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Nick's Notes: Tuesday

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

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By Nick Wagoner

Senior Writer

MOBILE , Ala. –

- It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t have left you…And…we’re back. Welcome back to Nick’s Notes, where I do my best to give you a closer look at what’s happening with the Rams and, in this case, the Senior Bowl.

- Let’s get right down to business with what’s happening around the team and some up close looks at a variety of players in Mobile this week.

- The first thing I want to do is express my condolences to the family of Georgia Frontiere, the First Lady of Football in St. Louis . I only had the pleasure of meeting her once, but she was the type of person who always seemed genuinely interested in the pursuit of meeting and getting to know other people. She also seemed to really enjoy all that life had to offer. She will be greatly missed.

- The funeral for Ms. Frontiere was held Tuesday in Los Angeles . It was a private ceremony, attended by close friends and family.

- Coach Scott Linehan is not in Mobile right now because he attended. That will likely push back his initial time frame of having an offensive coordinator in place by early this week. Still, Hue Jackson and Ken Zampese appear to be the frontrunners in that race. Cam Cameron has not officially taken the Baltimore job and some believe he is still in play in St. Louis. Most likely, though he will land in Baltimore. As for Zampese and Jackson, some believe Jackson has nudged ahead while others maintain it's Zampese. Keep an eye on this developing situation.

- No word yet on the secondary coach, either. Saw Willy Robinson today and he is shopping around for another job. Ditto for former offensive line coach Paul Boudreau. I don’t expect him to be out of work for too long.

- Also got an opportunity to speak with new offensive line coach Steve Loney. Seems like a tremendously genuine and nice person. He and Linehan accomplished a lot together in Minnesota . It will be interesting to see if they can re-create that in St. Louis . Check out the feature story on Loney later this evening.

- Also spotted here today: former running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery chatting it up with former defensive line coach Bill Kollar. Both were in good spirits and seemed happy in their current gigs.

- For those that haven’t been to Mobile for the Senior Bowl, there are a few things you need to know to set the scene. First, know that this is one of the biggest unofficial job fairs in the NFL. Coaches, scouts and wanna be coaches and scouts congregate to talk it over. Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden was interviewing potential running backs coaches in the hotel Tuesday afternoon. The scouts seem invested in the work, paying close attention to the players on the field. Can’t say the same for many of the league’s coaches, though Philadelphia ’s Andy Reid seemed to be an exception. Second, this city is extremely spread out and has an obscene number of country music channels. I feel like Steven Jackson down here, can I please get a little hip hop for the commute to the stadium?

- On to more pressing matters. USC has nine, yes, nine players participating this week. That’s a ridiculous number. I’m not so sure I wouldn’t be able to win 10 games with that kind of talent at my disposal.

- USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis is a man child. He absolutely owned every drill he participated in. He’s the best player here and it’s not even close. He’s a top 10, possibly top five pick in this draft. I haven’t seen Glenn Dorsey play personally, but for him to be more than just a negligible amount better than Ellis; he would have to be the next Mean Joe Greene.

- The rest of the USC crew was a mix of highs and lows. End Lawrence Jackson has serious pass rush potential and could be an interesting guy in round two. Linebacker Keith Rivers can run and has some talent, but he was a bit of a letdown. Speaking of which, offensive tackle Sam Baker can’t be the second best O lineman in this draft. He seems a step slow and doesn’t have much athleticism.

- Boston College offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus is a mountain of a man. This guy is just massive and he’s extremely difficult to move. He’s not a phenomenal athlete, but he could be a starting right tackle or potentially even a guard in the NFL.

- UCLA defensive end Bruce Davis looks almost exactly like I imagine Leonard Little did out of college. He’s 6’3, 231 pounds, but you can see he has room to add weight to his frame. He is super fast off the edge and has pass rushing ability. He could stand up as a rush linebacker in a 3-4 or fill out his frame over time and be a 4-3 pass rushing defensive end.

- Not a single wide receiver was overwhelming Tuesday. Houston ’s Donnie Avery has speed but inconsistent hands. LSU’s Early Doucet runs great routes and catches everything, but isn’t particularly fast. Oklahoma State ’s Adarius Bowman was supposed to be a star, but he had one of the worst practices of anyone on the field Tuesday. The best of the bunch might have been Cal ’s Lavelle Hawkins. Texas ’ Limas Sweed had some moments, also.

- Likewise, it appears most of the running back talent this year is not in the senior class. Georgia Tech’s Tashard Choice was probably the best of the lot along with Tulane’s Matt Forte.

- As for quarterback, well let’s just say Brian Brohm and Matt Ryan choosing not to attend hurt matters significantly. USC’s John David Booty is the best of the lot, but Hawaii ’s Colt Brennan looked completely out of place. Tennessee ’s Erik Ainge has a lot of upside if he goes to the right system. I watched Booty do the play action roll out drill where he fakes the handoff, rolls to the weak side and throws on the run. He hit five consecutive throws on that drill with each pass right on the money. It was impressive to say the least. Kentucky ’s Andre Woodson is also a bit of a disappointment. He has mechanical issues, but if they get fixed he could be OK because his arm is strong. Had a chance to speak with him also and he seems like a great kid.

- Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski seems like a good enough kid, but he refused to talk about his boxing background Tuesday, part of what makes him an interesting story. On the field, he didn't do anything to stand out one way or the other though he seems a bit stiff in coverage.

- That’s all for today. Be sure to send your questions about all things Rams and or the Senior Bowl.