After the final air horn sounded at the St. Louis Rams mini-camp, Rams head coach Scott Linehan met with a small contingent of the media. He was upbeat about. Linehan was pleased about how the young players’ energy and understanding of their positions.
I would hope that any player who wears a Rams uniform would be more willing to play and more understanding of their position. Last season it looked like nobody was willing to play or cared to learn their position. The Rams locker room was in total disarray. However, winning football games will cure a lot of things in a mercurial locker room.
With training camp less than two months away, Linehan has to be absolutely sure his guys (not to mention season ticket holders) are buying what he is trying to sell us in the media. Whether Linehan believes it or not, this may be it for him. He will not get another full season to let his team unravel as it did last year.
For example: Torry Holt blowing up on Linehan late last year in the Pittsburgh Steelers game. Linehan blew it off, saying it was no big deal, that Torry’s a competitor and loves to win. Okay. Then you let his teammate and future Hall of Fame wide receiver Isaac Bruce go to your division rival the San Francisco 49ers. They can say it was financial all they want, but Bruce is playing for less money in San Francisco.
Has Linehan reached out and made amends to some of the veterans who were unhappy with him? It doesn’t look like it. In a recent interview with Jim Thomas, Holt expressed interest in playing for his hometown team the Carolina Panthers when his contract is up.
If you are on the death watch for your job, you have to do everything in your power to get guys to buy into what you’re saying. In this case with Holt, the Rams could have made an honest effort to at least find a suitable replacement for Bruce.
On the defensive side of the ball, cornerback Fahkir Brown may wind up facing a suspension from the NFL. He may not have to sit out the season. But he could miss some significant time this season. How is Linehan going to handle this? This will mark the second year in a row that this has been a problem.
That’s why I find it a little curious Linehan is heaping praise on how guys are buying into the system. As much I would like to believe what Linehan is saying, I just can’t. Every time I do buy into what Linehan says, I always end up in that awkward position: I’m Charlie Brown when he goes up for the kick, and Lucy pulls the ball away.
Any questions or comments, email me at Livnlegend@hotmail.com.