Archive for August, 2009

Dante Hall‘s career with the Rams was short and injury filled, but as most fans will admit it was nice to have a solid return man (you know, when he wasn’t on crutches). This year however, Hall is a thing of the past and the Rams are now searching for the next incarnation of “The Human Joystick”. Here are the options: Derek Stanley: Last year Stanley led the team in kick return average at 24.8 yds/return. Knee surgery has slowed his progress, but it appears he is starting to regain comfortability returning kicks. Donnie Avery: The team’s speed demon, I [...]

Deacon Jones, one of the greatest DE in the history of the NFL, will have his number 75 retired on September 27th, the Rams home opener against Green Bay. Jones was part of the Fearsome Foursome, which is still considered to this day of the greatest defensive lines all-time. Jones made 8 Pro Bowls and also received 5 consecutive All-Pro honors from 1965-1969.

Mike Karney, the starting FB for the Rams, was held out of both practices today with an ankle injury. Don’t get too worried, so far I’ve heard its merely a precaution, but it will definitely be something the coaches probably keep an eye on over the next week or so. In other news, It appears Kenneth Darby and Samkon Gado are receiving the most reps behind starter Steven Jackson. Gado and Darby each made terrific plays today during training camp. Jason Smith has been receiving terrific experience during drills, going up against DE Leonard Little. Although Little overpowered Smith early [...]

This year, the Rams enter camp with the starting running back position set in stone. Everything after, however, is slightly hazy due to the surplus of RBs with a shot at becoming the backup. Lets break down the position player by player: Steven Jackson: The Rams injury-prone starter for the last few seasons, Jackson has entered camp this year with a new attitude and optimism about the team’s chances. With his terrific mix of speed, power, and experience, the starting spot will always be his as long as health doesn’t become an issue. Antonio Pittman: A solid backup for the [...]

Hell week, every high school football player’s nightmare. It is the time where players learn to appreciate a drink of water, a breath of fresh air, and something other than a 300 lb. lineman directly in their face. Now-a-days, it appears all NFL players have to do is stay on the ground a split second longer than normal and immediately they will receive an adequate amount of time to regain their composure. Not at Camp Spagnuolo. Steve Spagnuolo is pushing this team to the very edge. He is throwing out high intensity drill after high intensity drill and the Rams [...]

This year the St. Louis Rams broke camp with four quarterbacks on their roster. Two are returning Rams (Marc Bulger and Brock Berlin), one is a former first round draft pick brought in through free agency (Kyle Boller), and the final QB is Rams 6th round pick Keith Null. Here is the breakdown for each quarterback: Marc Bulger: The main man under center for the Rams the last few seasons, Bulger is looking to get his career back on track after two rough seasons. He is in the third year of his six year contract and for the first time [...]

For the first time in this year’s training camp the Rams practiced in full pads. Once again every single member of the Rams showed up to practice and from what I am hearing, this was one of the most intense and energetic practices out of the Rams in recent history. Another great piece of news is that all the Rams made it out of this practice with nothing more than a few bruises (which let’s be honest here, comes with the territory). A few camp highlights: Donnie Avery appears to have improved his route running skills, burning CB Ron Bartell [...]

Meet Steve Spagnuolo, the head coach of the St. Louis Rams. He is a defensive genius who has found ways to shut down some of the NFL’s greatest offenses over the past couple years and he is exactly what the Rams need.  For the first time in quite a few years, the Rams have a head coach who is all about the defense (No, Jim Haslett does not count).  Mike Martz inherited an incredible defense (plus he had Lovie Smith) and when the defense started to fizzle toward the end of his coaching tenure, there was nothing Martz could do [...]