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  • #1

    TSN Rams Report

    Jim Thomas

    Though the cover 2 still will be the base defense for new coordinator Larry Marmie, the team plans to mix coverages more than it did under Lovie Smith. Another noticeable change will be the size of the tackles. Marmie will let the tackles play at a higher weight than Smith, who wanted them at 310 or less. Jimmy Kennedy reported at nearly 340 for the team's minicamp, and Ryan Pickett checked in at 330. The added bulk could help shore up a spotty run defense. Kennedy's commitment to weight training is paying off. He looks quicker at 340 than he did last year at 305.

    The coaches are encouraged by what they have seen of rookie TE Erik Jensen. He has displayed good blocking skills and will enter camp as the top backup.

    CORNERBACKS ANALYSIS

    This is a solid unit with young, athletic players. But it lacks size; no player is taller than 5-10, leaving the Rams vulnerable against big wideouts. Travis Fisher has excellent closing speed and good tackling skills and can play through injuries. The other starter, Jerametrius Butler, is athletic but lacks size (5-10, 181). He has became more physical as a tackler but still needs to improve in that area. Kevin Garrett and DeJuan Groce are the top backups. Garrett has elite speed and has flashed instincts that excite the coaches. Groce has enough speed and aggressiveness but needs work on technique. Another possibility is Dwight Anderson, an undrafted rookie who has impressed the coaches.
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  • #2
    Re: TSN Rams Report

    Kevin Garrett will be a pleasant surprise this year. Just watch and see.

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    • RamDez
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    • Nick
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      Early attendance at the Rams' offseason conditioning program has been at record levels. More than 90 percent of the team was there on the first day. Among the regulars have been team mainstays WR Isaac Bruce and RB Marshall Faulk. Newly acquired LB Dexter Coakley's arrival was delayed because his wife had a baby, but the team's other free-agent pickup at LB -- Chris Claiborne -- has been there from the outset.

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    • Nick
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      Losing CB Jerametrius Butler for any amount of time, much less the entire season, would be a severe blow for a defense that had trouble creating turnovers in 2004 and for a secondary looking to establish its identity. The Rams had only six interceptions a year ago, and Butler accounted for all of them. His closing speed and athleticism allow him to get to some balls that others won't. Teams tried to pick on him deep last season but with little success. Butler could face surgery because of a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee suffered on the first day of camp. DeJuan Groce, Kevin Garrett, Corey Ivy, and Ron Bartell all could compete for Butler's spot. Dwight Anderson would have been in the mix, he had been the most impressive cornerback early in camp. But the team came to the conclusion that it just simply couldn't count on Anderson to be in the right place at the right time, after he missed curfew off the field, and forgot to be on the field during a simulated game on a play that resulted in a touchdown. The additions of DT John Parrella and T Matt Willig adds veteran presence to positions that needed depth. Parrella is a tough, high-motor, run stuffer who could be the fourth defensive tackle in the team's rotation. Willig may have to start right away, but eventually could settle in as the team's No. 3 or No. 4 offensive tackle. But both players are in their mid-30s and must prove in the preseason that they can still get it done.

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    • RamDez
      TSN Rams Report
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      -10-11-2004, 12:26 PM
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