Rams Notebook : Ferragamo Trade Slowed by Asking Price
Every time someone asks John Robinson about the Vince Ferragamo situation, he says: “You’ll have to check with John Shaw on that.”
It’s not exactly a cop-out. Robinson was only the coach who said he wanted to trade Ferragamo to avoid a conflict with Dieter Brock, the Rams’ latest quarterback. It’s Shaw’s job to trade Ferragamo.
Checking with Shaw, the Rams’ vice president for finance, is a futile exercise because he avoids reporters as if they were all looking for loans.
But National Football League sources now indicate Shaw is asking an unreasonable price for Ferragamo: a second-round draft choice with no strings attached.
A month ago Ferragamo seemed to be headed for Green Bay after Bob Schnelker, Packer offensive coordinator, worked him out at Rams Park and left raving about his ability. But the Packers got Scott Brunner from Denver, apparently because the price was right.
Now, the Buffalo Bills seem interested again in Ferragamo after trading journeyman Joe Ferguson to Detroit. In that trade, Detroit sent Gary Danielson to Cleveland, which is trying to unload Paul McDonald.
Ferragamo will probably go to Buffalo for a workout after his wife Jodi, already 10 days overdue, has their third child.
“I talked to (Bills coach) Kay Stephenson last week,” said David Fishof, Ferragamo’s agent. “He knows Vince and would like to have Vince, but the owner (Ralph Wilson) wants to see Vince because of his hand injuries last year. When he can, he’ll go back there.”
Stephenson was the Rams’ quarterback coach when Ferragamo was a rookie in 1977.
An official of another team that had shown interest in Ferragamo said: “They’re asking too much. Someone might go for a fifth (-round choice), which would become a conditional third if he starts. Or maybe even a fourth that could become a third. But just a straight second is too much.”
Doug Flutie slept right through what is one of the most exciting moments of their lives for most football players: being drafted by an NFL team.
It was about 1 a.m. Eastern time when the Rams selected the New Jersey Generals’ quarterback on the 11th round.
“I knew it was that perfect, opportune moment to take him,” Robinson joked.
Flutie told Chris Thorn of the Newark Star-Ledger Wednesday: “Right now my mind is just on winning with the Generals. But if I had to go anywhere else, L.A. is not a bad place to go.
“However, my heart was headed in the direction of New England, especially when I heard my buddy Gerard (Phelan, his favorite receiver at Boston College) was drafted by the Patriots. Then after I heard about (teammate) Herschel (Walker) being drafted by the Cowboys (on the fifth round), I ignored everything else.”
Flutie has an $8 million, six-year personal services contract with Generals owner Donald Trump.
Robinson said the Rams drafting him was just “kind of a future thing.”
Flutie: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Five years ago when another Ram braintrust drafted an All-American free safety from the University of Texas on the first round, they transformed him into a strong safety.
“That was the worst mistake the Rams ever made,” according to Johnnie Johnson, who became that displaced person.
Johnson always insisted he was out of position at strong safety until the Rams moved him to free safety two years ago. But he said Jerry Gray, the Rams’ top choice Tuesday, will have no problem switching to cornerback.
“He’s got the speed to play anywhere,” Johnson said. “He’s so smooth you don’t even notice his speed. He’s a great man-to-man cover guy.”
The Rams are well-stocked at safety with Nolan Cromwell, Eric Harris and Ivory Sully at strong and Johnson and Vince Newsome at free, with only two veterans--Gary Green and LeRoy Irvin--at the corners.
Robinson said: “I don’t know about a starting job (immediately), but he certainly will compete in our nickel. We anticipate we’re pretty good in an area where you have to be pretty good.”
Gray said he has never played cornerback.
“I think I can,” he said.
He played safety in last December’s rainy Freedom Bowl at his new home field, Anaheim Stadium, when Iowa’s Chuck Long threw six touchdown passes in a 55-17 rout of Texas.
“I want to forget Chuck Long, but I love the field,” Gray said.
Robinson and Johnson both watched the game.
“They threw right over him, right down toward me,” Robinson said. “But not many guys from Texas played well.”
Johnson: “I told him (Gray) afterward, ‘Don’t worry about that. If you think Chuck Long was hot, wait until next year. You’ll find out it’s like that all the time in the NFL.’ ”
Lawyer Leigh Steinberg, who represents four of the first 12 players selected, expects to earn his fees.
“I think it portends to be one of the slowest signing years,” Steinberg said, reasoning that NFL clubs won’t be pressured by competition from the United States Football League.
Steinberg’s clients include USC linebacker Duane Bickett, drafted by Indiana; USC offensive tackle Ken Ruettgers (Green Bay), Washington defensive end Ron Holmes (Tampa Bay) and Ohio State offensive tackle Jim Lachey (San Diego).
“I think inside July there will be two-thirds of the first round unsigned,” Steinberg said.
Russ Bolinger phoned from Memphis to see how his old team, the Rams, did in the draft. The former reserve lineman starts at left guard for the USFL’s Showboats after a stint at tackle.
“They asked me if I could play tackle,” he said. “I lied.”
Bolinger became a free agent after last season.
“I wasn’t getting anywhere (negotiating) with the Rams, so when Memphis called I signed for the last 11 weeks of the season.”
He could return to play for the Rams this summer.
“I love it in Memphis,” Bolinger said. “It’s the barbecue capital of the world. I like (coach) Pepper Rodgers. He’s me. I’m making good money. I really hadn’t played in two years, so it’s fun.
“If the Rams aren’t unhappy with me, I might come back. I was happy being a backup.”