We heard Dishman had gout

Tercero is a "warrior" chasing Mexican roots

by RamDez

Tercero is a "warrior" chasing Mexican roots
By Bill Coats

Of the Post-Dispatch
10/09/2004
Rams guard Scott Tercero keeps an eye on his man in training camp. Tercero is expected to start at left guard in place of injured Chris Dishman on Sunday afternoon.
(Chris Lee/P-D)

Although he was born and raised in the United States, Rams guard Scott Tercero remains curious about his Mexican ancestry.

"I think a lot of third- and fourth-generation children lose track of their heritage," Tercero said. "I've been trying to find out about the area where my grandparents grew up."

That would be Zacatecas, a city of 117,500 situated in central Mexico, about 400 miles northwest of Mexico City. Tercero had scheduled a trip there, but illness forced him to cancel.

Richard and Theresa Tercero reared their family - Scott, plus younger siblings Brent, Grant and Alison - in Pico Rivera, a suburb east of Los Angeles. As a youngster, Scott said, learning about his Mexican roots "wasn't that big of a deal."

But as he grew older, Scott's interest in his family's background increased. He intends to plan a trip to Zacatecas, home of Mexico's oldest bull ring but hardly a hotbed of NFL fans. If Tercero continues to make a name for himself with the Rams, perhaps that will change.

Tercero, a second-year pro from Cal-Berkeley, is expected to start at left guard in place of injured Chris Dishman on Sunday, when the Rams (2-2) face the Seahawks (3-0) in Seattle in an NFC West showdown. Tercero, the Rams' sixth-round draft choice in 2003, made his first career start last Sunday in the Rams' 24-14 victory at San Francisco.

"I had a lot of family there and a lot of friends, so it added that much more to the excitement," said Tercero, who will turn 23 on Oct. 28. "A lot of people that are important to me got to see me play in my first start."

They saw him play well, according to left tackle Orlando Pace.

"Scotty played great," Pace said. "He broke a bone in his hand, and that just goes to show how tough he is: He stayed in the game. He's a warrior out there."

After reviewing Tercero's performance on tape, coach Mike Martz echoed Pace's assessment. Martz said one play in particular stood out.

"I don't know how he saw this linebacker coming on a pitch play where Steven (Jackson) took it down to about the 10-yard line," Martz said. "He saw (the linebacker) and turned back in and got him. He has an awareness that's really unusual."

Apprised of Martz's wonderment over the play, Tercero laughed and claimed to possess no special skills in clairvoyance.

"I wouldn't say that I have a sixth sense," he said. "You play the game
...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-10-10-2004, 02:19 AM
Rams Begin Prep for Washington

by RamWraith

hursday, August 26, 2004

By Nick Wagoner
Staff Writer

After a couple days of consistently bad news, the Rams got some good news Tuesday night. Quarterback Marc Bulger had an MRI on his left knee Tuesday, but the results came back the way he hoped, revealing there was no damage. Had Bulger suffered a serious injury, it would have been the next in an extensive line of blows for the Rams in the preseason.

Kyle Turley�s back remains a question, Dave Wohlabaugh was released because of a hip injury, Jimmy Kennedy broke his foot and Travis Fisher broke his right forearm. None of that would compare to a Bulger injury that would cause him to miss an extended period. Fortunately for the Rams, it appears they have little to worry about in Bulger�s case.

Bulger said his knee is going to be fine. �It�s good,� Bulger said. �We just had an MRI just because we didn�t have the extra time to evaluate it after a day or two. With the short week, we just wanted to get a quicker diagnosis. I think you can usually tell when you�re injured, but I think it was just more precautionary.� Bulger said his knee was sore and he might be limited with running in the next few days, but he expects to play against Washington on Friday night.

Coach Mike Martz said Tuesday that Bulger was spun around and might have been hit on the kneecap when he was sacked in the first half against Kansas City on Monday night. Bulger played the entire first half before calling it a night. In his stint, Bulger was eight-of-15 for 67 yards and an interception. The Chiefs blitzed more than most teams in the preseason, taking advantage of St. Louis� patchwork offensive line and sacking Bulger three times.

The protection must pick up blitzes better against Washington to ensure that Bulger stays healthy and the offense gets going. St. Louis has scored 17 points in its first two preseason games. Bulger said he can�t worry about anything but his own performance. �I think it�s pretty obvious we need to put the ball in the endzone,� Bulger said. �They are doing a fine job. I have got to shore up some of my own business. It�s not for me to worry about everyone else. The bottom line is we are not getting it done. �We could make a million excuses, but the bottom line is if we had 10 plays we should be able to score.�

NEW BEGINNINGS: Cornerbacks Kevin Garrett and DeJuan Groce began their first day of practice as Fisher�s potential replacements. Martz said Fisher had surgery Wednesday and there was no nerve damage. Groce has missed time because he sprained his left knee on Aug. 18, and he resumed running Wednesday.

Replacing an injured player is not new to Groce, who was in a similar situation in 2003. Fisher strained his groin against Green Bay on Oct. 19 and Groce came in to replace him. The next week against Pittsburgh, Groce made his first career start in Fisher�s stead.

...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-08-26-2004, 12:12 PM
Bulger Among the Best at Quarterback

by RamDez

Bulger Among the Best at Quarterback
Saturday, October 2, 2004

By Nick Wagoner
Staff Writer

Lost in all of the worries and warts in St. Louis� past two games is one extremely encouraging development.

Quarterback Marc Bulger has emerged as one of the league�s best quarterbacks, ranking third in passing yards (915) and seventh in rating (94.7). After a solid outing against Arizona in the opener, Bulger had a good game against Atlanta. This past weekend against New Orleans his effort showed he could be making the move to the next level.

Rams� coach Mike Martz said Bulger is starting to embrace his role as a leader of the team.

�He has always had that moniker, if you will, of being a guy that would do whatever it takes to win the game, that�s just part of it,� Martz said. �Making a great throw, moving around, scrambling, whatever it takes to win a game and having the presence of mind to do that is very important. I know he is quiet, and you don�t know him like I do, but he�s very competitive and tough.�

Bulger threw the ball all over the field against the Saints, hitting passes long and short, racking up 358 passing yards and a touchdown. The yardage total was the third highest of his career, but it was what he did with his legs that made him stand out.

On a play that could someday be remembered as one of his defining moments, Bulger darted up the seam of the New Orleans� defense to score from 19 yards out and give the Rams the lead with 28 seconds to play.

�I think he is playing exceptionally well,� Martz said. �His decisions, his check-downs, taking off at the end of the game and getting the ball in the end zone, he is getting better, better and better. I�m very pleased with him.

�There has been significant progress over the first few games. I really thought in the first few games, the stress that we talk about wore on him a little and maybe it did. But he has been shaking that off really well, and he�s on his way now. I�m very impressed with how he has played.�

TER�IN IT UP: Scott Tercero emerged in the preseason as one of the Rams� most valuable players.

Tercero was drafted in 2003 as a guard out of California, but since arriving in the NFL, he has become the utility man of the offensive line. He spent time in the preseason at tackle with Orlando Pace gone and Kyle Turley hurt. Then, Adam Timmerman and Chris Dishman battled some injury problems, causing Tercero to move back to guard. He has also spent some time in practice at center.

All of that paled in comparison to the task he was handed on Sept. 26. Dishman left the New Orleans game with an ankle injury and Tercero stepped in. The Saints� defensive line came after him with everything it had and Tercero held up.

�He really did a good job,� Martz said. �I was so pleased with him. He was able to pass things...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-10-03-2004, 12:40 AM
Shoulder injury puts Tercero out for season

by RamWraith

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch
11/17/2004
Rams offensive lineman Scott Tercero proved in 2004 that he could play in the NFL. Unfortunately, he's done playing for the season because of a shoulder injury that will require surgery.

Tercero was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ending a season in which he rocketed up the depth chart with a surprisingly strong showing in the preseason and started four regular-season games at left guard.

"I would've loved to have finished the season," Tercero said. "But to get to play in the first half of the season was great. I got some experience under my belt, and I'm going to try to take it from here and put that into next season."

With Chris Dishman expected to miss this week's game in Buffalo because of a knee injury, it looks like Tom Nutten will start for the Rams at left guard, the position he manned from 1999 through 2002 in St. Louis, including two Super Bowl starts.

Tercero, a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2003 from California, spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad. But with the encouragement of Rams coaches, who told him he had the potential to play in the NFL, Tercero worked on getting bigger and stronger in the offseason.

"I think that was probably one of the biggest knocks against me, that I was undersized," said Tercero, who's listed at 6-4, 303 pounds.

The work apparently paid off. With Orlando Pace missing all of the preseason in a contract impasse, Tercero started all four exhibition games at offensive tackle, displaying quick feet and good agility.

"That first preseason game, I was really nervous because I had a lot to prove - not only to the management and the (coaching) staff, but to myself that I could play at this level," Tercero said. "You really don't know that, until you put your hand in the dirt and you actually do play."

Once the regular season began, he took over for the injured Dishman at left guard with starts against San Francisco (Oct. 3), Seattle (Oct. 10), Tampa Bay (Oct. 18) and Miami (Oct. 24).

But almost as soon as he began playing, the injuries started mounting. Tercero suffered a broken bone in his left hand against the ***** but kept playing even though he had to wear a cast and at times appeared to be blocking almost one-handed.

Then came a nagging right shoulder injury that couldn't be overcome. Tercero missed some time against New England and was on the pregame inactive list Sunday against Seattle because of the shoulder problem. But he can't recall exactly when or how he initially suffered the injury.

"It's something that's been bothering me for the last few weeks," Tercero said. "It was starting to get progressively worse, to the point where I made a decision that I wouldn't be able to play...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-11-17-2004, 11:59 AM
Rams offensive line serves and protects in exhibition win

by RamWraith

By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Saturday, Aug. 28 2004

Group recovers against Washington after a difficult outing Monday in loss at
Kansas City.

If the Rams' Scott Tercero never reads or hears the term "patchwork offensive
line" again, he'll be a happy man.

"I don't think they should use that," said Tercero, who has been playing right
tackle with the first unit. "Everyone's tired of hearing 'patchwork offensive
line.' Yeah, we have a couple of young guys playing, but with time, experience
comes. And I think we're doing really well."

It was hard to argue with Tercero after the Rams' 28-3 preseason victory over
the Washington Redskins on Friday night at Edward Jones Dome. The Rams'
offense, which totaled only 584 yards and mustered just 17 points in the first
two exhibition games combined, broke out for 435 yards against the 'Skins.

Perhaps as significant, the line kept quarterbacks Marc Bulger, Chris Chandler
and Jeff Smoker out of harm's way, for the most part. The Redskins recorded one
sack just four days after the Kansas City Chiefs dropped Rams QBs four times.

"If you look across the board, there's nothing to be embarrassed about; those
(offensive linemen) are a good group," Bulger said. "I don't know of any group
that can just come together in a week and play great, especially against the
package of blitzes that Kansas City had. They've had a little more time
together, and they're going to be fine."

With first-team tackles Orlando Pace (contract dispute) and Kyle Turley (back
injury) out and incumbent center Dave Wohlabaugh (hip injury) released, the
only remaining starters on the line are guard Adam Timmerman and center Andy
McCollum, who played left guard last season.

Plugging the holes have been Tercero, tackles Grant Williams and Greg Randall,
and guards Chris Dishman and Andy King. Randall and Dishman were signed as free
agents after training camp began, and guard Tom Nutten, a Rams starter for four
years, was summoned out of a one-year retirement a week ago.

Dishman, an eight-year veteran who has been starting at left guard, carried a
heavy load Friday because Nutten suffered a toe injury in the first half.
Dishman, who has shed 20 pounds but still weighs 354, said the extra work was
beneficial.

"It was good to see where I was at to (prepare to) play a full game; I felt
pretty good," said Dishman, who also had retired before the Rams called. "There
were a couple of long drives and my conditioning was better than what I thought
it would be. Not as good as I'd like it to be, but it'll get there."...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-08-28-2004, 06:51 AM

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We heard Dishman had gout

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