SBNation.com User Blog: Marmie is the best

Why You Should be Sad to See Craig Dahl Leave

Marmie is the best — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:39:16 -0000

The Craig Dahl signing may be the best steal of free agency. Despite what you may have read or heard, Dahl is tremendous player who has been the scapegoat of a bad defense for reasons beyond his control and whose skills have been utilized improperly. I am a big Rams fan and am very sorry to see him go, especially to a team in the NFC West. Here is why you should be sad about the Craig Dahl signing.

Dahl is a very athletic player. He posted one of the fastest 60 yard shuttle times at the combine….Of any player… At any position… Ever. (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ycn-7712230) He also posted the second fastest L Drill time for safeties of the 2007 combine (http://www.parisischool.com/programs/NFLCombineResults.html). Add in the fact that he put up 17 bench press reps (http://www.nfl.com/player/craigdahl/2495585/combine) and you can see that Dahl is actually a pretty athletic guy. As further evidence of his athleticism, his football background includes playing quarterback in high school (which should also give him an edge on reading offenses) (http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/historical/1226150). He is also intelligent off the field as he was only the second player in NDSU history to be awarded CoSIDA Academic All-American honors.

Dahl is a tremendous tackler. According to Pro Football Focus, there was not a single safety in the entire league who tackled better than Dahl in 2011 (https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/01/25/2011-tackling-the-safeties/). Not a single safety in the entire made tackles with Dahl's efficiency. If you have NFL Rewind and really want to nerd out, watch the Rams vs. Panthers game from 2010 and try telling Dahl does not look like one of the absolute best in the NFL. The guy really makes plays.

So if he is this talented, why do so many Rams' fans hate him?

The team around Dahl set him up to be the perfect scapegoat. The Rams defensive ends over the past three years have (Chris Long, Robert Quinn and James Hall) been pretty good pass rushers, but not very effective against the run. Our OLBs, outside of Jo-Lonn Dunbar, have been among the worst in the league (Rocky McIntosh, Chris Chamberlain, Brady Poppinga and Na'il Diggs). This allowed opposing RBs the chance to get to the third level easier against the Rams than just about any team in the league. So, when Dahl made a tackle it was after a 15 yard run and Rams fans would gripe that he only made tackles after big runs by the opposition. Nevermind that the Rams coaching staff had Dahl routinely line up 25 to 30 yards off the line of scrimmage and if Dahl had not made the tackle the opposition likely had a touchdown.

It is no coincidence that when Dahl went out for a play against the Patriots this year, Steven Ridley ran for his career long run. For something closer to home for 49er fans, if you have NFL Rewind, watch the 49ers at the Rams again from this year. Dahl made three open field tackles against Gore that were likely touchdown saving tackles. Dahl rightly gets criticized for missing Adrian Peterson this year which led to big runs. But, this shows just how much the Rams were relying on him to make plays in the running game, and if your complaint is that he had a bad game against a guy having perhaps the best season running the football ever, I think you will be able to live with that.

The Rams secondary also experienced a rash of injuries in 2011 that is almost unprecedented (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2013/2012-adjusted-games-lost-team-units). To quote that article, "The 2011 Rams finished with the third-highest defensive back AGL in our database (36.6)." As one of the only guys who could stay on the field, Dahl became a target for criticism. Also, Dahl's strongest skill is his reliable tackling ability. With so many corners injured, he was asked to play more of a role in pass coverage than he probably should have.

Third, Dahl was brought in by Spagnuolo from the Giants. Coach Spags' players have not been too popular with Rams fans for good reason, given our awful record over his tenure.

Fourth, and this one makes very little sense, many Rams fans would bring up that he reminds them of Jason Sehorn, the last white safety to play for the Rams. Of course, Sehorn is best remembered in St. Louis for letting Steve Smith blow by him the second overtime of the NFC Divisional playoffs in 2003, so seeing another white safety stirred up bad memories.

Fifth, he is from a small school and went undrafted. That just makes him an easy target for criticism.

In conclusion, the 49ers are getting a steal with Craig Dahl. He is tremendous tackler and can be a great role player on a championship team. I would imagine that Harbough will use his strengths much better than the Spagnuolo and Fisher did in St. Louis and 49er fans will be more than happy with his play. He is a pretty athletic, makes plays and from all accounts appears to be a team first guy with no ego. He should have been a fan favorite in St. Louis. After all, who does not like a hard-nosed player who doesn't miss tackles and beat the odds to make to the NFL from a small school like NDSU. Instead, he became a scapegoat because of his association with the franchise's most reviled coach, his small school background and the coaching staff's inability to use his skill set properly.

Enjoy 49er fans, you just signed a very good player.

So if he is this talented, why do so many Rams' fans hate him?

Third, Dahl was brought in by Spagnuolo from the Giants. Coach Spags' players have not been too popular with Rams fans for good reason, given our awful record over his tenure.

Fifth, he is from a small school and went undrafted. That just makes him an easy target for criticism.

Enjoy 49er fans, you just signed a very good player.

Progress? Fisher is not making any

Marmie is the best — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 03:43:34 -0000

Has Jeff Fisher made progress this season? You can say that the team plays tougher now, but people said that when Linehan took over for Martz and when Spagnuolo took over for Linehan. You could say the team does not give up and does not get intimidated by anyone, but last year's squad took down the 13-3 Saints. After his timeout with 1:13 left in the game last week (and his subsequent defense of the clear mistake) and the poor decision to go for the two point conversion today, we have seen that Jeff Fisher is not a good clock manager or game manager. If he has not figured that out after 17+ years as a head coach, when will he figure it out?

Game management and clock management are only part of coaching. With three wins, the 2012 Rams already have more wins than the 2011 Rams. However, if the Rams had Josh Brown instead of Greg Zuerlein, the results of the Seahawks game would be very different.Rams 19 Seahawks 13 - Zuerlein hits FGs from 58, 48, 60 and 24. The Rams probably do not win this one without Zuerlein. (One of the other two wins came against a rookie QB in his second game in RG3, and another came against one of the worst offensive lines in the league in the Cardinals).

With Bradford entering his 3rd year and Quinn developing this year, coupled with all the early picks the Rams had for this year, it seems likely to me that any of the coaches in Rams history would have three wins with this team.

Has Fisher really proven anything? The more I see, the more I am convinced the Rams have not made a good decision in hing him.

My Response to Football Outsiders Preview of the Rams - it may surprise you

Marmie is the best — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 04:11:17 -0000

In my opinion, Football Outsiders is the best football website out there, save TST of course. FO writer Andy Benoit wrote a preview of the Rams ane every other team. After the jump is my response to that preview. To make sense of my comments, read the article here: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/ramblings/2012/andy-benoit-previews-rams#comment-899712

Mr. Benoit,
I understand previewing each team is a tall order, so I will say, "thank you" for attempting it. I'd certainly make a lot of mistakes too, if I had to write about all 32 teams. Here are some things I'd disagree with you on the Rams. I remember your wrote in the the live draft chat / blog that you did not understand why fans were booing the commissioner at this year's draft. Rams fans will tell you why; Spygate. For the commissioner whose name I refuse to utter (or type) to review the Super Bowl XXXVI tapes for two hours and then destroy them, only to give the Patriots a slap on the hand is enough to make him a villain on par with a certain umpire from the 1985 World Series in St. Louis. In short, we HATE the commissioner in St. Louis (thanks for sending that PAtriots game to London this year, too, Commish).

Anyway, onto my points about the Rams...

1) Craig Dahl is not that good in pass coverage, but he is an excellent tackler - perhaps the best open field tackler on the team. If you can watch the 2010 Rams vs. Panthers game, you will see a dominating performance. I think it would really surprise you.

2) Lance Kendricks would have had the worst season of any St. Louis Ram ever if Greg Salas had not also played for us last year. He was target 58 times for his 28 catches. He rarely made anybody miss and he did not block anybody. There may not have been worst TE in all of football last season. The Rams needed to get him off the field more last season, not more involved.

3) The Bradford analysis is just flat out lazy. He played against a cupcake schedule in his rookie season so he looked good. The W-L record was better because our defense played better in '10 than '11. Bradford's level of play in 2011 was very similar to 2010. The Rams defense and SOS made casual observers think otherwise.

Again, I understand writing one of these for the entire league is huge task, so I do not mean to come off as critical. Just want to get the correct information out there.

The Offensive Line and the Amoeba Offense

Marmie is the best — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 02:23:14 -0000

Sam Bradford was only sacked twice on Sunday. Some would say, "Two sacks? The offensive must be getting better!" Well, I am going to disagree with that statement. Those same people may say, "The O-Line played great! Why are you ragging on them?" The answer follows after the jump.

I am not ragging on the offensive line. I think they had a very good game as group. I also think they played well last year. "WAIT A SECOND!", you may be thinking. "This offensive line gave up 55 sacks last season. That is one more than the Cardinals gave up, and they gave up the second most in the league!" You would be correct in saying that no one gave up more sacks than the Rams.

However, the offensive line is not the only group responsible for sacks. There were three other parties that were responsible for allowing the opposing teams to rack up so many sacks.

1) The tight ends. As a unit, the TEs made three blocks over the entire season. That is an exaggeration, but the TEs really poor blockers. It is a lot harder to stop elite pass rushers like Aldon Smith (2 sacks) and Brian Orakpo (3 sacks) without any help. Even the best tackles in the league get help against great DEs, but our TEs were completely inept at blocking. Fortunately, Michael Hoomanawanui and Lance Kendricks did not block anyone. Billy Bajema was probably about average.

2) Steven Jackson. "What? The best player on the team?!" Yes, bless Steven's heart, but he never blocks anybody. He didn't have the vision to see opposing players coming through the line or off the edge. When he did engage an opponent, the results typically favored the opposition. I imagine this goes unnoticed by many because Steven is so big, most assume he should be able to block. Well, most assumed a team coming off of a 4-12 and lost their starting QB in the pre-season would have no chance at winning the Super Bowl. Those people were also incorrect.

3) The Amoeba Offense (http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2011/1/25/1954805/the-mcdaniels-approach-to-deferrals-and-gameplanning) I'd have to agree with John Clayton (http://espn.go.com/nfl/preview12/story/_/id/8295967/nfl-quarterback-rankings-john-clayton-reveals-2012-hierarchy-signal-callers-part-2) when he said, "lysis: Getting rid of the Josh McDaniels offense should add a touchdown per game to the 12.1 points the Rams averaged last season." Football Outsiders ran a great article describing some of the things I am taking about (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/word-muth/2012/word-muth-scouting-rams)

In short, Josh McDaniels made our offensive look like crap. How many times did he split Steven Jackson out wide last season? This is the second time I am saying something negative about Steven, so I do not want anyone to get wrong the impression about my opinion of Steven Jackson's abilities as a football player. He is a very good runner, but he can't block or catch. When our former offensive coordinator split Steven out wide, the Rams were essentially playing 10-on-11. If Lance Kendricks and Greg Salas were on the field, the Rams were playing 8-on-11. It is hard not to give up sacks when you are playing 8-on-11.

If you let defensive coordinators pick the formation the Rams lined up in last year, they would have picked to the formations that McDaniels did pick. His brutal playcalling led to sacks much more so than the offensive line.

Not giving Bradford a QB coach did not help, either. Bradford held onto the ball too long many plays last season. With better play calling and QB coach, I'm convinced he would have been able to avoid some sacks.

I do not know if Brian Schottenheimer is going to be an elite offensive or not, but I know that the difference between Josh Mcdaniels and Schottenheimer is bigger than Rokevious Watkins.

Buffalo Wild Wings steals a victory from my Rams. I'm boycotting them

Marmie is the best — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:19:34 -0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIVtwjdfb2M

Buffalo Wild Wings steals a victory from my Rams. I'm boycotting them

Under Pressure: Our First 2011 Data

Marmie is the best — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:43:50 -0000

Under Pressure: Our First 2011 Data

Football Outsiders discusses the high number of sacks that the Rams have allowed and hypothesizes on the amount of blame that should go to the offensive line, and how much should go to Bradford.

Very good article.

Walking Ruiz

Marmie is the best — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:29:10 -0000

La Russa walks Ruiz because he had a lot of "big hits" against the Cardinals in the past and Ben Fransisco has struggled against Garcia.

Fransisco was 1-9 against Jaime and I really don't think that Ruiz is a better hitter just because the pitcher is wearing a Cardinals jersey. Someone please teach Tony common sense and let him know the definition of a statistically significant sample size.

A very frustrating decision. Hopefully we can get someone managing for us that will help our team win rather than the other way around.

50 Worst NFL Head Coaches of All-Time

Marmie is the best — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:34:28 -0000

50 Worst NFL Head Coaches of All-Time

Check out who is #2. Yup, that's the guy I want as my offensive coordinator (sarcasm).

Bartell's Impact

Marmie is the best — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:17:40 -0000

When Bartell went down, I think our chances of a successful season went with him. Fletcher is a good #2, and we don't really have anyone that can be better than a nickel back behind him.

King has speed, but can't stay with anyone. Harris is just past his prime. Both players are role players, not starters. When you lose a guy like Bartell, he is almost impossible to replace.

Our defense was structured around having him there. We were relying on Bartell and Fletcher to supply the pass coverage while Dahl and Mikell were good run stoppers who could help make up for the weakness in our outside LBs. The defensive line is clearly built around our DEs.

With Bartell gone, our pass coverage is too weak. The defensive line is not good enough to put enough pressure on the QB to make up for it. We tried blitzing the Ravens, but they just picked us apart. Ron is a big strong CB who was able to get a good jam on the opposing team's WRs- we don't have that anymore.

The Rams are left in a catch 22 position. If they blitz, they leave one of their weaker CBs in a spot in which he is completely overmatched. If they don't blitz, that gives the opponent's WRs time to make double and triple moves which we can't handle.

Personally, I think they need to blitz less and hope that Long and Quinn can generate enough pressure without a blitz. Perhaps they can use more stunts to attempt to confuse the offensive (can we ask the other team each week to pick up Alex Barron and start him at LT?)

Unfortunately, I think our Rams just do not have the talent to succeed without Bartell.

Salas and Pettis

Marmie is the best — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:30:20 -0000

Greg Salas is slow (4.56 40 time at the combine, Blaine Gabbert was only slightly slower at 4.62), can't catch, and can't return punts. Can someone tell me what he IS good at? Also, if Salas is this bad, how bad is Pettis if he is behind Greg on the depth chart?

Everyone hated on Mardy Gilyard, but he never cost the Rams the way Salas did on Monday night. At the very least, Gilyard could catch punts. Personally, I'd rather have Gilyard than either Salas or Pettis. I have no idea how the Rams staff came to the conclusion that

The 2011 draft class, with the exception of Quinn, could be one of the worst in Rams' history because it looks like Kendricks can't catch either. Right now, I am very down on this draft class. For this year, it seems pretty obvious to me that we would have been much better off with Fells, Avery, and Gilyard, than Pettis, Salas, and Kendricks.

It appears Josh McDaniels has worked his draft "magic" on the Rams just like he did with the Broncos. This class could make the 2006 class look good.

Bradford asks for something new in the Collective Bargaining Agreement

Marmie is the best — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:01:52 -0000

Bradford asks for something new in the Collective Bargaining Agreement

Just when you thought the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement could not get any more complicated, the player’s union, led by Sam Bradford have a new proposal; they want to get paid for overtime. Says Bradford, “Waiters, cashiers, and security guards all get overtime pay. Why not quarterbacks, safeties, and offensive guards.”

Bradford asks for something new in the Collective Bargaining Agreement

Interestingly, Bradford has found an ally in St. Louis Cardinals superstar slugger, Albert Pujols. The first baseman, whose contract is up at the end of this year, said, “Even Tony (LaRussa) doesn’t expect us to really try in extra innings. That is why are saying on this team is ‘Play a Hard Nine.’ We pretty much stop trying after nine innings and just hope the game ends so we can go home."

Bradford showed how he earned a B+ in Applied Mathematics during his sophomore year at Oklahoma with some quick calculations that he shared with reporters. Bradford’s contract is for 78 million dollars over six years. That translates to 13 million dollars a year, which means Sam makes $812,500 per game. His salary per minute is a little over $13,541. “There is no reason that I should not receive an extra $13,541 for every minute of overtime I work. The players have been exploited long enough.”

Now that he has come to the realization that he is working in an unfair environment, Bradford is considering a career change. “You know, working somewhere like a diner as a waiter or cook, perhaps Donald Trump’s hair stylist, where they know that employees deserve overtime pay.”

How quickly we forget (the TE problem)

Marmie is the best — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:04:50 -0000

The big theme after the draft is that the Rams are using the Patriots model of 2 TE sets. Well, the Rams aren't the Patriots and I don't think Kendricks represents a real upgrade over our current players

Anyone remember Joe Klopfenstein and Dominique Byrd. Yeah, a 2nd round and 3rd round pick, respectively. We had these two tight ends and look where it got us. I don't like the fact that his blocking is suspect. Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker were both excellent pass-catching TEs whose skills didn't translate to the NFL. Everyone seems so willing to look east for an example of where the system went right, but unwilling to look into our own state where it has gone wrong.

Now, obviously, only time will tell if this was the right pick for the Rams. But, as of right now, I am betting against it.

Commissioner for a Day (How I'd solve this dispute in ONE day)

Marmie is the best — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:34:38 -0000

If I was commissioner of the NFL for a day, I would solve the labor dispute by creating more revenue so both sides would be happy and stop worrying about the % breakdown. My proposal:
Part 1. Showcase the league's top talent in prime time more often.
Part 2: Show off the best stadium(s) from around the NFL.

Doing this will increase league revenue so both the players and the owners will be happy.

So, the Rams should play on Monday night every week... at home

Josh McDaniels Sucks

Marmie is the best — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:43:14 -0000

Josh McDaniels Sucks

I don't know if anyone has seen this site, but love him or hate him, this has some very good information on our new OC.

Bradford: How good was he last year?

Marmie is the best — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 07:32:57 -0000

Short answer: not as good as you think.

Sam the Ram takes home the Offensive Rookie of the Year and we all celebrate. Good day to be a Rams fan and very nice award for our top pick. I can't believe no one else has mentioned this, but I have a few performance metrics that many Rams' fans may not want to see.

1. Since we love FootballOutsiders.com here, anyone want to talk about how Bradford's DYAR was 34th in the league? Lower than Colt McCoy, Seneca Wallace, Drew Stanton, former Ram Ryan Fitzpatrick (18th) and Alex Smith (yes, that Alex Smith.)

2. Maybe his DVOA was at least high? Nope. Still ranks 34th in DVOA.

3. Anyone want to mention that his yards per completion were the second LOWEST in the NFL behind only Jimmy Claussen?

So, before we start notching up the turnaround to Sam's great year, remember that the Rams probably would have been better off with 7th rounder Ryan Fitzpatrick commanding the team. Think about it: how many fans perceptions of Bradford vs. Fitzpatrick are based only the fact that Fitzpatrick was drafted later? Almost all. (I know they are in different stages of their careers, but I bet many people would not believe Fitzpatrick outplayed Bradford this year.)

Objectively, Sam simply was not as good as he is being given credit for. I said many times, the defense was the primary reason for the turnaround this season, but it is just easier (and sexier) to give the credit to the #1 draft pick QB than to say that a guy like Ron Bartell is playing at an All-Pro level.

I ain't hatin', I'm just sayin'.

Mardy Gilyard says he has finally learned the playbook

Marmie is the best — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:19:53 -0000

Earlier today, Rams 4th round draft pick, Mardy Gilyard held a press conference to announce that he has finally learned the intricacies of Pat Schurmur's offense.

"You know, it may have taken me a whole year to learn the thing, but I am confident that I finally know it," said Gilyard. "Some said I didn't have the awareness to handle the NFL, but that is not the case. I am a very aware player and person, and I think that you will see that on the field next season." Gilyard also explained that he is mentally exhausted from learning all the plays. Gilyard concluded the conference with, "I am just really happy that I won't have go through that whole process again next season."

Spags is full of it

Marmie is the best — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:40:27 -0000

Steve Spagnuolo can no longer ever talk about the four pillars with any kind of credibility. He has just brought in Josh McDanials, a known cheater. Apparently, Randy Moss is doesn't fit in with the pillars, but a cheater does. I am extremely disappointed in Steve's judgement.

Spagnulo and his pillars are a bunch of crap. . This is the first time I have said this since the Rams drafted Tye Hill over Antonio Cromartie... bad move Rams; it is not a good day to be a Rams fan. Today is a sad day

I guess I'll have to be the one to say it

Marmie is the best — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 16:31:48 -0000

While the Rams have won more games this year and it appears that the talent level has risen considerably for the team, and they have won as many games this year as the last three combined, the offense still ranks 28th in DVOA and second to last in red zone touchdown percentage. Is the team really better? Or have they just gotten a little more lucky this year and had the enjoyed the benefits of the NFL's weakest schedule?

The answer is a little of both, I think. Even though the offense only ranks 28th right now, that is still a few spots better than last year. Also, the defense went from one of the NFL's worst to middle of the pack. Then it helps that our schedule this year has to be historically weak.

Looking beyond this year, can the Rams continue to climb the ladder? Or will they regress back to the 2007-2009 form? Everyone believes Bradford will get better and hopefully he gets a lot better next year, which, in itself, could boost the offense up to middle of the pack. If we found a good RG to replace Goldberg, I would pretty happy with our offensive line and as Peyton Hillis has shown this year, you do not need to be a top pick to become a top RB.

The defense has so many young players on it that it is hard to imagine anything but improvement for next year. Hopefully, Fred Robbins and James Hall can keep their production up. Also, a couple of outside LBs would go a long way I think (it is too bad Carpenter didn't work out.)

Overall, I am optimistic for next year's Rams. However, because they will likely play a substantially tougher schedule next season, they may improve quite a bit, but not win any more games than in the 2010 campaign.

Until then, I will just hoping for a Super Bowl this year- a win this Sunday would be a great step in that direction.

No one on the Rams wants Randy Moss- PROOF

Marmie is the best — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 05:07:27 -0000

Much has been made about the effect that Randy Moss will have in the locker room if the Rams decide to claim him and it has come out today that the Rams players in fact do not want Moss on the team.

“It will definitely disrupt the locker room,” said Rams defensive end Chris Long. “We have a pre-game tradition of playing a hacky sack tournament, defensive players against the offensive guys. If they get Moss, it just won’t be fair,” alluding to Moss’s 2002 International Hacky Sack Tournament third place finish.

Long is not the only one to voice concerns. Rookie quarterback spoke about his fears of playing with Moss while finishing his happy meal, “Does anyone remember that I am rookie? How am I supposed to deal with a guy like that? If Moss comes here, my career is ruined. I’ll probably never play well again.”

Another Rams offensive rookie, Mardy Gilyard, was especially anti-Moss. “You realize that if we get Moss, I am pretty much done for this year.” Gilyard admitted that not playing might have its advantages, however. “If I do not have to go to those games every Sunday, I could stay home and finally learn the playbook,” said the rookie from Cincinnati.

James Laurinaitis, a defensive leader and perhaps the hardest worker on the team, worried that Moss’s attitude would spill over to other players. “Has Randy Moss proven he is a great receiver? Yes. But, what about the intangible things? I know that I just follow what everyone else does, so if Moss is here and he isn’t working hard, then I am going to stop working hard, it is just that simple.”

Ron Bartell did not want to play against Moss in practice. “Did you see how good I was against Larry Fitzgerald? Yeah, that is how good I am. But, I don’t want Moss to beat me in practice. It is a lot easier covering Amendola and Gibson.” Bartell added, “Seriously, with the receivers we have right now, I have not allowed a single catch against me in practice. If there were a practice Hall of Fame, I’d be in it. So, no, I don’t want Randy Moss to come in here and take that opportunity away from me,” said Bartell, who later admitted he thinks there is a good chance that a practice Hall of Fame will be built in three years.

For his part, Billy Devaney even said that he did not want Moss to join the Rams. “Look, I didn’t think we’d be anywhere near playoffs, “ said the Rams GM. “If we make it, I’ll have to re-schedule my cruise in the Bahamas.” Another point that few have taken into consideration is the effect acquiring Moss would have on the Rams draft next spring. “Most fans like my draft picks. Did they ever think that I draft well because I get to draft at the top of the round?” Devaney’s wife gave further explanation, “Billy gets very anxious and excited about the draft. I don’t think he could wait until any later than pick 5 to make a selection.” Devaney added, “I have carved out a routine for the draft. Show up, make a pick, nap for three hours, and make another pick. If we started winning and drafting later, I’d have to change everything.”

Chip Rosenbloom wants Moss to stay away more than anybody. “Has anybody seen the movie Major League? Because this is pretty much the same situation, but with a football team. I never wanted them to win. It’s too bad the NFC West is so awful this year. Hopefully, we can lose out and then I can move the team back to L.A.”

Rams offensive coordinator, Pat Schurmur, is also nervous about picking up Moss. “When Avery and Clayton went down, I just threw away all the pages in the playbook with routes longer than ten yards. If Moss comes here, I’ll have to find those plays or make up new ones. That is a lot of work.” Schurmur made a point to insist that he is not lazy, however, he just “doesn’t want to do any more work than (he) has to.”

The Rams fans also hope that Moss stays away. “I only like high character guys on my team,” said Jim Smith, a South County resident, donning a Leonard Little jersey. Others voiced different concerns. “Right now, I can sit wherever I want to in the dome, I don’t have to worry about it being too loud in there, and there is no traffic after the game. If Moss came here and there was some excitement on offense, it would ruin my enjoyment of the Rams,” said the 68 year-old Sue Jones, a member of the steadily growing AARRF (the American Association of Retired Rams Fans) who have turned to the dome for quiet and relaxing Sunday afternoons. “Those playoff games are too loud and rowdy for me,” she added.

Finally, Coach Steve Spagnuolo, said he is definitely against Moss joining the Rams. “Right now, a lot of people think that my “four pillars” plan is responsible for the wins, instead of just our weak schedule. If I bring Moss in here, and he acts up, then no one will believe that the four pillars are cool any more.” He also said that he does not want create another “timeout” room. “When I first got here, we had a timeout room for when players did naughty things. Alex (Barron) and Richie (Incognito) spent a lot of time in there. I put a hot tub in there with a 50 inch HDTV, so I can relax after practice. I don’t want to have to make a new timeout room or give my hot tub up for Randy.”

So, no one at Rams Park wants Moss and it appears that he will slide down the waiver wire to another team. Perhaps the Seahawks will pick him up. With all the negativity surrounding Moss’s potential to join the Rams, they believe it will only be subtraction by addition.

The guy no one has mentioned

Marmie is the best — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:46:40 -0000

Long, Laurinaitis, Bartell, Atogwe, and Hall have all received praise for their efforts this year, and deservedly so. But Craig Dahl has been a serious contributor to this defense this year. Corey Chavous seemed like a good guy, and probably was one of the more intelligent players in the NFL, but by the time he got to the Rams, he was just finished. Todd Johnson wasn't any better. Both of them reminded me of Jason Sehorn. But, Dahl has stepped up and been a great contributor this year, albeit quietly.

Quick, who led the Rams in tackles against the Panthers? If you guessed Dahl based on the first part of this article, you are correct. With 10 tackles, 7 solos, he led the Rams. While the stats list 0 tackles for loss, he had a couple that I remember for no gain, and were very close to being a tackle for loss. He had some great open field tackles. Tackles that strong safeties in years past would have missed. I do think that James Butler is better in pass coverage, but Dahl is such a solid tackler that he deserves to start.

When discussing the Rams turnaround this year, I think that Dahl is as important as anyone for two reasons; first, he legitimately has been a very good player for the Rams. Second, our strong safeties were so phenomenally bad that even average play would have been a great improvement. Fletcher has been solid this year, but just by being solid he has been a tremendous improvement over the garbage pile of CBs, who have lined up opposite of Bartell over the past couple years.

So, when giving credit for the defensive turnaround, remember that there may be no one more important for the change than #43.

Defense, not Bradford wins Championship

Marmie is the best — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:08:13 -0000

I absolutely Sam Bradford and I think he is going to help the Rams win a lot of games. However, Sam the Ram is not the reason that we have three games this year. I would love to give him credit for it, but it just is not true. Everyone touting Bradford as the difference maker is either incompetent or lazy.

The defense has turned this team around, not Ram Bradford's offense.

First, Sam is not playing any better than Bulger did last year.

Bulger: 56.7% completion,70.7 rating, 5.95 yards/attempt

Bradford: 56.8% completion, 69.3 rating, 5.79 yards/attempt

There really is not a difference here. Again, I think Sam was the right pick and he'll prove himself to be an MVP-caliber player sometime in the future, but he has not played like it this year and he has not created the turnaround.

The defense has played so much better this year they have in the past three seasons.The Ram offense is currently ranked 28th in DVOA and the defense is ranked 19th.

2009 Rankings: Offense 32nd, Defense 31st

2008 Rankings: Offense 32nd, Defense 30th

2007 Rankings: Offense 31st, Defense 25th

So, both units have improved, but the defense has been driving the superior production. Who are the drivers for this defensive improvement? I think they are Ron Bartell, OJ Atogwe, Chris Long and James Laurinaitis.

Bradford has received a lot of the publicity, and he deserves for playing as well he has as a rookie, but the defense has really carried this team. I really think that Bulger might have been able to navigate this team to 3-3 with our defense playing this well.

Bartell has a size and speed combo that make him an extremely effective CB. Ronnie B is one the best CBs in the league. Look back at all the top WRs the Rams have faced- Ron stops them. Remember how impossible it was for the Cardinals to get the ball to LARRY FITZGERALD? What about CALVIN JOHNSON? Ok, Johnson caught a TD, but that was under Fletcher's coverage and he essentially was held silent the rest of the game. Seriously, Bartell is one of the BEST in the game today.

While Long hasn’t registered the sacks this year (until last week), he has generated a lot of pressure, especially the first three weeks. I honestly thought at the beginning of the season that one of those two guys would win Defensive P.O.Y. and I still think they both have a shot. They are two tremendous players.

Atogwe's misses have been well-documented, but the guy is a playmaker. He can change a game.

The other guy I would add into the list is Laurinaitis. He is the MLB to put on a Rams jersey since London Fletcher. This year he has shown great run stopping ability and pass coverage. He is a complete football player. Besides making plays, he plays smart. I love having him on the Rams. I feel like he has Atogwe's playmaking capability while being less prone to error. So happy that we took him over that moron from USC.

For the 2010 St. Louis Rams, it may be Bradford that gains headlines, but defense will win a championship

Rosenbloom= Liar?

Marmie is the best — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:26:06 -0000

I believe that Chip Rosenbloom has flat-out lied to the St. Louis public about why he has to sell the team and wanting to keep the team in St. Louis. He has created a situation so that the St. Louis public believes tht he is being forced to sell the team and no St. Louis buyers have stepped up. However, I believe that he does not have to sell the team and a St. Louis buyer had stepped up. However, Rosenbloom does not care at all about the Rams or St. Louis, he just wants to get as much money as possible out the franchise. I don't blame him for that. It's his team and if he wants to sell it, that is his business, but don't try to sell me this sob story.

Chip Rosenbloom said no St. Louis buyer had approached him so he went with Goldman Sachs to help him finds a buyer outside of St. Louis. Dave Checketts said that he approached the Rams months ago with his interest. Someone is not telling the truth. I am more inclined to believe Checketts, who has been a straight-shooter ever since he arrived in St. Louis than Rosenbloom who just two months ago said that the Rams were not for sale and would not be for sale in the foreseeable future. If it really was important to Chip to keep the team in St. Louis then there would have been no reason for him to pay Goldman Sachs for its services. After all, the "cash-strapped" Rosenbloom has to sell the team because of his lack of funds.

Rosenbloom also claims that he is being forced to sell the team because of estate tax issues. He makes it sound like he had never heard of estate taxes until Georgia passed away. John Shaw is supposed to be a top notch lawyer- I am sure that he had some estate tax plan for the Rams if Chip wanted to keep the team. Instead, I am confident that Rosenbloom used the estate tax issue as a reason to give the public that he wanted to sell the team. Georgia certainly had money after years of the Rams making money and Chip is reportedly a good businessman, himself. Of course, every two-bit P-D writer (Bernie) keeps saying that the Rosenblooms are going through "extremely complex estate tax issues" that none of us common people could ever understand. Just becasue Bernie could not even figure out how to work TaxCut software does not mean that the rest of us have to buy their story. Also, if the estate taxes really were the issue then Rosenbloom would have been able to see this coming. He never would have said that the Rams are not for sale and that they would not be for sale in the foreseeanle future, just TWO months ago. He would have known that the estate tax thing was coming. So, I do not buy for one second that estate taxes are the reason why they have to sell the team.

They have the money. they just don't want to own the Rams and they don't care if they stay in St. Louis or not. I absolutely love the Rams. It would kill me if they left St. Louis. It is just too bad that Chip Rosenbloom can't see that he is passing up the dream. I hope he enjoys whatever money he gets from it.

Colbert Super Bowl prediction for '09

Marmie is the best — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:44:28 -0000

In Stpehen Colbert's book, he predicts the outcomes of the next 25 Super Bowls or so. In 2009, he picked the Rams to beat the Broncos 42-35. Obviously, this is a bit unrealistic; there is no way that the Broncos could put up 35 on our defense. I have to give Colbert credit for his foresight into the '09 Super Bowl champion. It will be a travesty if Colbert continues to be correct because he predicts that the 2022, 2023, and 2034 Super Bowls will all be canceled.

The Dome and top 25% of stadiums

Marmie is the best — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:38:44 -0000

There has been some comments about the Rams needing to be in the top 25% of stadiums and the amount of improvements that would need to be made to get it into the top 25%. Well, I think that the dome is the best stadium in the NFL. Why? We get to watch the best team in football play there 10 times (sometimes more if we make the playoffs) at that stadium. Whereever the Rams play their home games is the best stadium in football. Home sweet dome...

Why not?

Marmie is the best — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:16:00 -0000

[Note by VanRam, 04/30/09 2:15 PM EDT ] I'm putting this on the front page, because this is an issue worth discussing given our needs at WR.

Why shouldn't the Rams sign Matt Jones or Plaxico Burress? We definitely need some depth at the WR position. Especially Jones who could be signed very cheaply.

Both of those guys have had off the field issues, but Incognito has been in a bar fight, Little's off-field troubles have been well-chronicled, Pisa had some trouble in college, etc. So, these guys off-field troubles should not be that important.

Jones still has the height-speed combination that made him a first round pick and Burress was one of the premiere receivers in the league before the gun incident. With a receieving as weak as the one we have now, either of those guys would be a welcome addition.

Also, if we sign Jones, we could potentially run a crazy offense by either drafting Tebow next year or signing Mike Vick when he gets out of jail. Imagine the possiblilities of having Jones and Vick/Tebow on the field. We could run the option, have either one of them play WR, the possibilities are endless. Bring in Jones, draft Tebow or sign Vick and then bring Martz back and set him loose with the ridiculous talent that we would have. Or heck, just bring all of them in and run double options. Find a defense that could stop that.

[Note by VanRam, 04/30/09 2:15 PM EDT ] I'm putting this on the front page, because this is an issue worth discussing given our needs at WR.

Why shouldn't the Rams sign Matt Jones or Plaxico Burress? We definitely need some depth at the WR position. Especially Jones who could be signed very cheaply.

Our defense for next year

Marmie is the best — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:11:32 -0000

I was very happy that the Rams were able to snap up James Laurinaitis in the second round and add depth at DT and CB. call me crazy, but I think our defense will be very good next season; and I'll tell you why.

First, we have a lot less black holes than last year. Corey Chavous is gone and we now have two solid linebackers instead of just one. Also, Ron Bartell solidfied himself as a starter last year.

Second, our existing talent will get better. Chris Long had an excellent rookie season for a DE. Not too many guys do better than 4 sacks their rookie year. I think he will break out and get double digit sacks this year. Carriker will continue his development as a DT and so will Ron Bartell at CB. Also, opposite of Bartell will be Hill, Fletcher, or King. Anyone of those three could step up and be a good NFL starter.

Yes the other DE is a little bit of a problem; Little was only playing on 3rd downs last season. But, I think that can mitigated by running a different system. Something that no one really talked about is the new formation that we ran. It was a 3-4 or a 3-3-5, whichever you want to call it. We had three lineman, three linebackers and five DBs. But, we always had Jason Craft blitz. If we run a similiar scheme this year, I think we will be very successful.

First, we have a lot less black holes than last year. Corey Chavous is gone and we now have two solid linebackers instead of just one. Also, Ron Bartell solidfied himself as a starter last year.

Question from a Brewers fan in STL

Marmie is the best — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:47:03 -0000

Hi, I was having an argument with some of my buddies and told them that the Brewers have a much better baseball atmosphere than the Cardinals. I went to Miller Park back in '05 and had a great time. Anyway, one of the things I hate about Busch Stadium is "Kiss Cam." I told my friends that Miller Park didn't have such a thing. But, they said that I have not been there for 5 years, now. Anyway, does Miller Park have "Kiss Cam?"

-Nick

STL- 2nd unhappiest city...?

Marmie is the best — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:11:01 -0000

St. Louis was recently named the second unhappiest city in America, behind only Portland Oregon. However, this study was conducted BEFORE the Rams re-signed Ron Bartell. How can anyone in the city be happy when they think that our best football may be leaving to play for another team? They can't. If the study were redone today, I believe that St. Louis would rank in the top 10 of happiest cities in America. I know that my Ron Bartell re-signing party was a great success and helped to raise a lot of spirits.

Here's to a happy St. Louis with Ronnie B. playing cornerback in it for four more years!

The Cardinals are NOT surprising

Marmie is the best — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:37:24 -0000

Many have called the Cardinals march to the Super Bowl "surprising" and "improbable," but it is neither of those things to me. After going through the NFC West (aka NFC Best) the Cardinals were well-prepared for anything that teams from the weaker divisions had to throw at them. If playing the St. Louis Rams twice a year does not prepare you for the playoffs, then I don't know what does. In the Super Bowl, the Cardinals will get to go up against the markedly inferior AFC. My prediction; Cardinals by 20.

Playoffs in '09

Marmie is the best — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:58:30 -0000

The Rams will make the playoffs in '09. We have the talent to succeed/ As we have seen in the past (this year with the Falcons and Dolphins, or back in '99 with the Rams) teams can change VERY quickly in this league. Here's what I think that we need to do.

1. Lock up Atogwe and Bartell. These are legitamite defensive stars. Atogwe is a turnovers machine and 6'1 corners with Bartell's speed and coverage ability are extremely rare. Bartell and Atogwe are both top 5 players at their respective positions.

2. Get a second cornerback. Tye Hill is a nickelback, nothing more. The Rams need to realize this and get a second corner. Fakhir Brown is a joke; he just can't play. With a second corner, the Rams will be able to shut down other teams passing games.

3. Get a strong safety. Chavous is done and Todd Johnson is a backup. We need a real strong safety who can give Bartell some help over the top.

4. Switch to a 3-4 scheme. Each of our past 2 first rounders have been guys who are better suited for the 3-4. Use them that way. This means that we need to find a big DT, probably release Little, and find two or three new LBs. It's a tall order, but Long and Carriker can dominate on the end and the Rams have shown that they can get creative with the blitz packages over the past two weeks. Ray Lewis is scheduled to be an UFA this year, I believe (a guy can dream...)

5. Find a center; a great center. I honestly believe that our offensive line problems will disappear (and with them our offensive probelms as a whole) if we just get a really good center. The Rams have a good LT, LG, RG, and RT, if we get a center we are money. In the Bears game, at least three of their sacks could be attributable to poor play by our center. Adding some depth would also help. I would not be opposed to drafting Andre Smith, moving Barron to RG and Incognito to center. That line would mash.

3. Get a strong safety. Chavous is done and Todd Johnson is a backup. We need a real strong safety who can give Bartell some help over the top.