Rams bring John Sullivan in for a visit

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LACHAMP46

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yeah...expected this before Groy....if he doesn't sign, he must be/look terrible.
 

InnovatedMind

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I wonder how it went... Hopefully we hear something soon! We haven't let an FA walk out the door without horns YET!

If they sign him, I have full confidence that Kromer, McVay, and all of the coaching staff are confident in what he can bring.
 

LACHAMP46

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LACHAMP, who and hell is Groy? never heard of him ;)
Or is his name Gory? LOLOLOL Hell, I never heard of him either until last week.

Dag nabbit, this is a Sullivan thread!

https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-5-roster-cuts-that-can-make-an-impact-elsewhere/

1. John Sullivan, C
Cut by the Minnesota Vikings

In 2013, John Sullivan was as good as any center in the game, and at that point, had three straight seasons graded among the top three centers in the league. Coming off knee problems, his 2014 season was less impressive, and he missed the entire 2015 season with back issues, but at only 31 years old, chances are that Sullivan can still be a very effective player. His issue in Minnesota was that Joe Berger—the player that replaced him at center in 2015—played at an All-Pro level in his stead, surrendering just one sack all season and ending the year with a PFF grade of 88.0, trailing only Cowboys C Travis Frederick. Sullivan was going to have his work cut out for him winning back his job anyway, but Minnesota bringing on board Tony Sparano to the coaching staff—who has history with Berger as a player in Miami—seemed to seal his fate. Sullivan hasn’t enjoyed the best preseason of his career, earning poor grades in the 44 snaps he has played so far, so his best football may still be some time away, but for any team in need of a center, the chance of acquiring a potential All-Pro heading into September should prove a very attractive proposition. Sullivan may not be ready to hit the ground running at that level, but he should be able to upgrade several situations around the league.
JOHN SULLIVAN CEMENTS STATUS AS ONE OF NFL'S TOP UNDERRATED STARS WITH EXTENSION

Zach Kruse Senior Analyst IApril 7, 2015

The Minnesota Vikings have ensured that one of the game's most underrated stars will anchor the middle of the club's offensive line for at least the next three seasons.

According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Vikings and All-Pro center John Sullivan agreed on a contract extension and pay raise, which will add an extra season to his current two-year deal and bump up his salary in each year through 2017:
✔@FieldYates
Source: the Vikings have signed C John Sullivan to 1-year extension through 2017. New base salaries over next 3 years: $7M, $5.5M, $5.5M.

5:39 AM - 7 Apr 2015

The 29-year-old Sullivan also received a $1 million signing bonus. The extension adds a total of $8.5 million to the five-year deal he originally signed back in 2011, while increasing his cap number to $7.33 million next season.

The structure of Sullivan's new deal can be viewed below, via Spotrac:

John Sullivan: New Contract Structure
Base Signing Workout Cap Hit Dead Hit
2015 $5.9M $1.3M $100K $7.3M $2.3M
2016 $5.5M $333K $100K $5.8M $666K
2017 $5.5M $333K $100K $5.8M $333K
Source: Spotrac.com

Sullivan will now make $18 million over the next three seasons, which is still a bargain price for the Vikings.

Few have been better at the position since 2009, when Sullivan first took over the starting center job in Minnesota. He's started 93 of the last 96 games for the Vikings, all while steadily developing into one of the league's most dependable interior linemen.

In fact, "dominant" might be the better word.

According to Pro Football Focus, Sullivan has graded out as a site's top center in the league since 2011. His plus-81.7 mark is rivaled by only the New York Jets' Nick Mangold, who has a plus-79.0 grade over the last four seasons.

Sullivan finished as PFF's best center in 2012 and third-best in 2011 and 2013. He slipped to 12th last season but still managed positive marks as Minnesota's best offensive lineman.



23c0374b88645b43372b512ac5e3aee7_crop_exact.jpg

Ed Zurga/Associated Press
The Vikings drafted Sullivan with the 187th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He eventually took over for longtime center Matt Birk in 2009, and after an up-and-down start to his career, Sullivan made a big leap in 2011.

He somehow does not have a Pro Bowl season, despite being one of the four best at the position during at least three different seasons. However, Sullivan was named a first-team All-Pro in 2012, when running back Adrian Peterson rushed for over 2,000 yards. He had a strong case to return to the All-Pro team in 2013 but was beaten out by Ryan Kalil and Alex Mack.

Last March, Matt Miller ranked Sullivan as the NFL's fourth-best center in Bleacher Report's "NFL 1000" series.

"Sullivan is one of the smarter centers in the NFL and does a great job running the Vikings’ line," Miller wrote. "He’s patient, shows great balance and has the strength to be a factor opening rushing lanes for Adrian Peterson, the game’s most athletic running back."

Miller gave him a grade of 88 out of 100.

Sullivan has never been dominant in the passing game—he allowed five sacks in 2013 and 20 total disruptions last season—but there's no questioning his abilities in the run game. Miller rated Sullivan's run-blocking abilities at 46 out of 50.

His year-by-year run-blocking grades on PFF also speak volumes:

John Sullivan: Road Grading Run Blocker
Run-Block Grade NFL Rank
2011 +22.2 3rd
2012 +25.7 2nd
2013 +16.9 4th
2014 +7.5 8th
Source: Pro Football Focus
The Vikings will now pay him a salary that lines up better with his production. Spotrac indicates that his yearly average ranks ninth among centers and his total contract value ranks 10th.

But unless there is a significant dip in performance in the coming years—centers typically age well—Sullivan will still be considered a bargain for the Vikings through the 2017 season.

The one worry might be paying an older player (he will be 30 in August) who isn't great in the passing game, especially with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater likely to assume more and more control of the offense.

That concern is certainly small, though, and Sullivan has rarely been considered a liability in pass protection.

The more important aspect of this move for the Vikings is locking up the anchor of their offensive line and rewarding a player who paid his dues and earned the comfort of a raise.

Minnesota is still attempting to rebound up front after an injury-filled and disastrous 2014 season. Having Sullivan under contract for at least the next three years can only help as the Vikings search for answers at other problem areas in front of Bridgewater.

And while the overall impact may be negligible, there's something to be said about an organization taking care of its own. Sullivan outperformed his original contract extension from 2011, so the Vikings made the effort to further compensate a valuable employee.

A premier run-blocker and a criminally underrated all-around player, Sullivan remains one of the game's most overlooked interior stars.

Minnesota will now have his services in the middle of its offensive line through the 2017 season.

Want more? Sure ya do
https://www.profootballrumors.com/2017/03/rams-host-john-sullivan-on-visit
Rams Host John Sullivan On Visit
by Sam Robinson
The Rams’ effort to pry a center away from the Bills via RFA offer sheet did not work after Buffalo matched Los Angeles’ Ryan Groy offer. But the team continues to look for available snappers. The Rams brought in John Sullivan on a visit today, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Sullivan played under new Rams HC Sean McVay last season in Washington after signing in late September. The former longtime Vikings starter, though, served as a Redskins backup to Spencer Long. Now 31, Sullivan started just one game with the Redskins after being the Vikes’ starter from 2009-15.

However, Sullivan saw a back injury alter his career. Signed to a Vikings extension in April of 2015, Sullivan underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure that September and then suffered a setback in his recovery, missing the entire ’15 season. The Vikings placed Sullivan on the trade block last year before cutting him and going with the older Joe Berger at center. Sullivan started 93 of 96 Vikings games from 2009-14, with the 2012 season obviously serving as one of the best rushing slates in NFL history once Adrian Peterson finished with 2,097 yards.

Sullivan has not been connected to any teams as a UFA in 2017 prior to this Rams visit. The Rams have only Demetrius Rhaney as a pure center on their roster presently. The Rams cut 2015-16 starter Tim Barnes earlier this month.

still hungry?
 
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Elmgrovegnome

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LACHAMP, who and the hell is Groy? never heard of him ;)


Groy, the center from Buffalo Bills. He is second string, and got to start seven games. He didn't allow a sack. The new OLine coach knows him well. The Rams offered him and Buffalo matched the offer. He was a restricted free agent, so Buffalo had the option to prevent him from leaving.
 

den-the-coach

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Rams will sign him and he will be the starting center come September morn barring injury...They will draft either Toth (Kentucky), Fuller (Baylor) or Chase Roulier (Wyoming).

As @OldSchool mock hatches right before our very eyes.
 
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InnovatedMind

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Groy, the center from Buffalo Bills. He is second string, and got to start seven games. He didn't allow a sack. The new OLine coach knows him well. The Rams offered him and Buffalo matched the offer. He was a restricted free agent, so Buffalo had the option to prevent him from leaving.

Pretty sure they were being sarcastic because Sullivan could turn out to be a better Center.
 

TheDYVKX

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McVay knows Sullivan so fine by me. I have a tremendous amount of faith in that man's judgement. Injuries are my one concern with Sullivan, and luckily we have a lead decision maker who knows the specifics on that.
 

Memento

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I'd rather start a rookie, but if he's over his health issues, I see no problem with signing Sullivan. He was a great center in his prime.
 

So Ram

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Groy, the center from Buffalo Bills. He is second string, and got to start seven games. He didn't allow a sack. The new OLine coach knows him well. The Rams offered him and Buffalo matched the offer. He was a restricted free agent, so Buffalo had the option to prevent him from leaving.

I think he knew that ?? John Sullivan was my sleeper pick way back. He was real good in Senior Bowl game. I think my biggest knock on him was his size. Henpisitions himself real well.

-- I never heard much about Groy either , but remember Woods going down & Bills started to win games. Of course they beat The Rams with Woods starting.

Now we have the other Woods from Bills.

My concern with Sullivan was he did not start for McVay last season at Washington . He was the starter on paper.
 

den-the-coach

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Sullivan spent the 2016 season with the Washington Redskins, which means he is a familiar face for Sean McVay. Sullivan was extremely healthy and reliable in Minnesota as he spent 7 seasons there and almost every year started 16 games. His 2015 season was injury riddled, and ultimately the Vikings decided to move on. Sullivan then latched on in Washington last season and made an appearance in 13 games.

The addition of John Sullivan would likely only spell as a short term fix as he’s 31 years old, but for a guy with experience in McVay’s scheme, and more help for the Rams line, it can only be a good thing.

[www.turfshowtimes.com]
 
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So Ram

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Didn't realize the connection with McVay, if that's the case I'm even more on board.

Was a backup ?? He was getting starting pay . That is my concern besides age,health, & size .
- The price might be right & he could very well have more game in him . Komer might like what he sees ?? McVay has his thoughts I'm sure , but he says he trusts his coaching staff. Maybe a one year contract & he has to prove himself. Would be a good veteran presence.
 

den-the-coach

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The Rams are clearly in the market for a new center after they released Tim Barnes a few weeks ago. Los Angeles actually signed Bills restricted free agent C Ryan Groy to an offer sheet, but Buffalo elected to match their tender.

Sullivan, 31, is a former sixth-round pick of the Vikings back in 2008. He had two years remaining on his six-year, $25.6 million contract when the Vikings cut him loose coming out of the preseason after they were unable to find a trade partner.

The Redskins signed him to a contract a few weeks into the regular season and finished out the year in Washington.

Sullivan missed all of 2015, due to multiple back surgeries.

In 2016, Sullivan appeared in 13 games for the Redskins and played a total of 98 snaps for the Redskins, according to Pro Football Focus.

[nfltraderumors.co]
 

Riverumbbq

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As long as its not guaranteed and he must win the position, bring him in and another 20 just like him. jmo
 

JackDRams

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Gonna likely be a one year deal while we groom a rookie. But I don't mind at all.
 

IowaRam

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Kinda like Quinn

Bad backs are tough to get over