Confirmed: St. Louis Rams reach deal with SS James Butler

[shower beers]

Great signing. Keep up the good work Rams.

[Rambunctious]

Furlough is forced time off from work without pay... usually in week increments. This last quarter my paper made everyone take one week off without pay to save money. So it's sort of a lay-off but it's very short.

When you are on furlough you can't do anything for or related to the company. I couldn't check my paper's email, answer my paper supplied phone or stop by the paper for anything. We were told not to contact or have any exchange with sources or stories we were working on.

I'm really surprised JT even did the radio show. If the people in HR hear about it he will probably get a lecture.

It was a nice week off but the next paycheck sucked.

[r8rh8rmike]

JT on "furlough"? Is that a layoff? No explanation offered & he seemed to be hinting at some sort of restrictions on his access to sources.

Maybe this explains it:

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Post-Dispatch will require all non-union employees to take a one-week unpaid furlough, citing the continuing economic downturn.

[Azul e Oro]

I understand what a furlough is but I don't understand why he can't continue to talk to, or admit to talking to, his infamous "league sources".Maybe I misinterpreted what he was hinting at.I get the not using a company laptop but otherwise that sounds weird & restrictive.

Won't anyone talk to him without his PD media pass? Or can the PD stop him from using sources he developed under their aegis?

Is he only an internet blogger or a bona fide print journalist?

[Rambunctious]

JT's media pass got him in the door a long time ago but he doesn't need it do his job day in a day out. Sources trust the person... not the badge.

People from Human Resources, however, are very anal about rules and regulations set forth by the government. Your immediate boss may not mind the occasional working a little of the clock but the HR people would freak if they found out. Mainly because it is technically illegal.

So while the company can't physically stop you from talking to your sources, checking your emails and doing work related stuff... they can hang over your head disciplinary measures which could even included firing.

The timing for his furlough sucks. I wonder if his paper is owned by Gannett? They own my paper and we have to have all of our furloughs done by the end of March.

[Azul e Oro]

So he can't even do research for publication by his employer after the forced time off or just can't freelance short term?

Seems a little harsh; "we can't pay you but you can't use your expertise elsewhere without getting canned/prosecuted."

Time for you guys to get a CBA of your own..lol..

[Bar-bq]

Bravo to the FO!

Not only is this significantly less than what the other safeties were paid, but it's a four year deal- pretty much ideal for a safety who is just beginning to hit his straps.

[Aussie Dave]

yeah real great news, he's going to fill the need nicely.
also on the karney front, the post dispatch says he's meeting with the rams on tuesday.
did i hear somewhere that they dont have to be under the salary cap until later on? so they could sign karney without worry.
i hope they do.

[Ramblin` Ram]

great news that we signed him!

also great news that the Postons tried to screw us as usual but we didnt panic and got the deal that was right for us!

Karney i hope signs...i dont think we need to worry about going over the cap at this stage of the off-season..its pretty set in stone that sometime in the next month or so we will be getting some cap money back.

hope we address the front 7 of our D soon..

[RamWraith]

Rams sign Butler to four-year deal







By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com


After pursuing him for the first two weeks of free agency, the St. Louis Rams have reached a four-year agreement with strong safety James Butler, who played the first four seasons of his career with the New York Giants before becoming an unrestricted veteran.
NFC West

The contract, confirmed by team and league sources, is expected to be officially signed on Tuesday. Financial details of the deal were not yet available.

The move, which has been rumored since the outset of the free agency signing period, reunites Butler with new head coach Steve Spagnuolo. The Rams' coach was the Giants defensive coordinator for Butler's last two years with the Giants.

Butler should provide a physical presence to the interior of the St. Louis secondary. He is expected to replace recently released strong safety Corey Chavous and likely join Pro Bowl free safety O.J. Atogwe in the starting defensive backfield. Atogwe was chosen as St. Louis' franchise player last month.

In four seasons with the Giants, Butler played in 58 games and started 27. Butler, 27, started 26 games the past two seasons. He visited with Rams officials the first week of free agency, and St. Louis has been pursuing him ever since.

Certainly, the presence of Spagnuolo in St. Louis impacted Butler's decision.

For his career, Butler has 190 tackles, including a career-high 68 tackles in 2008. The former Georgia Tech standout, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005, also has six career interceptions and 21 passes defensed.

Butler, however, is far stronger against the run than the pass and probably will be used as an "in the box" safety.

With Butler, Rams' secondary emerging

March 9, 2009 11:38 PM


Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Rams' contract agreement with Giants free agent James Butler, confirmed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, came together amid a tough market for strong safeties.

The Rams had already invested in franchise free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe and cornerback Ron Bartell. The softening market presumably made it easier to justify adding Butler. The Rams certainly had a need at the position -- even before they released Corey Chavous.

We can now envision a Rams secondary featuring Bartell, Butler and Atogwe as starters. Butler started 26 games for the Giants over the last two seasons.

Scouts Inc.'s profile on Butler described him as a player with "upside" and one with good on-field communication skills:

He is an interchangeable player who moves downhill quickly off pre-snap reads. He has good size and range, but is still raw in coverage. He is a competitive player with toughness, but does have some space limitations in deep zones. He shows good transitional skills, but does have some tightness in his hip rotation off speed turns. Butler looks to be more natural in short zones than deep zones. Even though he does have some straight-line range in deep zones, he has average quickness and burst when closing. He has above-average anticipation and downfield awareness.

He does have some ball skills and knows how to use his size and long arms to make plays. He shows a good knack for timing up blitzes off zone fires. As a run defender, he is reckless with his body when he attacks downhill. He is a willing insert player who plays with balance and control in run support. He displays the speed to attack alleys while maintaining leverage on the ball carrier. However, he does have a tendency to play out of control at times. Overall, Butler is an intriguing young player who should eventually move to the next level as he continues to develop.


Player.......... Pos........... Age......... Status
Jason Craft...... CB............33.............UFA
Fakhir Brown......CB............ 31............ UFA
Todd Johnson...... SS............ 30............ Signed
Ricky Manning....... CB...........28............ UFA
Oshiomogho Atogwe..... FS.......... 27........... Franchised
Quincy Butler......... CB.......... 27............ Signed
Ron Bartell...........CB............27............ Signed
Tye Hill...............CB........... 26............ Signed
James Butler.......... SS........... 26............ Agreed
Eric Bassey........... S ............26............ Signed
Jonathan Wade......... CB........... 24............. Signed
David Roach........... FS............ 23........... Signed
Justin King............ CB........... 21............ Signed

[RamWraith]

Confirmed: St. Louis Rams reach deal with SS James Butler
By Bill Coats
St. Louis Post-Dispatch


League sources confirmed Monday night that the Rams and free-agent strong safety James Butler have agreed to contract terms. An announcement out of Rams Park is expected Tuesday. Butler, who spent the previous four seasons with the New York Giants, reportedly will get a four-year deal that, with incentives, could net him $17 million. Butler, 6 feet 3 and 215 pounds, is 27.

[RamWraith]

Deal puts Butler at safety for Rams
By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Mar. 10 2009
It took a bit longer than originally expected, but according to league sources,
the Rams and free-agent strong safety James Butler have come to terms. An
announcement from Rams Park is expected today.

Butler will sign a four-year contract that, with incentives, could be worth $17
million, sources indicated.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Butler is expected to step into the lineup in the spot
that Corey Chavous occupied the past three seasons. Chavous, who remained stout
against the run but regressed in pass coverage because of declining speed, was
released Jan. 13. At 27, Butler is six years younger than Chavous.

Butler had spent all four of his NFL seasons with the New York Giants before
becoming a free agent.

A two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection at Georgia Tech, Butler made
the Giants' roster in 2005 as an undrafted rookie. After seeing spot action in
his first two years, Butler became a starter in 2007 — the same year coach Tom
Coughlin hired Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo away from the Philadelphia Eagles as
his defensive coordinator.

Butler totaled 99 tackles and four interceptions in '07 and '08. He recorded a
team-high 10 tackles in the Giants' 17-14 victory over the heavily favored New
England Patriots in the Super Bowl after the 2007 season.

Previously, the Rams signed free agent Jason Brown, a center who had been with
Baltimore for four years, to a five-year, $37.5 million contract. The team also
re-signed cornerback Ron Bartell. He received a four-year deal that, with
incentives, could total $28 million.

Alsotoday, Rams officials will meet with free-agent fullback Mike Karney at
Rams Park. The team is looking for a lead-blocking fullback, and the 5-11,
255-pound Karney, released by the New Orleans Saints on Thursday, could fill
the bill.

Karney, 27, is an Arizona State product who has spent all five of his NFL
seasons in New Orleans. The Rams also had shown interest in former New England
fullback Heath Evans, but he signed with the Saints last week.

Center Brett Romberg, who became expendable when the Rams signed Brown, has
landed a job with the Atlanta Falcons. Romberg, who started 18 games during
three seasons with the Rams, signed a free-agent deal Monday. Financial terms
were not disclosed.

[#39 Fan]

Hmm. This is certainly good news. With the signing of Butler and the potential done deal of Karney, that eliminates two more needs from the draft.

-Center
-Safety
-Fullback


Woohoo.

Yessir.

And there are several difference makers in the draft at our biggest remaining positions of need. (OT/LB/WR/NT)

I'm liking it.