Eighteen months ago at the start of the 2009 free agency period, new St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo phoned running back Derrick Ward to gauge his interest in joining the Rams.

Coming off a 1,025-yard rushing season with the New York Giants, where Spagnuolo had been defensive coordinator, Ward signed with Tampa Bay instead -- for a reported $17 million.

Now, after just one highly disappointing season with the Buccaneers, Ward is available once again. He was released Tuesday, but this time around, it doesn't look like the Rams are interested.

Why not? Simply stated, Ward looks awful on tape. One league source said he looks almost disinterested. According to reports out of Tampa, Ward showed up to training camp overweight. He rushed for only 50 yards on 21 carries (2.4 yards per carry) during the preseason.

After averaging 5.6 yards per carry for the '08 Giants, he dipped to 3.6 yards for Tampa Bay last season, with 409 yards on 114 carries.

The Rams will continue to scan the waiver wire and league transaction list for help at running back behind Steven Jackson. But it doesn't look like it will be Ward.