SB Nation - Quincy Butler

Rams add TE Fells to lengthy IR list

VanRam — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:40:23 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Fells is headed to IR.

Another Monday, another player to the Injured Reserve list for the St. Louis Rams. Today's entrant is TE Daniel Fells who was placed on IR after a fracture in his thigh and a sprained ligament. Though Fells had just 4 receptions in his last two games - he left late in the first quarter this week - the third year TE was an important part of the Rams injury-depleted pass catchers.

CB Quincy Butler has a knee and an ankle sprain that will probably keep him out for the rest of the season, definitely this week.

The Rams will activate CB Jonathan Wade for their game against the Cardinals. Jeez. Remember, Wade was a starting CB when the season began, and was gradually replaced by Bradley Fletcher. At first, it just seemed like Fletcher was a better corner, because he was, but then Butler and Justin King got more reps after Fletcher went to IR. Such is life in the NFL...

In one other item of interest from the injury report today: OT Jason Smith has not taken another baseline neurological examination. Hmmm. That most likely means he's still experiencing symptoms and is thus close to being shut down for the season, officially or unofficially. That's too bad. I'd really like to see more Smith, but there's no point taking a risk with your investment for two more games of what could very well become a one-win season.

For those of you keeping count at home, that's 12 players on IR for the Rams, 9 of those players were starters. Here's the list:

DT Adam Carriker
WR Laurent Robinson
DT Gary Gibson
LS Chris Massey
WR Keenan Burton
FS Oshiomogho Atogwe
OG Jacob Bell
CB Bradley Fletcher
TE Daniel Fells
WR Brooks Foster
DE C. J. Ah You
S Eric Bassey

If you include players that could and probably should be put on IR, you've got quite a team.

Grading the Rams cornerbacks

VanRam — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:41:23 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

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A quick look at some cornerback stats for the St. Louis Rams underscores just what losing Bradley Fletcher really means for this team.

Last week, the Colts threw at Fletcher 7 times and completed just two passes. The third round pick from Iowa spent most of his time last Sunday, before hyperextending his knee, covering Colts' WR Pierre Garcon, who caught a single 15-yard pass. Now, that might have looked a little different had the rookie been covering Reggie Wayne.

The Rams most senior CB Ron Bartell spent the day with Wayne and got beat on 5 of 7 throws for 70 yards. Manning completed a 27-yard TD pass to Dallas Clark against Bartell too, and for the most part the Rams secondary had trouble making the shift from the receiver to the ball, no easy task with Manning as it is. It's also important to consider the QB in judging cornerbacks. Peyton Manning is one of the best, but he's not infallible.

As for Quincy Butler, the Colts completed 1 of 3 passes thrown at him. Reggie Wayne made a 7-yard grab with 1 yard after the catch against Butler.

We don't know yet who'll be under center for the Lions, but Calvin Johnson can expect to see plenty of double coverage.

Housekeeping notes...

I'll have the weekly pick 'em poll and results from last week up today.
Turf Show Radio is on the air tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. Central time.

Quincy Butler likely to start for Rams at CB

VanRam — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:43:26 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

2 months ago: St. Louis Rams punt returner Quincy Butler tries to grab his fumble, which was recovered by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Scott McKillop for a touchdown in the second quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Afternoon notes about the St.. Louis Rams...

It sounds like Quincy Butler will get the start in place of Bradley Fletcher at cornerback. Butler had some really sharp moments in camp this year. And then it started to look like he was just really good at camp. He's had some ugly gaffs. He might suffice against Detroit, depending on what shakes out with their QB situation. I can't imagine that they won't find at least do their due dillengence to see who's out there at CB, though it's not likely to be much. The Fletcher injury really, really stinks for the Rams and their rebuilding effort. Finding solid starters from third round picks is key, and they just lost one.

Rams MLB James Laurinaitis was in the running for the NFL's Rookie of the Month, one of seven first-year players to be considered for the award. Bills S Jairus Byrd picked off the award, the second safety to win the award this season. Three first round picks, two second round picks, one fifth-rounder and one undrafted free agent were considered. They are:

Dallas kicker DAVID BUEHLER (fifth round, USC), who tied for third in the NFL with six touchbacks on kickoffs.

Seattle linebacker AARON CURRY (first round, Wake Forest), who started all three games and posted 21 tackles, one sack, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.

Houston linebacker BRIAN CUSHING (first round, USC), who led all rookies with 30 tackles and totaled a half-sack, one interception, two forced fumbles and three passes defensed as the Texans posted a 3-1 record for the month.

Indianapolis cornerback JACOB LACEY (undrafted free agent, Oklahoma State), who recorded 14 tackles, one interception, including a 35-yard interception-touchdown return.

St. Louis linebacker JAMES LAURINAITIS (second round, Ohio State), who started all four games and posted 37 tackles and two interceptions.

Green Bay linebacker CLAY MATTHEWS (first round, USC), who started all three games and posted 13 tackles, two sacks, four tackles for a loss and had a 42-yard fumble-return touchdown, the longest by a rookie in franchise history.

Come on, do you really deserve consideration for having a big day against the Rams?

Rams 17, Chiefs 9: St. Louis takes the Governor's Cup...and the Rams finish preseason play 3-1

VanRam — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:29:59 -0000

by Tom Gannam - AP

St. Louis Rams cornerback Quincy Butler, left, is congratulated by Justin King after intercepting a pass by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen and running it back 28 yards for a touchdown. Both corners finished with an INT to make a good case for their spot on the roster.

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The battle for the St. Louis Rams #3 QB spot has been resolved, and the results are not unlike last year's as Brock Berlin emerged after being written off early. More importantly, the Rams are 3-1 in the preseason, topping the number of wins they had last season and tying the number of wins from the season before.

The First team

The first team offense featured mostly second teamers. They started the night giving everyone a heart attack, with a sack that resulted from bad pass protection behind the line. As must now be mandated by the league, the Rams called a wildcat and picked up a cool five yards. A sack on third down ended the second drive a few plays later, and then it was bedtime for most of the starters. Picking it up from there, Berlin looked comfortable in the west coast, though I'm shocked he can see over the defenders.

On defense, it seemed like mostly the second team with a few exceptions in the early going. They came out strong, forcing KC into a three-and-out (which the Rams offense promptly followed with their own). When the second team came out in force on the Chiefs' third drive of the game, right away, they struggled right off the bat, giving Larry Johnson a 41-yard run. The Chiefs had a TD, but it got called back on a holding penalty, which was immediately followed by a delay of game penalty. From there the Rams defenders that almost got burned tightened up, thanks in no small part to some inspired play by Bradley Fletcher, and kept the Chiefs out of the end zone and forced them to settle for 3.

Gado continued to make his case, doing some nice work catching the ball. He took a shot to the ribs in the second quarter and did not return. Keep an eye on this one, because none of the other Rams running backs behind Gado look ready to be a backup.
Victor Adeyanju had a sack and generally thwarted the Chiefs draw plays.
Tim Carter...buttafingers. Adios.
Daniel Fells, getting some action with the first team, made everyone forget the name Klopfenstein.
Quincy Butler has better hands than Tim Carter.
Justin King ties for the third CB spot.
The Rams have a nice staple of young corners, but I still wonder if they might not have a close eye on the waiver wire Saturday.
David Roach seems like a viable backup safety.

Much more tomorrow.

Rams vs Chiefs Fight Card

VanRam — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:17:22 -0000

by Jeff Roberson - AP

St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Hollis Thomas will present his case to stay on the Rams final 53-man roster tonight against the Chiefs in the final preseason game.

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The last game of the preseason is upon us. The St. Louis Rams host their cross-state counterparts from the AFC Worst (not to be confused with the NFC Worst) with a giant silver cup owned by the state of Missouri and given to the team whose second and third stringers out perform the other team's second and third stringers to claim the title of best preseason football team in the Show Me State.

3k has a game preview, so be sure to check it out. I'm here with the cliff notes version of what to watch tonight.

On the radar

Now, before you get too excited about preseason football, just remember the Lions, yes, the 0-16 Lions, won all four of their preseason games last season. I seem to recall more than one pundit writing throwaway copy like "the Lions could surprise this season." Yeah, they surprised alright. Getting a third preseason win doesn't mean much on paper for the Rams in terms of what to expect in the regular season, but they really need to win this game. A win here, with the hometown baseball team having wrapped up their game this afternoon, would help generate a little momentum heading into the regular season, put the Rams back on the St. Louis sports radar. That matters because this is a franchise trying to rebuild itself, and the more asses in the seats it has, the more support from the people signing checks to build a winning team year-in and year-out.

Donnie Avery Returns

After a broken foot, Donnie Avery returns and is expected to play tonight against the Chiefs. The starters are not expected to play much this evening, and that probably holds true for Avery as well. After all, there's no point getting him injured in a game to determine roster spots. He's been running well in practice by accounts. Tonight, keep an eye on how the fast one fares with live opponents trying to make their case to stay on an NFL roster.

Who's Number Three?

We've spilled plenty of ink on this one already. Brock Berlin and Keith Null will get the majority of snaps at QB tonight. Who earns the coveted third spot?

Thomas or Gibson?

3k and I spent some time on this question last night on TSR, concluding that Gibson probably gets the fourth and final defensive tackle spot. How can he not? Thomas has size, but have you seen much of anything else from the guy?

Being a better run blocker

Can Jason Smith build on the progress he showed against the Bengals? Watch to see if he does a better job staying low and driving on his blocks. The Chiefs run a 3-4 defense and are allowing opponents an average of 3.3 yards per rushing attempt in the preseason.

Special teams looking special

The Rams special teams have not impressed in the preseason. For a lot of the guys trying to get on the roster, their play on special teams will have lots to do with the final verdict.

Corner pocket

The Rams probably won't carry more than nine defensive backs on their roster, which would mean 4 safeties and 5 corners. Since they traded Tye Hill, there are only six corners on the roster, and Cord Parks is going to have to do something really special (or Quincy Butler is going to have to play really bad) to miss out. I think we might get a better sense tonight as to whether or not the Rams will look outside for depth at cornerback.

Backup, backup running back

Gado has the #2 RB spot nailed down. Tonight, Antonio Pittman, Kenneth Darby and Chris Ogbonnaya will make their case for the third spot. Another roster spot where we might get a sense of whether or not Billy Devaney will look elsewhere to find a solid runner to round out this group.

There are a million stories in the naked city and around 75 of them in tonight's game.

The Next Cut

ram_rod — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:47:14 -0000

by Jeff Roberson - AP

4 months ago: St. Louis Rams cornerback Quincy Butler, right, deflects a pass intended for wide receiver Ronald Curry during NFL football training camp Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, at the Rams' training facility in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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With today's cut in the book's, the next step on all the players on the roster is trying to make it past this Saturday, September 5th.With the KC game looming two days prior to that, anyone who wants a roster spot will need to play well this week to get one.

Lets look at some of the hopefuls, shall we?

Gary Gibson: He's been doing a good enough job to get Adam Carriker out of the starting line-up, but even then Jim Thomas had him "on the bubble". With James Hall, Victor Adeyanju, Leonard Little and Chris Long on the outside and Carriker and Clifton Ryan (presumably with rookie Darell Scott and/or Hollis Thomas) on the inside, there isn't much room left for another player . However, he has played well enough and a solid performance this Thursday should give him enough in the eye of the coaches to make it onto the team.

Quincy Butler: Butler had a good camp and followed that up with unimpressive play in the preseason (he did have an interception last week though). With Tye Hill gone, he has a better chance to make it, especially if he can up his game on Thursday. He will probably stick with the team at the 5th spot unless they can find someone better.

Keith Null: Whether you think he is going to be big later on or not, the 3rd QB spot is up for grabs. Boller and Bulger are safe, obviously, but with the Rams slowly jettisoning older players, Null has a good chance. With no one clearly in the lead, KC's game will decide who will be looking for a job.

Enjoy your Tuesday everyone.

Post-game Links and Notes against the St. Louis Rams

Kirkendall — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:37:39 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

3 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Quan Cosby, foreground, runs for a 49-yard touchdown on a punt-return against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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I still believe that the Bengals defense is good. And I believe they played well Thursday night. On St. Louis' first possession, the Rams took the ball 76 yards on 11 snaps. After that, St. Louis never recorded a possession longer than 39 yards or more than six plays. And on every point scored after the Rams' initial touchdown, St. Louis started their scoring drives on the Bengals side of the field. This obviously doesn't include the fumble return for touchdown, which of course, isn't the defense's fault.

	Plays	Yards	Start	Result
1	3	-1	STL-11	Punt
2	11	76	STL-29	Touchdown
3	5	20	CIN-20	Touchdown
4	3	8	STL-16	Punt
5	6	25	STL-31	Punt
6	6	20	STL-48	Missed FG
7	6	20	STL-25	Punt
8	4	3	CIN-22	Field Goal
9	6	26	STL-17	Punt
10	3	-2	STL-17	Punt
11	6	39	STL-28	Missed FG
12	4	9	STL-35	End of Game

Leading the way was linebacker Rey Maualuga, who recorded a team-high eight tackles. Robert Geathers recorded two tackles for loss and five different Bengals players made hits on the quarterback. No sacks were recorded; however it should be also noted that the Rams' passing offense was primarily quick three-step drops and release. Rashad Jeanty's coverage skills are very good -- on one pass, he was in the tight end's hip, but the pass was perfect. Sometimes you just can't defend against a perfect pass.

However, don't ask James Walker, who says: "St. Louis had a short field on second scoring drive. But Cincinnati failed to hold the Rams to a field goal, which is what elite defenses do." Funny. I thought elite defenses were elite because they'd prevent the opposing from scoring. But now I'm being trivial.

Quan Cosby returned a punt 49 yards for a touchdown and Tom Nelson returned another punt 44 yards. If the battle between Nelson and Cosby results in a roster spot, then I believe Nelson gets it hands down because he brings more to the table. Not only can he return punts, but he's playing safety and can play at cornerback.

Cosby's punt return for touchdown was the first since Peter Warrick's return against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003.

Chinedum Ndukwe and Laveranues Coles injured their shoulders against the Rams, but Lewis "indicated they weren't serious." Ndukwe started in place of an injured Chris Crocker who sat out with a hamstring injury.

Four turnovers by the Bengals offense led to 17 points for the St. Louis Rams.

Nate is worried about Cedric Benson's 3.2 yards-per-rush average through three preseason games. This is where stats are misleading. Even though Benson has rushed 23 times for 73 yards rushing, he's on pace for 1,168 yards rushing. Great? No. Serviceable? Yea. Furthermore, running backs need rhythm. They get the bulk of their yardage later in the game when defenses start tiring out and the winning team needs to absorb the clock.

Joe Reedy says that pass protection is a major concern. I agree. And I believe that the offensive line is problematic. However, watching some of the first half, I noticed that when the Rams had a successful push, the issue was just as much scheme, as it was actual personnel. In other words, there were several four WR formations with five offensive linemen blocking. The Rams would blitz, and the Bengals just didn't have enough blockers. Communication and awareness could be the major culprits.

Frostee Rucker has talent, but we get the feeling he won't make the squad because of injury. He missed Thursday night's game.

Bernard Scott coffed up a fumble on his first carry of the game.

Scott got stopped for a yard by safety Oshiomongho Atogwe, but Scott kept trying to get another yard or two and with Scott standing straight up, Atogwe punched the ball out and safety James Butler collected it to start his 73-yard touchdown run for a 21-7 lead.

The 54-yard touchdown pass by Henry was a setup after the Rams' Quincy Butler returned an interception 68 yards.

"We kind of set him up," Henry said. "We ran a play. Jordan hit a tight end in Cover 2 and I guess (offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski) saw something upstairs. This time they gave me a double-move. I had to stutter him. He broke like he was going to get the interception. It was a lazy route. I baited him and I took it to the 9 (route). It was open."

Who Dey Fans thought the best throw by O'Sullivan all night was the 23-yard throw to Andre Caldwell.

Paul Daugherty complains | WDR congratulates you, taking credit for the boycott that blacked out the game.

Rams 24, Bengals 21: Now this is more like it

VanRam — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:47:49 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long (72) and his teammates looked sharp against the Bengals as the Rams picked up their second preseason win.

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That noise? That was a collective sigh of release coming from Rams fans.

After a game in which the starters really struggled for both units, the St. Louis Rams come out with a strong, sharp performance to win their second preseason game. Sharp, except for the special teams, who allowed a punt return TD right off the bat and an unusual two missed field goals from Josh Brown.

But the special teams weren't the big story here. The starters owned the evening, with both the offense and defense combining to score three first half touchdowns. We'll have more reaction tomorrow, but for now, some of the highpoints...

A well played game by the defense

The Bengals first offensive drive ended almost as quickly as it started, with James Butler coming for a sack on the Bengals first snap. That was followed by an OJ Atogwe forced fumble recovered by Lauinaitis, as the Rams again brought pressure. The blitz is alive in St. Louis! Flajole and Spags didn't show much in the way of pass rush in the last two games, but they gave fans the red meat they wanted tonight as the defense recorded six sacks in all. They also recorded four tackles for a loss.

In the first quarter the Rams defense allowed just 21 yards, only 11 yards rushing. Their first drive of the second quarter ended with a fumble and James Butler's TD. For the entire first half, the defense allowed a mere 57 yards rushing in the first half. Cincinnati did better with the pass, with most of those yards coming on two plays that went for more than 20 yards.

Oh, and the tackling. Blue shirts swarmed to the ball, got wrapped up and brought guys down. They even had some nice ball stripping on display.

Had we seen this defense last week, I think Atlanta would have still been successful running the ball, but not nearly as successful. The secondary is still not without issues. Jonathan Wade is our second best corner right now.

The first team offense had a good night too

Spagnuolo wasn't kidding when he said we would see more from Steven Jackson. The Rams starting RB carried the ball five times...doubling the number of carries he's had this season. The running game was much better than last week, though in the end they averaged just 3.3 yards on 31 carries. Total stats are always a little wonky in preseason though. Continuing with something we talked about on TSR last night, the passing game looked surprisingly sharp. Quick, short throws moved the ball downfield effectively, and they threw out of the shotgun more often than not with Boller. The TEs and RBs were involved, and Boller saved his bacon by scrambling a couple times.

Something that will surely come as surprise: the Rams converted 2 of 3 red zone attempts.

The offensive line allowed no sacks. None. First, second or third team. That's impressive. All the tackles looked pretty good blocking against the pass. Watching streaming on the web, it was hard to see when different players went into the game on the line, but I did see Jason Smith make a couple of nice blocks in pass pro. Any readers have insight on how he looked blocking for the run? Was he lower in his stance? The middle of line did a nice job opening lanes too. Gado had nice gaps in front of him on their second drive, eventually leading to his 16-yard TD.

Player notes, after the jump...

Bulger, Avery, Bell and Carriker all sat out with their various injuries.

Let's start with the guys feeling the most heat coming into this game...

Chris Long - Had a good night. He got penetration and was able to get his hands up and deflect a pass. He consistently brought pressure, along with the rest of the defense.

Tye Hill - I'll go to my video quality sucked excuse for Hill, but I didn't see much to impress. Of course, didn't see any big whiffs either. That's a small victory for Hill.

Kyle Boller - He completed 70% of his passes, made quick drops and the ball out. A couple of smart scrambles bailed him out tonight too.

Jason Smith - As I said above, it was tough to see Smith's work when he was on the field. I did see some more nice pass blocking, which contributed to the Rams success working out of the shotgun so often tonight. As far as run blocking goes, what did you see?

The Rams had some real standout performances too, including...

James Laurinaitis - Yeah, I like which MLB we drafted in the second round this year. He was sharp reading the plays coming at him, and generally looked pretty polished in his game. Someone said it in the comments, and I have to agree: this kid could be something special. And, hey, it's just nice to have a real MLB for a change.

James Butler - Where was he NOT on the field? A sack and a fumble recovered for a TD, you can't ask for a better night than that. The Rams should be glad they signed him. He also made a few tackles on plays that otherwise might have done some damage.

Sakmon Gado - He reinserted himself into the second spot on the depth chart...and owes the offensive line a steak dinner. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry with a rushing TD and a receiving TD.

The Middle of the Offensive Line - Brown, Cogs, Setterstrom and Greco moved bodies and kept paper tigers out of the backfield. Remember, this Bengals defense was the among the top third in the league last year, despite their 4-12 season.

Continuing their strong preseason play...

James Hall - He's the best guy on the defense right now. Tonight, he tackled Cedric Benson for a 4-yard loss, forced an incompletion and made a nice stop to thwart the first Cincy drive of the second half.

Laurent Robinson - You knew someone would emerge from this group of unheralded receivers, and Robinson looks like he could make a nice #2 across from Avery.

Larry Grant - Grant had a sack, playing with the first team. He looked strong and quick out there, and could make a case for serious playing time.

David Vobora - Vobora got time with the starters too, and generally had a decent night.

Quincy Butler - Hadn't seen much out of Butler in the games, until a nice play for an INT tonight.

And a few guys having a rough night included...

Keith Null - Sorry Null fans. He'll get lots of time to make his case next week. Berlin didn't do much himself to make the race any clearer.

Kenneth Darby - Just doesn't hit the holes with much umph on runs. But here's a question: which RB is the third best right now?

Josh Brown - What the...? His golden leg was anything but. Surely it's just the preseason.

That list is by means all-inclusive. Who did we leave out?

Where things stand: A mid-August assessment of the Rams defense

VanRam — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:07:16 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

St. Louis Rams cornerback Tye Hill, left, looks on while Tony Gonzalez celebrates a touchdown. The Rams can't afford to have this scene play out over and over again this season.

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Continuing our mid-August assessment of where the remade, rebuilding St. Louis Rams stand as they head into the 2009 season, we turn to the defense today. I'll spare you the lengthy intro we had in yesterday's post for the offense, though the "Get low and stick 'em" seems to be especially relevant to today's discussion.

Starting with the questions facing the entire defense and continuing with a snap shot of each unit...

Will the run defense improve?

After a good outing versus a Jets team missing 60% of their starting offensive line, the Rams run defense looked much like last year's against the Falcons last week. But digging below the surface, is it really the same problem as before? The lack of personnel was primarily to blame for much of the Rams troubles against the run in recent seasons. Among other things, the defense dearly missed a true middle linebacker, some size in the middle of the d-line, and a physical strong safety. You could argue whether or not the Rams are any better in the middle of the d-line, but they have made significant upgrades to the other two positions.

Last week's problems against the Falcons and RB Michael Turner were two fold. First, the defense got beat as a unit via misdirection and some strange alignments. That's what got the party started, so to speak, on Turner's 43-yard run on the Falcons first drive of the game. The defense, especially the quarterbacking MLB, needs to do better picking up that kind of stuff. That could be the difference between 5 yards and 43 more often than not. Second, fundamentals, i.e. "getting low and sticking 'em," were notably absent among the first teamers last week. MIssed tackling, poor wrapping, it was all there.

The good news about those two issues is that they can be resolved. The first team will have two quarters to get it right against the Bengals this week. Watch for improvement in those areas.

Will the pass rush be more ferocious and more frequent?

Given their surprise at the blitzes used by Rex Ryan and the Jets in game one, it's safe to assume that the Rams coaches aren't calling the same amount and style of pass rushes that they would otherwise employ in the regular season. Still, you have to wonder why we're not seeing more of those aggressive plays we've heard so much about.

The personnel leave some questions about the pass rush. James Hall and Leonard Little are the main guys up front, and they're also two of the Rams oldest players. We'd also like to see some better pocket crashing from the defensive tackles. Witherspoon will figure more into the pass rush now that he's been set free on the weakside again. I don't know that we've seen any blitz packages featuring safeties or corners through the preseason, but we're likely to once the games count.

Will the secondary be adequate and able to adapt to the more physical version of man coverage the Rams play to use?

The jury is still out this one too. The secondary displayed some of that poor tackling mentioned above. Against the pass, Rams defenders have been beaten more than once by well-made throws and catches, pure and simple. The WR was covered, but it was just one of those plays where the CB really can't do anything about it save for a penalty; Mark Sanchez's throw exemplifies this. I wonder though about the jams at the line, when the defenders can throw lesser receivers off their timing and route? I expect to see more mileage out of that technique. (See this post from Rams Herd for more discussion on the secondary). There's a balance question here. Are we not seeing more pass rush up front because the Rams coaches don't trust the secondary enough to leave them on their own? Or is it just more of a playbook thing and the team still being in evaluation mode, especially for the cornerback gig?

Position by position...

Defensive end - Little and James Hall have looked great in practice and in the game, save for Turner's afore mentioned 43-yard run between Little and the rest of the defense. Chris Long had a bad night against the Jets, and started slow against the Falcons. He did show improvement and got off the ball faster and generally displaying the high motor that's his biggest asset; he has to do more.

Defensive tackle - MIA with an ankle injury through the first two outings of the preseason, Adam Carriker will likely return to action this week. The 2007 first round draft pick has lots to prove. Supposedly, this scheme is a better fit for his skill set by putting him a 3-technique rather than miscast as a nose tackle. In camp's early work, he was speedy and impressive. Now, he's competing for a starting job. Gary Gibson, who Carriker is competing against, established himself as more than just a camp body with a good outing against the Jets. I was impressed with this year's fourth round pick Darell Scott against the Falcons last week, where he picked up a sack crashing the pocket. The addition of Hollis Thomas has yet to be very noticeable, but an if we see an improved run defense that could change.

Linebacker - The linebackers have looked better this year than in previous seasons...until those ugly missed tackles and misreads last week. Even the usually solid Chris Draft failed to bring his man down. James Laurinaitis is bound to have some rookie moments. He has, supposedly, been picking up the defense well and made some nice plays in his preseason work. Animal Jr. has been promising. The SLB spot remains unsettled. Draft is still the guy at this point, but strong preseason performances from Larry Grant, David Vobora, and Chris Chamberlain are making it a horse race. At the very least, those three seem to give our LB corps better depth than we've had in the past.

Safety - The starters make this a good unit. Atogwe has been better in run defense in the preseason, except for some ugly missed tackles last week. Butler didn't do much to distinguish himself against the run, but who did? Todd Johnson still looks like a good depth guy to have. It's probably a good sign that we're not hearing much about this unit at this point. Atogwe leads the team in preseason tackles, but that's because far too often he was the last man between a running back and the goal line against the Falcons.

Cornerback - Sheesh. Where to begin. The big story here was who would claim the spots behind Ron Bartell. So far, nobody has done much to distinguish themselves. Tye Hill is, ostensibly, still the starter opposite Bartell, but he's not looked great in his last two games. He was waaay outmatched against Tony Gonzalez last week. In coverage, he's been able to stay with his man often, but unable to read the play, leaving the play's outcome to be determined exclusively by the QB and his receiver. Justin King has looked decent, but hardly a standout. He had the misfortune of covering Clowney on Mark Sanchez's first NFL pass, a beautifully threaded 48-yarder. In my opinion, King didn't get burned so much as the Jets QB and WR made a nice play. Quincy Butler has made some nice plays in practice, but hasn't been seen much playing against second teamers in preseason games, save for a pass interference penalty against the Falcons. Jonathan Wade has been consistent. This is still a big issue for the Rams to solve.

The defense has lots of work left to do, saddled with heavier expectations that the offense, given the coaching changes. We'll have to see better tackling and better reads this week to have some confidence going forward.

NFC West Position-by-Position: Cornerbacks

Fooch — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:00:11 -0000

First off, I have only seen highlights and read Andrew's recap (big thanks to him for getting that up). I'll be watching a recorded version of the game tomorrow when I return to SF and will have plenty to discuss tomorrow afternoon and into next week. In the meantime, with the preseason getting going, we're nearing the end of our divisional position previews. Today we hit cornerbacks. To date, we've addressed safeties, outside linebacker, inside/middle linebacker, defensive end, defensive/nose tackle, quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, centers, offensive tackles, guards and total offense.

1. Seattle Seahawks
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. St. Louis Rams

Seattle Seahawks
Blogger: John Morgan
I don’t know Ken Lucas. I have known Ken Lucas, but I do not know the 30 year-old, recently cut by the Carolina Panthers Ken Lucas Seattle signed after the draft. The skill-set is still the same. Lucas is decent in man cover, but better at zone. He has great ball skills and is a sound open-field tackler. And the foundation of talent is still the same. Lucas is agile and athletic, but doesn’t have great deep speed. He’s physical and can lay a hit, but is not always steady and all those hits don’t lead to much. He only has two forced fumbles for his career. Josh Wilson already has three.

Wilson is Seattle’s nickelback and has the athleticism and talent to be perhaps the best nickelback in football. He’s exceptionally quick, agile and athletic. He has rare ball skills and despite his size, brings the hammer on tackles. His size, dependence on reading the quarterback’s eyes and habit of guessing wrong on routes cap his potential as a man defender, but Seattle is settled with him at nickel. There he can terrorize slot receivers, menace quarterbacks appearing out of a zone, strike as a blitzer and run back picks for a score.

Travis Fisher is a former starter that had the bad judgment to sign with the Detroit Lions. Like an overhyped, underbudgeted and overexpended bomb that kills actors careers, no Lion was spared an exodus from Detroit without at least a demotion. Fisher could still be very good if injuries and Recession City hasn’t leached his youth, vigor and soul. Kevin Hobbs is a rounded corner that will do a lot of little things well as a dime defender. He’s going to need to show something soon, because he’s not talented enough to stick in the league because of potential. Kelly Jennings is depth at starting corner. He’s not strong in a zone, not an open field tackler and has not shown pro-level ball skills, but he’s a very capable in strict man cover. Unfortunately, he stays close, but doesn’t do enough to stop the completion. Jennings is starting in place of Marcus Trufant.

Yeeaaah…about that.

Trufant never made it to training camp. He hurt his back in a drill and has been held out. Everyone is echoing the sentiment that he’s fine and this time out is just a precaution, but the length of the absence and the team’s recent history reporting back injuries causes concern.

Trufant has the ability to be a sub-elite corner. His man cover skills are excellent. He steps up against the run and is a steady open-field tackler. Given agreeable situations (i.e. a deep safety, a big lead, a cover 3) Trufant does have damn good ball skills, but he tends to forget them when things get dicey. He’s athletic and fast enough to run with anyone and on a good defense, Trufant is capable of being a great cornerback every game. He just hasn’t played on many great defenses.

If Trufant were healthy or I had a better grasp of how Lucas will play this season, Seattle’s corners could be an A. Potential for potential, it’s as deep, balanced, system correct and accomplished group as there is in the NFL. But there’s a lot of potential variance. Wilson’s value is locked up in turnovers, and interceptions come and go. Lucas could have been cut for reasons other than his salary. 30 isn’t old, but it is old for some. Trufant could be more injured than the team is leading on, or this could be the first in one of those injury waves that kills a year of about every player’s career. So, to complete a continuing theme, there’s talent for more and potential for less, but "B" expresses the union of those factors, and "B" best expresses the most likely performance by Seattle’s corner’s in 2009.

Arizona Cardinals
Blogger: cgolden
For the first time that I can ever remember the Arizona Cardinals boast two above average starting corner backs that could, with any pass rush, be borderline dominant. Promising sophomore Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had his ups and downs last year but by seasons end he became the team's best cover man and one of the fan's favorite young stars. He's possesses the size, athleticism and ball skills to be as good as any corner in the league but he'll have to continue to grow as a defender who with his head instead of relying on natural ability. Too often last year DRC was burned with double moves or play action passes and he was one of the worst run defenders at the corner back position in the league. He improved in some of those areas as the season progressed and he gained experience but in order for the Cardinals secondary to make the kind of improvements that are needed, they need DRC to play at Pro Bowl level this season.

The Cardinals free agent splash was signing bizzaro-DRC, Bryant McFadden. McFadden isn't an uber-athletic corner or weak against the run, in fact he's basically the exact opposite. No other corner in the NFL performed as well against the run than McFadden last year and his physicality also transfers over to his style of coverage. While he a decent athlete, he's not a burner so instead he tries to knock receivers off their routes and disrupt the timing of opposing passing games. As with some players who prefer the physical style, he's struggled to stay healthy throughout his career but when he's healthy he's been a force and he's young enough (27) to believe that his best days are still ahead of him.

Once you get past the Cardinals top two corners though, the question marks start popping up. First, how much will Antrel Rolle drop down to nickel corner this year? Can the veteran Ralph Brown parlay last season's late success into an entire season as the Cardinals nickel corner? How quickly can fourth round pick Greg Toler get acclimated to the speed of the NFL? Does tiny-man Michael Adams even fit in the mix?

The biggest wild card in the secondary is where Antrel Rolle plays when the opposing offense goes three wide because last year he spent some time at nickel corner, some time around the line of scrimmage and some time as the actual free safety. During camp he's still been dropping down to the corner back in some passing situations and some will say that the team drafted Rashad Johnson (former Alabama free safety) so that Rolle could move around in the nickel and dime defenses. Ralph Brown is the next corner on the depth chart and he's basically the savvy veteran who get's by on sub-par athletic ability but a very good understanding of the game. He doesn't have great size but he understands opposing offenses and can bait quarterbacks into bad decisions. In a limited role he seems fairly adequate but any scenario that includes him as a starter would seemed destined for failure. Greg Toler is an athletic rookie that the Cards are hoping cut from the same mold as DRC (good size, athleticism and from a tiny school), but he's extremely raw and would be best served by a season spent on special teams units. Last but not least is Michael Adams, a tiny (5-8, 181) corner with a massive heart, who has basically been a special teams player up to this point. If he were to see time at corner, I'm sure other teams would just throw over the top of him to any receiver over six foot tall but Adams isn't afraid to stick his nose in the mix on running plays and he's made quite a name for himself as a gunner on special teams. His nickname should really be "Rudy."

Overall the Cardinals depth chart at corner is pretty top heavy. DRC and McFadden have the potential to be one of the better duo's in the league, if they can get any help from the pass rush. Behind them though is a bevy of question marks. I feel split between an A (for starters) and a C (for depth) so we'll split the difference and go with a B.

San Francisco 49ers
Blogger: Fooch
The 49ers cornerbacks are all over the place. They've got veteran experience, youthful potential, and some unreached potential mixed in. At this point I'm willing to give them a C because there is too much talent to go lower, but the production hasn't matched the talent so I'm not able to go much higher at this point.

Nate Clements is the #1 cornerback at this point and probably for the near future. Given the large contract he signed in 2007, he's been in the spotlight from day 1. He's had games where he shuts down the opposition and he's had games where he gets destroyed. I've read that some scouts think he still has technique problems even though he's entering his ninth season. At this point I'm willing to live with the fact that he'll never be the Champ Bailey type of shut down corner. However, I do think he is sufficiently talented to take care of business as the #1 guy for the 49ers. Some help at the free safety position could also provide him with help in coverage.

As of a few months ago Walt Harris was relatively entrenched as the #2 cornerback. A blown ACL later and the team went out and signed Dre Bly to compete for the #2 job. His opposition was Tarell Brown, a 5th round pick in the 2007 draft. Brown's draft stock fell due to some police issues that seem now to have been a matter of wrong palce wrong time. In two seasons with SF he's had zero problems. He's slowly seen his playing time increase and went into 2009's training camp with a good chance at winning the #2 job. Unfortunately a toe injury on the first day of camp has kept him out of practice. Dre Bly hasn't exactly run away with the #2 position in Brown's absence, so if he can get back soon he could still win that job. Dre Bly had a rather abysmal 2008 campaign, but in chatting with Broncos fans, while some of it has to do with Bly's own talent, he also was being utilized in a system that didn't allow him to use his aggressiveness. He'll get that chance with the 49ers, so we'll see how much talent there really is and how over the hill he might be.

The two primary backups after that are Shawntae Spencer and Marcus Hudson. Spencer was a late second round pick in 2004 and has never really matched the potential due in large part to a rash of injuries. At this point, he's most effective as the #3 corner, getting most of his playing time in the nickel defense. If he can stay healthy, he would likely be down to 4th in the depth chart, which I think gives the 49ers a nice level of depth at the position. Marcus Hudson is a guy who somehow hangs onto a job without blowing anybody away. Beyond that the 49ers are just rolling out camp bodies.

I'd probably go a grade lower if not for the depth they have at the position. While it's not spectacular depth, it's still a mix of good and decent talent 1-4, thus the grade of C. I actually think the performance of Dashon Goldson in center field could go a long way towards improving the 49ers cornerbacks.

St. Louis Rams

Blogger: VanRam
Outside of wide receiver, there's no position where the Rams evoke more head-scratching than at cornerback.

On top the depth chart they've got Ron Bartell, a very good, underrated CB. Bartell almost hit the free agent market this year, disgruntled with the Rams former front office for not trying to get a deal done earlier. The new regime showered him with love and lured him back to the team with a solid contract that was still well below what he might have been paid as a free agent in the always crazy market for corners. What exactly did the team say? Who knows as far as persuasion goes. They did tell Bartell that his solid work in man coverage made him the team's top corner. They also probably told him that his speed and physical style of play made him a good fit for the new defensive system's demands for CBs to jam receivers and the line and then stick close on the routes. They also told him that he's part of the team's leadership cadre now, being one of the more expereinced players on the defense and the most experienced among the cornerbacks. Bartell will match up against team's top receivers this year.

Behind Bartell it gets a little foggy. Former first round pick Tye Hill is trying hard to avoid the bust label after injuries, lost confidence and a poor coaching situation that often left Rams d-backs confused as to where to play or who to cover. Jonathan Wade is a solid depth guy who has seen plenty of time at nickel and filling in for starters. Probably not a guy you want as one of your top two CBs for 16 games. This year's third round pick Bradley Fletcher is a big, physical kid from Iowa, and more than one draft pundit was surprised by the pick. Not all of them were, and that group has seen enough in camp so far to think that this might be a steal for a third round pick. Justin King, a speedy Penn State product who might have been a first round pick had he not graduated in three years, made a big impression on people in camp last year. Then he got hurt and missed the entire season. He's having a good camp, responding well to the defense and earning time with the first team.

Quincy Butler looked like a classic camp body when the Rams signed him in the middle of last season. Now, he's blowing everyone away with a great camp. It looks like the big, physical Butler has finally found a system suited to him. Having a head coach who used to coach some really good d-backs with the Eagles once upon a time certainly doesn't hurt. Butler still has to prove he's not an August wonder. If he does look good in the preseason and makes the final cut, he could be another feather in Billy Devaney's well-adorned cap of successful role players signed off the scrap heap. Relative unknowns Cord Parks and Marcus Brown round out the list of players trying out for the open jobs on the Rams depth chart.

Like so many units with the Rams this season, this is a group long on potential but mostly barren of results, so far. I'll give the group a C.