After waiting nearly three full seasons to finally get the chance to make the switch from special teams dynamo to defensive starter, 
Drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Chamberlain cut his teeth by leading the Rams in special teams tackles year in and year out. Still, he hoped to get his chance to step in at weakside linebacker and contribute on a more down to down basis.
As injuries ravaged the linebacker corps, Chamberlain’s turn finally came in the final eight games of the season. He started six of those contests and, though nagging injuries slowed him, was unable to do enough to make the job his.
“Yeah, I talked with coach (Steve Spagnuolo) at the end of the year and he flat out told me he was a little disappointed with how I played,” Chamberlain said. “They kind of expected me to do better than I did. I told him I felt the exact same way. I feel like I could have done better.”
Chamberlain struggled with a torn ligament in his big toe, an injury he suffered in the season opener against Arizona. That left him in some sort of protective cover – be it a cast or boot – for the next six weeks as the Rams pondered whether to place him on injured reserve and end his season or wait it out.
Opting to wait it out, Chamberlain finally returned at the end of October and wasted no time suffering a wrist injury that left him again in a cast and wondering whether he’d ever catch a break.
But Chamberlain was not fazed by the wrist injury and decided to play with the cast even if it meant he’d be a bit limited in his tackling and coverage ability.
Entering the offseason, Chamberlain worked to get back to full strength and he did just that as the Rams came back to work following the lockout.
“It was dealing with the foot thing all year then as soon as I get back dealing with the wrist thing and having to play with a cast on my hand which didn’t make things any easier,” Chamberlain said. “So I feel good besides the normal bumps and bruises that come along with the season but nothing major so I have been fortunate there and just hoping to get better and grind and help this team.”
Upon his return to St. Louis for the start of training camp, Chamberlain again found himself with something to prove. As a former seventh-round pick out of Tulsa considered too small to play linebacker in the league, Chamberlain doesn’t exactly come with the resume that makes a roster spot guaranteed when camp begins.
Making matters more complicated were a pair of twists that brought the competition up a level and figured to make Chamberlain’s road back to the top of the depth chart difficult.
The Rams went on a bit of a spree in adding linebackers, drafting Jabara Williams in the seventh-round of April’s draft and once free agency started at the end of July, the team added three more linebackers in
As a restricted free agent, Chamberlain also wasn’t helped by the fact that he had to wait an extra week to get to practice after signing his free agent tender contract.
“That’s one thing about this league is every year you are going to compete and fight for your job,” Chamberlain said. “There’s always stiff competition. This year, because of my tender I wasn’t able to start practicing right away so I was standing there watching and feeling like I got behind and then they brought in some veteran guys to create that competition.”
No stranger to that competition, Chamberlain entered camp determined to continue his role as one of the team’s most productive special teams player but also to work his way back into position to help on defense.
Once Chamberlain got into practice and camp, he viewed the competition from the new additions as an impetus to step his game up and do everything possible to show the coaching staff he belongs.
“It made everybody step their game up,” Chamberlain said. “It was an uneasy, unsettling time not knowing what the future holds but at the same time you go out and produce and go out and compete or you are going to be looking for a job. So I felt like it helped me to focus in and go out there and do my best. I’m glad the coaches had the confidence in me to keep me here and put me in the position I’m in.”
From the outset of the season, Chamberlain resumed his role on special teams and found himself second on the depth chart at the WIL position behind veteran Ben Leber. He outlasted Diles, who didn’t make the final roster and actually started the first game against Philadelphia at the strong side spot because of Eagles quarterback Michael Vick’s running skills.
Leber went on to start games two, three and four before Chamberlain was given his first opportunity to start against the Packers. Chamberlain had a strong outing in that game, tying for the team lead with seven tackles and earning another start last week against the Cowboys.
“He did a nice job,” Spagnuolo said after the Green Bay game. “One thing about ‘Chambo,’ I’ve always thought this, he’s a very productive guy. He plays the game fast and I thought he did that yesterday as the WIL linebacker so I thought that was encouraging.”
For his part, Chamberlain says another year in the system has made him more comfortable and he’s been able to start thinking less and reacting more.
“Obviously, I have got another year in the system, another year in the league, I’m more mature, better understanding of not only what is expected out of my position but what’s going on with the positions around me,” Chamberlain said. “That helps me understand what’s going on in the defense, what’s trying to be accomplished and therefore allowing me to play faster and better. I just feel like overall I have a better feel for the game and the system and it allows me to play faster.”
Not that Chamberlain considers himself a finished product by any means. Since entering the league, he’s bulked up to a shade less than 240 pounds which has helped him hold up against the run better while not losing the speed that makes him one of the team’s best coverage linebackers.
Through six games, Chamberlain has 19 tackles with a sack and a forced fumble. As he continues to get used to his new role and sees more NFL offenses, he hopes he’ll continue to improve.
“Things are going well,” Chamberlain said. “I feel like I have played pretty well. I know I can always get better. I know I need to get better but I feel like so far things have gone pretty good. I am just thankful I still have the opportunity, still have a chance to be here with this team and just get better and work every day.”
