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Rams News |
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As with most NFL teams, the off-season has been an eventful one for the Rams. They released DE Leslie O'Neal, lost free agent DT Bill Johnson to the Eagles and QB Mark Rypien and WR Keith Crawford to Atlanta, and sent MLB Robert Jones on the road toward the waiver wire. The club also re-signed RB Amp Lee, designated CB Ryan McNeil as its franchise player and added free agents Eric Hill (MLB), Ray Agnew (DT), Joe Phillips (DT), Ricky Proehl (WR) and Rick Tuten (P). Finally, the Rams traded a 1999 draft choice to Green Bay for QB Steve Bono.
With those moves as a backdrop, head coach Dick Vermeil and his staff took part in the draft on April 18-19, and conducted an off-season minicamp a week later. We had a chance to ask Vermeil about the last few weeks.
RU: When you look at the team you put on the field for the last game of 1997 against Carolina, with Leslie O'Neal at defensive end and an apparent weakness on the offensive line, why was defensive end a more pressing need at the draft than offensive lineman?
DV: "Well, first off, the caliber of person available with the sixth pick. We weren't going to reach and draft someone who we didn't feel of value in regard to that position. Grant Wistrom and Curtis Enis were the two guys that we had tagged for that position and for that value. No. 2, we had let Leslie O'Neal go, and we needed a young defensive end to develop to play here for his entire career."
RU: As you rebuild a franchise, that seems to be the approach you have to take, to tear parts out and put new parts in. There doesn't seem to be a quick and easy solution.
DV: "Well, the problem that I have and sometimes I get a little concerned about it is that many of the moves we make are to fill the errors that have been made before. I shouldn't have had to draft a second-round-pick running back." (From 1993-1996, the Rams used two first-rounders and three third- round picks on running backs, plus a second-rounder on Ernie Conwell, whom they drafted as a fullback.) I shouldn't have had to draft a first-round-pick right end.
"Of course, everyone finds himself in the same situation. It just seems like every time we do something, it's to fill something that was attempted to get done another way previously, and didn't get done properly."
RU: On draft day, you compared Wistrom to former Ram DE Fred Dryer. Is there anyone out there the fans know who is comparable to second-round choice Robert Holcombe?
DV: "He has a little different stutter style of running, and I can't think of anybody right off the top of my head that I remember seeing run quite like he does. He's a tough guy to bring down and he never gives up on a play. He has that great ability to run in traffic.
He's the kind of back who will never really startle you until it's live. Because of his running style his pads are back and he's a stutter-step guy you can't turn him loose in this kind of a (minicamp) situation."
RU: As far as your third-round choice, Leonard Little, will you have to change the scheme a little bit, use a 3-4 defense in blitz packages to get him to be as good as he can be?
DV: "I think his No. 1 contribution will be pass-rushing, and I think we will definitely use him. But we can use him both as a stand-up linebacker rushing and as a down, weakside defensive end as a rushman. That's what we plan to do, and let him gradually work into things. But we aren't really planning on developing a whole new defensive scheme just so we can play him."
RU: It would seem that you really have to spot a 237-pound guy...
DV: "He played at 250 for Tennessee last year. His agents had him lose some weight so he could run faster, but we expect him to be in at around 250."
RU: What did you think of Wistrom in your minicamp?
DV: "It's hard in this kind of a situation, but just watching him move you can tell he has explosive quickness. But when you're not in pads, you can't explode into anybody. We're telling him not to explode into anybody, but you're contradicting what you want out of a football player when you tell him that, but without pads you don't have a choice."
RU: You've mentioned that Orlando Pace will make Wistrom better because they'll practice against each other. Might Wistrom come along even quicker if he were going against a veteran who knows all the tricks?
DV: "Oh yeah. But I think they'll help each other grow. And Jay Williams over on that side will help, too, because he doesn't know what it is to take a slow snap on the practice field. You can be lulled to sleep during the week in preparation when somebody over there in front of you is not really moving quick. Now when you get a guy who is, all of a sudden it helps hone your skills. If those things didn't carry over into game-day action, fighters would prepare for a fight at slow speed. They never throw a slow punch. Football being a game of reaction, and quickness and movement that it is, the more you work with other people who are moving quickly, the more it helps you."
RU: Last year, after the draft, you said the organization would be 100-percent better this year. Looking back on the draft, do you feel that was the case?
DV: "I do. Definitely, yes. I think it's the best draft I've ever been around in terms of organization and watching names come off the board. It was pretty close to how we had them rated. There wasn't as much jumping around the board, so that means Charlie Armey and John Becker had it stacked properly in relationship to the overall attitude toward somebody. There are thirty different teams doing it, and I felt we were pretty close to those people."
RU: As you brought the team into minicamp, what did you hope to accomplish?
DV: "No. 1, after five football practices, even without pads, we wanted to make a move to improve the play and the overall efficiency of our offensive line. That was No. 1. No. 2, we want to improve the quarterbacks' awareness of coverages and where to go when they're in trouble. No. 3, we wanted a total evaluation of the three young corners we have here. Taje Allen, Dexter McCleon and Joe Rowe: do they have closing speed? Late catch-up speed? No. 4, we wanted to have better discipline in everything we do. That includes penalty prevention. Those are the four things we hoped to accomplish.
RU: How did the camp go?
DV: "I thought we had a good camp. We accomplished a lot of things. You always want to do more, but I thought the team looked great. It was very good. We saw a lot of good things, especially from our veterans. They're in outstanding condition. We don't have a guy out there who isn't impressive. The rookies showed up, and they did remarkably well. We're doing some different things within the practice scheme to give the young kids more repetitions and not cutting from the veterans. I was very pleased."
RU: Were you generally happy with the condition of the team?
DV: "Almost all of the players live here. Roman Phifer doesn't, but he's in better shape than most of them who live here. Craig Heyward has his weight problem, but I think he'll be ready come training camp. It wasn't an issue during this camp."
RU: How about Orlando Pace, and his physique?
DV: "He's learning what it is to be a pro. He's worked hard during the off-season so far, and he'll continue to work hard. He's not as heavy as he was, but he's stronger and faster."
RU: You moved some coaches around during the off-season, moving Mike White to quarterback coaching duties, and allowing Jerry Rhome to concentrate on being the offensive coordinator. What was behind that?
DV: "Mike has a great ability to establish rapport with people, and communicate with them. He always has. Not that Jerry didn't, but this frees Jerry up to be more defined with the other responsibilities of coordinating an offense, and it gives Mike a little more responsibility and say in what's going on in the development of Tony. I think it'll be a real good blend of talent."
RU: What about the difference this year as opposed to last year's minicamp?
DV: "Oh, gosh. There isn't any comparison between a year ago today and today. There's no comparison. The overall attitude of the football team is much, much better. The knowledge of what we want to do is better. I think our overall self-discipline is much better. Definitely, the physical condition of the football team is much better."
RU: Were you disappointed that Ryan McNeil wasn't on hand?
DV: "No, I didn't expect him to be here. I'm not disappointed. I am disappointed that he's fallen into the situation he has. It's bad timing, but I think it'll resolve itself."
RU: Was minicamp the start of the 1998 season, as far as you're concerned?
DV: "As far as I'm concerned, you're right on. This was the start of a new year. We had a four-day OTA, organized team activity, about a week before the camp started, and it was successful. But minicamp is what really gets it going."
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