Rams News

St. Louis Rams
Team Report posted July 12, 1998
by tsn correspondent JIM THOMAS - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Key issues facing the Rams heading into training camp:

PRESEASON PRIORITY:

The Rams will go as far as their offensive line takes them. In 30 NFL games over the 1996 and '97 seasons, quarterback Tony Banks was sacked 91 times. At that rate, Banks won't last long -- he'll be broken in two. Last season, the Rams finished 24th in rushing offense. Only 10 teams yielded more sacks than the Rams' 44. The blocking simply has to improve across the board. Continuity will help.

On the right side, tackle Wayne Gandy hopes to stay put after bouncing between the left and right sides last season. Zach Wiegert begins his second season at right guard after spending almost all of his entire football life playing right tackle.

At center, Mike Gruttadauria has returned bigger and stronger, but will be pushed by free-agent pickup John Flannery. Ex-Redskin Ed Simmons enters preseason as the starting left guard -- a position he hasn't played (in a game) since 1987. At left tackle, Orlando Pace has benefitted from a rigorous offseason conditioning program, in which he got stronger while losing nearly 25 pounds. He'll participate in his first training camp after missing the entire camp as a rookie in a contract holdout. Overall, this group must improve its toughness as much as its technique.

KEY COMPETITION:

Simmons is the key within the key on the offensive line. He's 34, has chronic knee problems, and spent most of his career playing another position, which is strangely reminiscent of last year's starting left guard entering camp -- Gerald Perry. Perry walked out of a team meeting 10 days before the season opener and was cut.

Simmons will be challenged by second-year player Ryan Tucker, who, until very late in the offseason, thought he would start at left guard. Tucker is raw, and missed most of last season recuperating from reconstructive knee surgery. But he has the size and attitude to make his mark eventually.

Xs and O's:

The passing game will be more tailored to Banks' strengths in a couple of areas: more use of rollouts and the installation of the shotgun. Banks does some of his best work on the move, so an occasional rollout or two will be beneficial. The shotgun will keep some pressure off Banks in obvious passing situations, and it's a formation he's comfortable with from his college and junior college days. The Rams want to make more use of Ernie Conwell at tight end. They plan to use more play-action and more two-back sets to diversify the offense.

KEEP AN EYE ON:

As a rookie free agent from Howard, Billy Jenkins Jr. was a special teams leader all of last season. He opened some eyes with two late-season starts at strong safety after Toby Wright's knee injury. Offseason surgery will keep Wright sidelined at the start of training camp, so Jenkins could get a foothold on the position.

THE RUDY REPORT:

At the University of Washington, Jason Chorak was defensive player of the year in 1996 for the Pac-10. But he lasted until the seventh round of the draft last April after his play leveled off in 1997. At 256 pounds, Chorak is the classic NFL 'tweener -- not big enough to play defensive end and perhaps not mobile enough to play linebacker. But he can rush the passer. Even last year, when his knee had to be drained a couple times a week because of a bursa sac problem, he had seven sacks. He had 14 1/2 sacks the year before. Chorak will try to make the roster as a situational pass rusher. Eventually he could be groomed as an outside linebacker, or could grow into an every-down defensive end.

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