First, in my everlasting and fruitless desire to want to be loved and respected, I want to go on the record by saying I really get a kick out of Kenny Mayne the person and ESPN anchor.  That being said, I think Kenny needs to work a little on the whole "author" thing.  An Incomplete and Inaccurate History of Sport  is Kenny Mayne's first stab at writing a book.  The title says it all and it's not necessarily a good thing.  Mayne's straight faced deliveries, dry wit, and stream-of-consciousness diatribes are what made him the sports/entertainment personality he is today, and for the most part, it has rewarded him with a very nice career.  The problem is that his style holds up and translates smoother in 30 second increments with various interruptions from other anchors and commercials.  When reading his book, that same style can seem to drone on endlessly and become quite tiring.  Mayne, himself, refers to his publishing as "not quite a book" as much as it is a "coaster" for a coffee table.  He constantly downplays his own efforts in creating the book and chides the reader for even trying to follow along.  Sadly, the reader (me) ends up agreeing with him and finds it difficult picking it up at times just to get through it.  The book isn't all bad, though.  When Mayne drops the "schtick" and starts writing from the heart about various topics close to him like his children, family, and exploits as an athlete and reporter, the reader becomes engulfed in some pretty amazing stories.  If I was Mayne's editor, I would have had him write nothing but his life and various athletes and personalities he has come across.  Mayne adds a nice touch in the book by offering "illustrations" by his two young daughters.  They are both touching and comical.  As a whole, the book falls way short of it's $24.95 asking price.  In the spirit of Kenny Mayne, I would toss him a ten($) and tell him to start again.

As all of you know, Jake Long swims with the Phishes.  And that's a good thing.  Now we are left with the proverbial #1 spot.  Besides drafting C. Long, Dorsey, or Gholson. I think all 3 would be more than satisfactory if we stayed put and just fired away.  However... we have a chance to possibly get any one of these three and STILL accumulate great quantity and value on the ole draft board.  
                                                      It's time to look at trade partners. (Let's keep in mind that we are using the standard "draft value guide" that almost every organization incorporates when it comes to evaluating a possible transaction.)

As I look at trades that involve nothing but picks, only two teams stand out:  Atl. and K.C.

In terms of pure numbers matching up, Atl. would have to trade #3 and #48 to get our pick.

K.C. would have to trade #5, #35, and #66 to get there.

Oak., NYJets, and N.O. could trade their entire drafts and still not match up.  This leads me to think of some roster players that would make it work.

Oak:  #4, #104, and Fabian Washington CB (or) #4 and Derrick Burgess DE

NYJets: #6, #36, and Shaun Ellis DE    or
        #6, and Kerry Rhodes S         or
        #6, #67 and Justin Miller CB or DeWayne Robertson DT

N.O.    #10 and Will Smith DE
        #10 and Charles Grant DE
        #10, #40, and Robert Meacham WR

Logic abided, these seem to the choices we face.  If I had my pick.  I would do business with ATL. and get #3 and #48 or I would do business with N.O. and get #10 and Will Smith DE.  What do you think?

According to the St.L Post Dispatch, Fakhir Brown will be allowed to play for the Rams in '08.  Holy (Non)Smokes! Let the parade begin.  Fakhir is here.  Now we don't have to blow a high pick on corner because Brown stayed off the trees.  Between the uni block and schedule from hell, this is the first bit of good news from Ram's camp in a while.

[editor's note, by VanRam]Say what you will about us here at TST, but, dammnit, we think big AND outside of the box, outside the big box even. I love this draft scenario from AmpLee. It probably isn't the most likely scenario, but truthfully it's not at all the most far fetched - remember the Steven Jackson to Dallas trade rumors? Feel free to post draft scenarios in the diaries; we'll make sure the best ones get seen. (I'm going to go ahead and call them fanposts like at the new SBN sites. NFL fans just don't have diaries, do they?) Enjoy. More draft talk to come soon.

As the schedule's come out and the draft nears, we, Fans of the Ram, might have our most enjoyable time on April 26-27 during the entire 08 season.  This team is SCA-RUUUUUDE for next year when Roger G. and the rest of the NFL brass decided to piss on poor Georgia's grave and hand us an opening two months that would have made the 07 Patriots go 5-3.  So if you're in control at Ram's Park and you are well aware of the circumstances, why not trade your ass off for the future and to give the Fans of the Ram a little hope down the line.

Of course we don't have any idea if these teams will take us up on it, but, in my bloggadiary, THEY WILL!

Let's get down to business.  After Jake Long signs a huge deal with the Dolphins at #1 and every other colluted owner in the league snickers to themselves because Parcells fat-ass has to pay the piper, Jerry Jones can't take it anymore and comes bursting into the Rams War Room screaming, "I can't take it anymore! Just give me the fucking second pick!!!" The Ram's oblige by trading #2 for #22, #28, #61, #92. (Remember, JJ and the Boys aren't that far away from a title.  It may seem steep, but if JJ thinks they're just a superstar away, JJ will pay.  This possible Adam Jones is a good sign of things to come.)

Cool.  "Well, let's get goin'!" you say.  Ah, ah, AH!  Not yet.  After the Falcon's pick Glenn Dorsey, they will be very chipper.  Arthur Blank will feel a little left out because he wants a QB.  Don't worry, Arthur!  The Rams will let you draft Brohm, or Flacco, or Henne, or whoever the hell you want at #22!  Just give us #34, #48, and #103 and you got it, Pappa!  Arthur can't believe his good fortune of being able to pick up a franchise DT AND QB and bites hard.

"Dude!", you say, "We're trading all of our good picks away!"  Not so fast.  This draft is a very deep draft for starter caliber defensive players and offensive tackles.  Quote-unquote GOOD PICKS are all over this be-yatch throughout the first four rounds.  And by the way, we just parlayed the #2 over all pick into #28, #34, #48, #61, #92, and #103.  That doesn't even count the ones we already have at #33, #65, and #101.  So let's lump them all together and have some fun.

#28  Gosder Cherilus (OT)
#33  Quentin Groves  (DE/OLB)
#34  Dan Connor    (MLB)
#48  Brandon Flowers (CB)
#61  Earl Bennet     (WR)
#65  Cliff Avril     (DE/OLB)
#92  Red Bryant     (DT)
#101 Kevin Smith     (RB)
#103 Wesley Woodyard (SS/OLB)

That's just the first four rounds.  Once again, this is entirely possible.  The Rams just need to keep a stiff upper lip, slow play, and then pounce.  Remember, next year will be painful.  This is for the real future.
 

This comes as a strange diary entry but I feel we need a little good karma after seeing the way this free agency period has gone so far and focus on what's really important.  He has appeared on a couple of news blurps once in awhile and he gets a mention here and there but I don't think people know how good of a guy Chris Draft (OLB) is.  You can't begin to imagine the amount of charities and community service this fella' does for St. Louis.  Ever since he signed a contract with the Rams he has been EVERYWHERE helping out folks from young to old in an astonishing short period of time.  Maybe becasue he isn't a starter or whatever the reason I don't think he gets mentioned enough.  Professional sports has been taking one hell of a justifiable beating lately through HGH, steriods, gambling, spying, and lockouts.  All we hear about are egocentric fuckwads like Bonds and Clemens.  I am so sick of it and I just want it to go away.  I'm soapboxing and I'm pretty pissed at myself right now for doing so.  I don't expect everyone to agree with me and they have that right.  All I'm trying to say is that when I look all over the net for even the tiniest sliver of new Rams info, all I see is this guy Chris Draft taking most all of his personal time inhis own life to make soooo many different other lives better.  He's a great guy who uses his status to help and encourage others and that makes me admire the man so very much.  I needed to get that off my chest.  Thanks for reading.

I am honored to have VanRam post my diary as the main blog for the topic of conversation.  Class move.  I hope I am not stepping on any toes by posting any more but I am in full throttle for a deep draft that could change the Rams outlook for YEARS. The last 4-5 years have been so dismal as a fan that the offseason has become my favorite time.

The defensive line has probably been the most underacheiving area on the St. Louis Rams since they moved here.  We had some good years during the Greatest Show Era but it is a lot easier to rush the passer when you know they have to play catch up the entire game.  

Besides 99-01, maybe a little in 03, can you think of any Ram team that got persistent pressure during a season?  We're talking New York Giants 07 type pressure.  I can't and it infuriates me everytime I watch this team play.  To be honest, we could pretty much run the same players outside of a better D-Line and be amazingly better.

I know that we have some Chavous haters (I have been a member) and our linebackers play a little small, but, if you really think about it, this team is geared to swarm and attack pending a killer D-Line.

Thanks to great draft position, we can really do some things to shore up the D-Line starting with overall pick number 2.

The only way I would trade this pick is if we could stay in the top 5 or 6 and get an additional second rounder or multiple third anf fourth rounders. Al Davis has been dead for years so maybe I would call the Raiders first and try to challenge their manhood into making a stupid mistake.

If we stay at #2 then we are sitting in a sweet spot.  We will have a choice of these three in my preferential order:  Dorsey, Long, Ellis

Dorsey and Long are both winners with special skills, high motors and higher character.  No brainers.

Ellis apparently took on the entire 11 on the other side of the ball and won during Senior Bowl week. Coaches and prognosticators are going flat out batshit for this guy right now.  My biggest problem with Ellis is that he plays Clifton Ryan's postion at true NT.  Ryan was the steal of our draft last year and he is only going to get better  with his rookie season out the way.  Plus, I have problems with guys who turn it on late for the cameras and scouts.  

Dorsey turned it on all year and then played his BEST game on the biggest stage.  He's a winner and we need winners.  The same goes for Howie's boy.  You know he will give it his all every play.  It makes it sooo much easier on coaches to not have to babysit (I'm talking to you Wroten!).

So let's look at what we have on our roster:

LDE Little: Getting older but a better supporting cast could make a world of difference. We might even cut him.  Until the front office has a plan, I don't know, guys.  He's a proven player.

LDE: Adeyanju: Decent motor and solid against the run.  A good role player.

LDE: T. Johnson: Meh, shouldn't be here.

NT: Carriker:  A very solid player for years to come. A core piece.

NT: Ryan: Ditto.  A great find.

UT: Glover:  His last year.  With plenty of rest and fewer reps he proved that he's still got some.

UT: Wroten: Goodbye, motherfucker.  You and Claude Terrel and Dominique Byrd are just coach killers.  I would be shocked and pissed if you or Byrdcrap stuck.

RDE: James Hall: What a bad year.  His bumbling against Romo summed up his play this year. I don't know his cap hit is, but, if he stays, he should be backing up whoever else comes in.

RDE: E. Moore: See (above) Trevor Johnson.

As I see it there are 5 keepers:  Little, Glover, Carriker, Ryan, and Adeyanju.  Hall is on the bubble.

Carriker's versatilty helps a great deal being a NT and a DE.

Possible Free Agents (realistic shots): Jared Allen, Justin Smith, Terrel Suggs, Corey Williams

Although Jared Allen would make me throw a kegger,  it won't happen.  Let's say Justin Smith for the purpose of keepin' it real, yo.

That leaves us with a spot or 2 to shore up in the draft.

Let's say we get Dorsey.  It is a very real possibilty.  He plays Glover's position and he would make an immediate impact.

Projected starters:

LDE Little          Res. Adeyanju
UT  Dorsey          Res. Glover
NT  Carriker        Res. Ryan
RDE Smith           Res. Hall

I HAVE to think these guys could do exponentially better than any line we've had before and it is quite a possibility.

Your thoughts?

[editor's note, by VanRam]I've bumped this diary to get our morning started off with a little discussion of the O-line outlook for next season...and beyond. This afternoon position reviews/looks ahead kick off with running backs. It's not as simple of a picture as you might imagine for the Rams. Also, some Rams-related Super Bowl trivia coming as well. --VanRam

After the disastrous 07 season, the Rams have got to take some serious inventory when dealing with the depth and future stocking of the O-Line. In my opinion, the Rams should really stock up on both lines for this draft.  Even if we did nothing at all to retool our offensive skill positions I think we'd be very good with a solid O-Line.  Let's look at what we have:

Orlando Pace LT : Let's hope Orlando can stay healthy (a big hope) and we'd be fine at LT for 08

Todd Stussie LT/RT : Good bye.  Too old.

Mark Setterstrom LG:  I think he's a danm good player.  Keep him healthy and he'll be there for a long time.

Andy McCollum C:  Happy Retirement, Doughnut Bro.  We'll miss you.

Brett Romberg C: He'd be okay as a backup.  Nothing more.

Richie Incognito RG: After much deliberation, this year will be it for this dude.  He's got to A) Stay healthy the entire season and B) Stay away from stupid ass penalties.  If he can't do both, then farewell.  He just fits into the category of countless athletes who have all the talent in the world but they are too damn stupid to have an amazing career.  Last strike year, Richie.

Alex Barron RT: Mister Snooze.  Wake up or walk, pal.  Another player with a last strike year.

Milford Brown RG/RT/LT/RG/C: In an ideal season, Milford word be great to have as insurance for a series or game or two.  As a starter.....I don't know.  Great backup, but.....

Brandon Gorin RT: Apparently he started in a Super Bowl for New England.  What happened?  I guess he'd be okay for a backup, but, seriously, what happened between then and now?

Nick Leckey, Mark LeVoir, Rob Petitti: Thanks for trying to help out. You guys can go back to AutoZone or bouncing at nightclubs or wherever the hell you guys came from. Yes, you can keep all the jerseys and towels you want.

Bewtween injury concerns and character issues we DO NOT HAVE ONE reliable O-lineman for next year.  After reading this list I am shocked we won 3 games.  

Can this be fixed in an offseason?  Man, I don't know....  Let's look at who we'll keep (or should keep)to start:

Pace, Setterstrom, Incognito, Barron

Backups:

Brown, Romberg (?), and...wow...

So we have to fill AT LEAST one starter and 3 to 4 backup positions.  

On the free agent market Faneca is the wet dream, Lilja is the night boner, and Ruben Brown is the boob flash of interior lineman.  Anyone of these guys would be an upgrade over what we have.

So that leaves us with Tackle and Center.  Thankfully, this draft has some doozies for tackles.  I am not big on Jake Long.  I think we should go defense on our first pick. I think there will be amazing quality on our second pick for tackle.

As far as center goes, we have 4 options: A) Go with Romberg and pray. B) Slide Incognito in, pray harder and sign one of the aforementioned guards. C) Draft a the best center possible with our third pick. D) Hope Dustin Fry spent his offseason in Siberia training like Rocky.

To be honest, I don't know what the hell this organizaiton would do.  Who does?

Here's my starters and reserves to make us compete in 08:

LT Pace                 Res. LT Carl Nicks (Neb.)
LG Faneca               Res. LG Incognito
C  Steve Justice (Wake) Res. C Romberg or Fry
RG Setterstrom          Res. Brown
RT Barron               Res. Nicks or Brown

Your thoughts?