As everyone knows by now that the Rams and the CVC have locked horns in a back-and-forth negotiation to settle the Edward Jones Dome lease agreement. The primary stumbling block is a clause in the agreement that states the Jones Dome must be among the top-tier (25%) of NFL stadiums by 2014. The team can break its lease after the 2014 season and potentially move to another city if the dome is not deemed to be among the top-tier NFL stadiums. One of the leverages the Rams hold is their possible move to L.A. where several plans exist for the building a hugh NFL stadium complex in a large NFL market area.

But wait! There's a fly in that ointment. A new team may just move to L.A. soon and it may not be who you think. No it's not San Diego, no it's not

After the Jump.

Continue reading this post »

Today's East West Shrine game is on NFL Network TV at 3 PM but if you tune in at 2:30 they will review/preview some of the players which should also be interesting.

The rosters for the game can be found here:

http://www.shrinegame.com/en/Teams/Watchlist.aspx

Next Saturday is the Senior Bowl at the same time on the same channel. There again, the review/preview should be of interest.

The rosters for the game can be found here:

http://www.seniorbowl.com/rosters.asp

Personally, I'm gong to have to record them both due to conflicts and will watch both to get an idea of the NFL prospects.

Go Rams!

On my way home from the barbar shop today I was listening to Bernie interviewing Stephen Jackson. They were discussing Stephen Jackson's 10 minute documentary called 'A Week in the Live of SJ39'. It was a pretty cool interview so when I got home I keyed up my PC and went to http://aweek.sj39.com to watch it. If you have not watched it yet you should take a gander, it's very well done and may open some of your eyes to what goes on week to week in SJ's life during the football season. I thought it was great. 

This below is from Brian Stull's program yesterday:

A Week in the Life of SJ39
by Brian Stull

Recalling back a few weeks to after the road game in San Francisco, it was about 1am when we arrived back at Rams Park to retrieve our cars and head home. As one might expect, it had been a quiet flight home--the overtime loss still fresh for the players.

But besides that, what stood out was what appeared to be a group of autograph seeks awaiting Steven Jackson at his car. My reaction was that of surprise--that they had gotten past Rams security and that someone was bold enough to ask for an autograph at that time of night following such a tough defeat.

Turns out, it was SJ39's film crew and they were just beginning what has turned out to be a masterful look into the world of Steven Jackson for seven days.

A Week in the Life is a three-part documentary--a must-view for any Rams fan or football fan that has wondered what life on the inside is like for an NFL player. The curtain is pealed back to show the pain, preparation, and comraderie Steven experiences during the course of getting ready for battle on Sunday.

Don't miss the documentary...Go Rams!

Now I know players, and in this case Quarterbacks, are unique in their own way like how they throw the ball, how strong their arm is, can they scramble, can they throw on the run, do they make good decisions under pressure, so on and so on and I know those are the things that probably determine if and when they are selected in the draft but I wanted to also be able to compare them side-by-side on just their stats where I'm not mixing apples and oranges. So to that end here are the stats for the probably eight most highly rated QBs on most draft boards:

Jimmy Clausen-Jr  -  6' 3" - 223 lbs. - Comp. 695 - Att. 1,110 - Yds 8,148  -  Comp. %  62.6  -  TD 60 / INT 27

Sam Bradford-Jr  -  6' 4" -  223 lbs. - Comp. 604 - Att. 893 - Yds 8,403  -  Comp. %  67.6  -  TD 88 / INT 16

Colt McCoy-Sr  -  6' 2"  - 210 lbs. - Comp. 1,157  - Att. 1,645 - Yds 13,253  -  Comp. %  70.3  -  TD 112 /  INT 45

Tim Tebow-Sr  -  6' 3" - 245 lbs. - Comp. 661- Att. 995 - Yds 9,285  -  Comp. %  66.4  -  TD 88 / INT 16

Tony Pike-Sr  -  6' 6" -  210 lbs. - Comp. 421 - Att. 682 - Yds 5,018  -  Comp. %  61.7  -  TD 49 / INT 20

Jevan Snead-Jr  -  6' 3" - 461lbs. - Comp. 461 - Att. 727 - Yds 5,765  -  Comp. %  63.4  -  TD 48 / INT 35

Jarrett Brown-Sr  -  6' 4" - 223 lbs. - Comp. 278 -  Att. 421 - Yds 2,144  -  Comp. %  66.0  -  TD 16 / INT 13

Dan LeFevour-Sr  -  6' 3" - 238 lbs. - Comp. 1,171 - Att. 1,763 - Yds 12,905  -  Comp. %  66.4  -  TD 102 / INT 36

Go Rams!

Here is a nice article on why Suh should go to the combine (see below). It does make sense and DBI's last sentence says it all:

 If you are great, you can show it anytime and anywhere

There have been so many senarios as to who the Rams should take with their number one overall that you start to wonder, can they go wrong with whomever the Rams take? Well, yes they could but it's like what you see happen so often, no matter which team has the number one overall and no matter who they pick there will be always be critics out there saying they made a wrong choice... they should have taken this guy or that guy.

If someone out there knows what price tag a DT will get as the number one pick, please comment on this post. From what I understand they would rate a lower one than a DE and for sure lower than a QB. So if all else is equal then money-wise Suh would be the right choice.

Anyway without any further ado here's the link:

http://www.draftboardinsider.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?action=display&id=249&title=Why%20Ndamukong%20Suh%20has%20to%20participate%20at%20the%20NFL%20Scouting%20Combine.

Go Rams!

For most of you Ram fans out there this is not new news. You probably go to the stlouisrams.com website quite frequently. This blurb is for everyone else. Recently over at stlouisrams.com senior writer, Nick Wagoner gave his assessment of the Rams 2009 Draft class.

You can read it here: http://www.stlouisrams.com/article/77949

Aside from reading articles here at TST I always like Wagoner's articles because more times than not they always provide a positive slant about the Rams. It's refreshing after reading so many articles on the internet about how bad the Rams are at this or at that.

As he states in his article we are one of the three youngest teams in the league. To me that projects as a team that will grow and mature together and bond together as a family, a football family of players, a team of young, strong, enthusiastic players that constantly strive to play harder and strive to win with a never ending determination. This to me is what youth brings, and when the team as a whole has such youth and determination it can become a powerful force which the leaders and coaches of the Rams can build upon from year to year. 

And with the vast majority of this team being so young and so eager to do their best and form a bond by continuing to grow together the future of the Rams looks very promising and once we are there, once we finally have this close-knit, well oiled, talanted and powerful  team...Watch Out! Because it could once again attain greatness and last for a long, long time to come.

Go Rams!

I don't know which team that would be (tell me if you know) but I do know the Rams are getting younger every year. This year there are only eight players who are 30 or over.

Anyway, here are the 8 players:

30  -  Josh Brown  -  PK
30  -  Chris Massey  -  C
30  -  Randy McMichael  -  TE
32  -  Marc Bulger  -  QB
32  -  James Hall  -  DE
32  -  Clinton Hart  -  S
32  -  Paris Lenon  -  LB
35  -  Leonard Little  -  DE

If Little and Bulger retire we will be down to 6 (five if you don't count Clinton Hart. I think he'll be gone next year also).  So that leaves the team with only two players 'over' 30...James Hall, who said he'd like to stay, and Paris Lenon.

Go Rams!

Just Thought I'd pass this along in light of the fact that the regular NFL season is now over and the next thing to look forward to are the play-offs, the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl.

After that will be of more interest for Ram Fans, the NFL Scouting combine in February and then next year's draft in April.

So with no further ado here are the following Juniors who have declared their intentions to go pro and will enter the draft.

 Some of these college players you've been hearing about, others you may not know. There will probably be more joining their ranks but for now here is the current list:

(in alphabetical sequence by last name)

WR  Arrelious Benn  Illinois
S   Eric Berry  Tennessee
RB  Jahvid Best  California
WR  Dezmon Briscoe  Kansas
WR  Dez Bryant  Oklahoma State
OT  Bruce Campbell  Maryland
QB  Jimmy Clausen   Notre Dame
OT  Anthony Davis  Rutgers
DE  Everson Griffen  Southern Cal
CB  Joe Haden  Florida
DT  Abe Koroma  Western Illinois
RB  Ryan Mathews  Fresno State
DT  Gerald McCoy  Oklahoma
DT  Brian Price  UCLA
WR  Golden Tate  Notre Dame
CB  Donovan Warren  Michigan
WR  Mike Williams  Syracuse

Go Rams!

It's over! The season is finally over... let the bleeding stop!

With all the games finished here's the 2010 draft order as of now with strength of schedule tiebreakers included.

The tiebreakers are:

Easiest Strength of Schedule picks first.
If still tied, then worst division record picks first.
If still tied, then worst conference record picks first.
If still tied, coin flip decides order.

Now see the 2010 NFL Draft Order aftter the jump...

Continue reading this post »

I've heard over and over again that Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen and Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike are two of the are most 'NFL ready' QBs that will be in next years NFL draft class. Yet when you go to some of the popular sports sites like Scout.com, or Scott Wright's Draft Countdown they are rated after Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and in some cases even Sam Bradford. I'm thinking that's probably because at the time these sports pundits rated college QBs that are entering the draft next year were not aware of the fact that Clausen and Pike were both going to commit to leaving college as juniors for NFL eligability.

My point being that the Rams should take the 'best player available' in the draft when it's their turn to pick. There should be several good quarterbacks in round 2 and they won't cost us round 1 pay.

So with that here's Mel Kiper Jr's 2010 Big Board as of last week...

Next season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will have a new coach -- and they might need someone new under center as well. I just moved Jimmy Clausen to No. 4 on my Big Board (he was No. 6 last week), and among junior QBs, I finally jumped him over Sam Bradford of the Oklahoma Sooners.

The other big news this week on the Big Board is the fall of Carlos Dunlap of the Florida Gators, who went from No. 3 (last week) to No. 17 (this week). He had off-field issues and will miss the SEC championship game as a result. I also dropped him to No. 4 among junior defensive ends.

Mel's top 5 after the fold

Continue reading this post »

In the article 'Yankee Stadium to Host Annual Bowl Game Featuring Big 12 Conference Team' on the Big12Sports.com website they made the statement:

Should the Big 12 representative not qualify for bowl eligibility under NCAA guidelines, Notre Dame has agreed to take part in the Yankee Stadium bowl game against a Big East opponent, barring Notre Dame's availability to participate.

Pardon my ignorance but just what does that mean? 'Should the Big 12 ...not qualify for bowl eligibility.' What are the requirements? How would they not qualify?

Full Story here:  http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=106181&SPID=13139&DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=204804262

Please and Thanks!

This Sunday we FINALLY get the show (regular seaon) on the road. Having said that, after the fold you will see the current and up-to-date Offense, Defense, Special Teams,Practice Squad and Injured Reserve lists you can Cut n' Paste into you favorite Word Processor (or what have you) and print out a nice large font listing to have in front of you for all the games.

The roster is provided in jersey number sequence for obvious reasons - ;)

Enjoy!

Go Rams!

Continue reading this post »

Okay, the preseason has begun. Just thought I'd publish some important dates you might want to keep track of:

Aug. 13-17: First preseason weekend (started this weekend).

Sept. 1: Roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players.

Sept. 5: Roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players.

Sept. 10: Regular season kicks off on Thursday (Tennessee at Pittsburgh, 8:30 ET).

Jan. 31, 2010: Pro Bowl, Miami.

Feb. 7, 2010: Super Bowl XLIV, Miami.

You can also find the complete NFL Regular season (also the preseason) schedule here and which TV Network will be airing each game:

http://www.nfl.com/schedules?seasonType=REG&season=2009#Week

Go Rams!

I don't know abot you but the size font the P-D used in today's paper to publish the Ram's roster was so small that not only did I need to use my reading glasses but I had to also use a magnifying glass and that's not something I want to do while watching the game.

I'm a staunch Ram's fan but even so I can't remember all the numbers on the back's of the rookie players and let's face it when you're watch the game tonight things will be moving fast and you'll want to know who number 18 is or who number 99 is.

To this end I made up a Ram's roster (in jersey number sequence) for tonight's game so after or during a play I can quickly check to see who did this or that.

If you would like a copy then jump on over and do a cut-copy and then place in your favorite word processor or even Notepad or Wordpad and increase the font size to your desired level. Enjoy!

Go Rams!

Continue reading this post »

Here we are entering the 3rd and final week of training camp before the preseason games and as of 8 PM last night (Saturday, Aug. 8th) NFL.com reported that there are still five remaining draftee hold outs.

Notice OT Eugene Monroe is one of them ... there was a lot of chatter proior to the draft that it was a 50-50 chance the Rams would pick Monroe over Smith. It appears they made the right decision in selectiong Jason Smith so far.

Continue reading this post »

You probably all know by now that that's the new Rams slogan and I think it's appropriate for the rebuilding of the Rams young team (the Rams are the 3rd youngest team in the NFL). it was the theme of Nick Wagoner's article yesterday. I personally think it's a great article about attitude and team first, an attitude that will win games.

Spag has it right, football games are won by teams not by individuals. So if you have some time jump on over to the Rams official site and read 'Team Building Takes Time'.

Go Rams!

As of this morning, 1 Aug 2009 - 8:00am, seventeen rookies and thier teams have not come to terms.

If you'll nNotice the rest of our division, Arizona, San Francisco and Seattle, are amoung these.

Here are the team who  have yet to sign their 1st round draft choice:

(Listed in Draft Order Sequence)

3. Kansas City - DE, Tyson Jackson, LSU
4. Seattle - LB, Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
6. Cincinnati - OT, Andre Smith, Alabama
8. Jacksonville - OT, Eugene Monroe, Virginia
9. Green Bay - DT, B.J. Raji, Boston College
10. San Francisco - WR, Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
11. Buffalo - DE, Aaron Maybin, Penn State
12. Denver - RB, Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
14. New Orleans - CB, Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
15. Houston - LB, Brian Cushing, USC
18. Denver (fr. CHI) - DE, Robert Ayers, Tennessee
19. Philadelphia (fr. CLE/TB) - WR, Jeremy Maclin, Missouri
22. Minnesota - WR, Percy Harvin, Florida
27. Indianapolis - RB, Donald Brown, UCONN
29. NY Giants - WR, Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina
30. Tennessee - WR, Kenny Britt, Rutgers
31. Arizona - RB, Chris Wells, Ohio State

Also as of this morning here are the teams that have signed their 1st round draft choice:

(Listed in Draft Order Sequence)

1. Detroit - QB, Matthew Stafford, Georgia - Signed (6-years, $72 million; $41.7 million guaranteed)
2. St. Louis - OT, Jason Smith, Baylor - Signed (5-years, $62M max; $33M guaranteed)
5. NY Jets (fr. CLE) - QB, Mark Sanchez, USC - Signed (5-years; $50.5M real/$60M max; $28M guaranteed)
7. Oakland - WR, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland - Signed (5-years, $38.25M real/$54M max; $23.5M guaranteed)
13. Washington - DE, Brian Orakpo, Texas - Signed (5-years, $20M; $12.1M guaranteed)
16. San Diego - LB, Larry English, Northern Illinois - Signed (5-years, terms undisclosed)
17. Tampa Bay (fr. CLE/NYJ) - QB, Josh Freeman, Kansas State - Signed (5-years, $36M; $10.245M guaranteed)
20. Detroit (fr. DAL) - TE, Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State - Signed (5-years, $14.6M max; $9.4M guaranteed)
21. Cleveland (fr. PHI) - OC, Alex Mack, California - Signed (5-years, $11.3M; $8.9M guaranteed)
23. Baltimore (fr. NE) - OT, Michael Oher, Mississippi - Signed (5-years, $13.795M max.; $7.8M guaranteed)
24. Atlanta - DT, Peria Jerry, Mississippi - Signed (5-years, terms undisclosed)
25. Miami - CB, Vontae Davis, Illinois - Agreed to terms (5-years, terms undisclosed)
26. Green Bay (fr. NE/BAL) - LB, Clay Matthews, USC - Signed (5-years, $13.25M max)
28. Buffalo (fr. PHI/CAR) - OC, Eric Wood, Louisville - Agreed to terms (5-years, $13M max.)
32. Pittsburgh - DE, Ziggy Hood, Missouri - Signed (5-years, $11.3M max.; $6.1M guaranteed)

Go Rams!

I first saw the story at The Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Rams sign second overall pick Smith

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - The St. Louis Rams signed offensive tackle Jason Smith, the second overall selection in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, on Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not announced.

The 6-5, 306-pound Smith allowed only 4 1/2 sacks in 2007-08, covering 1,147 plays, while starring at Baylor. He started 31 career games with the Bears, including 24 at the left tackle position.

Smith was a unanimous All-Big 12 Conference selection in 2008, after helping Baylor rank 21st in the nation in rushing.

Now we can get on with business... Go Rams!

Here's a nice article by Nick Wagoner of stlouisrams.com titled 'Devaney, Demoff Meet St. Louis'.

Rams GM Billy Devaney and VP of Football Operations Kevin Demoff spoke to more than 300 St. Louisans about the future of the Rams this past Friday morning at the Botanical Gardens.

To me it was refreshing to hear about their vision and a look to the future for both the Rams as a team and their commitment to the community.

Go Rams!

The life of Kurt Warner is going to be on ESPN's "Homecoming with Rick Reilly'' show tonight at 6 pm (CST).

(Full Story Here)

I know you've heard it over and over again but this time it's a one hour interview with Kurt and some of his former coaches plus he takes Reilly on a tour of the neighborhood where he grew up.

True Kurt Warner fans can never get enough of Kurt and I was always a true Kurt Warner fan.

Go Rams!

With training camp to start on July 30th the Rams still have a week to get the remained of their rookies under contract if that's to be accomplished by Training Camp - Day 1.

Continue reading this post »

Call me crazy but are any of these "leftover"  players worth giving up a 2010 Draft pick for? Well, that's the way it works. What ever round (in the supplemental Draft) you pick a player that's the round/pick you lose in the 2010 Draft.

Here are the 8 prospects that were available in the 2009 NFL Supplement Draft that was scheduled for today:

McKinner Dixon (6-3, 250), DE - Texas Tech

Deon Murphy (5-10, 170), WR - Kansas St.

Joe McMahon (6-3 290), OT - Central Michigan

Corey Surrency (6-5, 220), WR - Florida State

Jeremy Jarmon (6-3, 278) DE - Kentucky

Continue reading this post »

 If you're like me and want to keep tabs on which rookies have been signed PLUS their contract info and you don't like running all over the web searching for this info then this site is for you. It's called Mac's Football Blog.

Brian McIntyre who writes for Scout.com runs this blog site and does a great job. Another nice thing about this site,  he's pretty damn good at keeping the info up-to-date.

So there ya have it...now all you have to do is ask yourself 'How do I like to view the signings, in the order the rookies were selected in the draft OR team-by-team?'

Well then, here ya go, just choose you poison...

Signings in draft order sequence:

http://www.macsfootballblog.com/2009/04/2009-nfl-rookie-signing-status.html

Signings by team click here:

http://www.macsfootballblog.com/2009/05/2009-nfl-rookie-signing-status-team-by.html

Okay now you're loaded with the latest signing info so head on down to your favorite bar or watering hole and dazzle the folks with all this data.

Go Rams!

Read for yourself, This just in this morning's Post-Dispatch:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/rams

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/berniemiklasz/story/E76D1319278A6843862575C70010D605?OpenDocument

In Bernie Miklasz's column this morning Bernie, and I quote:

After inheriting control of the Rams in early 2008 from their late mother, Georgia Frontiere, Rosenbloom and Rodriguez have concentrated on reorganizing the football operation. And they've had to deal with complex estate-tax issues in the aftermath of their mother's death.

With substantial progress made in those areas, the timetable for a sale has moved up.

Two sources with direct knowledge of the situation told the Post-Dispatch on Saturday that Rosenbloom and Rodriguez have retained the services of Goldman Sachs, the prominent investment banking firm.

The owners will ask Goldman Sachs to help facilitate the sale of the Rams by evaluating bids and soliciting potential buyers.

The sale price is unknown, but Forbes magazine's most recent estimate listed the Rams' value at $929 million.

Can't say that I'm flabbergasted, but Oh, Wow!  The horns could be leaving St. Louis!

I hate to be the bearer of ill tidings but this is not good, not good.

Go Rams!

[Note by VanRam, 05/31/09 9:59 AM EDT ] Remember, the Rams are contractually obligated to remain in St. Louis through 2015, when they reach an out clause in their lease with the Ed Jones Dome. Could they move after that? It's very possible, but much will depend on who the buyer is. You have to remember too, that the economy is terrible, and coming up with roughly $600 million to buy Rosenbloom and his sister's 60% share might not be the most attractive option with so many investments dried up. Then again, people that play at that level financially can find a way if they want. I'm anxious to know if the CBA situation will hurt interest in purchasing the team too. 

The more I read about our Offense the more I salivate over our new O-line, our rejuvenated quarterback, our corps of wide receivers and of course Stephen Jackson. Well, okay, maybe not salivate but I do get a bit excited over next season’s possibilities.

With Fleet-footed wide-outs going deep and tough-as-nails Action-Jackson busting through the middle or going around the edge churning up yardage I just imagine so many good things happening with the Rams' offense.  I also see a lot more use of the play-action-pass if Jackson’s having a good year.

It all starts of course, with our new Offensive Line…do the Rams opponents play tight to keep  Jackson from busting their chops and churning up the yardage  or do they play back to cover the covey of speedy receivers that can go deep or across the middle? Will our new O-line be up to it, will they really be good enough to give the Rams those options? IMO it could very well happen.

IF certain things occur, like Barron having a break-out (contract) year, Bell and Brown playing at the high level they did with their previous teams, Incognito curbing his temper tantrums yet remaining physical and our number 1 draft choice taking off like Pace did when he first entered the league.

Just take a look at what a lot of sports pundits are suggesting will be our new O-line and their backups:

O-Line  -  Starter  -  Backup

--------------------------------------------------------

LT   -  A. Barron  -  J. Greco

LG  -  J. Bell  -  J. Greco

C  -  J. Brown  -  M. Setterstrom

RG  -  Incognito  -  Setterstrom  -  Schuening

RT  -  J. Smith  -  A. Goldberg

 

Name   -  Age   -  Exp   -   Draft (Round)

---------------------------------------------------

Barron   -   26  -  5   -   1

Bell   -   28   -   6   -   5

Brown   -   26   -   5   -   4

Incognito   -   25   -   5   -   3

Smith   -   23   -   R             1

Greco   -   24   -   2   -   3

Setterstrom   -   25   -   4   -   7

Schuening   -   25   -   2              5

Goldberg             28      -   7   -   FA

Bell and Goldberg are the only “old guys” in the line and they’re only 28 yet aside from Jason Smith you have an average of 4.8 years of experience.

So if I make the assumption that we will have a decent Offensive Line that can open up holes for our running game as well as protect Bulger on passing plays then it should be an interesting season coming up.

I am left with only two questions though:

1 - Who will the Rams have to spell Jackson in the back field? Will we pick up a capable F/A or will one of our current running backs pick up the slack?

2 - How many WRs will the team carry into the regular season?

In his article “Rams won't look to Looker for help at WR” VanRam tells us they're likely to keep six wide-outs and I tend to agree.  But could they also carry seven if only to have a special teams kick/punt returner?

Over the past three years the Rams have carried at least 6 WRs at one time on their roster:

In 2006 the Rams carried:

Isaac Bruce

Kevin Curtis

Torry Holt

Dane Looker

Shaun McDonald

Willie Ponder

In 2007 the Rams carried:

Drew Bennett

Isaac Bruce

Torry Holt

Dane Looker

Derek Stanley

Dante Hall

Marques Hagans

Travis Taylor

Brandon Williams

In 2008 the Rams carried:

Donnie Avery

Drew Bennett

Keenan Burton

Dante Hall

Torry Holt

Eddie Kennison

Dane Looker

Derek Stanley

I also think the first six receivers VanRam mentions will be the final six.

Of his "Somewhat less likely" group I think if Stanley can make a complete recovery from his injury he will continue to be an outstanding return man and just the other day I read a nice article by Nick Wagoner on Tim Carter called "Carter Gets Back to Business".

As for Brooks Foster, he has nice height at 6'3" and large hands but didn't he have knee surgery in the final game with Duke in his senior year?  I’ve not heard anything about how he’s doing since then.

In any event, I like to speculate...I tend to ramble on...I’m tired of the doldrums, the dead space, the time before spring training and the pre-season games. I’m anxious for the season to begin and I can dream can’t I?

Aways the optimistic Rams fan.

Go Rams!

As VanRam said in his Random Ramsdom article, it's very quiet out there...this is the lull in the NFL year that died-in-the-wool NFL fans dread.

It doesn't have to be this way though. If one searches every nock and cranny one can find little tid-bits of NFL news and if one is really lucky he can find Rams news. Well, maybe calling it news is a stretch so maybe I'll label it "information".

this morning I ran across this article about Marc Bulger.  I thought it was fairly interesting, besides, at this time of year who can be choosy.

I found the article at bleacherreport.com.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/174695-the-story-of-how-marc-bulger-became-the-nfls-most-underappreciated-qb

Go Rams!

If any of the Pundits at this point don't think the Rams are rebuilding there are a few things they should consider...

One, the Rams have not been shy about casting off their old players right and left (true, that has helped build cap room but it also makes for a younger team).

Two, at present there are only 4 players on the team that are actually over the age of thirty.

If you add to that the players that will be 30 or over by the end of the season there are only eight of them and of those eight only three are starters, Little, Bulger and McMichael.

For what it's worth, and in case anyone was actually wondering, here's a list of thosse Rams players:

(Order:  From oldest to youngest)
 
34  -  Lenord Little  -  next birthday Oct. 19, 2009    (12 yrs. exp.)
33  -  Chris Draft  -  next birthday Feb. 26, 2010    (11 yrs. exp.)
32  -  James Hall  -  next birthday Feb. 4, 2010    (10 yrs. exp.)
32  -  Marc Bulger  -  next birthday Apr. 5, 2010    (9 yrs. exp.)
30  -  Todd Johnson  -  next birthday Dec. 18, 2009    (7 yrs. exp.)
30  -  Josh Brown  -  next birthday Apr. 29, 2010    (7 yrs. exp.)
29  -  Randy McMichael  -  next birthday Jun, 28    (8 yrs. exp.)
29  -  Chris Massey  -  next birthday Aug. 21    (8 yrs. exp.)

That to me says we have a fairly young team especially given the fact that the Rams current roster strength is over 80 players.

Hopefully this youth along with the Rams new GM Billy Devaney, Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo and the new coordinators, Shurmur and Flajole will produce a team that will be a playoff contender in the near future and for some years to come.

Go Rams!

The Rams signed SS Mark Rubin on April 28 just 2 days after this year's draft.

These are his measureables from Penn State's Pro day this past March:

Ht 6' 1¼"; Wt 222 lb.; 40 yard dash 4.59; 10-yd split 1.58; 20-yd split 2.67; 20-yd shuttle 4.26; 3-cone drill 6.78; Vertical jump 32 in.

If you're a Nittany Lion fan you already know this but if not, here's more information than you ever wanted to know about Mark Rubin's last two years at Penn St.:

In 2007, Rubin played in every game on both defense and special teams and earned the starting safety job the last five games. He ended the season with 32 tackles (17 solo), with one tackle for loss. Rubin had 8 tackles in the Nittany Lions' 24-17 Alamo Bowl victory over Texas A&M, helping hold the Aggies to 3 points over the final 49 minutes.

Rubin became the Nittany Lions' full-time starter in 2008. His best game came during Penn State's much-anticipated nationally-televised showdown with Ohio State. With Penn State trailing by three points with 10:38 to play, Rubin's tackle of Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor forced a momentum-changing fumble which was recovered by Penn State. The play was voted the week's Pontiac Game Changing Performance with an overwhelming 53 percent of the total votes.  Rubin led the defense with a career-high 11 tackles in the victory, and was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. He ended the season with 60 tackles (30 solo), with one tackle for loss, two interceptions and one forced fumble.  Overall, Rubin started 24 career games at Penn State.

So ya have to ask yourself, does this guy have the potential to work into the Rams safety rotation? Guess we'll find out during spring training or the pre-season games.

Go Rams!

I know he played at Auburn as both a DB and a runner on the track team and that he was drafted by the Giants in the 2nd round of the 2002 Draft. The only other things I can remember about the guy is that he did a pretty fast 40 at the NFL Combine and that this year he will turn 30. P-D Bill Coats reported that he has played for Cleveland and Houston and that he participated in the Rams mini-camp on a tryout basis and was signed by the Rams.

Story Here:  http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/around-the-horns/around-the-horns/2009/05/st-louis-rams-sign-veteran-wide-receiver

Does anyone have any more info on this guy?  For being drafted in the 2nd round by the Giants I sure haven't heard a lot about him over the past seven years.

Go Rams!

This is hypothetical but just "what if" the Rams can't come to terms with Jason Smith without putting them over their salery cap?  Then what happens? We don't get to keep him?

I found this post on PFT here:  ProFootballTalk

Salary Cap Space As Of April 22 posted by Mike Florio on ProFootballTalk.com:

Arizona Cardinals: $1.29 million.
Atlanta Falcons: $23.67 million.
Baltimore Ravens: $968,000.
Buffalo Bills: $11.82 million.
Carolina Panthers: $2.69 million.
Chicago Bears: $20.96 million.
Cincinnati Bengals: $16.26 million.
Cleveland Browns: $20.27 million.
Dallas Cowboys: $10.35 million.
Denver Broncos: $16.3 million.
Detroit Lions: $10.72 million.
Green Bay Packers: $27.89 million.
Houston Texans: $10.75 million.
Indianapolis Colts: $7.10 million.
Jacksonville Jaguars: $16.94 million.
Kansas City Chiefs: $32.3 million.
Miami Dolphins: $13.19 million.
Minnesota Vikings: $17.32 million.
New England Patriots: $4.67 million.
New Orleans Saints: $4.29 million.
New York Giants: $4.37 million.
New York Jets: $12.62 million.
Oakland Raiders: $9.33 million.
Philadelphia Eagles: $37.44 million.
Pittsburgh Steelers: $440,000.
San Diego Chargers: $8.56 million.
San Francisco 49ers: $26.11 million.
Seattle Seahawks: $7.41 million.

St. Louis Rams: $10.67 million.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $35.54 million.
Tennessee Titans: $13.05 million.
Washington Redskins: $5.96 million.

 

So does anyone know, what happens if a team can't come to terms with their number 1 pick in the draft because it wuld put them over their cap?

I hope someone out there has the answer.

Go Rams!