Youth movement begins for Rams’ defense

By Steve Reynolds  |   Sunday, August 05, 2007  |  Comments( 4 )

St. Louis Rams
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As a result of missing the NFL's random drug test, Fakhir Brown will sit the first four games of the season, barring some last-minute reprieve from commissioner Roger Goodell.

Don't hold your breath, Fakhir.

Brown could stand to lose a lot more than his paychecks during his four-game absence; he may well lose his starting spot. It would have happened (most likely next season) anyway; Brown's "lapse in judgment" simply sped things up.

The cornerback position is much like the running back spot in that if you have two players of approximate skill, you play the younger one. Traditionally, there have been few aged corners in the league not named Darrell Green, and Brown will see the wrong side of 30 before he sees the field this year.

At age 30, running backs and corners generally exchange the description "seasoned" or "veteran," for "old" and "backup."

The coaching staff has a lot of faith in Ron Bartell, Lenny Walls and rookie Jonathan Wade, evidenced by the perpetually underachieving Mike Rumph - formerly of the 49ers and Redskins - being ushered out the door so quickly that one wonders why the Rams would sign someone who sports permanent tread marks courtesy of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

Unless the Rams' secondary completely melts down in the first four contests of the season, look for Bartell to permanently replace Brown and future training camp battles to be between Bartell and Wade for the spot opposite Tye Hill and the nickel role being filled by Brown or Walls. The Rams are looking to start a young duo at cornerback eventually; and if things go well early in the season, they may as well get a jump on getting experience for their second corner.

The key is to get younger without any significant drops in production.

The only potential X factor in this line of thinking is the strongside linebacker spot, where Chris Draft may well supplant the younger and physically less-gifted Brandon Chillar. However, Chillar has shown improvement each year and will turn 25 during the season, while Draft is 31. If Chillar has not maxed out his potential and continues to improve and Draft is not a huge upgrade, then Scott Linehan should err on the side of youth, keeping in mind that Chillar can be a long-term starter. The trio of Will Witherspoon, Pisa Tinoisamoa and Chillar should be the starters for years to come and their familiarity with Jim Haslett's system and each other could be a boon to the underachieving defense.

Don't be surprised if you see a starting defensive line of Claude Wroten, Adam Carriker, Victor Adeyanju and Leonard Little by midseason. Wroten should blossom into the DT the Rams' staff thought he would be when the team stole him in the third round of last year's draft, and La'Roi Glover ought to be a backup at this point in his career. While former Lions defensive end James Hall is a better pass rusher than Adeyanju, injuries have been a concern for the last couple of seasons. If Hall can stay healthy the spot is almost assuredly his, but that's a big "if."

Although less likely, there is an outside chance the younger Todd Johnson could eventually supplant Corey Chavous at the strong safety spot. Chavous makes up for his lack of speed and athleticism with experience and guile, which translates into him being a steady, though unspectacular, safety. Johnson was much more than a special teams player and saw the field quite a bit for a very strong Bears defense over the last several seasons. However, Johnson will have to perform extremely well during the preseason and show that he is just as smart and more explosive for him to wrest the spot from Chavous, who has experience in the Rams' scheme.

This season could mark the beginning of a defensive youth movement for St. Louis. With the exception of Little's spot, the Rams could conceivably man their entire defense with players still in their 20s.

As Brown put it, he was simply, "out of town" and "things got mixed up," to the point where he missed the random, mandatory drug test.

Hopefully he won't miss his starting spot.

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