Ramblin' Fan » Vince Young

Roster Cuts: More Current And Ex-Rams Get Dropped

Nathan Kearns — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:08:40 +0000

January 1, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams kicker Josh Brown (3) celebrates after a successful onside kick in the second half against the San Francisco 49ers at the Edward Jones Dome. San Francisco defeated St. Louis 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

This is a tough time of the year for fans and players alike. By now, the teams have been eating, sleeping, and bathing together for over two months. For some, roster cut time mean a dream come true, looking through the list of cuts and not finding your name, no matter how many times you look. To others it means the end of the line, an empty locker, and moving on the next stage of your career, whether that be trying for another football squad or something else all together. Nick Wagner has a great piece that goes in depth into the probable cuts, and some incite into some current players who were surprisingly cut at the beginning of their careers. Bradford had this to say about this years cuts,

“Obviously, there’s a lot of guys this year – even more so now that we can bring 90 into camp – that aren’t going to be here when we go into Detroit. It’s tough. It’s part of the business, though. I think I’ve kind of learned to accept it. I’m just excited for everyone who’s going to be here and who’s going to be a part of this team and this year.”

Sunday marked the first trickling of names from around the league, some more headline worthy than others. As this week goes on, more recognizable names will start to emerge, once the fringe players have all been brushed away. This morning, Jim Thomas reported that FB Todd Anderson was released, which was expected with the offseason acquisitions at that fullback position. Also released this morning was ex-Rams kicker Josh Brown, who was first released earlier in the offseason after the Rams drafted Greg Zuerlein. Brown was picked up by the New York Jets, who are having their own string of offensive problems, but lost the kicking battle. Brown released his release in classy fashion via Twitter,

Best of luck to the 2012 Jets… Thanks for one of the most memorable camps in 10 yrs. GREAT GROUP OF GUYS!!

— Josh Brown (@Kickingitwith3) August 27, 2012

Aside from Terrell Owens, there have been a number of other “big” name releases. Some other names from around the league include Patriots DT Gerald Warren and WR Donte Stallworth, Ravens K Billy Cundiff and C Cecil Newton (Cam Newton’s brother), and Buffalo QB Vince Young. Young spoke out about this release on Twitter,

“I want to thank the Bills organization for the opportunity and wish the organization and my teammates good luck this season”. — Vince Young (@VinceYoung) August 27, 2012

More names, surprising or not, will continue to trickle in as we head towards the doomsday of Friday’s final cuts. Stay tuned to RamblinFan.com for more details as they emerge…

Update: Rams have also cut OL Kevin Hughes, RB Calvin Middleton, LB Alex Hoffman-Ellis, WRs Brandyn Harvey, WR Charles Gilbert, WR Danario Alexander, TE Brody Eldridge, LS Travis Tripucka, OL Ryan McKee

Meet The Rams’ Week 1 Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

Justin Stine — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 05:32:12 +0000

The official start of the Rams regular season is less than 12 hours away, and the excitement for the Week 1 matchup with “The Dream Team” is reaching epic proportions. To give everyone a closer look at what the Eagles will bring to the table, I had a chat with Bob Wankel from the Eagles Fansided blog Inside the Iggles. We will be doing this chat with the opposing team’s writer on a weekly basis, so I hope you all enjoy it. Here’s what Bob had to say about five questions posed to him by yours truly. My questions will be in blue, and Bob’s answers will follow.

1. How is this team dealing with “The Dream Team” label and do you think the added pressure will affect them on the field this week?

When Vince Young termed the Eagles a “Dream Team” upon first signing with Philadelphia, I don’t think he had any idea what impact those words would have. ESPN and national media really took the story and ran with it. Personally, I think the whole thing is a bit overblown. The Eagles aren’t a dream team, and I don’t think they act as if they do. Once the whistle blows things of that nature tend to go out the window. Michael Vick isn’t going to overcompensate for something that was said by a backup quarterback, and I doubt the Rams will benefit from it.

2. Discuss the Eagles offensive line. I know they are relatively inexperienced, so how are the team and the fans feeling about the individual players? Are you concerned about the group as a whole going against one of the better pass-rushing teams from last season in the Rams?

I think the biggest concern this team has, by far, is the offensive line. Sliding Todd Herreman’s out to right tackle should help provide some stability in that spot, but the recent benching of Danny Watkins for a guy that signed here only a week ago is a concern. Throw in an inexperienced rookie center in a dome game with a tough defensive line and, well, things could get dicey. So there’s a fair amount of concern there.

3. Where are DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin at as far as readiness for the season. They both missed a ton of the preseason, so are they ready to go at full speed physically and mentally?

I think there’s probably more concern regarding Maclin than Jackson at this point. Jackson should be at full speed this week and very, very motivated as he looks to cash in on a new contract. Maclin, on the other hand, missed a substantial amount of time with a mystery illness. He’s practiced all week and it appears he’ll be ready to play, but his snaps may be limited.

4. Is there any concern about having rookies at both the punter and kicker positions? How have the two looked in the preseason?

I think anytime you depend upon rookies on special teams there has to be a bit of concern. Alex Henery has a tremendous leg and has shown flashes of being a terrific kicker in this league, but he reportedly had an up and down camp despite making 4 of 5 field goals during the preseason. It may take him a bit of time to find that consistency. As for Chas Henry, he’s also been a bit inconsistent, but I think the Eagles feel comfortable with him at this point.

5. Talk about Mike Vick’s development as a quarterback. Is he capable of winning a game from the pocket, or will he need to get in space and use his legs to be truly effective on Sunday?

Mike Vick isn’t the same player he was in Atlanta. That’s been said numerous times. While he has improved as a pocket passer, I expect the Eagles to get Vick out in space given the Rams’ ability to rush the passer. If he can get some room to work with, I expect him to exploit a mediocre Rams’ secondary down the field for some big plays.

Rams Sell Out Sunday’s Game

Justin Stine — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 05:21:09 +0000

For those of you who won’t be able to make it to the Dome on Sunday for the much-anticipated season opener between the Rams and Eagles, I have some good news for you. The team informed the media on Thursday that the game has officially been sold out and it will be televised locally in the St. Louis area on Fox 2. I never had any doubt that the game would sell out, and frankly I was a little surprised it was actually in question. If anyone still wants to go to the game, there are a small amount of tickets available at places like Ticketmaster.com or the Rams website. The Dome is going to be packed and it’s going to be loud on Sunday, so if you are going to be in attendance, make sure you are ready to get rowdy.

In injury news, Illini Mike is still the only player who didn’t practice today, and all signs point to him being unavailable for Sunday. The Rams haven’t officially ruled him out, but it’s safe to say he isn’t going to be available. Eugene Sims was limited today with his oblique, but it sounds like he should be available on Sunday unless he has a setback in the next few days. James Hall was back on the field in full today while dealing with his back injury, so he should be fine against the Eagles. Philadelphia is almost completely healthy, as Vince Young was the only player to miss practice on Thursday as he deals with a knee injury,