This Hammer has been hard to replace
By Jim Thomas
Post-Dispatch
09/24/2003
Rams fullback James Hodgins dives over Chargers linebacker Junior Seau in Nov. 2002.
(CHRIS LEE/P-D)
As each potential replacement has come and gone, James Hodgins' stature in Rams football annals has grown incrementally. It almost has reached the point where the Rams didn't just lose a fullback during the offseason. They lost Bronko Nagurski.
Unwilling to pay Hodgins a $750,000 roster bonus, the Rams released him at the end of February. He quickly signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals, who visit the Edward Jones Dome this Sunday.
And in a story line that just won't go away at Rams Park, the player known as the Hammer hasn't been easy to replace.
Just ask J.R. Niklos, Chad Kuhns, Brian Natkin, Spencer Nead, Dan Curley, Brandon Manumaleuna, Lamar Gordon and now Chris Massey. All have had a crack at Hodgins' former job at one time or another since the start of training camp.
"Coach (Dave) McGinnis told me something about it - I think it was like two weeks ago," Hodgins said, referring to the Arizona head coach. "He was saying, 'Hey, they're trying to replace you over there. They can't find anybody to do it.'
Real Estate & Rentals (267)
Home Improvement & Gardening (206)
Automotive & Vehicles (197)
Services (169)
Medical (169)
Dining & Entertainment (163)
Finance (94)
Movies (69)
Furniture (66)
Grocery (59)
...more on Ad Zone
"I haven't really paid too much attention to it. I'm just trying to focus on what we've got to do here. But I've heard some news that it's not going too well."
It isn't. The latest plan - in a long line of plans - has Massey handling lead-blocking chores, with tight ends Manumaleuna and Cam Cleeland helping out occasionally.
"I tell you what, Chris Massey's not going to put a whole lot of sparkle on it, but he'll get the job done," Hodgins said Wednesday in a telephone interview from Tempe, Ariz.
Massey doesn't pack the wallop of a Hodgins. But few fullbacks do in the NFL.
"He's at his best as a lead blocker between the tackles," said one NFC scout, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "He'll give you everything he's got; and he'll knock the (bleep) out of you."
Some past Rams mainstays haven't left quietly. Linebacker London Fletcher and wide receiver Ricky Proehl, to name two, criticized the club after signing with new teams. As things now stand, Hodgins has every reason to crow about getting the last laugh on the Rams. But that's never been his style.
"You know me, I'm not a real resentful guy," he said. "I was just more curious as to why it went the way it did without a phone call. Or without a, 'Hey, can we readjust these numbers or do this or that?' Because I would have been willing to do that.
"To me, it never really made sense. But it's a business, and I guess they felt like that was money they weren't willing to spend."
Which is basically why St. Louis let him go - money the Rams weren't willing to spend.
"We know what a terrific player he is," Rams coach Mike Martz said. "But it was just one of those situations where we could not keep him here financially. That's just the way it worked out."
Financially, Hodgins landed on his feet just fine, thank you. He signed a four-year, $4.9 million contract with the Cardinals, including a $900,000 signing bonus. Not bad for a guy who was working as a roofer for his father-in-law when the Rams signed him as a rookie free agent in 1999.
"I think James Hodgins is the best lead blocker in this league," McGinnis said. "We knew it because he used to hammer us twice when we'd play them. If you look throughout the league at guys who can swab a hole out for a good running back behind him, James Hodgins is the best we had seen."
After spending most of the past two seasons blocking for Marshall Faulk in St. Louis, Hodgins now finds himself trying to open up holes for another future Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith.
"James Hodgins has been a great addition," Smith said Wednesday in a conference call with St. Louis reporters. "He comes into the offense with a great deal of knowledge and expertise. He's a very technical blocker. He gets in the right pad position and goes in there and goes after it. He reminds me a lot of Daryl Johnston."
Daryl "Moose" Johnston was Smith's lead blocker for the Dallas Cowboys' Super Bowl teams of the early and mid-1990s.
Hodgins is off to a good start with the Cardinals. For one, he's seeing more playing time than he ever did in St. Louis. The Cardinals use a lot of I-formation sets. In last week's 20-13 victory over Green Bay, for example, he participated in 42 offensive plays.
He's also getting "the rock" a little more in the desert. He caught the game-winning touchdown pass to defeat the Packers, and is on pace to catch 27 passes this season. He caught 21 passes - total - in four seasons with the Rams.
"I'm a pass receiving threat now," he joked.
Imagine that. A Hammer with hands.
By Jim Thomas
Post-Dispatch
09/24/2003
Rams fullback James Hodgins dives over Chargers linebacker Junior Seau in Nov. 2002.
(CHRIS LEE/P-D)
As each potential replacement has come and gone, James Hodgins' stature in Rams football annals has grown incrementally. It almost has reached the point where the Rams didn't just lose a fullback during the offseason. They lost Bronko Nagurski.
Unwilling to pay Hodgins a $750,000 roster bonus, the Rams released him at the end of February. He quickly signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals, who visit the Edward Jones Dome this Sunday.
And in a story line that just won't go away at Rams Park, the player known as the Hammer hasn't been easy to replace.
Just ask J.R. Niklos, Chad Kuhns, Brian Natkin, Spencer Nead, Dan Curley, Brandon Manumaleuna, Lamar Gordon and now Chris Massey. All have had a crack at Hodgins' former job at one time or another since the start of training camp.
"Coach (Dave) McGinnis told me something about it - I think it was like two weeks ago," Hodgins said, referring to the Arizona head coach. "He was saying, 'Hey, they're trying to replace you over there. They can't find anybody to do it.'
Real Estate & Rentals (267)
Home Improvement & Gardening (206)
Automotive & Vehicles (197)
Services (169)
Medical (169)
Dining & Entertainment (163)
Finance (94)
Movies (69)
Furniture (66)
Grocery (59)
...more on Ad Zone
"I haven't really paid too much attention to it. I'm just trying to focus on what we've got to do here. But I've heard some news that it's not going too well."
It isn't. The latest plan - in a long line of plans - has Massey handling lead-blocking chores, with tight ends Manumaleuna and Cam Cleeland helping out occasionally.
"I tell you what, Chris Massey's not going to put a whole lot of sparkle on it, but he'll get the job done," Hodgins said Wednesday in a telephone interview from Tempe, Ariz.
Massey doesn't pack the wallop of a Hodgins. But few fullbacks do in the NFL.
"He's at his best as a lead blocker between the tackles," said one NFC scout, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "He'll give you everything he's got; and he'll knock the (bleep) out of you."
Some past Rams mainstays haven't left quietly. Linebacker London Fletcher and wide receiver Ricky Proehl, to name two, criticized the club after signing with new teams. As things now stand, Hodgins has every reason to crow about getting the last laugh on the Rams. But that's never been his style.
"You know me, I'm not a real resentful guy," he said. "I was just more curious as to why it went the way it did without a phone call. Or without a, 'Hey, can we readjust these numbers or do this or that?' Because I would have been willing to do that.
"To me, it never really made sense. But it's a business, and I guess they felt like that was money they weren't willing to spend."
Which is basically why St. Louis let him go - money the Rams weren't willing to spend.
"We know what a terrific player he is," Rams coach Mike Martz said. "But it was just one of those situations where we could not keep him here financially. That's just the way it worked out."
Financially, Hodgins landed on his feet just fine, thank you. He signed a four-year, $4.9 million contract with the Cardinals, including a $900,000 signing bonus. Not bad for a guy who was working as a roofer for his father-in-law when the Rams signed him as a rookie free agent in 1999.
"I think James Hodgins is the best lead blocker in this league," McGinnis said. "We knew it because he used to hammer us twice when we'd play them. If you look throughout the league at guys who can swab a hole out for a good running back behind him, James Hodgins is the best we had seen."
After spending most of the past two seasons blocking for Marshall Faulk in St. Louis, Hodgins now finds himself trying to open up holes for another future Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith.
"James Hodgins has been a great addition," Smith said Wednesday in a conference call with St. Louis reporters. "He comes into the offense with a great deal of knowledge and expertise. He's a very technical blocker. He gets in the right pad position and goes in there and goes after it. He reminds me a lot of Daryl Johnston."
Daryl "Moose" Johnston was Smith's lead blocker for the Dallas Cowboys' Super Bowl teams of the early and mid-1990s.
Hodgins is off to a good start with the Cardinals. For one, he's seeing more playing time than he ever did in St. Louis. The Cardinals use a lot of I-formation sets. In last week's 20-13 victory over Green Bay, for example, he participated in 42 offensive plays.
He's also getting "the rock" a little more in the desert. He caught the game-winning touchdown pass to defeat the Packers, and is on pace to catch 27 passes this season. He caught 21 passes - total - in four seasons with the Rams.
"I'm a pass receiving threat now," he joked.
Imagine that. A Hammer with hands.
