Rams run with chance to acquire Pittman
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/04/2007
Former Buckeye Antonio Pittman (24), who was selected by the Saints in the fourth round this year, had been highly rated going into the NFL draft. After New Orleans put Pittman on waivers, the Rams have added him to their roster.
The Rams paid a lot of attention to Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman during the months leading to the 2007 draft.
"The running back coach (Wayne Moses) came down to my pro day," Pittman said Monday. "They were the first team I met with at the (NFL scouting) combine."
And in April, Pittman was among four running backs brought into Rams Park for pre-draft visits. "It was a good visit," Pittman said. "I had a good meeting with the coaches and everything. I enjoyed myself."
After that, Pittman felt he could end up with the Rams. After all, as Pittman said, "We've seen a lot of each other."
Pittman ended up a Ram, it just took a few extra months. He was claimed on waivers Sunday by the Rams after being released by New Orleans. Pittman arrived in St. Louis just before midnight Sunday.
He spent Monday meeting with the coaching staff, going over the playbook, and getting a tour of Rams Park for the second time in less than five months. Did the place look familiar?
"Just about all of it," Pittman said, with a laugh.
Despite their pre-draft interest in Pittman, the Rams picked Rutgers running back-fullback Brian Leonard in the second round. Pittman, despite being generally considered the third-best back in the draft behind Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson and California's Marshawn Lynch, lasted until the fourth round.
Given the fact that New Orleans already had star running backs Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush on its roster, it was surprising to see the Saints take Pittman ? trading up with Houston to do so.
"You just can't have enough of these runners," Saints coach Sean Payton told the New Orleans Times-Picayune after selecting Pittman. "We'll figure out his role down the road."
But in a move that was equally surprising to some observers in New Orleans, Pittman was beaten out for the No. 4 running back spot by Pierre Thomas, an undrafted rookie from Illinois.
Thomas outplayed Pittman during the preseason. In the last exhibition game, against Miami, Thomas had 128 yards rushing-receiving, including the game's only touchdown. The week before against Kansas City, Thomas scored two fourth-quarter TDs.
Pittman was solid but unspectacular in exhibition play, rushing for 77 yards on 21 carries against Miami. But he had pass protection problems against Cincinnati, yielding two sacks. And Thomas had more special-teams value; he had returned kicks at Illinois. Pittman did not play special teams at Ohio State.
"Yeah, I was surprised (to get cut)," Pittman said. "But in the situation down there, you've got Reggie and Deuce. Being a competitive player, you want to be on the field. But with two guys like that, they basically cover up a lot of ground as far as playing time."
With Steven Jackson entrenched as the centerpiece of the offense, and with Leonard showing himself to be a versatile role player behind Jackson, will Pittman's chances for playing time be any better in St. Louis?
"I hope so," Pittman said. "I want to go out there, learn this offense first, and then get out there and compete, make the most of every opportunity I get. I would say the chances are better here than they were in New Orleans."
If he is to contribute quickly, he will have to polish up his pass blocking and blitz pickup, something Scott Linehan demands of all his running backs. And Pittman must show he can catch the ball out of the backfield; he caught only 37 passes over his college career at Ohio State.
"We had very good grades on him coming out of college," Linehan said. "And he played well enough as a rookie (in the preseason) to confirm what we thought of him."
While conceding that Pittman needs to work on his pass catching and pass blocking, Linehan said he has natural vision and very good speed. Linehan said the team would take a patient "wait-and-see" approach before determining Pittman's role with the team.
At 5-11, 207 pounds, Pittman has average size for an NFL running back.
"He's a straight-line guy," one veteran NFL scout said. "He runs hard. ... He's not a jitterbug. He's not a make-you-miss-in-space guy. It's a good 'get' for the Rams."
Even though Pittman, 21, left Ohio State a year early, he finished eighth in school history in rushing yards (2,945). He fumbled only twice in 557 rushing attempts for the Buckeyes. All in all, it's been a humbling last few months for Pittman, a college star who expected to be a "first-day" draft pick.
"I've always been the guy to overcome a lot of things," he said. "So those setbacks aren't much to me."
For example, Pittman's father never saw him play in college until last season's national championship game against Florida. He had been in prison. Also, Pittman's older brother accidentally shot himself to death when Pittman was 14.
