's that time again, so pull up a chair and come listen hear to the story of a game changer...some might even call it a changling. This week we're taking a slightly different track. This week's game changer(s) won't find his name on the marquee.
He and his ilk don't sell tickets like starting quarterbacks and vicious defensive ends.
But these are the guys that the Rams are counting on to be game changers for them. They are...
...veteran depth.
Yes, it's not exactly an exciting proposition, but a necessary one the Rams sorely lacked last season. Driving, compounding the frustration and humiliation of last season were injuries to promising young players and a other starters.
When a starter went down, the Rams filled the line with conscripts taken from practice squads and nearly forgotten players waiting for a call. Facing a tough climb back to respectability already, the back of the roster made it that much more difficult.
This year the Rams went out and got established guys, often known commodities from the green coaching staff's previous experience, to bring in as the role players. They aren't the old men and boys trotted out to meet numerical requirements,.
Three names stand out, all from positions that the Rams found to themselves desperate for help at last year.
DT Fred Robbins - He still has his legs and can play enough downs to give the Rams front four some presence. Spagnuolo made him useful in New York.
CB Kevin Dockery - If you're planning on him being a starter for 16 games, something's not right with the team. But, he's a useful nickel and an experienced guy that can fill-in from time to time.
C/G Hank Fraley - Another guy with a track record of health and starting experience. Insurance for players on the interior is not a bad thing at all.
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Let us not forget..
Na’il Diggs & Bobby Carpenter
Prior to those acquistions, the most experience we had at any LB position was 2 years (Vobora & Chamberlain)
I know the Carp only has 4 years but that is twice as many as any of our other LB’s besides Diggs.
I agree with Diggs
Don’t forget that Flajole had this guy for a few years while he was the LB coach in Carolina. He was a hard working, productive, versatile LB. The coach knows what he gets in this vet and has the relationship with the player to help him transition to new scenery. Anyone that underestimates this vet, will eat their words this year (Ramchop). Hell, we had Paris Lennon last year, and I can say confidently that Diggs is an upgrade from Lenon.
As for Carpenter, his coaches knock on him was that he would play scared…I will wait before I make any comments on him. However, I can tell you players that play scared struggle at the highest of level, no matter their talent/potential.
This is an upgrade
Last year opposing TE’s circled the game against us. We didn’t have a LB on the team that knew anything about covering someone! At least these 2 have seen some action in the NFL. I don’t think they will be show stoppers but It give us a chance.
You Forgot The Most Important One
A.J. Feeley :)
by Tevin T. Broner on May 14, 2010 10:31 PM CDT reply actions
I was actually hoping we would have picked up Carr instead ;-)
He knows our offense better than Feeley..
You Know..throwing on the run, throwing while being hit, hitting the ground with defenders on top of him :-)
Pie in the sky thinking.
We didn’t make a single free agency acquisition worth a darn this year. All we got was castoffs and second rate players, Backups for a team of backups. And Feeley, who hasn’t thrown an NFL pass since 2007, is the most ridiculous of all. The ex-Giant and Eagle guys represent a re-run of the failed Hollis Thomas experiment last year. The only potential is the ex-Cowboy Carpenter. He’s young and the ’Boys backups are generally better than our starters. Plus, he only cost us Alex Barron. You can count the Rams really talented and capable players on your 10 fingers. That means 80% of the roster are under-performers, has-beens, 7th rounders or undrafted. Not too good after two offseasons and two drafts IMHO.
Wow! 10 fingers!
That’s a really strong drink in mixology talk, but hey, we’ll probably need a stiff drink or two or three or 16 to make it through the upcoming season. I’m looking ahead to a, a, a 2012… a 2013… a 2014. Yea, that’s the ticket, 2014.
Go Rams!
PS. Boy you can tell how bored I am by the bad jokes I crack…sorry all.
"We can't run. We can't pass. We can't stop the run. We can't stop the pass. We can't kick. Other than that, we're just not a very good football team right now." --- Bruce Coslett, New York Jets Head Coach circa 1990s
I thought 10 fingers
was a game
You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.
by 3k on May 15, 2010 1:00 PM CDT up reply actions
i agree still a team full of average players but better then last years Rams
with the few shinning stars that I hope can jump start this team
Van
I give you props on this post.
People don’t realize the importance of complimentary players. The guys that fill the gaps during injuries. The guys that give the starters a breather while giving the team a productive effort on the field. The guys that make the team chemistry. Personally, I think Diggs should have been included, but I like the idea. To be honest, I would like for us to acquire a bit more of the mid level guys to allow players to move back in the depth chart (i.e. Vobora is a versatile LB and Special Teamer who would be best suited filling holes rather than trying to be a mainstay at SLB). If we can acquire Westbrook, I will be happy for some reason. He fits perfectly with Shurmer’s system and would be golden ticket for Bradford on 3rd downs.
Shurmers system leaves a lot to be desired CaliRamMan saw that last year
and its the only thing that can keep us from more wins this year ,Shurmur is the only thing that scares me about this years Rams
oh i am but thinking spags will pull the defense together like last year but better
now that Shurmur I just don’t get that same confidence from him ,his offense takes a month to get down field ,i see Shurmur as the first of the coaches to go, but if they keep him too long they might be all going as a package lol with Devaney and Spags included
Let us not forget
The Rams are not trying to win this season. They know it is going to take another 2-4 years before they can win big ( of course that also depends on their ability to draft really well for the next couple of years ) I think they will be a little better, but I don’t think that will result in more wins. They are picking up second rate FAs to fill the gaps until they can bring in better players through the draft. Go Rams.
with respect buddy
but the rams are trying to win, with the new owner in question, the coaches need to show improvement which means winning to keep their jobs, and plus no team does not try to win, unfortunalty the rams have no lack of desire to win…..only a lack of talent to do it.
I'm gonna puke if I hear anymore of this another 2-4 years crap.
The Rams have clearly sucked for 3 straight seasons. That’s enough of this sh*t for me. First of all, Spags and Devaney won’t be given more than 3 seasons to fix things, and they already used up one with a record of 1-15. If we’re 3-13 this year with a weak schedule, it’s greater than 50-50 odds both guys are suddenly unemployed. If not, it could be the Scott Linehan scenario in the 3rd season, i.e. fired at the bye week. Miami turned a 1-15 club into a division winner in one season after drafting Jake Long. Why should we be willing to wait an eternity, while holding out for 4-pillar dudes, as Steve Jackson starts to decline (God Bless ’im)?
You must be tripping lmao who told you the Rams are not trying to win?
How many years its going to take ? ha ha ha you are a real comidean ,if the Rams dont win for 4 years as you say there wont be any Rams lmao
Anchor
Freddie Robbins adds bulk, sack skills and experience to their defensive line.Great pick-up for Rams.
i think Payne will be a good quality veteran to help out in our secondary
If practice makes perfect....
Yet nobodies perfect.....
Then why practice ???
I think Payne starts and Butler becomes depth
I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.
by Midasknight on May 15, 2010 11:48 PM CDT up reply actions
RamChop….dude give up on this overly negative nonsense…this time of the year we’re supposed to be positive about the season ahead, not speaking worst case scenario BS. Surely we’ve had enough of that over the last few yrs without needing to extend it into our summer…..
I say old chap,
If you think having no front four except Long & Ryan, only one good LB, no b/u RB and FA acquisitions that are laughable is nonsense, then you’re out of your bloody mind. Recall last year’s optimism about this time; new FO and coaches, Marc Bulger comeback, Steve Jackson running wild, Jason Smith 2nd overall pick, FA’s Jason Brown and James Butler coming aboard, the sleeper Keith Null, the speed of Avery & Burton, etc. and so on. Blimey, somehow we wound up 1-15???
Our plucky young chaps
will be better this year due to the fact that we no longer carry Barron, Carriker, Bulger, Boller, Wade, Lennon et al.
Bringing in Robbins, Diggs, Feeley, Carpenter, Payne, Fraley, Dockery and Johnson makes the roster better. I also expect another 2 or 3 more FA signings to be added. Combine that with the potential in Bradford, Saffold, Murphy, Gilyard, Onobun, Selvie and Davis and we are better then last year. Period.
The FA market this year was almost non-existent, so for any person capable of reason it is difficult to criticise the FO for a lack of big name activity there. Aaron Kampman would have been nice, but not much else was getable.
IMO we win 4 or 5 games this year even without any new signings.
Do you honestly think we would get more wins if we had used high picks on DE, DT and RB (pressumably, Suh 1st, Alex Carrington and Joe McKnight in the 3rd and 4th as the high pick alternatives)? If we had done that we would have a front 4 that might be good in a few years and a running game that would face 9 in the box because we have no passing game. How does this inability to score more than 11 points per game help us win any sooner? (I’ll help you, it doesn’t!)
While it is great to read the opposing views on here, you do seem to be happier pissing and whinging about what we don’t have than acknowledging the roster improvements actually made this year.
Well
No one wanted Null,everyone wanted Arron Curry instead of Smith. Hell most people were happy with the center we got
by Tevin T. Broner on May 16, 2010 2:08 AM CDT reply actions
Ram-on is precisely correct. The acquisition of Jason Brown was a rare good move.
We certainly didn’t pick up anybody near that talented in FA this year.
I dont thing RamChop said he did not like Brown
he just said that picking up Brown and Butler had many fans thinking optimistically with Smith blocking and S.J. running
Ha ha ha
I’m aware you are correcting your spelling but that post out of context could bite you on the ass lol
by Stonedtodeath on May 16, 2010 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions
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