ST. LOUIS — Topping 300 pounds is no great feat in the NFL. The St. Louis Rams’ extended roster, for instance, has 20 members of the very big and tall club.
ST. LOUIS — Topping 300 pounds is no great feat in the NFL. The St. Louis Rams’ extended roster, for instance, has 20 members of the very big and tall club. Guard Jacob Bell did not qualify for that fraternity last season, not even close, and left for the offseason with a mandate to bulk up. His solution: hire a personal chef to add weight and keep it there when he’s not feasting at the training table. Last year, Bell melted down to around 280 pounds — virtual toothpick size for an offensive lineman. Perhaps not coincidentally, he was part of a unit that couldn’t protect quarterback Marc Bulger, surrendering 45 sacks. His plan calls for loading up on double portions, four times a day not counting a couple of power shakes. "When you’re a young bachelor, sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of your diet and stuff like that," Bell said. "But I have a full-time guy now, and I think that’s helped." Bell weighed in at just under 300 pounds for the team’s second minicamp, much closer to his program weight of 297 last season. If he can keep it on, the Rams will consider it a no-cost upgrade. "That was all him," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "I give him credit for that." The Rams have already spent plenty this offseason on an offensive line overhaul that features free agent center Jason Brown, who got a four-year, $38 million contract, and No. 2 overall draft pick Jason Smith, who’ll likely get more. Bell didn’t exactly post the job opening for a personal chef in the want ads, instead keeping things in the family. The brainstorm came from a discussion with a cousin preparing to enroll in culinary school. Tom McCann, 30, has no tuition. There’s only one person to please at breakfast, lunch, dinner and the lineman’s favorite, the pre-dinner. "I said ‘Hey man, work for me. Get your feet wet. Start dabbling,’" Bell said. "He likes to read about nutrition, he wants to major in nutrition." McCann’s alarm sounds an hour earlier than Bell’s, so that when the lineman climbs out of bed there’ll be a full breakfast waiting. Bell is a barbeque lover and since he’s the boss, he anticipates that’ll be a regular fixture on the menus for the other three meals. But he stresses that he won’t be filling to overflow with empty calories. That, he could do himself. "It’s all healthy stuff," Bell said. "It kind of regulates my intake of calories and carbs and proteins." The Rams considered moving Bell to tackle in the offseason, if he could add the pounds. He played some at right tackle for a day in the first minicamp, but the plan was quickly scrapped after the Baylor tackle Jason Smith was taken with the second pick of the draft. "I don’t know if it didn’t work out or if they didn’t like what they saw," Bell said. "I think they liked this kid Jason Smith all along." Bell, a fourth-round pick of the Titans in 2004, is entering the second year of a six-year free-agent contract and feeling like a veteran except with a twist. When he was younger, Bell said it was no problem carrying as much as 325 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame. Now that he’s all of 28, he claims to be the opposite of every other human being fighting the never-ending battle of the bulge. He needs that extra heft. "I was a big guy," Bell said. "As I got older, I kept getting more and more lean and couldn’t keep the weight on. I think this is something I needed to do." Funny, none of his linemates seem to have that problem. The Rams expect pushing the pile will be easier next season with Bell joining Brown (320), tackle Alex Barron (315), guard Richie Incognito (330) and Smith (310) — large and proud of it. "I am a little girthy at times," Brown said with a smile. "I have a great family that loves to cook and knows how to cook very well." Second-year player John Greco (325) could push Incognito for a starting job and could push Bell’s chef if he needed a second occupation. He’s renowned around Rams Park for his killer lasagna recipe and just loves to cook. "If somebody was going to pay me, I’d do it all day," Greco said. Greco also challenged McCann to a cook-off, perhaps in the break between the final minicamp in early June and training camp. "I like all different kids of cuisine but I’m Italian, so I cook a lot of pasta," Greco said. "I experiment with different sauces and try to make things better each time." Together, the talent beneath those XXXL jerseys could transform one of the Rams’ biggest weaknesses into perhaps the biggest strength, while giving Bulger a break from all the beatings he’s absorbed in recent seasons. It’s all part of the Rams’ plan under general manager Billy Devaney and Spagnuolo to get bigger and stronger than the teams that went 5-27 the previous two seasons. The makeover reminds Bell of a crossroads with the Titans at the end of the Steve McNair era in 2006. Tennessee, 8-8 in 2006, had an NFL-best 13-3 record last year. The Rams released offensive tackle Orlando Pace and wide receiver Torry Holt, each a seven-time Pro Bowler, leading defensive end Leonard Little as the lone holdover from two Super Bowls in 1999 and 2001. "It’s actually pretty crazy," Bell said. "With Orlando and Torry going, I think the guys are excited to kind of create a new identity for themselves." One that includes a larger profile for himself. Bell plans on packing on some bonus poundage as insurance before training camp, which will be held in often-sweltering St. Louis, realizing he can’t afford to melt again. "I feel like no matter what," he said, "the bigger you are, the stronger you are. That’s why I think you need to get a little buffer." ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. 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