Ramblin' Fan » Howard Balzer

Olafioye And The Failed Physical

Justin Stine — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 06:06:21 +0000

November 27, 2011; Vancouver, BC, Canada; BC Lions players pose with the Grey Cup after defeating Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34-23 at BC Place Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-US PRESSWIRE

Some of you may remember a few months ago when we discussed the Rams signing Canadian Football League offensive lineman Jovan Olafioye. Olafioye was a guy who plenty of NFL teams liked, and it looked like a pretty good move for a team in need of depth on the line. Then, Olafioye failed his physical and was released by the Rams, and that was the last we heard of him. That it until Tuesday, when Howard Balzer wrote on his website that Olafioye reportedly failed his physical due to “Hypertension/high blood pressure.”

“I stopped taking my medication,” Olafioye recently told the Vancouver Sun. “Me, just being young, thinking about the workouts, I thought I would be all right if I just ate right. I thought, ‘I should be good.’ Was I trying to do the right thing, and it turned out not to be the right thing? Exactly. I’m taking my meds now and staying away from things like red meat. I’m eating lots of salads.”

He is back in Vancouver preparing for the upcoming season with the CFL’s B.C. Lions, and he will attempt to head to the NFL next season. This whole thing seems very strange to me, and while I would have liked to see what the guy has at the NFL level, I don’t think it’s any kind of enormous loss. I can understand why he would stop taking his meds in that situation, but like he said, it turned out to be the wrong move. I’m sure NFL people will be keeping an eye on him during this season in the CFL, and if he has another season like he did in 2011, he will be making the move to a new league next year.

Fisher Expected To Choose Rams

Justin Stine — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 09:26:54 +0000

For anyone who follows me on Twitter (@Ramblinfan), you saw this news posted on my account earlier on Friday. For those who don’t, here is what happened Friday night. NFL insider Howard Balzer broke the news that according to his sources, Jeff Fisher has chosen the Rams over the Dolphins as the team he will coach next season and beyond. Now, let me emphasize that this is not a done deal yet and won’t be until he signs the contract, but sources close to Fisher have said his decision has been made.

I wouldn’t expect any official announcement until Monday or Tuesday at the earliest, but if Fisher does in fact choose St. Louis, it would be a big win for this franchise. That’s not to say that he will magically come in and fix everything, but the fact of the matter is that this franchise needed to make a splash, and having a name like Fisher choose the Rams over other opportunities is big. It’s a win because Stan Kroenke proves with this signing that he will do what it takes to make the Rams a winner again. You can say what you want about Fisher, but what he symbolizes is every bit as important for the fanbase right now as what he will bring to the sidelines in 2012 and beyond.

Leber To St. Louis Rams?

Justin Stine — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:58:54 +0000

Rams fans have had plenty of experience dealing with rumors of free agents coming to town, so it was no surprise when we had another one of those incidents on Tuesday. Howard Balzer of 101 ESPN tweeted this afternoon that the team had agreed to a deal with former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ben Leber. Then, Balzer said that a team source told him there was no deal done. Finally, he said that a source told him that the deal was completed, at which time John Clayton of ESPN reported that the two sides agreed to a one year, $1.25 million deal. I don’t know if it’s actually “official” just yet, but it sounds like Leber will be a part of this team in 2011.

Assuming this deal is finalized, it represents another nice move by the Rams front office. Leber is a guy we talked about a lot during the lockout as a potential nice fit here in St. Louis, and he was one of the top players left in the free agent market. What makes this move even better is that the Seahawks were also in talks with Leber. That means that not only did we pick up a durable veteran player at a need position, but we also kept him away from Seattle. Leber gives the Rams some flexibility at the position after the signings of Zac Diles and Brady Poppinga, so it will be interesting to see how the starting positions shake out during camp. Overall, it looks like a win-win for the Rams.