Wells and Langford Show Support for Fisher

by Howard Balzer

There was a seminal moment last week when Rams coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead met with the media at the start of the 2012 league year.

The Rams had agreed to terms with cornerback Cortland Finnegan, and Fisher was asked how they go about recruiting players in an effort to convince them to sign here.

Said Fisher, “Well what you want to do is, first off, you walk in the building, they are impressed with the building. Many times this is only the second facility that they’ve ever seen, so the facility speaks for itself and then it’s an opportunity. They get to meet the coaches, they get to meet everybody in the building. They’ve got to feel good about it.

“It’s not about wining and dining and those kinds of things, it’s more about their future and how they fit in the program. And then of course it’s an opportunity to win. We feel like we’re going to win here, and the players we bring in here are going to give us the chance to do that.”
As Fisher finished, Snead couldn’t help but jump in and give his take. He said, “I’m going to add to this too because that was very humbly said. But just as, if you were about to take a job somewhere else and you had friends that were in that organization, you would call and ask about that organization. Maybe ask about the person you’re working for. I can tell you this, players do that in this league.

“It’s a small league, everybody’s in a fraternity and I know this, they do call and they research Jeff as a head coach and somebody they want to play for. I promise you it comes back extremely positive. He humbly said that it was facilities and that all has a say, but I’m going to tell you the truth: Having Jeff as a head coach is a big factor in players wanting to come play here and actually play hard here.”

Of course, it’s one thing to say that after the team had just signed a player that had played for Fisher in Tennessee. It’s another when the next two players signed have no NFL connection to Fisher, although center Scott Wells did grow up in Nashville and dreamed of playing for him some day.

Snead’s words were confirmed Monday when both Well and defensive tackle Kendall Langford did conference calls with the media.

Said Wells, “I’ve followed coach Fisher since I was in high school growing up in the Nashville area. I really admired what he was able to do with the Titans when he was here. Really wanted to explore an opportunity to play for him some day, and through free agency, I’ve been given that opportunity.

“Since my visit, really enjoyed meeting (line) coach (Paul) Boudreau and coach Fisher and decided that’s where I wanted to be. It felt like the right place for me and my family.”
Wells and Langford both reiterated what Fisher’s reputation is around the league.
“One thing I’ve noticed with being in communication with guys that have played for him in the past, every one of them had positive things to say about him and they really respected him and just have gone on and on about how great a coach he is,” Wells said. “So to me, that’s a big thing. When none of the players that I’ve spoken to that have played for him had anything negative to say, that speaks volumes about the character of a coach and what he’s able to do.”

Echoed Langford, “I’ve heard nothing but great things about coach Fisher also. No one has said anything negative about the guy and when I met with him that kind of put the icing on the cake there. He seems like a player’s coach. He understands the business, he understands how to rest his players, how to prepare his players and things of that nature. He has a good track record, so he just seemed like a good person for me. He’s putting a good coaching staff together over there. I’m excited about what can happen this year.”

Both players also relish the challenge of boosting the Rams up from the bottom of the NFL.
“Absolutely,” Wells said. “I like being a part of that. I think coach Fisher has brought in the right coaches to build something there and he’s got a great foundation with Sam (Bradford), outstanding quarterback, as well as other players on the team. I’m excited about this, I’m excited to be a part of it and look forward to turning it around soon.”

Said Langford, “It’s very appealing to me. That’s one of the challenges I faced when I came out and was drafted to the Dolphins. Kind of the same scenario; they were 1-15 and we came in there with the mindset, ‘We need to change the culture around here.’ Those guys, they have that mindset, that mentality. I know it’s something that will happen around there and happen very soon.”

Finally, Langford was asked how much different he believes it will be to be on a team that hasn’t had much success. He concluded, “I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about that part. I’m just excited about where it’s going. I don’t think it’s important necessarily where the team has been in the past. They have a new coaching staff, they’ve got some new players and I’m excited to be a part of that and look forward to going over there and winning a lot of games.”


Contract numbers in: The contract breakdowns for Wells and Langford have been acquired by 101sports.com.
Wells’ contract is worth $24 million over four years and includes a $4 million signing bonus. His base salaries of $3.5 million in 2012 and $5.5 million in 2013 are fully guaranteed to bring the total guarantees to $13 million. His salary-cap figure is $4.5 million this year. The contract also contains $500,000 escalators from 2013-2015, which could add another $1.5 million to the deal.
The total value of Langford’s deal is $22 million and also includes a $4 million signing bonus. His $2 million base salary is fully guaranteed this year and in 2013, his $5 million salary is guaranteed for injury only. However, if he is on the roster on the fifth day after the Super Bowl in Feb. 2013, that base salary becomes totally guaranteed. His base salaries are $5 million in 2014 and $6 million in 2015. His cap figure this year is $3 million. Langford has escalators for 2013-2015 worth $583,333 each year as well as $100,000 Pro Bowl bonuses each year. If all are achieved, he could earn an additional $2.73 million.
The cap charges for Finnegan ($6 million), Wells ($4.5 million) and Langford $3 million) total $13.5 million. With 46 players under signed contracts and five on tenders, the Rams are currently a little more than $7.18 million under the cap.

Nice to know officially what this year cap hits are from our FA pickups so far...10.5 mill with our 3 pick ups so far...

True that. Hope we can get a few more signings in.

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The cap charges for Finnegan ($6 million), Wells ($4.5 million) and Langford $3 million) total $13.5 million. With 46 players under signed contracts and five on tenders, the Rams are currently a little more than $7.18 million under the cap.

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Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it's the top 45 roster spots that count towards the cap. So we should be at a point where each new signing pushes the lowest cap hit off the tally.

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Originally Posted by HUbison

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it's the top 45 roster spots that count towards the cap. So we should be at a point where each new signing pushes the lowest cap hit off the tally.

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I think its the top 55.

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Originally Posted by thermobee

I think its the top 55.

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How is that possible with a 53 man roster?

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Originally Posted by HUbison

How is that possible with a 53 man roster?

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Okay, it looks like the answer is 51 during the offseason, but all 53 during the regular season. I was not aware of that.

Does the $7.18 million under the cap enable us to resign players we need such as Amendola, Chamberlain and Stewart? Or perhaps they are in the tenders group, which is treated separately from the cap. I know Chamberlain and Stewart won't be huge $ as they are lower tier players but Amendola could command some sizeable $ as he will look at Wes Welker and ask just slightly lower than that.

Just wondering since I don't anticipate we'll be signing more FA's.

Go Rams!