Fairley and Ayers Good Fits for Rams

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jap

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Jan 12, 2013
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Ariens.....how many QBs u got? Gonna need 'em all! :D

Arians will learn the hard way to shut his damn pie-hole before mouthing off about an opponent he is going to face at least twice a season. The Fairley and Ayers signings are The Fisher King's way of showing all the love he holds for Sir Arians. :p
 

ReddingRam

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Sep 7, 2011
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I'm loving how this new year is starting out. Sure .... we NEED OL and I'm sure we have at least one coming via FA still. But DAMN ..... this defense is stacking up really really nice! Like I mentioned in a previous post the other day ... the teams with lots of success lately in the NFL were built with STRONG Defense, STRONG running game and enough passing success to bind it all together.

I see off the cuff remarks about Fisher wanting to keep winning 6-3.... 9-6 games ....... well I could care less HOW it's done, just as long as we WIN. It's the way of the best division in fotball, the NFCWest. Killer D, Power O ... blood and guts everywhere! (y):D
 

So Ram

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I d
Does this make Barron less important?
I don't think so . I think The Rams will be able to disguise there defense with Barron. There are so many moving parts now. The DB's are going to be tough.
 

RamseyF

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Mar 13, 2015
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Ramsey
only problem with Fairley is he has been injured every year, to some degree or another. So, a prove it deal was the right way to go. And since he's a 3rd tackle we are not hurt if he gets hurt, at least not as much as if he were a starter
 

RamBill

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Howard Balzer ‏@HBalzer721

Nick Fairley 1 yr, $5M deal has $2.5M salary, $1.5M roster bonus paid Sunday, $500k workout bonus, per-game roster bonus of $31,250.

For Fairley, per-game RB could total $500k, but because he played eight games in 2014, only $250K counts against cap for total cap of $4.75.

Also, Fairley has $2.5M incentives: up to $1M playtime; up to $1M sacks, sacks+playoffs, $500k Pro Bowl (all NLTBE=not likely to be earned).
 

RamBill

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Breaking down Nick Fairley's contract with the Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17141/breaking-down-nick-fairleys-contract

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams struck a one-year deal with defensive tackle Nick Fairley last Friday, adding him to an already extensive mix of talent on the defensive line.

As a former No. 13 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, Fairley has long held much potential but to this point has been unable to reach it for various reasons. So Fairley signed a one-year deal in St. Louis with the intent to prove himself worthy of bigger riches next time around.

Fairley's one-year deal is worth $5 million but also includes another possible (though unlikely) $2.5 million that can be attained.

Here's a look at the contract, with all numbers courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information:

2015

Base salary: $2.5 million

Roster bonus: $1.5 million (paid March 15)

Additional bonuses: $31,250 per game active, up to a maximum of $500,000. Only $250,000 of the potential $500,000 counts against the cap now because Fairley played in only eight games last season. If Fairley is active for all 16 games, he'll be paid $500,000 but the Rams must hold space for any bonuses hit beyond the eight that count against the cap now. Also includes a $500,000 workout bonus.

Cap charge: $4.75 million

Cash charge: $5 million

Notes: The deal also includes up to $2 million in what are deemed "not likely to be earned" bonuses, which account for things like a Pro Bowl berth, reaching sack milestones and team performance.
 

RamBill

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A look at how LB Akeem Ayers fits the Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17018/a-look-at-how-lb-akeem-ayers-fits-the-rams

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Upon signing with the St. Louis Rams late last week, linebacker Akeem Ayers headed back to his roots.

Ayers entered the NFL as a member of the Tennessee Titans in 2011 when he was a second-round pick. Current Rams coach Jeff Fisher had just departed Tennessee but in Ayers' time with the Titans, he made plenty of connections with coaches who now reside in St. Louis.

With the Rams, Ayers reunites with linebackers coach Frank Bush and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. He also gets a chance to get back to a 4-3 defense, which apparently is a better fit for his skill set.

After arriving in Tennessee as a rookie, Ayers played outside linebacker in the Titans' base 4-3 scheme with his most effective use coming as a designated pass-rusher off the edge in sub packages.

When Ray Horton took over as Tennessee's defensive coordinator in 2014, the Titans converted to a 3-4 scheme. Ayers promptly got lost in the shuffle because he didn't really fit as an edge-rusher in a 3-4 and wasn't particularly adept at taking on guards or defending the run so couldn't transition inside in that defense, either.

In fact, Ayers got left so far behind that he played just 10 defensive snaps in the first seven games for the Titans before he got traded to the New England Patriots.

A little bit of trial and error for Bill Belichick and Co. eventually found Ayers' best use.

I asked ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss for a scouting report on what he saw from Ayers in his time with the Patriots. Here's what he had to say:

"The Patriots traded for him midseason and he really shined here. Mainly as a designated pass-rusher in a run of games when the Patriots were playing mostly sub (packages) against pass-first teams."

Ayers piled up 17 tackles and four sacks over the final nine games with most of his damage coming as a pass-rusher.

Now that he's in St. Louis, it's probably fair to expect Ayers to get some work as the team's strongside linebacker, probably even as a starter. He's not known for his ability to defend the run but he showed some improvement in that regard for the Patriots and has had moments where he's been good in that area in the past.

But one thing we know about Williams is that he's as good as it gets when it comes to cooking up ways to use his players, especially those with pass-rushing ability.

So while Ayers might end up as the starter on the strong side, it's probably wise to expect to see him all over the place in Williams' defense, especially in passing situations. Ayers could even put his hand down as an edge-rusher in certain situations. All told, he's just the type of movable chess piece that Williams loves to find a place for in his attacking scheme.