Brett Romberg

Brett Romberg Update

On offense, starting center Brett Romberg did a nice job against the Vikings' standout defensive tackle, Pat Williams. In a mild surprise, Romberg started ahead of veteran Andy McCollum. But Linehan said McCollum would start Game 2 of the exhibition season Saturday against San Diego and said it was too early to name a frontrunner for the starting job.

(stltoday.com)

Center Battle Still Taking Shape

One of the most watched and talked about debates heading in to this year’s training camp is the developing battle for the starting center job between veteran Andy McCollum and the emerging Brett Romberg.

Six days into camp, it would stand to reason that perhaps one player has pulled ahead of the other and has the inside track on the job. Not so, according to coach Scott Linehan.

“It’s going to be one of those battles that will take place really when we start playing games,” Linehan said. “We evaluate it during practice with all players. But I think when we start playing games it will start to materialize.”

In other words, it’s too soon to come to any kind of conclusion about who will win the job. When McCollum returned from his knee injury early in the offseason, he took most of the repetitions with the first team offense in the full squad minicamp.

But entering training camp, Linehan wanted to have both centers get plenty of work with the first team offense. So, McCollum and Romberg were instructed to police themselves and split the reps.

Rams Training Camp Battle: Andy McCollum vs. Brett Romberg

Training camp is finally here and FanHouse breaks down the most important position battles heading into the season, team by team.

Talk about your superstar power. Your household names. I think the question is: who in the world isn't watching the battle for the Rams' starting spot at center?

Sarcasm aside, the showdown between Donut Brother Andy McCollum and Brett Romberg is probably the most important position battle to the team's success this year. McCollum will be without his partner in baked goods, Adam Timmerman, and is coming back from a knee injury that handed Romberg the starting spot for three games at the end of last year. He's fully healthy, and players aren't supposed to lose their job to injury, but there's one problem in McCollum's case: the offense performed much better with Romberg snapping to Marc Bulger.

Romberg's also almost 10 years younger than McCollum. And the Rams can't afford another potential injury on the offensive line -- especially when the defense, with nine starters returning, looks poised to give up close to 25 points a game again. The offense will most likely have to carry the Rams this year, and the perceived stability Romberg brings could be the difference here, especially when so much of the Rams success hinges on the two guys -- Steven Jackson and the newly-minted $65 million Bulger -- that stand directly behind center.

(sports.aol.com)

McCollum is planning to fight for center job

At age 37 and coming off major knee surgery, it looked very much as if Andy McCollum was nearing the end of the line in professional football. If he were a dinosaur, the next stop would be the tar pits.

But McCollum, a brontosaurus-size center, seems intent on avoiding professional extinction. As the Rams' offense broke the huddle Tuesday — the first day of the team's full-squad minicamp — McCollum was snapping the ball to quarterback Marc Bulger with the first offensive unit.

It was widely assumed that Brett Romberg, who started the last three games of the 2006 season at center, would begin '07 as the starter. Romberg rotated in with the first unit Tuesday. But with McCollum's left knee healthy, it looks as if center will be one of the team's most hotly contested positions when training camp opens in late July.

"Certainly the group that we finished the season with played very well," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "But Andy's back. When we put the pads on and we start training camp, we'll resume the center competition there."

Brett Romberg Update

SCOUTING REPORT:C Brett Romberg was a college star at Miami but had to wait more than three seasons to get a chance to see what he could do in the NFL. Romberg made the most of the opportunity in three starts at the end of 2006. The Rams won all three games and averaged 33 points and nearly 170 yards rushing a game. Relatively speaking, Romberg lacks ideal size for the center position and has short arms. But he is a skilled technician with some quickness who makes excellent use of leverage to handle bigger defensive linemen. Romberg showed himself to be an intelligent player, adept at making the line calls that are critical from the center position. His co-op blocking improved the more he played. By making the most of his opportunity last season, Romberg has put himself very much in the mix for the starting center position. He will be challenged by veteran Andy McCollum, who is rehabbing from knee surgery.

(clanram.com)

Brett Romberg Update

Brett Romberg finally gets to play center, his natural position, this season, ready to pinch opponents in the ass. Romberg is still a legend at Miami, and looked good finally getting his chance to play last season. Of all the O-linemen, Romberg might have the biggest question mark above his head. A bit on the small side at 293 lbs, the Rams coaches want competition for him this summer, reportedly looking into free agent Al Johnson earlier this month, before he signed with Arizona. Good depth at the center position wouldn't be a bad thing; although, I think Romberg should work out well there based on his college performance and a preview last season.

(turfshowtimes.com)

Brett Romberg Update

Brett Romberg was a late-season surprise who plays with good leverage and savvy. Romberg emerged from the practice squad and started the last three games, and rookie Mark Setterstrom, a seventh-round pick, finished the year as the starter at the guard.

(stltoday.com)