St. Louis Rams cut-down analysis/Wagoner

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RamBill

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St. Louis Rams cut-down analysis
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10994/st-louis-rams-cut-down-analysis-3

Most significant move: From the moment the St. Louis Rams drafted him, it was no secret it would be difficult for defensive end Michael Sam to make the 53-man roster. Despite a strong preseason, Sam was released. This was simply a matter of the numbers working against him. The Rams kept nine defensive linemen on the depth chart, including the eight we already knew were well-positioned. The ninth spot was up for grabs but ultimately went to Ethan Westbrooks. His versatility and strong daily effort was simply too much for Sam to overcome. Now the Rams will wait and see if Sam clears waivers so they can bring him back to the practice squad.

Light at linebacker: It's no surprise the Rams cut four linebackers, leaving only five on the current roster. Though they are likely to continue searching for a sixth linebacker to add some depth, none of the rookies vying for a spot did enough to earn a spot. The Rams gave Phillip Steward plenty of chances to make a case to be on the roster, but he couldn't take advantage. Don't be surprised if the Rams add to the position before the opener against Minnesota.

Final Roster Cuts

Quarterback quandary: Again, nobody will be taken aback by the team's decision to cut sixth-round quarterback Garrett Gilbert. He wasn't able to provide the consistency needed to win a spot, though the team could bring him back to the practice squad. But since starter Sam Bradford was lost for the season, the plan has been to add another quarterback with some experience. Even if the Rams had kept Gilbert on the roster, it was almost certainly as a place-holder until they can find a veteran capable of backing up starter Shaun Hill.

What's next: The Rams will spend Saturday evening and Sunday morning piecing together their 10-man practice squad. Many of the practice squad players will be those released by the team in the past week. Some candidates include tackle Sean Hooey, defensive tackle Deantre Harlan, linebacker Lawrence Wilson, cornerback Greg Reid, guard Travis Bond and receiver Austin Franklin.

Rams moves: Released WR Emory Blake, G Bond, DE Kourtnei Brown, S Christian Bryant, DT Matt Conrath, S Avery Cunningham, WR Franklin, QB Gilbert, DT Harlan, LB Aaron Hill, T Hooey, DB Reid, LB Etienne Sabino, DE Sam, TE Brad Smelley, LB Steward, T Mitchell Van Dyk, WR Justin Veltung, OL Brandon Washington, LB Wilson and CB Darren Woodard.

WR Stedman Bailey will be placed on the reserve/suspended list for first four games.
 

RamBill

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Sam simply on wrong side of numbers
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11070/sam-simply-on-wrong-side-of-numbers

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- From the moment the St. Louis Rams used the 249th pick in May's NFL draft on defensive end Michael Sam, there was never any doubt that he'd have an uphill climb to win a roster spot on the team's deepest unit.

In so many ways, St. Louis was the perfect place for Sam. It's two hours from the University of Missouri, where he played his college football. There's a built-in fan base of the many Missouri alums in the St. Louis area. Owner Stan Kroenke is also an alum and maintains a home in Columbia. Former teammates such as center Tim Barnes and cornerback E.J. Gaines are already on the roster.

But in the way that mattered most -- the football way -- it was always going to be hard for Sam to make the roster. He found out just how difficult that was Saturday afternoon when the Rams announced Sam was one of the 21 players the team released.

Before Sam even arrived in St. Louis, the Rams had eight defensive linemen essentially locked into roster spots. They've kept nine in each of the past two seasons, but Sam faced tough competition from undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks for that ninth spot.

"When we drafted Michael, we mentioned that it was going to be a tough road," coach Jeff Fisher said. "Those four defensive ends we have on the roster are good. And they’re very productive. As well as the tackles. That’s the strength of our football team. But again, it was a football decision."

It was a football decision that ultimately boiled down to two things: whether Sam could beat out Westbrooks and, barring that, impressing the coaches enough to persuade them to go even heavier on the line by keeping 10.

The competition between Westbrooks and Sam started out relatively even. Sam was a seventh-round pick, but Westbrooks was the team's prized find in rookie free agency as he received the largest signing bonus among the team's undrafted rookies.

Sam and Westbrooks dueled in the preseason, posting similar stats in the four games and playing more snaps than the other defensive linemen. But as the preseason wore on, it was clear Westbrooks offered every bit as much talent in a more versatile package.

"He was very, very productive in the preseason for us and played all four spots," Fisher said. "He’s a very, very talented young player that I think has a really good future."

With Westbrooks stating a case too good for the Rams to ignore, Sam's best shot to make the roster came down to whether the team wanted to keep 10 defensive linemen, a number well above the usual standard.

Although Sam played well enough to prove he belongs in the NFL, he wasn't so overwhelming that the Rams couldn't keep him. He played almost exclusively as a left defensive end, and any hopes that he could gain an edge by working on special teams never materialized.

Given the injuries to cornerback Trumaine Johnson and offensive lineman Barrett Jones and the need to keep an extra body at those spots, keeping 10 was just not palatable.

"Nine defensive linemen on a roster is a significant number, especially when you are a four-down lineman team," Fisher said. "Nine is a number that you look at to start the season. If you go with 10, then you are going to be short someplace else, and we are just not there."

Where the Rams could be is in a position to put Sam on the practice squad should he clear waivers. We'll find out Sunday at noon ET whether he will. Fisher declined to comment on the practice squad, but a league source said the team would like to keep Sam there if possible.

"I was pulling for Mike, I really was," Fisher said. "I don’t say that very often, but I was. Mike came in here and did everything we asked him to do."

Indeed, Fisher isn't exaggerating when he says Sam was not a distraction and his time in St. Louis was all about football. And football was the reason that his time on the roster came to an end Saturday afternoon.
 

RamWoodie

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I don't see Sam clearing waivers. I see a team grabbing him for STs as well as a 3rd down pass rush guy.
 

BonifayRam

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A total of 10 rookies, 4 offensive & 6 defensive rookies. Four of which are UDFA's DL'er Ethan Westbrooks is easily the best of the four & the biggest surprise of the TC & pre season of the UDFA's. Of the 11 draft 2014 draft picks only 6 made the Master Roster. The present 5 very young RB's that made the MR, 2 of which are rookies along with the running back abilities of Tavon Austin sure makes this particular unit look very fat or heavy to me.

In addition it looks heavy in the fullback area too with both young blocking monsters Harkey & 1st yr player UDFA Cunningham present. Also when you add in the three TE's with the two FB's this area looks fatter. But with loss of the long home run ball thrower in Sam Bradford, magic mitts of that UDFA Alex Bayer will sure come in handy in the short passing offense. WR's which was a major concern before the draft are fine IMO.

The OL lost four OL'ers from last season OL ....2 starters (Williams & Dahl) & 2 sometime starters (Smith & Washington) but only added 2 new.....1 rookie & 1 vet to the 2014 OL that is full of health concerns throughout....Well- Long- Saffold- Joseph & Jones... Scary!

The DL has 2 new rookie interior bona fide players! but overall the unit limps into the beginning of this season hurting inside with vets Brockers- Hayes & Langford. The addition of UFA DT Carrington just looks plain stinky awful. I know of no reason to have kept this DL'er over Sam other than Carrington can play inside where Sam does not. I sure would be looking for a nice size vet DT to back up Brockers in place of Carrington ASAP. The 5 LB'ers & 4 Safeties look fine. The 6 CB's look a little fat but that's due to Trumaine's serious injury. 6th rd selection of CB E.J. Gaines looks to be one serious bargain of the Rams draft @ this time.