Brian Leonard 23

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Here in St. Louis, it seems more and more likely that Jackson is heading to free agency when his contract is up. The coaching situation is starting to get unsettled. As good of a back as he is, I'm starting to wonder if he is going to be worth ALL of the money that he will most likely be asking for. Pittman is average at best. It should have been Leonard as the #2 RB, but I kinda had a feeling that it would happen
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. If Jackson leaves, it should be Leonard's job. What has he done to get "demoted" to FB. What a waste on a great RB and great guy
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the story ive heard is that Leonard was playing banged up with his shoulders which is why Pittman was getting the majority of caries

so it may not be all bad Edited by: whiteknight
 

backrow

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i think he will definitely get more chances at RB. if he has a couple more games like the one he had vs Cards, at the very least he will cement himself as a backup RB and then get a shot somewhere else.
 

voice

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Don Wassall said:
Leonard had surgery on both shoulders today.  It's considered "minor" surgery, but should be taken as further evidence that Leonard is meant to be a running back and not a blocking fullback -- unless of course the Rams follow the advice of senile Dick Vermeil 
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and force Brian to gain 20 pounds. 


He probably won't have a long NFL career if he continues to be misused.


OpenDocument"> [url]http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/rams/sto ry/B90B656B5B390848862573CD007318C4?OpenDocument [/url]


 

Yes, he is a running back. The guy runs a sub 4.5 and can do it at 225.They HAD a fullback in Madison Hedgecock who is awesome for the Giants.

The caste system got the best of them
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Edited by: voice
 

Don Wassall

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Wish I could say this surprises me, but it doesn't:


The Rams have expressed some interest in Tampa Bay free-agent running back Michael Pittman, but Pittman is drawing interest from several other clubs.


[url]http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/rams/sto ry/0C18345D1F6BADC386257411000F340A?OpenDocument [/url](above quote from last paragraph of this article)
 

Rise

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Rams' Brian Leonard Good to Go after Surgery


ST. LOUIS (AP) -- After offseason surgery on both shoulders, St. Louis Rams fullback Brian Leonard will be bigger, and expects to be better, in 2008.

The 2007 second-round draft pick gained 303 yards on 86 carries for a pedestrian 3.5 yards per carry in his rookie season for the 3-13 Rams.

Then again, he was playing with two bad shoulders that limited his ability to bulk up for the rigors of play in the NFL.

Leonard says surgeons "cleaned out" both shoulders and tightened the joints.

Now he's able to push the weights harder and he's already increased his weight to 235 pounds from 226 pounds.

Coach Scott Linehan says Leonard can expect to see time at both fullback and tailback in 2008.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=146294Edited by: Rise
 

Gi-15

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from rotoworld.com:

Rams RB Brian Leonard, recovering from surgery on both his shoulders, participated at Organized Team Activities Thursday.
Two injured shoulders prevented Leonard from strenuous weight room activity as a rookie. He's up to 235 pounds now and will probably be asked to get even bigger. Leonard will line up at fullback more this season.</font>
 

Colonel_Reb

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That stinks! More evidence to go along with my argument to a Caste System skeptic yesterday.
 

Colonel_Reb

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Thats what you get with Rotoworld. They aren't a very good source for certain types of info. I'm sure a more official website would have his correct numbers there. It would be a good idea to contact rotoworld and let them know about their mistake.
 

White Power

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Linehan said that Leonard would play both positions, and have a bigger role in the offense. I think we must be happy that he did not say that Leonard would only be a fullback. Leonard is a talent and Linehan knows this by how high he drafted him last year. It will be fun this year watching Leonard and Hester run the ball in the upcoming NFL season. Remember the rules are reversed for white players baby steps until we get running then we bust the door down. We must take it slow any perceived threat to the brothas then maybe the door will be closed in our faces forever.Edited by: White Power
 

Rise

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Brian Leonard set for all-purpose duty

As if Brian Leonard didn't already have enough to do, now the Rams plan to deploy him on multiple special-teams units. And Leonard couldn't be happier.

"I like it; one of the big reasons they drafted me was to come in and be versatile," said Leonard, the team's second-round draft choice last year out of Rutgers. "I'll be playing a little bit of running back, a little bit of fullback, special teams. I think I'm best when I'm in different roles at different times."

The challenge was heightened with the arrival of Al Saunders as offensive coordinator. Now Leonard is toiling in his third offense in as many years.

"I think it's an awesome offense, but they say it's one of the hardest offenses to learn, and one of the most complex," said Leonard, 24. "It's a spread offense, and we've got a lot of different stuff in there. We throw to the backs a lot, screens, all that kind of stuff. It looks like they're going to get the ball in the running back's hands a lot this year."


Leonard played in all 16 games during his rookie season, rushing for 303 on 86 carries and picking up 183 yards on 30 receptions. In four starts at running back for an injured Steven Jackson, Leonard rolled up 222 yards on 58 carries â€â€￾ including a 102-yard, 18-carry outing vs. Arizona â€â€￾ and had nine catches for 57 yards.

Not bad for a guy with two bum shoulders.

"I felt like I was a freshman in college, strength-wise," Leonard said. "I was weak, didn't have a great punch, blocking was tough. ... I couldn't do any upper-body" work in the weight room.

All the while, Leonard struggled to adjust to the NFL many miles removed from his hometown of Gouverneur, in upstate New York, where in high school he rushed for 5,854 yards and rolled up a state-record 696 points.

"I feel sorry for those rookies coming in now," he said. "It's such a tough year to get through. You have to come out and perform at your best, and also live a different kind of life. This year, it feels so much better and I'm so much more confident."

And much healthier after having cleanup surgery on both joints Jan. 11. "Now I'm probably the strongest I've ever been," Leonard said. "I've got my upper body a little bulkier, and my legs are stronger. I've put on some good weight."

The 6-foot-1 Leonard is at 234 pounds, about 10 more than last year. All the better to withstand the rigors of lead-blocking, his primary duty when he and Jackson are in the backfield together.

"Brian's handling a lot of things that I don't think we could've put on him a year ago," coach Scott Linehan said. "He's going to play fullback for us in certain packages, and he'll be a halfback for us in others. He's got to know both, and he's got to be good at both."

A busy â€â€￾ and productive â€â€￾ Leonard figures to be a key component if the Rams are to rebound from their 3-13 dive last year. Turnarounds aren't foreign to him, though.

At Rutgers, he was on sub-.500 teams his first two seasons. The Scarlet Knights improved to 7-5 in 2005 and then 11-2 in '06, the best record since an 11-0 campaign in 1976.

"So I've been through it," said Leonard, who started at running back for three years before switching to fullback as a senior. "We've got to come back strong this year. That's what we did at Rutgers, and I feel like it's kind of the same type of thing.

"Because there's a different vibe on this team. I can feel it."

[url]http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/rams/sto ry/1662726538D120398625744B0012ADD1?OpenDocument [/url]
 
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the worrying thing is the specials teams bit seems like he will be too busy being a special teams demon to actually run catch the ball on the offense oh but they will let him block
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GiovaniMarcon

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Leonard is heavier and taller than a lot of the other big-name running backs. Maybe people just assume he's slow, in the same way we think a bear is a slow runner until he's mauling our Jeep.
 

celticdb15

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Good comparision Giovanni!! i like it!
 

Don Wassall

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According to this report Leonard has done the time-honored "white thing" of bulking up to become a full-time o-lineman in the backfield:


Countdown to camp: The running backs


The Rams open training camp on July 25 at Concordia University in Mequoin, Wis.
Here's the second installment in a position-by-position analysis heading into training camp:


Running backs
Starting tailback: Steven Jackson
Starting fullback: Brian Leonard
Backup tailback: Antonio Pittman, Travis Minor, Lance Ball
Backup fullback: Richard Owens, Russ Weil


. . .Leonard, who will split time at fullback and tailback like last season, has bulked up a little to handle more of the lead blocking duties this season.


[url]http://bellevillenewsdemocrat.typepad.com/ramblings/2008/07/ countdown-to--1.html[/url]
 

celticdb15

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f**k the Rams, thats is ridiculous, i dont know why they even drafted him
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Edited by: celticdb15
 

ToughJ.Riggins

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Let's try to keep our heads up. Jacob Hester is better than Leonard anyway IMO and is in a better situation in San Diego. And I truly believe Sam McGuffie will get his shot in a few years in the NFL! And best case scenario Danny Woodhead becomes a Darren Sproles/ Kevin Faulk third down type contributor for the NY Jets although I admit it's unlikely.
 

celticdb15

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Sorry for the language it's just frusterating to me that he loses weight for the draft, runs a good 40, proves he can be a quality back up at running back but still gets crapped on, and asked to take on the role as fullback? How many blacks do you know that that happens to? I guess this is the reason i joined this site to be with other fans who are frusterated that support white athletes. Thank god for caste football.
 

Angelcynn

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The thing is, even if Leonard has a good game at RB he will still be ignored by the media just like he was in week 5 when he got over 100 yards against the dark cardinals. I remember he wasn't even listed as a possible rookie of the week candidate!
 

Colonel_Reb

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This is truly sickening news, although not all that surprising. I hope the Rams lose every game and none of the black backs are productive.
 

celticdb15

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The rams do have a lot of young white talent on defense though...
 
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Haslett must be dying, having to coach Carriker and Long.
 

Tom Iron

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Gentlemen,

I respectfully disagree with your opinions. Leonard is going to get his shot at RB. Somehow, combinations of things will come about and he will be given the ball. I really feel this way about him.

Tom Iron...
 
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