Shuffle on Rams “D” moves forward, gets better
June 8th, 2007 | by Kevin Morris |
By
ONLINE SPORTS COLUMNIST
Step by step, Scott Linehan and Jim Haslett are moving their favorites into key
places in the Rams defense.
The latest move came Tuesday, when the Rams finally got around to letting
cornerback Jerametrius Butler go. Linehan was never going to bring him to
training camp – not after burying him last season, even after injuries stacked
up.
(Had the Rams employed a mascot last season, he might have seen significant
action against Butler. J.B. was to be used as an absolutely, positively last
resort.)
Butler tried to speed up the process by boycotting off-season team activities,
but the team was never going to keep him and his $2 million for this season.
What happened here? Butler got into the coaching staff’s doghouse and never
could escape.
The media could never figure out why the new staff had such an aversion to
Butler. When healthy, he played at a near-Pro Bowl level and convinced the Rams
to match a six-year, $15 million offer sheet he got from the Redskins.
But the new staff never took to Butler . . . so the transition from the Martz
Era to the Linehan Era continues.
The coaches like cornerback Tye Hill, their top draft pick from a year ago.
They didn’t like Travis Fisher, an injury-prone Martz favorite who moved on to
Detroit as a free agent after last season.
The coaches like cornerback Ron Bartell, who can also play safety and stand out
on special teams. The addition of hard-hitting free agent Todd Johnson as a
back-up safety should allow Bartell to focus on his cover skills heading into
camp.
The coaches didn’t like undersized cornerback/punt returner DeJuan Groce, who
relocated to New Orleans last season. Haslett loves veteran cornerback Fakhir
Brown, a player he had in New Orleans.
He recently made the CBS Sportsline list of most underrated players in the
league. “Brown is a much better corner than he’s given credit for being,” that
web site observed.
The coaches like the raw speed of third-round pick Jonathan Wade, who could
grow into a key role with this unit. The coaches also believe free agent
addition Mike Rumph and Lenny Walls add enough competitive depth at the
cornerback.
The unit moves on.
It’s hard to argue what Linehan and Co. is doing as they head into Year 2. They
took a look at veteran nose tackle Sam Adams, but then stuck their plan of
starting first-round pick Adam Carriker in the middle of the defensive line.
Adams, 34, took a physical at Rams Park but ended up signing with the Broncos
instead. New Denver defensive coordinator Jim Bates likes super-sized nose
tackles and Adams, a three-time Pro Bowler, played for Broncos defensive line
coach Bill Johnson in college.
“Coach Bates and (Johnson) have a system that lets defensive linemen use their
ability,” Adams told the Denver Post. “It’s a great scheme to be in.
“Coach Johnson is one of the reasons I decided to be a Bronco; I owe a lot to
him. But it’s just everything about the Denver Broncos — Coach (Mike)
Shanahan, Coach Bates, Coach Johnson, an organization that does a good job of
getting players who can continue the winning tradition, the fans, the city, all
of that.”
The Rams took a long look at Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, but could
never settle on a trade price with Carolina. Then they drafted Carriker and
fell in love with the former Nebraska star.
Now the Panthers say they will keep Jenkins, although agent Drew Rosenhaus is
still trying to stir something up.
“I don’t have any insight on it, but what I’ve heard is he’s definitely still
on the market and for the right price, they would trade him,” Rosenhaus told
the Charlotte Observer last month. “So it’ll be interesting to see what
happens.”
Yes, it will. For now, the Rams staff is showing great confidence in their
rookies – Carriker, Wade, plus big run-stopping defensive tackles Clifton Ryan
and Keith Jackson, two later picks in the most recent draft.
Fans should notice an appreciably difference in this defensive unit as it heads
toward its second training camp with Linehan and Haslett. And that’s a good
thing.
