Rams News

St. Louis Rams
Team Report posted April 24, 1998


by tsn correspondent
JIM THOMAS St. Louis Post-Dispatch

For a player who didn't score a touchdown in 1997, wide receiver Eddie Kennison drew a lot of interest just before the draft. Chicago wanted either the Rams' second-round pick (No. 37 overall) or Kennison in exchange for swapping first-round draft position. The Rams would have moved up one spot -- from No. 6 overall to No. 5 overall -- to draft Penn State running back Curtis Enis.

But the Rams thought the asking price was too high under both scenarios and said "No thanks." You couldn't blame them. One year ago, they traded up from No. 6 to No. 1 for Orlando Pace without having to give up a second-round pick.

Arizona also inquired about Kennison as part of a package to have the Rams move to No. 3 overall for Andre Wadsworth. And Denver offered their first-round pick (No. 30 overall) for Kennison. Again, the Rams declined. Denver used that pick to take wide receiver Marcus Nash of Tennessee.

The Rams want to give Kennison another year to see if he pans out. They have given up on a lot of players in recent years, and it has come back to haunt them. Jerome Bettis, Troy Drayton, and Sean Gilbert come to mind. . . .

How badly did the Rams want running back Robert Holcombe? According to Vermeil, they turned down Pittsburgh's offer of a third-, fourth- and seventh-round pick for St. Louis' second-round pick, which they used to take Holcombe. . . .

Not that they expect negotiations to be easy, but after No. 1 overall pick Pace missed all of training camp one year ago (under agent Carl Poston), the Rams privately are relieved to have Tom Condon of International Management Group representing both of their top picks: No. 6 overall Grant Wistrom, the defensive end from Nebraska; and Holcombe, the running back from Illinois.

"Tom Condon is first-class," Vermeil said. "They run a first-class organization. When teams learn that Tom Condon and his group are the agents representing their player, nobody throws their eyes back and says, 'Oh, my God, how'd we ever get these goofballs?' " . . .

The Rams signed 16 rookie free agents after the draft. The group including four wide receivers, three offensive linemen, three defensive backs, three defensive linemen, two linebackers and punter Mark Schultis of Texas.

The most noteworthy among the 16 are Florida State inside linebacker Florida State Daryl Bush and Clemson wide receiver Tony Horne. Bush was a Butkus Award semifinalist who averaged nearly 90 tackles a season as a four-year starters. But he has only 4.92 speed. Horne caught 68 passes last season for Clemson and can return punts.

The group also included defensive end Brett Gastineau, the younger brother of former New York Jets star Mark Gastineau. "I would expect a couple of these guys to make our football team and contribute," said Charley Armey, the Rams' VP of player personnel.

Three members of their current roster were signed as rookie free agents one year ago right after the '97 draft: tight end Mitch Jacoby, safety Billy Jenkins Jr., and defensive lineman Bryan Robinson. Jenkins, who played at Howard, actually started a couple of games last season after an injury to safety Toby Wright. . . .

Veteran defensive tackle Joe Phillips has signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract with the Rams. The deal includes a $500,000 signing bonus and some play-time incentives. Phillips will turn 35 by training camp in July.

"We looked at some tape, and he still has some gas left in his tank," Armey said. Phillips, 6-5, 310, has been primarily a run-stuffer in his 12 NFL seasons, the last six with Kansas City. That's precisely what the Rams want him to do as part of a tackle rotation that includes D'Marco Farr, free agent pickup Ray Agnew, and Jeff Zgonina.

"People are going to have a little tougher time running inside on us," Armey said. Phillips started 15 games last season in Kansas City and has 146 career starts. But his role was reduced as second-year man Tom Barndt was rotated into the lineup. The Chiefs released Phillips in February, partly because he would have counted $2.5 million against this year's cap. . . .

The drafting of Holcombe puts an end to any interest the team had in former Chiefs running back Greg Hill. The Rams made Hill a contract offer weeks ago, but Hill and agent Carl Poston weren't interested at the time. . . .

The signing of Phillips ends the Rams interest in veteran defensive end Clyde Simmons. . . .

The Rams held the first of two minicamps over the weekend. For the first time, they worked with quarterback Tony Banks in the shotgun formation, which they plan to incorporate into the offense next season.

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