McMichael is eager to finally be part of a West Coast offense

ST. LOUIS -- It's the same question that Randy McMichael has been asked before the start of each of his three seasons with the St. Louis Rams.

Are the Rams going to be more committed to throwing the ball to the tight end this year?

"I'm just going back to being patient, just play ball," McMichael said. "If it comes, it comes. If it doesn't, I still have other duties to do on this team other than just catching balls.''

McMichael, who had caught 60 or more passes for three straight seasons with the Miami Dolphins before coming to St. Louis in 2007, has 50 catches in two seasons with the Rams. He missed 12 games last season after suffering a foot injury.

McMichael said he is looking forward to playing in the West Coast offense -- an offense that is generally considered friendly for tight ends -- for the first time this season.

"It's a fun offense to play,'' McMichael said. "A couple of years ago somebody told me about it, and finally I'm getting an opportunity to play in it.

"It's just not me. We have quite a few tight ends who can get the job done.''

McMichael is the top tight end on a unit that also includes Billy Bajema, who signed as unrestricted free agent with the Rams after four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Joe Klopfenstein, Daniel Fells and first-year player Eric Butler.

Bajema is known more for his blocking than his receiving.

"I love Billy,'' McMichael said. "Billy is a good dude. Billy is one of those guys who you know what he is going to bring every day. He is going to bring his lunch pail to work. Everybody wants to say that Billy is a blocking tight end, but he can get the down the field. He can catch the ball really well. He'll be a great addition to the tight end room.''

At 30, McMichael is the Rams' oldest tight end. There are only eight players older on the Rams' entire roster.

"In the locker room, you talk to some of the guys and you ask how old they are and they say, 'Twenty-two,''' McMichael said. "It's fun being the old guy. I was one of the young guys for so long that it's finally time for me to step up and be a veteran.''

McMichael has always worn his emotions on his sleeve. He said he has quite a few teammates who have that same kind of passion this season.

"People show emotions in different ways,'' McMichael said. "I'm more of an outgoing person emotionally. Marc (Bulger) is just as emotional as I am, but he keeps his emotions inside. You know about Steven (Jackson), and on the defensive side, you know about (Ron) Bartell. And now we have James Butler.

"We have a lot of emotion out there, but emotion can only get you so far. You still have to go out and play ball.''

McMichael said new coach Steve Spagnuolo is emotional, but he doesn't have to raise his voice to get players to listen.

"One thing about Coach Spags is he gets his point across, and he doesn't have to yell at all,'' McMichael said. "He is a very detailed person. He is probably one of the most detailed coaches I've ever been around.''

Spagnuolo doesn't act like a rookie head coach, McMichael said, and that's probably because of his background.

"He has been around some of the best coaches in football in (Philadelphia Eagles) Coach (Andy) Reid and (New York Giants) Coach (Tom) Coughlin and going to the Super Bowl,'' McMichael said. "He has seen what it takes to be a winner, and he's bringing that attitude here.''

McMichael has had to adjust to new tight ends coach Frank Leonard and his high-energy teaching style.

"Coach Leonard is a fun coach,'' McMichael said. "He makes practice fun for us. And, the one thing about him is that it is all genuine. He's not doing it all for show.

"It really doesn't matter to him what anybody thinks of him, he's going to continue to go out there and try to make us better players.''

Leonard has the tight ends doing the monkey roll drill, in which three or four players take turns falling to the ground and rolling as another player jumps over them.

The drill is popular among youth wrestling teams.

"When he first got here and told me about the monkey roll, I told him I hadn't monkey rolled in like 20 years,'' McMichael said. "It's entertaining. A lot of times other guys at other positions stop and watch us do it to see if somebody is going to get hurt or something.''