We heard Dishman had gout

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
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
A new respect for Dishman

by RamWraith

Apparently Dishman took off after the Bears game to go back home to tie up loose ends. This turns out to be the whole reason he left football in the first place; his family. His kids have had several sleepless nights and shed a lot of tears for their dad's absence. Dishman's comments were; "the money is good but his family is much more important and makes the money he's being paid inconsequential". Dishman also needed to put some closure to his High School team, in which he never really said good bye or had a chance to explain the situation to the kids. He also stated that he was honoring his contract and would never go back on his word.

I now have a whole new respect for this guy. His priorities sure seemed to be in check. He seems to be playing for this team for all the right reasons. It's good to see stuff like this about athletes
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-08-19-2004, 07:55 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
Nutten is ready for his encore

by RamWraith

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch
11/17/2004

There was a time late in Sunday's game against Seattle when Mike Martz looked out at the Rams' offensive huddle from the sideline and saw the numbers 76, 61, 67, 62. . . .

"It just brought back old memories," Martz said.

Suddenly it was 2001 all over again.

For much of the Greatest Show on Turf period - those three seasons of 500-plus points from 1999 through 2001 - offensive linemen Orlando Pace, Tom Nutten, Andy McCollum and Adam Timmerman did much of the heavy lifting for the Rams' high-wire act.

Now, a succession of injuries at left guard has brought Nutten all the way back - from retirement to the Rams' starting lineup.

"It's like old times," said McCollum, the Rams' center. "He's back. I don't know if you watched him much at the (Seattle) game, but he looked really good. Like his old self."

With Scott Tercero a pregame scratch because of a shoulder injury, Nutten was the Rams' next option when Chris Dishman went down early in the third quarter with a knee injury. Dishman tried to return later in the quarter, but after a couple of plays gave way for good to Nutten.

For Nutten, 33, it was his first extended playing time in two years.

"It felt strange, but it felt good at the same time," he said. "It felt natural. There were a lot of emotions that I went through."

Tercero was put on the injured reserve list Tuesday, ending his season, and he will need surgery on the shoulder. Dishman suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee, an injury that won't require surgery but will sideline him for four to six weeks.

So as the Rams continue their drive for the playoffs, they are counting on Nutten to fill the void at left guard, perhaps for the rest of the regular season.

"I'm pretty excited," he said Wednesday. "I think somebody said 'anxious' is a good word. We're just starting our work week, so I've got to settle myself down a little bit and make sure I don't peak too early."

When Nutten takes the field Sunday against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., it will be almost two years to the day since his last NFL start. On Nov. 24, 2002, Nutten suffered a season-ending broken leg against Washington. The last glimpse of Nutten as a Ram that day was doing an interview for a German television crew in the visitors' locker room at FedEx Field. Nutten, who spent much of his youth in Germany, speaks fluent German.

Unable to offer Nutten much more than a minimum contract in free agency, the Rams could do little but sit and watch him sign with the New York Jets the following offseason.

"I hated losing him," Martz said. "I really like him. He got out there and got a little disillusioned....
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-11-18-2004, 07:06 AM

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We heard Dishman had gout

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