St. Louis Rams rookie Robert Quinn was LOOKIN' SHARP after he was picked 14th overall pick at the 2011 NFL Draft ... but now the guy who allegedly hooked up his fancy threads is suing ... TMZ has learned.

No, we're not talking about Quinn's tailor ... the dude with the beef is an agent who claims he repped Quinn during the draft ... but was kicked to the curb right before Quinn signed his MASSIVE $9.4 million contract.

According to a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ ... Carl Carey claims he signed a deal with Quinn when the former University of North Carolina defensive end decided to turn pro.

Carey claims Quinn was viewed by NFL teams as a guy with some serious "character flaws and health concerns" ... until Carey reconstructed his image.

In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in North Carolina, Carey claims he did EVERYTHING for Quinn ... including party-planning, media training, and even "arranging for tailor-made suits."

Quinn also claims he negotiated deals with Nike and trading card companies.

But just before Quinn signed his contract ... (months after the draft) ... Carey claims he was fired ... and has not received the 3% cut he was contractually obligated to receive.

Now, Carey wants payback ... and though he hasn't specified an amount ... 3% of $9.4 mil is A LOT of money.

Calls to Quinn have not been returned.

Good read from Bryan Burwell

Post-Dispatch

The football gods must be smiling down on Stan Kroenke. While the Rams owner was putting on the full-court recruitment of Jeff Fisher on Thursday in Denver, Kroenke got a double shot of good news that he can surely use to further impress the man he craves to transform his NFL franchise from a flop into a championship contender.

With news that another potential franchise-type quarterback (Oklahoma's Landry Jones) is heading back to school and another big-time wide receiver (Alshon Jeffrey) is coming out, Kroenke and team vice president Kevin Demoff got another favorable bargaining chip to dangle in front of Fisher.

Why is this good news?

A simple matter of supply and demand. With Southern Cal QB Matt Barkley and Jones deciding to stay in college, a first round that was shaping up to be heavy with franchise quarterbacks has now been whittled down to only two who grade out as franchise-type passers (Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III). And depending on who you talk to, there are between four and six teams that desperately need to draft a young, strong-armed QB.

So do the math. Suddenly, the value of the Rams' first-round pick, the No.2 overall, is even more valuable than we already suspected. Luck will be snatched up by Indy with the first pick, which leaves Cleveland, Washington and Miami desperately scrambling to position themselves for RGIII and the Rams sitting pretty with the only pick that guarantees his acquisition.

So let the bidding war begin.

This is one of those rare occasions when the football gods bestow wonderful gifts on lousy teams like the Rams. So Kroenke and Demoff can tell Fisher — and whoever they will interview for the head coach and GM openings — that by the time the April draft rolls around, the Rams could auction off that No.2 overall pick for multiple picks. OK, this isn't exactly breaking news. Even before Jones' announcement, we already knew the pick had added value. But once Jones did pull his name out of the NFL's lottery, it only heightened the already obvious value of the Rams' pick.

That's a little tidbit that Fisher has to know.

And while I wouldn't suggest dropping too far down the first round (and losing out on superb Oklahoma State wideout Justin Blackmon), Jeffrey's presence in the draft does give the Rams options. And with a flood of some very talented offensive linemen declaring for the draft this week, the Rams are in much better position to come away with not only a game-breaking WR, but end up with no fewer than three or four immediate impact players among the first 40 picks.

That is the sort of draft value that should be tantalizing to a new coach coming into a rebuilding project like the Rams.

There is no magic pill to make all this losing go away. There is no guaranteed formula for success either. While it's great that the Rams have all these picks, it's no guarantee that Fisher would be able to turn this thing around no matter how much success he had in Tennessee. As they say in business, past performance is no guarantee of future success. Daniel Snyder's hiring of Mike Shanahan in Washington has gotten the Redskins 11 victories in two seasons. And drawing on The Patriot Way as a formula for success is no sure thing, either. Just take a look at the slow process going on in Kansas City under Bill Belichick disciple Scott Pioli.

But it still makes all the sense in the world to go after him hard, because he is clearly the best candidate out there, because Plan B is a humongous question mark.

If Kroenke's big-game hunting comes up short, it will be a lot harder to win over your fan base when you're prepared to present it with unknown commodities. Harder, but not impossible. But definitely harder.

They will have to work hard and fast to identify the right GM/coach combination for themselves, but they know that isn't going to be easy. Going with non-brand names has certainly worked in Atlanta with the Tomas Dimitroff-Mike Smith combination. But this is a fan base that will get a little queasy if Kroenke and Demoff change directions and bring in unfamiliar names and unproven coaches.

That's why the Fisher gambit is so important. Kroenke is not the kind of guy who loses very often at the negotiating table, so I have to imagine the full-on push to get Fisher will be a furious pursuit. As we've already seen with the firing of Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney, Kroenke doesn't dawdle. If Fisher is his guy, we should know that by week's end.

 

Two big Seahawks acquisitions unlikely to play opener

AP

Wideout Sidney Rice and guard Robert Gallery got huge contracts from the Seahawks in the offseason.

Both players are very talented, but came with injury risk. And that risk is showing up right away in their new home.

Rice and Gallery missed practice again on Thursday.  Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune writes that it appears unlikely either player will suit up in Week One against the 49ers.  Rice, struggling with a shoulder injury, seems like the bigger long shot.

If Rice is out, Mike Williams, Ben Obomanu, and free agent pickup Zach Miller should play bigger roles. Seattle’s remodeled offensive line struggled throughout the preseason, and losing Gallery won’t help.

lovin it

unday Ticket to be available through Playstation 3

AP

DirecTV has decided to throw a bone to NFL fans that can’t get satellite service.

NFL Sunday Ticket will be available this year through PlayStation 3 for for $339.95. The package is aimed at fans that can’t get DirecTV because of where they live. (I fall into this category in my latest apartment. Damn high rise blocking my southern sky.)

It’s a great idea, and would be even cooler if DirecTV expanded it by making it available through Tivo and other services. That won’t happen because DirecTV still wants to push people towards getting a dish.

Current Sunday Ticket subscribers could also get it through PlayStation for an additional $50 through DirecTV To-Go.  Hopefully, DirecTV has solved the enormous amount of problems and clunky setup of their online offering from a year ago.

NFL.com’s Preseason Live is light years better than DirecTV’s 2010 package and shows where this market is headed. For the price DirecTV is charging, they need to catch up.  Either way, it’s a pretty cool time to be an NFL fan and it’s only going to get better.

Still 2 much dam $,hope the price drops.

 

Tampering season starts with Mike Sims-Walker

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on March 8, 2011, 5:32 PM EST

According to one Florida writer, the Rams and Texans have already contacted prospective free agent wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker to signal their interest in him.

The only problem?  Sims-Walker isn’t a free agent yet and any contact with him or his agent clearly violates tampering rules.

Charlie Bernstein, who writes for FoxSportsFlorida.com and JagNation.com, passed along the info on Sims-Walker.  It sounds like the type of report that originates with a player or agent hoping to stir up interest.

In this case, the news may only stir up questions as to why St. Louis and Houston have spoken with Sims-Walker before they are allowed to.

The NFC West is the worst division in major U.S. pro sports, and by a wide margin. The Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks and 49ers have won just 37.5% of their games against non-NFC West teams since the NFL’s current alignment launched in 2002, while getting outscored by an average of 5.4 points a game. All the NFC West teams have been outscored and outplayed by the rest of the league. Even the Seahawks, the lone team to win more than half its games since 2002, did so by beating up on divisional foes. Concentrating so much mediocrity in one division gives whichever NFC West team is least mediocre an edge over teams outside the division that don’t have the benefit of an easy divisional schedule. Seven NFC teams currently have better records than every team in the West, but at least two won’t make the playoffs because the West champ is guaranteed a berth.

Here are the best and worst divisions in the four major sports based on their teams’ regular-season record against teams outside their division since their league adopted its current divisional alignment.

League………………….Best (Win %)……………….Worst (Win %)
NFL………………………… AFC South (.581)……………..NFC West (.375)
MLB…………………………… AL West (.518)…………….AL Central (.478)
NBA………………………….Southwest (.590)…………….Atlantic (.439)
NHL…………………………. Northeast (.531)……………..Southeast (.430

 

Works for me,go RAMS.

Philip Anschutz also secured a 30% ownership interest in the Lakers and can buy the team if the Buss family ever has to sell. The same deal probably will be made with the Chargers, with Casey Wasserman becoming the minority owner and the face of the team in L.A. Wasserman has already partnered with Leiweke, has previous experience working with the Goofs who own the Chargers, and has a close relationship with Goodell. L.A. lost two NFL teams 16 years ago, and might begin anew with two teams again, including the Rams. Stan Kroenke owns the Rams, as well as Denver’s basketball and hockey teams. He will have to sell his Denver interests unless he becomes owner of the Broncos. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is having health issues. Someone has suggested it makes sense for Kroenke to exchange franchises with Bowlen, taking ownership of the Broncos and allowing Bowlen to move the Rams to L.A.

Source: Randy Moss told Vikings owner to fire Childress

Owner Zygi Wilf is believed to have seen just how volatile Randy Moss could be. After catching only one pass for 8 yards in the Vikings’ 28-18 loss to the New England Patriots, Moss walked into the visitors’ locker room where Wilf and other executives stood. According to an NFL source familiar with what transpired, Moss told the Vikings owner in no uncertain terms that Childress wasn’t a good coach and should be fired. Moss, who was acquired from the Patriots on Oct. 6, went into the postgame interview room a while later and gave a rambling statement in which he praised the New England franchise and criticized the Vikings coaching staff for not listening to his advice on game-planning matters

This is not what we needed in our locker room,good luck Titans.

2010 NFL Arrests Standings

AFC East
Miami Dolphins- 25 (*4 this off season)
Buffalo Bills- 13
New England Patriots- 11
NY Jets- 7

AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals- 32 (NFL Arrest Leader!)
Cleveland Browns- 20
Pittsburgh Steelers- 16
Baltimore Ravens- 15

AFC South
Tennessee Titans- 25 (*4 arrests since Jan 1st 2010)
Jacksonville Jaguars- 25
Indianapolis Colts- 17
Houston Texans- 9

AFC West
Denver Broncos- 25
Kansas City Chiefs- 25
San Diego Chargers- 23
Oakland Raiders- 12

NFC East
Washington Redskins- 11
NY Giants- 11
Dallas Cowboys- 9
Philadelphia Eagles- 7

NFC North
Minnesota Vikings- 30
Chicago Bears- 18
Green Bay Packers- 12
Detroit Lions- 7

NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 19
New Orleans Saints- 18
Carolina Panthers- 15
Atlanta Falcons- 13

NFC West
Seattle Seahawks- 13
Arizona Cardinals- 9
San Francisco 49ers- 9
St. Louis Rams- 6

Arrest Super Bowl Matchup:

Vikings vs. Bengals

Cincinnati wins with 3 arrests this offseason (Cedric Benson, misdemeanor assault, allegedly punching a bar employee in face. WR Maurice Purify, disorderly conduct after alleged late night bar fight. LB Ray Maualuga, DUI after hitting a parking meter and two parked cars.) Vikings haven't had an arrest since CB Cedric Griffin with a DUI in August of 2009.

- Research compiled via the San Diego Union-Tribune's NFL Arrests Database. Tracking arrests and citations involving NFL players since 2000. Standings updated July 1, 2009.

- Broncos and Chiefs tied with 25 arrests atop AFC West, each with one arrest this off season. Denver gets the edge with DT Ronald Fields arrest on a misdemeanor gun charge topping CB Michael Richardson's arrest for possession of an open alcohol container.

- Redskins topped the Giants in the NFC East on tiebreaker. CB Byron Westbrook (DUI) and OL Chad Rinehart (public intoxication) top Giants who haven't had player arrested since Plaxico Burress shot himself in a nightclub back in December of 2008.
8.

- Tennessee Titans win tiebreaker over Jacksonville Jaguars. Chris Simms arrest July 1 for DWI with marijuana in New York is the Titans FOURTH arrest this calender year. Jaguars haven't had an arrest since Matt Jones was arrested in Arkansas for a probation violation, testing positive for alcohol.

- The St. Louis Rams 6 arrests are the fewest in the NFL. None since LB Gary Stills 2008 arrest for failure to pay child support.

- NFC West 37 arrests are the fewest of any NFL division. NFC East had 38 arrests, the second fewest since 2000.

- AFC West has 85 arrests, tops among all divisions. AFC North's 83 arrests are second most.

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 9, 2010 7:41 AM ET Free agent defensive tackle Chris Hovan has found a new home. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Hovan has agreed to terms with the St. Louis Rams. Hovan started all 16 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009, but the Bucs released him in April, after they chose defensive tackles in the first and second rounds of the draft. The 32-year-old Hovan played his first five seasons with the Vikings after Minnesota selected him in the first round of the 2000 draft. He has played the last five seasons with the Bucs.