The St. Louis Rams have signed veteran free agent safety Quintin Mikell, the team announced Friday. Terms of the deal were undisclosed.
“We are excited to add Quintin to our football team,” Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “I have known him since his rookie year in Philadelphia and I have great respect for the person and player. We look forward to getting him in the mix and getting him up to speed.”
Mikell (5-10, 203) is entering his ninth NFL season in 2011. He spent his first eight seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was twice named Second-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2009. Last season, Mikell led the Eagles with 111 tackles while also recording 14 pass breakups and three interceptions. His career totals include 551 tackles, 10 interceptions, 4.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.
Before becoming a full-time starter on defense in 2007, Mikell was one of the NFL’s top special teams performers. He was named Eagles Special Teams MVP in 2005 and 2006, and Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Weekly recognized him as the NFL’s top special teams player in the NFL in 2006.
Spagnuolo was the Eagles’ defensive backs coach during Mikell’s rookie year in 2003. Spagnuolo moved to linebackers coach in 2004 but spent a total of four seasons in Philadelphia with Mikell.
A native of Eugene, Ore., Mikell was the WAC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Boise State, and he also earned conference Defensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore when the Broncos played in the Big West. He currently ranks second in WAC history with 401 career tackles.
Mikell and his wife, Cherie, have two sons, Quintin III and DeAndre.
Originally posted at: fox2now.com/sports/ktvi-rams-sign-veteran-safety-mikell-20110729,0,7436749.story
