With a 'head start,' Wroten aims to realize his potential
By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Mar. 29 2008
Hearing his name and the "B" word in the same breath makes
Claude Wroten wince.
"I want to prove that I'm not a bust," he said, "so I've got to step my game up
and start playing to my potential."
Potential was high on the Rams' checklist when they drafted Wroten, a defensive
tackle from Louisiana State, in the third round (No. 68 overall) of the 2006
draft. He was raw, but they were intrigued by his strength, quickness and
ability to get to the quarterback.
Two NFL seasons later, Wroten has done little to reward the team's faith. Not
only has he collected a mere 25 tackles, including just 1½ sacks, as a backup,
he was suspended for four games last year for violating the league's
substance-abuse policy.
Realizing that his status with the Rams was tenuous — after being reminded of
such by defensive coordinator
Jim Haslett — Wroten remained in town and has
been working out regularly at Rams Park.
"I knew I didn't play well last season, so I didn't have any room to relax," he
said. "I decided to stay at it."
The 6-foot-2, 295-pound Wroten, 24, said he wanted to get a "head start" on his
teammates, who reported this week for the beginning of the offseason
conditioning program.
Asked whether he regarded his third season as make or break for him with the
Rams, Wroten quickly replied, "Oh, yeah." Then, flashing a smile, added, "I'm
looking at it like the third time's a charm."
BROWN MOVES ON
Offensive lineman Milford Brown, who started 15 games for the injury-wracked
Rams last season, has signed a free-agent deal with the Carolina Panthers.
The Rams gave Brown, 6-5 and 330, a one-year contract last July after he was
released by the Arizona Cardinals. He was expected to provide depth, but he
wound up making nine starts at left guard, four at right tackle and two at left
guard.
GREEN JUST MOVES
Because he and wife Julie want their children to finish the school year in
Florida, newly signed backup quarterback Trent Green figures that he's going to
rack up plenty of frequent-flier miles over the next few months. And that he'll
be forced to skip parts of the offseason program.
"It's going to be hard, just with the commute. I've talked with (coach) Scott
(Linehan) about that and trying to figure out what's best," said Green, a
Vianney High graduate who spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons with the Rams. "I
will be here for all the OTAs and minicamp; I made that very clear.
"I want to be here as much as I can for the offseason program with still trying
to be a dad and a husband."
HILL RECOVERING
The injury that ended cornerback
Tye Hill's season in early December also could
have threatened his career had he not received prompt medical attention. Hill
dislocated his left wrist vs. Atlanta and woke up the next day with numbness in
his hand.
"I knew something was wrong, but I just thought it was a sprain or something
like that," said Hill, the Rams' first-round draft choice (No. 15 overall) in
2006. "When I came in and told them I didn't have any feeling in my first three
fingers, they were like, 'This is serious.' They started talking amongst
themselves, and the next thing I knew, I was at Barnes-Jewish being prepped for
surgery."
The pins were removed recently, and Hill is feeling frisky. "I'm not 100
percent as far as lifting … but I should be good for OTAs, minicamp and
training camp," he reported.
bcoats@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8189
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