Oct 12, 2008; Landover, MD, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) is tackled by Washington Redskins linebacker Rocky McIntosh (52) and safety Chris Horton (48) at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-US PRESSWIRE

I think we all knew this was coming, but the Rams announced that they have agreed to a deal with LB Rocky McIntosh for the upcoming season. The sides agreed to terms on Thursday after the minicamp session, but terms of the deal were not disclosed. McIntosh is expected to battle for a starting spot out outside linebacker during training camp.

We talked a little about this already, but now that it’s official I think this was the right move for this team. McIntosh is a productive 4-3 player who fits the scheme and knows what he’s doing, and considering the lack of depth we currently have, it was a no-brainer. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if McIntosh becomes a starter fairly quickly during camp, and if I had to guess I would say that the team signed him with the expectation that he starts this season.

McIntosh joins Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Mario Haggan as free agent additions to this team at LB, and while none of these guys are going to carry your defense, it’s a group of veterans who know who they are and know how to play the game. The team also has some undrafted rookies who could factor in to the battle if they impress early in camp, but the combo of veterans and rookies looks pretty solid. I don’t think there’s any doubt that OLB is a position that’s going to need to be addressed long-term down the road, but McIntosh is a nice stopgap for now.

June 12, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long (91) jokes around with teammates during minicamp at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Thursday was a good day for media members at Rams Park, as offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and assistant head coach Dave McGinnis joined Jeff Fisher to speak after workouts. Here is some of what they had to say.

Fisher

“We ended up good. We had our final meeting, our wrap up meeting today. We understand what’s ahead. They understand the challenges. They understand the uniqueness of this training camp and the limited number of practices we have and how important it is to go out and just work. They have got to work, come back and they can’t afford to not come back in the best shape of your lives because we have just a few practices to get ready for the opener. Offseason attendance was really, really good. I think 48 of the 55 veterans had over 90 percent and almost 40 of them with 100 percent attendance. We had never seen anything like that, so that sets the bar for us now moving forward. It went fast. I think we accomplished everything we needed to accomplish and now it’s up to them. We have another week with the rookies. It’s up to them to be disciplined and committed to the cause and the program and come back in the best shape, and then we’ll have more fun.”

(On the status of LB Rocky McIntosh)
“Hopefully before I get in, he will be under contract. We brought him in, we worked him out yesterday morning, did a great job in kind of individual. He’s moving around good. He’s an experienced veteran, has some experience in this scheme and the terminology, so he can pick it up fast. He’s just one of those guys we are going to put in the mix; he’ll compete and see what happens.”

(On if he expects to have rookie CBs Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson signed by the end of the week)
“I’m not going to put a timetable on it, but I don’t anticipate any problems.”

Schottenheimer

(On how the players have adapted to the new offense)
“It was a really, really good offseason. I think we got a lot of things in. I would say probably we are almost at 90 percent of what we need to have in. What we tried to do was we tried to overload them a little bit in the beginning. We tried to go back and repeat things so they could hear it a second, third, fourth and fifth time. But I’m very, very pleased. Obviously, not only are you competing against yourself but we are also going against the defense, which creates a lot of problems. It was good for us going against a defense like ours. You troubleshoot a lot of your problems with protections and run game and things like that, so it was really good.”

(On the one thing that impresses him most about Bradford)
“I think the one thing I realized is how important size is. He’s so tall. Being around some of the guys I’ve had in the last couple of years, you are dealing with guys that are 6-foot-2, 6-foot-1 and being 6’4 ½, 6’5; I forgot how well you see things. He just sees the field really, really well. Obviously, the accuracy, his ability to play compact in the pocket. I could go on and on, but the first thing that jumped out at me was ‘Wow, how do you see that?’ Because when you’ve got all the big linemen up there and you’ve got games and stuff inside where people are trying to push in your face, it helps to be able to have that height to be able to see down the field.”

(On the receiving corps)
“When we came in and started looking at the receivers we felt like we had a good core group of guys. Obviously, you have to have them all healthy, that’s a big part of it. But you go Austin Pettis, Danny Amendola, Greg Salas, Brandon Gibson – those are all good players. Then you get a chance to go workout some guys and do some things and we get some players like Brian Quick and Chris Givens that maybe add a different dimension in some regard with speed, height, different things. But the most important thing with a receiver is that the quarterbacks and receivers are on the same page. That there’s a trust factor. I know we have that. I think that’s half the battle. They are going to run full speed routes. They are going to be playing hard. As long as Sam and the quarterbacks know where they are going to be, then I think that’s going to lead to good things.”

McGinnis

(On the defense)
“We’re entirely different than we were when we first got here. They’ve done a very nice job of not only absorbing what we’ve given them, but they’ve taken it to the field. The communication has incrementally gotten better every practice that we’ve had. The meetings have been fantastic. (Head Coach) Jeff (Fisher) went through a very meticulous and a very orderly process of putting this staff together. In that process, he got some tremendous, tremendous teachers. I’ve been coaching in the league for 27 years, so I know good from not good. In those meeting rooms it’s really, really good. These players, I can’t give them enough credit for what they’ve done as far as picking up a new system, being able to implement that system mentally in a classroom, but more importantly on the field. Because again, in the process of all this ultimately what it comes to is where we can win ballgames when the regular season starts. The initial process that starts is knowing what you’re doing. If you don’t know your stuff, you have a hard time doing it. These guys have really done a tremendous job doing that.”

(On if LB James Laurinaitis is the quarterback of the defense)
“He’s perfect. He’s the perfect middle linebacker for this defense. The ultimate linebacker for this defense when it started evolving was Mike Singletary. I was with Mike Singletary for seven years. The quarterback of the defense is the middle linebacker and in this system he has to be so in tune, I mean he has to be right in the defensive coaches skin. He has to understand it and know it from a lot of different angles. We could not have asked for a more perfect middle linebacker to install this system than James Laurinaitis. I remember watching him come out. I interviewed him at the Combine when he came out and I loved him then and I love him even more now because he’s exactly what you need.”

(On his impression of DE Robert Quinn)
“Again, I’ve been doing this for 27 years, so I study these guys. My first impression is he’s very talented. That’s a gifted, gifted player. Mike Waufle is one of the best defensive line coaches in this league, bar none. And what those guys have done, and I’ve got a unique perspective because I get to sit in all of the different meeting rooms. I get to sit in all those rooms and watch the installation, watch the interaction between the coaches and the players and Robert Quinn has incrementally gotten better since we’ve gotten here. I think he’s excited about it and that’s extremely important because the players have to believe that what they’re doing is going to help them get better. I know that he believes that and you can see it daily.”

October 10, 2010; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins linebacker Rocky McIntosh (52) and Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn (30) collide in the air on the goal line during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-US PRESSWIRE

It’s well known that the Rams still have some holes on this current roster, and the biggest is undoubtedly at outside linebacker. In a move to possibly add depth to the position, the team brought former Washington Redskin Rocky McIntosh for a workout on Wednesday. No deal has been signed, but Rams coach Jeff Fisher reportedly liked what he saw and would like to get something done.

McIntosh was a nice player in Washington before losing his starting spot last season. He had 110 tackles in 2010, but that number dropped to 65 last season. He’s a veteran who has played outside in a 4-3 defense in the past, and he has a track record.

We are short in depth at the position, so McIntosh is an interesting option. It’s certainly concerning that he lost his starting spot last year, but if he did impress in his workout then I think he’s worth a look. I’m not saying he’s the answer, but he knows how to play the position and he can help on special teams as well.