St. Louis Rams' Victor Adeyanju enjoys free hand
BY BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/01/2009
Greet Rams defensive end Victor Adeyanju, and he'll be more than happy to shake hands. A simple gesture, true. But a year ago, Adeyanju couldn't have done it.
That's because his right hand was encased in a bulky wrap as protection for the middle finger he broke on the third day of training camp. "It feels like you're carrying a baby," Adeyanju said.
The injury required surgery, but Adeyanju played in all 16 regular-season games and recorded a career-high 73 tackles, including two sacks. He graduated to a smaller cast as the finger healed, but he was encumbered throughout the season.
"I did what I could do last year, but it kind of set me back," said Adeyanju, a fourth-round draft pick in 2006. Because he compensated for the injury, he's had to "re-learn some things" during camp this year while also familiarizing himself with a new approach on defense under coordinator Ken Flajole.
"A lot of things have changed," Adeyanju said. "The scheme's a little more complex. A number of things could change depending on who our opponent is."
Rookie coach Steve Spagnuolo demands versatility from his linemen, which is a plus for Adeyanju. Stout against the run, the 6-foot-4, 284-pound Adeyanju was moved inside last year in certain situations. He has been getting more of the same this summer, with promising results, Spagnuolo reported.
"Victor is one of those smart guys that can play a couple of different positions," Spagnuolo said. "He's doing a good job."
It's an ongoing process, Adeyanju stressed. "I'm learning how to leverage a guy, work my hands, playing different techniques. I'm still trying to get a feel for things, working a lot of different moves. It's getting really interesting."
NO SELLOUT
Even though the coveted Governor's Cup will be at stake, Thursday's home preseason game vs. Kansas City won't sell out, according to Kevin Demoff, the Rams' executive vice president of football operations.
Because of NFL rules, it can't be shown live locally, although KTVI (Channel 2) will air the game on tape-delay, beginning at about 10:30 that night.
FIVE GET CUT TODAY
The Rams must trim five players from their 80-man roster by 3 p.m. today (St. Louis time). Just four days later, the final 53-man squad has to be determined.
Today's cuts won't be particularly difficult to make, but Spagnuolo insisted that he still had a number of decisions to reach before Saturday's deadline. "I'm keeping an open mind with that last group of guys, because we're not done yet," he said. "We've got some practice and we've got a game."
RAM-BLINGS...
-08-31-2009, 10:13 PM
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