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BY JEFF GORDON
Post-Dispatch Online Sports Columnist
08/01/2004
Right tackle Kyle Turley is a cornerstone in the Rams offense, one of a handful of veterans the unit is built upon.
And now he is shelved by a nagging back injury that has him fretting about his future. Turley returned to St. Louis on Sunday for further testing and may head to Los Angeles to meet with a back specialist.
So much for the notion that offseason disc surgery fixed his problem.
"It was a threat to my career last year," Turley told reporters in Macomb, Ill. "For it to have possibly reoccurred is definitely a bigger threat."
Uh, oh. You hate to see words like "threat" and "career" in the same quote, especially when back injuries are being discussed.
Ever since reliable Fred Miller exited as a free agent after Super Bowl 34, the Rams have struggled to fill the right tackle position. Sometimes, successor Ryan Tucker dominated . . . and sometimes he got manhandled.
Tucker, too, departed as a free agent. That ushered in the ill-fated John St. Clair Era. After the ironically nicknamed "Beast" flopped miserably, the Rams turned to Turley.
They acquired him from New Orleans last year for a second-round pick, then locked him up with a five-year, $26.5 million contract extension – with $12 million of that money guaranteed.
He and Orlando Pace were impressive bookends on a Rams offensive line that got stronger as the 2004 season progressed. Their forceful play created high hopes for the unit coming into this season.
Now Turley is sidelined and Pace remains out of camp as an unsigned franchise player. Grant Williams is holding down the fort at left tackle and right tackle is a grab bag. Utility lineman Ryan Schau could become a capable fill-in, but he, too, has been limited by a back problem.
So what's the answer now? Scott Tercero? Greg Randall?
Furthermore, center Dave Wohlabaugh must take it easy while recovering from offseason hip surgery. That moves Andy McCollum back to center and puts inexperienced guard Andy King on the first unit.
Rams fans have every reason to fret about this unit. This mighty offense will sputter without sturdy run and pass blocking.
When the Air Martz passing game is clicking, it dares opponents to blitz. But if the pass protections falter and blitzes are not read correctly, the quarterback gets hammered.
With Chris Chandler backing up Marc Bulger these days, the Rams don't have any margin for error.
The Rams came to camp looking to build a more consistent ground game in 2004. The addition of first-round pick Steven Jackson, a punishing runner, will allow the team to grind out more yardage between the tackles,
If the line does its job, that is.
Turley is a big piece of the offensive equation. We assume Pace will eventually sign and suit up. The Rams are hopeful that Wohlabaugh will be back to full strength by the regular season opener.
But if recurring back problems wipe out Turley, the entire line could be compromised. The Rams would have to start a fill-in (who may or may not be up to the task) and the unit's depth would suffer as well.
And then if somebody else got hurt . . . well, let's not look too far down the road. Rams fans need to focus on one crisis at a time.
Post-Dispatch Online Sports Columnist
08/01/2004
Right tackle Kyle Turley is a cornerstone in the Rams offense, one of a handful of veterans the unit is built upon.
And now he is shelved by a nagging back injury that has him fretting about his future. Turley returned to St. Louis on Sunday for further testing and may head to Los Angeles to meet with a back specialist.
So much for the notion that offseason disc surgery fixed his problem.
"It was a threat to my career last year," Turley told reporters in Macomb, Ill. "For it to have possibly reoccurred is definitely a bigger threat."
Uh, oh. You hate to see words like "threat" and "career" in the same quote, especially when back injuries are being discussed.
Ever since reliable Fred Miller exited as a free agent after Super Bowl 34, the Rams have struggled to fill the right tackle position. Sometimes, successor Ryan Tucker dominated . . . and sometimes he got manhandled.
Tucker, too, departed as a free agent. That ushered in the ill-fated John St. Clair Era. After the ironically nicknamed "Beast" flopped miserably, the Rams turned to Turley.
They acquired him from New Orleans last year for a second-round pick, then locked him up with a five-year, $26.5 million contract extension – with $12 million of that money guaranteed.
He and Orlando Pace were impressive bookends on a Rams offensive line that got stronger as the 2004 season progressed. Their forceful play created high hopes for the unit coming into this season.
Now Turley is sidelined and Pace remains out of camp as an unsigned franchise player. Grant Williams is holding down the fort at left tackle and right tackle is a grab bag. Utility lineman Ryan Schau could become a capable fill-in, but he, too, has been limited by a back problem.
So what's the answer now? Scott Tercero? Greg Randall?
Furthermore, center Dave Wohlabaugh must take it easy while recovering from offseason hip surgery. That moves Andy McCollum back to center and puts inexperienced guard Andy King on the first unit.
Rams fans have every reason to fret about this unit. This mighty offense will sputter without sturdy run and pass blocking.
When the Air Martz passing game is clicking, it dares opponents to blitz. But if the pass protections falter and blitzes are not read correctly, the quarterback gets hammered.
With Chris Chandler backing up Marc Bulger these days, the Rams don't have any margin for error.
The Rams came to camp looking to build a more consistent ground game in 2004. The addition of first-round pick Steven Jackson, a punishing runner, will allow the team to grind out more yardage between the tackles,
If the line does its job, that is.
Turley is a big piece of the offensive equation. We assume Pace will eventually sign and suit up. The Rams are hopeful that Wohlabaugh will be back to full strength by the regular season opener.
But if recurring back problems wipe out Turley, the entire line could be compromised. The Rams would have to start a fill-in (who may or may not be up to the task) and the unit's depth would suffer as well.
And then if somebody else got hurt . . . well, let's not look too far down the road. Rams fans need to focus on one crisis at a time.
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