First of all, I'm amazed with the leap in activity since last season and I hope that the trend continues! I'm going to ruin the trend of good posting by just posting a few videos so I apologize.

Since I'm forced to watch the Seahawks while greeting the return of football...

Let's see some of the worst moments in their history!

Leon Washington Tripped Up By Punter for Pre Celebrating .. Seahawks vs. Panthers 2010 (via thebsoreport)

Super Bowl XL Steelers vs Seahawks, NFL History (via oliverluis15)

And a complete countdown:

http://video.app.msn.com/watch/video/pft-live-seahawks-worst-moments/6jesag0

Does anyone know the flight number for the Giants flight back to SFO and when/where it is arriving?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to go celebrate at the airport.

Sorry for the fan post instead of comments but we can post pictures and discuss here because the postgame threads are moving too quickly.

So if anyone has any info on the team flight, that would be great, Thanks.

What are some of your greatest Madden Moments? or Just how is your Madden 11 Franchise going? Just thought I'd bring up a discussion.

Maybe not my best moment ever, but today I threw a deep, high pass for Fendi Onobun and he jumped up and snatched it right over Panthers Safety Charles Godfrey, in the process injuring Godfrey and knocking him out of the game.

I was also running some real west coast offense today, with Gibson and Gilyard snatching some shorter passes and making some YAC.

So hows Madden going for you? Or Super Tecmo Bowl or NFL 2k5 or whatever.

Billy Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo believe they can improve through trades as well as through the draft. 

Disregarding the Isaac Bruce acquisition, the Rams completed trades for contributors Bobby Carpenter, Kevin Payne, and Brandon Gibson while shedding injury prone Adam Carriker and penalty king Alex Barron.

The Rams have been willing to spend late round draft picks and have received:

via nimg.sulekha.com

Cornerback Wide Receiver Brandon Gibson for a 5th rounder and OLB Will Witherspoon.

Even with the QB accuracy pictured above, he recorded 34 receptions for 348 yards in 9 games. Will Witherspoon is a solid player but has a limited ceiling and is 30 years old. Na'il Diggs and Bobby Carpenter should offset the loss of Witherspoon while we retain a solid route runner with good hands.

via nbcsportsmedia4.msnbc.com

Safety Kevin "Mr. 300" Payne for a conditional 7th rounder

A win for both sides. The Bears were likely going to release him as they acquired Chris Harris which gave them seven safeties (read about their saga here).

The Rams receive the best player of all time who is a pro bowler at every position (I know you're reading this KevinPayne). Payne also started every game in 2008 before encountering injury trouble and provides the Rams a legitimate starter or great depth as he will compete with James Butler, Craig Dahl, and Craig Roach for the strong safety position.

via www.blogcdn.com

Outside Linebacker Bobby Carpenter for Offensive Tackle Alex Barron

This controversial trade sacrificed offensive line depth at a shallow tackle position and will likely push Roger Saffold into the starting lineup this season. Alex Barron killed many drives with his penalties, but avoided injury. One may  learn his Negative Plays Per Game ranking among other offensive tackles here at mcnabborkolb.tumblr.com. Bobby Carpenter, also a former 1st rounder pick, has disappointed in Dallas and the Rams hope the 4-3 system will allow him to utilize his strength in coverage and speed. Also, the guy started over Laurinaitis in college.

Both the Cowboys and the Rams will likely start the exchanged players, so their impacts should be visible during the season. The Rams must hope their line stays healthy while the Cowboys wonder if they need to trade for or draft an elite tackle.

LOOKING FORWARD 

As the Rams continue to explore trade opportunities, they have multiple positions lacking depth and talent.

Offensive Line Depth

Plenty of the Rams hopes rely on second year tackle Jason Smith. He will take over the left side and although his skill and potential shouldn't be an issue, his multiple injuries will be. After missing the end of last season with a concussion, he suffered a stress fracture in his toe during OTAs.

Backup Guard Mark Setterstrom was lost for the year with a torn triceps, which will make two seasons in a row on the I.R. He may be cut after this year. 

A right knee sprain kept Rodger Saffold out of most of OTAs, and he may become the starting right tackle with the departure of Alex Barron.

Tackle Adam Goldberg replaced Jason Smith on the right side when he suffered the concussion. 

The center position should be secure with Jason Brown and Hank Fraley.

Jacob Bell suffered a pinched nerve and a torn hamstring last season, and he must play up to his $36 million deal.

Hank Fraley will likely end up competing for the right guard spot, which is extremely weak with John Greco and Roger Allen.

Possible targets include the Ravens' tackle Jared Gaither and Patriots guard Logan Mankins (unless the Rams want to avoid players that demand trades because they don't fit the four pillars).

Steven Jackson's Backup

Is Archie/Rammer/Rampage/Ramsey/Rush the answer?

via bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com 

A common topic around TST, Darby, Obie, and Toston probably aren't legitimate backups right now

Currently the trade market is populated by 30-somethings like Willis McGahee or those who lack production like Julius Jones. Ronnie Brown is another commonly mentioned name, but he has suffered injury trouble and I can't see him sacrificing so many carries to Steven Jackson.

One can assume that running backs will be cut as training camp comes and goes. However, I am not sure how eager the Rams are to find a backup outside of the organization, as they did not draft a RB and have not pursued a free agent RB.

TRADING CHIPS

via blogs.phillynews.com

I can't see the Rams targeting other concerns like Defensive Ends because the multitude of rookies will probably get their chances in Spags' rotation-style defensive line. The Rams obviously have many holes.

The Rams lack of talent and depth limits their trade options.

Although Barron and Carriker, were likely the only players clearly on the Rams trading block, Players that could fetch

low round draft picks or prospects include:

• Safety James Butler
• Defensive Tackles Gary Gibson, Dorell Scott, and Clifton Ryan
• Outside Linebacker David Vobora
• Tight End Billy Bajema

Trades for better players would likely require more talented players like Donnie Avery and Mike Karney to be dealt (which are unlikely).

Considering the Rams will likely have a high draft choice again, the new system could create trade opportunities for their second round pick if it starts off the second day.

More and more trades these days involve players being dealt for low round draft picks in return, so the Rams' 3rd through 7th rounders could likely bring a solid player to St. Louis (see a useful list of players rumored to be on the trading block here). However, the Rams seem to be reluctant to trade away some 3rd or 4th round picks (and rightly so considering how high they are and the lack of talent).

In conclusion, look for the Rams to continue to add veteran depth and young talent without making any large deals. 

I was going to put this as a fanshot, but after our discussions of Iron King Savage Sam the Ram-Claude Van Ram
, I figured this news warranted more discussion.

Continue reading this post »

 

 

Brandon Gibson: 6'0, 210 lb.

 

Main things I took from this video: Wow... The 2008 cougars would probably lose to us 100-0... They are awful. It is hard to scout the skill set of Gibson from this video mainly because in most of the plays, for he is being double teamed and tackled immediately after making each catch(you know a team is bad when a highlight reel uses a 10 yard hitch where Gibson gets nailed). What I was impressed with was his character and his enunciated speech. He seems down to Earth and extremely mature compared to many of the current NFL divas and spoke without using slang. He also describes his seemingly impressive work ethic in the video.

Unfortunately, that was all I found in video.

Mel Kiper said before the draft:

Probably in the third round mix. He has a lot of skills. Had he played on a USC, Cal, Arizona, on a better football team, you'd probably be looking at second round pick. He's probably a No. 2. He's probably a little unappreciated.

NFLdraftscout.com says:

Positives: Legitimate NFL size. Good height and has the frame to handle NFL punishment. Has the quickness, bulk and strength to fight through the jam at the line of scrimmage. At least adequate straight-line speed to challenge defenders deep. Can track the ball over either shoulder. Can sink his hips, stick his foot in the ground and explode out his breaks, creating separation against even the best of cornerbacks. Soft hands and can snatch the ball out of the air. Good body control to contort his body and make the tough catch in traffic. Courageous over the middle. Effective red-zone target. Cognizant downfield blocker. Showed good toughness last year fighting through knee and heal injuries. Three-year kick returner.

Negatives: Possesses good, not great deep speed. Demonstrates good overall athleticism, but doesn't consistently produce yards after the catch. Struggled with drops during Senior Bowl practices. Marginal elusiveness in the open field. Experienced kick returner, but not necessarily a candidate to do so at the next level. Plagued by a knee and heal injuries in 2007.

^strange that the spelling is so poor, but the information is on nfl.com

Andy Reid thinks (maybe): "Brandon's going to have a great career in the National Football League."

The Verdict: He does not have much media coverage because of his poor showing with the lowly cougars. He is not expected to be a star in the NFL, but will be able to produce over the middle immediately. He is expected to play this Sunday according to CBS sports and we will see how he performs. I am worried about how he will rebound from the poor season he had at Washington State. I hope it did not wear him out mentally, leading to his confidence level suffering. By the way Brandon, Desean Jackson may be your mentor, but please do not throw the ball up at the 1.

The rosters aren't extremely recent, so I had to make some moves manually. I may have missed something. Also, I turned off any injuries.

So Just for fun:

Schedule: (7-9)

Week 1 @ Seattle: L 6-24

Week 2 @ Washington: W 20-17

Week 3 Vs. Green Bay: W 22-3

Week 4 @  San Francisco: L 17-31

Week 5 Vs. Minnesota L 34-38

Week 6 @ Jacksonville W 31-25

Week 7 Vs. Indianapolis L 14-24

Week 8 @ Detroit W 31-20

Bye Week

Week 10 Vs. New Orleans: W 18-15

Week 11 Vs. Arizona: W 34-10

Week 12 Vs. Seattle: L 0-10

Week 13 @ Chicago: L 14-21

Week 14 @ Tennessee L13-20

Week 15 Vs. Houston: L 24-35

Week 16 @ Arizona: L 31-37

Week 17 Vs. San Francisco W 27-14

Overall, a rather realistic and possible schedule when overlooking the scores.

Standings:

NFC West

1. Cardinals (10-6)

2. Seahawks (7-9)

3. Rams (7-9)

4. 49ers (3-13)

Wild Card went to the 9-7 Panthers

Rams Team Statistics

19th in Offensive Yards

7th in Rushing Yards

23rd in Passing Yards

28th in Total Defense

32nd, or last, in Passing Defense

13th in Rushing Defense

Rams Individual Statistics

Passing:

Bulger:

83.4 Rating, 3232 yards, 29 TDs, 13 INT, 56% Completion Percentage

Rushing::

Jackson:

1379 yards, 5 TD, 4.4 Average on 307 Attempts

Gado:

192 Yards, 1 TD

Karney: 154 Yards

Receiving:

Avery:

73 Rec., 1030 yards, 10 TD

McMichael:

61 Rec. 586 yards 4 TD

Robinson:

48 Rec. 527 yards,  5 TD

Burton:

37 Rec., 416 Yards, 5 TD

Carter: 23 Rec, 291 Yards, 5 TD

Jackson:

22 Rec., 291 yards.

Stanley:

14 Rec. 107 Yards

Karney:

9 Rec. 42 Yards

Defensive Statistics

Solo Tackles:

Laurinatis: 187

Butler: 80

Witherspoon: 70

Draft: 66

Thomas 52

Atogwe 50

Ryan 33

Long 30

Johnson 25

Little 24

Bartell 19

King 13

Wade 13

Sacks:

Little 10

Thomas 8

Ryan 5

Long 4

Wtiherspoon 3

Lots with 1

Interceptions:

Atogwe 3

Butler and Bartell 2

Lots with 1.

Kicking:

Josh Brown 25-27 with a 55 yarder

Donnie Jones averaged 43 yards a punt.

Returning:

Kickoffs, Laurent Robinson scored a touchdown and averaged 23 yards a return. Stanley averaged 19

Punts: Stanley with 11.9 Average and 1 TD.

Awards

James Lauranitis: 3rd in Defensive MVP voting, Won Defensive Rookie of the Year, 3rd best LB, Pro Bowl

Josh Brown: Best Kicker

Hollis Thomas: Pro Bowl