Head Coach Scott Linehan and Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Billy Devaney
April 27, 2008
(On the Rams two seventh-round selections)
Billy Devaney: We wound up using our two picks in the seventh round on linebackers. Our first pick was Christopher Chamberlain. He is a ‘will’ outside linebacker. He is a really good athlete. We expect to use him on all special teams. He is a run and chase kind of guy. The next pick, the final pick in the draft, we used on another linebacker from some small school, David Vobora. Actually, that was the only knock on David Vobora; the level of competition he played against. How did he get past that? This is another guy who had good measurables and was a four-year starter and a productive player. We will bring both guys in and add them to the linebacker mix. We hadn’t drafted a guy there the first day or earlier in the draft, so we thought at this point, if we thought there were two guys who were good and could come in and compete, let’s see how it checks out.
(On ESPN showing RB Danny Woodhead talking on the phone before the Rams made the 252nd pick)
BD: We saw that. After they put his picture up there, we said, ‘Thank God, the kid is drafted.’ They announced somebody else. I’m sure he is talking to one of the other teams as the teams start lining up their free agents before the draft is over. I’m sure that is what was going, but we did not have any contact with that guy.
(On which position Rams LB Chris Chamberlain will play)
Scott Linehan: No, he is ‘will’ outside linebacker now. He has the ability to run well and in certain systems or situations, he could probably, in a pinch, do it. He is a ‘will’ linebacker who is highly productive. Both Chamberlain and Vobora are production city type of guys. They have lots of tackles and are perfect hardcore special teams guys who will maybe make an impact, when they go in. They have the ability to run and chase and get guys on the ground. The production is really big here.
(On which position Rams LB David Vobora will play)
SL: He is a ‘mike’ or a ‘sam’ (linebacker). We are going to start him at ‘sam.’ We felt he was the one guy who was there who could play both positions. Obviously with Chamberlain, we felt he was a good ‘will’ linebacker.
(On the chances of the seventh-round selections making the 53-man roster)
SL: It will be a very competitive situation. Our 53-man roster is formed after a lot of things happen between now and then. They are young players who are very productive at their positions and at their schools. These kind of guys could come in and make a really big impact, a lot like (Rams LB) Quinton Culberson did as a free agent. He came out here and continued to be productive and then did it on special teams as well.
(On depth and competition on the team)
SL: “Obviously depth, you can draw it on the fact that we have five linebackers on our roster at this point. Quentin is very high on his potential and ability and what he has shown so far. More than anything, we needed to get some help there and give ourselves some depth and competition. The upside is very good. We have still got some options. He is a young guy and has a lot to learn yet. We still have Chris Draft here, who is the versatile guy. There is going to be some competition there at the ‘sam’ backer spot.”
(On why they did not draft a linebacker sooner)
BD: “We had some positions that were priorities. Quite honestly, just because of Culberson we felt like that wasn’t an area we had to address early. Between Culberson and Draft, we think we can win with those guys and they can play at a high level.”
(On deciding to pick him)
SL: “He said he could really run. I told Coach Cox, Idaho finally has a middle linebacker that’s worth a darn. If you do your homework, he was also a linebacker at Idaho. It was a realistic deal to go look at this kid. He had great numbers at the combine and his measureables were outstanding. One of the best graded out player at from the combine, so his measureables were good. Then we watched his film and saw that he was very productive, four-year starter. We really think what he can do is really make a name for himself on special teams, compete because of the versatility to play Sam and Mike. I just really like the combination of his production and the measureables. He is another guy that stayed pretty healthy so he has got a pretty good resume.”
(On characteristics they look for)
BD: “I think most teams say the same thing. They look for good guys and smart guys and tough guys and all that. I don’t want to say we took it to the extreme this year but we were really determined to stay on point there from the beginning of the draft to the very end. It was a real strong point of emphasis, probably more so this year than any place I have been. These guys have to play football. We want good football players but along with that, the character plays a big part of that. We didn’t just take a guy that was a great guy to go out and get a beer with or something but is not worth a darn as a football player. We want football players. That is where we start with these guys and these guys are. Even these seventh round guys, we feel like they first and foremost have a chance to come in and help our team.”
SL: “They are just very productive. They are the guys around the ball. Usually the guys that have the top tackles and production for there teams. Thats what you look for, especially these kind of guys, the young guys who can run and they can get to the ball carrier. Great core special teams players come from this kind of a background. Sometimes you hit on a guy that can eventually be a starting linebacker for you if you are lucky. In this case it reminds me a little bit, it’s obviously I different position, but when we took Tony Palmer and Mark Setterstrom a couple years ago. Both very, very good football players in their own right. We took them back-to-back, I think both were compensatory picks. Both made NFL clubs that year because they were improving players, one at Missouri, one at Minnesota. For the most part, sometimes really good quality and productive players come out of the seventh round and make clubs.”
(On getting another quarterback and running back)
SL: “If this works out that way I think we could come up with one of each in free agency. I would love to be able to find a really good, young quarterback. In the safety position we have got some versatility and we have even talked about moving (Eric) Bassey back there. He is a guy that made a name for himself this year for us on special teams but he has some very good qualities potentially as a safety. The running back situation, I think we addressed that a little bit last year although we still haven’t determined who is going to surface there as a true number two but we will hopefully get a good guy here in free agency. You never know what is going to happen between now and then. I know everybody wants to have that one, two punch to the back but we have very high opinions of Pitt (Antonio Pittman) and even Brian (Leonard) and Travis Minor is still on the roster. We have got some pretty good guys behind Steven (Jackson).”
(On the draft weekend as a whole)
BD: The whole process from start to finish that we talked about the other day leading up to this has been great. The cooperation and the involvement and everyone trying to come up with the best player for the Rams has been outstanding. How it went through yesterday and right through today. Between the coaches and the personnel people, Jay (Zygmunt), Scott (Linehan) and everybody that was involved. It ran pretty smooth to be honest. It never falls exactly your way. That holds true for 31 other teams, but when something happened and a guy kind of went, we rebounded quickly. I loved the way that everybody just worked together. It wasn’t offense/defense. It wasn’t secondary versus this, everybody was enthused about every pick that we made and it was just a good thing to be part of.
(On liking the new set up for this year’s draft)
SL: I didn’t really notice a difference too much. After the first day last year, I think something had to be done and that was probably a good thing, based on my opinion. I kind of liked concentrating on the first two rounds the way we did. The time seems ridiculous at some point. If you haven’t made a decision by then, I think it is a little ridiculous to take it down to 15 minutes for every pick. A year ago, I think it was the record length first round. The entire draft went on and on. I think people were probably able to get their jobs done with the new formula. I think it was pretty good.
BD: It felt good as you’re going along. All I know that when it is all over, I feel as tired now as I ever felt in year’s past. Unless you’re at the end, what difference it makes, everybody is still pretty tired at the end of the day.
(On looking at Free Agent QBs)
BD and SL: Yeah.
SL: There’s a couple. We are working on a couple of quarterbacks. We’ll see. One of the things working against us was last year, we carried two quarterbacks and this year, we will carry three. I’m sure someone would look at it and say ‘why would you go to the Rams, they’ve got their two guys,’ so you got those kind of things. So I have got to get back upstairs and convince them that we are taking three quarterbacks and we are by the way.
April 27, 2008
(On the Rams two seventh-round selections)
Billy Devaney: We wound up using our two picks in the seventh round on linebackers. Our first pick was Christopher Chamberlain. He is a ‘will’ outside linebacker. He is a really good athlete. We expect to use him on all special teams. He is a run and chase kind of guy. The next pick, the final pick in the draft, we used on another linebacker from some small school, David Vobora. Actually, that was the only knock on David Vobora; the level of competition he played against. How did he get past that? This is another guy who had good measurables and was a four-year starter and a productive player. We will bring both guys in and add them to the linebacker mix. We hadn’t drafted a guy there the first day or earlier in the draft, so we thought at this point, if we thought there were two guys who were good and could come in and compete, let’s see how it checks out.
(On ESPN showing RB Danny Woodhead talking on the phone before the Rams made the 252nd pick)
BD: We saw that. After they put his picture up there, we said, ‘Thank God, the kid is drafted.’ They announced somebody else. I’m sure he is talking to one of the other teams as the teams start lining up their free agents before the draft is over. I’m sure that is what was going, but we did not have any contact with that guy.
(On which position Rams LB Chris Chamberlain will play)
Scott Linehan: No, he is ‘will’ outside linebacker now. He has the ability to run well and in certain systems or situations, he could probably, in a pinch, do it. He is a ‘will’ linebacker who is highly productive. Both Chamberlain and Vobora are production city type of guys. They have lots of tackles and are perfect hardcore special teams guys who will maybe make an impact, when they go in. They have the ability to run and chase and get guys on the ground. The production is really big here.
(On which position Rams LB David Vobora will play)
SL: He is a ‘mike’ or a ‘sam’ (linebacker). We are going to start him at ‘sam.’ We felt he was the one guy who was there who could play both positions. Obviously with Chamberlain, we felt he was a good ‘will’ linebacker.
(On the chances of the seventh-round selections making the 53-man roster)
SL: It will be a very competitive situation. Our 53-man roster is formed after a lot of things happen between now and then. They are young players who are very productive at their positions and at their schools. These kind of guys could come in and make a really big impact, a lot like (Rams LB) Quinton Culberson did as a free agent. He came out here and continued to be productive and then did it on special teams as well.
(On depth and competition on the team)
SL: “Obviously depth, you can draw it on the fact that we have five linebackers on our roster at this point. Quentin is very high on his potential and ability and what he has shown so far. More than anything, we needed to get some help there and give ourselves some depth and competition. The upside is very good. We have still got some options. He is a young guy and has a lot to learn yet. We still have Chris Draft here, who is the versatile guy. There is going to be some competition there at the ‘sam’ backer spot.”
(On why they did not draft a linebacker sooner)
BD: “We had some positions that were priorities. Quite honestly, just because of Culberson we felt like that wasn’t an area we had to address early. Between Culberson and Draft, we think we can win with those guys and they can play at a high level.”
(On deciding to pick him)
SL: “He said he could really run. I told Coach Cox, Idaho finally has a middle linebacker that’s worth a darn. If you do your homework, he was also a linebacker at Idaho. It was a realistic deal to go look at this kid. He had great numbers at the combine and his measureables were outstanding. One of the best graded out player at from the combine, so his measureables were good. Then we watched his film and saw that he was very productive, four-year starter. We really think what he can do is really make a name for himself on special teams, compete because of the versatility to play Sam and Mike. I just really like the combination of his production and the measureables. He is another guy that stayed pretty healthy so he has got a pretty good resume.”
(On characteristics they look for)
BD: “I think most teams say the same thing. They look for good guys and smart guys and tough guys and all that. I don’t want to say we took it to the extreme this year but we were really determined to stay on point there from the beginning of the draft to the very end. It was a real strong point of emphasis, probably more so this year than any place I have been. These guys have to play football. We want good football players but along with that, the character plays a big part of that. We didn’t just take a guy that was a great guy to go out and get a beer with or something but is not worth a darn as a football player. We want football players. That is where we start with these guys and these guys are. Even these seventh round guys, we feel like they first and foremost have a chance to come in and help our team.”
SL: “They are just very productive. They are the guys around the ball. Usually the guys that have the top tackles and production for there teams. Thats what you look for, especially these kind of guys, the young guys who can run and they can get to the ball carrier. Great core special teams players come from this kind of a background. Sometimes you hit on a guy that can eventually be a starting linebacker for you if you are lucky. In this case it reminds me a little bit, it’s obviously I different position, but when we took Tony Palmer and Mark Setterstrom a couple years ago. Both very, very good football players in their own right. We took them back-to-back, I think both were compensatory picks. Both made NFL clubs that year because they were improving players, one at Missouri, one at Minnesota. For the most part, sometimes really good quality and productive players come out of the seventh round and make clubs.”
(On getting another quarterback and running back)
SL: “If this works out that way I think we could come up with one of each in free agency. I would love to be able to find a really good, young quarterback. In the safety position we have got some versatility and we have even talked about moving (Eric) Bassey back there. He is a guy that made a name for himself this year for us on special teams but he has some very good qualities potentially as a safety. The running back situation, I think we addressed that a little bit last year although we still haven’t determined who is going to surface there as a true number two but we will hopefully get a good guy here in free agency. You never know what is going to happen between now and then. I know everybody wants to have that one, two punch to the back but we have very high opinions of Pitt (Antonio Pittman) and even Brian (Leonard) and Travis Minor is still on the roster. We have got some pretty good guys behind Steven (Jackson).”
(On the draft weekend as a whole)
BD: The whole process from start to finish that we talked about the other day leading up to this has been great. The cooperation and the involvement and everyone trying to come up with the best player for the Rams has been outstanding. How it went through yesterday and right through today. Between the coaches and the personnel people, Jay (Zygmunt), Scott (Linehan) and everybody that was involved. It ran pretty smooth to be honest. It never falls exactly your way. That holds true for 31 other teams, but when something happened and a guy kind of went, we rebounded quickly. I loved the way that everybody just worked together. It wasn’t offense/defense. It wasn’t secondary versus this, everybody was enthused about every pick that we made and it was just a good thing to be part of.
(On liking the new set up for this year’s draft)
SL: I didn’t really notice a difference too much. After the first day last year, I think something had to be done and that was probably a good thing, based on my opinion. I kind of liked concentrating on the first two rounds the way we did. The time seems ridiculous at some point. If you haven’t made a decision by then, I think it is a little ridiculous to take it down to 15 minutes for every pick. A year ago, I think it was the record length first round. The entire draft went on and on. I think people were probably able to get their jobs done with the new formula. I think it was pretty good.
BD: It felt good as you’re going along. All I know that when it is all over, I feel as tired now as I ever felt in year’s past. Unless you’re at the end, what difference it makes, everybody is still pretty tired at the end of the day.
(On looking at Free Agent QBs)
BD and SL: Yeah.
SL: There’s a couple. We are working on a couple of quarterbacks. We’ll see. One of the things working against us was last year, we carried two quarterbacks and this year, we will carry three. I’m sure someone would look at it and say ‘why would you go to the Rams, they’ve got their two guys,’ so you got those kind of things. So I have got to get back upstairs and convince them that we are taking three quarterbacks and we are by the way.