ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons on Monday added their first unrestricted free agent from another team, signing veteran blocker Brett Romberg to a contract of undetermined length.

Romberg, 29, is expected to add veteran depth to the offense line. During his career he has lined up mostly at center, where incumbent Todd McClure has become a fixture, but can also play guard. The Falcons have been seeking that kind of versatility in the offseason.

A former University of Miami star, Romberg visited with Atlanta officials last week. The Falcons announced the signing on Monday afternoon.

Romberg became his NFL career in 2003 as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He never appeared in a game for Jacksonville, however, and joined the St. Louis Rams during the 2006 season.

He has appeared in 33 games over the past three seasons and has started 18 of them. Romberg started nine games in 2007 and six games in 2008, when the Rams suffered a spate of offensive line injuries. The six-year veteran appeared in 14 games last season.

Chosen as the nation's best collegiate center in 2002, Romberg is a rugged in-line blocker and his style should fit well with that of Falcons offensive line coach Paul Boudreau.

(espn.com)

Rams free-agent center Brett Romberg left Atlanta without a contract but may take additional trips and has drawn interest from Oakland.





(stldispatch.com)

Center Brett Romberg, who has spent the past three seasons with the Rams, made a free-agent visit Thursday with Atlanta. The Falcons are looking for depth at center, and Romberg has an ally in Atlanta in former Rams offensive line coach Paul Boudreau, who joined the Falcons in 2008.

(stltoday.com)

Below proCanes.com analyzes the NFL U free agent market and tries to give you, the fans, a better idea of where these free agents may end up for the 2009 season. First off, here are the different types of free agents defined in case you don't now the difference:

Unrestricted Free Agents
Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) are players who have completed four or more accrued seasons of service and whose contracts have expired. They are free to sign with any club.

Restricted Free Agents
Restricted Free Agents (RFA) are players who have completed three accrued seasons of service and whose contracts have expired. They have received qualifying offers from their old clubs and are free to negotiate with any club until April 21, at which time their rights revert to their original club. If a player accepts an offer from a new club, the old club will have the right to match the offer and retain the player. If the old club elects not to match the offer, it may receive draft-choice compensation depending on the level of the qualifying offer made to the player.

Exclusive-Rights Free Agents
Exclusive-Rights Free Agents (ERFAs) are players who have completed between 0-2 accrued seasons of service whose contracts have expired. If tendered, they have no negotiating rights with other clubs and must sign their tender with their old club or sit out the season.

2009 UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

Phillip Buchanon CB 5-11 186 7th Season Buccaneers:
According to members of the Buccaneers organization, many from within believe Phillip Buchanon was their most consistent cornerback last year. At the beginning of the offseason many people thought the Bucs would let Buchanon go because of the coaching changes and and change in defensive philosophy. That looks to not be the case though. The Bucs will be talking to Buchanon's agent Drew Rosenhaus this week and hope to sign before he hits the open market. After a rough beginning to his career, Buchanon seems to have settled and become a vital part of the Tampa Bay defense. Look for him to remain a Buccaneer.

Vernon Carey OT 6-5 350 5th Season Dolphins:
Vernon Carey actually never hit the free agency market despite not being franchised by the Miami Dolphins. Once the Dolphins elected not to franchise him most people began to speculate that they no longer wanted Carey and both the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings would go after him. One day later though, the Dolphins did sign Carey to a 6-year $42 million contract making him the highest paid right tackle in the league. Congrats to Vernon!

Bubba Franks TE 6-6 265 9th Season NY Jets:
Bubba Franks had a disappointing 2008 season despite being teamed up with Brett Favre again. Bubba's best seasons as a Green Bay Packer were with Favre, but they never seemed to to find that magic last year as Jets. Bubba fought through injuries during the season but missed 8 games. He finished the season with only six reception for 47 yards and no TDs. The Jets did released TE Chris Baker, which would create an opening for Bubba, but they do have Dustin Keller who they are pretty high on. If Bubba stays looks for him to be Keller's backup which is a possibility as long as he can show that he can stay healthy.

William Joseph DT 6-5 308 6th Season Raiders:
Joseph was signed last offseason by the Raiders to give them help along the defensive line with the loss of Warren Sapp. Joseph was cut right before the beginning of season, but was then signed in week 8 and played the last 7 weeks of the season accumulating 8 tackles. Since being drafted by the NY Giants in the first round in 2003, Joseph has not lived up to expectations. He will probably get signed by someone in need of DL depth and it very well could be the Oakland Raiders.

Ray Lewis LB 6-1 250 13th Season Ravens:
It is rumored that the Jets are making salary cap room to possibly sign Ray Lewis. The Cowboys have been rumored to be a destination Ray would potentially prefer as well. Ray has said before that he would like to end his career as a Raven and the Ravens would really like to sign him before the free agency period begins on February 27, despite being irked by his comments at the Pro Bowl which most people think were said to get him a bigger contract. This would be the first time Ray would hit the free agent market and the Ravens are afraid that if he does he will be gone. Look for the Ravens to sign him before he hits the market.

Darrell McClover LB 6-1 226 5th Season Bears:
McClover has been important cog in the Bears' special teams for the past few years, but he missed the last 6 games due to injury this year and the Bears do not seem to be interested in resigning him. He has been a career special teams player but also has the ability to play the OLB spot. If the Bears do not re-sign him, which looks unlikely, look for him to get picked up by a team with special teams needs like the Patriots, Chiefs, or Titans.

Jerome McDougle DE 6-2 2646th Season NY Giants:
McDougle has dealt with a lot of adversity during his short career and unfortunately has never lived up to expectations despite always performing well in training camps. More than anything, he is happy to be alive considering his near-death experience of being shot in the abdomen. McDougle didn’t contribute much to the Giants, and now Osi Umenyiora is presumably coming back to join what should be a three-man end rotation with Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka. Dave Tollefson (an exclusive rights free agent) figures to be the fourth. If there’s a fifth, it’ll come out of the draft. Look for McDougle to get one more shot in someone's training camp, he has shows great resiliency throughout his tough career.

Brett Romberg C 6-2 298 5th Season Rams:
Though a little undersized Romberg has been in the thick of the starting center position for the last few years in St. Louis. He started three games in 2006, nine games in 2007 and six games in 2008. Last year he broke his hand in training camp and lost the job to Nick Leckey. Romberg did end up starting the last 6 games of the season though. The Rams seems to like Romberg more than Leckey so look for them to re-sign Romberg.

Jonathan Vilma LB 6-1230 5th Season Saints:
Re-signing MLB Jonathan Vilma is the Saints' top priority. Vilma, who was traded to the Saints a year ago, is said to be very interested in re-upping with New Orleans, but the team will not strike a deal with him until Feb. 27 — the start of free agency — at the earliest, guaranteeing that Vilma will hit the open market. Signing him before then would force the Saints to give up higher draft picks to the Giants and Jets — first- and second-rounders, respectively, instead of second- and third-rounders — per the deals for TE Jeremy Shockey and Vilma. The Saints are optimistic he will be back and so are we. Unless someone throws a lot of money in Vilma's direction look for him to sign with the Saints as soon as he hits the market.

Nate Webster LB 6-0 232 9th Season Broncos:
Webster beat out free-agent Niko Koutouvides for the starting MLB spot last fall which was a huge surprise to many considering the large contract that was given to Koutouvides. The Denver defense last year was bad. Many people blamed Webster but the problems ran much deeper than him. The DL was atrocious and injuries took their toll as well with DJ Williams missing time as well as Webster. Koutouvides was recently cut by the Broncos, which could mean that the Broncos are interested in keeping Webster. If they do, look for him to be more of an insurance policy as he can backup all three LB positions or if Williams is moved back to MLB then Webster could find a spot on the outside.

2009 RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

Rashad Butler OT 6-4 309 3rd Season Texans:
Butler is well-respected in the Texans organization because of his ability to overcome the disease: ulcerative colitis. This was the reason for Butler's inability to keep weight on during his days in Carolina. Since then he has been able to control the disease and played in 8 games in 2007. He didn't see much action in 2008, but look for the Texans to resign him for a league minimum resulting in 3 offensive lineman from the U on the Texans (Chris Myers, Eric Winston, Rashad Butler).

2009 EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS

Orien Harris DL6-3 300 1st Season Bengals:
Harris was a standout in Saints camp in 2008 and was surprisingly released before the season started. The Bengals though, snatched him up quickly and Harris saw action in 14 games and started Week 6 against the Jets. He is an exclusive rights free agent; the team has already signed FB/TE Daniel Coats, who was the other player in that category. Look for the Bengals to re-sign him and in the off chance they don't, the Saints will be in the running for his services.

RELEASED

Ken Dorsey QB 6-4 215 6th Season Browns:
Dorsey struggled towards the end of last year when he was forced into action for four of the last five games of the season throwing zero touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Dorsey has always been limited physically but has been a great tutor for Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. If he lands anywhere it will probably be with Rob Chudzinski and the San Diego Chargers to mentor Phillip Rivers.

Najeh Davenport RB 6-1 247 7th Season Colts:
Najeh played 4 games for the Steelers last year in the middle of the season after being released in the offseason. He was then released by the Steelers and signed by the Colts where he played in two games before being released before the start of the playoffs. Davenports has shown he can still play both as a running back and also as a kickoff return man. In week 17 he had 8 carries for 26 yards along with four receptions for 54 yards. The knock on Davenport has always been his ability to stay healthy and stay in shape. Look for him to get signed by someone in need of RB depth and also special teams player.

St. Louis Rams C Brett Romberg, who suffered a broken hand during training camp, is no longer in pain when he snaps, but he remains firmly entrenched behind C Nick Leckey according to PFW. Leckey surprisingly worked his way up the depth chart to win a starting job, which he has shown no signs of relinquishing.

(ffmastermind.com)

Brett Romberg practiced without restrictions Thursday for the first time since breaking his right hand early in camp.

"I started snapping Monday, and it felt pretty decent," Romberg said. "So, hopefully by next week this thing is going to feel like I never broke it."

While Romberg was healing, Nick Leckey wrested away the starting job at center.

(stltoday.com)

Rams center Nick Leckey could be on the field with the starting unit in Week 1, usurping the position from Brett Romberg, according to Pro Football Weekly.

Our View:Leckey is small for an offensive lineman, but he has been one of the surprises of training camp. Romberg is out with a broken hand, and the injury may cost him his starting gig.

(rototimes.com)

A week into camp, the battle for the starting center’s spot — arguably the stiffest competition of the Rams’ preseason — is no closer to resolution. Brett Romberg has the edge, as he did coming into camp, but Richie Incognito still is very much in the picture.

Romberg has a bruised hand, which makes snapping the ball painful. So Incognito has been working with the first team for a couple of days.

“It’s too early” to make a determination, coach Scott Linehan said. “I think a lot of that is going to be determined in games, but I think it’s a very, very good competition. They’re outstanding individuals, which makes it very pleasant even though they’re battling for a job. You couldn’t find two better guys to compete against each other, because they help each other.”

(stltoday.com)

MEQUON, WIS. — Last year at this time it was Andy McCollum. This spring it was Mark Setterstrom. And now, as the Rams settle in at training camp, it's Richie Incognito.

The Rams have done everything shy of calling for volunteers from the stands to make sure Brett Romberg has competition at the center spot.

"Yeah, there's always going to be somebody," Romberg said, grinning. "I pretty much have a plan that it's going to be an uphill battle every year. You're always going to fight for your job. If you get lackadaisical, then somebody comes in and snatches you from behind."

The twist this time is that the competition is coming from perhaps his best friend on the team in Incognito.

"I've been friends with Richie ever since I got here," Romberg said. "He was my first guy — my 'road dog' — that I used to hang with all the time when I first got here."

But Romberg is rooming with wide receiver Drew Bennett — not Incognito — this camp. And that has made it easier for some teammates and even coaches to tease Romberg and Incognito about their competition at center.

"You can tell that there's a little bit of an 'atmosphere' going on about it," Romberg said. "We just sit and laugh about it. There's no hard feelings whatsoever. It's just that he's going to try to be the starter, and I'm going to try to be the starter."

Because of a season-ending injury to McCollum, Incognito started 12 games at center in 2006, a year in which Romberg was a backup until the very end of the year. Guard is a more natural position for Incognito. He was slated to open 2007 as the Rams' starting right guard, but ankle and knee injuries limited him to four starts there.

Not unlike Romberg, Incognito still feels he has plenty to prove.

"There's a lot more for me to do," Incognito said. "I want to have a long career in this league. Injuries and things like that are just major setbacks. It's just time to step up to the plate."

Whether it's center or guard, Incognito says he's comfortable.

"It's just (that) they've got to let me know," he said. "I don't want to be jumping around — at the last second going to guard and going back to center. If they want me to play center, then leave me at center."

In the early going at training camp, that's exactly what the Rams have done. Incognito has worked strictly at center. But so far, it has been strictly with the second team.

Listed at 318 pounds, Incognito provides more of a physical presence than Romberg, who's listed at 296. But Romberg has much more experience at center over the course of his college and NFL careers. After winning the starting job last season in a mild upset over McCollum, ankle injuries limited Romberg to nine starts.

"They're in an extremely competitive situation right now," coach Scott Linehan said Sunday. "Brett's been good. He's one of the guys who has really showed up as being very, very consistent."

And at the end of the day, Incognito could end up back at right guard, where Setterstrom currently is working with the first unit.

"I've told them it doesn't make any sense to have one of the five best offensive linemen standing on the sideline with me," Loney said. "So we will find a way of having the five best offensive linemen start against Philadelphia (in the regular-season opener). That's all in the evaluation."

(stltoday.com)

If the Rams have fewer ankle injuries this season, they’ll have center Brett Romberg to thank.

Romberg convinced the Rams to build a 50-yard long by 8-yard wide outdoor sand pit at Rams Park. The logic behind the pit is that running in sand will build up ankle and leg strength, which will lead to fewer injuries.

Romberg said he and his teammates often ran in a sand pit at the University of Miami.

“I keep getting blamed for the sand pit thing,’’ Romberg said. “It’s just something we used a lot in Miami and I never heard of high ankle sprains or saw any high ankle sprains. I just thought it might be a little bit help.’’

Romberg, who played in only two of the Rams’ final nine games last season after spraining both of his ankles, said he and his teammates have spent a lot of time in the sand this spring.

“We’re in it just about every day, to tell you the truth, when we’re doing the conditioning and doing the offseason workouts,’’ Romberg said. “Pulling sleds, doing agility drills, it’s nothing that people look forward to, but the work will pay off.’’

After having their offensive line decimated by injuries last season — four offensive linemen ended the season on injured reserve — the Rams are willing to try something a little unconventional when it comes to injury prevention.

Romberg said new offensive line coach Steve Loney has stressed that injuries will not be an excuse for the offensive line under performing.

“The first thing he told me and the first thing he told the group as a group was that injuries are no longer an excuse for what is going to happen here,’’ Romberg said. “No longer will we be the Achilles’ heel to this football team.’’

Romberg was a free agent for about three weeks this winter. He ended up signing a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum to return to the Rams.

“At one point, I didn’t think I was going to come back here,’’ Romberg said. “Obviously, the opportunity arose. I wanted to get back here personally. I felt like I had a lot of unfinished business here. I love my teammates here. I definitely wanted to come back.’’

Romberg will be battling Richie Incognito for the starting job in training camp. Romberg was working with the starters, while Incognito was working with the second unit last Thursday during OTAs.

(korte blog)

For now, anyway, Richie Incognito moved from right guard to center. He has played both spots for the Rams.

“Let’s be honest, he’s played his best football for us at center,” Linehan reminded reporters. “He’s played guard before and he’s played well at that position. That will be interesting, to see how the next week goes.”

Incognito was OK with the pre-camp shift. “I think it’s great,” he said. “I was feeling comfortable at right guard. The way things shook out, they wanted to get little competition for me and Romberg at center. It’s great. It good for both of us. It makes us both better players.

“It will be better for the team, better for the offensive line,” he said.

Yeah, but can he still play a physical game at center?

“Most definitely,” Incognito said. “You can play as physical as you want at any position. You can play physical at receiver.”

Now THAT is why we love the guy, even with the excessive personal fouls. This team needs more intensity, not less.

-- That said, Brett Romberg will head into training camp atop the depth chart at center. He, too, is having a strong offseason.

“The battle will ensue at center,” Linehan said. “And Romberg is playing very well. This is not a reflection on him. We’re just trying to find our best five.”

The re-signing of Brett Romberg helps stabilize the center position, though the starting job is anything but assured. The team seems committed to giving G Mark Setterstrom a shot in the middle. Romberg has good footwork but lacks ideal size and strength.



(thesportingnews.com)

Rams center Brett Romberg, who sat out seven games last season because of injuries to both ankles, actually suggested installing a sand pit to the Rams' strength and conditioning staff.

Romberg attended the University of Miami and has been using a 60-yard sand pit at the Hurricanes' complex this offseason along with former college teammate Jeremy Shockey, the tight end for the New York Giants.

"After we work out, we're in the sand box," Romberg said. "We're doing jumps and sprints and explosive stuff. At Miami, I couldn't remember a high ankle sprain. So I do feel that the sand pit strengthens the ankles. Especially when you go in there with bare feet. ... It makes a difference. I highly recommend the sand pit."

(cianram.com)

Last year, the St. Louis Rams, saddled with injuries to their offensive linemen, had to reach into their bench and outside the organization to find players who could compete for starting jobs.

Center Brett Romberg, one of those players who helped from the bench, reached agreement Thursday on a one-year deal to re-sign in St. Louis. Terms were not available. Romberg, 28, started nine games and played more than 50 percent of the snaps.

He becomes the third offensive lineman to re-sign. In the past couple of weeks, the Rams reached one-year deals with guard Adam Goldberg and tackle Brandon Gorin. They also signed Jacob Bell from the Titans to a six-year, $36 million deal.

Romberg, 6 feet 2 and 298 pounds, is a success story. He was an undrafted player out of the University of Miami, spent four years in Jacksonville as a backup and joined the Rams two years ago. In those two seasons, Romberg played in 19 games and had 10 starts.

Due to all of the injuries and the return of most of the players who filled those roles, Rams coach Scott Linehan will have a good stable of options with starting experience. Romberg has a chance to start at center, or, if needed, help out at guard.
(espn.com)

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)

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.

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)

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."

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 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 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)