From Bellichek on Cuts - Thomas related

***ramhard*** · -09-06-2005

Living in the Northeast I get showered with Patriots info. They interviewed Bill Bellichek after he made some cuts of high draft choices, and high profile players they had given signing bonuses (Terrell). The interviewer said that isn't that admitting a mistake and is there pressure to keep those guys. Bill B. said that you should keep players purely on performance - that players know who is performing and if you keep guys who wouldn't contribute as much, then it hurts your overall team quality and the efforts of others. He said once training camps starts you have to erase draft position and signings. You should keep the players that make your team the best - period.

So the question is whether the team was better with Thomas, or with a CB that has some questions but some upside. The question shouldn't be whether swapping players drafted at different draft positions makes sense. Only time will tell, but we know Thomas did not fit here, and hope he does well elsewhere. We also know that the Rams are thin at CB. The question is how good the new guy is and can he stay healthy? Saying the Rams could've gotten more is like those guys saying they could have gotten a hotter woman than their wives. Hypothetically possible, but in most instances not probable!

**AvengerRam** · -09-06-2005

A guy like Thomas is only worth keeping if he's going to be a starter. As we've seen, at least in the Rams' defensive system, he did not fit as a starter.

He wasn't going to be a great special teams player, and he's too expensive to be a backup.

The same could be said about Tommy Polley, who could be a good fit in Baltimore, but wasn't in St. Louis.

***general counsel*** · -09-06-2005

I am prepared to defer to the coaches that for special teams purposes, we are better off keeping the Walrus (Wahlroos). KooKooKaChoo.

ramming speed to all

general counsel