Let’s get into the brain of Billy Devaney for a moment. You drafted a hard-hitting player who could play safety and cornerback. But the player really struggled in coverage all season long, and was relegated to special teams. You have a reasonably full stable of corners, with a decent top 2 and a nickel back. You just lost your best safety to free agency, and your options to replace him played a combined 377 snaps last season.
So… we let Murphy audition at safety, right?
Stop making sense, says Rams beat reporter Jim Thomas in last week’s chat:
Q: Prior to the lockout had there been any discussion at Rams Park regarding moving Jerome Murphy to free safety? I’ve noticed that he entered college as a FS and played there some while there.
UPDATED answer: Switching Murphy to safety has not been part of the Rams’ thought process at this point.
(Hat tip to @T_Bron for the link.)
It’s a small note, but it does imply that a safety like Clemson’s DeAndre McDaniel could be very much on the Rams’ radar. It also lays bare the fact that Atogwe’s loss deepens a roster hole, and that our “creative” solution may be little more than wallpapering over a window.
The Rams’ internal grades on Murphy and on another third rounder, John Greco, may not be known directly. But we might get a pretty strong hint in the coming draft.
Jim Thomas hosts another chat this Thursday, for those that are interested in learning more.
