Tweet
Young Rams want to stick it out
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/10/2010
Last offseason, free agent cornerback Ron Bartell re-signed with the Rams in part because he wanted to help with the turnaround of a once-proud franchise. In so doing, he passed on a chance to join the New Orleans Saints.
Less than a year later, the Saints are 13-3 and have the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Rams are 1-15 and have the No. 1 pick in the draft.
"When I re-signed, I knew it wasn't going to be an overnight thing," Bartell said. "I got into it for the long haul. So I knew it was going to take time. ... We still have the right people in place. I totally, firmly believe that. I think I made the best decision for me. I still think we can get this thing turned around."
Maybe so, but the last thing Bartell and his teammates expected was 1-15.
"It was extremely difficult," Bartell said. "With all the changes we made, you definitely didn't see that coming. But it is what it is. We put ourselves in this position. The only thing we can do now is move forward."
Nobody expected miracles in 2009. But with a new front office, a new head coach, and massive roster changes, nobody expected fewer victories than 2008 — a 2-14 season that saw Scott Linehan fired after just four games and interim head coach Jim Haslett shown the door after finishing the year with 10 consecutive losses.
The new head coach, Steve Spagnuolo, insists a foundation for success was laid emphasizing "team," hard work, and optimism for better days ahead. General manager Billy Devaney insists there are fewer holes on the roster than a year ago, although he concedes plenty of work remains to be done.
But after all was said and done, the 2009 team was worse than the '08 version, which lost four of its last five contests by four points or less. And it's debatable whether the Rams are any closer to being playoff competitive in the near future.
An optimist might say the Rams knowingly took their lumps in '09 while scorching the roster of older, declining veterans; getting the team's salary cap situation back on solid footing; and giving loads of younger players valuable playing experience.
A pessimist might say that the franchise remains stuck in the muck at the bottom of the standings. That the Rams have a glaring lack of playmakers. And that it's debatable how much better many of the youngsters will get in another season or two.
"I think we have a lot of talent on this team," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "That if you look at a lot of the games this year, they could've gone other ways. I think we have great coaches. Another year together, it's going to be something good. There's definitely a lot of competitiveness in this group."
As Laurinaitis sees it, 2009 was a year of learning, a year of resiliency, a year of coping with defeat.
"It's very easy to play 100 percent when you're winning, and things are rolling, and the crowd's into it, and stuff like that," he said. "But when you're down and things get out of control, that's when it's very easy to pack it in. I think I learned a lot about myself this year. I've never been put in that (losing) situation except for a few times in college. You can tell who really cares by who really keeps trying in those moments."
By all accounts, it's a good locker room, underscoring Spagnuolo's attempts at team building.
"It was a pleasure playing with these guys," said defensive end James Hall, a veteran of 10 NFL seasons — the past three with the Rams. "Each locker room is different. And I've been in some bad ones. I've been in some good ones. So you try to stay with the good ones."
Bartell said: "We have a good mix of young guys that are willing to learn, and veterans that are willing to lead. Not a lot of egos. Everybody's playing for the same goal. We didn't accomplish that, of course, but I think in the end we all just stuck together."
Defensive tackle Clifton Ryan doesn't think the Rams are that far away, citing a corps of young veterans such as Bartell, center Jason Brown, offensive tackle Alex Barron, defensive end Chris Long, and safeties James Butler and Oshiomogho Atogwe. Plus newcomers Laurinaitis and offensive tackle Jason Smith.
"I think we're a couple additions away in my opinion," Ryan said.
With a little more seasoning, some luck with injuries, and more expertise at finishing out close games, Ryan feels the victory total could mount considerably next season.
"If you look across the league, most of these playoff teams are very experienced teams and have been together for quite some time," Ryan said. "That's why I hope they can keep all of us together in this system under this coaching staff. So we can grow and keep getting the morale and the camaraderie up, so we can do something special around here. Because the city deserves it. The fans deserve it. And most of all, the players deserve it."
Easier said than done, according to running back Steven Jackson.
"We have a lot of work to get done," Jackson said. "We have a lot of things that need to get turned around. ... Something has to turn. What we've done this year is not enough. We've got to work harder."
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/10/2010
Last offseason, free agent cornerback Ron Bartell re-signed with the Rams in part because he wanted to help with the turnaround of a once-proud franchise. In so doing, he passed on a chance to join the New Orleans Saints.
Less than a year later, the Saints are 13-3 and have the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Rams are 1-15 and have the No. 1 pick in the draft.
"When I re-signed, I knew it wasn't going to be an overnight thing," Bartell said. "I got into it for the long haul. So I knew it was going to take time. ... We still have the right people in place. I totally, firmly believe that. I think I made the best decision for me. I still think we can get this thing turned around."
Maybe so, but the last thing Bartell and his teammates expected was 1-15.
"It was extremely difficult," Bartell said. "With all the changes we made, you definitely didn't see that coming. But it is what it is. We put ourselves in this position. The only thing we can do now is move forward."
Nobody expected miracles in 2009. But with a new front office, a new head coach, and massive roster changes, nobody expected fewer victories than 2008 — a 2-14 season that saw Scott Linehan fired after just four games and interim head coach Jim Haslett shown the door after finishing the year with 10 consecutive losses.
The new head coach, Steve Spagnuolo, insists a foundation for success was laid emphasizing "team," hard work, and optimism for better days ahead. General manager Billy Devaney insists there are fewer holes on the roster than a year ago, although he concedes plenty of work remains to be done.
But after all was said and done, the 2009 team was worse than the '08 version, which lost four of its last five contests by four points or less. And it's debatable whether the Rams are any closer to being playoff competitive in the near future.
An optimist might say the Rams knowingly took their lumps in '09 while scorching the roster of older, declining veterans; getting the team's salary cap situation back on solid footing; and giving loads of younger players valuable playing experience.
A pessimist might say that the franchise remains stuck in the muck at the bottom of the standings. That the Rams have a glaring lack of playmakers. And that it's debatable how much better many of the youngsters will get in another season or two.
"I think we have a lot of talent on this team," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "That if you look at a lot of the games this year, they could've gone other ways. I think we have great coaches. Another year together, it's going to be something good. There's definitely a lot of competitiveness in this group."
As Laurinaitis sees it, 2009 was a year of learning, a year of resiliency, a year of coping with defeat.
"It's very easy to play 100 percent when you're winning, and things are rolling, and the crowd's into it, and stuff like that," he said. "But when you're down and things get out of control, that's when it's very easy to pack it in. I think I learned a lot about myself this year. I've never been put in that (losing) situation except for a few times in college. You can tell who really cares by who really keeps trying in those moments."
By all accounts, it's a good locker room, underscoring Spagnuolo's attempts at team building.
"It was a pleasure playing with these guys," said defensive end James Hall, a veteran of 10 NFL seasons — the past three with the Rams. "Each locker room is different. And I've been in some bad ones. I've been in some good ones. So you try to stay with the good ones."
Bartell said: "We have a good mix of young guys that are willing to learn, and veterans that are willing to lead. Not a lot of egos. Everybody's playing for the same goal. We didn't accomplish that, of course, but I think in the end we all just stuck together."
Defensive tackle Clifton Ryan doesn't think the Rams are that far away, citing a corps of young veterans such as Bartell, center Jason Brown, offensive tackle Alex Barron, defensive end Chris Long, and safeties James Butler and Oshiomogho Atogwe. Plus newcomers Laurinaitis and offensive tackle Jason Smith.
"I think we're a couple additions away in my opinion," Ryan said.
With a little more seasoning, some luck with injuries, and more expertise at finishing out close games, Ryan feels the victory total could mount considerably next season.
"If you look across the league, most of these playoff teams are very experienced teams and have been together for quite some time," Ryan said. "That's why I hope they can keep all of us together in this system under this coaching staff. So we can grow and keep getting the morale and the camaraderie up, so we can do something special around here. Because the city deserves it. The fans deserve it. And most of all, the players deserve it."
Easier said than done, according to running back Steven Jackson.
"We have a lot of work to get done," Jackson said. "We have a lot of things that need to get turned around. ... Something has to turn. What we've done this year is not enough. We've got to work harder."
Comment