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Rams' Butler will miss rest of season
By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch
Wednesday, Aug. 17 2005

What they had

Jerametrius Butler was an emerging cover cornerback, with good ball
instincts and athleticism. He accounted for five of the Rams' six interceptions
last season.

What they'll get

DeJuan Groce has the athleticism and skill level to be an effective
cornerback, but he must avoid nagging injuries and maintain his focus from play
to play.

* * * * * * *

The Rams have been bracing for the worst, ever since an MRI exam more than a
week ago revealed Jerametrius Butler had a torn posterior cruciate ligament in
his right knee.

But there was still a sliver of hope. Perhaps he could strengthen the muscles
around the knee, and play in a brace. Even as late as Tuesday, Butler himself
held out some hope that he could salvage his season. But after seeing a
specialist in New York, the Rams cornerback has opted for season-ending
surgery.

"Yeah, it's tough news," Butler said. "I decided to have surgery on Monday, 8
o'clock, so I'm out for the year. But I'll rebound from this. We'll go ahead
and have surgery and get it corrected."

Dr. Riley Williams, who specializes in shoulder and knee injuries at the
Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, will perform the operation.
Williams, the specialist that Butler saw earlier this week in New York,
recommended that Butler have surgery.

Last week, coach Mike Martz said Butler was leaning toward trying to play. But
at the same time, Martz asked Butler to seek additional opinions - beyond that
of the Rams' medical staff - just to be sure.

After the visit to New York, and discussions with his family, Butler opted for
surgery. He faces rehabilitation and recovery time of four to five months,
which should take him into January.

"Any time you lose a player like him, it's obviously (a blow)," Martz said.
"Because you know at this point in his career, he's just starting to realize
his full potential.

"We'll move on. Somebody will come in and play. I just feel bad for JB. I
really do. ... You hate to see your guys go through something like this."

DeJuan Groce, a third-year player from Nebraska, gets the first crack at
replacing Butler. Rookie Ron Bartell and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Corey Ivy
are next in line on the depth chart, with veteran Terry Fair and third-year man
Kevin Garrett also in the mix.

"I like DeJuan Groce," secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer said. "He's a better
player than I realized when he was coming out. I think he is going to be solid
as a starter."

But it will be hard to replace Butler's playmaking ability. In 2003, his first
year as a starter, Butler shared the team lead with four interceptions. That
offseason, Washington signed Butler to a six-year, $15.04 million offer sheet
as a restricted free agent.

But the Rams matched the offer, keeping Butler in St. Louis. He played up to
the contract last season, accounting for five of the team's six interceptions
and breaking up 22 passes, which tied for the second-highest total in the NFL.

With what looks to be an improved Rams front seven on defense, Butler seemed
poised for bigger and better things in 2005. But then he suffered the knee
injury on an innocent-looking play on the first day of training camp.

"It's something that just happened," Butler said. "I really can't explain it. I
broke on the ball, made a play, and I felt my knee kind of give out. I kept
playing on it, but for some reason it didn't feel like it normally felt. I
asked the trainers to take a look at it. When I went to get an MRI, they said
it was torn."

Butler said he tried to strengthen the muscles around the knee, in the hopes
that he could play through the injury in '05.

"It wasn't getting any better," he said. "I need to be 100 percent to play
corner. I need my legs."

Some NFL players are able to play through torn PCLs. But as Butler pointed out:
"They don't play corner. They play running back, offensive line - where they
run forward. But I backpedal. I've got to plant going 100 miles an hour. And
without a PCL, I can't do that."

Even with the injury, Butler said he doesn't experience discomfort moving
forward or laterally.

"I can beat half of y'all running right now," Butler teased reporters.

But backpedaling or changing directions is a different matter.

"I can't do my job correctly without my PCL," Butler said. "So that's why I've
got to get it corrected. ... I've got to look to the future. Because I don't
want to get out there and hurt the team, and hurt myself worse. Surgery was the
best thing for me."

Earlier in camp, the Rams were swimming in corners. But then Dwight Anderson
was released Aug. 9 after missing a team curfew. In the preseason opener
against Chicago, Ivy suffered ligament damage to his wrist and rookie free
agent Duvol Thompson suffered a broken hand. Both are in casts.

The Rams would be silly not to scan the waiver wire for cornerbacks once the
roster cutdowns begin in earnest later this month. But Martz insists the team
doesn't have to look outside the organization for help.