Leonard Traded

[Tony Soprano]

.
Color me jaded. I think this was more about getting rid of Leonard than getting Orien
Harris. The guy has been on waviers at least once in the last 24 months.

I'm not sold on Pittman either.

The good news is we're quickly transitioning to an Offensive line that going to rip holes and make
whoever has the ball a 100 yd rusher.

.

[RamsSB99]

Here is football futures scouting report on Harris. I agree with most other he will probably be our 4th DT in the rotation. He don't sound like the type that could get much if any pressure but he might be able to stand up against the run:



Orien Harris DT 6'3 301 Miami
By: Robert Davis

A standout since his freshman season, Harris has been a key member of Miami's defensive success. Harris racked up 36 tackles, one for loss, and one sack during his freshman season. As a sophomore, he improved his numbers to 39 tackles, eight for loss, and career high four sacks. Harris' tackle numbers improved as a junior to 55 and 12 for loss, but his sack total dipped to 1.5. Harris closed out his 'Cane career with another solid season, finishing his senior year with 40 tackles, a career high 14 for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Orien is the brother of former 49er 1st rounder Kwame Harris.

Harris has the potential to be a standout all around tackle. He can get penetration or stay at home and clog running lanes. Harris shows the quickness off the snap and the athleticism to gain penetration off the snap on a consistent basis. Harris also has the strength to take on lineman at the point of attack and stop the run. He has a ton of experience and could play immediately.

While Harris is strong enough to hold his ground, he does not have a great deal of bulk. He barely cracks the 300lb. mark and may be better suited to pack on some weight. He also needs to use his hands better to get off blocks because he can be taken out of some running plays. Orien Harris is a guy who will disrupt plays, but is not a playmaker. He gets consistent penetration to disrupt plays, but is not the player who gets to the ball carrier to make the play. For a defensive tackle, that is not a bad trait. He is a player who will land on someones defensive line and improve its overall level of play.

[we are]

Well, I believe the Steelers, Bengals, Browns, and Bills all play the 3-4, so maybe he doesn't fit that D. Not sure what Saits do on D these days(obviously not much),

nah we run a 4-3.

[RealRam]

I would have liked to see a healthy Brian Leonard get another shot, especially in a west coast type offense. Hope this works out.

Originally posted by MauiRam
We might get lucky with Orien Harris. If he earns a roster spot and contributes it won't be a totally wasted pick. One thing is sure - we needed another DT more than we needed a 226 pound fullback. Harris can take Claude Rotten's spot.

Me too, Mike. I was hoping Leonard (healthy), this year in particular, would finally produce as a RB backup, especially on short yardage and as a receiver. Best wishes to BL, I think he's a good young man.

Now, let's hope OH is the MAHN! Jamaican pun intended (respectfully: 6-3, 300 lbs.). Get him to 315!

And yes, d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y get rid of Rotten!

[Azul e Oro]

If there was enough doubt about either his health or fit in the scheme, I think money was at the bottom of this.It would have cost over a million to cut him this pre-season.I don't want anybody given a roster spot because of their contract if possible.

I've lost track of our cap but I'm sure they need all the wiggle room possible.

7/24/2007: Signed a four-year, $2.8 million contract. The deal includes $1.55 million guaranteed. 2009: $460,000, 2010: $550,000, 2011: Free Agent

There's just no way that they said" oooh...who can we trade for Orien Harris?" & come up with Leonard if he was the player he was when we drafted him-too high,yes,but he was a legit prospect.

Then he got Limpehanned,poor bustard. I mean the guy had a 100 yd game behind our '07 O-line. Yards behind that sumo gangbang need to be counted like dog years.

I wish him well but I'll be a little peeved if he blossoms in Cincy.

More concerned that we don't seem to have even a UDFA developmental fullback behind Karney.

[majorram]

The Bengals don't have a clear number 2 runningback?! Well neither do we!!!!

I don't like this trade at all. We give up a kid that will do whatever is asked of him and then some for an NFL gypsy?! I was really looking forward to Leonard playing under a real NFL coach.

HATE IT!

thank you mate, totally agree, me too i was looking forward to seeing what leonard had,... for the love of money I hope jackson can stay healthy...

steve

[Bar-bq]

Is Oreln the brother of Tommie, who also attended UMiami?

[Goldenfleece]

More concerned that we don't seem to have even a UDFA developmental fullback behind Karney.

As far as I can tell, not many teams carry more than one fullback going into the season due to the extremely limited number of roster spots.

BL probably would have had to earn his spot as a runningback. Sentimentally, I know many of us wanted to see him succeed there because of all the good things we've heard about him being an unselfish player, but we also need to recognize the reality that he appeared to have fallen behind Pittman and Darby on the depth chart. Because of our depth at DT, Harris is probably a little more likely to see playing time than Leonard was.

[RamsInfiniti]

We saw Leonard when he was healthy and what he was capable of ...

Darby showed, in limited time last year, that he could do everything Leonard could and more, including solid coverage work on special teams and an ability to return kicks ...

[Ramblin` Ram]

Is Oreln the brother of Tommie, who also attended UMiami?

ive read that he`s the younger brother of Kwame Harris the Niners OT (not sure if he still is a niner tho)...but not seen Tommie Harris mentioned,so i presume its a no..

[Nick]

This is fine by me. I wasn't very happy with the Leonard pick when the Rams made it (thought they should have drafted Victor Abiamiri or Ryan Kalil), and can't say I'm surprised he's going elsewhere. The Rams have some bodies in the backfield - Jackson, Pittman, Darby, Ogbonnaya - but their depth at DT is rather slim. They basically had nothing behind Ryan and Carriker prior to drafting Scott. My hopes aren't high for Harris, but we weren't getting much out of Leonard and he really didn't seem to fit well. I wish him the best, and I loved watching him play in the Big East, but I'm not torn up that he's gone.

[ScottD413]

I liked Leonard. I don't think he was ever given a chance here

[AvengerRam]

For what its worth, Harris started one game for the Bengals last October against the Jets. He had 2 tackles, and the Jets were held to 86 yards rushing (3.2 ypc).

What does that tell us? Not much, but it does suggest that Harris CAN play in this league.

I'm not expecting him to be anything special, but if he can be part of the rotation, I'm fine with the move.

[MauiRam]

.

More concerned that we don't seem to have even a UDFA developmental fullback behind Karney.

Actually we do .. #48 ..his name is Jerome Johnson, (FB 6'-0" 258lbs)

(from Kolo tv by Josh Little)
Jerome Johnson Signs Two-Year Contract with Rams
Former Wolf Pack linebacker Jerome Johnson has signed a two-year contract with the St. Louis Rams.

Former Wolf Pack linebacker Jerome Johnson has agreed to a two-year contract with the St. Louis Rams. His agent, Bardia Ghahremani, confirmed the deal to KOLO-TV on Sunday.

The contract will pay Johnson $710,000 dollars (total), with a $5,000 signing bonus. He'll earn the league-minimum $310,000 in 2009 and $400,000 in 2010. NFL contracts are not guaranteed. If he fails to make the team, Johnson will only keep his signing bonus.

Johnson played linebacker for the Wolf Pack, recording 40 tackles in 13 games last season. He also had five tackles for loss, one interception and one fumble recovery. But he'll play offense with the Rams. He'll suit up in their backfield as either an H-back or a fullback.

The fact that he formerly played linebacker should help him contribute on special teams ...

[Azul e Oro]

As far as I can tell, not many teams carry more than one fullback going into the season due to the extremely limited number of roster spots.

BL probably would have had to earn his spot as a runningback. Sentimentally, I know many of us wanted to see him succeed there because of all the good things we've heard about him being an unselfish player, but we also need to recognize the reality that he appeared to have fallen behind Pittman and Darby on the depth chart. Because of our depth at DT, Harris is probably a little more likely to see playing time than Leonard was.

Fair point about the dying art of the FB but just a casual glance at the current rosters of teams that might be considered power-running oriented -Pit,NYG,Balt- reveals at least two RBs listed at 230+ lbs at this early stage.

After SJ & Karney, I don't think any of our guys is over 220. That's a lot of banging through TC and pre-season for a key cog in our offense,no?

I'd like to see a camp body /practice squad guy there at this stage. Orien may make the team but don't we also have Burton and Willie Williams at DT?

I'd rather see Adeyanju pull double duty at DT/DE and scrap a marginal widebody for a FB on the regular season roster.

If we need to be bigger and more physical, it surely has to include RB?

Btw, while cruising the current rosters, I notice that The Cards picked up Krispy Kreme Kreider. Not the best way to protect Beanie who has injury issues at the best of times, never mind the essential Super Kurt.