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Bleacher Report Alert: Beware all who enter here!!!
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ms-deepest-scariest-d-line-but-will-it-matter
Nick Fairley Signing Gives Rams Deepest, Scariest D-Line, but Will It Matter?
By Ty Schalter, NFL National Lead Writer
Nick Fairley was Cam Newton's defensive counterpart at Auburn. In Detroit, Fairley was Ndamukong Suh's partner in crime.
Now, in St. Louis, Fairley joins sophomore stud Aaron Donald and 2012 first-round pick Michael Brockers at the heart of the NFL's scariest defensive line. On the outside, pass-rushing terror Robert Quinn, former No. 2 overall pick Chris Long, William Hayes and Eugene Sims take turns attacking from the flanks.
The depth of talent, speed and size that will suit up along the Rams' front in 2015 will be mind-boggling. Should all these spectacular talents play as well as they're capable of, the Rams' back seven will be able to pick daisies, sip Mai Tais and take naps while Fairley and company wreak havoc.
As NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported, though, Fairley didn't get a big commitment from St. Louis:
Ian Rapoport ✔ @RapSheet
#Rams signed DT Nick Fairley on a 1-year deal worth $5M base, source said. He can make up to $7.5M in incentives. A prove-it deal.
So-called "prove it" deals are common with veterans who've struggled with health, production, off-the-field problems or commitment.
Fairley's career hasn't been derailed by any of the above, but it has been hampered by nearly all of it.
He hasn't had a major off-field incident or any personal-conduct suspensions. But the evidence and charges surrounding a dropped drug charge in 2012 and a recent DUI acquittal prove that even if Fairley isn't a criminal, he doesn't always make wise choices.
In today's NFL and media climate, adding a guy who has a habit of accidentally ending up in handcuffs is a big, big risk.
He hasn't been a rock on the field, either.
Fairley's shown flashes of brilliance, especially during the 2013 season. Healthy and motivated, he spent much of the season looking like the Lions' best defender. He ended up starting 15 games and racking up six sacks. But while the splash plays were there, the consistency wasn't.
"He has still been inconsistent," former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz told Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. "He played very well in spurts. I think that was encouraging, but there has also been some inconsistency."
Not only did the Lions keep seeing inconsistency in Fairley in 2013, they kept seeing more of him.
He slowly put on weight throughout the season, a time when most players shed weight from the constant grind. He finished the season at a too-heavy 320 pounds.
In the following spring, Fairley had a corrective procedure to correct sleep apnea and changed his diet. He showed up for training camp at a relatively svelte 295 pounds, per Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site. Ironically, 295 was still outside his assigned weight range—too skinny!
By the start of the season, though, Fairley was back up to 315, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, and his play reflected his appearance. His lethargic, slogging efforts got him demoted to the second team.
"I don't know where his head's at. I wish I knew," defensive tackle C.J. Mosley told Meinke. "If I knew, man, I'd grab his head and bring it back to where it's supposed to be. I just don't know." First-team All-Pro linemate Ndamukong Suh, who also left Detroit, said something more promising—and more damning.
"I haven't said this a lot, or to many people, more or less, but Nick is more athletically gifted than me," Ndamukong Suh told Meinke. "He has an opportunity to be better than me."
Think about that: Suh has been voted one of the two best defensive tackles in football by the Associated Press in three of the last five seasons. Only two tackles ranked higher than Suh in Pro Football Focus' overall grades in 2014, and one of them was Donald.
If Fairley could screw his head on straight and get motivated, the Rams would have the two best defensive tackles in football playing right next to each other.
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has extensive working relationships with Lions defensive line coach Jim Washburn, Lions defensive assistant Gunther Cunningham and former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. Perhaps none of the other 31 coaching staffs could know what motivates Fairley as well as Fisher and his staff will.
The idea of a peak-form Fairley playing next to Donald is a football dream sequence, especially with 322-pound run-stuffer Brockers rotating in to keep them fresh.
If Quinn and Long could return to their 2013 form, not only would the Rams have the scariest, deepest defensive line in football, they'd have one of the best defensive lines ever.
Of course, the odds of all those ifs working out are on the long side, which is why the lack of commitment is worrying. And, oh yes, there's the small matter of the 18 other players on the field.
For all their talent up front, the Rams' linebackers are mediocre at best. Their secondary is decent but lacks a real difference-maker. All told, the Rams finished 16th in scoring defense last season—right in the middle of the pack.
Then there's the offense.
With top two quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill gone, replaced by deposed Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Nick Foles, any semblance of offensive identity or continuity has gone kaput.
The Rams have brought in a parade of second- and third-tier running back talent to no effective end, and 2013 No. 8 overall pick Tavon Austin still hasn't proven he's anything more than an ineffective tweener.
The Rams finished 21st in scoring offense in 2014, and it's hard to see how they'll get better in 2015. With the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals all firmly above the Rams and blowing up the transaction wires trying to improve, even adding a talent like Fairley to one of the NFL's best units can't make up for that.
After all, if adding Fairley to an already-outstanding defensive line were enough to propel an otherwise-flawed team to glory, the Lions would have a lot more to show for it.
******************************************
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ms-deepest-scariest-d-line-but-will-it-matter
Nick Fairley Signing Gives Rams Deepest, Scariest D-Line, but Will It Matter?
By Ty Schalter, NFL National Lead Writer
Nick Fairley was Cam Newton's defensive counterpart at Auburn. In Detroit, Fairley was Ndamukong Suh's partner in crime.
Now, in St. Louis, Fairley joins sophomore stud Aaron Donald and 2012 first-round pick Michael Brockers at the heart of the NFL's scariest defensive line. On the outside, pass-rushing terror Robert Quinn, former No. 2 overall pick Chris Long, William Hayes and Eugene Sims take turns attacking from the flanks.
The depth of talent, speed and size that will suit up along the Rams' front in 2015 will be mind-boggling. Should all these spectacular talents play as well as they're capable of, the Rams' back seven will be able to pick daisies, sip Mai Tais and take naps while Fairley and company wreak havoc.
As NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported, though, Fairley didn't get a big commitment from St. Louis:
Ian Rapoport ✔ @RapSheet
#Rams signed DT Nick Fairley on a 1-year deal worth $5M base, source said. He can make up to $7.5M in incentives. A prove-it deal.
So-called "prove it" deals are common with veterans who've struggled with health, production, off-the-field problems or commitment.
Fairley's career hasn't been derailed by any of the above, but it has been hampered by nearly all of it.
He hasn't had a major off-field incident or any personal-conduct suspensions. But the evidence and charges surrounding a dropped drug charge in 2012 and a recent DUI acquittal prove that even if Fairley isn't a criminal, he doesn't always make wise choices.
In today's NFL and media climate, adding a guy who has a habit of accidentally ending up in handcuffs is a big, big risk.
He hasn't been a rock on the field, either.
Fairley's shown flashes of brilliance, especially during the 2013 season. Healthy and motivated, he spent much of the season looking like the Lions' best defender. He ended up starting 15 games and racking up six sacks. But while the splash plays were there, the consistency wasn't.
"He has still been inconsistent," former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz told Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. "He played very well in spurts. I think that was encouraging, but there has also been some inconsistency."
Not only did the Lions keep seeing inconsistency in Fairley in 2013, they kept seeing more of him.
He slowly put on weight throughout the season, a time when most players shed weight from the constant grind. He finished the season at a too-heavy 320 pounds.
In the following spring, Fairley had a corrective procedure to correct sleep apnea and changed his diet. He showed up for training camp at a relatively svelte 295 pounds, per Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site. Ironically, 295 was still outside his assigned weight range—too skinny!
By the start of the season, though, Fairley was back up to 315, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, and his play reflected his appearance. His lethargic, slogging efforts got him demoted to the second team.
"I don't know where his head's at. I wish I knew," defensive tackle C.J. Mosley told Meinke. "If I knew, man, I'd grab his head and bring it back to where it's supposed to be. I just don't know." First-team All-Pro linemate Ndamukong Suh, who also left Detroit, said something more promising—and more damning.
"I haven't said this a lot, or to many people, more or less, but Nick is more athletically gifted than me," Ndamukong Suh told Meinke. "He has an opportunity to be better than me."
Think about that: Suh has been voted one of the two best defensive tackles in football by the Associated Press in three of the last five seasons. Only two tackles ranked higher than Suh in Pro Football Focus' overall grades in 2014, and one of them was Donald.
If Fairley could screw his head on straight and get motivated, the Rams would have the two best defensive tackles in football playing right next to each other.
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has extensive working relationships with Lions defensive line coach Jim Washburn, Lions defensive assistant Gunther Cunningham and former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. Perhaps none of the other 31 coaching staffs could know what motivates Fairley as well as Fisher and his staff will.
The idea of a peak-form Fairley playing next to Donald is a football dream sequence, especially with 322-pound run-stuffer Brockers rotating in to keep them fresh.
If Quinn and Long could return to their 2013 form, not only would the Rams have the scariest, deepest defensive line in football, they'd have one of the best defensive lines ever.
Of course, the odds of all those ifs working out are on the long side, which is why the lack of commitment is worrying. And, oh yes, there's the small matter of the 18 other players on the field.
For all their talent up front, the Rams' linebackers are mediocre at best. Their secondary is decent but lacks a real difference-maker. All told, the Rams finished 16th in scoring defense last season—right in the middle of the pack.
Then there's the offense.
With top two quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill gone, replaced by deposed Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Nick Foles, any semblance of offensive identity or continuity has gone kaput.
The Rams have brought in a parade of second- and third-tier running back talent to no effective end, and 2013 No. 8 overall pick Tavon Austin still hasn't proven he's anything more than an ineffective tweener.
The Rams finished 21st in scoring offense in 2014, and it's hard to see how they'll get better in 2015. With the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals all firmly above the Rams and blowing up the transaction wires trying to improve, even adding a talent like Fairley to one of the NFL's best units can't make up for that.
After all, if adding Fairley to an already-outstanding defensive line were enough to propel an otherwise-flawed team to glory, the Lions would have a lot more to show for it.
