Around the Horns

With linebacker Brandon Chillar headed for Green Bay, the Rams have lost another starter from a 2007 defense that ranked 21st overall in the 32-team NFL. Earlier, defensive end James Hall was released.So, who replaces them? At this point, Chris Draft or Quinton Culberson are the primary candidates to take over Chillar’s strongside spot. Still, the Rams are going to need to add to their linebacker personnel, considering the amount of 3-4 that coordinator Jim Haslett employed in the second half of last season.

Hall’s successor on the right side could come via the draft - perhaps Virginia’s Chris Long or Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston. But penciling in a rookie starter is always a bit of a gamble. Among the options currently on hand are Victor Adeyanju, Eric Moore and perhaps even Claude Wroten, although that has to rank as a remote possibility.

Bottom line: Haslett’s crew needs significant help. How - or if - that help arrives likely will go a long way toward determining how much of an improvement the Rams can reasonably be expected to make in ‘08.

***

Draft had quite a scare recently. He lives on the 22nd floor of a high rise near the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta and had a too-close-for-comfort view of the tornado that struck March 15.

“I was on my balcony, and the tornado was right there,” Draft said. “I could see all the debris swirling around in it.”

Draft’s building was not damaged.

***

Notes & quotes:

>>Head-scratcher: The Rams’ decision not to go hard after free-agent C Justin Hartwig. He wound up with the Steelers.

>>Just a guess: The Rams, who have the second overall pick in the draft, trade down. Too many needs to be addressed.

>>Long reportedly did only linebacker drills at Virginia’s pro day this week, a benefit for 3-4 teams such as Miami, which has the first overall pick.

>>Newly hired QBs coach Terry Shea, good Irishman that he is, converted the area that houses coaches’ offices on the second floor at Rams Park into a St. Patrick’s Day haven Monday. His decorations included an Irish flag, green balloons and doughnuts. Plus, he had Irish music pumped in throughout the day.

All for now…

Things are settling down a bit at Rams Park in the midst of an offseason that has been busy and, it would appear, productive. Of course, a definitive determination can’t be made until later.Still, coach Scott Linehan revamped his staff, and the front office delved into free agency with a plan. And perhaps most important, an experienced personnel man - Billy Devaney - was brought in.

Let’s look at these three areas:

>>Linehan, clearly on the ropes after the club’s inelegant 3-13 pratfall in ‘07, made a bold stroke in hiring Al Saunders as offensive coordinator. Saunders brings a wealth of experience, and the move signals that former OC Linehan truly is committed to immersing himself in his HC role and finally leaving the offense to others.

Now, both of Linehan’s coordinators are former NFL head coaches, an indication that he’s not afraid to surround himself with key aides who tote long and impressive resumes. That’s an important asset for any leader.

According to several sources, Steve Loney should be a significant upgrade over Paul Boudreau as offensive line coach, an area of vital importance heading into the coming season. QBs coach Terry Shea has a solid reputation and should be able to help fine-tune Marc Bulger’s game, something his predecessor, Doug Nussmeier, was unable to do.

Art Valero (running backs/assistant head coach) gives Linehan another veteran NFL mind to tap into, and by all accounts, Ron Milus (secondary) was ready for a promotion.

>>The addition of Jacob Bell, the presumptive starter at left guard, provides Loney with several options. Mark Setterstrom figures to get a long look at center. If that doesn’t work, Richie Incognito could move back to center, with Setterstrom sliding over to his spot at right guard. And incumbent center Brett Romberg certainly is in the picture, too.

Kicker Josh Brown is a more-than-suitable successor for the retired Jeff Wilkins, and Ben Becht could be the hard-blocking tight end that Linehan has been seeking since arriving here.

The Trent Green signing also makes sense, particularly since Linehan has given up on the two-quarterback strategy that backfired last season and figures to bring in a young QB for grooming.

>>The team took a gamble a couple of years ago on Tony Softli, whose personnel experience was mainly limited to college players, and it didn’t work out well. Devaney has plenty of pro and college experience, and he will be the clear leader in personnel matters, something that had been lacking.

Still, the Rams still have plenty of work ahead of them in shoring up several obvious areas of need (e.g., defensive end, cornerback, wide receiver) on the field.

Can all be addressed in the draft? Probably not. So, the shopping bag might still be open.

***

Watching Brett Favre’s retirement news conference brought the unfortunate release of Isaac Bruce even more into focus. It’s a shame that Bruce couldn’t have finished his career with the Rams, but loyalty and emotion don’t have a place in the big business of pro football these days.

With so many areas to address, the Rams simply couldn’t afford to keep Bruce at the salary he was due. It was the right decision, however wrenching it might have been to Bruce’s many fans.

How strange will it be to see Bruce in the Niners’ red and gold . . . with Mike Martz perched on the SF sideline?

All for now. . .

Things are settling down a bit at Rams Park in the midst of an offseason that has been busy and, it would appear, productive. Coach Scott Linehan revamped his staff, and the front office delved into free agency with a plan. And perhaps most important, an experienced personnel man – Billy Devaney – was brought in. Let’s look at these three areas:

>>Linehan, clearly on the ropes after the club’s inelegant 3-13 pratfall in ’07, made a bold stroke in hiring Al Saunders as offensive coordinator. Saunders not only brings a wealth of experience, but the move also signals that former OC Linehan truly is committed to immersing himself in his HC role and finally leaving the offense to others. Now, both of Linehan’s coordinators are former NFL head coaches, an indication that he’s not afraid to surround himself with key aides who tote long and impressive resumes. That’s an important asset for any leader.

According to several sources, Steve Loney should be a significant upgrade over Paul Boudreau as offensive line coach, an area of vital importance heading into the coming season. QBs coach Terry Shea has a solid reputation and should be able to help fine-tune Marc Bulger’s game, something his predecessor, Doug Nussmeier, was unable to do.

Art Valero (running backs/assistant head coach) gives Linehan another veteran NFL mind to tap into, and Ron Milus (secondary) was ready for a promotion.

>>The addition of Jacob Bell, the presumptive starter at left guard, provides Loney with several options. Mark Setterstrom figures to get a long look at center. If that doesn’t work, Richie Incognito could move back to center, with Setterstrom sliding over to his spot at right guard. And incumbent Brett Romberg certainly is in the picture at center, too.

Kicker Josh Brown is a more-than-suitable successor for the retired Jeff Wilkins, and Anthony Becht could be the hard-blocking tight end that Linehan has been seeking since arriving here.

The Trent Green signing also makes sense, particularly since Linehan has given up on the two-quarterback strategy that backfired last season and figures to bring in a young QB for grooming.

>>The team took a bit of a gamble a couple of years ago on Tony Softli, whose personnel experience was mainly limited to college players, and it didn’t work out well. Devaney has plenty of pro and college experience, and he will be the clear leader in personnel matters, something that had been lacking.

Of course, as promising as the offseason moves appear, their true value won’t be determined for some time. Plus, the Rams still have plenty of work ahead of them in shoring up several obvious areas of need (e.g., defensive end, cornerback, wide receiver) on the field.

Can all be addressed in the draft? Probably not. So, the shopping bag might still be open.

***

Watching Brett Favre’s retirement news conference brought the release of Isaac Bruce even more into focus. It’s a shame that Bruce couldn’t have finished his career with the Rams, but loyalty and emotion don’t have a place in the big business of pro football these days.

The Rams simply couldn’t afford to keep Bruce at the salary he was due. With so many areas to address, they badly needed the cap space. It was the right decision, however wrenching it might have been to Bruce’s fans.

How strange will it be to see Bruce in the Niners’ red and gold . . . with Mike Martz perched on the SF sideline?

All for now. . .

When team president John Shaw assured that Scott Linehan would return as the Rams’ head coach, it became a foregone conclusion that some assistant coaches would be jettisoned. That’s just how it works in the NFL after a lousy season.

And so it’s begun, with the firing of offensive line coach Paul Boudreau and the removal of Greg Olson as offensive coordinator. Olson could be reassigned on Linehan’s staff, but why would Olson want that? He’s been given the OK to talk with other teams, and it seems a good bet that he’ll find another job elsewhere.

Linehan rolled the dice a bit with Olson, who hadn’t been a coordinator previously. But it seemed like a logical move at the time, because Linehan was a former OC and would be running the offense anyway. That was before he learned just how demanding the duties of a head coach are.

So now he apparently is looking for a stronger presence in that role, a la Jim Haslett on defense. The names that have come up initially as potential candidates include ex-Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron and former Raiders head coach Bill Callahan. Both have impressive pedigrees as OCs.

Here’s a fun fact: Cameron and Callahan have the same agent, Gary O’Hagan. That could be interesting.

Could Al Saunders be in the mix, too, in the wake of Joe Gibbs’ resignation in Washington? Saunders, the Redskins’ OC, has a solid history with the Rams.

One thing we know for sure: Mike Martz won’t be returning; he was hired by the 49ers on Tuesday as their OC. Not that Martz had any chance of rejoining the Rams as long as Shaw was in charge anyway.

Candidates to succeed Boudreau could include Hudson Houck, most recently of the Dolphins; Drake head coach Steve Loney, a longtime Linehan friend and confidant; Mike Solari, recently out in KC; and Jim Chaney, the Rams’ assistant OL coach the last two years.

More staff changes probably are coming, but nothing further is expected this week. Stay tuned.

All for now. . .

GLENDALE, Ariz. - In what almost surely was his last game in a Rams uniform, 37-year-old center Andy McCollum was one of the team’s four captains for the pregame toss. McCollum made the right call - heads - and the Rams received to start against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Rams got a 37-yard Jeff Wilkins field goal and a 3-0 lead on that first series. But the Cardinals evened it on their opening drive, and the Rams never led again in a 48-19 loss in Bill Bidwill’s barrel-cactus-shaped stadium in the desert.

At 3-13, the Rams finished with their worst record since moving in 1995 to St. Louis - from where Bidwill had vacated in 1988. Times might be rough for the Rams right now, but consider this: Sunday’s win gave the Big Red an 8-8 record and only its third non-losing mark in 20 seasons here.

Afterward, wideout Torry Holt wondered whether in addition to McCollum, he might’ve seen the last of fellow wideout Isaac Bruce and perhaps even kicker Jeff Wilkins as teammates.

“That’s an interesting question. Obviously there’s been some speculation about quite a few of the guys who have been around for a while,” Holt said. “The organization is going to have some decisions to make. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes.”

***

Notes & quotes:

>>Rookie Derek Stanley, who has been returning kicks lately, got in his first snaps at WR. He didn’t have a ball thrown his way, but he picked up 5 yards on an end-around carry.

>>The visiting  media “contingent” consisted of three Post-Dispatch writers. Channel 4’s Steve Savard, who does the Rams’ play-by-lay on radio, was the lone TV reporter in the building; no representative from a St. Louis radio station was on site.

>>Did you see T Alex Barron’s tackle “try” on Antrel Rolle’s 47-yard interception for a TD in the second quarter? Any matador would’ve been proud.

>>FS Oshiomogho Atogwe nabbed his eight interception (and returned it 52 yards for his first career TD). It marks the most Rams picks in a season since CB Dexter McCleon had eight in 2000.

All for now. . .

If the Rams want Scott Linehan and his staff to return for another year, they have a funny way of showing it.

They mailed in a 48-19 loss at Arizona Sunday afternoon, playing poorly in every aspect of the game. It’s difficult for a 3-13 team to embarrass itself further, but the Rams managed to do so against the Cardinals.

Marc Bulger got picked off twice, once for a touchdown. Gus Frerotte got picked off for a touchdown as well.

Jim Haslett’s defense allowed yesteryear Rams star Kurt Warner to throw for 300 yards and three TDs. They allowed supersized Gridbirds receiver Larry Fitzgerald to abuse them with 11 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

They allowed Gridbirds running back Edgerrin James to compile 136 yards rushing and receiving, with one touchdown.

What was more disappointing, the feckless Rams defense or the bumbling offense? It’s tough to say. since this injury-riddled team capitulated on both sides of the ball.

So the nightmarish Rams season has finally ended. It ended the way it began, with a dispiriting losiing streak.

The Rams lost their first eight games of the season and their final four. A massive housecleaning is order — but there is no telling how the ownership and front office will respond to this unforunate collapse.

Is Rams president John Shaw still committed to Linehan as head coach?

How long will Shaw remain in his current post? How will Georgia Frontiere’s failing health impact the franchise operation?

Will the franchise put a real football man in place as the team’s director of football operations?

Will destined Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce ever play for the Rams again?

There is so much to decide. Rams fans can only hope the offseason goes a LOT better than the regular season did.

It’s still hard to believe this team was THIS bad, even with all the casualties. How did a once-feared team sink so far so fast?

Claude Wroten added another mishap to his season list, taking a personal foul penalty to keep the Gridbirds moving. Then, on a well-executed receiver screen, Kurt Warner hooked up with Anquan Boldin on a 20-yard TD play.

This pushed the Arizona lead to 38-19.

Bulger tried to must a response, handing the ball to Steven Jackson and throwing it to Torry Holt to move the  ball to the Arizona side of the field. He even connected with tight end Randy McMichael for a key  first down.

But a couple of untimely penalties and another Antrel Rolle interception — with a 57-yard  return this time — finally finished off the Rams. Bulger left a pass well short and paid  dearly for it.

Warner just kept picking the Rams apart, hitting  wide-open short passes when the  deep stuff wasn’t open. He reached the  300-yard plateau for the fourth time this season for Arizona.

Neil Rackers hit a 33-yard field goal to make the score even uglier, 41-19.  

The Rams defense opened the second half on a good note, with Chris Draft putting a big hit on Kurt Warner and oft-abused rookie cornerback  Jonathan Wade intercepting the bad pass that resulted.

That was the kid’s first career pick — and it put the Rams in position to do more damage. And look at this: Marc Bulger completed a 36-yard TD pass to Joe Klopfenstein (!) as the Rams cut Arizona’s lead to 24-13.

This play answered the much-asked question: “Is Joe Klopfenstein still alive?” The young tight end had remained off the radar screen all season, so let’s see if this long-awaited scoring  play gives him a boost heading into next season.

Warner came back with a swing pass to Edgerrin James for a first down. Then James got loose off left tackle for 25 yards and another first down.

In no time at all, Arizona was positioned to score more points. On fourth-and-four, Warner gunned a quick out to Bryant Johnson to keep his team moving toward the end zone.

Another completion to Larry Fitzgerald moved the ball to the Rams 6. What this man does to the Rams defense is almost criminal.

With the pitiable Wade covering Fitzgerald man-to-man in the left flat, Warner lofted the ball to the big fella and let him catch another TD pass.

This pushed the Gridbirds’ lead to 31-13. Ouch.

Derek Stanley flashed his speed on another exciting kickoff return, but, of course, the Rams were  flagged for a block in the back. Why wouldn’t they be? They stink.

The suffering continued when Bulger absorbed still another sack, this one a  possession-ender on third down.  Can you believe how bad these guys are?

James caught a safety-valve pass  from  Warner and went bowling for Rams,  knocking  down one would-be tackler after another during a 26-yard catch and run.

Finally, a Rams highight: O.J. Atogwe picked off Warner and  returned this interception  52 yards for a touchdown. Warner had a chance to tackle him before the end zone, but couldn’t do that job for one arm.

Bulger got picked off on the futile  two-point conversion try, so the Gridbird lead  stood at 31-19.

Marc Bulger opened the quarter with 14-yard completion to Torry Holt.   Steven Jackson bulldozed for another first down on the ground. Holt caught still another pass, adding validity to his Pro  Bowl selection.

On third down, Bulger failed to wedge the ball into a tightly covered Dane Looker. Coach Scott Linehan elected to gamble on fourth-and-4 and  failed; the Gridbirds sat on Bulger’s quick out pass to Drew Bennett and the pass  fell  incomplete in the right flat.

And back came the Cardinals, with  Kurt Warner picking on Rams rookie Jonathan Wade for a 25-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald. Another completion to Fitzgerald led to another first down as Arizona rolled into scoring range.

Then Edgerrin James broke loose and rambled all the way to the Rams 5. James made a nice cutback - and safety Corey Chavous took a bad angle on the play and whiffed.

Fellow Rams safety O.J. Atogwe earned a pass defense in the end zone, swatting down a Warner pass, but James hammered the ball into the end zone with a 2-yard run on third down.

Now the Gridbirds led 10-3.

Then things got a big ugly.  Cardinals  cornerback Antrel Rolle picked off a tardy Bulger pass, then zig-zagged through the feckless  Rams for a 47-yard TD return.

Just like that, the Gridbirds led 17-3.

How did the Rams respond? With an incomplete pass toward Drew Bennett. And a false-start penalty on Milford Brown.  And a sacking of Bulger. And another sacking of Bulger.

This is pathetic.

How much did Warner want to win this game? After that  defensive  stop by Arizona, Kurt tried to  go over the top of the Rams defense to  Fitzgerald.  This time, the Rams  had the big  fella covered.

But Warner went to Fitzgerald, again, for 26 yards on third down. Then he went to Fitzgerald, again, for another 16 yards to move the ball to the  Rams 20.

After Atogwe got busted on a defensive holding call, the Gridbirds got another first down in the red zone.  Warner went over the top of Fakhir Brown for a TD pass to the relentless Fitzgerald     . . . and now the Gridbirds led 24-3.

Rams defensive coordinator Jim Haslett has had more pleasant afternoons. His blitzes aren’t working and his secondary can’t handle the Arizona receiving corps.

It’s just not a good scene.

Bulger moved the ball  in the final minute, finally relocating Isaac Bruce for  meaningful gains.  A terrific throw to Holt on the left sideline moved the Rams  back into scoring position.

Marc lofted a  gorgeous pass to Bennett at the back of the end zone . . . but the bumbling Bennett failed to lock up the ball, so the Rams settled for a field goal and a 24-6 halftime deficit.

This play summed up Bennett’s lost season very, very well.

Derek Stanley returned the opening kick 30 yards, looking very much like a candidate for this job next season.

Here is a shock: The Rams fed Steven Jackson the ball on their first three plays from scrimmage, allowing Jackson to pound out a quick first down. This set up a 31-yard strike from Marc Bulger to Torry Holt.

Stanley on an end around? Don’t mind that at all, as it works for five more yards.

When the Rams got into the red zone, though, they  came to a screeching holt. Who could have seen this coming?

Jackson got buried on on a third-and-one run, so the Rams settled for Jeff Wilkins’ 37-yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead.

It’s great to  call on your workhorse for critical third-down conversion, but it’s also important to have the quantity and quality of blockers needed to execute.

Look! It’s old friend  Kurt Warner scrambling to complete a  third-down pass to Anquan Boldin for 15 yards. And his next third-down play, he located Boldin for a 16-yard gain to keep the Gridbirds moving.

As  Arizona moved into the edge of scoring range, the Rams played a counter-pitch play perfectly and buried J.J. Arrington for a four-yard loss. But Arizona cavalierly went for it on fourth-and-5 — and  Warner beat  a  Rams blitz with a 20-yard completion to Larry Fitzgerald.  

Edgerrin James ran the ball 10 yards to the Rams 7, but an incomplete pass and a false start penalty and a dropped pass forced the Gridbirds to settle for three points.

Neil Rackers tied the game  3-3 with a 23-yard field goal.  

Throwing off his back foot, the harried Bulger failed to deliver a third-down sideline pass to Dane Looker with enough authority. So the Rams  suffered their first three-and-out  series of the game.

Back  came the Gridbirds. Warner scrambled up the middle and completed a third-down pass to Fitzgerald for another first down.

Linebacker Chris  Draft closed the quarter on a good note, sniffing  out a screen pass to  James for a two-yard loss.