FAST EDDIE'S KARRAKER REPORT FOR JULY 25THAdd yourself to The HERD's Official Roster (guestbook), if you think you are man enough!
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Corey Sears has a minor injury and didn't practice much today. Ray Agnew went home to NC for a funeral. Thus the Rams got a chance to see some of the young DTs in action such as Alton Weaver and 335 lb. Jon Jacobs.
Karraker says, "It's safe to assume that we'll see Faulk around August 14th when the team returns to St.Louis. There is really no reason for him to come to Macomb." He believes that a fresh Marshall Faulk at the end of the year will be much more important than his presence at training camp. He noted that Faulk would still get in 4 weeks of practice prior to the regular season and 3 preseason games if he shows up when the Rams break camp at WIU.
Vermeil seems to be listening to Martz and Saunders in regards to how hard he is working the players in camp. He cut practice short by 25 minutes today and "that would not have happened last year." Vermeil is more comfortable with a more mature team this year and he said today that he's actually looking forward to getting the team back to St.Louis.
Karraker doesn't feel that the depth on the interior defensive line will be a problem. "Jeff Zgonina is a known quantity and they like what they've seen of Corey Sears alot."
A much more serious concern is the depth at defensive end. If Kevin Carter or Grant Wistrom suffers an injury, the alternative is a complete unknown at this point. It is only based on 4 or 5 practices, but the Rams coaches are excited about what they've seen of Lionel Barnes and NFL Europe vet. Gohlsten also has some decent tools, but there is no experienced depth at this position.
Karraker: "They don't have one middle linebacker, they have three. London Fletcher worked with the starting unit at MLB today, the Rams coaches like the tools of Lorenzo Styles, and they REALLY like the tools that Charlie Clemons has. The problem is not in the middle, but rather the depth on the outside. Behind Mike Jones and Collins, there is very little experience there, especially with Little out the first 8 games. You are looking at guys like Matt Chatham and Troy Pelshak. If Fletcher or Clemons wins the starting MLB position, however, then the Rams also have Lorenzo Styles to backup both outside positions."
There seems to be no more interest in adding an experienced backup quarterback. Kurt Warner was impressive in practice today. Also, "Vermeil says that he's never seen a rookie QB come in and perform at the level that Joe Germaine has demonstrated thus far, and if Trent Green goes down midway through the season, I would not be surprised at all to see Joe Germaine get the call."
Peace,
FastEddie