St. Louis adds ex-Cardinals guard to mix

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams signed former Arizona Cardinal guard Milford Brown and released Chris Massner on Sunday.

"He's a right guard and he'll be in competition for one of our guard spots," St. Louis coach Scott Linehan said after the first of two workouts at Rams Park.

The Rams have Richie Incognito, Adam Goldberg, Mark Setterstrom and Claude Terrell; each has started in the past at guard.

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Brown started 12 games for the Cardinals last season at left guard under former coach Dennis Green. He was deemed dispensable by new coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff. The move saved salary space for the team.

"They were going a different direction," Brown, 26, said. "They asked me to take a pay cut. I asked for my release. I'm happy St. Louis has called me.

"I hope I get a chance to play a little bit and help everybody out. I'm just trying to fit in."

Brown has five years experience in the league. He was drafted out of Florida State by the Houston Texans, where he started 14 games and played in 19 games in four seasons. He then signed as a restricted free agent with the Cardinals.

Messner was a free-agent rookie tackle from Oklahoma.

Carriker impresses

Adam Carriker, the 13th overall choice in the 2007 NFL draft, missed the Rams' first practice in full pads Friday morning because he was finalizing a five-year, $12.8 million contract.

He's making up for that lost time. He took part in the Rams' Friday night practice in shells -- helmet, shoulder pads and shorts -- and then donned full pads Saturday afternoon and again Sunday.

"I knew he wouldn't disappoint," Linehan said. "He looked that way on film when he played in pads. We will see when he starts playing, but I will be surprised if he is not a heck of a player."

That's why we drafted him."

The Rams are counting on Carriker this season. They have installed Carriker as the starting nose tackle.

Carriker said he is adjusting to his role.

"I was a little bit rusty, but I felt pretty good," Carriker said. "I just hadn't practiced for a while, so I had to get back in the groove. Luckily, I missed only one practice, so I wasn't too far behind."