Monday, Aug. 03, 2009

Curry eager to make an impact with Rams

Rams got receiver in a trade just before the start of camp

ST. LOUIS -- Getting traded anytime can be a surprise for an NFL player.

Getting traded less than a week before the start of training camp like what happened to St. Louis Rams wide receiver Ronald Curry could be a real shock to the system.

The Rams acquired Curry, 31, from the Detroit Lions in exchange for defensive tackle Orien Harris on July 25.

"The player is always the last to know,'' Curry said. "One of my friends called and said he'd read it on the bottom of the (ESPN) ticker. The next thing I know one of the guys called me from here trying to set up for me to come in and take a physical.

"They say they need some veteran leadership, and for the most part, just come in here and compete for a job. I'm just going to do what they ask me to do.''

Curry said he didn't think being traded had anything to do with his performance with the Lions.

"I thought it was going well in Detroit,'' Curry said. "They didn't cut me, they didn't release me. They traded me. A lot of people get traded. It's just part of the game. I don't think I got traded because I wasn't performing. I think I was performing well.

"Maybe Detroit felt like they needed a different position more than they needed a wide receiver.''

Curry, who spent last season with the Oakland Raiders, signed with the Lions as a free agent on April 16.

Curry said the Lions had wide receiver Calvin Johnson on one side of their offensive formation, and wide receiver Bryant Johnson on the other side.

They were searching for a slot receiver.

"And, they have eight other guys basically competing for that one position,'' Curry said.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Curry is entering his eighth season in the NFL, adding some experience to a receiving corps that has only one other player that has been in the league longer than three years. Tim Carter is entering his seventh year in the NFL.

"Nothing to discourage us,'' Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said of Curry's play in training camp. "I thought he caught the ball as a punt returner pretty well, so we'll keep our eye on that."

Curry returned kickoffs for the Raiders in 2002 and 2004, but hasn't handled any return duties since then.

Curry said he'd be willing to returning punts if asked.

"I've always prided myself on the more you can do,'' Curry said. "It's a cliche in the league, but it's true. The more you can do, at the end of the day it's harder to cut you. Do punt return, kickoff return, play special teams, offense -- I'm on board. I just want to play football.''

Curry was a record-setting quarterback in college for North Carolina. He threw for a school-record 4,987 yards.

Curry said he still can throw the ball if the Rams want to employ a Wild Cat package.

"I can do Wild Cat,'' Curry said. "I still have my arm. I have to oil it up, but I can still get it done.''

Curry said he played in the Wild Cat last year for a few games when Darren McFadden was injured.

Curry was leading receiver for the Raiders in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He had 67 catches for 727 yards and one touchdown in 2006 and 55 catches for 717 yards and four touchdowns in 2007.

Curry's numbers declined last season under coach Lane Kiffin as he had 19 catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns.

"I came back to camp and I'm fourth on the depth chart after leading the team in receiving the last couple of years,'' Curry said. "That kind of blew me (away). It kind of bothered me. I felt like I had put myself in a position where I shouldn't have been treated like that.''

Curry still played slot receiver under Kiffin, but said it wasn't the same.

"He puts you in the slot and expects you to do the same thing, but they run no plays for the slot,'' Curry said. "To me, when it's third-and-five or six, or less, you let that slot go to work. It was a block-first offense. You go out there, you block, block, block, block, and at the end of the day you wonder why no receivers have more than 20, 30 yards.''

Curry said he talked to the Rams as a free agent before signing with the Lions. He said the Rams wanted him to wait until after the NFL Draft in late April before signing.

Now Curry finds himself with the Rams anyway.

"There's 32 teams, so you can wind up anywhere in the NFL,'' Curry said. "I'm going to try to embrace it from my end and try to do my part.''

Curry still feels like the Rams are a good fit for him.

"I feel like I can go out there and make a difference,'' Curry said. "The opportunity may be a little greater here just because they are a young team and they are looking for some veteran leadership. I'm happy to be in St. Louis and have no hard feelings toward the Lions or anybody else.''

Contact Steve Korte at skorte@bnd.com or 239-2522.