NFC West: Todd Johnson
Enjoy it while you can, gentlemen.
Take a look at the St. Louis Rams' captains from 2008: Marc Bulger, Tory Holt, Will Witherspoon, Corey Chavous and Todd Johnson.
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone.
The Arizona Cardinals' captains two seasons ago? Kurt Warner, Reggie Wells, Karlos Dansby, Sean Morey and Aaron Francisco. Gone, all of them.
The Seattle Seahawks (Matt Hasselbeck, Lofa Tatupu) and San Francisco 49ers (Patrick Willis, Eric Heitmann) each still employ two of their captains from 2008. But Seattle has parted with four others: Walter Jones, Deon Grant, D.D. Lewis and Lance Laury. The 49ers have waved goodbye to 2008 captains Michael Robinson (now a Seahawk) and Walt Harris.
How many of the 2010 team captains, listed below, will remain with their teams in two seasons?
Arizona Cardinals
Offense: Larry Fitzgerald, Lyle Sendlein
Defense: Adrian Wilson, Darnell Dockett
Special teams: Ben Graham, Jason Wright
St. Louis Rams
Offense: Steven Jackson
Defense: Oshiomogho Atogwe
Week 1 at-large: Chris Massey, James Hall
San Francisco 49ers
Offense: Eric Heitmann, Vernon Davis, Alex Smith
Defense: Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, Justin Smith
Note: Coach Mike Singletary names captains for the 49ers. He added Alex Smith to the list this year and said the quarterback had earned the distinction.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have not yet voted on captains.
Update: Matt Hasselbeck (offense), Lofa Tatupu (defense) and Roy Lewis (special teams) are 2010 captains for Seattle.
The Seahawks aren't exactly set for life at safety, either.
What to do?
I've gone through the list of available safeties -- NFC West fan favorites Brian Russell and Mark Roman are out there -- and come up with a few fallback options, listed with their 2009 teams:
- Ryan Clark, Steelers. The 30-year-old longtime starter couldn't work out a long-term deal with Pittsburgh. The Cardinals are running their defense in the Pittsburgh mold. Clark could fit.
- Brodney Pool, Browns. Teams generally do not sever ties with productive 25-year-old starters, but the Browns decided against tendering Pool as a restricted free agent after he suffered a series of head injuries last season. Pool picked off four passes in 11 games last season, making 10 starts before his season was ended.
- Darren Sharper, Saints. The 34-year-old Pro Bowl choice would upgrade every secondary in the NFC West, but at what price? Sharper is probably most valuable to the Saints.
- Jermaine Phillips, Bucs. Injuries have severely limited Phillips' contributions recently. It's probably not a great sign that Tampa thought about moving him to linebacker. Still, Phillips is 30 years old, hardly ancient by safety standards, and he has 74 starts.
Other safeties who are unrestricted free agents: Ware, Russell, Roman, Nick Ferguson, Sean Jones, Will Allen, Todd Johnson, Clinton Hart, Roy Williams, Vernon Fox, Marquand Manuel, Mike Brown, Tyrone Carter and Lawyer Milloy.
Other safeties who are free agents (but technically not UFAs): John Busing, Hamza Abdullah, Aaron Francisco, Kennard Cox, Eric Bassey, Jamaal Fudge and Quinton Teal.
Also: ESPN's John Clayton notes that Jets safety Kerry Rhodes could be an option for Arizona via trade.
Despite record, Rams made right changes
The natural question is whether the organization went too far in pushing out higher-priced veterans.
I suspected they might have gone too far when they released linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa. I also thought they might have been premature in parting with Orlando Pace despite the tackle's steep salary and history of injuries.
The reality, though, is that the Rams got it right.
They have gone from being a bad, old team with significant salary-cap problems to being a bad, young team with a much brighter salary-cap future.
The younger players finding their way this season have a chance to help the team in the future. That wasn't the case in 2008, when losing got old, literally.
The Rams have the third-youngest roster in the league. They had the third-oldest last season. Their offense has moved the ball much better than I would have anticipated. A glaring lack of playmakers has turned the red zone into a dead zone, preventing the Rams from scoring enough points to compete on the scoreboard. But I think it's safe to say the Rams have the most promising young offensive line in the NFC West.
This team needs to find playmakers in the draft, plain and simple.
Catching up with the Rams' cut list
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
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The Rams' depth on the offensive line might be better than anticipated for a team with a 5-27 record over the past two seasons.
The team is carrying 10 offensive linemen, one more than typical, while John Greco recovers from wrist surgery.
An 11th, Phil Trautwein, landed on the Browns' active roster when Cleveland claimed him off waivers. A 12th, Roy Schuening, signed with the Raiders' practice squad. Another, tackle Renardo Foster, would seem to be a candidate for catching on somewhere eventually.
I've gone through the initial NFC West cut lists -- those players released at the 53-man deadline -- to see which ones have returned to their teams or caught on elsewhere.
The chart shows results for St. Louis.
Quarterback Brock Berlin signed to the Lions' practice squad after the Rams released him. Defensive lineman Ian Campbell briefly spent time on the Rams' practice squad before the team released him.
A few veterans -- running back Antonio Pittman, receiver Tim Carter, receiver Ronald Curry and special-teamer Todd Johnson -- remain available.
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Biggest surprise: The Rams cut former special-teams captain Todd Johnson, a safety, and they also flushed out two veteran receivers they hoped would contribute, Ronald Curry and Tim Carter. Keeping rookie quarterback Keith Null over the more experienced Brock Berlin made sense because the Rams' top two quarterbacks, Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller, have lots of seasoning. The biggest roster surprise came when the team traded 2006 first-round cornerback Tye Hill to the Falcons. Free-agent addition Quincy Butler stuck on the 53-man roster after a strong training camp and preseason. He looked better than Hill, frankly, and the Rams' new leadership wasn't afraid to part with symbols of past failures. Placing defensive tackle Adam Carriker on injured reserve cleared another spot.
No-brainers: The Rams also released linebacker K.C. Asiodu, defensive tackle Antwon Burton, tight end Eric Butler, defensive end Ian Campbell, linebacker Dominic Douglas, tackle Renardo Foster, fullback Jerome Johnson, center Tim Mattran, running back Chris Ogbonnaya, cornerback Cord Parks, running back Antonio Pittman, safety Mark Rubin, guard Roy Schuening, tackle Phil Trautwein and receiver Sean Walker.
What's next: The Rams still need to make one move by the 6 p.m. ET deadline for complying with the 53-man limit. With only four running backs on the roster, counting fullback Mike Karney, the team probably needs to seek help at the position. Backup Samkon Gado suffered injured ribs in the final exhibition game. The Rams lack quality depth and they are starting over. As a result, the team could pursue players released from other teams.
Update: The Rams placed defensive lineman Eric Moore on injured reserve to comply with the 53-man limit.
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Tyler from Chicago writes: Mike, why was there no coverage of the Rams' last preseason game? I have read your thoughts about the other NFC West teams in their last exhibitions. I understand the Rams are often an afterthought in the NFL, but could Rams fans get a little love from a decent outing last Thursday? I can't remember the last time the starters scored a touchdown in the preseason, and that is not an exaggeration. Thanks.
I spoke with Rams kicker Josh Brown during a visit to training camp earlier this month. I'll provide a transcript of our conversation here to help feed your Rams fix, indented to help differentiate from my initial answer to you.
Mike Sando: How good will you be on special teams this season?
Josh Brown: We're going to be really good. Really good. We've got Donnie (Jones) returning, Chris (Massey) is returning, so we're stable in our punting and snapping. And I think our field goals are OK, doing a pretty consistent job right now. Our coverage is only going to get better and we got up to No. 2 in the league last year. I mean, we were really good. We're fast. We've got some young, new coaches, which I think is going to carry us because they are going to be able to sustain a lot of energy whenever we get tired. But we've got a lot of pluses here. We're still looking for that breakout return guy, but we've got Derek Stanley, who is a solid returner. I mean, we don't have a Devin Hester. We don't have a Leon Washington yet, and hopefully he'll break out this year.
Mike Sando: The roster has changed quite a bit from last season. How much will that affect the core on special teams?
Josh Brown: I think it will be very similar. You've still got David Vobora and Chris Chamberlain, Todd Johnson and Quinton Culberson. There are a few guys that are going to be gone that were really good last year. Gary Stills was like a moving wall. I mean, he is literally probably the best special-teams player I have ever seen, especially at 35 years old. He is the strongest person I have ever seen. He's unbelievable. He was amazing. If he wasn't so dinged up for being so rough for so many years, he would be a Pro Bowler. When you average 30 special-teams tackles a year -- average -- that is unheard of. If guys have 15, they think they are going to the Pro Bowl, you know what I mean? And this guy averaged 30. He's special. But sometimes your age is your enemy.
Mike Sando: Who on special teams could break out this season?
Josh Brown: I think you're still going to see a lot of the guys that were with us last year that were making a big impact. I still think Quinton Culberson is a great R5/L5. I think you are going to see David Vobora and Chris Chamberlain, guys that are strong special-teams players that are always in the mix. Todd Johnson led the team in special-teams tackles for the last couple years and is a big leader on our special teams.
Mike Sando: What makes a good R5/L5 player?
Josh Brown: It depends on what they are returning, but R5/L5s, you are looking at guys who are either splitting that wedge or coming right off the side of it, and guys that demand a lot of attention.
Mike Sando: The league outlawed the three-man wedge on returns. What affect will that have on the Rams?
Josh Brown: I don't think it's necessarily going to change as far as coverage goes. They are going to have to make some adjustments on their returns and who they are blocking and when, how deep they are setting things. There will be some timing changes, I think.
Brown's family was at training camp on the day we spoke. They were waiting for him while we spoke. Once I realized it, I suggested he might find more value in visiting with them than discussing three-man wedge rules with me. I'm sure it was a tough call for him, but hopefully the Brown family enjoyed their time together.
Numbers games: Rams roster in perspective
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Rams' roster requires additional study after a thorough house-cleaning this offseason. With so many new faces, I feel less familiar with the Rams than with the other teams in the division. This initial look at the roster will hopefully help bring some focus.
Donnie Avery's injury and overall health concerns at receiver could influence how many players the Rams carry into the season at the position.
Marc Bulger's broken pinky shouldn't affect the roster as long as he recovers on schedule. Teams must reduce to 75 players by Sept. 1 and 53 players by Sept. 5. Those initial 53-man rosters sometimes change by Week 1 kickoffs. For that reason, I've been focusing on Week 1 rosters when setting baseline expectations for each position.
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T
he chart provides a framework for how many players the Rams might keep at each position heading into the regular-season opener against the Seahawks.
Here's a quick look at which Rams players I might keep on the cutdown to 53 players:
Observations from Rams' exhibition opener
Posted by EPSN.com's Mike Sando
The Rams and Jets are deep into the third quarter of their exhibition opener. Both first-team offenses and defenses are finished for the night. A few things I've noticed so far:
- Offensive tackle Jason Smith. The Rams' first-round draft choice is playing extensively at right tackle. I have not seen any obvious errors. Early in the game, Smith stood quite upright before some pass plays and once when he had to pull across the formation. He cleared out Vernon Gholston and nearly lifted him off the ground on one play, only to hold Gholston (without getting flagged) when Gholston recovered and tried to chase the play. The Rams successfully ran behind Smith for a short-yardage conversion late in the third quarter.
- Wide receivers. Laurent Robinson got deep for a 50-yard reception from Marc Bulger, affirming the promise Robinson has shown in practice recently. The Rams need someone to get deep while Donnie Avery recovers from a broken foot. Nice start for Robinson.
- Chris Long and the pass rush. Long didn't get around the corner or bother the quarterback, even against the Jets' backups. Leonard Little made the Rams' biggest play on defense, sacking Kellen Clemens and forcing a fumble. I thought Long had a chance to get pressure with an inside rush after lining up at left end, but he didn't get there. Mark Sanchez completed a 48-yard pass on the play.
- Mark Setterstrom's run blocking. The backup center helped left guard Roger Allen III clear out Ty Steinkuhler in springing Samkon Gado for a 77-yard touchdown run. I set out to watch starting center Jason Brown, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. The Rams lost starting left guard Jacob Bell to a head injury early, leaving Roy Schuening to line up next to Brown. Again, I didn't notice much here.
- Problems in blitz pickup. Neither team appeared prepared for the other's blitzes. That's no surprise during preseason. Still, the Rams' Kenneth Darby should have fared better in blitz pickup. He gave up a couple of sacks, preventing Marc Bulger from enjoying a better night. Bulger completed all four attempts, but he took three sacks, all when running backs couldn't make plays in blitz pickup.
- Cornerback Justin King. The Jets' David Clowney beat King deep for a 48-yard gain up the offensive right sideline. Safety Todd Johnson tried to help, but he wasn't able to get to the sideline quickly enough. Hard to tell if this one was on King entirely.
- Derek Stanley as a punt returner. He misjudged a punt and the ball struck his leg. Stanley then retreated to pick it up, losing yardage. Not what the Rams wanted to see.
- Tight end Randy McMichael. He caught passes for 10 and 15 yards. McMichael also decked the Jets' Calvin Pace to help spring Steven Jackson. Pace quickly retaliated by beating McMichael in pass protection. Overall, though, this was a good night for McMichael in his first game back from a broken leg.
- Linebacker Chris Chamberlain. Bet he gets fined for hitting the Jets' Wallace Wright with a helmet-to-helmet shot while Bradley Fletcher was tackling Wright.
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
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Rams kicker Josh Brown joined an increasingly exclusive club when he turned 30 years old Wednesday.
The milestone birthday increased to six the number of Rams players in their 30s (Marc Bulger, Todd Johnson, Chris Draft, Leonard Little and James Hall are the only others).
The Rams have released or not re-signed 14 players in their 30s since last season: Gary Stills, Dante Hall, Jason Craft, Fakhir Brown, Cory Withrow, Dane Looker, La'Roi Glover, Brandon Gorin, Torry Holt, Anthony Becht, Orlando Pace, Drew Bennett, Trent Green and Corey Chavous. The team parted with Dan Kreider and Eddie Kennison, also in their 30s, during the 2008 season.
The teams with the most players in their 30s: Saints 20, Patriots 17, Broncos 15, Browns 15, Redskins 15, Steelers 14 and Lions 14. The Cardinals have 13, the 49ers 12 and the Seahawks 10. The league average is 10.5.
Rams clear another $1 million via Becht move
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Rams' decision to cut 31-year-old tight end Anthony Becht saved them slightly more than $1 million in salary-cap space by reducing his 2009 cap charge to $135,000.
The move also reduced the Rams' average age another tick to 26.4 while leaving them with six players in their 30s, down from 15 players in their 30s two months ago.
This team continues to get younger and the trend will likely continue as the Rams approach a decision on receiver Torry Holt. Rams players in their 30s now feature Marc Bulger, Todd Johnson, Chris Draft, Leonard Little and Holt.
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Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Rams' contract agreement with Giants free agent James Butler, confirmed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, came together amid a tough market for strong safeties.
The Rams had already invested in franchise free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe and cornerback Ron Bartell. The softening market presumably made it easier to justify adding Butler. The Rams certainly had a need at the position -- even before they released Corey Chavous.
We can now envision a Rams secondary featuring Bartell, Butler and Atogwe as starters. Butler started 26 games for the Giants over the last two seasons.
Scouts Inc.'s profile on Butler described him as a player with "upside" and one with good on-field communication skills:
He is an interchangeable player who moves downhill quickly off pre-snap reads. He has good size and range, but is still raw in coverage. He is a competitive player with toughness, but does have some space limitations in deep zones. He shows good transitional skills, but does have some tightness in his hip rotation off speed turns. Butler looks to be more natural in short zones than deep zones. Even though he does have some straight-line range in deep zones, he has average quickness and burst when closing. He has above-average anticipation and downfield awareness.
He does have some ball skills and knows how to use his size and long arms to make plays. He shows a good knack for timing up blitzes off zone fires. As a run defender, he is reckless with his body when he attacks downhill. He is a willing insert player who plays with balance and control in run support. He displays the speed to attack alleys while maintaining leverage on the ball carrier. However, he does have a tendency to play out of control at times. Overall, Butler is an intriguing young player who should eventually move to the next level as he continues to develop.
With Bartell aboard, Rams need strong safety
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Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Rams' contract agreement with cornerback Ron Bartell ends a suspenseful few days for both parties. The Rams wanted to keep Bartell without overpaying. Bartell wanted to maximize his value as an ascending young player.
The four-year, $28 million agreement allows Bartell to claim a $7 million average, while the Rams get to keep their best young corner.
The Rams legitimately feared the cornerback market might sweep up Bartell and leave the team with few promising prospects at the position. That's why the team must be happy with this outcome.
The chart breaks down the Rams' current defensive backs, with unrestricted free agents in lighter font. The Rams still could use a strong safety to replace Corey Chavous. They have spoke with James Butler. A handful of other strong safeties remain unsigned.
With significant money invested in Bartell and franchise player Oshiomogho Atogwe, the Rams might become more selective in filling out their secondary.
Chavous' release could trigger youth movement
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Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Rams' decision to release veteran strong safety Corey Chavous, 33, makes them younger and faster in the secondary while reducing a $2.8 million salary-cap charge to $1.6 million.
I would expect the Rams to continue trimming older players from their roster as new coach Steve Spagnuolo establishes a new program.
The chart lists every Rams player in his 30s with a contract for 2009. The middle column shows how much the player's contract counts against the salary cap in 2009. The third column shows how much the player's contract counts if the Rams release the player this offseason.
The Rams were the third-oldest team in the league for most of last season, based on to-the-day age breakdowns I maintain. In addition to the 10 players listed, the Rams have eight players in their 30s without contracts for the 2009 season:
- Defensive tackle La'Roi Glover
- Linebacker Gary Stills
- Center Cory Withrow
- Cornerback Jason Craft
- Receiver Dane Looker
- Cornerback Fakhir Brown
- Tackle Brandon Gorin
- Receiver Dante Hall
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Rams' problem areas span top to bottom. The team began its shakeup at the top by forcing out longtime executive Jay Zygmunt. At the bottom, the team levied a $25,000 fine against backup running back Antonio Pittman for missing practice Saturday, the day after his birthday.
Meanwhile, interim coach Jim Haslett wants everyone to know that a coach can't change an organization's culture midway through the season. That is undoubtedly true in some cases. It might be true in the Rams' case.
But the Rams lost Sunday to a team that can make case to the contrary. The 49ers, 2-5 under Mike Nolan to start the season, have posted a 4-4 record under Mike Singletary. The record is 4-3 since the bye week, when Singletary made a clean break from J.T. O'Sullivan to Shaun Hill at quarterback.
The Rams' problems run so deep that ownership might decide this is the time to start fresh with a new coaching staff and significant roster changes.
The Rams are an older team. Heading into Week 16, the Rams had the third-oldest 53-man roster in the league. Their starters were the third-oldest in the league. Older players can become jaded, making it harder for a coach to sell his philosophy.
The Rams have 15 players in their 30s, one off the league high, and nine starters in their 30s, tied for the league high.
Every team needs veterans, and some of the Rams' older players are assets, but I'll be interested in seeing how many are back for another season in St. Louis. New England led the league with 16 players in their 30s entering Week 16, but the Patriots have an established program. They also run a 3-4 defense, which often works best with veterans.
A quick look at Rams players in their 30s heading into Week 16: Trent Green, La'Roi Glover, Leonard Little, Cory Withrow, Orlando Pace, Corey Chavous, Jason Craft, Chris Draft, Dane Looker, Torry Holt, James Hall, Marc Bulger, Anthony Becht, Fakhir Brown and Todd Johnson.
Around the NFC West: Rams candidates
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams will have a hard time retaining Jim Haslett as coach given the team's struggles. Potential candidates: Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Cardinals assistant head coach and offensive line coach Russ Grimm, Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, Titans offensive line coach Mike Munchak, Bucs defensive backs coach Raheem Morris and Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe has at least one takeaway in seven of his last 10 games. Atogwe is responsible for 10 of the Rams' 17 takeaways this season.
Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explains why the Rams are benching Corey Chavous in favor of Todd Johnson. Age is one factor. Johnson also played relatively well against the Cardinals in Week 14, according to Haslett.
Steve Korte of the Belleville News-Democrat says Rams receiver Dane Looker is the emergency kicker while Josh Brown rests a groin injury.
Also from Korte: Chavous declined comment following his job loss.
John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle says 49ers nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin points to improved conditioning and more creative play calling as reasons for his success this season.
Kevin Lynch of Niner Insider says 49ers tight end Vernon Davis could play a role in blocking Dolphins pass-rusher Joey Porter.
Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat checks in with Franklin and linebacker Patrick Willis, key players in the 49ers' defense. Willis thinks he has improved since last season even though his stats aren't as prolific.
Also from Maiocco: NFL rules prevent teams from signing interim coaches to long-term deals until after the season. They 49ers cannot hire Mike Singletary before Dec. 29.
Lowell Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat explains why 49ers coach Singletary carries around a black book with gold leafing on the pages. Singletary has been a prolific note taker since his retirement from the NFL in 1993.
Also from Cohn: A transcript of his conversation with Singletary.
Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee doesn't understand why the Dolphins and other teams have had success with the Wildcat offense.
Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News says the Dolphins' Ronnie Brown has 47 carries for 249 yards from the Wildcat this season. Singletary credits the Dolphins' coaches. Also, the 49ers' confirmed that offensive coordinator Mike Martz is no longer a candidate for the San Diego State coaching job.
Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic explains how Cardinals pass-rusher Bert Berry became an advocate for children. His wife overcame leukemia when both were in middle school.
Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic says the Vikings' Adrian Peterson expected the Cardinals to draft him.
Darren Urban of azcardinals.com explains why the Cardinals drafted Levi Brown instead of Peterson. Coach Ken Whisenhunt wanted to build a strong offensive line. Meanwhile, Brown isn't interested in rehashing the draft.
Also from Urban: Kurt Warner is taking a low-key approach to the Cardinals' success. The quarterback is projecting a business-as-usual demeanor.
Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer expects Seneca Wallace to start at quarterback against the Rams in Week 15. Wallace is getting the meaningful coaching in practice.
Also from Farnsworth: Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones also might miss the St. Louis game.
John Morgan of Field Gulls explains why selecting a quarterback in the first round can make sense. That's where teams tend to find the great ones.
Jose Romero of the Seattle Times thinks Jones might not prevail in Pro Bowl voting for the first time in years.
Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times says the Seahawks are reluctant to let Hasselbeck play while the quarterback still feels a "tingle" stemming from his back injury.
Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune says Julian Peterson and other Seahawks are eager to get another shot at Rams guard Richie Incognito, whom they accused of dirty play.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Sando
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.
