Prisco on Tye Hill

[MauiRam]

http://cbs.sportsline.com/print/nfl/story/9487310/rss

Rams rookie catching on: When Rams drafted corner Tye Hill in the first round, they thought he'd come right in and show off his cover skills. But in his first minicamp with the team, he looked like anything like a top-notch corner. The Rams coaches wondered if this was the same guy they saw on film at Clemson.

As it turned out, their fears were alleviated in later work with the team. As he's continued to take part in on-field work, Hill has impressed more and more.

"The game has slowed down for him," Rams defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said. "That's the key with a young player. He was thinking so much that he wasn't playing as fast as we knew he could. As he's got more comfortable, you can see he's playing much faster."

The Rams need Hill to be an immediate starter. They struggled at the corner spot in a big way in 2005, and that's why improving it became such a priority in the offseason. The Rams signed Fakhir Brown as a free agent in large part because Haslett recommended him after coaching him in New Orleans. Brown will likely start opposite Hill when the season begins. That's a significant upgrade over what the Rams trotted out on the corner last season.

To help the pass rush and the coverage, the Rams are also flip-flopping defensive end Leonard Little between the left and right side, although he's being used a lot on the right. Little has been mostly a left end in his career, which is somewhat surprising since he is such a speed rusher, which is usually where the right ends play. The coaches say Little took some time getting adjusted to playing on the right side, but he likes it.

Tony Hargrove, the starter last year on the right side, will move to the left side. The Rams are making these moves in an effort to improve on a pass defense that finished ranked 23rd in the league

[Varg6]

That is very good to hear about Hill, I am not sure though as to why they're switching Little with Hargrove, why can't they just play as they did last year? If he plays better on another side, I understand, but Little was already good on that side, but whatever, they're the coaches not me haha, hopefully they know what they're doing!

[maineram]

As far as Little goes, early on after Haslett's hiring he said he wanted to flip flop Little back and forth from left to right. He's got the experience on the left now he's learning the right. Versatility in his defense is the key to making it work. Not knowing where Little is lining up only helps the overall performance of the D as a whole. Where is everyone and who's coming this time !!!!!

Maineram -

[Goldenfleece]

Besides the element of unpredictability, teams often line up their best speed rusher on the right because that's a right-handed QB's blindside (the same reason they usually line up their best pass blocker at LT). Hopefully this is to get our best DE in a position to make plays better, but it also could be they feel that Hargrove isn't up to taking on the premier left tackles in the league. In any case, Little shouldn't have too much trouble adapting to the other side.