Is There A New Fossil Sherriff In Town?

As a St. Louis Rams fan it was very upsetting to watch Scott Linehan sign one FOSL (friends of Scott Linehan) after another. Well don't look now but there is a new fossil collector in town and his name is Steve Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo has signed 3 ex-Giants players so far during free agency. In addition his first pick up last year was S James Butler another New York Giant. That would be bad enough but let's not forget the time Steve Spagnuolo spent with the Philadelphia Eagles. Since the start of the 2009 NFL season the Rams have also gathered in Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson and Hank Fraley all from the Eagles organization. Are the St. Louis Rams collecting talent and improving their roster or just gathering fossils?

St. Louis Rams Claim Two Off Waivers

The St. Louis Rams picked up two players off waivers today. the Rams have picked up Safety Anthony Smith and Defensive Tackle Lajuan Ramsey. To make room for those two players the Rams cut/released Quinton Culberson and Nate Jones. Culberson comes as no surprise to me and I predicted Culberson and Roach would be the first to go if we picked up any players. With the release of Nate Jones the Rams are down to four wide receivers on their roster. Expect the Rams to make more moves, they will not head into the fist game at Seattle with only four wide receivers on the roster. Also will We see the release of David Roach?

Lajuan Ramsey (USC) has played 3 years in the NFL, two with the Philadelphia Eagles and last year with the Indianapolis Colts. He has never started a game but has been in 19 overall making 12 tackles. Steve Spagnuolo was in Philly in 2006 so he knows Ramsey.

Anthony Smith is a 6' 200lb Safety out of Syracuse. He played on the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Championship team. Smith has started 14 games in his 3 years in the NFL. During that time he has made 106 tackles and had four interceptions.

I like how coach Steve Spagnuolo seems to be bringing in winners. Note that the Rams signed Jason Brown (Balt), James Butler (NYG), and Mike Karney (NO) during 2009 free agency period. Now they pick up two more players in Ramsey and Smith with playoff experience.

St. Louis Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals Highlights

St. Louis Rams @ Cincinnati Bengals highlights from Friday night. Included are two touchdowns by Samkon Gado. James Laurinaitis with a huge fumble recovery. James Butler's fumble recovery and taking it to the house touchdown run. Quincy Butler follows that up with an interception and nice return. Finally a game clinching sack and strip by Eric Moore and recovery by backup defensive end C.J. Ah You.

St. Louis Rams Cage In The Bengals 24-21

The Cincinnati Bengals had no where to run or hide as the Butler's did it Thursday night as the St. Louis Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 24-21 to go to 2-1 in the preseason. James Butler and Quincy Butler combined for 6 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery returned for a TD, and 1 interception. The Rams who forced 4 turnovers on the night jumped out to an early 21-7 lead after James Butler recovered a fumble and returned it 73 yards for a score. The Rams defense should benefit greatly from having winners like coach Steve Spagnuolo and James Butler. The most impressive part of the night was the swarming, gang tackling, ball hawking defense. The Rams were constantly making tackles as a group and trying to strip the ball. The Rams in addition also recorded 6 sacks by 6 different players. on a night when the offense only had 243 total yards the defense came through in a big way.
Kyle Boller had a nice night playing one series into he 3rd Quarter. Boller went 114 of 20 for 96 yards with TD, along with 16 yards rushing. I like the way he plays, his attitude, and apparent leadership. Berlin and Null only threw 9 passes in the second half and did not show much. Samkon Gado was again the star of the running backs. With Steven Jackson only in the game for 7 plays on offense Gado was quickly in and given a chance to shine. Gado did not disappoint as he totaled 35 total yards and two touchdowns. Laurent Robinson again led the receiving core in catches and yardage.
On this night it was the defense that stole the show. For the Rams to be successful in 2009 they will have to create turnovers and cash them in. On this night they were able to do just that. Steve Spagnuolo came from the Eagles and Giants both teams that have had a history of hard hitting D that likes to get after the QB and cause turnovers. I would love to see the Rams put together a team that can play that way on defense.
The Rams are now 2-1 in the preseason and will finish their schedule next Thursday night at the Edward Jones Dome against the Kansas City Chiefs. Hopefully some more starters like Bulger, Avery, Little, Carriker, etc. will be healthy for that one. I would like to see Marc Bulger get some work in prior to the road opener at Seattle on September 13th.