Rams News

ST. LOUIS RAMS

July 29, 1998

It appears as if running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward's days with the St. Louis Rams are over.

Heyward, 31, was placed on the reserve/did not report list by the Rams on Friday for failing to show up for a team-mandated weigh-in.

The Rams sent Heyward a letter informing him that he will be fined $5,000 a day for not reporting to training camp.

Heyward doesn't have a lot of options right now. He can either:

--Meet his 260-pound weight requirement and report to camp late.

--Sit out the 1998 season.

--Call it quits.

"He may just decide to retire," Rams coach Dick Vermeil said.

Heyward's agent, Jack Mills, has asked the Rams to trade his client.

"The problem with a trade is, No. 1, who wants him? And No. 2, is the acceleration of the signing bonus in the salary cap," Vermeil said.

Heyward is believed to have weighed more than 300 pounds during the club's minicamp in June, but his current weight is unknown after he skirted the scales last week.

"That's probably an indication that he's a ways off in meeting the weight," Vermeil said of Heyward's failure to report for the weigh-in. "It's really disappointing because I look on the field and I know we need him."

The Rams could have cut Heyward, but that would allow him to sign with another team, perhaps in his hometown of Atlanta with the Falcons. Heyward rushed for 1,083 yards for the Falcons in 1995.

"There is the salary cap consideration, and I don't want to reward a guy for not living up to his end of the bargain, either," Vermeil said. "He might fit into another offense with whatever he weighs, but he doesn't fit in the use of our H-back as a receiver and everything else."

Vermeil said he informed Heyward the day after the 1997 season ended that he was going to have get his weight down to 260 pounds in order to play for the Rams this season.

The Falcons had a $10,000-a-week incentive built into Heyward's contract to entice him to keep his weight down. The Rams asked for no such a clause.

"I thought about it and decided, 'Absolutely not,' " Vermeil said. "Why pay a guy over a million dollars a year and then pay him another $10,000 a week to meet the weight? I don't believe in that. I'm not paying anybody else out there on the football field $10,000 to meet the weight."

The absence of Heyward leaves Derrick Harris, who was inactive for 15 of the Rams' 16 games last season, as the team's No. 1 H-back/fullback.

Rookie Raymond Priester, who did little blocking last year at Clemson, is the backup.

Tight ends Aaron Laing and Mitch Jacoby also are working at H-back.

Vermeil said he was confident that Harris could do the job.

"I think there are a lot of football players on that field that if you tell them, 'Hey, the job is yours. Get it done,' they'll rise to the occasion," Vermeil said. "I think he has enough ability to step up and do it. He certainly can do it better than someone who is 30 pounds overweight."

CAMP CALENDAR: The Rams will be in Champaign, Ill., July 30 through Aug. 1 for two days of practice against the Colts and a scrimmage. The Rams break camp Aug. 19.

Defensive tackle D'Marco Farr used the martial arts to help him prepare for the 1998 season.

"I took karate a lot more seriously," said Farr, who reported to camp with a shaved head and a streamlined body. "I have a lot more flexibility and a lot more mental training."

Farr is a blue belt -- two colors away from being black belt. Next comes brown belt for at least a year, then black belt.

"That means I can jump in somebody's stuff right now," Farr said.

Farr, who at 276 pounds is undersized for a defensive lineman, is leaner yet stronger. He has substituted fat for muscle.

"I haven't felt this good in a long time," Farr said. "My flexibility has gone up, my body fat has dropped, my strength has gone up. I'm faster, too, and you'll see it on the field."

NFL Films is taping Farr for a feature on the Day in the Life of a player in training camp.

"They'll enjoy putting that tape together," Vermeil said. "D'Marco Farr is quicker right now than I have ever seen him. He is explosively quick."

Farr's interest in the martial arts might mean that his budding professional wrestling career is over. The Midnight Rider, Farr's pro wrestling name, made no appearances this winter.

"I haven't seen the Midnight Rider," Farr said.

--The Rams have signed free-agent cornerback Tony Stargell, a seven-year NFL veteran who played in one game last season for the Chicago Bears.

Stargell also has played for the New York Jets (1990-91), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1994-95) and the Kansas City Chiefs (1996). He has played in 94 games, including 39 starts.

Stargell was a third-round draft choice (56th player taken) of the Jets in 1990 out of Tennessee State. His most productive season was his rookie season, when he had 89 tackles and two interceptions, earning him all-rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly.

--Punter Rick Tuten will serve as the holder this season on field-goal and PAT attempts so that safety Keith Lyle, the holder for kicker Jeff Wilkins last season, can concentrate on his defensive duties.

--Safeties Toby Wright and Gerald McBurrows both missed the first few days of training camp. Wright returned home to Arizona for the funeral of a cousin. McBurrows has the chicken pox.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I really thought by doing that it would be a motivational tool to push him to do it and show up here and laugh and say, 'Coach, here I am.' " -- Rams coach Dick Vermeil, on his weight mandate for running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward.

Left guard seems to be a jinxed position for the Rams.

Gerald Perry was supposed to start at left guard last season, but he showed up late for training camp and then walked out on the team before the start of the season.

Ed Simmons was supposed to start at left guard this season, but he retired the day before the start of training camp.

That left second-year player Ryan Tucker at the top of the depth chart, but that lasted only a couple of days.

The Rams have now moved Fred Miller from right tackle, where he was competing for a starting job with Wayne Gandy, to left guard.

The Rams might not be done yet at left guard. They probably won't bring back John Gerak, who started 16 games last season, but they could sign free agent Ernest Dye, who appeared in 13 games last season.

BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Jerald Moore vs. Robert Holcombe for starting RB. Vermeil has told Moore that the job is his to lose, but Holcombe could give Moore a run for his money. The Rams were pleasantly surprised by Holcombe's blocking ability, but his pass-catching ability needs work, especially when it comes to running the complex routes used in the NFL. Moore was given a vote of confidence when Vermeil said he wouldn't consider moving him back to fullback after Heyward failed to report.

OTHER BATTLE FRONTS: Mike Gruttadauria vs. John Flannery at center. Gruttadauria is a blue-collar type who played part if last season on a bad ankle. However, he must step up his play if he's going to fend off the challenge of Flannery, who started several games at left guard for the Dallas Cowboys.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LT Orlando Pace, who reported to training camp at a svelte 320 pounds. Pace was a workout warrior during the off-season, lowering his body fat and adding both more lower-body and upper-body strength.

"The most significantly different football player between last year at any time and right now is Orlando Pace," Vermeil said. "I was looking at him on tapes this morning and it was just outstanding. He is a different guy. We expect him to demonstrate why he was the No. 1 pick in the country."

ROOKIE REPORT: WR Az-Zahir Hakim, a third-round draft choice out of San Diego State, has impressed the Rams' coaching staff with his hands and his precision on routes. Hakim's best attribute is his elusiveness after the catch.

INJURY REPORT: The Rams are getting concerned over MLB Eric Hill's continued back problems. Hill has been practicing part-time. He hurt the back weight training a couple of weeks ago.

"I'm disappointed," said Vermeil, who brought in Hill for his leadership and toughness. "We bring him in here to be a leader, and you can't be a leader in pajamas."

OG Ethan Brooks and CB Joe Rowe also have been sitting out practices with strained backs. Brooks returned July 29, while Rowe was sent back to St. Louis for an MRI.

ARCHIVE

HOME