Rams have agreed to terms with Harvey Dahl

[THOLTFAN81]

Per rotoworld

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes free agent RG Harvey Dahl will sign with the Rams.
The Rams need a replacement for Adam Goldberg opposite LG Jacob Bell. The Falcons are prepared to lose Dahl while turning their attention to LG Justin Blalock.

[Alec22]

Not quite official yet, but deal is immenent.

Per Roto:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes free agent RG Harvey Dahl will sign with the Rams.
The Rams need a replacement for Adam Goldberg opposite LG Jacob Bell. The Falcons are prepared to lose Dahl while turning their attention to LG Justin Blalock.

[Ramblin` Ram]

out of the two i`d prefer Blalock because he`s the younger but Dahl is just the nasty run driving OG we need. i would be delighted if we signed him.

[sosa39rams]

This would be absolutely nothing short of legendary.

[tomahawk247]

This is just speculation at this point, however it would be a good signing.

This is walterfootballs report on Dahl in their free agent rankings:

Harvey Dahl, G, Falcons. Age: 30.
Arguably Atlanta's top offensive lineman, Harvey Dahl bounced back from an ankle injury that sidelined him for half the 2009 season. He's due for a big payday.

They have him third on their list, only behind Logan Mankins (franchised) and Carl Nicks (restricted), so you could say the have him as arguably the best free agent guard available.

[sosa39rams]

Lord, please let us sign him. This is better than anything that could possibly be. We winned about not having an OG that can create holes for Jackson, and God repays us in the best fashion. This guy is NASTY and will upgrade Jackson's YPC to 4.5 I truthfully believe.

[Ramblin` Ram]

i`ve already replied in the other thread but as i said there, i would be delighted if we signed him.he is just the nasty run driving OG we need.

[richtree]

This would give us the perfect O-line for Sam Bradford for a 3 year run at the SuperBowl.

If we do indeed sign him, we should be able to take that next step and win the NFC West this year.

Stewart Bradley seems to be going to the Cards and the Rams are in dire need of OLB depth. Running #2's will be all over the place.

So, we really need to find a Speed rushing OLB somewhere...even if just for rotational depth....

I like the Rams off-season a lot if we get Dahl. Small moves with big impacts.....


go go Rams

[MauiRam]

Good and nasty: Dahl tops list of NFL's meanest players

By Pete Prisco
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
May 27, 2009

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- As if on cue, the NFL's meanest player, and some might say the league's dirtiest, livened up a ho-hum May practice a few weeks back by doing something he does a lot, which is to brawl.

Atlanta Falcons guard Harvey Dahl is a nasty player who pushes the whistle on almost every play, so it wasn't surprising to see him in the middle of a violent practice fight that ended with Dahl getting eight stitches across his nose, courtesy of a helmet to the face.

Dahl has a knack for getting under the skin of opposing players. The helmet to the face came when defensive end Kroy Bierman, Dahl's combatant, lunged at Dahl after his helmet came off. It was an accident, not a head-butt you would see in some fake wrestling ring, but it didn't stop Dahl.

Face cut, helmet off, blood rushing down his nose, Dahl kept swinging. And swinging. And swinging.

"You roll with the punches," Dahl said the next day, a bandage covering his stitches, his forehead purple with bruises. "No big deal. Just a practice fight."

Dahl has his share of them, so many that when the fight started, those on the sidelines without a clear view of the number of the offensive player pretty much knew who it was right away.

The chorus was easy to hear: "Harvey."

Dahl is the modern-day Conrad Dobler. Back in the 1970s, Dobler was a mean offensive guard who was considered dirty by many of those who played against him.

Dahl has the same characteristics. Players don't like playing against him. In discussing him with some league personnel, all mentioned that he pushes the limits -- sometimes too far.

Dahl sheepishly admitted it, and thanked me for the comparison to Dobler.

"I push the whistle," he said. "Yeah, definitely. It frustrates guys. But I'm going to go hard all the time. It gets under guy's skin. But I just try and stay focused."

It's how Dahl earned his job in the league. He's not going to change now. He's the classic self-made player. He played at the University of Nevada, but he wasn't drafted. The Dallas Cowboys signed him as a free agent, but he got cut on June 3, 2005 -- several weeks before training camp.

The San Francisco ***** signed him and he spent most of the next three seasons on their practice squad, although he was activated for a few games. It was there that his brutish style got him noticed.

"I remember I fought [***** linebacker] Derek Smith in practice one day," Dahl said. "He had just signed a new contract and I was a practice-squad guy, so that was kind of a big deal."

The Falcons signed him to their active roster off the ***** practice squad in October 2007 and he won a starting job last season. His play last season helped put running back Michael Turner into the Pro Bowl.

Who's the meanest NFL player? Cast your votes now!

"That's my man," Turner said. "He's one of the nasty boys. He's tough, hard-nosed and plays hard. He came from the bottom, so he plays hard all the time. Don't make him mad. That elevates his game even more."

Dahl's teammates say you can see the rage in his face in the huddle when he gets set off. It makes him play better, they say.

"I wouldn't want to line up against him," Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. "He's nasty. He's relentless. He plays through the whistle. That's what you want from those guys. He keeps making blocks late in the play."

Is he dirty? The Falcons players all backed their teammate and said no. Opponents might differ.

It was Dahl's tactics in a preseason game last summer against the Tennessee Titans that led to some nasty, chippy stuff that had Titans coach Jeff Fisher screaming across the field at Atlanta coach Mike Smith. Several players from another team agreed that Dahl pushes the limits, and might cross the line. The league office thought he did so three times last season and fined him all three times for it.

"Most of the time I don't go over the line," Dahl said. "Those times, I guess I did."

Dahl isn't just a nasty player -- he's also a good one. His ability to drive block in the run game makes him one of the best guards in the league. His pass protection needs improvement in part because he is so aggressive. The Atlanta coaching staff is trying to get him to improve his footwork in pass protection and keep him from merely attacking on every play. If he does that, this self-made player just might be on his way to the Pro Bowl.

For now, he seems to accept being one of the league's nastiest players as a badge of honor, even if it brings up questions about going too far.

"That's OK by me," he said.

As he said that, Falcons line coach Paul Boudreau walked by to ask what was going on.

"Just doing on a column on the league's nastiest player," I said.

"Glad we got something," Boudreau said. "We'll take it."

Memo to anybody lining up against the Falcons this year: Keep an eye out for No. 73, even if the play is over.

You might hate him, but the Falcons love their brutish guard.

[berg8309]

So....more talented version of incognito? As long as he doesn't continuously kill drives with ill-timed penalties, I'm all for it.

[Rammed]

This would be awesome! Always loved his play, kinda have a soft spot for these type of OLine men. Even Incognito, yes even him at the start.

And I just love how some many people on this board has all "name" free agents linked to the rams, and BD keeps coming up with solid very good pick ups.

Obviously the whine when we don't sign these free agents is very entertaining.

[GROUND DOG 39]

Fingers crossed Rams fans.

[mikhal5569]

So....more talented version of incognito? As long as he doesn't continuously kill drives with ill-timed penalties, I'm all for it.

Exactly what I was thinking. Also, I hope this guy is better at pace protection than they're implying. Honestly don't know what to think of this yet.

[richtree]

Also, the reports from Atlanta said we signed Dahl and Snelling ......

[GROUND DOG 39]

I do not want to get my hopes up to high.?? We need a Guard over every position on the roster. COME ON ST > ST LOUIS RAMS ??????????????. Im crossing everything