SB Nation - Derek Stanley

Lions Re-Sign Chuck Darby, Release Marcus McCauley, and Shake Up Practice Squad

Sean Yuille — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:25:22 -0000

5 months ago: Detroit Lions defensive tackle Chuck Darby reaches for a football during the NFL team's minicamp Tuesday, June 23, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Browse more photos »

The Lions no longer hold the top waiver priority in the league, so they have to start doing their homework to get a list of possible players that are worth signing should injuries pop up. To do that, they held a mass tryout today, bringing in a total of 11 players (including some familiar faces).

Per a league source, they were running back Aveion Cason, cornerback Travis Daniels, defensive tackle Chuck Darby, cornerback Demarcus Faggins, defensive back Isaiah Gardner, receiver Taurus Johnson, safety Stuart Schweigert, receiver Derek Stanley, running back Kenny Watson, cornerback DeAngelo Willingham, and cornerback DeAndre Wright.

The Lions ended up re-signing defensive tackle Chuck Darby and releasing cornerback Marcus McCauley. Darby was released during the final round of roster cuts, and McCauley was claimed a day later.

Tight end Carson Butler and wide receiver John Broussard, members of the practice squad, were also released. Taking their spots are wide receiver Taurus Johnson and cornerback DeAndre Wright.

Stanley out, Amendola in

VanRam — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:58:20 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

St. Louis Rams wide receiver Derek Stanley was cut so the Rams could sign return man Danny Amendola.

Browse more photos »

The St. Louis Rams made a move today to address their kick return problems, signing WR/KR Danny Amendola from the Philadelphia practice squad. To make room for the move they released last year's kick returner Derek Stanley.

This strikes me as a bit of a curious, albeit low level, move. Stanley, who returned kicks for the Rams most of last year, before injury derailed his season, averaged 24.8 yards per return. This year, Stanley had yet to return a kick for a team averaging 16.2 yards on 6 kick returns. Four players have returned kicks for the Rams, including blocking TE Billy Bajema.

Stanley had been returning punts, averaging 12.3 yards per return this season.

Amendola will return kicks and punts. He's a Texas Tech guy who came to the league as an undrafted free agent in 2008.

Rams 23, Jets 20: New era starts off right

VanRam — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:28:07 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

New York Jets running back Shonn Greene (23) is tackled by St. Louis Rams linebacker Chris Chamberlain (57) during the second quarter at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Friday, Aug. 14, 2009.

Browse more photos »

And so the first game of the Spagnuolo Era of St. Louis Rams football is a win. That's right a Rams win.

In way, this was the perfect game to usher in the new era for St. Louis Rams football. Not the most well-played game, but a scrabbly effort that got results.

Some of the big stories we saw tonight:

The first game of the Spagnuolo Era is a win! Come on, preseason or not, it's enjoyable to see that.
Marc Bulger and the West Coast Offense: so far, so good.
The run blocking is solid. Four running backs had runs of 10 yards or more.
I don't know that they get an "A" for this game, but the linebackers look much better than last year. Still have some work to do though. They missed that end around that got the Jets downfield for a FG.
The veterans played much better than the rookies. Stating the obvious, but looking at the notes the young guys got burned for the most glaring stuff, e.g. Darby and Ogbonnaya in pass pro and Justin King. That's about what you'd expect for the first game of the preseason. That's not to say the rookies look bad.
Maybe it's overselling two passes, but I think Keith Null is going to be exciting to watch in the preseason. Could he play his way ahead of Boller?
The run defense is much better this year. Remember how we got gashed against the Titans to open the preseason last year?
Um, did anyone notice Steven Jackson out there with the defense? He picked up a tackle in the 3rd quarter. Is there anything the guy can't do? Yes, pass protection.
Randy McMichael was the only starter to get flagged for a penalty.

I'd be lying if I said that the first quarter, the one with the starters, wasn't a little disappointing. Too see Bulger get sacked three times damn near gave me a coronary. But seeing those plays you can see that it had more to do with the offense being unprepared for the full frontal assault from the Jets starters - think if Jenkins had been playing - much more than it had to do with a faulty offensive line. In fact, the breakdowns in pass protection happened behind the line of scrimmage, though the Goldberg looked a little overwhelmed a couple of times. Bulger was looking good, and I was anxious to see them get some momentum...and then came that sack on 2nd and 6th on the second drive of the game. Add to that McMichael's false start penalty that put the Rams at 3rd and 18...

In fact, that was the worst stretch of the game for the Rams. Donnie Jones, to quote shostag from the comments, looked like he was in midseason form on the punt to end that drive, and the gods gave the Rams a break with a Jets penalty on that punt. Unfortunately, right after that, Justin King for burned for 48 yards, making the rookie Sanchez look good and precipitating a flood of message board posts at the PD's Rams Talk tomorrow about why we should have drafted him. The Jets ulimately scored on that drive, using another play of 20+ yards to get there. The combination of a foiled offensive drive and a couple defensive miscues made it a close game, closer than it needed to be.

The sync between our front seven and defensive backfield looks to be the weakest link right now. Did any of the cornerbacks impress? Quincy Butler seemed overly concerned with playing the ball more than the receiver, giving my theory of camp hero some credibility. Justin King is in the same boat right now.

The veterans dominated the front seven, leaving the rookies in the dust as far as looking comfortable on the field and making plays. Little got a sack right off the bat, and James Hall recovered the fumble on the same play. Those two will be really important in the Rams defense this year. What's the deal with our young draft picks on defense? Adam Carriker is at risk of being a perpetual injury. Chris Long had a rough night; however, I think Long's the kind of guy who'll have the game tape on his iPod for the flight home. I'll be more concerned with Long if he continues to struggle in the preseason. Tye Hill wasn't horrible.

The run defense did well, though they didn't face three of the Jets starting o-linemen. The Jets averaged just 3.6 yards on 28 running plays. They got burned for more than 10 yards just once, on Shonn Greene's 34 breakaway in the 3rd quarter. A better run defense means better games this season. Unless...

I think Marc Bulger and the receivers might be okay in this offense. If they can get pass protection ironed out in the backfield, this could be a good offense.

Players who made an impression, good or bad:

Starting with the first team...

Marc Bulger - He didn't pass much, but his 4-for-4 night for 77 yards was refreshing. I'll be anxious to see more in the games ahead.

Steven Jackson - I'm not worried about him, but I would like to see more than two carries next time.

Laurent Robinson - He had a great 50-yarder from Bulger.

Randy McMichael - 25 yards on 2 catches, yeah, he's going to like the West Coast Offense.

Keenan Burton - Where was Burton tonight?

Kenneth Darby - Not a good night, when compared to the impression he made with the Rams late last season and in practice this year. Decent night returning a kick though.

Alex Barron - Looked fine on the left side. No penalties, and no sacks because of him.

Samkon Gado - You can make fun of his name all you want, but the guy played a nice game on special teams and in the second half. I caution against reading too much into his night; this is a player who has experienced regular season success playing in the second half of a preseason game. Of course, the half-full version starts with the fact that he's a player who has had regular season success.

Jason Smith - Granted, he wasn't playing against the starters, but he looked good tonight. The Baylor product opened running lanes and popped Vernon Gholston in pass protection. If Gholston has been as good as the Jets are saying he has in camp so far, this is particularly encouraging. To me, Smith earned his shot with the first team when practice starts again.

Chris Chamberlain - Led the team with four tackles and looked ferocious.

Larry Grant - played a good game too.

Justin King - That's not the camp player I remember.

Quincy Butler - Has to prove in the next game that he's more than just a camp success story.

Tye Hill - Has to do more than that to eek out a spot, much less a starting gig.

Bradley Fletcher - Had a nice pass breakup. I'll be watching him closely in practice and the next game.

Derek Stanley - Has a a long way to go before he's given the punt return job.

Alright, who are we missing?

Oh yeah,

Keith Null - Threw rockets, twice. He now has more preseason TD passes than any other Rams QB. I think this guy could play himself into the number two role, and based on what I saw tonight from Boller, the number two job isn't all that secure either.

We'll have more on the game tomorrow. For now, rest easy, the first game of a new era of Rams football is a win! A win!

Camp report roundup, 8/11: Linebackers stepping up, Tye Hill hurting

VanRam — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:32:09 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

St. Louis Rams safety Craig Dahl, top, breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Derek Stanley during training camp.

Browse more photos »

The St. Louis Rams wrapped up this morning's practice without CB Tye Hill, who left the field with a swollen knee. It's in his right knee, the surgically repaired one. Coaches say he'll be fine, but it's something to keep an eye on. Hill's competing for his football future and any little thing that slows him down can be a serious speed bump. Here's ESPN's Mike Sando on what he saw from an obviously hurting Hill in drills today:

I watched receiver Nate Jones beat Hill for a touchdown despite relatively tight coverage. The Rams would like Hill to contest such plays more aggressively. "Compete!" was an order heard often in drills pitting cornerbacks against receivers. In this case, Hill was hurting.

Let's hope it's just the injury. This morning I mentioned that Chris Draft was still working as the starting SLB, but he sat it out today, thanks to a thumb to the throat, giving Larry Grant a chance to shine in work with the first team. He picked off Bulger and tackled Kenneth Darby to breakup a running play before Darby could gain any yardage. This is exciting news. If the Rams can start getting good play out of more linebackers than just the starting three, it will go along way toward erasing those painful memories of last year's linebacker play.

Grant wasn't the only linebacker making an impression on the visiting Sando today. Check out what he said about Witherspoon:

Linebacker Will Witherspoon was easily the most impressive linebacker. He caused problems rushing the passer and taking down running backs behind the line of scrimmage.

I think moving 'Spoon back to the weakside will breath new life into his game, after years being miscast in the middle. Remember how well he did in limited work on the weakside last year, when the Rams used him to bolster their struggling pass rush? He picked up seven sacks that season. This move might be almost like adding a new player to the roster.

An Alex Barron sighting! Sando reports Barron handling Chris Long in a pass rushing drill. Good news for Barron or bad news for Long?

The PD includes a note about Derek Stanley stepping up in practice today, answering the call in Avery's absence. That's good to hear, especially considering what the PD reported in today's piece about the receivers behind Avery on the depth chart. Here's what they said in the a.m. edition:

Derek Stanley is coming back from major knee surgery and hasn't made the kind of plays in practice so far in Rams camp that he did a year ago.

Now, is today a new trend or a blip on the radar for Stanley? Stay tuned.

Carriker and Dahl are still sitting out, but Mike Karney is getting back up to speed.

Camp report roundup, 6/7: Scrimmage day

VanRam — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:01:42 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

St. Louis Rams cornerback Quincy Butler, right, has been among the standouts through the first week of camp.

Browse more photos »

Today should be a pretty good one for the St. Louis Rams and fans in the area as the team hosts an intra-squad scrimmage. Anyone here planning on going to the scrimmage? If so, write up your thoughts on what you see. It's tonight at Lindenwood University in St. Charles at 6:30 p.m. and it's absolutely free.

The team will do some full tilt hitting in the scrimmage, but not every quarter. According to head coach Steve Spagnuolo they'll have off and on periods of full contact.

Practice was short yesterday, but there are still a few tidbits to pass along. According to the PD, Derek Stanley has looked good at wide receiver, with tight routes and good hands. I kind of thought Stanley might end up the odd man out at WR this season, but he does have experience. If he sticks and gives the Rams another option, even better.

We've mentioned CB Quincy Butler here a few times since camp began, and lo and behold he gets another mention today. He's having a great camp thus far...don't let anyone step on you toes Quincy, that derailed another strong showing from a CB last year. Speaking of Justin King, he played with the first team at nickel yesterday.

Throwback uniforms, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 1999 Super Bowl season, make their debut on October 11 against the Vikings and December 20 against the Texans...just in time for the holidays.

Randy McMichael is stoked for the West Coast Offense, and we're stoked to have him playing in the West Coast Offense. Should make up for those two lost seasons he spent with the Rams.

Rams Gab asks what happened three years ago when the Linehan era began in St. Louis. I think part of what happened was you still had Zygmunt and Shaw in the front office.

Camp report roundup, 8/6: Inside view of the Rams receivers

VanRam — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:14:28 -0000

Today is the one week point for the St. Louis Rams training camp, sort of, since last Thursday it was just rookies, QBs and assorted others practicing. We'll call it a week anyway. Afternoon practice yesterday was a special teams affair, and by all accounts the Rams kickers and punters are still among the finest in the league. Couple other things of note to pass along...

Donnie Avery took on the notion that the Rams have a glaring weakness at wide receiver. Here's Avery:

We don't have those all-star receivers, but we do have great receivers. We have a couple vets and then me and Keenan Burton and Derek Stanley. We don't have that great exposure as other receivers but we do have good receivers.

He and ESPN's NFC West corespondent Mike Sando exchanged several questions in the interview, but Avery's scouting report of the other receivers is the most interesting. Here he is on his teammate from the 2008 draft class, Keenan Burton:

Great guy. Big, physical receiver. Fast. He got hurt a couple of games last season and was out for a while. He didn't catch as many balls as he wanted or as many as we wanted, but he still came in and made an impact when we needed him.

His take on Laurent Robinson jumped out at me:

He is extremely fast. Big, physical receiver. Reminds me a lot of Larry Fitzgerald. Smart. He knows how to get open.

Fitzgerald, eh? We'll see about that, but you have to love Avery's enthusiasm.

Injury update:

FB Mike Karney is still out, and G John Greco will have ankle reevaluated today.

Is Donnie Avery in the mix to return kicks for the Rams?

VanRam — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:50:25 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Is St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo pondering who his kick returner will be? (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Browse more photos »

I like that head coach Steve Spagnuolo is not holding anything back for the St. Louis Rams training camp. It's rough and tumble and exactly what this team needs to forge a new identity. If all this tough stuff works out, they may have to play outdoors eventually; a dome just somehow unbefitting of a gut-eating football team. Well, a new stadium is a long way off, but a new season is practically here. Let's round up and discuss the reports from yesterday's practice.

It was an afternoon quickie, shorts and shells. SS James Butler was back on the field after banging his knee, but FB Mike Karney sat the p.m. session out as well. Keep an eye on Karney's status this week. Don't let the easy afternoon fool you. They still went full tilt in the a.m.

From the same report linked above, Jason Smith fared better against Leonard Little, but it doesn't count, in my mind, unless they've got the pads on. The rookie even did some work at left tackle. I suspect he'll continue to get some work on that side, maybe even in preseason games, since the Rams have to be prepared for all contingencies regarding their OTs.

Four players did some work returning the ball. Kenneth Darby, Samkon Gado and Donnie Avery joined incumbent Derek Stanley. Darby returned seven kicks last season, averaging 24.7 yards per return; five returns were for more than 20 yards. Stanley, before getting hurt, averaged 24.8 yards on 25 returns, he had 20 returns of more than 20 yards and his longest was 70 yards. Avery returned one kick for 21 yards last year. Nothing jumps off the page here. Stanley and Darby have acceptable numbers as return men. Avery has enticing speed, but probably better to save his legs since he's the team's unquestioned #1 receiver. I'll be anxious to see if more names get thrown into the mix for the return jobs.

Heavily watched CB Tye Hill must have been available for a long chat with the press yesterday. There are dueling profiles of Hill over at the Post-Dispatch and the Belleville News Democrat. In short, he's healthy and ready to live up to the billing. Whether or not he does remains to be seen. For some insight into Hill's stuggles, check out the last edition of Turf Show Radio.

Rams Gab previews the linebackers.
Rams Herd takes on October predictions.

And we're off...the first practice of the St. Louis Rams 2009 training camp is in the books

VanRam — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:54:23 -0000

It must have looked a lot more like spring practices with players in shorts, and since today is just for rookies and QBs, I suspect the day's sessions are as much a playbook refresher as anything else. It certainly sounds that way.

The big news of the day (so far) is that Derek Stanley is healthy and practicing at full speed again. Remember, he was limited throughout the spring practices. Stanley is competing for the KR job, but would also like to earn more time at WR.

A couple of the rookies mentioned earlier today in our rookie report got some mentions for their work on the practice field, including WR Sean Walker and CB Cord Parks.

The second practice is at 2:15 p.m. Will Jason Smith be there?

Which receivers will make the St. Louis Rams final roster?

VanRam — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:55:15 -0000

Trading ruled the day in River City...St. Louis, that is, for the diaspora of Rams fans. (If you really want to add a literary note the trades made by STL's pro teams yesterday, it looks like one team is overcoming the hobbles of dysfunction as another, one long considered to be above the fray, slides further and further in that direction.) The addition of Curry prompted the St. Louis Rams to make an ancillary move with the release of WR Chad Lucas.

Lucas was signed in March to round out the team's depth at WR. HIs name wasn't mentioned often in reports from spring practices, a reminder of his uphill climb to make the team in the first place. Barring a huge shocker, Curry is a lock to make the final roster. And with that, I thought it would be good time to update our TST final roster prediction for wide receivers.

Though the final number of wideouts the Rams is yet to be determined, it's difficult to imagine the team keeping more than six on the 53-man roster. Earlier in the month, the predicted six WRs were: Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Laurent Robinson, Tim Carter, Derek Stanley, and Brooks Foster.

With Curry, I think the Rams six WRs will be: Avery, Curry, Burton, Robinson, Stanley and Foster. This is a tough prediction to make, shooting wildly in the dark. Curry gives them a veteran presence, replacing Carter. There are a couple of other ways it could go, though. If the Rams find a better option for the return job, Stanley looks vulnerable. Or, Foster could become an addition to the practice squad. There are no guarantees, and the only receivers with any certainty to make the team are Avery, Curry, Burton and Robinson. Even then, I like what Burton has to offer, but he still needs to have a really strong, injury free camp.

Predicting the St. Louis Rams final roster: offense

VanRam — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:59:29 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Will the St. Louis Rams fifth round draft pick WR Brooks Foster be on the roster when the season starts? (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Browse more photos »

Slowly but surely, camp inches closer. It's one of the more memorable starts to the Rams season in a long, long time. Obviously, camp and the promise of football that counts right around the corner is always exciting. Anyone else remember they felt in August the last time we started a new era of Rams football, when Linehan took the reigns? Without being a total homer, I feel much different this time, not only has the coaching staff turned over, but the entire front office has turned over too, a much needed development as the stench of rot was starting to whifting upwards from the suites at Rams Park. One thing I like about where the Rams sit right now, as I've siad before, is the coherent vision for putting together a winning team, emphasis on winning.

With that, I thought it would be a good time to take an early stab at predicting what the roster will look like once camp ends and the season starts. Today, let's start with the offense.

Rather than just rattle off my predictions for each position, I'm going to list players in the order I think they'll appear on the depth chart, with notes where necessary.

QB: Marc Bulger, Kyle Boller, Keith Null
I think the coaching staff likes Null, and sees him as a fit in the new offense. Fear not Brock Berlin fans, he'll find work elsewhere.

RB: Steven Jackson, Kenneth Darby, Chris Ogbonnaya
I'm not sure that the team won't carry four running backs, depending on the additional duties (i.e. KR, etc.) they'll ask of the players. Also, don't be surprised if they pick someone off the street when roster cuts start happening late in the summer. Finally, I went with Ogbonnaya over Pittman, because I never got the feeling from spring camp reports that the new regime was too high on Pittman.

WR: Donnie Avery, Kennan Burton, Laurent Robinson, Tim Carter, Derek Stanley, Brooks Foster
This one gets really tough to predict after Robinson, and though I'm sick of hearing about it, I understand why people have made this position the official Rams storyline of the offseason. I think Travis Brown or Horace Grant could easily push Foster to the practice squad, depending on how they use their size - both measure 6'3" - in camp this summer. Again, though the front office and coaches deny the likelihood of it happening, don't be surprised if there's a last minute addition to this list, especially if a younger player with experience in this kind of offense gets das boot.

FB: Mike Karney

TE: Randy McMichael, Daniel Fells, Billy Bajema
At this point, does anyone really expect Joe Klopfenstein to beat out Fells?

RT: Jason Smith

RG: Richie Incognito

C: Jason Brown

LG: Jacob Bell

LT: Alex Barron

OL (backup): Adam Goldberg, John Greco, Mark Setterstrom, Phil Trautwein, Tim Mattran
This is a tough one to call too, after Stetterstrom. An injury to a starter would likely push another starter to a different position. Goldberg is the primary guy to replace an OT, and Greco or Setterstrom are equally cabable at filling in for a G. However, after Goldberg, there is no tackle on the list, unless the Rams would go to Greco, who was an OT in college. I put Trautwein on this list for that reason. The position I really wonder about is center. What happens if Jason Brown can't play a game? I'd probably slide Incognito over, since he has experience at the position as well as good size and the team has solid guys to step into the hole at RG if Cogs slides over to the middle. Behind Brown, the Rams have two true centers on the roster right now, Tim Mattran and Daniel Sanders, both undrafted free agents. I'm deferring to Mattran for my list, because scouting reports show an intelligent player with a nasty demeanor and a physical style of play. Of course, Setterstrom was taking snaps last year prior to camp, and there have been reports of Greco doing the same this year. Don't be surprised if another undrafted free agent like Roger Allen or Ray Feinga sneak onto the list. You can count on some OLs being on the practice squad too.

Alright, there it is, subject to much debate. Who's missing? Who doesn't belong on this list?