Time To Catch Up

Sorry for the lack of updates over the weekend, as I was out of town playing in a softball tournament and time got away from me  bit. Since it’s been a few days, I figured I’d look at a few different stories instead of just one. There haven’t been many huge developments, but a few interesting things have gone down recently.

The Rams have given vice president of player personnel Tony Softli permission to pursue other job opportunities. In other words, Softli has worn out his welcome with the Rams. He took over for Charley Armey in 2006, and he was the force (along with Scott Linehan) in the infamous 2007 draft of which only one player remains with the team. With Billy Devaney takng over pretty much  all of his duties, there is no reason for Softli to stay on board. This isn’t a big loss for the franchise, and it is just another example of the team moving forward.

The team has signed four tryout players from the rookie minicamp as well. Dominique Curry (California (Pa.)), defensive back Martin Harris (Fresno State), defensive tackle Ernest Reid (University of Mary), cornerback Antoine Thompson (Nevada-Reno) will all be back for camp this summer. All four players are still long-shots to make the 53-man roster, but their NFL dream is still alive for the time being. Obviously, they impressed enough to get a second look.

In more of an NFL story, it looks like former Rams interim head coach Joe Vitt is apparently the main figure in the Saints stolen pain-killers scandal. For those who haven’t heard, former director of security Geoffrey Santini resigned after being asked to cover up a scandal involving coaches taking Vicodin. A new report indicates that a video exists of Vitt receiving large quantities of Vicodin from the team’s drug locker. If this story is true, Vitt will be in very big trouble from the league and the team.

Finally, there is a nice article at STLToday.com about rookie running back Keith Toston fighting to be the team’s backup to Steven Jackson this season. In my opinion, Toston is the best option on the team right now, and if we don’t bring in a veteran back I think the job will be very available. I thought bringing in Toston was one of the best moves by the team over the draft weekend, and although his workout numbers didn’t jump off the page, he was very productive in college and he looks like a gamer. Keep an eye on him throughout the summer, as he could be one of the biggest surprises.