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St. Louis Rams

Notes, Quotes, & Anecdotes

Nick "The Kick" Lowery was back doing what he does best -- booting balls through the goalpost -- last week.

Lowery, 42, the second all-time leading scorer in NFL history, had an audition with the Rams.

"I wasn't wearing a coat and tie, but yeah, it was a formal tryout," Lowery said.

Vermeil was impressed by Lowery, who hasn't kicked in the NFL since the 1996 season with the New York Jets.

"He kicked the ball beautifully," Vermeil said. "He kicked the heck out of the ball. It's nice to know, if we end up having a kicking problem, he's here."

Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins started off strong, but then struggled last season. He made 67.6 percent (25 of 37) of his field goals, which ranked 27th among the 30 kickers in the NFL.

Lowery has connected on 80 percent (383 of 479) of his field-goal tries and 99 percent (562 of 568) of his extra-point tries in his career.

Lowery was cut by the Jets after the 1996 season. He made 17 of 24 field goals and 26 of 27 extra-points that season.

However, Lowery missed two of his eight field goals from 40-49 yards out. He never even attempted a 50-yarder.

"It was a tough year," Lowery said. "We were 1-15 and I wasn't totally healthy."

Lowery underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus (cartilage) in his kicking knee last year.

Vermeil said Lowery had no problem with distance during the tryout.

"He kicked the ball as well as he ever did," Vermeil said. "He banged those 50-yarders going through like nothing."

Lowery worked with Rams special teams coach Frank Gansz twice -- 1982-83 and 1987-88 -- during his 15 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gansz said he thought Lowery could still kick in the NFL.

"He's like Eddie Murray and some of the other guys I've worked with," Gansz said. "They get better with age, like fine wine."

Lowery, who tried out with the San Francisco 49ers on April 23, knows it won't be easy finding a job in the NFL.

"I was cut 11 times by eight different teams before I made it, and the standards are a lot higher now than they were in 1978," Lowery said.

--Cornerback Ryan McNeil was a no-show for the Rams' second minicamp as he continued his holdout for a long-term contract.

McNeil's agent, Brian Ransom, is threatening to take his client to the "Ted Turner League" that NBC plans to launch in 1999.

"He may never see the NFL again," Ransom said. "I'd like to find out how soon (the new league's) plans are finalized. I think he'd be happier playing for less in a situation like that, when you've got a feeling of participation and respect, instead of just being a piece of meat."

The Rams have offered to make McNeil the highest-paid player on the team with a four-year, $13 million contract that includes a $3.6 million signing bonus.

Ransom is asking for a five-year, $27-million deal with a $10 million bonus.

The Rams aren't willing to shell out that kind of money for a player who led them in pass interference penalties and is rated as only the 24th-best cornerback in the NFL by their scouting service, The Mike Giddings Pro Scout service.

--The Rams have signed safety Kadar Hamilton, a rookie free agent from Stanford. Hamilton's father, Ray Hamilton, is the defensive line coach for the New England Patriots. Ray Hamilton played nine seasons as a nose tackle for the Patriots.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'm on two Advil a day right now." -- Rams coach Dick Vermeil, on whether he was interested in troubled defensive end Alonzo Spellman, who was released last week by the Chicago Bears.

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