Anthony Davis could be latest find for St. Louis Rams’ Billy Devaney
Personnel chief Billy Devaney has shown a deft touch at spiffing up the Rams’ roster as the season has gone along. Among others, running back Kenneth Darby, cornerback Jason Craft and special-teamer Gary Stills have been nice additions. If Anthony Davis can regain the form that earned him the starting job at left tackle for Tampa Bay in 2005 and 2006, he might turn out to be a nice surprise, too.
Davis, 28, is 6-4 and 340. His ideal playing weight is probably around 325. The Virginia Tech product was released by the Buccaneers on Oct. 25 and signed by the Rams on Tuesday. The team figures to be targeting tackles in the offseason, so Davis has a chance to earn a job here.
“He’s played in the league and has done well in the league,” coach Jim Haslett said. “He tore a pectoral muscle this offseason, and he never really came around. That’s why he was available now. . . . (Running backs coach) Art Valero had him in Tampa, so that kind of helps us. He’s a great kid.”
The Bucs decided to move Davis to guard last year, and he was beaten out during training camp by rookie Arron Sears. Davis still doesn’t know why he was asked to change positions. “I have no clue,” he said. “I’d never played guard before that.”
Davis, who played in just four games in 2007, was pleased when Tampa Bay cut him loose. “I think it was best for both of us that I get released and they go on and do what they’ve got to do and I just get a fresh, new start somewhere,” he said.
He realizes that he has an opportunity to fill a void for the Rams. “I do,” he said. “The guys here, they welcomed me with open arms. You’ve got one of the best tackles in the game, in (Orlando) Pace, to learn from. I’m just taking it all one day at a time right now.”
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Notes & quotes:
*Marc Bulger, on the Rams being outscored 75-3 in their last two first halves: “You can’t explain it. Coach Haslett told us we had to come out strong, but we didn’t. It’s just a matter of us coming out and playing better, maybe getting a lead. Like he told us, we have to play 60 minutes. Before, our struggles were late in the game. Now, it’s early in the game. We just have to find a way to play two halves.”
*The team went back to work Wednesday after a strongly worded lecture from Haslett. “My message was, we’re going to go back to the way we played when we first got here,” Haslett said. “We need to pick it up, and we can’t worry about things. We can’t have two or three or five things go wrong in a quarter. The word was we need to get going and get out of this funk and start playing.”
*Asked why the Rams have been tackling so poorly, DE Leonard Little said: “That’s something I can’t explain as a player. You’ve been taught as a defensive player all your life to tackle,” he said. “You’re going to have missed tackles; you’re going against great players in the NFL. But (last) Sunday, there were some horrible missed tackles.”
All for now . . .
This team laid down and died like a dog on Sunday. There is no excuse for the way they played and no other NFL franchise would be starting Marc Bulger this week after his performance the past 2+ seasons . I was a Bulger supporter but I watched how quickly Jim Everett fell apart after he start seeing ghosts in the pocket and Marc Bulger is doing the same thing but instead of the phantom sack its the chuck and duck.
The lack of offensive production caused the d to throw in the towell in the last couple of games. The Rams can’t afford the salary cap hit if they cut Bulger so they’re hoping he plays his way out of this funk he’s in. Plus its a chance to get chemistry with to 2 rookie receivers under live game conditions. The Rams are not going to take any cap hits so any veteran thats under long term contract will be here next year despite they’re bad performance. The coaching staff will be in place too. You can’t get an experienced and competent staf like this with shelling out big bucks for the likes of Cohwer, or Bilicek. I think the staff deserves a few seasons along with an influx of talent and we’ll see a turn around
Nice story…but c’mon. Tackles are at a premium in the NFL. It’s hard to believe that if Davis was worth a spit, that he wouldn’t already be on another team. I’m sure you understand how hard it is to buy the snake oil the Rams have been selling us for years.
The first couple of games Avery played he wouldnt go down after the catch and he would run by people. Now, it seems that he is doing the Torry Holt method where he just catches the ball and goes to the ground. It was nice to see a receiver actually run after the catch instead of going down. Also,I think the defense believes they are playing flag football, thats why they wont run up and tackle. I mean we learned how to tackle in the eighth grade. I guess they forgot how.
I was angered the moment we gave Kurt away. He helped to bring us our only Super Bowl. He was an awesome player & person & then Martz threw him away. He has continued to be a stand up person why he has been wasted on the bench the last 6 years. We have been paying the price since. For such a specimen, Jackson is either fragile or a wuss, or both.
Here’s how little Jim Thomas knows about football…
Jim Thomas: So far, Culberson does look like he’s capable of becoming a solid starter.This is the third year for many players in Haslett’s system. I think that helps a lot. If Pisa stays healthy, I think the front seven can be pretty good.
Could he have been any farther from the truth?
The linebacking corps just plain stinks, healthy or not. Pisa is one terrible linebacker. He’s clueless. The D line is a mess. Weak. Uninspired.
Perhaps the PD can rid itself of these wacky football writers as quick as the new Rams management cleans house after this yrs disaster…
this message is for jimrams66 are u mental-retarted pisa tinoisamoa is a awesome back and underrated hes had 2 games in a row with aleast 10 tackels if he stays healthy hes pretty solid gooooooooooooooo rams!!!!!!!!!!!!
jc, perhaps the writer of the article can get some educated, independent opinion about the play of Pisa…Personal attacks on me aside, most of the reports I’ve read say that for the most part,he’s pretty average: undisciplined, overated in pass coverage, and easily fooled, which makes him outstanding in the overpaid category. I guess it’s not his fault he’s the best the rams have to put out there every Sunday and he happens to be one of the few Rams that can actually tackle someone,after the other 3 have missed of course.
Art Valero…. the biggest bitch in football. the guy practically cried the last 2 years in tampa.