Pisa no longer a Ram ...

[jkramsfan]

Wow, this is a bit shocking, but it looks like Pisa was the odd man out. If anything, it shows that Spags has a very clear vision and that he's not afraid to make the hard decisions in order to turn things around. I'm sorry to see a guy with such dedication and heart go, but if he doesn't fit the plan, so be it. I wish him the best.

I hope this plan works,he just let the teams leading tackler go, somebody is going to have to step it up big time. I to liked Pisa and wish him well.

[Nick]

Being the leading tackler of a 2 & 14 team doesn't say much to me.

Exactly; talk to Paris Lenon about how important it is to be the leading tackler on a bad defense. I think he still might be looking for a job.

I'm not saying Pisa is a bad player, but him leading this defense in tackles doesn't exactly prove much.

[RebelYell]

Wait, so there was a market to trade Brian Leonard but no market for Tinoisamoa? I'm not buying that.

That's the one that gets me. If Brian Leonard was worthy of supposedly "quality depth", why can you get ZERO for the who led the team in tackles on several occasions. He's been healthy lately and is still in the prime of his career at 27 years of age.

Draft is 33, doesn't make any sense. My patience isn't running thin, I have trust in the leadership but there must be more to it.

Jim Thomas is reporting the Rams were paper thin at salary cap space before the Pisa cut (after signing all the rookies). Maybe that's true.

[laram0]

It turns out that this move was mandated by the league.

There is a little known rule that provides that a cannot have three LBs on the field who, combined, have 30 or more letters in their last names. With the addition of James Laurinaitis, the Rams had the potential of exceeding this limit if they ever fielded a unit of Witherspoon, Laurinaitis and Tinoisamoa (32 letters).

As a result, they had to release one of the three, and Pisa was the obvious choice.

--B

Now that makes alot more sense than a lack of ability or money issue.

[CanadianRamsFan]

Wait, so there was a market to trade Brian Leonard but no market for Tinoisamoa? I'm not buying that.

I think you've uncovered something, i bet the FO has a master plan in play. As far as i can tell they are planning on driving this organization into the ground thus also ending their careers in the process

[mikhal5569]

I'm not happy with this move at all, unless it's an attempt to pick up another, younger, bigger and healthier LB. After all, I still think we need someone to backup Laurinaitis and a little more depth at safety is still on my own personal wish list as well.

[Nick]

That's the one that gets me. If Brian Leonard was worthy of supposedly "quality depth", why can you get ZERO for the who led the team in tackles on several occasions. He's been healthy lately and is still in the prime of his career at 27 years of age.

Draft is 33, doesn't make any sense. My patience isn't running thin, I have trust in the leadership but there must be more to it.

Jim Thomas is reporting the Rams were paper thin at salary cap space before the Pisa cut (after signing all the rookies). Maybe that's true.

Some info to consider...

Pisa Tinoisamoa's 2009 salary: $3.25 million
Brian Leonard's 2009 salary: $460,000

Teams are a lot more willing to trade for quality back-ups when they don't come with multi-million dollar price tags like Pisa's did. And let's not forget that the Bengals gave us in exchange for Leonard a guy who has been bouncing around a couple of different teams and is no guarantee to even make this roster, so it's not as if we got a great offer for Leonard either.

As for Draft, yes he's older, but he's cheaper and more versatile. He's also more familiar with the team's defensive coordinator, which may mean a smaller learning curve for the defense being installed.

If leading the team in tackles was a sign of greatness, Paris Lenon would have a job right now. But he doesn't, because being the team leader in tackles on a horrible defense isn't exactly a huge accomplishment.

[schut39]

This is a shock, but I wish him the best wherever he goes.

Looks like our starters are going to be Witherspoon, Laurinaitis, and Draft.

[Mooselini]

They better have a better option at Linebacker. This actually makes me pretty mad. He was a solid player.

I guess we will see...

Good luck Pisa. I hope you land on a very good team and become a star there.

[RealRam]

Wondering if there was an injury 'stigma' with Pisa the H5-0 man ... at least as a contributing factor.

[RamsFanSam]

Plainly stated, this sucks. I thought Pisa was going to be a big part of our new-look defense. I guess he (or his salary) didn't fit in with the master plan.

[LA Rammer]

wow! don't know what to think of this. i hope we hear some news real quick. a receiver or other defensive player in the works. time to be patient. c'mon spags give us hope!

[Richbert88]

Exactly; talk to Paris Lenon about how important it is to be the leading tackler on a bad defense. I think he still might be looking for a job.

I'm not saying Pisa is a bad player, but him leading this defense in tackles doesn't exactly prove much.

There is an "up" to losing the teams leading tackler from last season. After next season, we'll have a whole new tackles leader to worship.

Hopefully it's for a defense that gives up only 100 rushing yards per game. :-) My prediction is JL.

[tim]

I agree that Pisa's contract was probably the motivating factor here, but don't you think we could have gotten at least a 5th round pick for him or so? Makes no sense that a guy who has done nothing in this league, like Leonard, at least had some trade value.

His contract is also the reason he couldn't be traded, I'm sure. The only way a team trades for him and pays him $3.25 million is if they REALLY need him so much that they can't risk him signing with someone else after he's cut.

[general counsel]

Draft makes backup money and plays multiple positions. Its that simple. If Pisa was making Draft money, you dont know whether he would have been cut, although he may well have anyway.

Remember, last year was a different system. What he did last year is a lot less relevant to the new regime.

I didnt say money was the only reason, but its nuts to suggest that it wasnt a significant contributing factor.

Again, there are some people who dont accept the reality of the cap era. Brian Leonards cap number is a lot lower than Pisa's (or holt or pace for that matter). The higher the cap number, often times the harder to get anything for a player.

Its truly insane to believe that the Rams didnt do everything possible to get something for him.

Why release him now? Maybe because once they knew that he wasnt going to be part of the team, they wanted to give him the best chance to catch on elsewhere. It also opens the cap and gives us a little more flexibility.

Interesting question that we dont know. Did the Rams ask him to take a pay cut to stay?

ramming speed to all

general counsel