Gunzlingr
08-07-2003, 10:12 AM
MACOMB, Ill. - Coach Mike Martz has yet to sing out: "If I had a Hammer. ..."
But two weeks into training camp, finding a replacement for James "The Hammer" Hodgins has been tougher than anticipated. Hodgins, now with Arizona, was released in a cap-related move in February.
Auditions have been ongoing at Western Illinois University, and with each day of camp, the job appears to be more wide open.
"We've got a lot of good candidates," Martz insists.
Here's a rundown:
Heir apparent J.R. Niklos suffered a concussion Tuesday in practice, and has been ruled out of Friday's preseason opener in Oakland.
Unheralded Chad Kuhns, signed as a street free agent less than two months ago, made a dramatic move up the depth chart about one week into camp and was challenging Niklos for the starting spot. But Kuhns was sidelined for several days because of a stinger, and is just now getting back into the mix.
MORE (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/Sports/Rams/858867A671BD0F8086256D7B001AC731?OpenDocument&Headline=Rams+find+it+difficult+to+choose+a+fullback)
But two weeks into training camp, finding a replacement for James "The Hammer" Hodgins has been tougher than anticipated. Hodgins, now with Arizona, was released in a cap-related move in February.
Auditions have been ongoing at Western Illinois University, and with each day of camp, the job appears to be more wide open.
"We've got a lot of good candidates," Martz insists.
Here's a rundown:
Heir apparent J.R. Niklos suffered a concussion Tuesday in practice, and has been ruled out of Friday's preseason opener in Oakland.
Unheralded Chad Kuhns, signed as a street free agent less than two months ago, made a dramatic move up the depth chart about one week into camp and was challenging Niklos for the starting spot. But Kuhns was sidelined for several days because of a stinger, and is just now getting back into the mix.
MORE (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/Sports/Rams/858867A671BD0F8086256D7B001AC731?OpenDocument&Headline=Rams+find+it+difficult+to+choose+a+fullback)