pakowitz

http://www.houmatoday.com/apps/pbcs....onCat=SPORTS02

Turley takes act to St. Louis


JON T. STEWART

Send out the clown.

To St. Louis, that is.

After five years of throwing helmets, bickering with the local media and other fun-filled activities, the circus act that is Kyle Turley will take his sideshow to St. Louis after the New Orleans Saints traded the offensive tackle to the Rams Friday for a second-round pick in next year’s NFL draft.

And just what are the Rams getting in Turley, who was given a six-year, $26.5 million contract with a $10 million signing bonus?

You know, other than the constant sideshow, no one knows.

As a Saint, Turley never earned an outright invitation to the Pro Bowl. Part of that is because he toes the line between being a "dirty" player and going all out between whistles.

NFL players and coaches vote for Pro Bowlers and since most of them view Turley as a "dirty" player and cheap shot artist, they’ve never given him the nod.

The other part is that, after watching him play this past season, he’s not really a great player.

He moved from his right tackle position to the more arduous left tackle spot this past season to replace Willie Roaf.

And he didn’t fare that well.

As a matter of fact, quarterback Aaron Brooks needed eyes in the back of his head.

Flashback to Week 4, when Turley had his problems against the Detroit Lions and was beaten for three sacks.

And then there’s the Saints’ season finale against the Carolina Panthers when Turley forgot to pick up a simple blitz assignment and ex-Saint Mark Fields blew right past him to sack Brooks and effectively end New Orleans’ season.

So what was the big deal about moving from right tackle to left tackle?

Most quarterbacks are right-handed and the left tackle must protect the QB’s blind side. So teams put their best offensive tackle to that side because opponents usually put their best defensive ends on that side.

Turley, who fancies himself as one of the best offensive tackles in the league, played solidly but didn’t live up to expectations having to face the NFL’s best defensive ends.

Not what you want to do when you want a new contract.

And when Turley asked for more than the six-year, $30 million contract with an $8.5 million signing bonus the Saints offered him, they decided to shop elsewhere and they came up with free agent Wayne Gandy.

With Gandy in the mix and a desired contract nowhere in sight, Turley did what he did best: gave us a sideshow.

He blasted Saints management on local and national radio talk shows, hoping for a trade.

And Friday, he got what he wanted -- maybe even more.

The Rams are just a tweak here and tweak there from being Super Bowl contenders again.

The Saints got a high-round draft pick for him and if Gandy turns plays as well as he did with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Saints could come out of this smelling like a rose.

The Rams hope they get a quality offensive lineman in Turley and not a three-ring circus.


[Edited on 3/25/2003 by pakowitz]

pakowitz

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/Sports/Rams/F858C6227D38041D86256CF30048F957?OpenDocument&Headline=Turley\'s+got+some+explaining+to+do+when+he+gets+here+


Turley\'s got some explaining to do when he gets here

By Jeff Gordon Post-Dispatch Online Sports Columnist
updated: 03/24/2003 07:27 AM

We all know that new Rams tackle Kyle Turley can grow a nice head of hair. He can get mad, throw helmets, adorn his body with interesting tattoos and talk up a storm.

But can he play at a high level? Or is he, like the New Orleans Saints team as a whole, just so much bluster when the really big games arrive?

A lot of Rams are wondering, given all the trash Turley talked before joining their side

Remember that interview he did with ESPN\'s Dan Patrick? Turley crowed about the Rams\' loss to New England in New Orleans in Super Bowl XXXVI.

\"Oh man, I was so happy,\" Turley chirped. \"If the Rams had won a Super Bowl here, I would have been so (ticked ), man . . . I was on the edge of my seat just going please, please beat them, please. I just did not want them to win the Super Bowl. For them to have made it that far and to have lost was almost sweeter than for them to have not even made it at all, I think. Because you just saw the look on Mike Martz\'s face, man, and that was a great thing.

\"And all those guys\' faces, you know, Kurt Warner talking about he\'s going to have to buy the Super Bowl rings before the game -- and seeing Mike Martz, with that cocky look on his face, thinking he\'s got it in the bag and then, all of a sudden, they lose it.\"

So what was his problem with the Rams?

\"My thing is this: If they were good all around, then I wouldn\'t have a problem with it. But that team stunk without Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk. If they didn\'t have Warner and Faulk, those guys, they would (stink). They would (stink), man . . . and for all those other guys like London Fletcher and Dre\' Bly to be talking so much smack about how good they are and this and that, it was ridiculous to me -- I mean, it was like being at San Diego State again. You\'d have shootouts, you know. And to go against a team with no defense -- even last year, when they improved their defense, they still weren\'t that great . . . If they hadn\'t have talked so much, there wouldn\'t be a big deal.

\"If they would just admit that the reason why they\'re so good is because of Warner and Faulk, then I\'d be like, OK, that\'s cool. You guys are humble about being good, you know, and being fortunate enough to have those players on your team. Because without them, they would be nowhere.\"

Isaac Bruce, nowhere.

Torry Holt, nowhere.

Orlando Pace, nowhere.

Adam Timmerman, nowhere.

Grant Wistrom, nowhere.

At least Turley won\'t have to deal with the since-departed Fletcher and Bly when he arrives at mini-camp. But what about the other guys? Will they take this guy in with open arms?

Will this guy show up ready to work, or is he just another pro wrestling wannabe?

Sure, the Rams got a little noisy en route to two NFC titles in three years. That\'s just part of the game today. But at least they actually won something significant, unlike the Saints. New Orleans won some big NFC West showdowns with the Rams back in the day, but the Saints didn\'t get a ring for that.

At the end of his Saints run, Turley turned on the organization and insulted just about everybody with any power at all. He forced New Orleans to move him in a fire sale, one that few teams showed a whole lot of interest in. The Saints hoped to a get a first-round pick for him, but every team balked.

The Saints seemed delighted to get a second-round pick for Turley, even if the franchise must wait until 2004 to collect it. When a team is willing to dump you for a pick in a future draft, that\'s kind of sad.

The Rams were delighted to get a competent tackle, especially with a long Pace holdout in the offing. There is no doubting Turley\'s skill and toughness. He will be a huge upgrade over the hapless John St. Clair . . . although a tool shed would have been an upgrade over St. Clair.

That the Rams added a proven offensive linemen without sacrificing their strong 2003 NFL Draft position is exciting, since this team has so many other holes to fill. We\'re happy the Rams finally did something with some of the cap dollars they saved by not signing any high-end free agents.

The club extended Turley\'s contract, betting $10 million up front that this noisy character can back up his talk with stellar play.

We\'ll believe it when we see it.

[Edited on 3/25/2003 by pakowitz]

I Live In Beastmode!

pakowitz

i dont know whats up with the link on the 2nd post, if u want to see the actual article, just copy and paste it, it works, it just wont make a link to it on my post for some dumba$$ reason

WhoDat

I hate the Rams and their writers and everything about them. What do you guys see from them this year? I don\'t see them being a \"tweak\" away from another Super Bowl.