Rams Sign Lineman
Rams Sign Lineman, In the 2011 NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams had the 14th pick and patiently waited their turn to make a selection while superstar pass-rushers such as J.J. Watt, Von Miller, Aldon Smith and Marcell Dareus came off the board. While Chris Long was locked into one position, the Rams desperately wanted to bolster their pass rush and kept their fingers crossed that one of the other top defensive linemen would fall in their lap.
As the Detroit Lions came up with the 13th pick, they took Nick Fairley. The Rams turned in the card with end Robert Quinn's name on it nearly as fast as Quinn bends the edge against a left tackle. On Tuesday morning, the Rams turned what four years ago was an "either/or" situation into a resounding "and." A day after arriving in St. Louis, Fairley signed a one-year contract worth $5 million, which could reach the $8 million range with incentives.
That Fairley was even available was a product of a disappointing four-year stint with the Lions in which Fairley was plagued by injuries, weight problems and some off-field incidents. Despite glimpses of potential -- especially in 2012 and 2013, when he posted 69 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 28 games -- the Lions declined to exercise their fifth-year option on Fairley in hopes it would motivate him.
It didn't necessarily work; Fairley had 14 tackles and a sack in eight 2014 games before knee injuries cost him the other half of the season. So it was that Fairley hit the open market Tuesday in search of a chance to prove the potential that came only in small doses in Detroit.
In choosing the Rams' one-year deal, Fairley essentially signed a "prove-it" deal intended to bolster his stock and allow him to cash in next season. Though Fairley is likely to serve as the primary backup to Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers, he couldn't have picked a better situation in which to bet on himself.
Fairley joins a defensive line that's already stocked with pass-rushers Long and Quinn, defensive rookie of the year Donald, former first-round pick Brockers and quality backups such as William Hayes and Eugene Sims. He's the fifth former first-round pick on the defensive line and should have no shortage of one-on-one pass-rush opportunities.
"I feel like it's a perfect fit for me," Fairley said. "The guys in this group, the D-line, they are young and they're moving forward and I want to be part of it.
"You got those guys up there and a guy next to me like Aaron is going to take on some double-teams, I'm going to take on some double-teams so it's going to be a good fit for me."
Line coaches Mike Waufle and Clyde Simmons also come with strong reputations in league circles, and Waufle's hard-charging style developed in years as a Marine should only serve Fairley well in maintaining discipline. [He's] a great guy, matter of fact my dad is an ex-Marine so I know a little bit about ex-Marines," Fairley said.
It also doesn't hurt the Rams have become Auburn North with former Tigers Greg Robinson, Tre Mason and Daren Bates on the roster and general manager Les Snead offering input on the roster.
But even with that support system in place, it's up to Fairley to become the player many anticipated. For his part, Fairley seems to have put in the work to come to St. Louis in shape.
At times during his stint with the Lions, Fairley's weight ballooned to as high as 320 pounds, but a personal chef allowed him to trim down to about 290 pounds before last season. There were concerns the knee injuries he suffered last season might cause his weight to go back up, but Fairley continued to work with the chef and arrived in St. Louis at a sleek 280 pounds.
In fact, Fairley is now in position to actually put weight on before the season, though he's looking to enlist the help of a local personal chef to help him do it the right way.
"I'm going to be looking for one out here so if anybody knows a chef, holler at me," Fairley said, laughing. "I'm going to put on some muscle so when I come back in April with the group of guys in the conditioning and work program, I'm sure I'll get to where I want to be."
If he does, an already scary Rams defensive line could get even better, and Fairley's one-year gamble could pay off in an equally big way.
As the Detroit Lions came up with the 13th pick, they took Nick Fairley. The Rams turned in the card with end Robert Quinn's name on it nearly as fast as Quinn bends the edge against a left tackle. On Tuesday morning, the Rams turned what four years ago was an "either/or" situation into a resounding "and." A day after arriving in St. Louis, Fairley signed a one-year contract worth $5 million, which could reach the $8 million range with incentives.
That Fairley was even available was a product of a disappointing four-year stint with the Lions in which Fairley was plagued by injuries, weight problems and some off-field incidents. Despite glimpses of potential -- especially in 2012 and 2013, when he posted 69 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 28 games -- the Lions declined to exercise their fifth-year option on Fairley in hopes it would motivate him.
It didn't necessarily work; Fairley had 14 tackles and a sack in eight 2014 games before knee injuries cost him the other half of the season. So it was that Fairley hit the open market Tuesday in search of a chance to prove the potential that came only in small doses in Detroit.
In choosing the Rams' one-year deal, Fairley essentially signed a "prove-it" deal intended to bolster his stock and allow him to cash in next season. Though Fairley is likely to serve as the primary backup to Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers, he couldn't have picked a better situation in which to bet on himself.
Fairley joins a defensive line that's already stocked with pass-rushers Long and Quinn, defensive rookie of the year Donald, former first-round pick Brockers and quality backups such as William Hayes and Eugene Sims. He's the fifth former first-round pick on the defensive line and should have no shortage of one-on-one pass-rush opportunities.
"I feel like it's a perfect fit for me," Fairley said. "The guys in this group, the D-line, they are young and they're moving forward and I want to be part of it.
"You got those guys up there and a guy next to me like Aaron is going to take on some double-teams, I'm going to take on some double-teams so it's going to be a good fit for me."
Line coaches Mike Waufle and Clyde Simmons also come with strong reputations in league circles, and Waufle's hard-charging style developed in years as a Marine should only serve Fairley well in maintaining discipline. [He's] a great guy, matter of fact my dad is an ex-Marine so I know a little bit about ex-Marines," Fairley said.
It also doesn't hurt the Rams have become Auburn North with former Tigers Greg Robinson, Tre Mason and Daren Bates on the roster and general manager Les Snead offering input on the roster.
But even with that support system in place, it's up to Fairley to become the player many anticipated. For his part, Fairley seems to have put in the work to come to St. Louis in shape.
At times during his stint with the Lions, Fairley's weight ballooned to as high as 320 pounds, but a personal chef allowed him to trim down to about 290 pounds before last season. There were concerns the knee injuries he suffered last season might cause his weight to go back up, but Fairley continued to work with the chef and arrived in St. Louis at a sleek 280 pounds.
In fact, Fairley is now in position to actually put weight on before the season, though he's looking to enlist the help of a local personal chef to help him do it the right way.
"I'm going to be looking for one out here so if anybody knows a chef, holler at me," Fairley said, laughing. "I'm going to put on some muscle so when I come back in April with the group of guys in the conditioning and work program, I'm sure I'll get to where I want to be."
If he does, an already scary Rams defensive line could get even better, and Fairley's one-year gamble could pay off in an equally big way.
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Rams Sign Lineman
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