BALZER PEPORT, BY MJR (Sept 1)Add yourself to The HERD's Official Roster (guestbook), if you think you are man enough!
The HERD's ULTIMATE link page-add your favorite here!
Balzer's point was that the Rams brass needs to get their spin story straight.
Armey said in an interview with Mike Claiborne yesterday (KFNS again) that the move was made to better the team for the future. They had to go out and find a QB in spite of the fact that Trent Green went down. Sure there were other ways of working around the cap but Greg Hill's value was not that of a starter anymore (at least not with the Rams). Claiborne's point was why not get more in return.
Armey said, that Holcombe would be the no. 2 starting RB behind Faulk. He was glad to hear all the impassioned fans calling in about the trade. It means they care. By trading Hill, the Rams are given the opportunity to build for the future. Is is happy about trading Hill? Of course not. It's more about moving in a positive direction for the team. This team will be good for the next ten years.
Armey also said that Holcombe gives them more flexibility within the scheme of Martz' offense.
Howard Balzer feels we should have gotten more for Hill. Why trade him given the fact that there is no real depth right now. Holcombe, Henley, Lee are all hurt right now. If Faulk goes down in Game 1, and Holcombe isn't 100 percent, you're left with Watson and Levitt.
DV says no cap issue with Hill. His heart wasn't in it. Balzer said now we're in a position of keeping our fingers crossed with the injuries for the early part of the season. Amp Lee is on the PUP so even if he's ready earlier, he can't even practice.
Balzer said that Chris Mortensen reported that the Rams are still having some interest in signing Jeff Hostettler. Seems Hostettler is interested in playing again now that his son whom was rendered partially paralyzed in a recent accident has had some sort of miraculous recovery.
Balzer: Armey's philosophy seems to be to not do what SF and Dallas did in regard to their cap situation and get caught behind the eight ball. (MJR: again the good for ten years thing not just win now.)
Balzer had some pointed comments regarding Rick Tuten, the punter. Jim Thomas ran an article which quoted DV saying something to the effect that we had two inconsistent punters so they kept the veteran. Are there better punters out there? Yeah, probably, but bringing in a new punter and having this guy put up with Frank Ganz would be like sending his head to Mars. Talked at length about Frank Ganz being like a parrot. You pay attention to them for a little bit but after a while you ignore them.
Caller says he is the President and CEO of the company named "Do Not Hire Marty Schottenheimer to Replace DV." Balzer says let's all settle down a little. Let's go ahead and play the games. The offense will still move the football. On the Banks vs. Warner bit: lots of guys can throw hard but a QB has to be able to handle an offense like this. Kurt Warner is better than Tony Banks. Quicker decisions. Tony Banks was not the quarterback for this team and this system.
Balzer: Keeping Holcombe over Hill is an unfair criticism if it's based on the fact that Holcombe didn't even suit up for game one last year. Neither did Hill. There are those who said Grant Wistrom was a bust last year. This year he's a starter. His point was that judging Holcombe based on last year's performance is unfair.
Also, the Rams are reluctant to guarantee players' contracts. Teams that do it are usually playoff teams and want to keep the team intact. Dallas, Miami, and San Fran. to name a few. The Rams are not historically a playoff team and thus shy away from guaranteeing contracts.
Caller: Talked about $1M option on Pace's contract if exercised before the start of this season, $1 next year, too. We've got to be concerned about resigning Kevin Carter as well. All the sudden we're in a cap pinch and maybe can't sign that DT we covet. The caller made the point (referring to Balzer's earlier comments regarding Ganz) that Ganz was a special teams coach for the Falcons during Rich Brooks' last year as coach and that the Falcon's special teams was one of the weaker points that the Rams attacked and won.
Balzer: Greg Hill wasn't going to be here anyway as a free agent next year. Armey has confidence in himself and his evaluation of talent and his long-term plan for the club. We need to be patient.