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By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Friday, Dec. 24 2004
One came from the deep Southeast, the other from the far Northwest. One arrived
brimming with promise, the other with only slight hope of making the team. One
is black, the other white.
They met at Rams Park. And now, several months later, rookies Anthony Hargrove
and Brian Howard are virtually inseparable.
"That's why we call ourselves 'Salt and Pepper' - we're always together,"
Hargrove said. "You always have salt and pepper together; you don't have one
without the other. That's kind of how we are."
Hargrove was the team's second draft pick in April, a third-round selection
from Georgia Tech.
"We felt like this was a guy that will ascend quickly," Rams coach Mike Martz
said on draft day. "The athleticism, the speed, the strength - all those things
that you're looking for in a pass-rusher and defensive end are there."
Hargrove, a boisterous 21-year-old from Punta Gorda, Fla., received a
three-year, $1,374,000 million contract that included a $442,000 signing bonus.
Howard, a reserved 23-year-old who grew up in the Seattle suburb of Kent,
Wash., and played college ball at Idaho, wasn't drafted. He joined the Rams as
a free agent on April 30. After surviving the final training camp cut, he
signed a three-year deal worth $927,500.
Each has played in 13 games, with Howard getting a start Nov. 29 at Green Bay
and Hargrove possibly in line for his first start Monday night against
Philadelphia. Both see considerable special-teams action.
As strangers in an unfamiliar city, they sought companionship. That they found
it in each other came as a surprise to both of them.
"You get here as a rookie and you kind of look for someone to pal around with,"
Howard said. "During camp, we didn't really hang out much. It started more
toward the regular season. We found out we had a lot in common, and we were
real compatible as friends."
Roommates on the road and neighbors in the locker room, they spend most of
their nonfootball hours together, too.
"He's usually the first guy I call in the morning when I get up and the last
guy I call before I go to bed," said Hargrove, adding that they planned to
spend Christmas Day together, probably at his house in St. Peters. Howard lives
in an apartment about 10 minutes away. Hargrove said they've "educated" each
other as their comradeship has grown.
"He's showed me that Western fishing, country-life kind of thing, and I've
showed him the wild, city-boy type of atmosphere," he said.
Most important, they've filled voids left when they traveled so many miles from
home to pursue NFL careers.
"That's the best thing about it, being away from family all the time, to have
somebody you can always call on," Hargrove said.
In the trenches
Left guard Tom Nutten is expected to return to the lineup Monday. Whether he
returns to the Rams next season remains to be determined.
"I'm here right now and, I'll take it one day at a time," Nutten said. "I've
(considered) the question about next year, but I haven't made a decision about
it."
Martz lured Nutten, 33, out of a one-year retirement in late August, after
injuries had decimated the offensive line. Toe and knee injuries kept him out
last week, and rookie Larry Turner filled in.
Second-year pro Scott Tercero, who made three starts at left guard
before an injury to his right shoulder ended his season, remains in a sling
three weeks after surgery.
"My labrum was torn pretty bad, but they said it would heal pretty well," he
said. "It feels pretty good. It should be almost as good as new." Tercero said
he should be cleared to begin serious rehab in about a week.
Cornerback Jerametrius Butler is eight hours short of a degree in
criminal justice from Kansas State. He plans on a second career when his
playing days are over
Of the Post-Dispatch
Friday, Dec. 24 2004
One came from the deep Southeast, the other from the far Northwest. One arrived
brimming with promise, the other with only slight hope of making the team. One
is black, the other white.
They met at Rams Park. And now, several months later, rookies Anthony Hargrove
and Brian Howard are virtually inseparable.
"That's why we call ourselves 'Salt and Pepper' - we're always together,"
Hargrove said. "You always have salt and pepper together; you don't have one
without the other. That's kind of how we are."
Hargrove was the team's second draft pick in April, a third-round selection
from Georgia Tech.
"We felt like this was a guy that will ascend quickly," Rams coach Mike Martz
said on draft day. "The athleticism, the speed, the strength - all those things
that you're looking for in a pass-rusher and defensive end are there."
Hargrove, a boisterous 21-year-old from Punta Gorda, Fla., received a
three-year, $1,374,000 million contract that included a $442,000 signing bonus.
Howard, a reserved 23-year-old who grew up in the Seattle suburb of Kent,
Wash., and played college ball at Idaho, wasn't drafted. He joined the Rams as
a free agent on April 30. After surviving the final training camp cut, he
signed a three-year deal worth $927,500.
Each has played in 13 games, with Howard getting a start Nov. 29 at Green Bay
and Hargrove possibly in line for his first start Monday night against
Philadelphia. Both see considerable special-teams action.
As strangers in an unfamiliar city, they sought companionship. That they found
it in each other came as a surprise to both of them.
"You get here as a rookie and you kind of look for someone to pal around with,"
Howard said. "During camp, we didn't really hang out much. It started more
toward the regular season. We found out we had a lot in common, and we were
real compatible as friends."
Roommates on the road and neighbors in the locker room, they spend most of
their nonfootball hours together, too.
"He's usually the first guy I call in the morning when I get up and the last
guy I call before I go to bed," said Hargrove, adding that they planned to
spend Christmas Day together, probably at his house in St. Peters. Howard lives
in an apartment about 10 minutes away. Hargrove said they've "educated" each
other as their comradeship has grown.
"He's showed me that Western fishing, country-life kind of thing, and I've
showed him the wild, city-boy type of atmosphere," he said.
Most important, they've filled voids left when they traveled so many miles from
home to pursue NFL careers.
"That's the best thing about it, being away from family all the time, to have
somebody you can always call on," Hargrove said.
In the trenches
Left guard Tom Nutten is expected to return to the lineup Monday. Whether he
returns to the Rams next season remains to be determined.
"I'm here right now and, I'll take it one day at a time," Nutten said. "I've
(considered) the question about next year, but I haven't made a decision about
it."
Martz lured Nutten, 33, out of a one-year retirement in late August, after
injuries had decimated the offensive line. Toe and knee injuries kept him out
last week, and rookie Larry Turner filled in.
Second-year pro Scott Tercero, who made three starts at left guard
before an injury to his right shoulder ended his season, remains in a sling
three weeks after surgery.
"My labrum was torn pretty bad, but they said it would heal pretty well," he
said. "It feels pretty good. It should be almost as good as new." Tercero said
he should be cleared to begin serious rehab in about a week.
Cornerback Jerametrius Butler is eight hours short of a degree in
criminal justice from Kansas State. He plans on a second career when his
playing days are over
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