I hear more and more about teams spending more money in foreign areas other than the Dominican Republic.  Places like Japan, Korea, India, and even Australia and South Africa.

My question is, while a lot of these areas are complete question marks, is spending money in Japan and Korea really paying off?  The only players I really can think of who have had any success were brought here as established professionals and didn't have to work their way up through the minors.  

Seems like not a very good return on your money to me.

And the reason I'm singling out Japan and Korea is because there has been over 15 years since I feel there was a spotlight on Japanese baseball with Hideo Nomo.  Teams really started scouting Japan, and later Korea, about that time but I simply haven't seen it pay off at all.

Wow.  We've added a ton to the roster and to be quite frank, I feel this year is more difficult than last year to see where all of these parts are going to fit as opposed to last year.  Nevertheless, we'll take a look here and see, in my best guesstamation, how things should pan out. 

Since the Rams really seemed to focus on the offense, at least in the more prestigious rounds of the 2010 NFL Draft, we'll start there.  Frankly, if I (we?) learned anything the last couple of days, we now know that Billy Devaney and Coach Spags are unpredictable but definitely have a plan.  Overall, I like this draft.  Are there some areas I'd have liked to see addressed either earlier in the draft or simply anywhere in the draft?  You betcha'.  But, sometimes that is easier said than done, and for a lot of the picks, it seemed to me, they truely were going Best Talent Available.

While I read some on here complaining about filling needs that already seemed filled (I'm guilty of that with the Gilyard pick), the more I thought about it, I don't think it matters as much when the team was so bereft of top end talent as the 2009 St. Louis Rams.  A lot of our starters are better off being depth guys and while you might have been wondering why we didn't really address the LB unit, maybe strengthing another position was the better move at that point in the draft. 

Who knows really, and that's the fun part.  We get to watch now for a year and see guys develop in and around this roster.  So, enough of my little personal recap of the Rams draft.  Let's get on to the Depth Chart...

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Well, it's time to kick off v. 2.0 of the Being Billy Devaney series leading up to the Draft in late April.....April 22, 23, and 24, to be exact.  For anyone who discovered TST recently (well, since the season started, I suppose), the BBD series is a positional breakdown of the Rams that focuses on what we have, what's available in free agency, and what's out there ready to be drafted.

Now, I have to admit, starting with the CBs is not necessarily where BBD feels the biggest need lies for our team.  In all honesty, I too am getting a little DT'd and QB'd out lately and when I read the calls from the readers for "something....anything else", I've bumped up my personnel deadline for kicking off the series. 

So, here we go.  Let's take a look at the CBs.

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Jaguars offensive lineman Uche Nwaneri let it be know exactly how he feels about Jacksonville drafting Tim Tebow.

I'm not sure if there is still much or many pining for Tebow around TST (especially after his lackluster Senior Bowl performance), but if this isn't straight from the horse's mouth, I don't know what is.  From what Nwaneri is saying here to what I heard Kris Jenkins say during halftime of the Senior Bowl (basically that if Tebow was planning on bringing his current skills to the NFL, he'd have a very short career and that he suggested the South put him back in the game in the 2nd half.....as a running back.....) I'd say it's pretty obvious what NFL players think of Tebow.

Okay, so we've heard a lot of talk around here lately about the best strategy to use when drafting during a rebuild.  Do you pick for need or pick best available talent.  Obviously, there can be an argument made for either strategy, but you have to take each situation as a unique situation.  For the Rams, I think the consensus around here is they went "need" followed by "best available".  I'm not 100% sold on that though, so I figured I'd take a deeper look into what was known last year heading up to the draft to try to see if I can find anything.

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I saw this poll over at the Post-Dispatch website and the results (at the time of my vote) caught me off guard so I'm wanting to see what this group feels about him.  Mainly, I'm wanting to prove to myself that there is a difference in the people who frequent this site as opposed to the P-D Boards and I think just looking at a lot of the comments, it's easy to see.  But, nonetheless, I'm still curiuos what the results will be.  Here's the poll.

Well, the draft is over and while there has been some teeth gnashing over some of the picks, my personal opinion is that the team filled it's most pressing needs and built some good depth.

Then again, that's my gut reaction.

The team solidified it's Offensive Line (Jason Smith) and bulked up the Run Defense (James Laurinaitis, Dorell Scott).  They then went out and added some depth with some players who have raw talent (Brooks Foster and Bradley Fletcher)  and a quarterback who has a lot of us scratching our heads. 

I have to say I'm not exactly sure about Chris Ogbonnaya, but he's bigger than I realized and apparently has pretty reliable hands.  Honestly, he's a lot like Steven Jackson without the stunning track record.

Anyway, the question that needs to be addresseed is, "is the team better after this draft?"  I can't see how anyone would say it isn't.  We added the best Offensive Lineman and a Top Middle Linebacker to the fold and these were two spots of definite weakness.  But what about the rest of the team?  Sure we got better at two key spots, but that might not be enough,  Let's take a look at our depth chart to see if it is.

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Continuing our search for depth and possible future assets, BBD turns to the position of Running Back.  You can't have enough good viable running backs and if Spags and company are truely committed to focusing on the run, then we're probably going to have to beef up that position a bit. 

Unfortunately, Runnning Back is actually a position that has gotten it's fair share of attention for a long time.  I say "unfortunately" because for all the draft picks spent on the position, there's not a whole lot to show for it because it's not like the team has totally neglected to draft or acquire running backs.  Now, one could easily make an argument against a lot of the guys they've brought in (Trung Candidate, I'm kinda looking in your direction......oh, and could you please take a seat next to Brian Leonard?  Thanks) but there have also been a couple of true stars.  And by "a couple" I mean "exactly two". 

We all remember the Marshall Faulk trade and how could anyone forget Steven Jackson.  For some reason (and this completely baffles me), there are people who doubt that Steven Jackson is an elite running back in the NFL.  Personally, I have no idea how you could miss it, but I digress. 

Some may point to Jackson's injuries like that's a legitimate knock on the guy.  If you haven't noticed, running backs get hurt all the time in today's game.  I suppose it's because the defensive players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before.  Whatever the reason, you can't go into a season any more with one viable running back.  Your guy WILL get injured at some point and then you're in big trouble.  Plus, having a viable backup allows you to have a change of pace and someone who can give opportunities of rest to Jackson that might actually help keep him healthy. 

(btw, did anyone notice Jackson got hurt this past season during garbage time?  The game was in hand for the Rams and he was out there getting handoffs.  I blame that one on the coaching staff and the fact they didn't have another running back on the roster who was any good. However, even if they didn't have anyone viable, Jackson shouldn't have been out there.)

So, with that being said, we'll take a look at the running back position and some possible upgrades to that number 2 slot which is becoming more and more important.

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Well, here we are, trying to fill out the roster, create some depth, and maybe even try to build some potential for the future.  If things go as planned, by the time the Rams draft in the 5th round, we'll have all (well, maybe most) of our most pressing needs filled and will be looking to make a great steal late on the 2nd day.

While the subject of Marc Bulger is controversial (to say the least) around here, can we all accept he's going to be our quarterback this season?  You might not like it, but there's about a .00001% chance there will be someone other than Bulger lining up under center when the Rams take the field for their season opener. 

I for one fall into the category of a Bulger supporter.  I'm just putting that out there.  However, I'm not blind to the fact that he'll be 32 when the season starts and isn't going to be any younger the following season.  We've got a young offense (2nd youngest in the league at press time) so it makes sense that we're going to have to start developing a quarterback, right?  Is this the year to start that?  I'm not sure.  A lot of it depends on what is available in the later rounds, and is what is available going to be a better bet than what will be available at the top of the draft next year?  That's a good question, no? 

So, let's start with looking at our roster after the jump.

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First let me say, sorry for getting the BBD up so late.  This has been a rough week and I've had absolutely zero time to myself. It's going to be border-line hectic for the next couple of weeks so I'm just going to have to ask you to hang in there with me.  Deal?  I hope so...

Now, at this time, I've come to the conclusion that we need to take the BBD series in a slightly different direction.  As far as positions that are an immediate need for someone who can step in and provide an impact (or at least step in and be a starter), we've covered them.  MLB, OT, WR, SS, CB, and DT are all major areas of need for the Rams and while it might not be realistic to think we can solve all of those positions in one off-season, I'd like to think the team is determined to either solve or patch those areas with a focus on the remainders next year.  But that doesn't mean the job is done.  There's still areas of depth and future that need a little tending to so that's what we're going to look at today when we dissect the Offensive Guard position. 

So, now the change.  Before, I was breaking down the roster, then a look at what was available in free agency, and finally what the top picks in the draft would look like in regards to that position.  Now, since we're not necessarily looking for a star at these positions, it's probably safe to say they won't be looking to free agency to fill these needs, so I'm going to forego looking at free agency.  Now there might be someone cut loose during training camp that would come in at a bargain price, but right now most of that is simply speculation. Plus, we are at the point where spending money on a free agent to fill one of these backup positions would have to wait on getting draft picks signed.

Also, I'd like to point out, I'll no longer be looking at what is available in the first 4 rounds of the draft.  I think it's safe to say, the Rams won't be drafting a Guard in the 2nd round.  The top 4 draft picks are probably spoken for and will shake down among the positions listed above, so it's pointless to even consider any of the top guys in the draft.

So, with that being said, let's take a look at the Offensive Guards.

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Well, thankfully the number of real areas of need on this team are starting to shrink.  Granted, we still have a lot out there but I think we can all be happy with the additions at Center and Strong Safety. 

Here at BBD, we've covered Offensive Tackle, Middle Linebacker, Strong Safety, Defensive Line, and Wide Receiver and for now I'm putting Center on the back burner since I don't feel it to be an area of need anymore.  As it stands, we still have a few areas that haven't been covered that you can expect to see the team make an effort to improve either though the draft, through free agency, or by adding players that will be cut anytime between now and training camp. 

Of those positions, I believe the area in need of most improvement is Cornerback.  Now, the team did just ink Ron Bartell a little while back, unfortunately that's just not going to cut it.  We all like Bartell (although he gives me headaches from time to time) and we all liked the signing but I think it's safe to say our Cornerback unit is no better (if not worse) now than our Wide Reciever unit .  There's just no depth there whatsoever.

So, take a jump at the break and we'll discuss all things Rams Cornerbacks.

(Note: this post will not be showing up in the FanPost section.  I have a feeling this position will create a lot of conversation so go ahead and "rec" it which I think will cause it to end up in the "Recommended Fanposts" section.)

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Well, with the recent developments I suppose a look at the wide receiver position might be in order.  There's been a LOT of talk about the position around here over the past week, whether it's been about drafting Michael Crabtree or the eventual release/trade of Pro-Bowl wide receiver/fan favorite/face of the franchise Torry Holt. 

Honestly, it doesn't really matter if the Rams release or retain Holt, this is a position that is in need of a new number 1 type receiver anyway.  Holt just isn't a top dog anymore and Donnie Avery is probably best suited as a number two deep threat.  So, the position was going to have to be addressed at some point in the next two years. 

I don't know about you, but I could go through a season of Avery as the number 1 with plans to go big next offseason.  Then again, just like almost everything else this offseason, it kind of depends on how the dominoes fall.  We still have positions like Offensive Tackle, Middle Linebacker, Strong Safety (c'mon James Butler, we know you want to sign, please let me cross that position off the to-do list), Defensive Line, and Cornerback as well as adding a competent back-up Quarterback and depth at Running Back and a few more positions. 

Where exactly does the Wide Receiver position rank in all that mess?  Well, that's hard to deterimine.  In a perfect world, we'd add a really good, big receiver (not necessarily Crabtree) who can go through some growing pains this season and then will be all set for 2010.  Is that a possiblity?  Let's take a look after the jump.

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Well, I've had to do a little re-write on this one.  While deciding which position to take on with the 4th installment it looks as if the real Billy Devaney and I were on the same page.  I was all set to discuss all things Center and then the Jason Brown news surfaced and then hit warp-speed all by mid-moring on Friday causing me to change gears.

So, we're going to take a look at the Defensive Line and see what type of options are avaiaible.  I think it's pretty safe to say, we're looking for someone to stuff the run, right?  We need a load in there.  An immovable object.  Someone who will free up our Middle Linebacker whether it's Witherspoon or Aaron Curry or whoever it is manning the middle.  Bottom line: The Rams run defense was bad last season and we're here looking to improve it.  Heck, it's been bad for a while but it's not as if the position has been totally ignored though.  The team has routinely spent first round draft picks to shore up the position.  But I guess that's why Mr. Devaney has been hired to oversee the process, right?  Whatever the problem was (and I think we all kinda know what the problem was) hopefully we're on the right track of evaluation and we'll get this thing figured out sooner rather than later.

So, here we go taking a look at all things Defensive Line.

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Well, trying to figure out what position to cover next has become one of my biggest challenges.  In a perfect world, I'd grab something out of left field and really spark it up but the reality of it is we all know what positions are the most pressing for the Rams this offseason and the great folks at TST have been all over it.  So, I'll piggy back a tad and "tackle" the Strong Safety position. 

There are definitely some other positions I could have taken on today, but with the recent release of Corey Chavious, the boys up top have pretty much given us a Tabula Rasa of sorts in regards to the position.  There's lot's of ways this one could shake out and it seems there are more and more options daily.  So, here's your Strong Safety positional breakdown after the break...

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Middle Linebacker

Next in this series, I'd like to take on the Middle Linebacker position.  While trying to decide upon the 2nd need of our Rams, I found that it really starts to get muddy about right here.  There seems to be a thousand directions the team can go and it seems like everything is dependent upon something else.  There's no guarantee the Rams will select an Offensive Tackle with their first pick.  Don't believe me?  Just take a look at what the experts think.  Those mock drafts seem to change every day.  So, we flipped a coin and we're going to be looking at the Mike Position after the break.

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Mad.Mike, I'm hoping to get your opinion on moving Larry English to Linebacker, specifically Middle Linebacker.

There's lot's of talk and speculation that in order to succeed at the next level, Mr. English is going to have to make a position switch.  He's shown a great abiltiy to rush off the ends, but how is his coverage ability and would he be able to adjust to the possibitly of having more blockers coming from more directions? 

Or is he simply suited to be on the outside?

Well, the good folks who run this fine St. Louis Rams blog have asked me to put together a series, a positional breakdown if you will, to help put a lot of the things we're talking about (and hopefully, some new interesting information) into an easily accessed format.

With this series, I'm going to be assuming the role of Billy Devaney (with an occasional visit from Kevin Demoff).  I will take a look at what we've got at each position and what options we have going forward, looking at both free agency and the draft.

Originally, I felt I'd hit all positions since there really isn't one area that doesn't need to be re-worked or re-freshed in some sort of capacity, but after re-thinking that conclusion I discovered two gentlemen I need to thank for saving me a bit of work.

Fellow TSTers, I give you Donnie Jones and Josh Brown.  I think we can all agree the kicking department is pretty well set.   I guess we can't say the Linehan/Zigmunt beast wasn't a total failure..........

Anyway, enough of this intro.  To begin this quest, I've decided to "tackle" the position I believe the majority of us has accepted as the main focus of the offseason.  So here goes....

Offensive Tackle

Here at TST we've gone over Offensive Tackle ad nauseum, but I'm starting here anyway.  It's probably the Rams most pressing need, so I figure it's a logical jumping off point.  This past year, we saw what I felt was acceptable Tackle play, but as we all know, there's a 500 pound gorilla in the room and his name is Orlando Pace. 

Pace can't play much longer, right?  He's been hurt the last couple of years and he's really getting up there in age, plus the only viable option we realistically have to replace him with is probably Alex Barron and I don't think anyone is excited to hear that.  Then again, if memory serves me correctly, when he has had to fill in for Pace in the past, he wasn't a complete disaster.  I think most of us closed our eyes when they moved Barron over, but he seemed to hold his own.  He wasn't the second coming of anything spectactular, but he wasn't a total disaster either.  Either way, it doesn't matter since he's not our Left Tackle of the future so let's take a look at the Tackles we currently have on the roster.

• Orlando Pace - Signed through 2011 - 2009 salary $5.975M - Cap hit $6.429
• Alex Barron - Through 2010 - 2009 salary $1.232M - Cap hit $1.1M
• John Greco - Through 2010 - 2009 salary $385k - Cap hit $429k

The Rams also have 2 free agents who were on the roster last year in Adam Goldberg and Anthony Davis.  Davis never saw the field with the Rams.

As was pointed out today, cutting Pace would actually save the team roughly 6 Million dollars.  Honestly, I don't quite understand how this figure was calculated.  I'm still ironing this out, but by my calculations, Pace will count 8.115M in cap money next year and if he's cut will cost 6.42M.  So the way I see it, it would save 1.695M and if cut AFTER June 1, the team could actually save an extra 4.28 which would be a net savings of 5.975M.  This sounds completely opposite of what was reported today, and to be quite frank, that tidbit of information has sent me into a tailspin of confusion.  I'm currently awaiting clarification, but in the meanwhile am going ahead with this article.

Either way, there's a chance we could save $6M by cutting Pace this offseason.

But, is it worth it? 

Pace is a proven performer.  If he's healthy, we really don't have to worry about him and if he's gone we've got to replace him.  Barron can get by, but if you do cut Pace you better not miss in the draft or in picking his replacement. 

So, let's talk about a Pace replacement.  The first place I'll look is the Free Agency market.  Is it feasable?  Probably not, but let's see what's out there.

• Jordan Gross - Carolina Panthers - apparently both he and the Panthers are very interested in keeping him in Carolina so he's probably not an option.
• Mark Tausher - Green Bay Packers - Mark had a Cap Charge of $6.271M last season.  He's also recovering from his 2nd ACL tear at the age of 32 so a possible move to guard is a strong possibility for Tausher.
  
• Marvel Smith - Pittsburgh Steelers - Marvel was put on the IR last season with back problems.  Also, he had a Cap Charge of $6.645 last season.  He's 30 years old, but that back injury probably makes him closer to 35.
  
• Stacy Andrews - Cincinnati Bengals - Is rehabbing a torn ACL and MCL and is apparently looking to resign with Cincy.
• Khalif Barnes - Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jags have no interest in bringing him back but he was considered one of the worst Offensive Tackles in the game last season.
• Vernon Carey - Miami Dolphins - Apparently the Dolphins have placed a high prioity on re-signing Carey.
• George Foster - Detroit Lions - Lost his job to a rookie (Gosder Cherilus) and is an offsides machine. 
  
• Jon Runyan - Philadelphia Eagles - just had surgery to repair a microfracture.  Expected to be out 4 to 6 months.  He's 35 years old.
• Tra Thomas - Philadelphia Eagles - He's out of their plans but is 34 years old. 
  

And that's it.  See anything you like as reliable as Pace and actually takes advantage of the cap savings we'll get by cutting him?  Tra Thomas?  Maybe.  Other than him, I just don't see a viable option and there's definitely nothing available that would be consiedered an asset for the future. 

Frankly, teams don't let good tackles walk.  You have to draft them, which brings us to the draft.

We all know the usual suspects which were covered by VanRam right here and there's been so much talk about who is the best, that I can't make heads or tails of it either.  Personally, I am liking Andre Smith and Oher, but can you really say they're better than Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe?

Of course, if you do choose to go another route with the first pick, you might have these guys available in the second or third round.

• William Beatty - Connecticut - 6'6" 300 - Has been shooting up the draft boards due to his performance at the Senior Bowl.  Is athletic.  Might have moved up into the 1st round.
• Troy Kropog - Tulane - 6'6" 292 - Was a disappointment at the Senior Bowl.  Scouts feel he has the size to play tackle in the NFL, but it might take a long time to realize his potential.
  
• Phil Loadholt - Oklahoma - 6'8" 337 - Huge.  And is naturally athletic being a state champion discus thrower and an all-state basketball player in high school.
  
• Fenuki Tupou - Oregon - 6'6" 322 - Neither impressed nor disappointed at the Senior Bowl.
  
• Jamon Meredith - South Carolina - 6'5" 301 - Very durable starting 25 consecutive games at South Carolina.  Opened eyes at East-West Shrine Game with his strong punch and good footwork. 
  
• Jason Watkins - Florida - 6'6" 310 - Can play either left or right. 
  

(Player Info from NFL Draft Scout)

Personally, I'd keep Pace for one more year and draft a lineman with the first pick.  I just don't see anything that entices me in free agency.  Plus, most of those guys are either old, hurt, bad, or all three and once you sign them what you're left with is a substandard version of Orlando Pace.  The only guy that might come at some type of discount is Tra Thomas.

Then again, how good is John Greco?  He's probably more of a right tackle so having him compete with Barron this offseason is probably in the plans.  What would a tackle combo of John Greco paired with Smith/Smith/Monroe/Oher look going into 2010?  Pretty nice, in my humble opinion.

So, let me know what you think.

Okay, I'll be the first to bite.  Here's a fanpost on Larry English.  Being an NIU alum, I watch a lot of the Huskies games and I've seen a lot from English.  I love the dude (btw, he eats people).

via media.scout.com

Larry English

DE - Northern Illinois University

6-3  236 (although I see some places have him up to 254)

Here's a great collection of Senior Bowl observations written up by Mad.Mike at Red and Black Attack.  And here's another.  I'll go ahead and let the professionals speak for me here since they carry a little more legitimacy.

He's a little undersized to play DE but he's a legitimate pass rusher and all around badass.  His size might push him down in the draft a bit even though there is talk by some of him going in the first round.  Ultimately, I think there's a chance teams will pass on him for more prototypical DEs who played in BCS conferences which should make him a possible steal in the 3rd round (or a mid to late 2nd rounder if we end up trading down).  One problem however, is English may fit better into a 3-4 scheme but there are people who think he'll fit just fine in a 4-3 base (especially the Tampa 2).

Now for some highlights.

Career Highlights Part 1

Career Highlights Part 2

English Wins MAC Conference MVP

English Annihilates Toledo QB

English in the snow vs Kent State

In the Independence Bowl vs Louisiana Tech

Big day vs Idaho

English vs Minnesota

via lh6.ggpht.com