The Rams for the first time have announced how many tickets are still unsold for each game on this season's home schedule. Just over two weeks from the home opener; it's not sold out. The Whiner and Big Dead games aren't even close, and need I remind that I need a sellout for the Big Dead game because I will be out of town and may not be able to RamView it.
The only games sold out are the Packer and Steeler games. Expect a lot of road fans those two games.
This is getting embarrassing, St. Louis. Get it in gear!
(I had to type this info in because Blogger left an inexplicable gap when I copied the HTML)
(Then Blogger dumped all the spacing I carefully put in. Hey, Google, it was crap like this that
made me dump the Yahoo blogging tool)
Sept 9 Carolina 1,800
Sept 16 San Francisco 4,250
Oct 7 Arizona 4,100
Oct 28 Cleveland 3,000
Nov 25 Seattle 2,500
Dec 2 Atlanta 4,300
Dec 16 Green Bay sold out
Dec 20 Pittsburgh sold out
Maybe if half the home games didn't fall after Thanksgiving...
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Buy this week's Sports Illustrated
Sure, the August 13 issue of SI has got Barry Bonds on its cover, but
the Rams-related content inside more than makes up for it. There's a
good article about Steven Jackson, which to me, marks his arrival as
an elite RB in the national press. The article points out his historical 2006
statistics and praises his toughness, durability, upbringing and work ethic.
It also sheds a little more light on Steven's relationship with Marshall Faulk.
Steven says Marshall "could have helped me out and he didn't" his first
season, and he considers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce his mentors vs. the
public impression that Marshall filled that role.
Just as good, earlier in the magazine, is a Jim Beam advertising section
featuring an interview with Mike Jones about The Tackle. Jones' description
of the play is so good you'll feel some of the rush come back that you
got the first time you saw the play. Mike is now the defensive coordinator
for Hazelwood East High School.
So go buy the issue; it's worth it.
the Rams-related content inside more than makes up for it. There's a
good article about Steven Jackson, which to me, marks his arrival as
an elite RB in the national press. The article points out his historical 2006
statistics and praises his toughness, durability, upbringing and work ethic.
It also sheds a little more light on Steven's relationship with Marshall Faulk.
Steven says Marshall "could have helped me out and he didn't" his first
season, and he considers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce his mentors vs. the
public impression that Marshall filled that role.
Just as good, earlier in the magazine, is a Jim Beam advertising section
featuring an interview with Mike Jones about The Tackle. Jones' description
of the play is so good you'll feel some of the rush come back that you
got the first time you saw the play. Mike is now the defensive coordinator
for Hazelwood East High School.
So go buy the issue; it's worth it.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Rams close training camp to public
stltoday.com article
With high temperatures near 100 degrees predicted for Tuesday through
Thursday, the Rams have prudently moved practices indoors. Though Friday's
crowd fit easily in the practice facility, they're probably making the right
move by also closing training camp to the public until further notice. You don't
want to turn fans away and you can't create a safety risk indoors for fans
and players.
There's "only" a high of 95 predicated for August 12th, which was going to
be the last practice I was going to attend, but I'm canceling that plan, which
completes RamView's training camp coverage for 2007.
Is is too much to hope the Post-Dispatch will turn open the information faucet
a bit wider and get more camp details out now that the fans can't attend?
With high temperatures near 100 degrees predicted for Tuesday through
Thursday, the Rams have prudently moved practices indoors. Though Friday's
crowd fit easily in the practice facility, they're probably making the right
move by also closing training camp to the public until further notice. You don't
want to turn fans away and you can't create a safety risk indoors for fans
and players.
There's "only" a high of 95 predicated for August 12th, which was going to
be the last practice I was going to attend, but I'm canceling that plan, which
completes RamView's training camp coverage for 2007.
Is is too much to hope the Post-Dispatch will turn open the information faucet
a bit wider and get more camp details out now that the fans can't attend?
Trouble for two ex-Rams
Ryan Tucker was suspended for this season's first four games for violating
league steroid policy, and has owned up to it... Cleveland Plain Dealer article
Anthony Hargrove jailed for shoving a policeman in Buffalo... stltoday.com
league steroid policy, and has owned up to it... Cleveland Plain Dealer article
Anthony Hargrove jailed for shoving a policeman in Buffalo... stltoday.com
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Site announcements
First, I'd like to announce that Jimmy Kennedy has been added to one
of the all-time St. Louis Ram teams. Guess which one.
I'm still on track to hit tomorrow afternoon's practice. Report should
be up tomorrow night, probably late.
RamView for the August 10 game in Minnesota will run late
due to other commitments I have that night. (Note to self: add
Red Bull to grocery list.)
Last and certainly not least, I will be attempting the Preseason Challenge
again this season; that is, to watch every preseason game (they're all
televised). I successfully pulled this off in 2004. 2005 never made it past
week 1 because my satellite equipment died. I only made it through the
first three weeks last year before I ran out of time and the regular season started.
TiVo, DirecTV and my ability to handle sleep deprivation willing, (Note to
self: More Red Bull) I'll make a hard run at it this year and return to past glory.
All to be documented for posterity at preseasonchallenge.blogspot.com by game,
and with luck, pages here once again for each week.
of the all-time St. Louis Ram teams. Guess which one.
I'm still on track to hit tomorrow afternoon's practice. Report should
be up tomorrow night, probably late.
RamView for the August 10 game in Minnesota will run late
due to other commitments I have that night. (Note to self: add
Red Bull to grocery list.)
Last and certainly not least, I will be attempting the Preseason Challenge
again this season; that is, to watch every preseason game (they're all
televised). I successfully pulled this off in 2004. 2005 never made it past
week 1 because my satellite equipment died. I only made it through the
first three weeks last year before I ran out of time and the regular season started.
TiVo, DirecTV and my ability to handle sleep deprivation willing, (Note to
self: More Red Bull) I'll make a hard run at it this year and return to past glory.
All to be documented for posterity at preseasonchallenge.blogspot.com by game,
and with luck, pages here once again for each week.
NO EXCUSES, St. Louis
The Rams' home sellout streak made it to 95, I believe, before
ending with a non-sellout at last year's final home game against
the Redskins. So we head into this season wondering if the schedule's
going to be filled with TV blackouts. In fact, the schedule's seemingly
engineered to help the Rams sell out games. The last two games, which
often are the hardest ones to sell out, are against the two teams on
the schedule whose fans "travel best", Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Those
seem guaranteed sellouts because of likely large road fan contingents.
The scheduling process is a great mystery, but it's plausible the Rams
asked for those games late because they're worried about failing to get
sellouts, and the league did them a favor.
Well, I'm here to say St. Louis has absolutely no excuse not to sell
out the whole home schedule. Look at Buffalo. They went 7-9 last
year, drafting one pick ahead of the Rams in the first round. They
had the #30 offense last year. This offseason, they've lost Willis
McGahee, Nate Clements, London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Darwin
Walker, not to mention Matt Bowen :P. All this while raising ticket
prices an average of 12.5%. And at last word, they still have Anthony
Hargrove on their roster. Yet...
The Bills have already sold out their first five home games.
The Rams have every promise of an exciting offense, they more than
adequately replaced their most significant player lost (Drew Bennett for
Kevin Curtis), they have league elites at WR, RB, and QB, two of whom
they have locked up long-term, they play indoors, and a large number
of this year's seats are cheaper than they were last year (except mine,
of course).
There is no excuse whatsoever for St. Louis not to sell out every game
this year, so step up, people. At least sell out the Big Dead game; I have
to be able to record it because I'm out of town that week.
ending with a non-sellout at last year's final home game against
the Redskins. So we head into this season wondering if the schedule's
going to be filled with TV blackouts. In fact, the schedule's seemingly
engineered to help the Rams sell out games. The last two games, which
often are the hardest ones to sell out, are against the two teams on
the schedule whose fans "travel best", Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Those
seem guaranteed sellouts because of likely large road fan contingents.
The scheduling process is a great mystery, but it's plausible the Rams
asked for those games late because they're worried about failing to get
sellouts, and the league did them a favor.
Well, I'm here to say St. Louis has absolutely no excuse not to sell
out the whole home schedule. Look at Buffalo. They went 7-9 last
year, drafting one pick ahead of the Rams in the first round. They
had the #30 offense last year. This offseason, they've lost Willis
McGahee, Nate Clements, London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Darwin
Walker, not to mention Matt Bowen :P. All this while raising ticket
prices an average of 12.5%. And at last word, they still have Anthony
Hargrove on their roster. Yet...
The Bills have already sold out their first five home games.
The Rams have every promise of an exciting offense, they more than
adequately replaced their most significant player lost (Drew Bennett for
Kevin Curtis), they have league elites at WR, RB, and QB, two of whom
they have locked up long-term, they play indoors, and a large number
of this year's seats are cheaper than they were last year (except mine,
of course).
There is no excuse whatsoever for St. Louis not to sell out every game
this year, so step up, people. At least sell out the Big Dead game; I have
to be able to record it because I'm out of town that week.
Ex-Ram notes
The Browns are betting Ryan Tucker will make a strong comeback after a 2006
season marred by psychological issues. Tucker had a stable, productive offseason
and seems rejuvenated. Before his problems, he was the team's best lineman of
the expansion era. (Sporting News, 7/30/07)
Brian Young will miss the first few weeks of training camp with a broken foot that
required a screw to be inserted. He is not expected to be in any danger of losing
his starting job. (PFW, Aug 07)
He wasn't a Ram long, but I thought it worth mentioning that Tony Fisher has
been cut by the Jets. He was attempting a comeback from a blown ACL he suffered
last year against the Chiefs.
season marred by psychological issues. Tucker had a stable, productive offseason
and seems rejuvenated. Before his problems, he was the team's best lineman of
the expansion era. (Sporting News, 7/30/07)
Brian Young will miss the first few weeks of training camp with a broken foot that
required a screw to be inserted. He is not expected to be in any danger of losing
his starting job. (PFW, Aug 07)
He wasn't a Ram long, but I thought it worth mentioning that Tony Fisher has
been cut by the Jets. He was attempting a comeback from a blown ACL he suffered
last year against the Chiefs.
ESPN's HoF idiocy
Yet another reason ESPN must be destroyed: today's top 50 Hall-of-Fame candidates list
from players on current rosters. This kind of article can either be an interesting exercise
or a joke. ESPN's, of course, is a joke, as it considers Isaac Bruce an also-ran in favor of
several rookies from last year - Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Matt Leinart and AJ Hawk.
It's fine to put a rookie on such a list if they've had a truly dominating season. None of those
fellows did. Bush's 1200+ combined offensive yards comes closest. Good, he's 60% of the
way to something Marshall Faulk did 4 times. Put him in the hall! Leinart and Young finished well
behind Tony Romo in passing yards - Romo was 15th in the league - despite having 40 and 20 more
attempts respectively. Neither had a QB rating north of 75.0. Both have more career INTs
than TDs. Put them in the Hall! Hawk was only the THIRD-leading tackler among rookies last
season, so I guess Demeco Ryans and Ernie Sims are going to the Hall, too, though they
weren't on ESPN's list.
Bruce's exclusion is more annoying given some of the veteran WRs ESPN took the time to
include. Hines Ward is one of my favorite non-Rams, but at the same point for his career, Isaac
has 5 more TDs and a whopping 1500 more yards. I agree that Ward is on his way to the Hall.
But so is Isaac.
I don't even want to talk about Randy Moss and TO being on the list. They have done more
psychic harm to the game than they have made up for with their statistics. Isaac has a
higher career yards-per-catch than T.O., by the way, and has more Super Bowl rings than
both of those jerks combined.
Which brings me to Rod Smith, who ESPN specifically states is on the list, ahead of Bruce,
because he has a second Super Bowl ring. I like Rod Smith. I hope he makes the Hall of Fame.
He had a great Super Bowl XXXII: 5-152 with an 80-yard TD. Thing is, that second ring's
practically a freebie for Smith, who had no catches in Super Bowl XXXIII, only a fair catch
of a punt. That's why he should be in the Hall over Isaac?
In career stats, Bruce is pounding Smith in yards per season (1029 to 949), yards per catch
(15 to 13.4) and TDs (Rod is 12 behind in one season less than Isaac). Over 12 postseason
appearances, Smith is 49-860, 6 TDs; Bruce is practically there, 44-759-4, in just 9 postseason
games. And he went 5-56 in Super Bowl XXXVI playing most of the game with broken ribs.
Not that Pro Bowl recognition should be important, but the score there is Moss & T.O. 5,
Bruce & Ward 4, Smith 3. Isaac's got nothing to apologize for there.
ESPN did have the sense to include Torry Holt, a stone-cold HoF lock right now, and Orlando Pace,
who I can't call a 100% lock, but who'd better be on a list that already has Johnathan Ogden and
Walter Jones. Steven Jackson's also on the list, very prematurely, but again, if Reggie Bush is on
it, Steven damn well better be.
Bruce's exclusion is even more annoying considering the inclusion of Adrian Peterson, who hasn't
taken a pro snap and didn't survive his final season in college, and Calvin Johnson, WHO HASN'T
EVEN REPORTED TO CAMP YET. Or DeMarcus Ware, who's apparently there on the strength of
tying for 9th in the NFL in sacks in '06. (Shaun Phillips, Aaron Schobel and Aaron Kampmann await
their HoF credentials from you, ESPN.) One of those guys ought to be left off for the time being
in favor of Bruce, of one of the most accomplished and hardest-working WR's in the game's history.
from players on current rosters. This kind of article can either be an interesting exercise
or a joke. ESPN's, of course, is a joke, as it considers Isaac Bruce an also-ran in favor of
several rookies from last year - Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Matt Leinart and AJ Hawk.
It's fine to put a rookie on such a list if they've had a truly dominating season. None of those
fellows did. Bush's 1200+ combined offensive yards comes closest. Good, he's 60% of the
way to something Marshall Faulk did 4 times. Put him in the hall! Leinart and Young finished well
behind Tony Romo in passing yards - Romo was 15th in the league - despite having 40 and 20 more
attempts respectively. Neither had a QB rating north of 75.0. Both have more career INTs
than TDs. Put them in the Hall! Hawk was only the THIRD-leading tackler among rookies last
season, so I guess Demeco Ryans and Ernie Sims are going to the Hall, too, though they
weren't on ESPN's list.
Bruce's exclusion is more annoying given some of the veteran WRs ESPN took the time to
include. Hines Ward is one of my favorite non-Rams, but at the same point for his career, Isaac
has 5 more TDs and a whopping 1500 more yards. I agree that Ward is on his way to the Hall.
But so is Isaac.
I don't even want to talk about Randy Moss and TO being on the list. They have done more
psychic harm to the game than they have made up for with their statistics. Isaac has a
higher career yards-per-catch than T.O., by the way, and has more Super Bowl rings than
both of those jerks combined.
Which brings me to Rod Smith, who ESPN specifically states is on the list, ahead of Bruce,
because he has a second Super Bowl ring. I like Rod Smith. I hope he makes the Hall of Fame.
He had a great Super Bowl XXXII: 5-152 with an 80-yard TD. Thing is, that second ring's
practically a freebie for Smith, who had no catches in Super Bowl XXXIII, only a fair catch
of a punt. That's why he should be in the Hall over Isaac?
In career stats, Bruce is pounding Smith in yards per season (1029 to 949), yards per catch
(15 to 13.4) and TDs (Rod is 12 behind in one season less than Isaac). Over 12 postseason
appearances, Smith is 49-860, 6 TDs; Bruce is practically there, 44-759-4, in just 9 postseason
games. And he went 5-56 in Super Bowl XXXVI playing most of the game with broken ribs.
Not that Pro Bowl recognition should be important, but the score there is Moss & T.O. 5,
Bruce & Ward 4, Smith 3. Isaac's got nothing to apologize for there.
ESPN did have the sense to include Torry Holt, a stone-cold HoF lock right now, and Orlando Pace,
who I can't call a 100% lock, but who'd better be on a list that already has Johnathan Ogden and
Walter Jones. Steven Jackson's also on the list, very prematurely, but again, if Reggie Bush is on
it, Steven damn well better be.
Bruce's exclusion is even more annoying considering the inclusion of Adrian Peterson, who hasn't
taken a pro snap and didn't survive his final season in college, and Calvin Johnson, WHO HASN'T
EVEN REPORTED TO CAMP YET. Or DeMarcus Ware, who's apparently there on the strength of
tying for 9th in the NFL in sacks in '06. (Shaun Phillips, Aaron Schobel and Aaron Kampmann await
their HoF credentials from you, ESPN.) One of those guys ought to be left off for the time being
in favor of Bruce, of one of the most accomplished and hardest-working WR's in the game's history.
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