Jason Smith signed

The full Rams roster reports for training camp tomorrow, and first-round draft pick Jason Smith will be there. He signed a six-year deal that guarantees him $33 million. As Mike Florio points out, that's a $600,000-a-year raise over what #1 overall pick Jake Long got last year.

Sure, there were practices today for rookies, QBs and "selected veterans", but for all intents and purposes the Rams front office has all the draft picks in on time, unlike 22 other teams, including the rest of the NFC West, who don't have their first-round pick signed. Kudos to the Rams front office for that accomplishment.

In fact, the Seahawks don't have either of their top two picks signed at this point, while in San Francisco, it sounds like the Whiners are going to have their hands full getting Michael Crabtree into camp. (He's got Steven Jackson's agent!)

Things are looking good these days in Rams Nation.

photo - Sports Illustrated

Rams sign Hollis Thomas

Desperate to replace the gaping void left in the defense after trading Orien Harris last week, the Rams have signed 35-year-old and St. Louis native Hollis Thomas, formerly of the Eggles and Saints, to a one-year deal.

Thomas gives the Rams something I'm not sure they've really had the whole time they've been in St. Louis, even as we've begged them to find this kind of guy year after year after year - a big body to stuff the run. At 335 pounds, he's the biggest Ram defensive player I can remember since Chuck Osborne and Jon Kirksey were kickin' it in Macomb. I would look for him to be on the field near the goal-line and on 3rd- or 4th-and-short. But that's about it: he's not considered much of a pass rush threat. He was one of the league's best run-stoppers as an Eggle, so if he's still got some gas left in his tank, he can legitimately help the Ram defense out.

Thomas doesn't come to St. Louis without baggage. He's been hurt a lot. He missed half of last season with a triceps injury. He missed all of 2002 with a foot injury and half the next season with a biceps injury. The league suspended him for four games in 2006 for violating the steroid policy, which I think puts him in the same boat as Claude Wroten: next failed test and you're gone.

I like this signing, though. The Rams need Thomas for his run-stuffing specialty. He'll also bring veteran leadership and winning experience to the young defensive line, something he was lauded for in New Orleans. It's a low-risk signing with a lot of upside. Thumbs up.

James Laurinaitis signs

STLToday reports that the Rams and second-round pick James Laurinaitis have agreed to terms on a four-year deal. Dollar figures are not available.

There should have been little keeping Laurinaitis unsigned by this point - he was "bracketed": the players picked right before him and right after him were signed already. As well, Rey Maualuga reached an agreement with the Bengals earlier in the day.

Rookies report to training camp tomorrow, leaving the big question of whether or not the Rams will get Jason Smith in on time.

I'll settle for Friday.

The Drew Bennett era ends

Drew Bennett might not have been as bad a player as he was just flat out unlucky. He was signed by the Ravens after working out for them last week, but the day after the workout, his knee swelled up and according to reports, will require surgery. In light of that, he has announced his retirement.

Bennett right now has to go down as the worst free agent signing in Rams history. He was paid $12 million for two seasons here, the second of which he notoriously caught fewer passes than Marc Bulger did. He had bad hands, just-average speed and played a lot shorter than his 6'5" height. His durability was questionable when the Rams signed him, and he didn't do anything to change that perception, missing basically all of 2008 with a foot injury and failing to survive even one workout in Baltimore.

But let's also acknowledge that Drew Bennett's a good guy the Rams put in a difficult situation. He didn't complain in the press or rag on the fans or divide the locker room or anything like that. Scott Linehan made it so obvious Bennett was going to be a red zone target that defenses double-teamed him and made it highly difficult for him to prove himself where he was perceived to be the most valuable. He was miscast in 2007 as a third wideout but was especially miscast in 2008 as the guy who was supposed to replace Isaac Bruce. Those are big damn shoes to fill, so as a guy being used wrong, or so predictably that defenses could easily take him away, or as a guy being asked to replace a legend, I don't doubt Drew Bennett was pressing a lot of the time he was a St. Louis Ram. And that just made his job that much more difficult.

Drew Bennett never should have been a St. Louis Ram. The front office should have kept Isaac Bruce. Scott Linehan should have worked out a running game that was competent in the red zone. He should have figured out how to get the tight end involved in the passing game down there. He did neither, even with Bennett on the field.

Bennett should be able to retire comfortably for his efforts, and Linehan's even got a job in the NFL these days. But we fans have to live with the 5-27 wreckage of their last two seasons.

photo - USA Today

Scott, Null reach agreements

STLToday reports that the Rams have reached agreements with their fourth-round draft pick, DT Darell Scott, and their sixth-round draft pick, QB Keith Null.

That leaves the top two picks, Jason Smith and James Laurinaitis, both of whom Rams contract negotiatior Kevin Demoff says "we're making good progress" with toward having them signed and in camp on time.

We'll see. One thing to remember is that right now, only four of the 32 first-round picks are signed, so if the Rams are lollygagging, they're not doing it any worse than anyone else.

NFL to mess up a good thing

The 2010 NFL Draft will be shown on NFL Network and ESPN in primetime.

Round 1 will air Thursday, April 22 at 6:30.
Rounds 2 and 3 will be on Friday, April 23 at 5:30. Good luck getting home in time for the start.
Rounds 4-7 will air Saturday the 24th beginning at 9 am.

I absolutely hate this. The weekend was a perfect time to watch the draft. You didn't have to rush home to make sure not to miss the beginning. You could lock down the mancave and pretty much immerse yourself in uninterrupted coverage. There wasn't anything else on. Both days of this year's draft wrapped up with plenty of time left in the evening to pursue other interests.

You know, Roger Goodell, even though I'm a draftnik, I still have a life. And you've screwed everything up now. I'm supposed to expend two weeknights and most of a Saturday on the draft now? I'm supposed to miss the beginning of the second round, since there's no way I'll ever be home in time? What if the first round goes nearly six hours like it did a couple of years ago? You gonna keep people up past midnight on a weeknight waiting to find out their team's draft pick?

The NFL is completely messing up a good thing here. I assume they want to move to primetime to attract the "casual fan". There's just one problem: the draft isn't for the casual fan. It's for the guy who watches college football games he'd otherwise skip because one of the teams has pro prospects. It's for the guy who TiVos those games so he can re-watch otherwise-meaningless plays to see the block that senior left tackle threw. It's for the guy who buys two draft guides and subscribes to three draft websites and has four or five draft magazines laying around somewhere. It's for the guy who knew that wide receiver's 40 time before the NFL Combine. (Gonna move that to primetime too, Goodell?)

Coverage of the NFL draft is for the draftnik, Roger Goodell. It's not for the casual fan. You're messing the draft up for your sports' most ardent fans chasing after the "long tail", by going after people who're going to be watching Grey's Anatomy or CSI or Survivor that night anyway. Lousy move, Commish.

The scribe has spoken.

Rams acquire Ronald Curry

Former Raider, Lion and Virginia high school legend Ronald Curry becomes the newest member of the Rams' motley WR crew as the result of a trade today. The Rams acquired him from Detroit for defensive tackle Orien Harris. So, essentially they've gotten Curry for Brian Leonard, whom they previously traded to Cincinnati for Harris.

Oddly, Curry becomes the second former North Carolina Tar Heel basketball player to join the Rams' WR corps this season - Brooks Foster played five games for the 2005 championship team. (Who's to say Tyler Hansbrough couldn't suit up for the Rams one day? Hey, he'd draw a lot of penalties!)

Who have the Rams gotten in Curry? At 6'2", 210, he's the biggest WR they have with any significant NFL experience. He's had three seasons (2004, 2006, 2007) in the 50+ catch, 700+ yard neighborhood. He's 30 years old and became a starter in Oakland in 2007, what I'd call his career year: 55-717, 4 TDs, 13.0 ypc.

Curry didn't follow that up well at all in 2008, with just 19 catches for 181 yards. He complained about how Raiders head coach Tom Cable used him, dropped a lot of passes and never meshed with QB Jamarcus Russell. He missed six games and had eight more with 2 catches or less. He missed almost all of December with toe and ankle injuries. In fact, he's got a pretty extensive injury history, also having missed most of 2004 and 2005 with Achilles and hamstring injuries. He wasn't considered much higher than Oakland's 4th wideout by the end of the season and was released in February in a salary cap move.

Curry was picked up by Detroit, but was said not to have risen above WR4 there, either, behind Calvin Johnson, Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt. At Oakland, he was behind the likes of Chaz Schilens, Johnnie Lee Higgins and Javon Walker (who can't even outrun muggers), let alone their future glorious first-round bust this year, Darrius Heyward-Bey.

So, the Rams have picked up a fairly-old wide receiver, who can't get on the field ahead of almost entirely-mediocre receivers on (other) absolutely terrible teams, is injured a lot and drops a lot of balls.

Yeah, I'm still looking for any upside here. Even as little as Brian Leonard was likely to contribute to the Rams this year, giving him (or Harris) up for Curry was poor value, seeing as they could have gotten him for free in February.

Of course, as bad as the Rams are at the position, Curry's probably now in a dogfight with Laurent Robinson for WR2. His best years aren't very far behind him at all; maybe Rams Nation can hang our helmets on that (even as it wasn't enough to make the Lions, the worst team in NFL history, want to keep him).

photo - San Francisco Chronicle (sfgate.com)

Rams training camp schedule

The Rams released their training camp schedule yesterday. In all, fans will have the opportunity to attend 32 practices. I'll give 16,000 points to Steve Spagnuolo and the team for opening an unprecedented number of sessions up to the public, and with the team returning to Rams Park, fans in St. Louis can actually see them. That's in direct contrast to Scott Linehan's moronic move of last year's training camp to Wisconsin.

That Wisconsin training camp really helped the team, too, didn't it?

Here's the full schedule (but check the website for updates):

July 30	8:15-9:30 a.m., 2:15-3:30 p.m.
July 31	3-4:30 p.m.
August 1	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:45-4:25 p.m.
August 2	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:45-4:25 p.m.
August 3	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:45-4:25 p.m.
August 4	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:45-4 p.m.
August 5	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:15-3:15 p.m.
August 6	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:45-4 p.m.
August 7	8:15-9:55 a.m., Scrimmage-6:30
August 8	2:45-4 p.m.
August 9	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:15-3:15 p.m.
August 10	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:45-4 p.m.
August 11	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:15-3:15 p.m.
August 12	8:15-10:30 a.m., 2:45-4 p.m.
August 16	2:30-4:45 p.m.
August 17	8:15-10:30 a.m., 1:25-2:45 p.m.
August 18	8:15-10:30 a.m., 1:25-2:45 p.m.
August 19	11:15 a.m. -12:45 p.m.
August 23	2:30-4:45 p.m.

Much as I'd like to hang out at Rams Park all summer, I'm just targeting these dates to cover training camp for RamView:

August 1 - both practices
August 2 - doubtful on either practice but possible
August 7 - scrimmage
August 9 - morning practice
August 16 - afternoon practice
August 23 - afternoon practice

I'd wager those last two Sunday practices will be very subject to change, so I'll be happy if I can get in the two practices on the 1st along with the 7th and 9th.

Get ready...

The NFL Network preseason schedule is out, and, for better or worse, accurate or inaccurate, complete or incomplete (the best bet), the Preseason Challenge for 2009 is ON. Like Donkey Kong.

The Preseason Challenge is for me to watch all 65 NFL preseason games. I've been failing the challenge lately, and I'm tired of it. In 2009 I am determined to repeat my successful Preseason Challenge of 2004. Maybe getting it done the first time made it seem too easy, I don't know. But I am getting this thing done this year if it kills me.

Somebody get me some damn Red Bull.

Atogwe signs franchise tender - correction

Free safety O.J. Atogwe signed the one-year, $6.34 million contract he was tendered as the Rams' designated franchise player last Wednesday. So he's eligible to be a free agent again before the 2010 season. As of right now, that is slated to be the infamous "uncapped" season, but with Atogwe slated to be a restricted free agent. Under the old CBA, he would not have been restricted.

As a restricted free agent, the Rams would not have to use the franchise tag on Atogwe again to keep him in 2010. They could tender him for 10% over his 2008 pay, which would be just about $7 million. If another team then signed Atogwe to an offer sheet the Rams declined to match, that team would owe the Rams first- and third- round draft picks. (P.S.: not gonna happen.)

If Atogwe were an unrestricted free agent going into 2010, the Rams could franchise him again, at a cost of 20% over his 2008 pay, or roughly $7.6 million. To sign him away, another team would have to give the Rams its next two first-round picks. (P.S.: not gonna happen.)

The Rams can still negotiate with Atogwe throughout the 2009 season but he can't sign anything till the season's over. (Though the Rams team report at Yahoo Sports, which corrects a bunch of mistakes I posted last week, offers that may not be such an open-and-shut case.)

Contrary to Rams contract negotiator Kevin Demoff's dishonesty, ER, optimism, last week, Bill Coats reported that the two sides are still far apart on a long-term deal.

It's hard to fault either side for the lack of a long-term deal. For the Rams, it's impossible to come up with any kind of cap-friendly deal when you have no idea if there's going to be a cap next year or what it will be. As for Atogwe, as long as he stays healthy and plays well, he's making $13-14 million the next two years to play here. If he's risking $600,000 on there being a new CBA for 2010, the odds are pretty good he can make that back and then some on a future long-term contract. At his age and career trajectory, the last thing he should want to do is rush into a long-term deal. If the 2011 cap rises significantly, he could leave a lot of money on the table signing a deal too early.

Fans may benefit, too: Atogwe's likely to hawk after all the turnovers he can eat while he's playing for a contract the next couple of years. As long as he recognizes going for the turnover isn't always the best play to make, the Rams stand to benefit big-time from the turnover-forcing skills of one of their young, motivated defensive leaders.

photo - stlouisrams.com

Rams' renovations go beyond the playing field

By the time the 2009 season starts, the Rams organization will have been remade almost from top to bottom. We know that ownership changed, and is likely to change again before too long. We know the front office was shaken up. We know the coaching staff was almost entirely cleaned out. And the roster has been greatly changed, with the Rams slated to field a significantly younger team than in recent years.

But the rebuild didn't stop there. I thought I'd link to this stlouisrams.com piece on the renovations going on at the Dome. It's a month-old article, but with many details about the Dome renovation I'm seeing for the first time anywhere. It's got me more than a little curious and enthused to get in there and see how the place looks. I'm especially looking forward to the new scoreboards, and did they say they were going to cut back on the number of commercials?

As for the cushy new seats between the 40s, I doubt that means me - though I do sit between the 40s, I'm in the upper deck. That did make me one of the lucky few who got to pay 20% more for said seats in 2008 than I did in 2007, so I'd just like to say I think I and my neighbors have earned cushy seats. Maybe in 2010.

Also, today's Belleville News-Democrat listed a rash of personnel changes the Rams have made in their marketing and public relations departments. (Though they didn't post the article online.) A lot of those changes appear to address the game-day experience. The Rams have really committed to put on a better show in 2009.

To declare a new era of anything is often a cliche, but 2009 marks a new beginning at Rams Park in just about every way. Top to bottom, sideline to sideline, this is a new organization.

Preseason broadcast changes

You probably saw this one coming as soon as he retired a couple of months ago (I know I did): Trent Green is joining the local TV broadcast team for Rams preseason games on KTVI. Trent will only be in the booth the first two preseason games, though; Roland Williams gets the third game and the epic Governor's Cup game. Martin Kilcoyne will again be the play-by-play announcer. D'Marco Farr was the preseason color man on TV last year, but he's now in the radio booth.

It'll be interesting to hear these guys perform. I think Williams will be a fun listen; he's been pretty animated and seemed to do a good job on the few past pregame shows I've been able to watch.

And I'm certainly glad we've evolved to the stage in St. Louis where it's local guys announcing the preseason game instead of importing announcers from L.A. Our local guys are all likeable.

But. If anybody gets Kilcoyne to actually focus on the game for long this year, it'll be the first time. And he's just a temp, anyway. Check out a lot of the other local broadcasts (I assume) NFL Network will show throughout August. Off the top of my head, I know Seattle, Kansas City, Green Bay, Houston, Tampa, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Baltimore, New England and San Diego all use play-by-play men who call regular-season games for the networks.

And a lot of teams bring the same color commentator back year-to-year for preseason as well - Warren Moon in Seattle, Archie Manning in New Orleans, Rich Gannon in Green Bay (even though he never played there), Bob Griese in Miami, Mike Mayock in Minnesota for some reason, etc.

St. Louis, though, seems content for now to settle on broadcast teams where the play-by-play guy does two games a year and the color commentator seat never stays warm, what with all the ex-players rotating through it from one year to the next.

That works for now, and Rams preseason broadcasts aren't necessarily bad, but I'm still looking forward to the day there's an effort to put more commitment behind the local broadcast.

Foster, Ogbonnaya signed

The Rams have locked up two more of their draft picks this weekend (or are at least on the verge):

Fifth-round pick Brooks Foster has agreed to a four-year deal he will reportedly sign Monday.

Howard Balzer has tweeted that seventh-round pick Chris Ogbonnaya has signed a four-year deal worth just over $1.8 million, though Ogbonnaya's agent appears to be denying it.

Yeah, I think I'll believe Howard on this one.

Three down, four to go.

Where the heck are they now: Richard Owens

You remember Richard Owens. He's the tight end / FB / FOSL (Friend of Scott Linehan) Linehan brought in in 2007 as a replacement for future 90-time Pro Bowler and legend so awesome, they're going to induct him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame twice, Madison Hedgecock.

Owens became the main reason Rams fans missed Hedgecock; unlike Hedgecock, Owens apparently couldn't play: the FB position, at least. Linehan's AAMH (After Awesome Madison Hedgecock) offenses failed repeatedly in crucial third-and-short situations out of single-back sets, with Linehan calling for single-back sets because he didn't have the confidence in Owens' blocking skills to have him on the field as a fullback, though that's what he signed him to do.

While Linehan continued to botch personnel decisions at the fullback position (cough)Brian Leonard(cough), Owens was released at the end of 2007 and didn't play in the NFL in 2008.

He was signed as a TE today by the Jets. Good luck to Richard, who we'll see again in the Rams' first preseason game. Perhaps being away from Linehan will recharge his career.

Rams Park forecast: chance of flurries

There's at least a small flurry of contract signings building up at Rams Park right now, according to today's Bill Coats article on STLtoday. The Rams have agreed to terms with Bradley Fletcher, and according to team contract negotiator Kevin Demoff, 4th-round pick Darell Scott and 5th-round pick Brooks Foster should be in the fold in the next couple of days.

Demoff also says that talks with Jason Smith and James Laurinaitis are going well, and that he'd be "shocked" if anyone was a holdout by the time training camp opens on the 31st.

Demoff also made an intriguing remark about the status of franchised free safety O.J. Atogwe's contract - "We're not there on a long-term deal yet, but we could be there by Wednesday." The Rams have till Wednesday to sign Atogwe to a long-term deal, or he plays 2009 on the one-year franchise tender and becomes a free agent again after this season.

They say the days around the MLB All-Star Game are the deadest days in sports, but the Rams may be livening things up the next couple of days...

Random thoughts from the weekend...

...and other stuff not worthy of an individual post...

* FootballOutsiders predicts the Rams as one of this year's surprise teams. Or at least, they're playing up the supposed 48% chance the Rams have to go 9-7 or better this year. Their projection is based on: better luck recovering fumbles (the Rams forced 17 last year but only recovered 5); better red zone running; and they get six games against the rest of the weak NFC West.

Those are all areas Steve Spagnuolo appears to be focused on and striving to improve, so it's logical to project the Rams' record improving if Spagnuolo's work pays off. I don't know about 9-7, but it's nice to see people with credibility saying there's a real good shot.

Although they do not factor in the Rock Gullickson Effect.

* Houston OT Eric Winston's blog discusses the difficulties of switching back and forth from LT to RT, more argument for those of us continuing to wonder why the heck the Rams aren't starting Jason Smith at left tackle right away.

* The San Diego Union-Tribune takes a look at Antonio Cromartie's off-season workout program and discusses how his sophomore slump of last year was related to injury and off-the-field issues. Specifically, the seven children in five states, and five paternity suits, Antonio had already spawned by the age of 24.

Fittingly, the injury was a cracked hip, which I'm guessing Antonio works out a lot in the offseason creating those off-the-field issues. Maybe you should try to cut down on that.


* Who ya got for the All-Star game? I'm picking this as the year the NL finally breaks its losing streak, and I'll go with Ryan Howard in the Home Run Derby. If he can visualize a Cardinal pitcher throwing to him, he'll still be hitting 'em out this time tomorrow.

photo - philly.com

Rock solid attitudes at Rams Park

Pro Football Weekly mentioned over the weekend that "no Rams player has been more fired up" than Richie Incognito, crediting the atmosphere Rams strength coach Rock Gullickson has established in the weight room. We can certainly question whether or not a more fired-up Incognito is necessarily a good thing, since all his career so far, he's been a personal foul waiting to happen. Richie claims that this year he wants to become "a more mature player", which a) is at least two years overdue and b) I'm sure has nothing to do with Richie becoming a free agent after this season.

But this isn't the first time the Rock Gullickson Effect at Rams Park has been mentioned. Incognito isn't the only person said to be reaping the benefits of Gullickson's presence, nor is he the only player to sing his praises. Ron Bartell and Tye Hill are both enthused with the new weight-training program. Heck, based on reports from OTAs, Hill may not even be afraid of players in opposing uniforms any more. Mike Karney's got positive things to say. So does Keenan Burton. And Adam Carriker. And Gullickson's already gotten the most important endorsement from the Rams roster, Steven Jackson's.

When an NFL team hires or fires a strength and conditioning coach, when it even gets mentioned in the press, it's listed in the agate print of the Transactions column right after the Grand Prairie Airhogs releasing an infielder or Drexel hiring a new swimming coach or the Edmonton Eskimos signing defensive lineman Mike Newkirk. (Rookie free agent cut by the Rams.) Seriously, can you name another strength and conditioning coach in the NFL, besides NFL Combine celebrity spotter John Lott? Hup! I didn't think so. Shoot this thing!

But the Rock Gullickson Effect at Rams Park is palpable. You can't swing a dead cat in the Rams locker room without hitting a player who's fired up about working with him. Whether it's because Gullickson is that good, or Dana DeLuc was that bad, the Rams front office has gotten a decided positive boost to the team out of the fairly simple move of bringing in a new strength coach.

Funny where these things get started.

photo - stlouisrams.com

Rams sign(?) Bradley Fletcher

The Rams have reached an agreement with third-round pick Bradley Fletcher for a four-year deal. The news was tweeted (twittered? Don't ask me, I'm old) Friday by Fletcher's agent, Nate Haber. Fletcher is due to make $1.2 million this year, including a $900,000 signing bonus, per profootballtalk. He can also make up to $1.2 million in the fourth year of the contract. Usually an article will give the maximum total value of a player's contract; no idea why profootballtalk doesn't.

Per Mike Sando at espn.com, the Rams have not made an official announcement yet, which explains why there's still nothing at this point on their website, STLtoday or even NFL.com.

But it looks like it's one down, six to go.

By the way, the Rams are a month later signing their first draft pick compared to last year. Fifth-round pick Roy Schuening was the first Rams 2008 draft pick to sign, on June 12th.

Atlanta loves Laurent

While I was busy yesterday playing up the chances of a rookie who wasn't even drafted of starting for the Rams at WR this year, more advice comes from the ATL not to go to sleep on Laurent Robinson.

D. Orlando Ledbetter is the Falcons' beat reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. These were some of his comments for a footballguys.com podcast yesterday:

He doesn't know why it didn't work out for Robinson in Atlanta, because on the practice field, he looked like a superstar in the making. He was "absolutely phenomenal" catching the ball and running routes. However, he couldn't stay on the field because of hamstring problems, and he might have been on the outs in Atlanta because he was one of Bobby Petrino's guys. (And his WR coach was Petrino's brother.) The "new" Falcons prefer bigger WRs. Robinson moves well, but is thinner, so he'd be more of a slot receiver there, but Harry Douglas had a very good rookie season and took that spot.

Ledbetter went on to suggest Robinson could be a sleeper this year, on the field and in fantasy football, because a) Robinson can catch it and go get it and b) Marc Bulger doesn't have a whole lot of people to throw to. Yeah, no kidding.

The Couch Potatoes have no plans to draft Robinson in next month's draft, and I'll be very surprised to see him selected in many fantasy drafts anywhere. But by week 4 when I'm dumping half my roster like I do every year, I'll keep an open mind.

photo from stlouisrams.com

Rookie free agent profile: Sean Walker

Sean Walker, 6'0" 180
WR, Vanderbilt

Rankings: NFLDraftScout's 156th-ranked wide receiver. Unranked by Pro Football Weekly. Free agent grade.

Biography/Honors:
Career average of 13.8 yards per catch.
2008: Team's leading receiver. 36 receptions for 520 yards and 2 TDs.
2007: 20 catches for 270 yards and 3 TDs.
2006: 16 catches, 204 yards, 2 TDs.

Major: Elementary education.

Injuries: Missed 4 games in 2005 recovering from an offseason knee injury. Missed last game of 2007 with undisclosed injury.

Pro Day Stats:
* 4.44 40 at Vanderbilt pro day.

Positives: Exceptionally hard to bring down after the catch. Often takes more than one man to bring him down. Has good elusiveness, can break tackles, runs through ankle tackles. Good change of direction and ability to spin away from defenders. Good hands, good concentration, can go up over defenders. Knows how to work underneath a zone. Secure ballcarrier. Catches with his hands. Clutch receiver. Tall and athletic with enough toughness to make plays over the middle and enough speed to make big plays. Legitimate deep threat. Versatile player who can line up in the backfield as well as return kickoffs and punts. Ran for a couple of TDs.

Negatives: I have a hard time spotting negatives in a player's play when all I have to look at is his highlight reel. So I'm going to criticize it. I'm not sure he can do anything against man coverage. His highlights are all quick hitters and drags where the linebackers blow coverage and leave him wide open. That'll happen a lot less in the NFL. He only had one game his college career with over four catches, and it was against Duke. That's a lot more modest production than you'd expect after viewing youtube. What's going on the 55-60 plays a game he's not catching 5-yard comebacks and 2-yard smoke routes? Something's not adding up. I'm not sure he has the moves to get open against man coverage or the speed to separate. If he did, I'm pretty doggone sure he would have been drafted, given everything else I see.

Fun Facts: The elementary education major's career goals are to become a successful teacher and positive role model to his students. Nothing wrong with that. His favorite quote, "Your attitude and not your aptitude determines your altitude," comes from motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, (not this guy, sadly) whose real first name is Hilary. Former Ram and Vanderbilt alum Corey Chavous attended Walker's pro day.

RamView: The Rams may be the perfect team for Sean Walker. (Remember the time the crazy idiot at RamView said...) If his college skills translate to the NFL field, he's got a reasonable shot to be this team's #2 wideout. Yes, a starter. Why not? Laurent Robinson's done squat in the pros. The next full week Keenan Burton stays healthy in the NFL will be his first. Derek Stanley's coming off a serious injury himself. And after those nobodies, there's a bunch of even less-distinguished nobodies. Why not? Walker's a prototype receiver for what the Rams want to do with their new offense. Grab that short pass and break some tackles. Charlie Baggett coaches him up, Pat Shurmur runs a bunch of the same stuff he's thrived on at Vanderbilt? Why not? Thumbs up. Why shouldn't Sean Walker have a shot here?

Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, VUCommodores.com, youtube

photo from South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Rookie free agent profile: K.C. Asiodu

K.C. Asiodu, 6'3" 240
LB, Central Oklahoma State

Rankings: Pro Football Weekly: 57th (of 58)-ranked outside linebacker. Graded as a free agent who could be in an NFL training camp but will likely need time in a developmental league.
NFLDraftScout.com: 60th-ranked OLB. Free agent.

Biography/Honors:
Played in 2009 Cactus Bowl.
2008: Transferred to UCO. In 11 games, he had 74 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 3 INTs, (104 return yards), 5 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.

2006: Made All-Academic Mountain West Conference team. Linebacker for UNLV in ten games (six starts). 35 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries.

2005: Played safety in ten games (four starts) for UNLV. 26 tackles, 3.5 for loss.

Major: Political science.

Injuries: Hip surgery held him to only three games in 2007.

Pro Day Stats:
nothing available. There isn't much available out there about Asiodu, period.
NFLDraftScout.com lists his 40 time as 4.67; James Laurinaitis ran a 4.88.

Positives: Superb, chiseled athlete with great speed. Smart player and quick learner with good instincts. Nose for the ball, tries to force turnovers. Should be a Spagnuolo type of player. Converted safety plays naturally in pass coverage.

Negatives: Needs to add bulk; weighed 230 coming out of college. Suspended by team but not ultimately charged by police for felony theft as part of a theft ring in 2006. Eight UNLV athletes (including a cheerleader, awesomely), one a clerk at the store, took approximately $3,450 from an Abercrombie and Fitch store at Caesar's Palace over a two-month period in 2006. Asiodu's alleged take was about $400 but there was not enough evidence to charge him.

Fun Fact: K.C. is an abbreviation of Asiodu's birthname, Ekenemchukwu, which is the 422,800th most common first name in the United States. (His mother's name is Scholastica.) If I'm using Pro-Football-Reference.com's search function properly, he's only the second player in NFL history named K.C. And oddly, neither one of them was a Chief, though Casey Wiegmann did play there for seven years.

RamView: Besides special teams, it sounds like K.C.'s best chance to make the Rams is as a strongside LB in passing situations. The Rams don't have a LB outside of Will Witherspoon with much ability in pass coverage, being a former safety may prop the door to the roster open long enough for K.C. to slip in. Thumbs down, because I don't think the Rams have done near enough about their strongside LB problem this offseason. You've got Chris Draft, who's getting old, and a bunch of street free agent-quality guys. I'm not sure how much an undersized small-school LB is supposed to help, unless he happens to be London Fletcher.

Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, LSCScoop.com, bronchosports.com, UNLV athletics website, Las Vegas Review-Journal, TheVistaOnline.com, Sporting News

photo from stlouisrams.com

Rookie free agent profile: Jarrett Byers

Jarrett Byers, 5'10" 191
WR, Northeastern (Okla.) State

Rankings: Pro Football Weekly: 76th-rated wide receiver, graded as a free agent with a chance to be in an NFL training camp.
NFLDraftScout.com: 82nd-rated wide receiver, #609 player overall. Free agent.

Biography/Honors:
2008 Football Gazette Division II honorable mention All-American as a kick returner. School record-holder for career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. Played in the 2009 Cactus Bowl, catching 3 passes for 64 yards, including a 48-yard pass from Rams' 6th-round pick Keith Null.

Received school's Athletic Association Redmen Award for athletic prowess, academic achievement, morals, citizenship, leadership qualities and school spirit.

2008: 57 receptions for 699 yards and 8 TDs. 12.3 ypc.
All-Lone Star conference first-team return specialist. Returned 9 kickoffs for 338 yards (37.6 avg) and 2 TDs.
2006: 51 receptions for 844 yards and 11 TDs. 16.5 ypc.
2005: 43 receptions for 896 yards and 9 TDs. 20.8 ypc.

Major: psychology.

Injuries: Missed almost all of the 2007 season due to a broken jaw. Received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA to restore his senior year of eligibility for 2008.

Pro Day Stats:
* 4.45 40 with splits of 1.51 and 2.61. (Donnie Avery ran 4.28/1.47/2.51 last year.) Per Gil Brandt, he ran a 4.42 with the wind and a 4.47 into the wind.
* 4.09 20-yard shuttle. (3.91 for Avery)
* 6.80 3-cone drill. (6.30)
* 14 bench presses. (16)

Positives: Can go up and get it. Frequently makes quality plays on balls in the air. Wins the ball in 50/50 and closely-guarded situations despite lack of height. Excellent awareness of the sidelines. Good at selling first move of double-move routes and getting DB to bite. Good, not great, elusiveness after the catch. Has at least good hands. Holds additional value to teams running end-arounds and as a dangerous kick returner. Has the patience to wait for his blocks as a returner but can also explode through a minimal hole and outrun everybody.

And judging from the crowds at some of his home games, he'll have little trouble adjusting to St. Louis.

Negatives: Short and squatty. Just average upper-body strength. Doesn't seem able to turn back upfield quickly on sideline catches. Playing speed seems pretty ordinary despite fast timed speed. Doesn't look explosive. Production as a receiver dropped a lot by the time he graduated. Highly questionable level of competition.

Fun Fact: Byers and current Rams rookies Keith Null and K.C. Asiodu all played in the 2009 Cactus Bowl, the all-star game for Division II players. In fact, all three played in the same conference, D-II's Lone Star Conference. Apparently, someone in the Rams' scouting operation is a big fan. (You might even be able to pick him out in the crowd on Jarett's highlight reel.)

RamView: With Derek Stanley recovering from a torn ACL and no real return threat on the roster otherwise, I highly suspect Jarrett Byers is in St. Louis to try to win a kick returner job. He seems to have the experience and speed for it and should be worth at least a look at that spot. In fact, I wish the Rams had done a little more this offseason to address their about-as-dangerous-as-a-pillow-fight return game. I'd never question Byers' heart but certainly question his ability physically to compete as a WR at the pro level. My guess for Byers is that it's kick returns or bust. Thumbs ok.

Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, Muskogee (Okla.) Phoenix, Wikipedia, ESPN SportsNation, NSUOKsports.com, youtube

photo from LoneStarConference.org

Rookie free agent profile: Dominic Douglas

Dominic Douglas, 6'1" 229
MLB, Mississippi State

Rankings: Pro Football Weekly: 35th-ranked OLB, graded as a free agent with a chance to be in an NFL training camp.
NFLDraftScout.com: 33rd-ranked ILB, #733 player overall. Free agent grade.

Biography/Honors:
2008: Led SEC in tackles with 116. Named to second-team All-SEC. 5.5 tackles for loss and 1 INT. Four starts at outside linebacker, eight at middle linebacker.

2007: 78 tackles, 8 tackles for loss. 11 starts in 13 games at OLB.

Major: fitness management.

Injuries: Missed the second half of one game in 2007 because of a sprained ankle.

Pro Day Stats:
None available. Douglas is credited with a 4.78 40. He worked out at the University of Miami to prepare for pro day but there's no evident record online saying how he did.

Positives: Smooth and covers a lot of area on the field. Secure tackler who knows how to deliver punishing hits. Excellent technique - stays low, keeps his feet moving, uses his hands very well, uses good leverage. Works hard through traffic. Reacts quickly to run keys and to throws in front of him. Decent drop in pass coverage. Has some explosiveness as an edge pass rusher. Plays special teams and has ideal attitude for that unit. Team leader with experience calling defensive signals.

Negatives: Undersized for the middle. Not quick-footed, not quick enough laterally to handle coverage outside. Needs to take on blockers more instead of trying to run around them. Does not catch up to receivers when trailing. High tackle total may be misleading, an effect of MSU's aggressive system. Lacks the measurables to be more than a backup.

Fun Facts: I don't know if Douglas is a fan of Brad Van Pelt, but like Van Pelt (who passed away in February) did in college and the pros, he wore jersey #10 at Mississippi State. (He has #54 as a Ram.) Douglas' first name is spelled like Dominic but pronounced like Dominique, as in Wilkins. Rams running back coach Sylvester Croom was Douglas' head coach all four years at MSU.

RamView: Dominic Douglas makes you think of other LBs who were significantly downgraded because of size, like London Fletcher or DeMeco Ryans. He also made me think of Tim McGarigle, another LB who piled up an absolute ton of tackles at the college level who has been able to stick in the pros a little bit as a 7th-round pick. But Douglas is a good 15 pounds lighter than all of those guys. Just like he's 15 pounds behind fellow Bulldog alum Quinton Culberson on the Rams roster. The Rams are working Douglas out in the middle, which is curious; Will Witherspoon was ultimately too small to work out well there, and he's got a good 10 pounds on Douglas. Signing a small MLB doesn't make a lot of sense from my standpoint, so thumbs down, though Douglas sounds like a smart football player and could snatch a roster spot by playing his butt off on special teams. I'll be pulling for him.

Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, NFLDraftScout.com, CNNSI.com, MileHighReport.com

photo from Mississippi State University website

Rookie free agent profile: Daniel Sanders

Daniel Sanders, 6'2" 316
C, Colorado

Rankings: Pro Football Weekly: 22nd-ranked center, graded as a free agent who has a chance to be in an NFL training camp.
Unranked by NFLDraftScout.com.

Biography/Honors:
Starter at center for three years, with 40 starts, the last 36 in a row.
2008: Honorable mention All-Big 12. 60.5 knockdown blocks, 6 touchdown blocks. Allowed only one sack; committed only one penalty. Graded over 80% in 11 games, 90% in 5.
2007: Led team with 88.5 knockdown blocks. Also had 5 touchdown blocks. One sack, five pressures, two penalties. Graded over 80% in 8 games.
2006: One sack, three pressures.
2005: Made All-Big 12 Freshman team. Four starts.

Major: Ethnic studies.

Injuries: Missed 2006 season opener with hamstring injury. Missed two games his freshman year with a partially torn hamstring and missed bowl game that year due to a sprained knee suffered in practice.

Pro Day Stats: (not invited to NFL Combine)
* 5.44 40.
* 21 benches.

Positives: Has size and skill to play at the next level. Dependable and durable. One of the more underrated centers in the draft. Solid technique, hands, body bend and positioning. Good strength and pop at the point of attack. Effective run and pass blocker. Can handle big pass rushers and bull rushes one-on-one.

Negatives: Had difficulties with shotgun snaps. Below-average quickness and agility. Not a dominant blocker who opens up the middle of the field. Only effective close to the line of scrimmage. Whiffs at LBs, struggles on pulls, late picking up stunts. Scouts have questioned his love for football.

Celebrity most resembling: Hurley from "Lost".

Fun Fact: Daniel's nickname is "Girthy".

RamView: The Rams don't have a full-time center backing up Jason Brown and hopefully won't wind up regretting their offseason decisions to let Brett Romberg and Nick Leckey go. I assume it will be Sanders and Mark Setterstrom having it out for the backup role behind Brown. But Setterstrom will have to battle back from his second straight season-ending injury, and Sanders, though he at least has a lot of college experience at center, will have to overcome a large athleticism deficit to contribute what's expected from a center at the NFL level. I don't like how this is shaping up here. Always-injured player vs. a rookie with a lot of flaws in his game. The Rams haven't done themselves any favors, and are going to regret it, if Brown doesn't play all 16 games. Thumbs down.

Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, WalterFootball.com, War Room, CNNSI.com, CUBuffs.com, Longmont (Col.) Times-Call, KDKA.com

photo from CNNSI.com

Rookie free agent profile: Jerome Johnson

Jerome Johnson, 6'0" 258
FB, Nevada

Rankings: not ranked by Pro Football Weekly or NFLDraftScout.com.

Biography/Honors:
Was a fullback at Oregon (highlights) as a freshman before transferring to Nevada, where he played inside/outside linebacker for three years.

2008: 48 tackles, 1 INT, 1 pass breakup, 2 passes defensed.

2007: 58 tackles, 6 pass breakups. Won the team's "Blackout Award" for big hits.

Major: communications.

Injuries: none reported.

Pro Day Stats: (not invited to NFL Combine)
Johnson's Pro Day highlights

Since Johnson is trying to make the pros as a fullback, (sarcasm)as unfair as it may be, I'll list his numbers side-by-side with the pre-draft stats of the most awesome fullback in NFL history(/sarcasm), Madison Hedgecock:

* 4.70 40 (Hedgecock: 4.87)
* 24 bench presses (29)
* 4.43 20-yard shuttle (4.26)
* 7.13 3-cone drill (7.42)
* 32-inch vertical (32.5)

Positives: Surprise hit at Nevada's pro day. Showed soft hands as a receiver and ran routes exceptionally well. Runs well for his size and has excellent speed for the position. Can get downfield and deliver a pop. Defenders he blocks stay blocked and he keeps them turned away from the flow of the play. Reliable pass-blocker, physical against blitzers and in double-teams. Handles classic passes to the fullback in the flat well. Looks ball in, catches with his hands, gets turned upfield well. Very good hands - can make the one-handed catch, can grab passes thrown behind him or outside his frame. Fullback is his natural position. Can also play as a move-type H-back. Hard to get around as a blocker, harder to bring down as a ball-carrier. Very big ball-hawking LB, always around the ball.

Negatives: Won't beat anybody one-on-one downfield as a receiver. Doesn't show much elusiveness when he has the ball. Doesn't look explosive. NFL rushers will call on him to do more as a blocker than deliver a big initial hit. Has not played the position in three years, and only appears to have ever played there the one year at Oregon. His highlight film appears to come from intrasquad practices so level of competition is a question.

Fun Facts: Jerome's brother Jeremiah, a tailback at Oregon, signed with the Texans as a free agent. The brothers graduated from Dorsey High in Los Angeles, same high school as Keyshawn Johnson. It's also the alma mater of Sparky Anderson. Jerome was considered one of the best LBs in Southern California as a high schooler.

RamView: The Rams have used high draft picks in the past strictly on the basis of players having great workouts, thinking especially of the third-rounder completely wasted on Anthony Hargrove in 2004. And they've used far too many draft picks on guys they want to play a different position than they mainly played in college. Like the third rounder completely wasted on Eric Crouch in 2002. So Jerome Johnson at least comes at the right price. I'll be eager to see him at full speed. He's got terrific hands, he's a willing hitter and he's got intriguing timed speed. If that translates to the playing field, and he can block NFL-quality defenders, he'll have a shot to surprise more people than just the scouts that saw him at pro day. Thumbs ok.

Sources: Wikipedia, The Nevada Sagebrush, Las Vegas Sun, youtube.com, NevadaWolfPack.com, nevada.rivals.com

photo from stlouisrams.com

Rookie free agent profile: Ian Campbell

Ian Campbell, 6'4" 265
DE, Kansas State

Rankings: Pro Football Weekly: 25th-ranked defensive end, with priority free agent grade, slightly better than a 50-50 chance of making a roster or practice squad.
NFLDraftScout.com: #22 DE, #247 player overall. Projected as a 7th-round pick.

Biography/Honors:
2008: All-Big 12 second team as a defensive lineman. Team captain. 47 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 3 pass knockdowns, 3 blocked kicks.

2007: All-Big 12 first team as a LB. Switched to 3-4 outside linebacker from defensive line to begin season, returned to DE by end. 45 tackles, 4.5 sacks, team-leading 11 tackles for loss and 4 fumble recoveries.

2006: All-Big 12 first team and honorable mention All-American. Hendricks Award semifinalist. Tied school record with 11.5 sacks. Led team with 17.5 tackles for loss. 67 total tackles. 3 fumble recoveries. Recorded a sack in 9 of 13 games.

Major: Social science.

Injuries: Campbell did not appear to miss any games in his college career due to injuries but apparently played through hamstring and shoulder injuries his senior year that limited his NFL Combine participation.

NFL Combine / Pro Day Stats:
Campbell's NFL Combine participation was limited to broad jump, 3-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle due to a strained hamstring and a strained shoulder.

4.99 40 with 1.73 and 2.91 splits (Chris Long's 2008 Combine numbers: 4.75/1.53/2.71)
32 bench presses (Long did 34)
4.28 20-yard shuttle (Long: 4.21)
6.93 3-cone drill (Long: 7.02)
29-inch vertical leap (Long: 34)
9'1" broad jump (Long: 10'4")


Positives: Versatile player in a DE-OLB hybrid role. High-motor player who uses his height to his advantage. Good initial quickness to collapse the pocket. Above-average closing burst. Needs to be accounted for every play. Good hustle to chase runners downfield. Good open-field tackler who can hold up the OT and force runs inside. Maximum-effort player and team leader. Doesn't commit stupid penalties. May not be a better player in the draft to coach.

Negatives: A tweener who's not an elite athlete. Doesn't play with good leverage - height hurts him in that regard. Lack of bulk hurts him when he's double-teamed and really hurts him when he plays too upright. Doesn't have top speed to catch runners from behind. Stiff, doesn't have quick change of direction. Lacks a lot of pass-rush technique. Will only use outside rush move, and his speed out there is marginal for the NFL. Has good hands and strength, but does not use them well. Doesn't avoid or recover from cut blocks well. Often fooled by misdirection. Must get stronger. Often a step late to the ball.

Compares to: Jason Babin, who I'll note was a first-round draft pick.

Fun Fact: Befitting a kid who grew up near Dodge City, Ian's preferred footgear is cowboy boots. And the family is definitely on the side of the law: his father is a district attorney and his mother is a paralegal.

RamView: The big question for RamView regarding Ian Campbell: how specialized will the roles on Steve Spagnuolo's defense be? Campbell does one thing very well: get a step on his man and put a strong outside rush on the passer. He's also a darn good special teams player. Is that enough to make the 2009 Rams? Can he get strong enough in the weight room to take on added roles? Is he good enough at what he does to defeat offensive tackles in the NFL? I have a feeling Ian Campbell's going to have one of those preseason games like Matthew Rice once did, and we're all going to be cheering him and wondering, How could every team pass on that guy? But Campbell may not be athletically gifted enough to be anything more than Matthew Rice. He's still a good signing. He's an accomplished college player. Maybe that junior year move to OLB messed him up and the Ram coaching staff can fix him. And after the last couple of years, the Rams should be bringing in anyone they can find who can rush the QB. Thumbs ok. If Campbell can cause Spagnuolo some anguish when final cutdowns come around, he'll have done everything he could.

Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, Wikipedia, KansasProfile.com, The Oklahoman

photo from SportsIllustrated.com

Steve McNair 1973 - 2009

The cycle of shocking deaths we're experiencing lately doesn't seem to want to slow down. Former NFL MVP and three-time Pro Bowl QB Steve McNair was found shot to death in a Nashville apartment today. The former Oilers, Titans and Ravens QB was a far too young 36.

Rams Nation and most of the rest of the world remember McNair best for the final drive of Super Bowl XXXIV. McNair and the Titans had rallied from a 16-0 deficit to tie the game with 2:12 left. Kurt Warner and Isaac Bruce then struck back just inside the 2:00 warning to put the Rams back up a TD. Challenged to tie the game another time, after the kickoff the Titans took over from their own 12.

And Steve McNair went to work. He hit Derrick Mason wide open over the middle for 9. In the hurry-up, obviously, a quick pass to Frank Wycheck in the flat went for 7. An incompletion stopped the clock with 1:16 left. On 2nd-and-10, getting forever to throw, good coverage forced McNair to run, not always a good thing for opposing defenses. The left tackle had pushed Ram DE Jay Williams about ten yards downfield and left McNair a huge running lane on that side, so he took off, eluding a diving Williams downfield, outrunning a diving D'Marco Farr and crossing the 40, where Dre Bly managed to haul him down, but was flagged for a 15-yard face mask (should have been 5) in the process. That play gave McNair the Super Bowl record for rushing yards by a QB and put the Titans at the Ram 45.

1:05 left. The Titans next took a Rams offsides penalty instead of McNair's fine 7-yard pass in the flat to Wycheck again. Still getting all day to throw, McNair strung the next play outside, made a nifty move to make Kevin Carter whiff and got out of bounds with a 2-yard gain. Again calm in the pocket (again with no Ram near him), McNair found Kevin Dyson for 6. He was the picture of cool this drive as much as the Rams were the picture of exhaustion. A spike at the 32 stopped the clock at 0:31. Another Ram offsides put the Titans at the 27. That was on Carter, who legendarily was too gassed to line up onside and took himself off the field, much to Dick Vermeil's amazement. The Rams blitzed the next play, and McNair made the right decision in one of the highest-pressure situations of his career, dumping it off downfield for Eddie George, one-on-one downfield with Todd Lyght. George didn't make the adjustment, though, never looking for a ball that hit him harmlessly in the back.

On 3rd-and-5 from the Ram 27 with 0:22 left, McNair kept the Titans very alive with the play of his career. The Rams rushed just three, but didn't give Steve anyone to throw to. He dropped back, then sprinted up in the pocket, but saw that Jeff Zgonina had him cut off. So, as only the NFL's greatest athletes can do, McNair dropped back a second time. But Jay Williams had him hemmed in, bearing down on him like a runaway train. McNair flushed right. Right to Carter, that is. The Rams were about to seal the game and sack McNair back at his 45.

Nope. With Williams and Carter trying to drag him down by his shirttail, by the collar of his jersey, anything they could grab, McNair somehow danced free anyway. And a split second after doing that, he looked up, found a lonely Dyson at the 11, and stepped up and delivered a perfect pass on the run with 0:05 left. A miracle of a play by a miraculous player, who wouldn't give up on any play, any time, ever. Didn't know how.

We know what happened next. The Titans made a good play, though I'll always contend their biggest mistake was not throwing into the end zone. You can't throw short on the last play of the game. The play had been set up by the earlier throws to Wycheck. McNair made a good throw to Dyson on a slant, who made a good catch.

But Mike Jones made a better play.

Head coach Jeff Fisher knelt with McNair right after that play and consoled him. He had done everything he could. He nearly carried his team back into a tie game and another chance to win the biggest game the team ever played. As a Rams fan that day, it was easy to miss the heroism of McNair's performance in the fervor to see our team hang on and claim the happy ending to its miracle season. But there's no other word to describe McNair's play down the stretch of that game than heroic. He nearly brought his team even single-handedly.

Steve McNair has borderline Hall-of-Fame credentials to go with that memorable drive. He threw for 174 TDs and over 30,000 yards. But he'll likely come up just short of Canton because he couldn't claim a championship in a game that ended with his last pass coming up a yard short. Football, as in life, is a game of inches.

Steve McNair leaves a wife and four children.

photo from USA Today

Rookie free agent profile: Roger Allen

Roger Allen, 6'3" 326
G, Missouri Western State

Rankings: Pro Football Weekly: 8th-ranked guard, grading as a late draftable prospect with a better-than-average chance to make an NFL roster.
NFLDraftScout.com: 10th-ranked guard, #188 player overall. Projected as a 5th-6th round pick.

Biography/Honors:
Started all 48 games of his college career, playing both guard positions, and 3 games at right tackle his senior year. MWSU ran for over 2,000 yards in each of Allen's first three years on the offensive line. Three-time MIAA all-conference first team.

2008: Named to first team Division II All-America by the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association.
* Led Division II in blocking consistency grade (88.25%) and key blocks/knockdowns (107).
* Allowed only one sack and two QB pressures, all at right tackle, while committing only two penalties.
* NFL Draft Scout named him to its Division II All-America team and rated him the best small-school offensive lineman in the country.

2007: Named to NFL Draft Scout Division II All-America team.
* Ranked third in Division II with 85.5% blocking consistency grade. Recorded 92 key blocks/knockdowns. Gave up no sacks, one pressure and committed just one penalty.

2006: 90 key blocks/knockdowns, allowed 1.5 sacks and no pressures.

2005: MIAA conference Freshman of the Year, the first offensive lineman to win the award. 90 key blocks/knockdowns.

Major: Business management.

Injuries: sports hernia during the Texas vs. The Nation game held Roger out of the NFL Combine. Played through a shoulder injury in 2008, unspecified but serious enough that he saw Dr. James Andrews, who gave him a clean bill of health.

Pro Day Stats:
38 bench presses at Missouri's pro day, which would have been 2nd best of all combine participants. John Greco benched 30 last year and was considered one of that draft's strongest o-linemen.

At the Missouri Western pro day a couple of weeks later:
* 32 benches
* 5.28 40 with 1.87 and 2.98 splits (Greco: 5.16/1.70/2.97)
* 4.53 20-yard shuttle (Greco: 4.63)
* 7.47 3-cone drill (Greco: 7.78)
* 29-inch vertical leap (Greco: 32)
* 9'1" broad jump (Greco: 9'0") (Who knew guards were such leapers?)

And it rained in St. Joseph, MO that day and all of Allen's drills were apparently run on the basketball court in their gym.

Positives: Big, mauling offensive lineman who dominated at the Division II level. With power and explosion uncommon to that level, opponents could not move him. Bone-jarring hitter who can level people and create gaping holes. Often defeated multiple defenders by throwing one into the other. Powerful upper body, good leg drive, good hips. Good body control. Explodes out of his stance and works to finish blocks. Good initial quickness and pad level. Very good hands and strong punch. Executes short pulls and traps well. More quick than fast, but effective getting out of his stance and out to second level. Good field awareness and ability to adjust mid-play. Alert and reacts quickly to blitzes, stunts and twists. Good knee bend and very little waist bend as a pass blocker. Uses his hands well in pass pro and recovers quickly against counter moves. High football IQ. Excellent work ethic, leader in locker room, no off-field issues. Plays through pain. Plays with a mean streak, plays to punish people, plays to the whistle. Model of consistency throughout his career. Strength, instincts and tenacity a little reminiscent of Larry Allen. Strong performance in Texas vs. Nation game until he got injured. One of only seven D-II players invited to the Combine. Six teams went to his Missouri Western tryout and the Panthers were reportedly extremely interested.

Negatives: Just adequate height and athleticism for the next level. Could stand to add another 15 lbs. Lacks great timed speed and doesn't pack the same kind of wallop on long runs that he does in the phone booth. Needs to hold block longer in pass pro. Punches and overextends against quicker defenders instead of latching on and keeping his feet moving. Winds up on the ground too often. May go for the big pancake block a little too much, like a safety who misses tackles going for the highlight reel hit. Very low level of competition. Ability in space to play RT at next level is doubtful.

Compares to: Brian Winters.

Fun Fact: Did you know college football has a Mineral Water Bowl? And that it's been a college bowl game since 1954? Roger played in three Mineral Water Bowls at Missouri Western. They won two but lost 37-16 last year to Augustana.

His last two college seasons, Allen gave up only two sacks, 3 QB pressures and committed just three penalties... that's a typical game for Richie Incognito! Upon joining the Rams, Allen had the good taste to claim Adam Timmerman's old number, 62.

RamView: Leave it to the NFL to have cracks big enough for a 326-pound man to fall through. Roger Allen arguably has third-round game skills and physical ability, but: the NFL thinks he's too high-risk, coming from a small school; the NFL doesn't think guards should be drafted particularly high at all (the 8th LB was off the board in 2009 by pick #45; the 8th guard went #239); and he had that unfortunate injury right before the NFL Combine. If he'd have cranked 38 benches in Indianapolis, there's no way in hell he wouldn't have been drafted. Instead, the Rams made themselves another astute pickup in free agency. The Rams haven't had a hit-you-in-the-mouth offensive line in a long time; who better to pick up to build such a line now than Roger Allen? Hit-you-in-the-mouth is what he lives! Plus, he's a smart player who adjusts well on the fly and commits very few penalties, RICHIE INCOGNITO AND ALEX BARRON. Thumbs up. Roger Allen should make this team.

Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, StLouisRams.com, St. Joseph News-Press, Wikipedia, GoGriffons.com, drafthistory.com, NFLDraftBible.com, PatriotsDaily.com (sorry)

photo from the Baltimore Sun

Rookie free agent profile: Phil Trautwein

Phil Trautwein, 6'6" 310
RT, Florida

Rankings: Pro Football Weekly: #53 offensive tackle. Rated as a free agent with a chance to be in an NFL training camp.
NFLDraftScout.com: #31 offensive tackle, #360 player overall; free agent grade.

Biography/Honors: 2008: first-team All-SEC. Team captain. Started all 12 games. Named to NFF Hampshire Honor Society.
2006: Named to SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll and second-team All-SEC. Started all 14 games.

Major: Graduated in December 2008 with a master’s in educational leadership.


Injuries: Missed entire 2007 season due to stress fracture in right foot.

Pro Day Stats: (not invited to NFL Combine)
* 23 bench presses (Jason Smith did 33 at the Combine)
* 5.36 40 with 1.84 and 3.00-second splits (JS: 5.09)
* 27-inch vertical leap (JS: 24)
* 8’2” broad jump (JS: 8’0”)
* did not run 3-cone drill or 20-yard shuttle

Positives: Converted tight end. Good athlete, with surprising lateral agility for his size, and solid pass protector. Good quickness off the snap. Quickly gets hands into defenders. Blocks with a wide base, keeps his feet moving and works hard to finish. Stays square and turns opponents out of the play. Long arms and quick feet. Plays nasty. Alert to pick up stunts and blitzes. Solid interior run-blocker. Was considered a rising prospect going into the 2008 season but a foot injury set him back. Has experience as a blocking tight end and special teams FG/PAT protection. Starter for two national championship teams with an incredible work ethic. The Rams considered drafting him. Productive tackle, not affected by the 2007 injury, who makes up for a lack of top athleticism with outstanding technique, especially footwork and positioning.

Negatives: Struggles with leverage and strength. Struggles to move his man off the line. Can get top-heavy in pass protection. Can get too upright and get caught by the bull rush. Gets exploited by speed rushers/linebackers. Gets overextended, leans, reaches, grabs too much. Doesn’t adjust well. Doesn’t use hands or sustain blocks well. Has to learn to keep his feet moving after he makes contact. Lacks burst to get to second level as run blocker.

Fun Fact: Phil was so infatuated with the idea of playing football for the Florida Gators as a high-schooler that he wore Gators gear on recruiting visits to other schools.

RamView: There sure are conflicting scouting reports out there about Phil Trautwein. He’s got excellent agility. He’s not very agile. He can’t handle bull rushers. He’s impervious to bull rushers. Good hands. Bad hands. Not athletic enough. Good athlete. The negatives have to amount to something or he wouldn’t have been passed up 256 different times on draft weekend. But Phil Trautwein’s also a guy who richly deserves a shot at making a pro team. He has the size and athleticism for his position (highly likely RT). Shoot, look at his pro day and you could say he’s more explosive in the lower body than Jason Smith! Plus Trautwein is another Steve Spagnuolo “four pillars” guy. If he doesn’t make the Rams, it won’t be because he didn’t work hard, or didn’t have the smarts, or didn’t know how to win, or was a bad influence in the locker room. It sounds like he’s fared well in minicamp so far. I think he’s got a real shot here. Thumbs up.

Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, scout.com, SportsIllustrated.com, Philadelphia Inquirer, Wikipedia, War Room and, yes, the Independent Florida Alligator

photo from Courier-Post (NJ)