Devaney on How Important Character Will Be

[RamWraith]

Devaney on NFL Radio today with Kirwan/Ryan-

Kirwan: How do the Rams look at guys who are great athletes but don't get it.....they just don't have the character or love of the game.

Devaney: We're going to stick to our approach from last year....and maybe we went overboard, but I thought it was necessary because we busted out the past few years on some guys we took chances on who were of questionable character.....and they proved to be really questionable character guys and they're not around anymore. My point coming in to the scouts was-- if these guys....I don't care what they did....how minor...the least little infraction....if it had something to do with breaking the law.....they're going into the "Do Not Draft" category. If we screw up on somebody, it won't be because we misjudged their character. There either evaluated wrong, for whatever reason....but we're not going screw up by brining in a bad character guy....and we're going to do the same thing this year......Zero tolerance. There's plenty enough good guys...plenty enough strong character guys who can play this game. I'd much rather deal with those guys than those other rum-dums.

[laram0]

This approach is a little dangerous. We could miss out on some good if not great players that turn things around character wise. Plus if we have strong leadership in the locker room (N.E. Patriots) the questionable character players would feel the peer pressure to straighten out.

On the other hand high character guys are what I prefer so I do agree with Devaney. There are plenty of fish in the sea.

[HUbison]

This approach is a little dangerous. We could miss out on some good if not great players that turn things around character wise. Plus if we have strong leadership in the locker room (N.E. Patriots) the questionable character players would feel the peer pressure to straighten out.

On the other hand high character guys are what I prefer so I do agree with Devaney. There are plenty of fish in the sea.

la, I think that's a fair question........what's the chance of missing out on "rehabilitated talent" with a zero tolerance policy?

Let's think about this a minute. What guys can we think of who have first had a run-in with the law, then went on the straight and narrow to have good careers.

Off the top of my head, I can think within our own backyard.......Leonard Little (during career) & Pisa Tinoisamoa (high school). What others?

[HUbison]

if it had something to do with breaking the law.....they're going into the "Do Not Draft" category.

Alex Boone, PJ Hill, Phil Loadholt, ......... who else?

[AtlantaRamFan]

Just a thought, but do we have that vet. leadership in the locker room now that the Rams have let go many of the older players? If the average age is 26, and these rookies are coming in at 22 and 23, are they really going to be looking up to these guys so much that it will change the way they live their lives? I don't know..I'm not saying one way or the other..I'm just not sure we have a N.E-type leadership anymore..

[Aussie Dave]

being such a bad team we need to bring in the high character, hard working guys to build the foundation of the team for years to come.
we've just removed the cancers from the front office, why bring in cancers on the field?

[ramhard]

I think the most important thing about that statement was the possibility that Phil Loadholt - who many have championed as a great RT prospect in the 2nd round if the Rams go with Curry - might be scratched off the Rams board. This would reduce the OT pool, and make taking Curry less likely.

[txramsfan]

Randy Moss, Chris Carter, Michael Irvin, and maybe the best LB of our era Ray Lewis

[Ramblin` Ram]

Randy Moss, Chris Carter, Michael Irvin, and maybe the best LB of our era Ray Lewis

they all valid points..but what i wonder about players who have bad Character issues and have seemed to turn themselves around...they all seem to only do it on winning teams. ( i would disclude Ray Lewis in this..i think he has turned himself around genuinely and is a fantastic leader of men!)

look at Randy Moss for example..i only think he has grown up a bit..(on the surface anyway) because he`s on a team where he believes he can win a Superbowl.
had he gone to say us instead,a team rebuilding,i think personally he probably would have been a "cancer" on our team and sulked his way through the last couple of seasons and been cut by now.

i dont think Belichick has pulled off some magical re-wiring off Moss..its just Moss naturally respects the Pats for what they have achieved and what they can offer him in the way of Championships!
im waiting to see the Pats have a bad season before i`ll say he`s really reformed.

[Ramblin` Ram]

Devaney on NFL Radio today with Kirwan/Ryan-

Kirwan: How do the Rams look at guys who are great athletes but don't get it.....they just don't have the character or love of the game.

Devaney: We're going to stick to our approach from last year....and maybe we went overboard, but I thought it was necessary because we busted out the past few years on some guys we took chances on who were of questionable character.....and they proved to be really questionable character guys and they're not around anymore. My point coming in to the scouts was-- if these guys....I don't care what they did....how minor...the least little infraction....if it had something to do with breaking the law.....they're going into the "Do Not Draft" category. If we screw up on somebody, it won't be because we misjudged their character. There either evaluated wrong, for whatever reason....but we're not going screw up by brining in a bad character guy....and we're going to do the same thing this year......Zero tolerance. There's plenty enough good guys...plenty enough strong character guys who can play this game. I'd much rather deal with those guys than those other rum-dums.

i fully agree with Billy D on this...
when we drafted Wroten i was like..yeah we got a 1st round talent with a 3rd round pick,just because he was caught with a doobie..what a steal!!!! that worked out well didnt it..?
from reading this report on what Billy said..you can 100% say goodbye to Wroten for good.

then Byrd,Fakhir Brown & Incognito...

When players with good game skills drop in the draft due to charecter concerns,some GM`s jump on these players thinking they got a bargain..you will indeed always get more than what you pay for with these such players..is just a shame that that usually means you paying for trouble rather than a good turn-around story.

people can change for sure but with us being in rebuilding mode we cant afford to build the structure by using a few dodgy blocks here and there,hoping that they wont bring the structure down its even got off the ground!
regular play-off bound teams can get away with taking the odd risk because their structure is currently stronger than ours.

[HUbison]

then Byrd,Fakhir Brown & Incognito...

Byrd and Brown are already gone. And I don't think Cogs has been in trouble with the law as a Ram.

[KoaKoi]

Reading this post made me think of Wroten. The general consensus has been that there's slim to no chance he remains a Ram once his suspension is over. Devaney's statement here, I think, leaves zero doubt in my mind as to what the Rams are going to do with him.

Devaney saw the havoc first hand that Vick caused the Falcons, and Chip says he wants a return to the glory days and develop a respect and prestige to the Rams organization. Drafting risky character guys is exactly that... a risk.

It seems to me that for every one of the "bad character guy who turned it around" that have been mentioned in this thread, there are a slew of others who didn't turn it around. Embarrassments like Wroten. Denver's Clarett. Vick. Matt Jones. pacman. seriously, the list goes on and on.

In any event, you can argue with the strategy by saying they might miss out on somebody, but given where Chip wants the team to go, Devaney's experience in Atlanta, and Spag's four pillar philosophy; it makes complete sense.

[RamsFan16]

This approach is a little dangerous. We could miss out on some good if not great players that turn things around character wise. Plus if we have strong leadership in the locker room (N.E. Patriots) the questionable character players would feel the peer pressure to straighten out.

On the other hand high character guys are what I prefer so I do agree with Devaney. There are plenty of fish in the sea.

I definitely agree, this is a very dangerous approach, and I can't say I'm against it, but I hope we're not going to be completely stingy on it.

There are some very good players who have minor incidents and were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We need to chance on some of these players IMO, we can't let them slide.

[Ramblin` Ram]

Byrd and Brown are already gone. And I don't think Cogs has been in trouble with the law as a Ram.

yeah i know about Byrd & F.Brown just brought them up as examples of players in recent times we have picked up with bad character issues...and to think Brown was supposed to be the veteran leader of our young CB`s only he turns out to be the one acting like a "ive got the money,i`ll do what i want" type that you would expect to be the behaviour of a rookie not a 9 year vet or however long he`s played in the NFL..(3 years with Chargers,3 with Aints and off and on the last 3 seasons with us..)

with Cogs perhaps i shouldnt have brought him into it.
he`s such an enigma in so many ways and i was infact a big fan of his before we even drafted him...the love has been tarnished somewhat over the last couple of years..the "candy incident" being the one that has stuck in my claw the worse...i am still more a fan of his than a knocker tho..

i think when Billy D brought up the topic of the fact that weve drafted bad character players in recent times its debatable if he had Cogs in mind as in that group of players...even those most critical of Cogs would have to admit he`s given us more than the likes of Byrd & Wroten etc...

[HUbison]

when Billy D brought up the topic of the fact that weve drafted bad character players

I'm curious as well. Certainly (as you mentioned) Wroten, Byrd and Brown; probably Cogs (though he's at least been tendered). Terrell, Turley, etc