RAMS : Reed Released at His Request

The uneasy relationship between the Rams and Doug Reed came to an end Tuesday when the defensive tackle asked to be waived and was granted his request.

Reed, who had played eight years with the Rams, turned down a $550,000 offer in January and settled for a $200,000, one-year deal Aug. 6, hoping he could get in camp and prove he was worth more.

“I felt like they were fair with me,” Reed said. “They gave me a shot. I was in there to get in shape and show I could still play, but things didn’t work out.”

Reed obviously wasn’t in Coach John Robinson’s plans. Last month, Robinson assessed Reed’s chances of playing with the Rams this year as “zero.”

Reed’s agent, Peter Funsten, said the decision was simply a matter of dollars and cents. “The Rams made an interesting offer that was inappropriate,” Funsten said. “So we decided to exercise our option.”

Added Reed: “Considering where we were in January and what they were offering now, I just don’t think I have dropped that much talent that quick.”

Reed said he was excited about the Rams’ new defense and felt he could fill the role of designated inside run stopper. But he insisted he wasn’t bitter.

“I have mostly good memories of my eight years with the Rams,” he said. “This was just, well, unfortunate.”

Funsten said he didn’t think the Rams expected Reed to request to be waived, and the club already had cut 10 players to reach the 60-player limit Tuesday morning. But the move didn’t appear to catch Robinson by surprise.

Before the announcement, he said, “We’ve talked to Doug and given him the option to ask to be waived at any point and we’ve restated that option. He’s looking to see what’s out there.”

Asked if Reed had worked his way into a position where he had a chance to make the team, Robinson said, “He’s in the race to make the squad, but only in the race.”

Less than an hour later, after Reed had been waived, Robinson stuck his head in the media room at Rams Park and said, “Add Reed to the list.”

Hardly a glowing summation of an eight-year career.

Reed said he hopes to get a call from another team, but is ready to face life without football.

“I’m here at home sitting under my air conditioning,” he said. “If we get some calls, we’ll go from there. If not, I’ll announce my retirement.

“I’m going to have to go out and deal with life one day. I might as well get a jump on it.”

The Rest of the List: Others released Tuesday were tight end Corwin Anthony, defensive tackle Jeff Fields, safety Jeff Hammerschmidt, linebacker Craig Hartsuyker, tight end Kirk Kirkpatrick, guard Jeff Pahukoa, tackle Dustin Quinton, center Trevor Ryals, running back Ernie Thompson and linebacker Pat Tyrance.

Marcus Dupree’s injured toe is not healing as quickly as expected and Tuesday his left foot was placed in a splint. Dupree, who was hurt during practice two weeks ago, was not expected to play Saturday night against the San Diego Chargers, but he did see limited action.

Now, he probably will not play in Thursday night’s exhibition final against the Houston Oilers and could possibly be sidelined for the regular-season opener.

“It’s regressing a little bit,” Robinson said. “I thought he would have been fine by now, so I don’t know (about a prognosis).”

Dupree said he probably made a mistake by asking to play against the Chargers.

“I guess that set me back a little,” Dupree said. “I just have to take it day by day and let it heal.”

Not all of those released Tuesday are wondering what to do with their lives. Tyrance is headed to medical school at Harvard.

Robinson believes it’s noble to chase the dream of playing professional football--even in Tyrance’s case--but says it’s sad when players don’t realize when to wake up and face life in the real world.

“It’s a great opportunity if you’ve played college football to try and make it in a pro camp,” he said. “It’s a memory you’ll have forever. I think it demands everything you have, you really find out about yourself.

“We had some linemen who wanted to quit after four days of work who walked out of here today proud that they tried and fought this thing out.

“You start playing as a sixth-grader and you fantasize about it. And then you play eight years in high school and college and then the dream almost becomes reality and you should pursue it. I admire the people who come in here and make the effort.

“When it becomes a negative is when a guy doesn’t see that he should be doing something else.”

Robinson said he used to feel guilty about making cuts but has since come to accept it as another part of the business. He does, however, think he owes every player a fair opportunity and an honest evaluation.

“If there’s a guy who we think doesn’t have a future, we try to tell him to get on with the rest of his life,” Robinson said. “The bad thing is that players who don’t quite make it tend to hang on. Twenty-three or 24 years old, you’re probably better off going into whatever your career is going to be.”

Notes

Linebacker Mike Wilcher, waived Monday by the Rams, was signed Tuesday by the Chargers. . . . After waiving Doug Reed, the roster is at 59 players. . . . The NFL owners will be voting today in Dallas on the reinstatement of developmental squads, which means some of the players cut by the Rams Tuesday soon could be back at Rams Park. . . . Coach John Robinson said facing Houston’s run-and-shoot offense should be beneficial for No. 1 pick Todd Lyght, who has practiced just two days. “There’ll be more defensive backs on the field more often, so that’s probably a plus for him,” Robinson said.