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RB Antonio Pittman (Official Thread)

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OregonBuckeye;991240; said:
Glad to see him have a good game and get the W against the team that cut him.
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Oneshot;991362; said:
He had that 48 yard run but was mostly ineffective.
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Ineffective or not, I would say he proved a point to the team that drafted him (needlessly...seriously) and has justified the roster spot that the Rams had pretty much slotted him for before NO went haywire. I believe StL was gonna draft Pitt until the Saints had their brain-fart.
 
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Outtakes: Payback for Pittman
By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/12/2007

NEW ORLEANS ? On April 29, the Saints made Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman their fourth-round draft choice (No. 107 overall). On Sept. 1, they cut him.

On Sunday, Pittman had his revenge. He ran for a career-high 53 yards on seven carries, including a 43-yard burst off right tackle ? the Rams' longest running play of the year ? that set up a fourth-quarter touchdown in their 37-29 victory at the Superdome.

"It was a big play, a really crucial drive," coach Scott Linehan said. "It was really nice to see Pittman in there against his old team."

Still, Pittman insisted that payback wasn't on his mind. "It's not really about that," he said. "It's just good to get a victory and have an opportunity to play."

Pittman, who appears to have moved past Travis Minor on the depth chart, had just nine carries for 19 yards previously.
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STLtoday - Sports - Rams

Saints notes: Ex-draft pick Pittman makes debut at New Orleans
Brady Aymond
Louisiana Gannett News


NEW ORLEANS ? The New Orleans Saints' fourth-round draft pick last April made his regular-season debut in the Superdome on Sunday ? only it was for the other team.
Former Ohio State tailback Antonio Pittman was the 107th player chosen in the draft with the eighth pick in the fourth round by the Saints. But after a somewhat shaky training camp, Pittman was released in favor of undrafted free agent Pierre Thomas.

The St. Louis Rams picked up Pittman off waivers and the 5-foot-11, 207-pound tailback returned to face his former team Sunday.

As Steven Jackson's backup, Pittman ended up with 53 yards on seven carries. The highlight of Pittman's day was a 43-yard scamper to the Saints' 1-yard line on the final play of the third quarter. That carry set up the Rams' fourth touchdown of the game and a 34-7 lead.
"It was good to get Antonio (Pittman) in there against his old team," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "He had a nice run there in the third quarter. It was a big play. It was really a crucial drive. We kind of had a 1-2 combination today."

Pittman's rushing total was exactly 10 yards more than the Saints managed as a team.
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The News Star - www.thenewsstar.com - Monroe, LA
 
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November 15, 2007
Rookie running backs are finding their niche
The Rams feel like rookie running backs Antonio Pittman and Brian Leonard can fill important roles in the team?s offense even with Steven Jackson fully healthy.
Jackson obviously will be the main man with the bulk of the carries. Pittman will serve as the No. 2 back and spell Jackson occasionally during games. Leonard will be the primary fullback and occasional third-down back.
Pittman?s rise to No. 2 back after being claimed off waivers from the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 2 is a surprise.
Pittman fits the mold of an every-down runner better than Leonard, whose strength is his versatility.
?The idea was, at some point, he was going to be at that spot,?? Rams coach Scott Linehan said of the team?s plan for Pittman when they claimed him off waivers. ?We are now in a position where we can use Brian in primarily the fullback spot, which is why we drafted and brought him here. Pittman had enough time in our offense at this point that we felt he would be ready to be the No. 2 guy at the tailback spot.??
Pittman had seven carries for 53 yards, including a 43-yard scamper last Sunday against the Saints, which opted to keep undrafted rookie Pierre Thomas over him.
?I just real like it when you have an incentive game for a guy like him who is going against a team that had decided that a free agent was better than him,?? Linehan said of Pittman, who was a fourth-round pick out of Ohio State. ?That tends to put a little bit of a burr in a guy?s saddle somewhat. I wanted to give him a chance, and he took advantage of it.??
Pittman downplayed the grudge factor in his performance against the Saints.
?I don?t care anything about that,?? Pittman said when asked if he wanted to show the Saints that they made a mistake. ?It was all about going out there and getting a victory and just playing ball. I wouldn?t really say it was a mistake. How can it be a mistake? They gave me my first shot in the NFL.??
With a defender closing in on him, Pittman tried to dive into the end zone on his long run against the Saints. The official ruled that he stepped out of bounds on the New Orleans 1.
?The dude had a good angle, but I tackled myself basically by stepping out,?? Pittman said.
Linehan said Pittman had showed dramatic improvement in practice during the two weeks leading up to his increased role last Sunday against the Saints.
?I feel comfortable with it,?? Pittman said of the Rams? offense. ?It was fun to go out there and just play ball not really worrying about anything.??
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Ramblings: Rookie running backs are finding their niche
 
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Antonio Pittman may be a 'find' for Rams
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/16/2007

Watching his Ohio State Buckeyes lose to Illinois spoiled Antonio Pittman's appetite last Saturday.

"I didn't even look into getting any food in New Orleans," Pittman said.

But the following day in the Superdome, Pittman gave the Rams' coaching staff food for thought. Given his first chance at any appreciable playing time at running back, the Ohio State product carried seven times for 53 yards.

His 43-yard ramble on the final play of the third quarter was the Rams' longest run of the season and set up their final touchdown in a 37-29 upset over the Saints. Advertisement


On the play, Pittman headed up the middle, made a jump cut to his left and then accelerated through a hole created by blocks from tight ends Randy McMichael and Joe Klopfenstein.

When the hole developed, Pittman said, "My eyes lit up. It was overwhelming. ... You dream about running down the field in the NFL. It finally came true."
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STLtoday - Sports - Rams
 
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Pittman likes group in Rams backfield
By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/22/2007

Among other things, rookie running back Antonio Pittman will give thanks today for the opportunity that he received with the Rams that wasn?t offered in New Orleans.

Pittman, a fourth-round draft pick, was released at the end of preseason by the Saints, who were set at running back with Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister. ?It was a sticky situation from the start,? Pittman said. ?You?ve got two guys that are making over $120 million between them.?

The Rams signed Pittman, a three-year starter at Ohio State, the day after he was cut. He inched up the depth chart and now is the primary backup for Steven Jackson.

?It?s a good rotation we?ve got going with me, Brian (Leonard) and ?Jack,?? Pittman said. ?Now, I?ve got to continue to keep working and solidify myself on this team, just prove myself every week.?

Going from a star in college to a guy scrambling for a job in the NFL was humbling, Pittman conceded. ?But that?s just a part of growing up,? he said. ?As a man, there?s always going to be adversity in your life, and it?s about how you overcome it.

?Some people just walk away and quit. But I wasn?t ever allowed to quit anything in my life; that?s how I was raised. Always keep fighting, and it?ll pay off.?
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STLtoday - Sports - Rams
 
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To shed some light on why the Saints let him go... there were basically three people fighting for a final roster spot, Pittman, Pierre Thomas and Jamal Branch. Payton wanted 4 RB's, and three spots were taken by Deuce, Reggie, and Stecker. Deuce and Reggie are obvious, and Stecker is a veteran guy who has been with the team for some time and also has a lot of special teams experience from his days with the Bucs. The third spot, Branch got eliminated pretty quickly and it was Pittman and Pierre Thomas. No offense to Pittman, but Pierre simply outplayed him in the pre-season...

They both had an even shot at it and you can ask any Saints fan who watched all the games, Pierre Thomas just looked much better. And Payton said he couldn't justify cutting Pierre Thomas over Pittman to the rest of the team because he'd said all along that the best players in training camp/pre-season would make the team, regardless of where they were drafted.

But Pittman seeems to have found a good situation in St. Louis. The 43 yard run on the Saints was a nice run. I think the Saints made a good choice by drafting him. Of course not in hindsight, but at the time it was basically Deuce, Reggie, Stecker and then Pittman would be the 4th guy and the coaches were hoping he might overtake Stecker and give Deuce some relief, and then whenever Deuce (who is nearly 30) started to slow down, Pittman could take Deuce's role in the offense.. But the coaches couldn't have foreseen the play of Pierre Thomas.
 
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