SB Nation - Paris Lenon

Rams could lose G Jacob Bell for the season

VanRam — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:54:24 -0000

Santa, please bring the Rams better health, and while you're at it, how 'bout some talent?

The St. Louis Rams injury report can't get any worse can it? Oh yes it can, and it has after the brutal beat down administered by the Tennessee Titans and Jeff Fisher's mullet this weekend. The offensive line, already missing starters, took the biggest hit, with LG Jacob Bell suffering a torn hamstring muscle, an injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season.

Yikes. Bell has really stepped up his play this season, and he'll be missed sorely. This might be an easier blow to suffer if Jason Smith were healthy and starting at RT, because that would allow Goldberg, whose a better guard than tackle, to play guard as opposed to being forced to play tackle for Smith. Bell's injury could also have ramifications on the RIchie Incognito situation, which Spagnuolo did not address today citing his desire to talk to the hot headed guard first.

Jason Smith has not taken the neoro test again, so no change in his status yet. The Rams official Twitter feed says the team has all options on the table, including ending the rookie's season to let him recover...not the preferred option, but probably the best.

Linebackers David Vobora and Paris Lenon each had an MRI, but no results yet.

Why does this team consistently deal with so many injuries? This isn't just turf-related stuff either. I continue to be of the mind that because we're so talent deprived, the big names step up, carry more load and suffer the consequences because of the increased exposure. Or maybe we just have really cut rate trainers.

Chris Williams: Left Tackle

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:00:19 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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Sunday saw the long anticipated debut of 2008 first round (#14 overall) draft pick Chris Williams at left tackle for the Bears. He had a chance to play against another member of that draft class, number 2 overall selection to the St. Louis Rams, defensive end Chris Long. Long picked up a sack, but overall, how did Williams fare? I'll try and dissect his game against the Rams and look at why he's a better fit on the left side rather than the right. First up I'll tackle the left side vs. the right...

Number one he's naturally left handed. Something you may not think makes much of a difference, but it's all in their stance. Players that line up on the left side of the offensive line use a left handed stance. The lefty three point stance is the exact opposite of the righty stance most of us that grew up playing football are accustomed to. Years back coaches would simply have players get in which ever three point stance they were most comfortable with. These days many high schools are teaching to change the stance depending on which side of the line you play.

The left handed stance is as follows; feet shoulder width apart, left foot slightly back (usually lined up with the right instep), left hand on the ground, right arm on right thigh. Yes that is Hall Of Fame left tackle Anthony Munoz over there in his left handed three point stance. The point of the left handed stance on the left side is it allows better pass blocking technique. When pass blocking you push off with your inside foot while reaching back with your outside foot. By starting this way your hips are in a better position as you don't have to turn them to get settled into proper pass blocking technique. With the hips in place, and already slightly facing the usually lined up outside pass rusher, you are in better position to deliver the hand punch as well. The less a player has to move to get in position the better.

Number two his athleticism makes him a better fit on the left side. So much emphasis is placed on protecting a right handed quarterbacks blind side, so you want a tackle with quicker feet on the left. The more mauling, road grader type is usually on the right side.

And number three, and most importantly, Williams is more comfortable on the left. At Vanderbilt he was on the left side, last year (when healthy) he was on the left side, and before Orlando Pace was signed this year his reps were on the left side.

When looking at the Rams game in detail, and trying to grade out his performance, keep in mind that I have no idea his exact responsibilities from play to play. Therefore my analysis could be slightly skewed. I made my best guess on his assignments based on my years playing, coaching, and watching football, but unless I'm invited into Halas Hall, I really have no way of knowing for sure. I graded him out using the most basic of grading systems, on every offensive snap I gave him a plus (did his job) or a minus (didn't do his job). When grading him out he ended up with a +46 out of 57 plays. I'm sure he'd be even harder on himself than I was, and I'm sure the coaches were harder on him as well.

I'll give some observations on his overall performance then I'll break down some individual plays.

The good thing is on all the plays I gave him a minus it was due to something that could be fixed through coaching. He was never out classed on any plays, never over powered, just simple youthful mistakes. He'll improve. He did get off balance at times and his hand punch could use some work, but overall it was a solid debut. I didn't see any tenacious aggression from Williams, but that isn't really his game, he more a technique guy that will shield off the defender. One constant throughout the game I picked up on was he didn't stay with his blocks. Most times the play was past him when his guy got off the block (so no harm done), but I'd like to see him lock on the defender til the whistle blows when ever possible. Nothing frustrates a defensive lineman more that a guy that is constantly in your face.

I won't go into every play in detail, but I'll pick out a few of the good and a few of the bad.

Play #1 - The 1st play of the game is a good snapshot of the kind of player Williams is. It had Williams seal the defensive end, James Hall, inside. It was only a two yard gain for Matt Forte, but Williams used good technique to seal his man.

Play #3 - The long pass to Devin Hester saw the Bears keep Greg Olsen in on the left side to help pass protect. They had a double tight formation as Kellen Davis also stayed in to help on the right side. It was a fake counter to Matt Forte (with Frank Omiyale pulling to the right) so Williams had to read the defensive line. Williams first set up as if to block the DE, but when the DE went outside to Olsen he moved in and took the DT which Olin Kreutz passed off to him.

Plays #6-#8 - On 3 consecutive plays on the goal line Williams drove James Hall back into the end zone. On 1st down Hall made the tackle after slipping off the Williams block and because of the slow cut back by Forte (but Williams should have sustained the block). On 2nd down Forte again ran inside but for no gain. Then on 3rd down the Bears ran off left tackle and Forte scored practically untouched.

Play #12 - On 1st and 10 after the long play to Earl Bennett the Bears again passed and the Rams ran a stunt. The DE went inside, and Williams passed him off to Omiyale, then LB James Laurinaitis looped outside and Williams picked him up. Good awareness by Williams.

Play #24 - On a 3rd and 4 Jay Cutler rolled out to his right and Williams only had to cut off his man from backside pursuit, he missed. He tried to reach block him to seal him off but he couldn't get there, he ran with him but couldn't keep up. I think he should have cut him initially or at least got into the defenders legs since it was a hard block to execute. His man had a long chase and never made it to Cutler, but Williams has to find a way to cut him off.

Play #27 - This was the 1st down end around to Devin Hester. Williams looked lost on the play. He immediately went to the 2nd level looking for a LB, but ended up watching LB Paris Lenon run by him and make the tackle on Hester.

Play #29 - This was the sack by Long. Earl Bennett motioned from wide left towards the right and it appeared he was supposed to chip Long before he turned back to the left sideline. Bennett was wide open on the out route, but Cutler had no time. If Williams was expecting the chip it makes sense why he was beat to the outside. Williams set up and looked as if he were expecting Long to come inside, if Bennett hits him it pushes Long to an inside move. Cutler may have snapped the ball a split second too early. Either way Williams can't get beat and should have recognized the missed chip block, a better hand punch would have left him in a better position. (I really liked the design of this play and expect to see Chicago run it this Sunday)

Play #35 - On 1st and 10 they ran Kahlil Bell around the left side for 7 yards, Williams and Olsen executed a combo block on the DE, then after the defender was secured Williams slipped off to block a LB.

Play #51 - This is the 8 yard run by Forte that the FOX crew replayed with a spotlight on Williams. Williams again made a textbook seal block on Long, he didn't drive him back very far, but simply got his hands on Long, moved his feet, and sealed him from the play.

If Williams gets the nod at LT again this week he'll have a different challenge against the Packers and the 3-4 defense. He'll have more reads to make as the Packers will zone blitz from time to time. He'll be matched up with an outside linebacker as much as, if not more than he'll be on a defensive end. It will be a good test for Williams and the Bears offense.

The Monday Morning Microscope: Week 13

DrewsLions — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:22:39 -0000

More photos » by Tony Tribble - AP

13 days ago: Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz yells to his team during the first half of their NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Tony Tribble)

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Okay, so four games have gone by since my last post. Doesn't seem like that long, but it has been. I apologize for my lack of presence on the site lately, but when you take a two week vacation, you then have two weeks worth of work stacked up that you have to dig out of when you return. That sometimes makes vacations not worth taking. What a ridiculous world we live in. Absolutely zero work/life balance out there. Everyone is just work, work, work. Does no one care about their families anymore? Sorry, just venting a little. As you can tell, my initiation back into work the week after my vacation was less than pleasant. And forgive me for complaining, because I know that I am supremely blessed to even have a job in this unforgiving economy, let alone a good job. It's just that with all the happenings of this year that have shaped my life's current perspective, I wish to spend a little more time with my family and a little less time with the triviality of my company's finances... especially around the holidays. Whew... okay, I feel better. Let's say we talk a little football, eh?

Because I'm playing a little catch-up, this week's edition of MMM might be a little longer than usual. I'm not going to go into a ton of detail for any one of the past games, but more or less just sum up where we are as a team at this point in the season and talk about where we need to go from here. I'll finish it up with some specific thoughts about the Bengals game.

With only four weeks left, there are few surprises anymore. The Lions are what they are... a struggling team with lots of holes and a few bright spots to pin future hopes upon. They will most likely lose the remainder of their schedule and be back into familiar territory... competing with the bottom of the NFL's barrel for draft position. I see that the draft has once again become the popular topic of conversation here at POD. You'll have to forgive me for not joining in that one quite yet. For me, at least the regular season and bowl games need to be over before joining the cacophony of useless fun that is mock drafting. I'll say this much though, I believe that the Lions are very much in the running for the number two or three overall pick in the draft. That just might be enough to net us Suh. But back to the season at hand...

Through Week 13, the offense can pretty much be characterized as inconsistent and mostly ineffective. At times, they can take your breath away and at others, they make you scratch your head, wondering if we'll see another first down the entire game. To get in a little more detail, I'll break it down by area:

Quarterback: Well, Matt Stafford single-handedly created one of the most memorable games in Lions history and showed why he was drafted first overall against Cleveland. But that was against Cleveland. He has subsequently stunk it up two games running and showed that he still has a long way to go to become a great quarterback in this league. He has no doubt played hurt the last two weeks and I'm sure that's affected him somewhat, but his decision making has to get better if the Lions are to become contenders. I choose to look at it this way... he's a typical rookie. He's going to make good plays and he's going to make some really bone-headed plays. That's what you get with young players. We've seen it with them all... Pettigrew, Delmas, Levy... all of them. Stafford, as talented as he is, in not immune to the huge learning curve that all rookies who start in this league have to go through. Couple that with a poor offensive line, suspect receivers aside from Calvin and a struggling running game... well, you get the mish-mash performances we've seen from Stafford. Bottom Line: Matt will be fine. He's getting some great experience and if he's really "the one", we will see many of these mistakes start to go away over the course of the 2010 season.
Backs and Receivers: I think we've all learned an inconvenient truth about the Lions' receiving corps... it is once again an area of need heading into the off-season. With as much money as we've thrown at this position in the past, this is a true exercise in frustration. Without Calvin Johnson, the offense just dissolves. The reality is that Calvin gets hurt a little too much for comfort and we must have some reliable talent behind him. That means we have to yet again focus on this position in the draft and free agency. The good news is that, before the season ending injury, Pettigrew really started to blossom. That is one position that appears to be solidified (unless this injury lingers into the 2010 season). I also disagree with all of the fans clamoring for the Lions to use a draft pick on a running back. Kevin Smith has not been great this year, but as shown by his efforts in yesterday's game, he is a hard runner and when given adequate blocking, is shifty enough to be a more than serviceable back in this league. Both Brown and Morris are valuable back-ups and add to the offensive versatility. Bottom Line: One of the more important acquisitions for the coming off-season is a complementary wideout opposite Calvin. They must find this player next year, both for the development of Calvin and Matt and for the progress of the offense as a whole. With better blocking, the running backs in our stable should be more than sufficient.

Offensive Line: The most disappointing and biggest problem on our offensive line right now is Gosder Cherilus. We all know that the Lions need a big-time upgrade at left guard... that's a given. In my mind, at some point between the second and fourth round, the Lions must take an offensive lineman. The problem is that Cherilus' poor play throws a massive wrench in the gears of the Lions' long term strategy here. Do the Lions take a guard or will they have to take a tackle to replace Cherilus? Can they move Cherilus to left guard and draft a good young right tackle? If so, how will his play translate to guard and will he simply be the next useless player in the revolving door at that position? See... he creates a pickle for the front office. We were supposed to be able to forget about the right tackle position for the next twelve years, yet here we are once again... questioning the ability of a Millen-drafted first round pick. Forget about even attempting to replace Backus or Raiola. We NEED them. How's that for a cold prickly? Bottom Line: The coaching staff needs to determine if Cherilus still has enough potential to waste time with him at right tackle. He is so inconsistent - will it end at some point... who knows? At the very least, the Lions' need to draft a guard. But is that enough? In my opinion, they need another tackle. I'd try Cherilus at left guard and draft a new right tackle that has the ability to move to left in a few years to replace Backus. Anyway you slice it, the line has not played well consistently and something has to be done. Finding a working combination of players will be the biggest off-season challenge for the front office offensively.

As weak as this defense is roster-wise, I think they've played surprisingly well at times. There just isn't enough talent to fend off opposing offenses if our own offense can't score a lot of points. This gives me hope that with sufficient talent, Schwartz and Cunningham can put together a defense worth fearing. I'll break the defense down by area as well:

Defensive Line: One word... ineffective. Much more so against the pass than the rush, but we cannot expect to get pressure against any team in the league with any combination of four players on our current roster. There's simply not enough talent. I wish there was an elite pass rusher at the top of the draft this year. I know we are all salivating over Suh and there is no doubt he would be a valuable addition to the Lions, but an elite pass rusher is probably the biggest need on the entire roster. It would fix so many problems. The defensive line and secondary have a cause and effect relationship. The defensive line pressure, or lack thereof, causes the quarterback to either be rushed or to have time. That effects the play of the secondary and how much time they are asked to cover. Our line gives the quarterback all day, which causes the virtually talent-less secondary to have to cover much longer than they are capable. Bottom Line: This year can be scrapped for our defensive line. No one capable of coming close to double-digit sacks is on this roster. Unless they can find that guy in the later rounds of the draft, I'm not sure where the upgrade is going to come from next year. Maybe free agency... ala, Aaron Kampman or someone like that? Either way, this has me very nervous.
Linebackers: I think most of us agreed before the season that this was going to easily be the strength of the entire team and we were right. Really, we have five good linebackers on this team. Foote and Peterson are solid, not spectacular players that have been one of the big reasons why the defense has played well at times. Regardless of ranking last in a lot of defensive passing categories, there is no denying that this group has played better this year than last. We've had many more stops on third downs, tackling has been good at times and play against the run has definitely improved. Now, this is all relative to what the Lions were a year ago, but progress is progress. The key decision heading into the off-season will be what to do with Ernie Sims. It should be a no-brainer to try to resign both Foote and Peterson in my opinion. I think it would be a step backwards not to try. For once, there is an area of our team that we shouldn't have to worry about going into next year. Bottom Line: Although Peterson and Levy started slow, both have joined Foote as quality additions to our defense. I believe that we should hold on to all five linebackers next year (Peterson, Foote, Sims, Levy and Dizon) and allow the front office to focus elsewhere. Even though they can't be considered the best corps in the league, they are a vast improvement over what we've had in the recent past. Paris Lenon anyone?
Defensive Secondary: Ugh... where to start? Well, Delmas was a home run hit in the second round for Mayhew. Anyone want to argue that? Didn't think so. Beyond that? Nothing. Not sure if there is anyone even worth keeping for next year besides Ko Simpson. James? Maybe as a nickel. Buchanon? Played well sporadically, but we know that he is nowhere close to a great player. Henry? Even the interception yesterday doesn't help mask the fact that he's pretty much washed up. We know by this point in the season what our secondary is... the worst in the league. It's going to be hard to find a good starting corner in the upcoming draft, too. That is disheartening. Hopefully, Mayhew can work his magic and find a late round gem. This is a passing league and if we can't cover or get pressure, we can't compete. The front office has its work cut out trying to piece together a foundation that will be able to dramatically increase production in the secondary next year. Bottom Line: Aside from Delmas and Simpson, they will basically have to start over in the secondary. Our foundation should have been on guys like Keith Smith, A.J. Davis, Gerald Alexander, Daniel Bullocks and Stanley Wilson. What a shame. It's just too much to do in a year. The more I look at it, the more it looks like it might take two more drafts to put this secondary together.

Quick note on Special Teams: I don't believe I've ever written anything negative about Jason Hanson, but I'm about to. His kickoffs are getting shorter and shorter each game. With poor special teams play to begin with, the opponent's returner fielding the ball between the 10 and 20 is not acceptable. For the first time, I believe his age is showing and affecting his kicking power and subsequently, his distance. As for Nick Harris... I believe he's having one of his most inconsistent seasons. For every two good punts, it seems like he's having a horrible one. That's not good. We might have to replace both of these iconic players soon if these trends continue. How do you guys feel about this?

Thoughts About the Bengals Game:

As usual, I'll start with Stafford's performance. In a nutshell, it was another sketchy outing by the rookie. The big TD pass to Johnson was a thing of beauty, but that's where the love affair ends. He seemed okay at the start of the game, but during one of the many hits he took, he re-aggravated that shoulder and it seemed to affect him the remainder of the game. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it might be time to sit him for a game and let that shoulder recuperate. I want him to have as many opportunities as possible to get valuable experience, but if that experience is hampered by injury, then it's time to sit him down.
Kevin Smith had a fantastic game yesterday. Yeah, maybe the numbers don't say "fantastic", but in my opinion, it was his best performance of the year. He ran hard and with purpose. He showed his ability to be shifty, nimble and powerful at the same time. He made quicker decisions and made a few cuts that gave me goosebumps. He needed that game, because he's a good back and has taken a lot of heat for the ineffective play of the line.
Speaking of offensive line... Gosder had another horrible game yesterday. I forgot to DVR it, so I can't watch it back to see how bad it really was, but I spent a fair amount of time cursing his play yesterday. I thought that the interior, with Gandy and Ramirez, held up fairly well... especially against the run. The blitzing is where the Lions fell apart and part of that was on Stafford to get the ball out quicker. All-in-all, not the worst day for the Lions' O-line... which still isn't saying much.
Defensively, it was a decent performance. The Bengals by no means blew out Detroit. We stopped them on several key third downs, forced turnovers and pretty much kept them in check for most of the game. The offense was the real problem yesterday. I think Cunningham and Schwartz have really made the best of this unit. I think the scheme is sound, but the talent is what is missing. Like I've said before, I believe wholeheartedly that once the talent is in place, Schwartz will give Detroit an outstanding defense.

So, there's four games left in the season. Any winnable? Maybe the Bears game at home. Does it matter? Not really. We will have another 10+ loss season written down in the annuls of Lions history and another top 5 draft pick on the way to further destroy our salary cap. For me, this season is and continues to be about the progression of the young talent. More and more, it looks like - realistically - that we will be waiting until 2011 to really be able to compete in this league. There are simply too many holes to repair in the upcoming off-season. That's a discouraging thought, but the front office does appear to have a plan in place and another two drafts like 2009 and we will be an up-and-coming powerhouse in this league. Unfortunately when you are building a team, the last thing to come is the wins.

Go Lions!

Rams going with a QB, DE and OLB in early mock draft

VanRam — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:20:41 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

"Oh, can I feel them?" USC defensive end Everson Griffen

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Who's ready for a mock draft? I thought so. With the St. Louis Rams sitting at 1-10, it's a great time to take a look at some of the mock drafts out there and start getting some fodder for discussion.

Browsing around Walter Football this morning looking at prospect rankings, I checked out their mock draft, which was last updated today. Their mock has the Rams addressing three key needs through the first three rounds. Given the success of the first three round picks in 2009, it's an encouraging sight to see. (Of course Bradley Fletcher, er, I mean Fletcher Bradley has had an injury derail his season). Alright, here are the Rams first three picks from Walter Football:

Round 1, #3: Jake Locker, QB, Washington

Marc Bulger suffers a season-ending injury the week after Peter Petrelli loses his healing abilities... coincidence? Probably.

It'll be shocking if Bulger is back in 2010, and Kyle Boller certainly isn't the answer. The Rams need a franchise quarterback. The question is which guy they'll select.

If Jimmy Clausen is off the board, Jake Locker will be the guy; he has moved ahead of Sam Bradford in the wake of Bradford's multiple shoulder injuries.

Round 2, #34: Everson Griffen, DE, USC

Aside from Chris Long, all of the Rams defensive ends will be free agents in March. St. Louis needs to get more than 18 sacks on opposing quarterbacks anyhow.

Round 3, #65: Roddrick Muckelroy, OLB, Texas

The Rams traded Will Witherspoon to the Eagles, so their current starting weakside linebacker is Paris Lenon. It doesn't get much worse than that.

Full disclosure, I don't know much about Muckelroy at all. Aside from that tiny little detail, I like this draft. The one thing you could make a case for is throwing a WR in the mix, maybe Brandon LaFell from LSU, who they have going in the second round. Of course, in a year deep with DL talent, getting Griffen in the second round is hardly a bad deal. This approach would necessitate some important moves in free agency, most notably signing a DT and a WR.

What do you think about these picks? Is this a reasonable route to pursue for the Rams? If it shook out like this in April, would you be disappointed?

Rams run defense missing Will Witherspoon?

VanRam — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:13:30 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

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The St. Louis Rams run defense is taking a beating this week on the field and in the media. Today's Post-Dispatch features an article discussing the run defense, or lack thereof, in the Rams most recent loss. In that piece Spagnuolo says it's not the scheme, but stops short of pointing to a specific issue. Yesterday, PD columnist Bernie Miklasz had another change of heart about the Rams and asked, "is there any acceptable rationalization for the Rams' pitiful run defense?"

Well, actually, there is an explanation, but it's not one the head coach can publicly pronounce without incurring a locker room mutiny and it's not related to the effort of the team as Bernie suggests. The explanation: the Rams lack talent at outside linebacker and defensive tackle. It's as simple as that. For this post, I want to get into the OLB issue, specifically, the loss of Will Witherspoon, something I think has had a pretty substantial impact on the Rams ability to stop opposing rushers.

The Rams traded Witherspoon after week six, and have now played five games without him at OLB. When the move was made, lots of people, myself included, saw the long-term benefits of the move and thought that the Spoon had been relatively quiet. In those five games without Witherspoon, it's looking more and more like the Rams miss his services. Check out these stats:

	Total rush yards	YPG	YPC
Weeks 1-6	795	132.5	4.28
Weeks 7-12	839	167.8	5.68

First of all, it's worth noting that the Rams run defense was hardly elite in the six games before the Witherspoon trade. However, they had shown some real progress limiting San Francisco and Minnesota to less than 100 yards on the ground in weeks 4 and 5. In week 6, Jones-Drew gouged them for 133 yards of Jacksonville's total rushing output of 166 yards. Since week seven, the Rams run defense has, well, gone down hill. Even the lowly Lions ran for a total of 127 yards in the Rams only win of the season.

I think what's happening to the run defense, in part, is due to teams making an effort to take Laurinaitis out of plays and not have to worry about the backups playing OLB. Witherspoon may not have had the tackles that Laurinaitis had to that point in the season, but opponents had to account for both players, especially the known commodity in Witherspoon. Nothing personal Paris Lenon, but it's just not the same.

Of course, that's not the only factor at play here. The defensive line still stinks, etc. But I don't think you can discount the impact of losing Witherspoon. The numbers certainly lend some credibility to that notion.

Thinking long term, the decision to trade Witherspoon isn't necessarily a bad one. Spagnuolo has a documented approach for making good linebackers out of guys who aren't among the top tier at their position, i.e. the kind of guys that would command the big free agent contracts. Right now, though, the Rams are trying to make it work with role players, deferring the acquisition of "their guys" for next season. Good decision or bad, that remains to be seen. Right now it means some suffering on Sundays, and that's really driving the criticism and making it tough for even the true believers to see something positive on the horizon.

Rams VP Kevin Demoff covers the cap, free agency, TST and more in his chat today.

VanRam — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:22:34 -0000

by Carlos Osorio - AP

The St. Louis Rams would like to see safety Oshiomogho Atowgwe in their future.

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St. Louis Rams VP of Football Operations and COO Kevin Demoff held a live chat with fans today. Some highlights, with comment:

If there is a salary cap in 2010, the Rams will be approximately 35m under the salary, which would be the third most room under the cap in the NFL. There has been some pain this year, but the salary cap should not be the driving force behind any personnel decisions moving forward. This year, we were forced to create a dollar of salary cap room for every dollar of salary cap room spent. That meant making difficult decisions with some talented players, but we made the decisions that we thought were best for the long-term future of this organization.

Though I don't believe there will be a cap, having $35 million worth of space under the cap is great news. It means that the Rams can really make some strides to fill the big holes on the roster, without having to choose between one position at the expense of the other in the draft. Of course, if it is an upcapped year that means...

However, if 2010 is uncapped, there will be a limited free agent pool consisting of players with 6 years or more of experience. That will make it harder to sign young, talented players in free agency, the type of player every team wants in free agency. As a result, in an uncapped year, the draft will be paramount, which is one of the reasons we are trying to stockpile picks in the 2010 draft.

I don't know what his definition of stockpiling is, but so far the Rams have added a 5th round pick from the Eagles in the Witherspoon trade and a 7th round pick from the Falcons in the Tye Hill trade. Those could be packaged to move up in other rounds, of course. I don't know that they'll have much in the way of compensatory picks, since they really didn't lose many free agents of note.

Which players are up for free agency this year? It depends on the cap situation. Here's the list from Demoff:

...eight players...[that] would normally be Unrestricted Free Agents in 2010 who will be Restricted Free Agents in 2010 if there is no salary cap. Those players are as follows: Victor Adeyanju, OJ Atogwe, Alex Barron, Samkon Gado, Gary Gibson, Richie Incognito, Ruvell Martin, Mark Setterstrom. We would have the right to "tender" all of those players as RFA's. There are 6 players who will be UFA's no matter what the cap situation is: Kyle Boller, James Hall, Paris Lenon, Leonard Little, Chris Massey, Randy McMichael.

We'll talk plenty more about these guys down the road. For now, I'd say you can count on the Rams making an effort to hang onto Atogwe, Gibson, Incognito, Setterstrom, and some combination of Hall and Little. Those last two guys will surely be considering retirement, though they could still be useful as part timers.

The highlight of the chat...a TST shout out from Demoff. Check it out:

I couldn't let the good guys at TurfShowTimes go unrewarded for their drive to send in questions for this chat.

Hell yeah! Anyway, he answered our question about re-signing Atogwe, and it sounds like the team plans to keep him in the picture for the future.

Alright, go read the whole thing. It's pretty informative.

Rams going with blue-collar outside linebackers

VanRam — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:17:40 -0000

Over at his NFC West blog, Mike Sando talks to Matt Williams from Scouts, Inc. about some of the issues surrounding the St. Louis Rams rebuild.

One of the things I found particularly interesting about it is Williams' take on Spagnuolo's approach to the defense. Here's a pretty elightening statement about Spag's history with linebacker and DLs in light of yesterday's Witherspoon trade:

If you look at the Giants' defenses, they never had a lot of money tied into linebackers. They were fourth- and fifth-round picks, journeymen. I don’t disagree with that, especially running a 4-3. That is the place you can get bargains. It wouldn't shock me if they took that money and got a killer defensive end, using the Giants' formula of, 'Let's beat your tail up front with our defensive line.' "

If they harvest a bunch of defensive linemen, I'm cool with that. It's a terrific formula. Defensive linemen are gold. I tend to think Steve Spagnuolo thinks that as well.

He's referring to getting a DE with the $6 million or so of cap space that Witherspoon would have cost the Rams in 2010. It would certainly seem that strategy is at play with Spags and Co. this season, since they've now jettisoned the Rams two most experienced and costly starting LBs in trading Witherspoon and releasing Pisa Tinoisamoa in the spring.

The Rams are using a journeyman in Paris Lenon this season, a seventh-round pick in David Vobora (once he returns after this week) and another seventh-round pick in Larry Grant to complement keystone MLB James Laurinaitis.

Rams trade Will Witherspoon to the Eagles

VanRam — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:51:10 -0000

More photos » by Bradley C Bower - AP

The St. Louis Rams acquired WR Brandon Gibson from the Eagles today.

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The St. Louis Rams made a big move at the NFL trade deadline, sending one of their top linebackers to the Philadelphia Eagles for a much-needed wide receiver and a 2010 draft pick.

Since coming to the Rams in 2006, LB Will Witherspoon had been miscast as the team's middle linebacker. This season, he was moved back to the weakside to take advantage of his speed and athleticism. The Rams linebackers have been much better this season thanks in part to the decision to move Witherspoon and the emergence of 2009 second round pick James Laurinaitis, the team's first true MLB since London Fletcher. Ironically enough, it sounds like the Eagles will move Spoon to the middle.

In exchange for Witherspoon the Rams get WR Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick in the 2010 draft. It sounds like Gibson is not without talent. By all accounts he's said to have a great work ethic and dedicated to his team, i.e. he meets the "four pillars." To me, he seems like a decent enough complement to Avery's deep speed and Amendola in the slot. Could Gibson be the Laurent Robinson replacement the Rams need? He was a sixth round pick in this year's draft. I can't imagine that he won't suit up with the receiver depleted Rams.

I'm shocked by this move. Witherspoon has been among the Rams better defensive players in recent seasons. Of course, for a defense that's set records for their ineptness, that means nothing. Witherspoon will be 30 next season, and the Rams don't have many players left on the roster over 30, an intentional move on the part of the team's leadership. This leaves a hole on defense right now. Paris Lenon most likely takes over on the weakside once David Vobora returns after this week's game against the Colts.

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NFL Week 4: Early game open thread

VanRam — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:12:12 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Larry Grant in preseason action.

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There's a bevy of early games to keep us occupied. Only one NFC West team is playing early; Seattle at Indy...Go Indy!

Is there a game Monday...oh wait.

As far as injuries for our game, no updates yet. It sounds like they're not counting on Bartell to start. Barron sounds good to go. And no word as to whether it will be Paris Lenon or Larry Grant at SLB. Who would you prefer?

I like Grant for the rushing ability we saw some in the preseason, but is that realistic for today?

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth: Random Ramsdom 9/16

kevinramsfan — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:30:14 -0000

Last week was generally a flop for me in terms of football. I made the trip to Athens, Ga. to see my Gamecocks lose a heart breaker between the hedges...Only to return home in time to see the Seahawks beat the Rams for the 9th time in a row. It doesn't get any easier for the Rams this week, with a return trip to Washington, D.C. Alas, I won't be able to make it to the game in our nation's capital this year, but I went last year and do recommend the trip. Anyway, enough about me, time for some Ramsdom.

Jeff Gordon from the PD on the same old, same old.

The Rams have added two new players, former NFC North residents Ruvell Martin and Paris Lenon. Yawn.

Interesting round table discussion about James Laurinaitis's week one performance and his potential value to the franchise. I must say I was very excited to see the former Buckeye drop all the way into our lap in the second round this year, and remain optimistic. What he lacked in coverage skills and reaction time he made up for in toughness and intelligence, not to mention production - he is the team's leading tackler. He'll improve his quickness and coverage as the year goes on and gets up to NFL speed. It's only week one, but I think Laurinaitis has the ablity to grab the defense by the horns (no pun intended) and be the leader it's lacked for some time.

A nice piece from The Oregonian on the NFL's 2008 Mr. Irrelevant and new starting linebacker for the St. Louis Rams, David Vobora. He too showed potential, at least for someone who was picked last in the draft. If he continues to play hard and limit mistakes I think he'll remain in the starting lineup.

Mike Sando says Spags has control of the sideline. Steve Korte says Spags is pushing forward. That's great. But I'd settle for a win. Just one. Please?

The Redskins are 0-1, after losing to a hated division rival, just like us. Thing is, they play in the best division in the NFC. The Washington Post on why the 'Skins will be ready to get back on track against the Lambs.

The Rams open up today at -10 against Washington.

A happy Wednesday to all. Go Rams!