BillsFever
07-16-2003, 04:56 PM
On the heels of a disappointing 7-9 season, the Rams see pieces falling into place they hope will put their franchise back among the league's elite.
Kurt Warner is healthy. Marshall Faulk has rededicated himself this offseason after an injury-plagued 2002 season. The 2003 draft class drew cheers. And veterans have been added to fill key roles on the offensive line, including center Dave Wohlabaugh and right tackle Kyle Turley.
Those two additions, some say, provide the Rams with what could be one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. But with the team preparing to open training camp July 25 in Macomb, Ill., the key player on that line remains unsigned -- Orlando Pace.
On that front, nothing has changed for months.
In February, after the Rams and Pace's agent, Carl Poston, exchanged contract proposals that were more than $40 million apart, the Rams placed the franchise tag on the four-time Pro Bowl left tackle. A franchise tag is a way to protect a team from losing a star player without getting any compensation in return.
At the time, the Rams offered Pace a deal similar to what they gave their other big three stars -- Warner, Faulk and wide receiver Isaac Bruce. Each signed deals worth about $42 million over seven years, with roughly an $11 million signing bonus.
But Poston swung for the fences with Pace, seeking a contract worth $85 million, or roughly $12 million per season, with a signing bonus of $23.8 million, sources told the Post-Dispatch. Any deal close to that would have been unprecedented, both for the Rams and for other NFL offensive linemen.
``The right time is now for him (Pace) to get the right number,'' St. Louis-based agent Harold Lewis said. ``This is the only time. It's not going to be his next contract because as you get older you know what happens in this business. This is the prime time for him.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/Sports/Rams/20E8D2D33637E0A686256D650005F0F8?OpenDocument&Headline=Rams+expect+to+open+camp+without+Pace
Kurt Warner is healthy. Marshall Faulk has rededicated himself this offseason after an injury-plagued 2002 season. The 2003 draft class drew cheers. And veterans have been added to fill key roles on the offensive line, including center Dave Wohlabaugh and right tackle Kyle Turley.
Those two additions, some say, provide the Rams with what could be one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. But with the team preparing to open training camp July 25 in Macomb, Ill., the key player on that line remains unsigned -- Orlando Pace.
On that front, nothing has changed for months.
In February, after the Rams and Pace's agent, Carl Poston, exchanged contract proposals that were more than $40 million apart, the Rams placed the franchise tag on the four-time Pro Bowl left tackle. A franchise tag is a way to protect a team from losing a star player without getting any compensation in return.
At the time, the Rams offered Pace a deal similar to what they gave their other big three stars -- Warner, Faulk and wide receiver Isaac Bruce. Each signed deals worth about $42 million over seven years, with roughly an $11 million signing bonus.
But Poston swung for the fences with Pace, seeking a contract worth $85 million, or roughly $12 million per season, with a signing bonus of $23.8 million, sources told the Post-Dispatch. Any deal close to that would have been unprecedented, both for the Rams and for other NFL offensive linemen.
``The right time is now for him (Pace) to get the right number,'' St. Louis-based agent Harold Lewis said. ``This is the only time. It's not going to be his next contract because as you get older you know what happens in this business. This is the prime time for him.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/Sports/Rams/20E8D2D33637E0A686256D650005F0F8?OpenDocument&Headline=Rams+expect+to+open+camp+without+Pace