Rams' free-agent options dwindle

By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Monday, Mar. 03 2008

The Rams were interested in Pittsburgh's Alan Faneca as much for what he could
do in the locker room as on the football field. They were looking for veteran
leadership on an offensive line that will be young next season with the
exception of left tackle Orlando Pace.

But they never could get Faneca, a seven-time Pro Bowler, in for a free-agent
visit to explain their plans. By all accounts, their offer was competitive with
the five-year, $40 million deal that Faneca signed with the New York Jets.

The next player on their list at the position, Tennessee's Jacob Bell, is
expected at Rams Park today for a free-agent visit. Bell, who turned 27 on
Sunday, isn't in Faneca's class as a blocker. But he's five years younger and
still developing as a player.

With the release of Gus Frerotte (36), Isaac Bruce (35), and James Hall (31),
the Rams aren't just freeing up salary cap space. It looks like a concerted
effort to get younger. You could throw Jeff Wilkins (35) into that group as
well, although Wilkins' retirement was injury-related.

Bell is the type of player who would fit into such a youth movement. He is an
ascending young veteran heading into his second contract. Nine years ago, Adam
Timmerman wasn't the Rams' first choice in free agency at guard; it was Wally
Williams. But Williams never made it to St. Louis, signing with New Orleans on
his first free-agent trip. Timmerman worked out quite well, much better in fact
than Williams, who soon washed out with the Saints.

The Titans want to re-sign Bell, but not for an exorbitant price. Trouble is,
"exorbitant" is the operative word in the opening days of free agency. Teams
throw money around like confetti, so it was business as usual on the opening
weekend of free agency.

"That was to be expected," said Billy Devaney, the Rams' executive vice
president of player personnel. "There were a couple of signings where everybody
goes, 'You got to be kidding me.' But that's part of it. It's going to be the
same thing next year. ... Every year it's the same thing. It's just the names
change."

Despite the setback with Faneca, the Rams seem determined to add a guard and a
center in free agency. They don't want to be in a position where they're
depending on players to stay healthy. Guards Richie Incognito and Mark
Setterstrom, as well as center Brett Romberg, were projected as opening-day
starters in 2007 but missed substantial parts of the season with injuries.

Bell is a tad undersized at 6-foot-4, 295 pounds, and certainly wouldn't be
classified as a mauler. A college teammate of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at
Miami of Ohio, Bell needed to get stronger when he entered the NFL and has
improved on that to some degree, although he occasionally gets overpowered.

Bell is considered athletic by guard standards with good footwork and
technique. Those attributes give him good recovery skills on plays where he
gets beaten by a defender's first move.

Although he primarily has played left guard with Tennessee, Bell also has seen
time at right and left tackle with the Titans.

Cornerback and wide receiver also are areas where the Rams are exploring
options in free agency. At cornerback, they were hoping to land free agents
Drayton Florence of San Diego and Jacques Reeves of Dallas. But within the
first 48 hours of free agency, Florence signed with Jacksonville, and Reeves
went to Houston.

Both signed big contracts, particularly for players who were primarily backups
in 2007. According to the Florida Times-Union, Florence's contract averaged $6
million a year and included $12 million in bonuses. Meanwhile, the Houston
Chronicle reported that Reeves' five-year deal with the Texans averaged $4
million a year.

With free-agent choices dwindling on the cornerback market, the Rams might have
to switch gears and explore a trade. In fact, Philadelphia cornerback Lito
Sheppard could be on the way out now that the Eagles have signed New England
free agent Asante Samuel to a contract averaging nearly $10 million a year.

It appears that the Rams are looking for cornerback help because of concerns
about the long-term availability of Fakhir Brown. Brown missed four games at
the start of the 2007 for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Another
violation could lead to a one-year suspension.

im worried about all this talk about Brown possibly getting another suspension, there is a lot of it floating around...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tomahawk247

im worried about all this talk about Brown possibly getting another suspension, there is a lot of it floating around...

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I agree, is there something the RAMS know that they're not sharing with the media and fans? Did Brown get caught with his hand in the cookie jar again?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by laram0

I agree, is there something the RAMS know that they're not sharing with the media and fans? Did Brown get caught with his hand in the cookie jar again?

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same here,alot of talk about this,no need to keep it a secret we are all going to find out anyways.

i think that they are doing it just as an insurance policy, to where if brown does fail a test, they would have someone to step in. if he doesnt fail then we have more depth

Quote:

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Originally Posted by laram0

I agree, is there something the RAMS know that they're not sharing with the media and fans? Did Brown get caught with his hand in the cookie jar again?

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Not exactly.

He got caught doing what gave him the craving for cookies.:)

Bring back Jimmy Kennedy!!! I'm sure he'll leave his job at the Krispy Kreme if the price is right!!!