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Makeover is likely for St. Louis Rams
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/07/2010
With the offseason starting at Rams Park, let the roster-shaping begin.
Before the Rams get to the draft or free agency, they must make decisions on their current roster. Who to keep, who to re-sign, who figures into the plan for 2010 and beyond. And who doesn't.
It all starts with the quarterback position, particularly quarterback Marc Bulger. When Bulger went down with a season-ending fractured shin bone in late November, it seemed likely that he had played his last game in St. Louis.
But there's a chance that decision may not be in the hands of the Rams' front office and coaching staff. Multiple sources have told the Post-Dispatch that Bulger is considering retiring.
It's not unusual for veteran players to have such feelings after a tough season, only to change their minds after a few weeks or months away. (See: Brett Favre.) And a league source told the Post-Dispatch that Bulger has spoken informally with a friend on at least one other NFL team about the possibility of playing there.
But Bulger has had three tough seasons in a row in terms of injuries, level of play, supporting cast and organizational upheaval. It's possible he may just want to get on with life after football.
Bulger turns 33 before the start of training camp, has been in the league for a decade and has plenty of interests outside of football. He could not be reached to comment Wednesday.
A Bulger retirement would have the same impact on the Rams' salary cap as if he were traded or released. Unlike last offseason, the Rams would realize a net cap savings if Bulger was traded, released, or decided to retire.
He is scheduled to count $10.5 million against the team's 2010 salary cap. If he were not on the '10 roster, there would be $6 million of dead money, representing un-amortized signing bonus from his 2007 contract renegotiation. So the net savings would be $4.5 million — representing the original $10.5 million cap count minus the $6 million of dead money.
But Bulger is not the Rams' only concern at quarterback. In the time since his November injury the situation has become more muddled. Veteran Kyle Boller (two starts) and rookie Keith Null (four starts) hardly distinguished themselves replacing Bulger over the final six games.
As distressing as it may be to Bulger bashers, those six games clearly underscored the fact that Bulger is the best quarterback on the roster. Which may not be saying a lot, considering Bulger's subpar play since his 2006 Pro Bowl campaign.
There doesn't appear to be a franchise-type quarterback in the draft, either, and that complicates matters as well. It's one thing to say you can do better than Bulger; it's another to actually find that quarterback.
While the quarterback situation is first and foremost on the Rams' offseason agenda, there are plenty of other hot spots in terms of what to do with the current roster.
With the signing Monday of three practice squad players to the offseason roster — defensive end Sean Conover, center Drew Miller and offensive guard Mark Lewis — the Rams currently have 41 players under contract.
Two of the team's top three defensive ends, veterans Leonard Little and James Hall, are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents when the free agency and trading period begins March 5.
Little is considering retirement. But he's still the Rams' best pass rusher, and there may be some interest in re-signing him as a situational player. Then again, there may be some competition for Little's services from Carolina. Little's permanent home is in Charlotte, N.C., home of the Panthers, and Carolina's current defensive line coach, Brian Baker, was a Rams assistant from 2006-08 and knows Little well.
At tight end, Randy McMichael is unrestricted and seems unlikely to return in 2010. According to league sources, the Rams approached McMichael about taking a pay cut last offseason but he declined to do so, opting instead to play out his contract.
There are a few other unrestricted players of note, a list that includes Boller, linebacker Paris Lenon and longtime deep snapper Chris Massey.
Other than the unrestricted players, there are three other layers of potential free agents. In each case, the Rams have varying ability to retain their services:
— In a wrinkle unique to the unsettled nature of the collective bargaining agreement, seven Rams are in contract limbo. The group includes offensive tackle Alex Barron, free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, guard-center Mark Setterstrom and defensive end Victor Adeyanju.
If it's an uncapped year, they will be restricted free agents. If it's a capped year, they become unrestricted. Barring a new labor agreement, 2010 will be an uncapped year, meaning there will be no salary cap, and it's likely to be cheaper for the Rams to re-sign some of these players as restricted free agents.
— Six Rams are scheduled for restricted free agency, a group headed by starting defensive tackle Clifton Ryan, No. 3 safety Craig Dahl and No. 2 tight end Daniel Fells. Restricted free agents are players with three years of NFL experience and expired contracts. The Rams retain matching rights on any outside offers these players might receive simply by making a one-year tender offer.
— Eight players are scheduled to be exclusive rights free agents, a group headed by starting strongside linebacker David Vobora. The Rams can retain any of these players — all of whom have less than three years NFL experience — simply by making a one-year, minimum qualifying offer.
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/07/2010
With the offseason starting at Rams Park, let the roster-shaping begin.
Before the Rams get to the draft or free agency, they must make decisions on their current roster. Who to keep, who to re-sign, who figures into the plan for 2010 and beyond. And who doesn't.
It all starts with the quarterback position, particularly quarterback Marc Bulger. When Bulger went down with a season-ending fractured shin bone in late November, it seemed likely that he had played his last game in St. Louis.
But there's a chance that decision may not be in the hands of the Rams' front office and coaching staff. Multiple sources have told the Post-Dispatch that Bulger is considering retiring.
It's not unusual for veteran players to have such feelings after a tough season, only to change their minds after a few weeks or months away. (See: Brett Favre.) And a league source told the Post-Dispatch that Bulger has spoken informally with a friend on at least one other NFL team about the possibility of playing there.
But Bulger has had three tough seasons in a row in terms of injuries, level of play, supporting cast and organizational upheaval. It's possible he may just want to get on with life after football.
Bulger turns 33 before the start of training camp, has been in the league for a decade and has plenty of interests outside of football. He could not be reached to comment Wednesday.
A Bulger retirement would have the same impact on the Rams' salary cap as if he were traded or released. Unlike last offseason, the Rams would realize a net cap savings if Bulger was traded, released, or decided to retire.
He is scheduled to count $10.5 million against the team's 2010 salary cap. If he were not on the '10 roster, there would be $6 million of dead money, representing un-amortized signing bonus from his 2007 contract renegotiation. So the net savings would be $4.5 million — representing the original $10.5 million cap count minus the $6 million of dead money.
But Bulger is not the Rams' only concern at quarterback. In the time since his November injury the situation has become more muddled. Veteran Kyle Boller (two starts) and rookie Keith Null (four starts) hardly distinguished themselves replacing Bulger over the final six games.
As distressing as it may be to Bulger bashers, those six games clearly underscored the fact that Bulger is the best quarterback on the roster. Which may not be saying a lot, considering Bulger's subpar play since his 2006 Pro Bowl campaign.
There doesn't appear to be a franchise-type quarterback in the draft, either, and that complicates matters as well. It's one thing to say you can do better than Bulger; it's another to actually find that quarterback.
While the quarterback situation is first and foremost on the Rams' offseason agenda, there are plenty of other hot spots in terms of what to do with the current roster.
With the signing Monday of three practice squad players to the offseason roster — defensive end Sean Conover, center Drew Miller and offensive guard Mark Lewis — the Rams currently have 41 players under contract.
Two of the team's top three defensive ends, veterans Leonard Little and James Hall, are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents when the free agency and trading period begins March 5.
Little is considering retirement. But he's still the Rams' best pass rusher, and there may be some interest in re-signing him as a situational player. Then again, there may be some competition for Little's services from Carolina. Little's permanent home is in Charlotte, N.C., home of the Panthers, and Carolina's current defensive line coach, Brian Baker, was a Rams assistant from 2006-08 and knows Little well.
At tight end, Randy McMichael is unrestricted and seems unlikely to return in 2010. According to league sources, the Rams approached McMichael about taking a pay cut last offseason but he declined to do so, opting instead to play out his contract.
There are a few other unrestricted players of note, a list that includes Boller, linebacker Paris Lenon and longtime deep snapper Chris Massey.
Other than the unrestricted players, there are three other layers of potential free agents. In each case, the Rams have varying ability to retain their services:
— In a wrinkle unique to the unsettled nature of the collective bargaining agreement, seven Rams are in contract limbo. The group includes offensive tackle Alex Barron, free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, guard-center Mark Setterstrom and defensive end Victor Adeyanju.
If it's an uncapped year, they will be restricted free agents. If it's a capped year, they become unrestricted. Barring a new labor agreement, 2010 will be an uncapped year, meaning there will be no salary cap, and it's likely to be cheaper for the Rams to re-sign some of these players as restricted free agents.
— Six Rams are scheduled for restricted free agency, a group headed by starting defensive tackle Clifton Ryan, No. 3 safety Craig Dahl and No. 2 tight end Daniel Fells. Restricted free agents are players with three years of NFL experience and expired contracts. The Rams retain matching rights on any outside offers these players might receive simply by making a one-year tender offer.
— Eight players are scheduled to be exclusive rights free agents, a group headed by starting strongside linebacker David Vobora. The Rams can retain any of these players — all of whom have less than three years NFL experience — simply by making a one-year, minimum qualifying offer.
RAMMER
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