USA Today appears to have updated its NFL salaries database to include this season. I find this one of the best and most useful features of any online sports coverage. Click here to for the Rams' salary database going back to 2000.
Several interesting things jump out reviewing the salary information.
* Marc Bulger is the second-highest paid player in the NFL. He earns $17,502,040 this season. That's not the team record, though. Orlando Pace earned $18,000,000 in 2005 ($15M in bonuses), and still has the highest base salary for a season, $6,000,000 in 2004.
* How many of these guys are going to make the Pro Bowl this year? Dwight Freeney, Bulger, Leonard Davis, Gaines Adams, Robert Geathers, Corey Redding, Derrick Dockery, Reggie Bush, Chris Dielman, Larry Johnson. Freeney would, if he weren't out for the season; who else? Maybe Dielman?
Those are the ten highest-paid players in the NFL, and maybe 2 or 3 of them will be in this year's Pro Bowl.
* The Rams' second-highest-paid player is Drew Bennett. $9,505,400. Granted, his $7.5M signing bonus greatly skews this statistic, but at his current pace, even factoring in for the two games he missed due to injury, Bennett's going to collect $264,000 PER CATCH in 2007. (Randy McMichael projects out as a MUCH more economical $118,500 a catch.)
* Then there's the part I really shouldn't have paid attention to. Compare '07's total payroll to '06's. It's $4 million less. So let me get this straight. As a "small-market" team, the Rams got $5 million after last season from the NFL's profit-sharing agreement. They're paying their players $4 million less than last year. Georgia bought a new house.
AND THEY RAISED MY TICKETS TEN BUCKS A GAME??!??!? FOR A TEAM THAT'LL BE LUCKY TO FINISH AS HIGH AS 3-13??!??!?
And they wonder why they're having difficulty selling out games.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Marc Bulger and concussions
Concussion will keep Bulger out of the game
As best as I can tell from combing through old RamViews, this is Marc's second concussion. He suffered the first in an infamous home loss to the Big Dead in November 2005. Considering the number of shots he takes, he's fortunate that concussions have not been a recurrent or chronic problem. Most of the injuries that have sidelined Marc over the years have been to his shoulder.
It's the right thing to do to keep Marc off the field until he's completely clear of any effects of this current concussion. Concussions mount up, though; the very best thing the Rams can do to save Bulger any future problems is to field a decent offensive line in front of him.
As best as I can tell from combing through old RamViews, this is Marc's second concussion. He suffered the first in an infamous home loss to the Big Dead in November 2005. Considering the number of shots he takes, he's fortunate that concussions have not been a recurrent or chronic problem. Most of the injuries that have sidelined Marc over the years have been to his shoulder.
It's the right thing to do to keep Marc off the field until he's completely clear of any effects of this current concussion. Concussions mount up, though; the very best thing the Rams can do to save Bulger any future problems is to field a decent offensive line in front of him.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Awakening the blog
Let's face it, a blog that isn't updated frequently and regularly sucks, and that's been the second-largest flaw of RamBlog so far. (The largest: predicting a Philadelphia-Denver Super Bowl.)
So starting today, I'm hoping to kick RamBlog up a major notch and have at least a post a day, like I should have been doing all football season to have a blog worth a damn.
Never too late to start, I say.
So starting today, I'm hoping to kick RamBlog up a major notch and have at least a post a day, like I should have been doing all football season to have a blog worth a damn.
Never too late to start, I say.
TV out for Sunday, too
Sunday's game against Atlanta has been blacked out locally, the third (but last) of the season.
Article
At least 3,000 tickets unsold.
Apparently intent to turn St. Louis into a football wasteland, KTVI won't show any game in the 12:00 slot, even though they're allowed to. No NFL on TV in St. Louis this Sunday until 3:00. KTVI would rather air two infomercials and "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery". KMOV's already locked into Kurt vs. the Browns in the late slot and will run SIX infomercials against KTVI's noon-to-3 non-football lineup.
Ouch, baby. Very ouch.
Article
At least 3,000 tickets unsold.
Apparently intent to turn St. Louis into a football wasteland, KTVI won't show any game in the 12:00 slot, even though they're allowed to. No NFL on TV in St. Louis this Sunday until 3:00. KTVI would rather air two infomercials and "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery". KMOV's already locked into Kurt vs. the Browns in the late slot and will run SIX infomercials against KTVI's noon-to-3 non-football lineup.
Ouch, baby. Very ouch.
Update: Bulger out for Sunday
Just hit the wire. Brock Berlin will back up Frerotte. Not looking pretty.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger failed medical tests and has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
The news came Thursday, four days after Bulger sustained a concussion against the Seattle Seahawks. Bulger left in the first quarter and was held out of practice Wednesday.
Bulger said Monday he felt much better and expected to play against the Falcons, but backup Gus Frerotte said Wednesday that Bulger looked groggy.
The Rams (2-9) took steps in case Bulger was not cleared, and elevated Brock Berlin from the practice squad as the potential backup behind Frerotte. St. Louis has gone with two quarterbacks on the active roster all season.
The Associated Press
Bulger still sitting out practice
Fresh word from Jim Thomas out of Rams Park is that Gus Frerotte practiced with the starters again today (Thu 11/29) and Marc Bulger sat out again. Article, for however long the link is good
Thanks to the stupid Thursday night game, (great matchup, but Thursday night is a stupid time for a football game, always has been, always will be) our office football pool picks are due today, and I'm going to have to reluctantly circle Atlanta for Sunday's game. It's really looking like Bulger won't play, and Frerotte is a proven non-commodity. And I don't trust Scott Linehan to have the sense to put the game in Steven Jackson's hands Sunday instead of Frerotte's.
What a season.
Thanks to the stupid Thursday night game, (great matchup, but Thursday night is a stupid time for a football game, always has been, always will be) our office football pool picks are due today, and I'm going to have to reluctantly circle Atlanta for Sunday's game. It's really looking like Bulger won't play, and Frerotte is a proven non-commodity. And I don't trust Scott Linehan to have the sense to put the game in Steven Jackson's hands Sunday instead of Frerotte's.
What a season.
Simmons still whining, but I know how to beat N.E. now
Bill Simmons held a marathon chat on espn.com for the Jimmy V Foundation yesterday and continued to find ways to whine about refereeing in Patriots games.
He played enabler to Justin in Peabody, Mass.:
Justin (Peabody, MA): It seems to me the refs are looking for Offensive P.I. against Randy Moss now. Anything close, they call it. I have this bad feeling they will make an awful call against him in the playoffs and it could cost us.
Bob (Green Bay): Is it just me being a Green Bay fan or do they possibly have the best shot at New England. I see them as having two physical corners (Harris always played Moss pretty well when he was in Minnesota). They also have the front 7 to get to Brady and keep pressure on him. And they also have enough offense to put points on the board. Not that they are a better team, but I think they have as good a shot as anyone.
It dawns on me right now how somebody's going to beat New England. They'll have to Belichick 'em. No, I don't mean steal their sideline signals; I mean "cheat" the way they did in Super Bowl XXXVI. Mug their receivers every play and bet the league and the refs won't be willing to turn the game into a 4-and-a-half hour festival of flags and judgment calls. Wade Philips, Mike McCarthy, Mike Tomlin, Jack del Rio, or anybody else with a shot at the Patriots this postseason: I am begging you, please do this. Beat Belichick at his own game. Mug the N.E. receivers. Rough up Brady. Make the refs throw the flags. When they don't, you have leveled the playing field, and you can pull off one of the all-time upsets.
One coach couldn't pull this off - Tony Dungy. After complaining to the league a couple of years ago about his WRs getting manhandled by N.E., a complaint which helped him gain a title of his own, he'd have to sell his soul to get away with turning around and winning games with the same kind of defense he complained to the league about. Anybody else, though, is fair game for this "strategy" and represents a chance to deliciously, though overduly, avenge the Rams by stealing a Super Bowl from the Pats the way they did from us.
Rough 'em up, clutch and grab 'em, and you may be clutching the Lombardi Trophy after the game.
He played enabler to Justin in Peabody, Mass.:
Justin (Peabody, MA): It seems to me the refs are looking for Offensive P.I. against Randy Moss now. Anything close, they call it. I have this bad feeling they will make an awful call against him in the playoffs and it could cost us.
Bill Simmons: I will only say this - Moss isn't allowed to raise his hands in the end zone, but opposing d-backs are allowed to maul him on every play. In the Miami game, he caught 2 TD's with guys pulling his arms down - no flag. It's like he's being officiated the same way NBA refs officiated Shaq back in the day, where there's a degree of difficulty brought into it for him.
Bob (Green Bay): Is it just me being a Green Bay fan or do they possibly have the best shot at New England. I see them as having two physical corners (Harris always played Moss pretty well when he was in Minnesota). They also have the front 7 to get to Brady and keep pressure on him. And they also have enough offense to put points on the board. Not that they are a better team, but I think they have as good a shot as anyone.
Bill Simmons: And you know they'd get all the calls...
It dawns on me right now how somebody's going to beat New England. They'll have to Belichick 'em. No, I don't mean steal their sideline signals; I mean "cheat" the way they did in Super Bowl XXXVI. Mug their receivers every play and bet the league and the refs won't be willing to turn the game into a 4-and-a-half hour festival of flags and judgment calls. Wade Philips, Mike McCarthy, Mike Tomlin, Jack del Rio, or anybody else with a shot at the Patriots this postseason: I am begging you, please do this. Beat Belichick at his own game. Mug the N.E. receivers. Rough up Brady. Make the refs throw the flags. When they don't, you have leveled the playing field, and you can pull off one of the all-time upsets.
One coach couldn't pull this off - Tony Dungy. After complaining to the league a couple of years ago about his WRs getting manhandled by N.E., a complaint which helped him gain a title of his own, he'd have to sell his soul to get away with turning around and winning games with the same kind of defense he complained to the league about. Anybody else, though, is fair game for this "strategy" and represents a chance to deliciously, though overduly, avenge the Rams by stealing a Super Bowl from the Pats the way they did from us.
Rough 'em up, clutch and grab 'em, and you may be clutching the Lombardi Trophy after the game.
Marshall's jersey to be retired
Rams are making Faulk the last to wear No. 28 (for however long the link's good)
Marshall Faulk's jersey will be retired at halftime of the Pittsburgh game 12/20. Marshall will be in town as part of NFL Network's exclusive broadcast of the game. (I'm just guessing there won't be as much complaining about the limited availability of that game as there has been for tonight's Green Bay-Dallas tilt.)
This is a good P.R. move on several levels. The Rams are staring a big season ticket renewal drop-off in the face, so it's best to have the PSL holders thinking about the good times with the GSOT as the season ends, rather than thinking about the team finishing 2-14 or 3-13. Also, the Rams have never really taken root in St. Louis. They've attracted bandwagon fans but can't be said to have developed the core following that makes football special in other cities. They need to start establishing some tradition here in St. Louis, start connecting with the town. Marshall Faulk is -our- football history. He's -our- superstar. He's a reminder the Rams have been champions and aren't the Big Dead all over again. The Rams suck ass this year, but we'll always have the Greatest Show. The organization that honors its past in a city deepens its connection with that city. And if they want to keep selling tickets next year, if they want to get back to selling out games regularly, the Rams had better start connecting better with St. Louis. This is a good start.
More in a bit.
Marshall Faulk's jersey will be retired at halftime of the Pittsburgh game 12/20. Marshall will be in town as part of NFL Network's exclusive broadcast of the game. (I'm just guessing there won't be as much complaining about the limited availability of that game as there has been for tonight's Green Bay-Dallas tilt.)
This is a good P.R. move on several levels. The Rams are staring a big season ticket renewal drop-off in the face, so it's best to have the PSL holders thinking about the good times with the GSOT as the season ends, rather than thinking about the team finishing 2-14 or 3-13. Also, the Rams have never really taken root in St. Louis. They've attracted bandwagon fans but can't be said to have developed the core following that makes football special in other cities. They need to start establishing some tradition here in St. Louis, start connecting with the town. Marshall Faulk is -our- football history. He's -our- superstar. He's a reminder the Rams have been champions and aren't the Big Dead all over again. The Rams suck ass this year, but we'll always have the Greatest Show. The organization that honors its past in a city deepens its connection with that city. And if they want to keep selling tickets next year, if they want to get back to selling out games regularly, the Rams had better start connecting better with St. Louis. This is a good start.
More in a bit.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Jason Sehorn on TV
Zap2it.com reveals that Jason Sehorn will appear on tonight's episode of "Women's Murder Club," and you shouldn't need a diploma from P.I. school to figure out that show stars his wife, Angie Harmon.
Let me guess... they work together to track down a prisoner who escaped custody after Jason failed to tackle him?
Jason's imdb.com profile, btw, includes the "Tonight Show" episode where he proposed to Angie and an appearance in the Molly Shannon "Superstar" movie as "Man in Pink Tutu", but not the infamous Super Bowl XXXIV pregame feature where the cast of "The View" ogled his ass.
This is still a good site for Angie Harmon wallpapers, though I guess they broke the link to the fine picture I had up earlier.
Let me guess... they work together to track down a prisoner who escaped custody after Jason failed to tackle him?
Jason's imdb.com profile, btw, includes the "Tonight Show" episode where he proposed to Angie and an appearance in the Molly Shannon "Superstar" movie as "Man in Pink Tutu", but not the infamous Super Bowl XXXIV pregame feature where the cast of "The View" ogled his ass.
This is still a good site for Angie Harmon wallpapers, though I guess they broke the link to the fine picture I had up earlier.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Bill Simmons: STFU!
Most weeks, I'll eat up just about anything Bill Simmons posts on espn.com.
(I even read his NBA columns, and I don't watch, or care about, pro basketball.)
His Boston bias is nauseating - there's what ESPN needs to make sure it covers,
the EAST COAST viewpoint - but that's easily squared with the fact that Simmons
is a terrific writer with insightful comments and rare wit.
I ain't swallowing this week's column, though, a beyond-the-pale diatribe Simmons
spends entirely by complaining about the refereeing in last week's Patriots-Colts
tilt, whining that the referees were -trying- to screw the New Englanders, and now
somehow I'm supposed to feel sorry for the poor 9-0 Patriots and their suffering fans.
You want to complain about the refereeing in a pivotal Patriots game, Simmons?
Scrutinize a game that -really- counts for something, like Super Bowl XXXVI. The
pivotal play of that game should have been called back because Mike Vrabel whacked
Kurt Warner in the head. Ram receivers were getting clutched, grabbed and tackled
without the ball all game long while every official's flag remained planted deep
in his pocket. They stopped the clock once during New England's game-winning drive
when they shouldn't have, and they let the clock run out after Adam Vinatieri's
game-winning FG, when it should have stopped and given the Rams a chance to return
the kickoff.
THAT was a screwjob, Simmons - one that laid the foundation for the run your
team is on now. The Internet's biggest Patriots cheerleader pissing and moaning
about officiating is about as ridiculous as politicians who hold $5,000-a-
plate fundraising dinners at night and complain there's too much money in
politics during the day.
(I even read his NBA columns, and I don't watch, or care about, pro basketball.)
His Boston bias is nauseating - there's what ESPN needs to make sure it covers,
the EAST COAST viewpoint - but that's easily squared with the fact that Simmons
is a terrific writer with insightful comments and rare wit.
I ain't swallowing this week's column, though, a beyond-the-pale diatribe Simmons
spends entirely by complaining about the refereeing in last week's Patriots-Colts
tilt, whining that the referees were -trying- to screw the New Englanders, and now
somehow I'm supposed to feel sorry for the poor 9-0 Patriots and their suffering fans.
You want to complain about the refereeing in a pivotal Patriots game, Simmons?
Scrutinize a game that -really- counts for something, like Super Bowl XXXVI. The
pivotal play of that game should have been called back because Mike Vrabel whacked
Kurt Warner in the head. Ram receivers were getting clutched, grabbed and tackled
without the ball all game long while every official's flag remained planted deep
in his pocket. They stopped the clock once during New England's game-winning drive
when they shouldn't have, and they let the clock run out after Adam Vinatieri's
game-winning FG, when it should have stopped and given the Rams a chance to return
the kickoff.
THAT was a screwjob, Simmons - one that laid the foundation for the run your
team is on now. The Internet's biggest Patriots cheerleader pissing and moaning
about officiating is about as ridiculous as politicians who hold $5,000-a-
plate fundraising dinners at night and complain there's too much money in
politics during the day.
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