Ok, I am not going to post another gem about our inept front office and coaching staff, because I feel that I may be beating a dead horse.  At this point we know that most of the things I have written and commented on have come to fruition and that it is time to touch on a possible solution. 

Hey Sammmy!  It might be time to claim the Stl/soon to be LA Rams as your team.  Your body language reeks of defeat and of someone standing over your shoulder saying "don't call anyone out, you also make mistakes".  My advise to you would be to take this team over.  Spags will not be here after this season nor should Devaney, so now is the time.  The cards are laid out perfectly.  If the coaching staff doesn't want to motivate YOUR offense, then it is up to you to do so.  Look to your forefathers for inspiration (Marino, Manning, Steve Young, Favre, Warner to name a few) and you will notice one very common factor.  Leadership to the enth degree!  Marino would send his receivers off of the field after a drop and sometimes tell Schula off after, Manning has been in some physical altercations with his line and receivers, Warner often screamed at Bruce and Holt for not giving their best. 

This is the fire that you have to display!  Fuck the "Four Pillars".  Not one great team has been founded on "virtue and kindness".  This is pro football for god's sake!  Laurence Taylor was/is a SOB, Rodney Harrison was a dirty SOB and Ronnie Lott would have been fined his entire contract for head hunting. Of course I shouldn't leave Nate Newton and Michael Irvin out either.  The "four pillars" should crumble the first time you get in the face of Brandon Gibson and tell him, he shouldn't have a spot on this roster or tell Jackson he missed his block and cost the team.  This is your team!  Jackson has is nearing the end of a great career and means nothing to the success of this offense, very obviously (almost 1,400 yrds in 09' = 1-15). 

You are a starting QB in the NFL and one with ALLl of the tools to be a star.  You face and will increasingly face the most criticism for our offensive ineptitude. It's time to take the reigns and show the NFL that there is a reason you went #1 overall and that most teams wanted to draft you.  You are Sam Bradford, QB of the Rams.  You can control and dictate your offense! Start sending players off of the field when they drop a pass, get in your lineman's faces when they miss a block, tell Jackson he needs to stop dancing before he hits the line.  F' Spags, let him lose his job while you become a leader.  I want to see wide open eyes, cleats digging in before a collision and a Bradford lead Rams victory after the bye.  78 million dollars for the 30th ranked QB in the NFL.  You have got to be kidding.

Bradford should read "Invictus" before every game! 

Hey homers!  Just thought I would post a realistic outlook for our team before all of the "optimists" or as like to call them "fictional writers" begin to chime in with their "this is what we did well" bull pucky.  I guess I will start with our coaching staff or "the route of the problem."  I find it hard to believe that an NFL team can be as ill prepared for a game as we have been this season.  Lets face it, when your team can't perform the basic fundamentals of the art that is football, it falls on the coaching staff.  If your receivers can't catch, changes have to be made.  If your offense as a whole doesn't function and averages 3rd worst at 12 points a game, changes have to be made.  If you can't score and you can't stop people from scoring, you are in for a horrible season.  When McDaniels was hired, I came up with a theory, that he was hired to be our next head coach and people threw a fit.  Now I am not sure he or Spags will make it through the season.  9 months later though, I still think it's a possibility that McDaniels could be placed in the interim HC role.

  My second issue is with our front office.  We are capped out and are still getting thromped.  I will acknowledge that we have made 1 or 2 solid additions but, really nothing ground breaking.  Our linebacking corps seems to be better as well as our back up runners but, did we really need a high priced 3rd string RB or a TE in the second round?  I had my hopes up that Steven Jackson was on the trading block when they added two RB's but, once again; I was wrong.  Or was I?  At the beginning of free agency or even the draft we probably could have obtained a great WR, OLB or CB and a draft pick for him.  Instead we kept him, now we have holes all over our roster and no money to pick someone up.  Trading players or outright releasing them is how you build through the draft: See the Patriots and Cowboys (the only two dynasties in the post free agent period.)  Don't get me wrong I like Steven Jackson but, you have to separate your "homerness" for the greater good of the team.  We have depth at RB, sacrifice depth and add to your weaknesses.  Steven Jackson, as it works out, has done nothing for us this season and I would be much happier that another team is paying him more than he is worth to sit on the bench or spell Williams.  I would love to have the 7.2 million in cap space, a 3rd- 5th rounder and say Santonio Holmes or someone like that.

Last and possibly least, our players.... 

I would love to see Bill Belichick or Parcells with some of these guys.  They would all have female names.  Hoomanawanui would be Michele, Jackson would be Stephanie and Brandy Gibson would have been cut long ago.  These guys along with any great coach wouldn't put up with this bullshit.  If you don't perform or can't stay on the field, you slide down the depth chart or will be used as trade fodder to pick up someone who will.  It's that simple folks.  No pats on the helmet when you screw up.  Just "we pay you the money to play and play well, if you don't....good bye" Did Laurence Taylor or Rodney Harrison fit the four pillars bullshit?  Nope.  What they did was push the limits of their bodies and skills for their team and coaches.

0-3 is where we stand, and it isn't a promising & hopeful 0-3.  We looked like the worst team in the NFL and the stats back it.  Coaches and front offices aren't given 5-8 years to clean up a mess anymore.  Detroit was a mess and arguably worse off than we were.  They started rebuilding at the same time and are bearing the fruits of success this year as well as last with a much more difficult schedule.  There are no more excuses, Devaney, Spags and homers. We need to trade depth for weakness, our staff needs to push our players much harder and we need to actively pursue players that can be had.  If teams don't win, they don't fill seats or sell merchandise, if they don't sell seats or merchandise, they move to where they will. This team is shades of the Bulger lead 09 team (can't score, can't stop em'.) If we get stomped by Washington, major changes will be made.

Hope you enjoyed your meeting with Mr.Kroenke Spags!

Well, this is what happens in the regular season when you still have the worst starting receivers in football. I have been banging this drum since the beginning of last season and once again it has bitten us in the ass. Now I realize that Asomugha and Samuel are very good corners but Bradford put the ball in our receiver's hands on numerous occasions with zero capitalization. He looked a little off here and there but hit 57% of his passes for 188 yards which would have been 83% for who knows, maybe 250 yards and a TD had there not been at least 8 drops!

  As I have so eloquently mentioned in many a post prior to this one, you can't teach catching the football (you can or you can't catch). Gibson has shown for 2 seasons that he can not catch in a regular season game. Apparently our coaching staff weighs the preseason higher than two years of the regular season, hence Gibson is a starter. He would be our new gunner and 4th receiver if it were up to me. He was downright aweful tonight minus one catch, well after it counted.

  So anyway, Salad had one drop, Gibson 3, Williams 1, Kendrick 2 and Sims (maiden name) Walker had one. Now I know I am going to hear about how good the Eagles are and how our guys haven't learned the offense yet, from the homers but you have to catch the football. It's the number one function of the job! Our O-line played well when we were competitive as did our defense. Our receiving corps continually lets us down with huge drops and would be first downs or touchdowns. This is demeaning to the entire team and I for one am sick of watching this garbage.

  To add insult to injury Amendola is gone for at least 5-6 games and more than likely the season. I guess maybe Spags and co. should try to get someone in here and not forfeit the season like they did last year. Our coaching staff and front office should really see this as an opportunity to deal. A smart front office would look at where we are strong and trade depth for need.

  Fortunately for us our greatest depth seems to be at running back. Cadillac has proven he can still carry the mail and Jackson is a top 5-10 back. We would be fine with either of their departures as long as we had someone that could open up the passing game and hold onto the ball when Sam hits them in the hands. This is a passing league and all you need is a reliable running game.

   "Oh but it's just one game" says the homer. Yes it is but, this is looking exactly like last years offense after we lost Clayton, with a much harder schedule to come. If we do not act now, we will be lucky to be 1-6 through our first 7 games and very lucky to finish with 5 wins on the season. Tonight, our coaching staff failed, our players gave up and a lot of key guys were "injured".

  I wonder if they would be "injured" if Bill Parcells was their head coach. I doubt it, getting your ass handed to you in coverage or on the O-line doesn't count as an injury in my book. Bill would have a post game interview about how Samantha Bradford, Stephanie Jackson, Sally Saffold and Michelle Hoomanawanui are all questionable for next Sundays game. I miss toughness, drive and zero tolerance for bad play. The Patriots are the "last of the Mohicans" as far as that goes. Funny that they are winners every year. Danny, get well soon man!

  I believe the writing is on the wall in St Louis, the Rams are headed to Los Angeles at the end of the 2014 season.  It just makes sense from so many angles.  First and foremost Los Angeles is the second largest market in the country and Kroenke knows this.  If moving to the second largest market in the country means more revenue then he would be dumb not to do it. In a business decision, loyalty to a particular region seldom plays a part.  I also find it a bit curious that Stan is a member of an 8 man committee called The Los Angeles Stadium Working Group.  Maybe he had this in mind when he jumped in front of Kahn to buy up the remaining shares of the team.  From now on I would begin to read between the lines when Stan or Rams management releases information about the situation.  I have yet to read where he denies the possibility of a move, yet the Spanos family (who also wants a new stadium) has come foreword to state publicly that they will not be moving the Chargers to LA.      

  I just finished reading JPCisco's post "Ram's to LA...) and found the comments section particularly interesting.  There is a lot of talk about how Los Angeles can not support a team and how Stl Louis is saying "no way!" to the move.  Well, I will put it to you like this, LA has managed to hold the Rams for 48 years, the Dodgers for 53 years and the Lakers for 53 also, and that a is a pretty powerful line up.  Stl Louis on the other hand has lost more pro sports teams than LA has ever had, including the NFL Cardinals in just 28 years.  Someone should do some fact checking before spewing that kind of ugliness onto his/her fellow TSTers.  As far as St Louis saying no way to the move, I have yet to see that one.  In fact, I get pretty damned mad when I am watching the games and KC along with seemingly every other big market team get an additional home game at the Ed. 

  I am seeing a lot of the same crap that caused the Rams to leave LA and come to Stl in the first place

.  A half empty stadium, a waning fan base, a stadium lease that is up and an owner with his/her eyes on the prize (and I don't mean the Super Bowl).  Stan wants a new stadium deal and St Louis does not want to pay for it (Georgia wants a new stadium deal and Anaheim won't pay for it).  It's kind of eerie really; LA rented their team out for 20 years.

  The only way the Rams are in St Louis in 2015 is if you get out and support them, pay higher taxes and ownership puts a winner on the field.  Even if that happens, Kroenke is on the committee for a stadium in LA which plans to have a team there by 2015 or 2016 and the lease just happens to be up in 2014.  Coincidence, I wouldn't be too sure. 

Thanks for reading, comment away!

  I know this is a position I don't often take but, I am pretty happy with the Rams draft this year.  Wide Receiver was our biggest team need and we went after the best scraps we could find in the third and fourth rounds.  Pettis and Salas are smart guys that get in and out of routes quickly while still having the hands to grab the ball when thrown in their direction.  I know, I know they don't have the speed to be a deep threat.  Well, Anquan Boldin posted a 4.7, Fitzgerald ran a 4.6 and Rice, Burress, V Jackson and Colston were 4.5 guys at the combine (I meant Sydney but Jerry Rice was much worse, he ran a 4.7). To get to the point, a 4.3 vs. a 4.5 is the difference between duck and cover and standing upright during a nuclear event.    Rather, it's how fast you get in and out of your breaks and if you can hang on to the ball in traffic that really matters.  If you can get the d-back to stop his feet you will have a 2-3 yard lead on him, straight line speed doesn't mean anything.  Once a 2-3 yard cushion is obtained it's all about catching the ball and the burst.  That is what these guys have.   Boldin, Fitzgerald, Rice and Rice have routinely made 4.2 & 4.3/ 40 d-backs look like bumbling fools as they spike the ball in the end zone 50 yards later.  Besides, if speedy receivers were "the bee's knees" Al Davis would be winning every year, I guess "The Crypt Keeper" learned nothing from Fred Biletnikoff.  Besides if you have been a Rams fan for longer than a year or two you know how much track speed means (see: Kennison and Ron Brown), nothing.

  So now that we have pretty much destroyed the speed thing, lets move on to our current situation.  We have multiple receivers who are borderline starters and we have to move into the realm of NFL caliber guys.  Like I have said multiple times in the past, there is a reason why Clayton, a castaway from a good team was our best guy after a half week of practice.  We were just that bad at the position.  So let's check out our current group of receivers.

Denario Alexander- Pro's: Speedy (4.5), extremely tall, great range, physical, is a decent route runner and has shown to be something special when given the chance. Downside: Knees, knees knees and he that he plays a physical style with those knees.

Donnie Avery- Pro's: Speed (4.2) and average hands.  Downside: Knee, Speed seemed to be his only asset, small by today's standards, has only averaged 40 yards/game career.

Mark Clayton- Pro's: Crafty veteran who knows what a square in is supposed to look like, may have chemistry with and the confidence of Sam Bradford, can also bring a "coach on the field" mentality to the Rams.  Downside: Knee, not signed, has had four good games in a 5 year career, was given up on by the smartest GM and staff in pro football and is getting up there in age.

Brandon Gibson- Pro's: Did show some improvement in the 2010 season, works hard.  Downside: Has not shown much of an "up side", hands are suspect and does dumb things at crucial times.

Danny Amendola- Pro's: Hard worker, team first guy, good route runner, tough!  Downside: Not much upside or speed, only averaged 8.1 yards per catch.

Lauren Robinson- Pro's: nothing to speak of.  Downside:  Frequent injuries, terrible route runner, suspect hands and questionable dedication.

Mardy Gilyard- Pro's: Has the quickness and hands to be a productive receiver.  Downside:  May not be intelligent enough to learn the playbook, ran "soft" routes in college and may be a locker room distraction.

Pettis- Pro's: Can catch the ball in traffic, decent frame and height, quick in an out of routes, smart and has a good attitude.  Downside: Comes from a smaller school, hasn't stepped onto an NFL field yet.

Salas- Pros: Great hands, good route runner, good size, shields defenders from the ball, over 3,000 yards in his last two years of college football.   Downside:  Smaller school and hasn't stepped onto an NFL field yet.

  Now keeping these things in mind, who would you keep and who would you discard?  Now obviously there will be some competition in camp and in the pre-season (if we have either of them) but you have to figure Pettis & Salas have immunity, Denario if he comes into camp healthy and maintains his health throughout should have a spot, Clayton if we decide to re-sign him will have a spot, so that makes 4.  If we decide to keep 6 receivers, there are only 2 spots available.  Gibson, Amendola, Avery and Gilyard will be fighting for their jobs IMO and deservedly so.

  I did like our draft and believe we filled some crucial spots.  It is really hard for me to believe that we needed a TE so badly that we reached for one over say, Leshour, M. Austin or Moch but who knows what they were thinking.  McDaniels didn't even use his TE's last year at all and everyone keeps comparing our TE situation to New England's?  Hey people, McDaniels was Denver's coach last year not New England.  He had nothing to do with their two TE sets.   With a team that has as many holes as ours, we would have been fine with Hoomanawanui, Bajema and company.  What's done is done and you have to think that Spags and Devaney are also fighting for their careers this season so; I am guessing they will finally be hitting the free agent market with some urgency.

  I don't know about you but, I am pretty excited about the possibilities of scoring 28 pts a game as opposed to eeking out 17.  Throwing the ball wins games and it is undeniable that we have upgraded our passing game.  This alone gives me a guarded optimism for the upcoming season.

I have been reading some fan posts to get caught up on the latest Rams news and came across a few questions and opinions that I would like to weigh in on.  The first interesting nugget was a comment about how Spags may have been holding Shurmer back and choking our offense in the process.  I think this one may have been answered by Mike Holmgren and Shurmer himself when he took the head coaching job in Cleveland.  We may never know what happened behind the scenes but Holmgren obviously noticed something that a lot of others have not.  As I have mentioned in multiple posts defending Shurmer, you can only do what your players will allow you to do and I will add what your head coach allows you to do.  After watching a few former players talk about defensive minded head coaches on NFL Network, I wouldn't doubt that Spags is a bit of a control freak.  They all said that ex defensive coordinator now head coaches approach everything from players to their staff with the intensity and drive of a defensive coordinator.  They also explained that offensive coaches and players are cut from a different cloth than their counterparts and that they need to approached differently.  This carried a lot of weight with me and also gave me reason to believe that this may be the case.  So yeah in my opinion, he probably was meddling in the offense a little too much.

  The second issue I would like to address is our front office.  Have Devaney or Kroenke really done all that much to help this team?  They gave us a few respectable players along with a few cast offs and Sam Bradford.  Now, I give credit to Spags, his staff and being in an awful division with the softest schedule in pro football for the 7 wins more than anything.  Our front office has given us a few core players via the draft but, has failed to do anything via free agency or trade.  A prime example would be when Santana Holmes went for a fifth rounder?  Oh I know, I know he sucks, he isn't a "Four Pillars Choir Boy".  Holmes is just one of 3-4 solid WR's that we know of that could have been had for a reasonable price.  I want to make this clear, we only know about these trades because they happened, who knows how many more were up for trade that we never even heard about. I am sure that there were many more that could have been on the table (holding the number one pick in every round) but were just not acted upon.  Now, if I could see that WR was our biggest offensive weakness at the start of the season, how did our front office and coaches not see it?!  Also, here is some food for thought. Can you imagine what would have happened if Donnie Avery had not been hurt?  He would have been our number one!?  That would have been horror movie scary and Clayton wouldn't have given us our first look at what the new Rams passing game should look like.  That’s right, Mark Clayton, the WR that may have been dropped from Baltimore’s roster because he was deemed a bust by their standards became our number one in 5 days.  That should give you some understanding of how bad our receiving corps is without him. This is where Spags gets an A+ from me for chemistry and player development.  Our front office did not help much at all (Bradford or Suh were no brainers.)   

  The third and final subject I would like to explore is game management and whether or not Spags could be on the hot seat during the 2011 season.  Lets face it, Spags has not been all that he can be if the game management category.  If I am yelling "take the time out" or "throw the F-ing challenge flag" then an NFL coach should be privy to the idea long before I am screaming at my TV.  Especially when the announcers see the replay and have a two minute conversation about how a time out should have been called or a challenge flag should have been thrown because it was a catch or a first down.  This is inexcusable in my opinion and could have changed the momentum in at least 3 games.  My opinion of Spags is that he is a good player manager/motivator and obviously a solid defensive goo-ruu but, I think he lacks instinct for game management, personnel decisions (at one point we only had 3 healthy receivers on the roster and Moss was availible for pennies) and the ability to take chances.  The NFL has become a take chances big risk big reward league and I am not sure a conservative approach keeps his job.  When most coaches are getting 1-3 years to get the job done, 2011 could be a rough year for Spags and the Rams.  We face a lot more adversity in 2011 than we did in 2010.  A harder schedule, an improved division, lower draft picks, another unorthodox off-season and a new owner who didn't hire Spags or his staff.  In my opinion Devaney and crew will have to address many personnel holes (1st being a good WR) Spags will have to  give a great coaching performance and the players will have to leave their hearts on the field to make the playoffs and keep Spags and Co. employed through the 2012 season.  

Gibson emerging?  We don't need Moss, Marshall, Jackson or Owens?! They would be bad for the team!?  Lack of speed, route running, catching and getting pass interference call cost us this game and that is that.  I guess you could say the front office cost us this game when Clayton got hurt and we had 3 healthy receivers on the roster they didn't even try to get someone in there. 

To those of you that are going to blame it on the defense...you can't hold a team all day.  Bradford- He did a good job with what he had to throw to, which was nobody.   Refs- Yeah they were terrible (4 blown calls)  Two of which we would have had overturned if Spags takes his f*ing flag out of his a$$ and throws it on the field.  Piss poor the entire game but, receivers are the reason for this loss hands down.

Not sure if you can tell but, I am ultra mad right now!  Welcome to the off-season boys!  Enjoy!

I have been reading a few of the articles on TST about our receiver situation and would like to say it has been a joy to read most of them.  I like the fact that for the most part things stay civil (minus a few direct shots when needed) and I figured I would give my 2 cents on our off-season dealings at WR.

I will start with Robinson.  Three years in the league, often injured, poor route runner, has yet to show anything at all. 

Gibson- Should finish this season with 580 yards and 3 td’s averaging 44.7 yards/game and 0.18 Td’s per game. 

Gilyard can’t learn the playbook and has 6 receptions this season but can return kicks with some effectiveness.

Amendola- The heart of a lion catches everything thrown to him but, is not a threat any further than 10 yards downfield. 

Alexander- Injury prone (serious leg issues) but has the size and speed that superstars are made of.

Clayton- Still the best receiver on our roster even with a destroyed knee.  Many players have returned from serious knee injury and have been just fine.  I am more worried about his demand going way up than I am about his physical attributes.  If guys like Burleson were hot commodities then you can expect that we will not be the only team interested in his services.

Avery- Was a speedy receiver but, couldn’t run a route to save his life in either of his first two years.  A knee injury could take a little speed out of his game and if so, I am not real sure where I would put him on the roster if at all.

Ok, so I have been as accurate as a can be about our WR situation using mainly stats and my opinion of potential (which is really all that it is anyway).  Here are a few scenarios, some that I would like to see and the one that will probably happen based on our inability to go after much needed free agents.

My favorite:

1)      S. Rice

2)      M. Clayton

3)      Amendola

4)      Avery (if he can still run a 4.3) Gibson (if Avery is no longer a burner)

5)      Alexander

6)      Draft pick

Second:

1)      M. Clayton

2)      Draft pick

3)      Amendola

4)      Veteran wideout  like Jabbar Gaffney or Mason

5)      Avery (if he can still run a 4.3) Gibson (if Avery is no longer a burner)

6)      Draft pick

Third:

1)      First round draft pick

2)      Veteran wideout  like Jabbar Gaffney or Mason

3)      Amendola

4)      Avery or Gibson

5)      Draft pick

6)      Gilyard

What will most likely happen and my least favorite.

 Avery

2)      Gibson

3)      Amendola

4)      Draft pick

5)      Gilyard

6)      Weak Giants or Eagles cast-off

Another thing that I found funny is that a lot of people were saying that Clayton was too old.  Haha!  He is 28 and up to about 30-31 is considered a receivers prime.  Do you forget that Bruce was around there when we went to the Super Bowl in 99’?  We are contenders now!  Do not forget that.  Let me know what you think.

It's true but a different Mark Duper err Clayton.  I wanted to address a few things before I hit the sack tonight.  First of all, this loss was not Bradford's fault in any way shape or manner.  It's a shame that I even had to read anything negative about his interception at the goal line.  If you actually watched the game and the replay of the int play, you would clearly see that Michael Hoomanammananamanui or what ever his name is, got smashed by two defensive lineman on the way to where he was supposed to be.  A Shovel pass is as much a timing route as a corner route or a deep out is.  Bradford looked at the TE as he was coming untouched down the line and then he tossed it where the TE was supposed to be.  He wasn't there so Bradford got picked.  It happens on miscommunication downfield sometimes and it happens when d-lineman can just obliterate a TE or WR (within 5 yards).  Bradford threw 169 passes without being intercepted (a rookie record) that is better than Marino and Manning’s rookie marks and much better than Montana or Elway.  So cut the kid some slack!

  If you want to be pissed off at anyone, aim at Devaney and Spags for not picking up Moss, Holmes, Owens, Crayton, Jackson or anyone who could immediately produce in the draft.  This is the reason we are trying a shovel pass to a TE to get back into a game.  People were talking last week about "the play that lost the game for us" was it the coaches?  Was it Gibson being an idiot?  Was it the fact that our defense had been on the field for way too long and couldn't stop them when it counted?  If you posted these opinions or even agreed with them you were correct, partially at least. 

  You see, all of these effects stem from having piss poor production at the receiver position.  Gibson and Lauren flat out don't have what it takes to be a one or even a two in this league.  Stats and visual evidence are the only two things that you can judge talent on, not “I am a Rams fan so they are the best" logic.  Gibson gets his 50-70 yards a game and drops a few but, never shows a spark at all.  Lauren is rarely on the field yet shows more "spark" than Gibson when he decides that his hangnail isn't too painful to play on.  They are both terrible in their own ways.  There was a reason that Clayton who had 5 days of practice with the Rams (after being CUT by the Ravens)becomes our number one guy right away and Alexander on one leg puts up our second best receiving game in his first week on the roster.  

  Sam is a very smart QB and Shurmer has done a decent job but, you can only work with what you have.  Devaney, Spags and even Kroenke are more guilty than any player on the roster for the death of our playoff chances.  We were obviously in contention and have the QB, running game and defense to do it but, we are missing the spark that changes entire opposing defensive alignments (veteran speed, route running and agility.)  I hope some of you watched the NFL Network when they were showing that even though Moss only had two catches in his debut with the Titans, he completely changed the opposing defensive schemes allowing Chris Johnson and other receivers to have room to run free.  Can you imagine the numbers SJ39 and Amendola would have put up with Moss out there.  Jackson hasn’t seen a normal defensive front since 04’.

  There may be something to the "back to LA" "Major League" conspiracy theory and I personally hope it is true but in no way do I appreciate the fact that I can sit at computer and know that MY team and it's fans (no matter where they may be) are being sold short.  We lose Avery and Clayton before the trade deadline and nothing is done about it.  We lose Alexander and after that , Moss comes free and we don't even throw a bid in on him?  It doesn’t get much better than that, in the situation that we were in.  We get Moss (a sure fire HOF’er) for the rest of the season and if he doesn’t work out we release him, if he does he takes us to the playoffs and then we get a compensatory draft pick for him at seasons end.  A complete bullshit non-move! Mr Kroenke, we pay for seats, jerseys, NFL package and other crap to see your product and when we are within range of the promise land, we sure as hell expect you to give us the players we need to get there. 

 We are in a battle for the division and a have a legitimate chance to own the best record in the NFC (we are 4-4 and the leader is 6-2).  This is not happening next year or two years from now, it is happening now! As a few people have suggested, we can lay down and say "we are not ready, please don't hurt us!"  OR we can play the Laurinaitis, break em in half football like the Jets did last year and end up driving SJ39 straight up their asses into the playoffs. 

 However and to get to that point,  we have somebody worth covering in our receiving corps.  Clayton goes down and we die in the 3rd and 4th quarter.  The stats show the facts.  I know it, you know it and our coaches know it. So why the hell aren't we going after a solid WR?!  Moss was a gift from god to be available at this time of the year.  What was the big risk in picking him up?  Three million?  That’s chump change for a billionaire like Kroenke.  I am very disappointed in our Ownership, Devaney and Spags right now.  The three guys that have taken “the gamble” on Moss have been happy with his production and for the most part his behavior (Belichick, Fisher and Turner.)   All three have been long time NFL head coaches with very good records and reputations for making good personnel moves.  Chili was just a minor pit-stop for Moss and a coach that is losing his locker room. 

  So what was the problem with the Rams and Moss?  He gets irritated with reporters and may also get mad when a caterer gets an order wrong?  Who cares!  So let’s forget about the 1,300 yards and 16 td's he averaged with the Pats or his career accomplishments that will land him in the hall of fame.  I have been listening to NFL Network all day and have yet to hear a bad thing about the guy.  Favre comes on and says “he is a great WR, the most knowledgeable I have seen" & he also notes that "Randy may not put forth 100% on every play but tell that to the defense when he catches that 75 yard TD pass".  Brady comes on and says “I don’t know how this helps our team” and then continues to praise him. The point being, that I have never observed a player once say anything negative about him, besides a pissed off defender.  My guess is that Chili will be fired at seasons end and Spags went to him for piss poor advice.  Nice work!  Don’t listen to the Hall of Fame QB’s and the “coach of the decade” listen to a guy that will be unemployed at seasons end! 

  Moss was a no risk, no brainer.  If you don’t like his attitude cut him, no skin off of our nutts.  Another big hit that we took by not signing him is the compensatory pick that he would have given us if we decided to send him into the free agent pool at seasons end.  It really was a win, win situation.  The simple fact is that he produces at a position that is holding us back from being a very good team, should have been reason enough.  He offers “instant offense” and defenses would have had a real problem if they continued to keep 8-9 in the box.  Right now they can stop our most dangerous receiver (Amendola) and our most dangerous weapon (Jackson) by playing a run stopping defense.  Injuries have killed us and Devaney has done nothing to stop the bleeding.  In my opinion that shows very little faith in our chances of winning anything this year.

  I will go back to Faulk saying that “every game is the most important game” and Marino talking about how he thought he would be back to the Super Bowl multiple times after the first one during his sophomore campaign.  In my opinion we should be gearing up for the division and a weak NFC because we may get one chance at it.  Before you start spewing typed diarrhea remember how close the Jets were last year, a very similar team but, with a threat at WR.  When the “D” put nine in the box the Jets routinely made them pay for it with a completed deep pass.  Sanchez didn’t have to throw it 50 times all he had to do was hit 2-3 deep passes a game and that sent the defensive backs into their deep thirds keeping them out of the running game.  We owe it to Jackson to have a typical defense to run against, we owe it to Bradford so that he can continue to develop as an all around passer and we owe it to Shurmer so that he can call the plays that are in his playbook.  I wont even mention how much they owe the fans.  Well as Rams fans are used to hearing "there is always next year"  Go Rams!

  Now by the time a lot of you read this Moss may be with the Seahawks or 49ers and we will learn all about what having Randy Moss on the roster means to a TEAM!  Anyway, I have been reading all kinds of posts and comments that were frankly not well thought out at all.  So I will list the facts and not someone’s opinion of Randy Moss.

- For the last three seasons he has started ALL 16 games of every season.

- In those three seasons he has averaged 83 catches for 1,255 yards and 15.7 TD's

- He will only be under contract for this season but, he may stay if we make the playoffs this year.

- We can cut him the second he acts up, if need be.

- He is a hall of fame receiver that can still produce in the top echelon of the NFL.

- Steven Jackson and Sam Bradford would greatly benefit from him pulling a safety and a corner out of play.

  These are facts and can not be disputed. That crap that I have been reading is strictly opinion and an uniformed one at that.  Moss, may be a problem or may not be, he could be the missing link to take us deep into the playoffs and maybe not. 

  Now for my opinion and some supportive facts.  We have a stud RB, a QB that already does things that take a normal QB a few years to learn and we have a good defense.  The only thing we are missing is some semblance of a WR.  Our receivers right now suck so bad it's almost comical.  With 8-9 in the box they should be putting up 11 catches and 135 yards a game easily.  Yet they have proven over and over that they can not catch, can not get open and are well, just turrible!  The reason our 3rd and 4th quarter production has been way down is because we have no passing game once teams latch onto the 5 yard routes and shut down Amendola.  I forget who posted it but, someone posted our 3rd & 4th quarter scoring stats before and after Clayton got hurt and it is very obvious that he was the difference.  Now, we do have the 3rd richest owner in the NFL and no salary cap to limbo under so there is really no reason what so ever not to grab him.  

  The Jets went to the Championship game with a similar turn around.  It took 3 things to do so...a good defense, a good coach and the ability to strike from the ground and the air.  We have all but one of those pieces of the puzzle. So don’t give me your crap about "we aren't ready lets lose so we can get AJ" or "we aren't winners yet!"  What?!  If we win the division (which is more than possible) we have a shot in the playoffs and it’s “ready or not, here we come!”  The entire NFC has been weak if you haven’t noticed.  If fact the NFC leader has one more win than we do! The Saints can be beaten, the Ginas can be beaten,  the Pack looks like crap so, lets go for it!  Moss isn't going to use up one of our precious 50/50 raffle draft picks nor is he an iffy talent.  Seems like a no brainer to me.  Can’t wait to read all about the mental damage he would do to our fragile "Rookie of the Year" QB and how he has been such a problem for his entire career yet the dynasty of the 2000’s picked him up and greatly benefitted.  Get real and go Rams!

With the "much improved" Brandon Gibson (1 catch, 1 drop and multiple missed blocks) out there we should be lighting it up.  Gibson was targeted at my count 6-7 times and managed one reception!?  Robinson (2 catches for 9 yards) also looked very sharp when Bradford hit him in the back with a ball on a corner route.  With this kind of "production" from our WR's, I really don't think you can blame Shrumer at all.  He has nothing to work with besides Amendola and Jackson and that is obvious to anyone that has watched the games since Clayton was injured.  BTW where was Alexander?

 Tampa Bay was just begging us to throw the ball by stacking 9 men in the box all game long and we still couldn't do it.  Was it because of the pressure?  No, Tampa has 4 sacks all year and teams throw all over them.  Was it because of their CB play?  No, they were sending their best corner on a blitz most of the game.  Was it because of Bradfords inaccuracy?  No, most of the balls he missed on were thrown high or away because the defenders were surrounding the receiver.  I think this shows that Tampa approached the game with one thing in mind.  The Rams have absolutely zero threats at WR, this allows us to bring CB's on blitzes and bring the entire defense up near the line of scrimmage to help stop their only true threat, Jackson.

I did think that we had a good chance at the division but right now I don't think so.  You have to be able to throw the ball and force defenses back, it is a passing league.  I just think it is sad that we actually have an opportunity to win the division this year and have basically said "Ahhh, we will win some games next year"  "Why try to win this year?"  That is complete Bull S&%t!  Like Marshall Faulk always says, "every game is the most important game" I wish Devaney had that kind of drive and passion.  Does my post from last week still seem ridiculous Gomer and Jombari?  Or do you not watch the games?

After watching the game twice and trying to figure out why our offense was inept in the second half, I have come to the conclusion that we still need a shit-ton of help at the WR position.  Alexander was good on two drives and then he was shut out.  From what I could tell, San Diego just rotated a safety over the top of Alexander and he was extinguished.  Now I am not saying that I didn't see a lot of NFL speed out of him, because I did.  What I didn't see was any ability to shake a defender with moves.  Until Alexander can get healthy enough to separate short as well as long NFL corners and safeties will just stay on his lead hip/shoulder and blanket him.  Once again Robinson (Did he even play? Typical. 0 catches) and Gibson (3 catches) were mainly non factors and Amendola was targeted multiple time but was doubled by a safety and a LB a lot.  It's funny when your slot guy is dragging half of the defense around 5 yards from the line of scrimmage; you know something's not right.

A lot of people are still blaming everything on Shurmer and I think to a point they are right.  He did become very conservative and predictable after the 3-4th drive but, you can only do what your team can handle and what the defense will give you.  If they take away Alexander, you are left with Robinson, Gibson, Gilyard and Amendola.  Gilyard may be decent after a year or two but has not shown much as of yet, Amendola is a gamer but far from being a one or a two and Alexander may be great if we give him a chance to heal properly.  I think the Rams might as well cut Gibson and Robinson and start raiding practice squads immediately.  This is the second WR that has had virtually no time with the starting squad and has made a bigger impact than either of those two clowns.  How many times does this have to happen before the Turk walks up them and says "Ok, guys this time a one legged rookie posted 74 yards and a touchdown"  "When was the last time either of you posted those kind of numbers?"  "Thats right never."  Pack your bags you're going to the Raiders. 

One more thing, the next person to say I saw "flashes" that so and so was going to be good I am going to cyber punch you in the face.  "Flashes" mean a player makes a great catch and then jukes two guys on his way to the end zone not "Wow, did you see that ten yard routine catch that every WR in the league should make?"  I see Flashes! Ewwww Ahhhh!  Go Rams!  Get us a decent wideout and we will win the division.

 After a few arguments (educated debates) I have decided to fire out another post concerning our WR issues.  I guess the thing that burns me the most is all of the talk about not giving up a first or a second round pick to get a WR. I will also try my best to stay away from my own opinion and use statistics only.  So here we go.  Here is a list of wide receivers drafted in the first round since 2000.

2009

These WR's fall into the window of the learning curve but, Harvin had 60 receptions 690 yrds and 6 touchdowns, Maclin had 56 receptions for 773 and 6 touchdowns, Crabtree had 48 receptions 625 and 2 td's.

2008

No First round WR's

2007

1 Calvin Johnson Lions Georgia Tech (excellent)

1 Tedd Ginn Jr Ohio State (Most likely a bust)

1 Dwayne Bowe LSU (Satrted strong but since then Hasn't shown much at all)

1 Robert Meachem Tennessee (+)

1 Buster Davis LSU (Total bust)

1 Anthony Gonzalez Ohio State (injured more than he is on the field)

2006
1 Santonio Holmes Steelers Ohio State (I think he'll be fine)

2005
1 Braylon Edwards Browns Michigan (rocky start)
1 Troy Williamson Vikings South Carolina (terrible so far)
1 Mike Williams Lions USC (Crappy)
1 Matt Jones Jaguars Arkansas (bad receiver and legal problems)
1 Mark Clayton Ravens Oklahoma (may have had a decent season with us, but a failure for a #1 pick)
1 Roddy White Falcons Alabama-Birmingham (Doing pretty well now)

2004
1 Larry Fitzgerald Cardinals Pittsburgh ($)
1 Roy Williams Lions Texas ($)
1 Reggie Williams Jaguars Washington (=) (hasn't done anything)
1 Lee Evans Bills Wisconsin ($)
1 Michael Clayton Buccaneers Louisiana State (=) (good start but that's it)
1 Michael Jenkins Falcons Ohio State (=) (headed towards bust if he doesn't pick it up)
1 Rashaun Woods 49ers Oklahoma State (-)

2003
1 Charles Rogers Lions Michigan State (-)
1 Andre Johnson Texans Miami (FL) (+)
1 Bryant Johnson Cardinals Penn State (-) (bust))

2002
1 Donte Stallworth Saints Tennessee (=)
1 Ashley Lelie Broncos Hawaii (=)
1 Javon Walker Packers Florida State ($)

2001
1 David Terrell Bears Michigan (-)
1 Koren Robinson Seahawks North Carolina State (-) (bust due to how highly he was taken)
1 Rod Gardner Redskins Clemson (-)
1 Santana Moss Jets Miami (FL) (+)
1 Freddie Mitchell Eagles UCLA (-)
1 Reggie Wayne Colts Miami (FL) ($)

2000
1 Peter Warrick Bengals Florida State (-)
1 Plaxico Burress Steelers Michigan State ($)
1 Travis Taylor Ravens Florida (=) (Bust)
1 Sylvester Morris Chiefs Jackson State (-)
1 R. Jay Soward Jaguars USC (-)

I think we can all see that there are far more busts than there are #1's on this list.  Hell there are far more busts than there are serviceable wideouts on this list.  So, I would like someone to tell me why it would be more intelligent to draft a WR and pay him top dollar over trading the pick for a young WR that has already proven himself to be a high caliber NFL wideout.  Here is the only time I am going to use my opinion...Teams that are deep at the position and need help in other areas would love to have a 1st or 2nd round pick for their top WR.  Guys like Fitzgerald, Miles Austin, Vincent Jackson, Marques Colston, Percy Harvin and due to the addition of Moss maybe even Sidney Rice could be expendable.  Any player in the NFL is available and we have seen this in the NFL over and over again (yes Carneros trades even happen to a division rival see: Mcnabb).   Look at the names over the last ten years, there are only 7 guys out of 38 that I would even want on the team. 

It seems simple to me.  Take a huge chance in the draft or go for the sure thing at a similar price. Robinson and Gibson have shown they have absolutely no game.  Robinson is in his 4th year and I have yet to see anything out of him and Gibson in his second year seems to just fill a roster spot and be happy with it.  By the way (off subject) Gibson and Robinson have the same jersey number listed (11) on the "official" Stl Rams website.  Even the website doesn't know who they are.  What a joke. 

I truly think that if we don't pull in at least a serviceable WR by the trade deadline Sam will be the victim.  Against Detroit's secondary (one of the worst in the league) these two clowns couldn't get open and Bradford was sent running for his life.  It really looked like 09 all over again.  1:30 drives, no td's a QB hitting 3 yard passes unable to find anyone deeper and a defense forced to be on the field for 45 minutes.  We are in the hunt for our division and it could be had at 7-9.  Let's make this thing happen and at least show the NFL that we are going to be a force very soon if not this season.  Go Rams!

Just for kicks here is a list of a few #1's and how productive they were from the start, not 3-4 years later (for those of you who think we should just sit back and watch our team dissolve).  If you have a good player you know it from the start.

Larry Fitzgerald- 1st year 780 and 8 td's 2nd 1,409 and 10 td's

M. Colston- 1st year 1,038 and 8 td's 2nd 1,202 and 11 td's

B Marshall- 1st year 309 and 2 td's 2nd 1,325 7td's

A Johnson- 1st year 976 and 4 td's 2nd 1,142 7 td's

R Moss- 1st year 1,313 and 17 td's 2nd 1,413 and 11 td's

Desean Jackson 1st year 912 and 2 td's 2nd 1,156 and 9 td's

  Ok, I hope that we don't get any more posts about Robinson and Gibson.  The Lions secondary is ranked in the bottom of the league and these bums made them look like a top tier defensive backfield.  Like I have been repeating over and over, it should tell you something when a guy (Clayton) who is listed at 4th or 5th on a good teams depth chart comes in and becomes our best WR in less than a week.  Well, he is gone and from the looks of it he will be joining Avery at home.  We need help and we need it bad!  Watching this game was like a flashback to the 09 season.  WR's blanketed, no red zone offense and coverage sacks/hurries all game long.  That is what happens when your WR's have a D-Back in their back pocket, can't run crisp routs to shake them and I won't even mention the dropped passes.  We made 0-4 Detroit look like the 80's 49ers today.  If you can't move the ball, can't convert 3rd downs and can't score your defense will look like ours did earlier at Ford Field. 

  It is up to our new 3rd richest owner and deadbeat Devaney to go out and find us a solid WR.  If not, a lot of games will look similar to this one.   Devaney should have been on the phone with four or five teams as soon as he saw the cart coming out to pick up Clayton but, I am sure he wasn't.  All players in the NFL are available as we have seen many times this season (Holmes, Moss, Jackson, Marshall and so on..) so lets make a deal before the trade deadline.  Give up a first or a second rounder for a solid #1 WR and let's go to the playoffs THIS YEAR! 

Had to go to the doctor last night because I had an erection that lasted about 3 and a half hours.  Too much?!  Ok, we have an owner now, we picked up a win in the "dress rehearsal" pre season game and Bradford looked rock solid at the helm.  NFL Network is reporting that Avery is gone for the 2010 season but unlike many on this site, I don't think it will have much of an impact on our squad.  If Danario can stay healthy and learn the system quickly, he should be a major factor in our WR corps.  God speed in your full recovery Donnie.  Hoomanawanui has taken command of the starting TE spot and looks to be a nice fantasy tight end especially in the TD column.  Our back up running backs made some nice blitz pick up's but were not impressive while running the ball.  Toast had a couple of nice runs near the end of the game but for whatever reason he seems to remain 4th on the depth chart.  I think finding a solid back up to Jackson remains a top priority.  O and D lines are developing nicely and I noticed that Long was drawing some double teams!  That is very good news. 

 It was actually nice to be a Rams fan last night.  To recap..Having an owner is great, Bradford throwing confidently; using veteran tactics like looking off safeties and varying snap counts are very good signs and maybe one of the most impressive aspects of the game is that Chris Long was drawing double teams.  Not getting my hopes up too high but, this is what I wanted to see.  Good effort,  major improvement by our players and good coaching.  Now it is up to our first real owner in years to go out and pick up the rest of the parts to get this engine firing on all cylinders.

via www.thefootballcardblog.com

Maybe I am the only weirdo that relates players to numbers, especially the 2nd and 3rd string QBs.  I am talking obscure players such as #8 Anthony Dilweg, #11 John Forcade, #24 Buford Mcgee, #10 Dan Mcguire, #55 Gary Reasons, #52 Larry Kelm, #14 Todd Blackledge #10 Kelly Stouffer and so on.  These are just a few that rolled off of the top of my head and I remember Dilweg stomping us with GB and Forcade beating us with the Saints.  Is there anyone else out there like me?  If so I would like some names and numbers of obscure players without looking at a website or an old Pro Football Digest.  Also if you know a player from about 88' and up and want to try and stump me, I will give it a shot without looking it up.  

Yeah I know this is a dumb post but I am getting sick of predicting the Rams future.  Haha!

  As promised, here is a review of Saturday's game.  Nothing can be finer than sitting down with a few slices of pizza and an ice cold beer to watch some football, right?  Wrong, if your team is the hapless Rams.  I had to lower my blood pressure with 6-7 beers to keep my heart from exploding!  I watched the exact same things haunt us as last season.  Our O-Line has seemingly gotten worse if that's possible, giving up 6 sacks and multiple QB hurries.  I miss Barron and so will the team!  IMO that was the dumbest move of the off season and that's saying a lot with some of the bonehead moves we have made or haven't.

  Our WR's continue their quest to be the biggest joke in the NFL excluding "Amen"dola.  Here is a benchmark for you...Amendola has been our strongest receiver in camp according to stlouisrams.com yet he was cut by the Cowgirls.  What does that say about our receiving corps?  Avery and the rest should be fighting for a 3rd or 4th slot somewhere else in the NFL. Good thing we addressed that position during the off season. 

   I can't really say much about our running game because we only ran the ball 13 times and Jackson didn't play.  We know that we have a top ten back with an injury history and Toston or Ogbonnaya backing him up so, that could go either way.  If Jackson stays healthy we can finish him off with another 330+ carry season if he doesn't we are more than screwed.

  Our defense looked ok at best.  They did give up 28 pts and a 300 yard day to Sage Rosenfels but just like last season, if you don't keep the ball on offense your defense can't hold them for 45 minutes.  Selvie looked pretty good and Cudjo looked ok.  If we can find some way to get to the opposing QB, it may create a few turnovers and make our defensive backs look a little better.

  All n' all our team reminds me of last years team minus a former Pro Bowl QB and a durable and serviceable offensive tackle.  Amendola is a bright spot and seems to be a lot like Steve Tasker of Buffalo Bills fame.  He is a try hard guy that may not be the most talented guy on the field but, will make up for it with heart.  This is something that the rest of the guys on our roster should learn from.  He will most likely be cut, we can't have that kind of attitude on this team.  As always can't wait to see the comments.

Sunshine and puppies!

, Everett 11

Anyone else think that Washington may be eyeing our #1 overall?  I just found it funny that Washington is giving Bradford a private workout and that Bradford was quoted as saying that he is very interested in talking with coach Shanahan (NFL Network).  Any other player and I would say, yeah they are working him out just incase he falls but I think it's common knowledge around the league that he is our pick.  Could be nothing to it but, Washington is one of those teams that may throw some big options our way if he blows their minds.  I don't think they will send their entire draft to us like Ditka but, Snider is a nutbag and that is well documented.  I will attach a pole for fun and if you don't like my pole simply don't vote in it.  I am not a GM, I am not a Head Coach, nor am I a scout but I do know business and a good amount about football.  If I can fill a hole at QB with a proven good one and add to the rest of my roster via extra draft picks or players I am more than happy to give Washington that first overall pick.  They can also have the massive gamble and the huge contract too.  Bradford may be a good pro, I don't know and you don't either.  What I do know is that if he steps behind our often injured and generally poor line and our inept receivers he will wish he had pulled an Eli.  On this Easter Sunday I can't help but throw a prayer out there for my Lambs to make good decisions and progress by leaps and bounds.  Happy Easter!  Go Rams!  Oh and I tried to make the poll and terms as realistic as I could.  Let me know what you think is most realistic and your thoughts, I know you will.

via misterirrelevant.com

Just wondering what the general consensus is if the Rams win less than 4 games in 2010.  I am not sure if we have gained any real talent since free agency.  We will have more depth but, what does depth do for you if you have terrible starters?  If we have an excellent draft, acquire 3 new starters and have very low injury rates, we may approach 4-5 wins.  If we have 5 wins this year, then I think we have made real progress and will agree with the moves or non-moves that we have made.  If we go 2-14 or 3-13, I will say told ya so and will be calling for heads to roll.

  I couldn't agree more with a lot of the posts that have been popping up about the Rams lack of interest in the free agent market.  Teams can not be built through the draft entirely anymore.  It just can't happen.  By the time you make your selections in the third Successful draft, the players that you had drafted 3 years earlier will be near the end of their contracts and itching to leave for big money on the free agent market.  In today's day and age you have to do both, pick up key free agents (spend some money) and draft well to have a successful team.

  A few of you have said we are building through the draft because that is what the great teams do.  If so, who are these teams?  The 80's 49ers and 90's Cowboys didn't have to worry about a salary cap because it wasn't there until 1994. Of course the 8 (2 of which were first rounders) extra draft picks from the Herschel Walker trade didn't hurt either.  The 99-03 Rams did it through free agency and the draft, the Patriots did it mainly through free agency with a couple of notable draft choices, so which teams are you talking about anyway?  Anyone before 94 doesn't count because it was an entirely different ballgame before free agency.

  Not giving a sniff to any key free agents this year makes me think that something is amiss.  Not all of them were over priced old guys as I have been told over and over by different people on this site.  If you look over the entire listing by position (http://www.nfl.com/freeagency#players-tab-set-1:players-grid-container-position) you would be surprised at the players that were and are still out there. So my problem with Rams management is why, are we picking up back ups to our starting back ups when all but about 5-6 players would be back ups on other clubs?  At some point we have to make some drastic moves in free agency or via trade: ah la Marshal Faulk.  I'll bet the same people would be saying that Marshal Faulk is "old and over priced" and "we are not one or two players away from a Super Bowl".  Haha!

  My proposal goes like this.  See what people are offering for Steven Jackson, whether it would be players for player, player and draft pick, or just a couple picks, just test the waters and see what is out there.  If we get, and this is pure speculation; a second rounder and a good player (DE, CB, DL) a first rounder or maybe even a schmorgas board of all of these possibilities it would be well worth it in my opinion.  Now you have to remove yourself from emotion like the Cowboys did when they traded Walker for picks.  Jackson has 3 or 4 more years (if he is lucky) left in the tank.  He just had a good year considering the "8 man in the box" defenses he ran into all year, so his stock would be high.  He will not be a part of a successful Rams team until he is well past his prime.  So why not!?  Running backs are a dime a dozen in the draft and NFL anyway, most teams have two good ones.  That will be an easy position to replace. 

  Next I would pick up a real stop gap QB like Delhomme, Anderson, Mcnabb, Campbell or even see what Jeff Garcia is up to.  Once he is in place, we have a starter that has had some success and will win you some ball games in the meantime. It will help keep fans in the seats, watching games and spending money.  This of course means you can trade down in the draft or take Suh who has a higher chance of succeeding statistically anyway.   We can use the extra picks from the Jackson trade along with our own to shore up our O-Line, WR, and Defense. This year or next pick up one of 5 good running backs that enter the draft every year to fill Jackson's spot.  If we get players for Jackson then that's all the better, providing they are better than what we have and are 28 yrs old or under. 

  Now last but not least, with the 5th pick in the 2011 NFL draft, the Rams select Jake Locker!  This gives our young players, O line, another year to develop,it also adds talent through the draft and puts a veteran signal caller over our young prima donna QB to insure that he develops correctly and is not thrown to the wolves prematurely.  It is a win win and the only way I can think of to break a long standing losing tradition.

  Or we can sit on Jackson, use the same bunch that we had out there last year minus Togs and Little add 2 to 3 kids to the line-up one being a QB and give it a go.  If that's the plan, I will be in the corner defecating into my hands and throwing it at people instead of watching that product.  : )  Go Rams!  Feel free to express your opinion.

   This post is written in response to the overwhelming amount of people who think that the Rams should just jump out there, draft Bradford or Clausen pay them 50 million and throw them to the wolves.  This may be the sexiest decision but, more often than not it is disastrous.
 

   QB is the most important position in all of football and I do agree that we are badly in need of a competent signal caller.  However QB's are a fickled position to draft and more times than not a QB drafted in the first round is out of the league in 3 to 5 years.  In fact, since 1995 only 17% of the Quarterbacks drafted in round one become successful starters (using a formula of statistics and winning %).  Now that being said, the deeper into the draft you go, the slimmer your chances get of finding Tom Brady (6th round), Joe Montana (3rd round) or Tony Romo (undrafted). 

   However, you are paying cents on the dollar to put him into the test tube and not locking him into a long term, huge money deal.  If you draft a QB in later rounds the pressure is not as great on management, the head coach or the QB and you don't tend to push him into action long before he is mentally ready to play.

    There is also way too much hype put into the NFL Scouting Combine and the interview process.  Athleticism and having a big arm often gets guys like Jamarcus Bustell "the guy can throw 60yrds from his knees!" Well that will certainly help him read complex NFL defenses and make him want to work hard. Physical characteristics are the least of a scout's worries in my book.  How many QB's in the draft fall into these parameters?  A male between 5'11'' and 6'6'' 190-240lbs, can throw the ball 60 yards and can hit an open receiver in combine drills.  Right, all of them can.  So what should the Rams be looking for?  Test scores, leadership, and character.  Call someone on the team that doesn't like him; get their opinion on him, exhaust all avenues.  Sounds funny but, you are about to put millions of dollars into this kid.  Things like mobility, 40yd dash times, arm strength, media savvy ness (if that's a word) mean absolutely nothing and if you are not careful may get you Joey Harrington or Tim Couch on draft day.

   There are a few quarterbacks in this draft that may amount to something but unless you are as sure as you can be about drafting Bradford or Clausen, don't do it!  Look at guys in the second or third round like Lefevour or Pike and put a veteran over them for a year or two (Delhomme, Mcnabb, Anderson).  Use the Aaron Rodgers formula and you can take a possible flop and give him a chance to succeed as a starter in the NFL.  One guy said that we should not get Mcnabb because we have a 3-4yr plan to win a championship.  It boggles my mind how stupid people can be.  You can not deny that any job is easier if you have time to develop and ease into the position.  A pro bowl QB that can pass down a wealth of "been there" knowledge and win us a bunch of games while QB-X holds a clipboard and learns the system is a bad decision?  I think most would agree that a veteran stop-gap and a rookie QB just make sense.  Draft Suh or trade the pick and Go Rams!

Just a little reminder about first round, combine gods!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JaMarcus_Russell