Saturday, August 6, 2005
By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
In an effort to bolster a couple of positions in need of a boost, the Rams signed defensive tackle John Parrella and offensive tackle Matt Willig on Saturday morning.
Both players are expected to be in camp and ready to go by Monday. According to coach Mike Martz, the Rams have been targeting both players for some time.
With solid starters on the defensive line, but little depth, the Rams targeted Parrella a while ago.
“I have been on a mission to somehow get John here since we played him when he was at San Diego,” Martz said. “It’s kind of like Marc (Bulger). When you have coached against somebody or played against somebody and it’s somebody that really leaves an impression, you do what you can to get them on your team. That’s the case with both of these guys. These guys will both be good, solid additions for us and I am very pleased with it.”
Parrella spent last season in Oakland, playing in all 16 games and racking up 22 tackles and a pass defensed before the team released him on March 2. At 6-feet-3, 300 pounds, Parrella has earned his reputation over 13 seasons as a hard-nosed run stopper.
Martz said Parrella might be a comparable player to former Ram Jeff Zgonina.
“He has that motor and physical aspect inside that…I remember when we had to play him, we had to account for him in the running game,” Martz said. “He is very disruptive. Disruptive is probably the best term for him.
“He will define his own role, whatever that is. That’s the type of player he probably is. That’s probably a pretty good analogy. Anytime you can add a player like that to your roster, I think it’s a good deal.”
Parrella played a season in Buffalo before moving on to San Diego, where he would make his presence felt over the course of eight seasons. He spent the past three years with the Raiders. In his 12 seasons in the league, Parrella has 402 tackles and 26.5 sacks.
Parrella should come in and immediately solidify the middle of the defensive line behind starters Jimmy Kennedy and Ryan Pickett. His presence could allow Damione Lewis to work on the outside also, but all of that will be determined later.
For now, Martz is just happy to have some additional help.
“We were a guy short on the defensive line right now, numbers-wise,” Martz said. “We want to keep that very competitive. I am very happy with the defensive line. I am very, very happy with that whole group there. Then you can add somebody like this, you have just got to do it.”
Although Parrella’s main objective is to provide depth, Willig comes to St. Louis with an even greater opportunity. The rash of injuries at tackle has claimed Grant Williams and
Orlando Pace and though both should return in short order, the number of bodies is few and far between.
Things got bad enough that Rex Tucker moved from left guard to right tackle on Friday. As it stands, Tucker is getting most of the repetitions with the first team, leaving the competition for the position wide open.
“Playing against Matt at San Francisco and at Carolina, I think Matt has got something left at the right tackle position,” Martz said. “He has been at left tackle most of the time, but we’ll see. He has got a chance to come in and compete and we’ll see what he does.”
Willig is entering his 14th season and his second stint with the Rams. Willig signed with the Rams on Nov. 30, 1999 and was inactive for the team’s final five regular season games as well as the playoffs.
Before his short stay in St. Louis, Willig spent four seasons with the Jets, two with Atlanta and one with Green Bay. He then spent three years in San Francisco and the past two in Carolina. For his career, Willig has 43 starts.
Willig will compete with Tucker and Williams for the right tackle spot, but has also played guard at various points in his career. He was a defensive end when he entered the league in 1992, but was quickly switched to tackle. Willig is 6-8, 315 pounds.
In years past, the Rams have been hamstrung by the salary cap when injuries like this occur. On Saturday, Martz gave credit to President of Football Operations Jay Zygmunt for managing the cap well enough to make additions such as Parrella and Willig.
“It’s been very difficult for Jay,” Martz said. “He has been trying to get this done for a long time. There are a lot of teams interested in both these guys and Jay stayed at it and stayed at it and stayed at it. Finally, he was able to tell me this morning that they had reached an agreement. This is huge. He has done so many things in the offseason…the people that we have asked him to do that we have talked about he has pulled the trigger on a guy and found a way to get it done. That’s why we have the roster that we have. Without him, we wouldn’t have this roster.”
Rams Sign Parrella, Willig
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