Rams interested in DT Nick Fairley? (Update: Apparently so)

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Dodgersrf

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Sorry but how about they earn a nickname. I want to see them play together and destroy teams from the beginning of the season.
Absolutely.
And that nickname better not be "Johnny Come Lately"!
 

Dieter the Brock

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What kinda secret Auburn chant did Snead bust out with to get the guy to show up on a one year deal at 5 mil?!
If Brockers bolts we just keep rolling - it's nice to see we are relentless on feeding the beast -
But starving the Oline is getting perplexing
There's gotta be a master plan...
 

BigRamFan

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Yes. It's not even top half in the NFL.

http://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-completions-per-game

Use all the different links on the right side to see all the different pass defense rankings. They were consistently in the middle to bottom half.

One exception to point out is Yards per Completion. They were ranked 9th in the NFL. That sounds good but just reinforces what I thought I saw; offenses just countered our pass rush with quick, short passes. They ate us alive at times with them. That explains the high passer ratings, incompletions, completions, and completion percentages against us, also.
Okay, statistically speaking a young group of DBs had a hard time learning another defensive scheme. In fact, the entire D struggled mightily for the first half of the season. But I do not agree this group is weak or not talented. I think in year 2 of GW's scheme we will see a much better unit because the individual talent it there.
 

JonRam99

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What kinda secret Auburn chant did Snead bust out with to get the guy to show up on a one year deal at 5 mil?!
If Brockers bolts we just keep rolling - it's nice to see we are relentless on feeding the beast -
But starving the Oline is getting perplexing
There's gotta be a master plan...

...what if we get to #10, and Leonard Williams is sitting there (+ Cooper & White are gone)? DO WE TAKE HIM?????
 

V3

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Okay, statistically speaking a young group of DBs had a hard time learning anther defensive scheme. In fact, the entire D struggled mightily for the first half of the season. But I do not agree this group is weak or not talented. I think in year 2 of GW's scheme we will see a much better unit because the individual talent it there.
As a group, I think they're talented but they still have their issues that prevent the D from being elite, IMO. I'm not fans of McLeod or Joyner, though. IMO, McLeod is better suited as a rotation/backup and Joner should be our FS. I don't like him playing slot CB AT ALL. Johnson is limited physically in terms of speed and quickness and can be exposed from time to time. If put in the right situations, though, I think he can be very good. Jenkins I'm just not a fan. I'm just tired of his mental errors. He shouldn't be doing such egregious errors at this point. That being said, he can be very good at times but you just never know when that JJ is going to show up and I certainly don't trust him enough to give him a big contract next year. Gaines I think is similar to Johnson but maybe a bit higher ceiling. Limited a little physically but has very good instincts. IMO, none will ever be "shut-down" types CBs but that's not to say they're bad. I think as a group, they're middle to maybe upper middle of the NFL. If they got a true shutdown type CB, I think this D would go to elite status.
 

simonblaze

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Amped for this pick up...still holding out faith fisher picks up atleast one starting offensive lineman
 

Dodgersrf

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Amped for this pick up...still holding out faith fisher picks up atleast one starting offensive lineman
It will happen. We need 2-3 vets.
No way Fish starts 3 rookies on the line.

We need 3 starters and a few backups. 5 or 6 new names could be a possibility.
 

Elmgrovegnome

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So whats the plan for Secondary? As long as secondary is weak, there is only so much Rams can do to better the DL. Thumbs down on this signing.

While I don't think the secondary is great. I don't think it is a weakness either.
 

Elmgrovegnome

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Except E.J Gaines every one on that secondary don't start for most teams.

:confused:Say What?

McDonald is a stud SS. Jenkins would start for nearly every team in the league despite his dumb mistakes. McLeod could start for several teams but most likely as a SS. Joyner could start at FS or nickel for other teams.
 

Dodgersrf

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I hope ur right
It also doesn't have to get done now.
More cuts will be made between now and after the draft.
On thing I do know. It would be tough to have a line play as bad as we played last year, with all the injuries.
The only way to go is up.
 

RamsJunkie

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LMAO reading the seahawks forum about Fairly signing with us. Most of them are terrified!

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Fairley is now headed for a visit with the Rams. If Fairley does end up joining the Rams defensive line, it will be a case of the rich getting richer.

The Rams have recent first-round picks Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers at defensive tackle at the moment, so adding Fairley doesn’t really fall into the necessity column but adding him to the rotation would make for a constant stream of fresh and talented players in the middle of the defensive line.

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Agreed....NO!!!!!!!!

That defensive line would be insane.


Hope he's gone after the season. Nice get for the Rams I guess, at least it takes away from what they can spend on their offense.

Another good d-lineman for the Rams.................great. Its now imperative that we fix our interior oline or else we will be in trouble!

Goddamnit. It's going to be all pass rush all the time every time we play them.

Good thing we are a running team with a nice new toy in the short passing game. Still, poor Russell... this is gonna leave a mark.

Suh definitely made DET's DLine go...but now Fairley gets to play with Quinn, Long, Brockers and Donald...

Even if we're primarily running the ball, I wouldn't put it past Fisher to instruct these guys to hit Russell every play.

ouch...rams are gonna be all over wilson even more now

Scary D...

guess he's been middling if you pretend 2013 didn't happen.
With that D, if Foles simply plays 12+ games and doesn't give the ball away, he'll be just what the Rams have needed.
I'm scared to death the Cards are going to land AP. With that, and what the Rams just did, the NFC West is going to be a knife fight this year.

The only thing that bothers me about this is that we could've had Fairley at a 5 mil prove it deal if we had tried. I'm not to worried about this until Fairley actually shows something.
He could be inspired by his new DL team mates, or he could see how truly dominant some guys are and realize he can't get there and give up. Tough to say.
It could be really bad for us though. We're not exactly set in the interior OL.
Not like we were last year either though.
 

RamBill

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Rams offer Nick Fairley chance to reach his potential
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/p...er-nick-fairley-chance-to-reach-his-potential

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- In the 2011 NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams had the 14th pick and patiently waited their turn to make a selection while superstar pass-rushers such as J.J. Watt, Von Miller, Aldon Smith and Marcell Dareus came off the board. While Chris Long was locked into one position, the Rams desperately wanted to bolster their pass rush and kept their fingers crossed that one of the other top defensive linemen would fall in their lap.

As the Detroit Lions came up with the 13th pick, they took Nick Fairley. The Rams turned in the card with end Robert Quinn's name on it nearly as fast as Quinn bends the edge against a left tackle.

On Tuesday morning, the Rams turned what four years ago was an "either/or" situation into a resounding "and." A day after arriving in St. Louis, Fairley signed a one-year contract worth $5 million, which could reach the $8-million range with incentives.

That Fairley was even available was a product of a disappointing four-year stint with the Lions in which Fairley was plagued by injuries, weight problems and a couple of arrests. Despite glimpses of potential -- especially in 2012 and 2013 when he posted 69 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 28 games -- the Lions declined to exercise their fifth-year option on Fairley in hopes it would motivate him.

It didn't necessarily work as Fairley had 14 tackles and a sack in eight 2014 games before knee injuries cost him the other half of the season. So it was that Fairley hit the open market on Tuesday in search of a chance to prove the potential that only came in small doses in Detroit can be consistently applied in a new locale.

In choosing the Rams' one-year deal, Fairley essentially signed a "prove-it" deal intended to bolster his stock and allow him to cash in next season. And, though Fairley is likely to serve as the primary backup to Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers, Fairley couldn't have picked a better situation in which to bet on himself.

Fairley joins a defensive line that's already stocked with pass-rushers Long and Quinn, defensive rookie of the year Donald, former first-round pick Brockers and quality backups such as William Hayes and Eugene Sims. He's the fifth former first-round pick on the defensive line and should have no shortage of one-on-one pass rush opportunities.

"I feel like it's a perfect fit for me," Fairley said. "The guys in this group, the D-line, they are young and they're moving forward and I want to be part of it.

"You got those guys up there and a guy next to me like Aaron is going to take on some double teams, I'm going to take on some double teams so it's going to be a good fit for me."

Line coaches Mike Waufle and Clyde Simmons also come with strong reputations in league circles and Waufle's hard-charging style developed in years as a Marine should only serve Fairley well in maintaining discipline.

"[He's] a great guy, matter of fact my dad is an ex-Marine so I know a little bit about ex-Marines," Fairley said.

It also doesn't hurt the Rams have become Auburn North with former Tigers Greg Robinson, Tre Mason and Daren Bates on the roster and general manager Les Snead offering input on the roster.

But even with that support system in place, it's up to Fairley to become the player many thought he'd become. For his part, Fairley seems to have put in the work to come to St. Louis in shape.

At times during his stint with the Lions, Fairley's weight ballooned to as high as 320 pounds but the help of a personal chef allowed him to trim down to about 290 pounds before last season. There were concerns the knee injuries he suffered last year might cause his weight to go back up, but Fairley continued to work with the chef and arrived in St. Louis at a sleek 280 pounds.

In fact, Fairley is now in position to actually put weight on before the season, though he's looking to enlist the help of a local personal chef to help him do it the right way.

"I'm going to be looking for one out here so if anybody knows a chef, holler at me," Fairley said, laughing. "I'm going to put on some muscle so when I come back in April with the group of guys in the conditioning and work program, I'm sure I'll get to where I want to be."

If he does, an already scary Rams' defensive line could get even better, and Fairley's one-year gamble could pay off in an equally big way.