Holt wants out

Jim Thomas reports this morning that Torry Holt has asked the Rams for his release. He has a bonus due from the Rams March 17, so a move before then seems certain. Holt believes he no longer fits into the Rams' plans. And that's certainly true for the 32-year-old playing with bad knees, playing without a LOT of his old speed, grousing about playing somewhere else all last year, coming off a career-worst season last year, if he's not willing to restructure his contract and help the Rams avoid an $8 million cap hit.

At the same time, though, if Holt isn't in the Rams' plans, then they don't have a very good plan, at least at wide receiver. Even with career lows, Holt was the Rams' most productive WR in 2008. (Donnie Avery was close; then again, he had Holt to draw attention away from him.) The roster's not well-prepared for Holt's departure at all. And there is nothing left in the free-agent WR market unless you want to replace Holt with a WR older than he is, i.e. Marvin Harrison, Joey Galloway, Bobby Engram, Amani Toomer, Terrell Owens.

That leaves Donnie Avery as the team's top receiving threat on opening day, which I just can't see. Defenses won't need to double-team him, and he'll certainly never get open if they do. And this makes Keenan Burton a starting wideout? A one-catch game was a huge week for the guy last year! There isn't even a third WR on the roster! Who, Derek Stanley with nearly as many blown knees last year as catches? Dane Looker, who they've made no effort to re-sign? A bunch of street free agents?

Are the Rams planning to take the broken-footed, shorter-than-advertised Michael Crabtree in the draft to replace Holt? Are they planning to rrrrrrrrrrreach for Jeremy Maclin with the #2 pick in the face of major needs (and better players available) at LB and offensive line? Can't say those ideas exactly fire me up. How much is a second-round-quality WR likely to help?

Torry Holt's been a wonderful player here in St. Louis and has done nothing but represent the team and its city well. His request deserves to be honored, and there's any number of good teams he could play for and help to, and in, the playoffs. But even as they do the right thing by letting Holt go, the Rams have been badly wrong to be so ill-equipped for a departure they knew would be coming.

The Rams better be able to run this season, because with no open receivers, it's going to be mighty hard for Marc Bulger to pass.