Rams News

Vermeil sees changes for better

06/12/98

By Elizabethe Holland
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Rams coach Dick Vermeil maintains his team looks much better than it did this time last year.
He joked at Friday's minicamp that the only similarity between this year's players and last year's at this time is the color of their helmets. But how about that coaching staff?
``We've been together for a year and I think I can now better define what I expect from them than I could a year ago because I was hesitant -- and I'm still a little hesitant -- but I'm getting back into getting things done the way I used to get them done,'' Vermeil said.
His staff needs to improve mostly at the details of coaching, he said.
``We didn't do too bad a job of coaching a lot of the big, obvious things, but anybody can do that,'' Vermeil said. ``We've got to coach all the little things a lot better than we did.''
Vermeil, meanwhile, said he'll approach the coming season with a more realistic take than he had last year.
``I have a better feel for it now than I did last year,'' he said. ``I was a little too optimistic . . . but I'm more realistic now, and experience is important if we're going to coach better.''
Just visiting?: Former New York Jets kicker Nick Lowery joined minicamp Friday morning for a tryout. Lowery, 42, kicked for 18 seasons in the NFL -- with New England, 14 with Kansas City and three with the Jets. His last season was 1996. Lowery holds the NFL record for highest field-goal percentage (79.96 percent) and most field goals (383). He also holds the record for most seasons with 100 or more points (11).
Not visiting: After a rough 1997 season and erratic behavior off the field, defensive end Alonzo Spellman was released Friday by the Chicago Bears. Asked whether the Rams might be interested in giving the 6-foot-4, 292-pound player a look, Vermeil was quick with a no.
``I'm on two Advil a day right now,'' Vermeil quipped.
Ram-blings: Strong safety Kadar Hamilton, who signed with the Rams on Thursday, is the son of New England Patriots defensive line coach Ray Hamilton. . . Camps have a way of producing inner-squad squabbles. Friday, rookie linebacker Leonard Little and rookie center David Kempfert got into a fight, but offensive line coach Jim Hanifan stopped it before it out of hand.

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