Jeff Wilkins announced his retirement earlier today. Jeff showed some signs of decline in 2007 but even that slightly-off season does not detract from his standing as the best kicker to play for a St. Louis team. He ends his career tied for the NFL record for most consecutive PATs, and is the Rams' all-time scoring leader. (At least the franchise's scoring leader got to retire as a Ram, an opportunity not offered to the franchise's receiving leader.) Wilkins quickly became one of my favorite Rams because he made the kicker position one St. Louis fans could trust again after 30-some-odd years of ridiculous kicking failures and hijinks.
My favorite Wilkins play wasn't a FG, though, or a PAT, it was his recovery of his own onside kick in the 2003 divisional playoff against Carolina. And how many touchdowns did he save for the Rams' pathetic special teams by making a clutch tackle? He's probably been the special teams' best tackler the last five years! Jeff was always a classic case of a "real" football player in a kicker's body.
But you thought special teams were bad before now. 3-13 is going to look good the way this team is going into the shithole right now, opening the offseason by losing their kicker and idiotically dumping their #2 WR.
We were hoping the Rams' offseason player moves would get off on the right foot - not quite, unless that means stepping on a landmine, blowing off your right foot and then falling backwards on top of a bamboo spike.
The Rams are rumored to be going after Seattle PK Josh Brown to replace Wilkins. Brown's a talented kicker. The Rams can certainly testify that he's a clutch kicker. His acquisition would weaken a division rival, and he probably wouldn't cost that much more than Wilkins.
Then again, they could save a million and let Justin Medlock compete with the kid from the U of Cincinnati from last year's training camp, add that to the million they should save on Gus Frerotte's replacement, then take that two million AND PAY ISAAC BRUCE LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Of course, they won't, because they're god damned idiots.
In any event, best of luck to Jeff Wilkins in his post-football pursuits, and thanks for your steadiness, reliability, professionalism and toughness.
And even better luck to his successor. He'll need it.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Rams cut best receiver in franchise history
The Rams and Isaac Bruce did not agree to a restructuring of his contract, and Isaac has been released, news scooped by Bernie Miklasz on 1380 in the last hour or so. They're talking as though there is little chance Isaac will return to the team this time around.
Yeah, as a season ticket holder, this was the move I really wanted the Rams to make. Dump the most popular player since the team moved here to make room for mother fucking worthless Drew Bennett.
There's the move that'll fire up the fanbase for next season.
It is hard right now not to hope this worthless franchise has an even worse season than last year. You're not going to improve on Isaac Bruce in free agency (only Randy Moss and Bernard Berrian had more receptions among available FA WRs, and the Rams can't realistically afford either, even after cutting Isaac), and you're not going to improve on him in the draft. I'm not against drafting a WR, but the rookie should take time from worthless Bennett, with Isaac moving to the slot.
The Rams could have kept Isaac and the fans happy, worked out a 2-year deal and let him retire as a Ram. Instead, they treat Isaac, and us, like dirt.
Nice work, assholes. I'm REALLY looking forward to the rest of this offseason now.
Yeah, as a season ticket holder, this was the move I really wanted the Rams to make. Dump the most popular player since the team moved here to make room for mother fucking worthless Drew Bennett.
There's the move that'll fire up the fanbase for next season.
It is hard right now not to hope this worthless franchise has an even worse season than last year. You're not going to improve on Isaac Bruce in free agency (only Randy Moss and Bernard Berrian had more receptions among available FA WRs, and the Rams can't realistically afford either, even after cutting Isaac), and you're not going to improve on him in the draft. I'm not against drafting a WR, but the rookie should take time from worthless Bennett, with Isaac moving to the slot.
The Rams could have kept Isaac and the fans happy, worked out a 2-year deal and let him retire as a Ram. Instead, they treat Isaac, and us, like dirt.
Nice work, assholes. I'm REALLY looking forward to the rest of this offseason now.
Little will return, Frerotte won't
Leonard Little will be a Ram next season. He agreed to restructure his contract, splitting the bonus he was due over the next two years and saving the Rams $3.5 million against the cap. This is a very good move for everyone concerned. I think Little's still got something left in the tank and he deserves a chance to prove he's back from last season's toe injury. He's also one of only two legitimate pass rushers the Rams have right now (Will Witherspoon being the other).
Gus Frerotte has apparently been told he's going to be cut. This is also a good move for the Rams (not so much so for Gus), provided they're not insane enough to think Brock Berlin has the skill to step up into the #2 role. Brock's barely an acceptable #4.
OJ Atogwe was tendered at the first-round level. He'll be due another $1.5 million unless another team goes crazy and offers him a contract the Rams would never want to match.
After all these moves, the Rams are now about $10 million under the cap, so they've got a little money to spend as free agency opens tonight.
No word yet on any negotiations with Isaac Bruce.
Elsewhere in the league, Kevin Carter was cut by the Buccaneers, but the expectation is he'll sign a new, cheaper contract to play in Tampa again next year.
Gus Frerotte has apparently been told he's going to be cut. This is also a good move for the Rams (not so much so for Gus), provided they're not insane enough to think Brock Berlin has the skill to step up into the #2 role. Brock's barely an acceptable #4.
OJ Atogwe was tendered at the first-round level. He'll be due another $1.5 million unless another team goes crazy and offers him a contract the Rams would never want to match.
After all these moves, the Rams are now about $10 million under the cap, so they've got a little money to spend as free agency opens tonight.
No word yet on any negotiations with Isaac Bruce.
Elsewhere in the league, Kevin Carter was cut by the Buccaneers, but the expectation is he'll sign a new, cheaper contract to play in Tampa again next year.
Mock draft crunching (2/28)
Rams projections from some of the mock drafts that have come out since the combine:
NFLDraftcountdown
2 - Jake Long
33 - Calais Campbell
Draftdaddy
2 - Vernon Gholston
Walterfootball
2 - Vernon Gholston
33 - Gosder Cherilus
65 - Andre Caldwell
97 - Eric Young (G, Tennessee)
Drafttek (Yes, they mock ALL SEVEN rounds)
2 - Jake Long
34 - Early Doucet
66 - Curtis Lofton
98 - Chevis Jackson
130 - Titus Brown (DE, Mississippi State)
162 - Erik Ainge
171 - Thomas Brown (RB, Georgia)
207 - James McClinton (DT, Kansas)
* Miami takes Chris Long in all four mocks.
* I'm not sure about taking Gholston over Jake Long. The advantage the Rams would have in taking Gholston first is that the second round selection at offensive line shapes up to be far better than the selection at defensive line. In the first two mocks, the Rams would still have their pick between Sam Baker, Anthony Collins and Carl Nicks in the 2nd round after taking Gholston first. In fact, NFLDraftcountdown's scenario potentially works out to: Gholston first, James Hardy second, Collins 3rd. I would be jumping up and down if that happened.
* I'd be jumping even higher in Walterfootball's scenario, because I am a big proponent of drafting Cherilus, and Caldwell is a virtual steal at 65. I'd tweak it to pick Steve Justice of Wake Forest or a safety at #97, but I still love it. I would like to come away from the draft with a starting center.
* Drafttek's the only one numbering the picks correctly, by the way. The Giants' first-round pick is #32. The Patriots forfeited #31. The Rams' 2nd round pick is #34, not #33. Drafttek varies by more in later rounds because the Ravens and Chargers used supplemental draft picks last year.
* My draft in the Drafttek scenario:
2 - Jake Long
34 - Quentin Groves
66 - Steve Slaton
98 - John Sullivan
130 - Will Franklin
162 - Erik Ainge
171 - Jeremy Zuttah
207 - Pig Brown
*** 2/34 could just as easily be Gholston and Cherilus.
*** At 66, I don't understand why Drafttek takes Lofton, although he could very well be the best player left on the board. I chose between Slaton and Eddie Royal and went with Slaton's "upside". Many of the other possible picks at 66 just looked like bad values. Maybe that's ultimately the best place to pick a safety, or even another o-lineman.
*** My mock's strong on offensive line but could do better at WR and safety, I admit. But I really want to come away with a center. Sacrificing the center, I could have gone with Marcus Griffin in the 3rd and Jordy Nelson in the 4th.
I'll try to stay abreast of these mocks as they adjust and adjust my projected Rams picks as appropriate. Just from today's analysis alone I'm getting a stronger feeling that drafting Gholston is the way for the Rams to go.
NFLDraftcountdown
2 - Jake Long
33 - Calais Campbell
Draftdaddy
2 - Vernon Gholston
Walterfootball
2 - Vernon Gholston
33 - Gosder Cherilus
65 - Andre Caldwell
97 - Eric Young (G, Tennessee)
Drafttek (Yes, they mock ALL SEVEN rounds)
2 - Jake Long
34 - Early Doucet
66 - Curtis Lofton
98 - Chevis Jackson
130 - Titus Brown (DE, Mississippi State)
162 - Erik Ainge
171 - Thomas Brown (RB, Georgia)
207 - James McClinton (DT, Kansas)
* Miami takes Chris Long in all four mocks.
* I'm not sure about taking Gholston over Jake Long. The advantage the Rams would have in taking Gholston first is that the second round selection at offensive line shapes up to be far better than the selection at defensive line. In the first two mocks, the Rams would still have their pick between Sam Baker, Anthony Collins and Carl Nicks in the 2nd round after taking Gholston first. In fact, NFLDraftcountdown's scenario potentially works out to: Gholston first, James Hardy second, Collins 3rd. I would be jumping up and down if that happened.
* I'd be jumping even higher in Walterfootball's scenario, because I am a big proponent of drafting Cherilus, and Caldwell is a virtual steal at 65. I'd tweak it to pick Steve Justice of Wake Forest or a safety at #97, but I still love it. I would like to come away from the draft with a starting center.
* Drafttek's the only one numbering the picks correctly, by the way. The Giants' first-round pick is #32. The Patriots forfeited #31. The Rams' 2nd round pick is #34, not #33. Drafttek varies by more in later rounds because the Ravens and Chargers used supplemental draft picks last year.
* My draft in the Drafttek scenario:
2 - Jake Long
34 - Quentin Groves
66 - Steve Slaton
98 - John Sullivan
130 - Will Franklin
162 - Erik Ainge
171 - Jeremy Zuttah
207 - Pig Brown
*** 2/34 could just as easily be Gholston and Cherilus.
*** At 66, I don't understand why Drafttek takes Lofton, although he could very well be the best player left on the board. I chose between Slaton and Eddie Royal and went with Slaton's "upside". Many of the other possible picks at 66 just looked like bad values. Maybe that's ultimately the best place to pick a safety, or even another o-lineman.
*** My mock's strong on offensive line but could do better at WR and safety, I admit. But I really want to come away with a center. Sacrificing the center, I could have gone with Marcus Griffin in the 3rd and Jordy Nelson in the 4th.
I'll try to stay abreast of these mocks as they adjust and adjust my projected Rams picks as appropriate. Just from today's analysis alone I'm getting a stronger feeling that drafting Gholston is the way for the Rams to go.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Combine re-observances: offense
I haven't gotten to review the defensive player workouts at the combine but have a few things to add to my observation from this weekend's offensive workouts...
* Jordy Nelson. I miscast him in my mind as a small receiver, since it turns out he's 6'2". That puts his 4.5 40s in a different light. They're pretty nice times. I was championing going after DJ Hackett in free agency; Nelson, physically, anyway, is very similar.
* Rashard Mendenhall. He's 10-15 lbs. heavier than Darren McFadden and still turned in a 40 time in the 4.3's. May be the overlooked performance of the combine, by me for sure, anyway. Mendenhall made himself worthy of high first-round talk from everybody, not just Mike Mayock.
* Chris Johnson. His 40 time was adjusted down to 4.24, which I believe is the combine's fastest time.
* NFL Network. Once you got past the original three hours scheduled for Sunday's workouts, things got much better. There was a lot of coverage of the individual RB drills, making up somewhat for their other failures.
* Kevin Smith. Didn't stand out to me in those drills as being really naturally fluid in changing direction. Not that it matters. He's going to be a devastating one-cut runner.
Hoping to do a quick review of the rest of free agency before the weekend, which will probably be my first chance to review the defensive workouts.
* Jordy Nelson. I miscast him in my mind as a small receiver, since it turns out he's 6'2". That puts his 4.5 40s in a different light. They're pretty nice times. I was championing going after DJ Hackett in free agency; Nelson, physically, anyway, is very similar.
* Rashard Mendenhall. He's 10-15 lbs. heavier than Darren McFadden and still turned in a 40 time in the 4.3's. May be the overlooked performance of the combine, by me for sure, anyway. Mendenhall made himself worthy of high first-round talk from everybody, not just Mike Mayock.
* Chris Johnson. His 40 time was adjusted down to 4.24, which I believe is the combine's fastest time.
* NFL Network. Once you got past the original three hours scheduled for Sunday's workouts, things got much better. There was a lot of coverage of the individual RB drills, making up somewhat for their other failures.
* Kevin Smith. Didn't stand out to me in those drills as being really naturally fluid in changing direction. Not that it matters. He's going to be a devastating one-cut runner.
Hoping to do a quick review of the rest of free agency before the weekend, which will probably be my first chance to review the defensive workouts.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Rude awakenings
With free agency set to kick off in less than a week now, excitement has been building in Rams Nation over what new players the team will pick up to address its problem areas. The team itself seemed to intimate it would be an active player in the free agent market. I've been doing UFA breakdowns by position and trying to guess who the Rams will target and who they might be able to pick up.
I've been way too optimistic, based on news that came to light last week. I'm hard-pressed to say where it went, but the Rams have run practically out of cap room. They are less than $7 million under the cap, far worse shape than any of Rams Nation or the local press ever anticipated. And most of that money will be needed to tender OJ Atogwe and to sign the 2008 rookie class.
As a result, we could be headed toward one of the franchise's uneasiest weeks since coming to St. Louis. To get any cap room to sign free agents, the team will want to restructure the contracts of Isaac Bruce and Leonard Little. Both are due significant bonus payments very soon, which the team never intends to pay. Either, or both, are very likely to be cut if a way around each man's bonuses isn't found.
The Rams have to do everything possible to keep Bruce, though, to avoid disaster on every level. On the field, Isaac is still clearly the second-best receiver on the team. The Rams CANNOT cut Isaac Bruce under the guise that they had to in favor of keeping Drew Bennett, who isn't now, and will never be, even 1/10 the receiver Isaac is. And a team that's going to have a ton of trouble selling tickets next year can't afford the apocalyptic P.R. disaster they'd invite by failing to keep Isaac. In St. Louis, he's the original face of the Ram franchise and is arguably the city's most-loved player. Cutting the man isn't the way to treat a lifelong Ram, an original L.A. Ram, and the greatest WR to wear a Ram uniform. Compounding the disaster, Isaac seems likely to join the Rams' worst rival, San Francisco, to reunite with Mike Martz, if he isn't permitted to play out his career as a Ram. The Rams absolutely cannot open the door for that to happen. It would be the equivalent of sending Stan Musial to the Chicago Cubs. It must be avoided. Isaac is a team player, and may very well "play ball" in negotiations as he did last year when the Rams unceremoniously cut him. But the Rams can't take more than a minuscule chance of losing him. I say, just honor the contract.
Leonard Little is in a different boat. Like Isaac, he's a lifelong Ram and one of the greats to play his position for this team. But he's also due a ridiculous bonus, had a terrible 2007 (one sack), and is still recovering from a toe injury that only compounds the idea that his best years are behind him at age 35. It would be great to have a healthy Little back. After all, no one on the team besides Will Witherspoon is remotely a proven pass rusher. But at his age and physical condition, he warrants a much smaller salary now than he's been getting. If the Rams do cut Little, and he goes to Buffalo or Carolina or even Seattle, where they love to collect ex-Ram DEs, it'll be nothing like it would be to cut Bruce. Unlike Bruce, the Rams wouldn't be cutting Little in order to keep a far inferior player, and in the minds of many St. Louisans, Little is always going to be the drunk driver who took a woman's life, making his potential release a P.R. wash at the worst.
The two men are in similar contract situations, but the Rams front office has to be smart enough to realize they have to be handled differently. They have the upper ground on Little and can't be afraid of flexing their muscles. Restructuring Little alone frees up a lot of cap space. With Bruce, though, they'd better make sure to tread lightly and not antagonize him or his legion of fans, or the only attendance streak we'll be talking about for a long time around here is the NON-sellout streak.
The Rams can comfortably cut/restructure Little, and cut Gus Frerotte (disappointingly bad), Corey Chavous (poor player) and LeRoi Glover (could be about to be replaced by Glenn Dorsey) before they even think about doing something drastic to #80.
I've been way too optimistic, based on news that came to light last week. I'm hard-pressed to say where it went, but the Rams have run practically out of cap room. They are less than $7 million under the cap, far worse shape than any of Rams Nation or the local press ever anticipated. And most of that money will be needed to tender OJ Atogwe and to sign the 2008 rookie class.
As a result, we could be headed toward one of the franchise's uneasiest weeks since coming to St. Louis. To get any cap room to sign free agents, the team will want to restructure the contracts of Isaac Bruce and Leonard Little. Both are due significant bonus payments very soon, which the team never intends to pay. Either, or both, are very likely to be cut if a way around each man's bonuses isn't found.
The Rams have to do everything possible to keep Bruce, though, to avoid disaster on every level. On the field, Isaac is still clearly the second-best receiver on the team. The Rams CANNOT cut Isaac Bruce under the guise that they had to in favor of keeping Drew Bennett, who isn't now, and will never be, even 1/10 the receiver Isaac is. And a team that's going to have a ton of trouble selling tickets next year can't afford the apocalyptic P.R. disaster they'd invite by failing to keep Isaac. In St. Louis, he's the original face of the Ram franchise and is arguably the city's most-loved player. Cutting the man isn't the way to treat a lifelong Ram, an original L.A. Ram, and the greatest WR to wear a Ram uniform. Compounding the disaster, Isaac seems likely to join the Rams' worst rival, San Francisco, to reunite with Mike Martz, if he isn't permitted to play out his career as a Ram. The Rams absolutely cannot open the door for that to happen. It would be the equivalent of sending Stan Musial to the Chicago Cubs. It must be avoided. Isaac is a team player, and may very well "play ball" in negotiations as he did last year when the Rams unceremoniously cut him. But the Rams can't take more than a minuscule chance of losing him. I say, just honor the contract.
Leonard Little is in a different boat. Like Isaac, he's a lifelong Ram and one of the greats to play his position for this team. But he's also due a ridiculous bonus, had a terrible 2007 (one sack), and is still recovering from a toe injury that only compounds the idea that his best years are behind him at age 35. It would be great to have a healthy Little back. After all, no one on the team besides Will Witherspoon is remotely a proven pass rusher. But at his age and physical condition, he warrants a much smaller salary now than he's been getting. If the Rams do cut Little, and he goes to Buffalo or Carolina or even Seattle, where they love to collect ex-Ram DEs, it'll be nothing like it would be to cut Bruce. Unlike Bruce, the Rams wouldn't be cutting Little in order to keep a far inferior player, and in the minds of many St. Louisans, Little is always going to be the drunk driver who took a woman's life, making his potential release a P.R. wash at the worst.
The two men are in similar contract situations, but the Rams front office has to be smart enough to realize they have to be handled differently. They have the upper ground on Little and can't be afraid of flexing their muscles. Restructuring Little alone frees up a lot of cap space. With Bruce, though, they'd better make sure to tread lightly and not antagonize him or his legion of fans, or the only attendance streak we'll be talking about for a long time around here is the NON-sellout streak.
The Rams can comfortably cut/restructure Little, and cut Gus Frerotte (disappointingly bad), Corey Chavous (poor player) and LeRoi Glover (could be about to be replaced by Glenn Dorsey) before they even think about doing something drastic to #80.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
2008 NFL Combine: QB / RB / WR
NFL Combine day 2: QBs, RBs, WRs
Let's hope the Rams' coaching staff has their stopwatch fingers limbered up. They may have to hit twice at the WR position in the upcoming draft.
Great news for him, bad news for the Rams: James Hardy (Indiana) should be a first-round pick after his performance today. He ran a 4.47 and caught the ball very well. Can't see how a receiver of his 6'6" size and sparkling speed will last till pick #33. Pounce if he does, Rams.
Same for Limas Sweed (Texas), who came in at 4.46. He didn't catch, though, still recovering from a wrist injury from earlier this season. That's better than Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma), who didn't run or catch. Not sure why Kelly skipped out, but it can't help him.
Some of the good performers of Senior Bowl week did not hurt their cause at all. Dexter Jackson of Appalachian State led the WRs with a 4.27. He ran the 40 faster than I typed that sentence. He must have cemented a spot in the first two rounds. Donnie Avery of Houston got in at 4.4, but I doubt he is going to escape his reputation as just a guy with straight-ahead speed.
Andre (Bubba) Caldwell helped himself a ton with a 4.31 40. Add that to solid Senior Bowl week performances, and that he's the leading receiver in Florida Gator history, and you've got a guy who ought to be picked at least by the time the Rams' third pick comes along.
Others from the Senior Bowl may not have helped themselves. Looked like Jordy Nelson (K-State) caught well, but he couldn't break 4.5. That's not a great time for a small receiver / kick returner type. Lavell Hawkins was very solid Senior Bowl week but only turned in a 4.56. Adarius Bowman (Oklahoma State) barely cracked 4.7 and didn't relieve the hands-of-stone concern that crushed his prospects Senior Bowl week.
The WR hurt most this weekend has to be Mario Manningham of Michigan, who ought to just rename their team the Slow-verines. At 6'0", he's not particularly tall, and barely cracking 4.6, he's not particularly fast for an NFL WR. He was probably regarded the #1 WR before this weekend, but has to do a lot of work to recover that ranking, which I'd give to Hardy now.
Will Franklin of Mizzou was stunningly fast, 4.32, and at his height, he's earned the opportunity for a lot closer inspection than he's been getting.
Eddie Royal of Virginia Tech sounded like such a favorite of the NFL Network crew that I thought some skepticism was in order, but he won me over with his pass-catching and solid 40 times in the 4.4's.
LSU's Early Doucet got good reviews from the NFL-N crew, but I don't remember seeing him on TV. That puts the Rams in a bad spot because he's certainly under consideration for the 2nd-round pick.
No, I'm not forgetting DeSean Jackson of Cal, who smoked a 4.31. At 5'9", 169 pounds, though, a team clearly is only going to draft him if they're in search of a Devin Hester-type special teams weapon. Jackson didn't produce anything like an elite receiver in 2007 except for a couple of games. His combine time and production in 2006 probably have him ranked as a 2nd-round prospect. But the Rams cannot afford to use a 2nd or 3rd-round pick on a player who very well could turn out to be Shaun McDonald. Except smaller. Shame on the California football program, btw, for listing Jackson at 6 feet tall. No pro team should ever trust numbers the Cal staff provides on their players when they make exaggerations that ridiculous.
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QB
Andre Woodson (hamstring) didn't work out. His stock is dropping like Citibank's.
Matt Ryan ran, but didn't throw, apparently aiming to piss off Rams fans trying to figure out if Miami should take him at #1 or not, which I guess pisses off Dolphins fans, too. Thanks for nothing, Matt.
Joe Flacco ran and threw well, though the NFL-N crew refused to criticize that he overthrew short sideline routes badly. Love his deep ball and mobility, though; he's probably drawing more than a comparison or two to Ben Roethlisberger right now.
I'm not sure which numbers about Josh Johnson (San Diego) were more eye-popping: the 4.44 in the 40, or that he threw 43 TDs vs. ONE interception in college. He threw very accurately, though his receivers consistently had to slow up for his deep ball. In any event, he's made a big move upward with his combine performance.
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Man, was there some great speed at RB. Unfortunately, about all we got to see these guys do was run the 40. Darren McFadden made his case for a top 5 pick with a 4.33, originally clocked at 4.27. He rocked the combine like Adrian Peterson did last year, but will that be enough to paper over questions about his character?
Chris Johnson of East Carolina was expected to be the fastest RB there, and made good on that with a 4.29.
Some very productive college RBs put up serious 40 times. Ray Rice of Rutgers turned in a 4.44. So did Steve Slaton of West Virginia, though I'm not sure why anyone is talking about converting him to WR. Jonathan Stewart of Oregon also turned in a 4.44, while Kevin Smith of UCF put some credibility behind the record-setting numbers he ran up against soft competition with a 4.43. Felix Jones, McFadden's backup at Arkansas, also turned in a 4.44. This has got to be one of the best running back classes in years.
Anthony Alridge of Houston averaged 10 yards a rush in '07 and ran a 4.36.
I like Mike Hart of Michigan a lot, but the Slowverine RB is going to have to be drafted for reasons other than his speed. He came in at 4.67. Here's something in Hart and Manningham's favor, though: didn't Florida crush Ohio State in the '07 national championship game because of their superior speed? Who beat Florida in a bowl game this year, on their turf in Orlando? Michigan. Sometimes you need to believe what you see on the field.
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NFL Network: Coverage was once again more notable for what it left out than anything else. They focused too much on talking about players who weren't working out instead of showing the ones who were. We didn't get to see the first group of receivers run the 40, a GROSS omission. They barely showed the QBs throwing. We have to take Mike Mayock's word when he said Colt Brennan threw well - we barely got to see him! And when the RBs FINALLY started running 40s, they immediately cut to commercials and SKIPPED the first three! W? T? F?!? I'd be more grateful that NFL-N broadcasts the combine in the first place if they actually showed what was happening. How about it, guys?
Was Adam Schefter actually scolding one of the safety prospects for clowning around based on one brief shot in one of the waiting rooms? WHO WAS CLOWNING AROUND ON THE FIELD YESTERDAY, CATCHING PASSES FROM STEVE MARIUCCI, YOU SELF-IMPORTANT DINK?
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Unfortunately, NFL Network's crappy coverage was the big story of the day, making all three positions really tough to evaluate from the Couch. Hardy looked like the star of the day at WR to me, Sweed to a lesser extent. I doubt the Rams will get a shot at drafting either, though. DeSean Jackson had a great day just by putting up that super 40 time. Mid-range prospects like Dexter Jackson, Caldwell and Royal boosted their stock, and Will Franklin pretty much broke down the door with his 4.32.
McFadden probably had the biggest day of anybody. His Adrian Peterson-like workout was just what he needed to crowd his character questions aside. He'll go third or fourth overall if he can stay out of bar fights for a couple of months. Flacco had the best day at QB, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has worked his way into the first round.
There was so much talent in the stadium today, I need to know a lot more about the individual players to find out what separates one from another, and I feel we just didn't get that from NFL Network today. Hopefully they will do a much better job with tomorrow's workout, a crucial one for Rams Nation, as it involves defensive linemen (and LBs). Chris Long needs to match the performances Jake Long and McFadden have already put out there, and a lot of questions need to be answered about Glenn Dorsey, a task I hope NFL Network is up to whether or not he works out.
Since the defensive workouts come during the work week, I won't have reviews of them out right away, but I'll endeavor to have them out sometime this week.
Let's hope the Rams' coaching staff has their stopwatch fingers limbered up. They may have to hit twice at the WR position in the upcoming draft.
Great news for him, bad news for the Rams: James Hardy (Indiana) should be a first-round pick after his performance today. He ran a 4.47 and caught the ball very well. Can't see how a receiver of his 6'6" size and sparkling speed will last till pick #33. Pounce if he does, Rams.
Same for Limas Sweed (Texas), who came in at 4.46. He didn't catch, though, still recovering from a wrist injury from earlier this season. That's better than Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma), who didn't run or catch. Not sure why Kelly skipped out, but it can't help him.
Some of the good performers of Senior Bowl week did not hurt their cause at all. Dexter Jackson of Appalachian State led the WRs with a 4.27. He ran the 40 faster than I typed that sentence. He must have cemented a spot in the first two rounds. Donnie Avery of Houston got in at 4.4, but I doubt he is going to escape his reputation as just a guy with straight-ahead speed.
Andre (Bubba) Caldwell helped himself a ton with a 4.31 40. Add that to solid Senior Bowl week performances, and that he's the leading receiver in Florida Gator history, and you've got a guy who ought to be picked at least by the time the Rams' third pick comes along.
Others from the Senior Bowl may not have helped themselves. Looked like Jordy Nelson (K-State) caught well, but he couldn't break 4.5. That's not a great time for a small receiver / kick returner type. Lavell Hawkins was very solid Senior Bowl week but only turned in a 4.56. Adarius Bowman (Oklahoma State) barely cracked 4.7 and didn't relieve the hands-of-stone concern that crushed his prospects Senior Bowl week.
The WR hurt most this weekend has to be Mario Manningham of Michigan, who ought to just rename their team the Slow-verines. At 6'0", he's not particularly tall, and barely cracking 4.6, he's not particularly fast for an NFL WR. He was probably regarded the #1 WR before this weekend, but has to do a lot of work to recover that ranking, which I'd give to Hardy now.
Will Franklin of Mizzou was stunningly fast, 4.32, and at his height, he's earned the opportunity for a lot closer inspection than he's been getting.
Eddie Royal of Virginia Tech sounded like such a favorite of the NFL Network crew that I thought some skepticism was in order, but he won me over with his pass-catching and solid 40 times in the 4.4's.
LSU's Early Doucet got good reviews from the NFL-N crew, but I don't remember seeing him on TV. That puts the Rams in a bad spot because he's certainly under consideration for the 2nd-round pick.
No, I'm not forgetting DeSean Jackson of Cal, who smoked a 4.31. At 5'9", 169 pounds, though, a team clearly is only going to draft him if they're in search of a Devin Hester-type special teams weapon. Jackson didn't produce anything like an elite receiver in 2007 except for a couple of games. His combine time and production in 2006 probably have him ranked as a 2nd-round prospect. But the Rams cannot afford to use a 2nd or 3rd-round pick on a player who very well could turn out to be Shaun McDonald. Except smaller. Shame on the California football program, btw, for listing Jackson at 6 feet tall. No pro team should ever trust numbers the Cal staff provides on their players when they make exaggerations that ridiculous.
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QB
Andre Woodson (hamstring) didn't work out. His stock is dropping like Citibank's.
Matt Ryan ran, but didn't throw, apparently aiming to piss off Rams fans trying to figure out if Miami should take him at #1 or not, which I guess pisses off Dolphins fans, too. Thanks for nothing, Matt.
Joe Flacco ran and threw well, though the NFL-N crew refused to criticize that he overthrew short sideline routes badly. Love his deep ball and mobility, though; he's probably drawing more than a comparison or two to Ben Roethlisberger right now.
I'm not sure which numbers about Josh Johnson (San Diego) were more eye-popping: the 4.44 in the 40, or that he threw 43 TDs vs. ONE interception in college. He threw very accurately, though his receivers consistently had to slow up for his deep ball. In any event, he's made a big move upward with his combine performance.
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Man, was there some great speed at RB. Unfortunately, about all we got to see these guys do was run the 40. Darren McFadden made his case for a top 5 pick with a 4.33, originally clocked at 4.27. He rocked the combine like Adrian Peterson did last year, but will that be enough to paper over questions about his character?
Chris Johnson of East Carolina was expected to be the fastest RB there, and made good on that with a 4.29.
Some very productive college RBs put up serious 40 times. Ray Rice of Rutgers turned in a 4.44. So did Steve Slaton of West Virginia, though I'm not sure why anyone is talking about converting him to WR. Jonathan Stewart of Oregon also turned in a 4.44, while Kevin Smith of UCF put some credibility behind the record-setting numbers he ran up against soft competition with a 4.43. Felix Jones, McFadden's backup at Arkansas, also turned in a 4.44. This has got to be one of the best running back classes in years.
Anthony Alridge of Houston averaged 10 yards a rush in '07 and ran a 4.36.
I like Mike Hart of Michigan a lot, but the Slowverine RB is going to have to be drafted for reasons other than his speed. He came in at 4.67. Here's something in Hart and Manningham's favor, though: didn't Florida crush Ohio State in the '07 national championship game because of their superior speed? Who beat Florida in a bowl game this year, on their turf in Orlando? Michigan. Sometimes you need to believe what you see on the field.
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NFL Network: Coverage was once again more notable for what it left out than anything else. They focused too much on talking about players who weren't working out instead of showing the ones who were. We didn't get to see the first group of receivers run the 40, a GROSS omission. They barely showed the QBs throwing. We have to take Mike Mayock's word when he said Colt Brennan threw well - we barely got to see him! And when the RBs FINALLY started running 40s, they immediately cut to commercials and SKIPPED the first three! W? T? F?!? I'd be more grateful that NFL-N broadcasts the combine in the first place if they actually showed what was happening. How about it, guys?
Was Adam Schefter actually scolding one of the safety prospects for clowning around based on one brief shot in one of the waiting rooms? WHO WAS CLOWNING AROUND ON THE FIELD YESTERDAY, CATCHING PASSES FROM STEVE MARIUCCI, YOU SELF-IMPORTANT DINK?
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Unfortunately, NFL Network's crappy coverage was the big story of the day, making all three positions really tough to evaluate from the Couch. Hardy looked like the star of the day at WR to me, Sweed to a lesser extent. I doubt the Rams will get a shot at drafting either, though. DeSean Jackson had a great day just by putting up that super 40 time. Mid-range prospects like Dexter Jackson, Caldwell and Royal boosted their stock, and Will Franklin pretty much broke down the door with his 4.32.
McFadden probably had the biggest day of anybody. His Adrian Peterson-like workout was just what he needed to crowd his character questions aside. He'll go third or fourth overall if he can stay out of bar fights for a couple of months. Flacco had the best day at QB, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has worked his way into the first round.
There was so much talent in the stadium today, I need to know a lot more about the individual players to find out what separates one from another, and I feel we just didn't get that from NFL Network today. Hopefully they will do a much better job with tomorrow's workout, a crucial one for Rams Nation, as it involves defensive linemen (and LBs). Chris Long needs to match the performances Jake Long and McFadden have already put out there, and a lot of questions need to be answered about Glenn Dorsey, a task I hope NFL Network is up to whether or not he works out.
Since the defensive workouts come during the work week, I won't have reviews of them out right away, but I'll endeavor to have them out sometime this week.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
2008 NFL Combine: OL / TE
2008 NFL Scouting Combine on NFL Network
All right, let's look alive, Rams coaching staff! Here come the offensive linemen!
Jake Long: Jake set the early tone with 37 bench presses, best of the group, and his 5.17 40 is among the fastest. He hasn't hurt himself today and has likely cemented a top 5 pick. That having been said, to my recollection, this year's group on the whole isn't as good as past classes. There was no 40-rep lifter, and even the 5.1 mark in the 40 is rarely threatened. In fact, I've already seen two guys fall down running the 40. You're running in a straight line, and you don't even have to chew gum at the same time - how can you fall down? Then again, Bill Polian called this "universally" the fastest group of o-linemen at the Combine in a long time. He should know, but I thought the fastest times would be faster if that was the case.
Ryan Clady: Strained pectoral muscle during the bench press ended his Combine early, a major disappointment for us at home, as he's expected to be Jake Long's main competition at #1 OT.
Chris Williams: The Vanderbilt tackle put up one of the faster 40 times at 5.07, but I thought he was dreadful at LT in the Senior Bowl, getting eaten up repeatedly by his opponent, letting his opponent play him, and his lightweight 21 reps in the bench press is a mark that'll get beaten by some QBs. I'd have little interest in drafting him.
Gosder Cherilus: One of the group 1 OLs we didn't get to see much on TV, other than a replay of him screwing up his 10-yard shuttle run. All the same, I would much rather take him in the second round than Williams (assuming either is available, of course). At RT in the Senior Bowl, he was the strongest run-blocking tackle on the field, and I didn't see him get beat in pass protection. He won the point of attack almost all the time, and showed he can redirect a DE who's putting on a strong rush. The more I reflect on it, the less chance I believe Cherilus will be available at pick #33. He looks like a first-rounder all the way.
Jeff Otah: The NFL-N crew is right when they say the Combine won't help Jeff Otah out. His 40 time will be one of the slowest this weekend, and at times his footwork looked clumsy. I'll be swallowing hard if he's the top lineman on the board when the Rams pick, because I haven't seen anything to demonstrate why he's a well-regarded line prospect. He plays much too tall and seems to have the slowest reaction to change of direction of anyone there.
Carl Nicks: looked like a mauler at Senior Bowl workouts and played a decent LT during the game. Ran the 40 in the 5.2's and was one of the top lifters. NFL-N analysts project him to be a guard.
Heath Benedict: I wasn't impressed with his Senior Bowl workouts, but he had a nice game, and one of the fastest 40s at 5.08. Looks like a solid middle-round prospect.
Oniel Cousins: I think Cousins is a sleeper. He looks like he can play guard or tackle and is a better athlete than he looks like at first blush. Ran a 5.13.
Jeremy Zuttah: The Rutgers RT threw up 40s of 4.99 and 5.03, and was 2nd-best in the bench press. Looks like he could be this year's "workout wonder".
John Sullivan: I'd like to learn more about the Notre Dame center. It's a position the Rams need to address. He has good footwork and good technique and is a nasty player. He's also a wrestler, so you have to believe he knows how to play with leverage.
Let's go, RamView! HUP! HUP!
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Tight ends? Bah, I almost don't care about the TEs this year. Unless there's a way to figure out if one of these players projects to a stud blocking TE from today's activities, the Rams coaches should go back to the hotel early and go back over o-lineman tapes.
Dustin Keller of Purdue plays like a WR. He has WR speed (4.53) and WR hands. He doesn't block, but he should be a very nice TE for some team. Just not the Rams. He benched well (26), and most importantly, catches the ball very cleanly. Also the best vertical jumper there despite being the shortest (still 6'2", though) TE there.
John Carlson of Notre Dame is Mayock's #1 TE, but with those 4.9 40s, he'd better be a good blocker. Caught the ball well in the gauntlet drill.
Kellen Davis of Michigan State may be making a move to the top of the TE board. He's rocking 4.6's out there and showed good hands. Not only that, he also played DE for the Spartans last year, so maybe the Rams should be interested.
Fred Davis of USC, on the other hand, skipped the 40 and had some problems in the receiving drills. He probably should have skipped the workout entirely.
Craig Stevens of Cal was called the best blocker of this year's TEs by Mayock, and his 40 comes in at just over 4.6. He also led TEs in bench presses with 27. Might be worth it to keep an eye on when he's projected to be drafted.
Brad Cottam of Tennessee had a very good workout, with 24 benches and a good 40 time, but the red flag on him is he played only two games last year.
Sleeper of the group: Gary Barnidge. As fast as Stevens with a respectable 22 bench presses. Far enough under the radar that NFL-N didn't bother to show either of his gauntlet runs.
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NFL Network: Don't get me wrong; I appreciate that the network broadcasts the Combine every year, but why do we NEVER get to see all of the offensive linemen? Just like always, we only get to see half of them because the other half work out before the broadcast starts! Come on, I KNOW Mike Mayock is up early enough - why can't we get the full morning workout, live or otherwise? Coverage of the change of direction drill was awful! Instead of putting the players' names on the screen, they ran a completely unrelated graphic, easily misleading viewers on who was actually running the drill! They got over to the best drill, the "mirror drill", late, and just about completely skipped the blocking drills for the TEs. Then they came back late from commercials and we missed the beginning of the TE gauntlet drill, which was also interrupted for a Jamie Dukes interview of Chris Williams. There's so much more going on that we didn't get to see or to learn, it's a little disappointing.
Did I actually hear Mayock call a 6-foot, 7-inch man "Tattoo" because he has shorter-than-desired arms? There's what I dislike about draft coverage in general. Ooo, don't draft that guy! His fingers are an eighth-inch shorter than they're supposed to be!
Wait a minute, the New York Giants' #1 need in this year's draft is... long snapper? San Diego's, too? I can hardly wait to go over to their boards and check out the "Guys, we need a long snapper!" threads.
Gimme one more, RamView. Come on, RamView, HUP!
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After the first day, I'm leaning toward the Rams' best move being to draft Jake Long if Miami drafts Chris Long. Jake's not Joe Thomas, but his discipline is mentioned so much in evaluations, then you look at Mr. False Start, Alex Barron, on the Rams' line, and you have to ask: won't Jake surpass Alex at RT pretty quickly? Add a good solid center like Sullivan in perhaps the third round, and maybe the Rams can turn it around quickly in 2008 like the Browns did in 2007.
Keller made the biggest upward move of anybody, but if the Rams do anything draftwise at TE, I'd rather go after Stevens or Barnidge if either is available in the middle rounds.
Awwright, shoot this thing. Glamor positions tomorrow, with the Rams focusing on WR if they're doing their jobs.
All right, let's look alive, Rams coaching staff! Here come the offensive linemen!
Jake Long: Jake set the early tone with 37 bench presses, best of the group, and his 5.17 40 is among the fastest. He hasn't hurt himself today and has likely cemented a top 5 pick. That having been said, to my recollection, this year's group on the whole isn't as good as past classes. There was no 40-rep lifter, and even the 5.1 mark in the 40 is rarely threatened. In fact, I've already seen two guys fall down running the 40. You're running in a straight line, and you don't even have to chew gum at the same time - how can you fall down? Then again, Bill Polian called this "universally" the fastest group of o-linemen at the Combine in a long time. He should know, but I thought the fastest times would be faster if that was the case.
Ryan Clady: Strained pectoral muscle during the bench press ended his Combine early, a major disappointment for us at home, as he's expected to be Jake Long's main competition at #1 OT.
Chris Williams: The Vanderbilt tackle put up one of the faster 40 times at 5.07, but I thought he was dreadful at LT in the Senior Bowl, getting eaten up repeatedly by his opponent, letting his opponent play him, and his lightweight 21 reps in the bench press is a mark that'll get beaten by some QBs. I'd have little interest in drafting him.
Gosder Cherilus: One of the group 1 OLs we didn't get to see much on TV, other than a replay of him screwing up his 10-yard shuttle run. All the same, I would much rather take him in the second round than Williams (assuming either is available, of course). At RT in the Senior Bowl, he was the strongest run-blocking tackle on the field, and I didn't see him get beat in pass protection. He won the point of attack almost all the time, and showed he can redirect a DE who's putting on a strong rush. The more I reflect on it, the less chance I believe Cherilus will be available at pick #33. He looks like a first-rounder all the way.
Jeff Otah: The NFL-N crew is right when they say the Combine won't help Jeff Otah out. His 40 time will be one of the slowest this weekend, and at times his footwork looked clumsy. I'll be swallowing hard if he's the top lineman on the board when the Rams pick, because I haven't seen anything to demonstrate why he's a well-regarded line prospect. He plays much too tall and seems to have the slowest reaction to change of direction of anyone there.
Carl Nicks: looked like a mauler at Senior Bowl workouts and played a decent LT during the game. Ran the 40 in the 5.2's and was one of the top lifters. NFL-N analysts project him to be a guard.
Heath Benedict: I wasn't impressed with his Senior Bowl workouts, but he had a nice game, and one of the fastest 40s at 5.08. Looks like a solid middle-round prospect.
Oniel Cousins: I think Cousins is a sleeper. He looks like he can play guard or tackle and is a better athlete than he looks like at first blush. Ran a 5.13.
Jeremy Zuttah: The Rutgers RT threw up 40s of 4.99 and 5.03, and was 2nd-best in the bench press. Looks like he could be this year's "workout wonder".
John Sullivan: I'd like to learn more about the Notre Dame center. It's a position the Rams need to address. He has good footwork and good technique and is a nasty player. He's also a wrestler, so you have to believe he knows how to play with leverage.
Let's go, RamView! HUP! HUP!
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Tight ends? Bah, I almost don't care about the TEs this year. Unless there's a way to figure out if one of these players projects to a stud blocking TE from today's activities, the Rams coaches should go back to the hotel early and go back over o-lineman tapes.
Dustin Keller of Purdue plays like a WR. He has WR speed (4.53) and WR hands. He doesn't block, but he should be a very nice TE for some team. Just not the Rams. He benched well (26), and most importantly, catches the ball very cleanly. Also the best vertical jumper there despite being the shortest (still 6'2", though) TE there.
John Carlson of Notre Dame is Mayock's #1 TE, but with those 4.9 40s, he'd better be a good blocker. Caught the ball well in the gauntlet drill.
Kellen Davis of Michigan State may be making a move to the top of the TE board. He's rocking 4.6's out there and showed good hands. Not only that, he also played DE for the Spartans last year, so maybe the Rams should be interested.
Fred Davis of USC, on the other hand, skipped the 40 and had some problems in the receiving drills. He probably should have skipped the workout entirely.
Craig Stevens of Cal was called the best blocker of this year's TEs by Mayock, and his 40 comes in at just over 4.6. He also led TEs in bench presses with 27. Might be worth it to keep an eye on when he's projected to be drafted.
Brad Cottam of Tennessee had a very good workout, with 24 benches and a good 40 time, but the red flag on him is he played only two games last year.
Sleeper of the group: Gary Barnidge. As fast as Stevens with a respectable 22 bench presses. Far enough under the radar that NFL-N didn't bother to show either of his gauntlet runs.
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NFL Network: Don't get me wrong; I appreciate that the network broadcasts the Combine every year, but why do we NEVER get to see all of the offensive linemen? Just like always, we only get to see half of them because the other half work out before the broadcast starts! Come on, I KNOW Mike Mayock is up early enough - why can't we get the full morning workout, live or otherwise? Coverage of the change of direction drill was awful! Instead of putting the players' names on the screen, they ran a completely unrelated graphic, easily misleading viewers on who was actually running the drill! They got over to the best drill, the "mirror drill", late, and just about completely skipped the blocking drills for the TEs. Then they came back late from commercials and we missed the beginning of the TE gauntlet drill, which was also interrupted for a Jamie Dukes interview of Chris Williams. There's so much more going on that we didn't get to see or to learn, it's a little disappointing.
Did I actually hear Mayock call a 6-foot, 7-inch man "Tattoo" because he has shorter-than-desired arms? There's what I dislike about draft coverage in general. Ooo, don't draft that guy! His fingers are an eighth-inch shorter than they're supposed to be!
Wait a minute, the New York Giants' #1 need in this year's draft is... long snapper? San Diego's, too? I can hardly wait to go over to their boards and check out the "Guys, we need a long snapper!" threads.
Gimme one more, RamView. Come on, RamView, HUP!
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After the first day, I'm leaning toward the Rams' best move being to draft Jake Long if Miami drafts Chris Long. Jake's not Joe Thomas, but his discipline is mentioned so much in evaluations, then you look at Mr. False Start, Alex Barron, on the Rams' line, and you have to ask: won't Jake surpass Alex at RT pretty quickly? Add a good solid center like Sullivan in perhaps the third round, and maybe the Rams can turn it around quickly in 2008 like the Browns did in 2007.
Keller made the biggest upward move of anybody, but if the Rams do anything draftwise at TE, I'd rather go after Stevens or Barnidge if either is available in the middle rounds.
Awwright, shoot this thing. Glamor positions tomorrow, with the Rams focusing on WR if they're doing their jobs.
Friday, February 22, 2008
FA TE preview
UFA TEs as of 2/21/08 (from kffl.com)
RamView's Top 5: 1 - Bo Scaife 2 - Ben Utecht 3 - Alge Crumpler 4 - Eric Johnson 5 - Marcus Pollard
Sleeper: Utecht
Gawd No: Jerramy Stevens
Rams analysis: There is absolutely no reason for Scott Linehan to juggle the roster as stupidly as he did last year when he kept four TEs and only two QBs, especially when none of the TEs were used effectively. Randy McMichael should be a very capable TE. He is a good receiver and a good blocker. Joe Klopfenstein had only two catches in '07 but was woefully miscast as a blocking specialist. Aaron Walker, an acceptable blocker, ended the season on IR, while the Rams continue to wait for Dominique Byrd's number of positive plays to pass his number of arrests. Considering their short-yardage woes, the biggest need here, besides a layoff or two, is a capable, dedicated run-blocker.
Viewing the field: This isn't an electrifying field. Good blocking TEs are in short supply. I had to look hard to find Ben Hartsock and Mark Bruener, who'll be 35 next season. Former Redskin/Falcon Brian Kozlowski will be 37. Scaife and Utecht are the young up-and-comers of the lot, though both have trouble staying healthy. Ordinarily, the #2 ranked TE shouldn't be called a sleeper, but nowhere I checked listed Utecht among their top FA TEs. I think they're sleeping on him. He had 31 catches playing behind Dallas Clark, is a good blocker and doesn't drop many passes. Main problem has been he's fumble-prone. The 30-year-old Crumpler, recently cut by the Falcons, appears to be entering the downhill side of his career.
RamView's move: McMichael should thrive in the Al Saunders offense. I still believe in Klopfenstein and feel that properly used, he'll return to at least his rookie-season form. So I'm not willing to spend significant money or draft picks on a player who'll amount to the 3rd TE. I'll stick with Walker if he's healthy, and dump Byrd.
What the Rams could do: Whether or not they believe in Klopfenstein, he was the second-round pick of Linehan's first draft. Linehan's got to save -some- face this offseason; Klop stays. I can see them adding an older player like Kozlowski as a stopgap if they don't keep Walker.
Prediction: They'll cut Byrd and replace Walker from within with the great Richard Owens.
RamView's Top 5: 1 - Bo Scaife 2 - Ben Utecht 3 - Alge Crumpler 4 - Eric Johnson 5 - Marcus Pollard
Sleeper: Utecht
Gawd No: Jerramy Stevens
Rams analysis: There is absolutely no reason for Scott Linehan to juggle the roster as stupidly as he did last year when he kept four TEs and only two QBs, especially when none of the TEs were used effectively. Randy McMichael should be a very capable TE. He is a good receiver and a good blocker. Joe Klopfenstein had only two catches in '07 but was woefully miscast as a blocking specialist. Aaron Walker, an acceptable blocker, ended the season on IR, while the Rams continue to wait for Dominique Byrd's number of positive plays to pass his number of arrests. Considering their short-yardage woes, the biggest need here, besides a layoff or two, is a capable, dedicated run-blocker.
Viewing the field: This isn't an electrifying field. Good blocking TEs are in short supply. I had to look hard to find Ben Hartsock and Mark Bruener, who'll be 35 next season. Former Redskin/Falcon Brian Kozlowski will be 37. Scaife and Utecht are the young up-and-comers of the lot, though both have trouble staying healthy. Ordinarily, the #2 ranked TE shouldn't be called a sleeper, but nowhere I checked listed Utecht among their top FA TEs. I think they're sleeping on him. He had 31 catches playing behind Dallas Clark, is a good blocker and doesn't drop many passes. Main problem has been he's fumble-prone. The 30-year-old Crumpler, recently cut by the Falcons, appears to be entering the downhill side of his career.
RamView's move: McMichael should thrive in the Al Saunders offense. I still believe in Klopfenstein and feel that properly used, he'll return to at least his rookie-season form. So I'm not willing to spend significant money or draft picks on a player who'll amount to the 3rd TE. I'll stick with Walker if he's healthy, and dump Byrd.
What the Rams could do: Whether or not they believe in Klopfenstein, he was the second-round pick of Linehan's first draft. Linehan's got to save -some- face this offseason; Klop stays. I can see them adding an older player like Kozlowski as a stopgap if they don't keep Walker.
Prediction: They'll cut Byrd and replace Walker from within with the great Richard Owens.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
FA WR preview
UFA WRs as of 2/19/08 (from kffl.com)
RamView's Top 5: 1 - Randy Moss (DUH) 2 - Bernard Berrian 3 - DJ Freaking Hackett 4 - Bryant Johnson 5 - Andre Davis
Sleeper: ER-nest WIL-ford
Gawd No: Tim Carter
Rams analysis: The Rams have two Hall-of-Fame receivers, though Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce are getting closer to the Hall every day, if you know what I mean. Drew Bennett was supposed to be the big target the passing game lacked, but was a big BUST instead. Bennett's big contract means he'll continue to be a big clog, ER, cog, in the Ram offense if I like it or not. Behind those three, the Rams were carrying FOUR small WRs having questionable kick return skills at the end of last season. The Rams are clearly in a position where they need to get younger, bigger and faster at WR, and have to get serious about preparing for the day Isaac and Torry hang up their cleats. The Rams seem almost certain to draft at least one receiver in April, and with trade rumors for Chad Johnson or Roy Williams a-swirling, the WR corps for next year could certainly take any number of shapes.
Viewing the field: There are a ton of UFA WRs available, though I'll be the first to admit I can't tell a lot of them apart. If you're looking for potential field-stretchers, there's Devery Henderson, Samie Parker, and Keary Colbert, among others. If you're looking more for big men, there's Doug Gabriel, Drew Carter, Justin Gage, and Ernest Wilford, among others. No way in hell is Randy Moss signing on with a 3-13 team. But in the current UFA WR field, only he and Berrian caught more passes last year than - Isaac Bruce. Hackett's 32 catches, 384 yards, 3 TDs are impressive when you know he played only 6 games last year. Of course, he was injured for 10. Johnson is a seriously productive WR. Buried behind Fitzgerald and Boldin in Arizona, he still had almost 50 catches. Too bad the Rams already have Bennett. If the Rams are indeed self-PR-destructive enough to cut Bruce, David Patten is at least statistically a very similar player. Henderson is interesting because he averaged over 20 yards a catch. Then again, he only had 20 catches.
RamView's move: Until I get over to analyzing the defensive side of the ball, Hackett's my #1 target in free agency. He's young (27 next season). He's big (6'2", 199) and he looks fast. If he's clear of any issues with last year's high ankle sprain, you'd be weakening a division opponent and have a clear successor to Bruce on your roster. Plus dude, he's a graduate of San Dimas High School! San Dimas High School Football rules! Tell me this receiving six doesn't work for you in 2008: Holt, Hackett, Bruce, draft pick (James Hardy? Please?), Hall, Bennett. That's a great mix of size, speed, youth and experience, even with Bennett in the mix. I can keep Derek Stanley to back up Hall on kick returns, while calling an end to the Marques Hagans Experiment, and with apologies to his fan club, Dane Looker's run in St. Louis. Donnie Jones is perfectly capable of holding kicks.
What the Rams could do: Randy Moss and Scott Linehan are a natural match, right? Who was OC at Minnesota for Randy's biggest seasons? OK, enough humor. The Rams will keep Bruce, unless they're complete idiots. Even so, they have to regard WR as a priority area. They will address it early in the draft, and in FA they ought to be looking for a bona fide #2 WR who will rotate with Bruce and Bennett depending on the situation. Knowing Linehan likes his WRs big, my guess is they'll go after Johnson, who's slightly bigger and slightly younger than Hackett, without any current physical questions.
Prediction: Holt, Bruce, Bennett and Hall will be joined by a big WR from the 2008 draft and by somebody like Drew Carter, who'll compete with Bennett for the eventual #2 WR job and will come more cheaply than some of the higher FA prospects.
RamView's Top 5: 1 - Randy Moss (DUH) 2 - Bernard Berrian 3 - DJ Freaking Hackett 4 - Bryant Johnson 5 - Andre Davis
Sleeper: ER-nest WIL-ford
Gawd No: Tim Carter
Rams analysis: The Rams have two Hall-of-Fame receivers, though Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce are getting closer to the Hall every day, if you know what I mean. Drew Bennett was supposed to be the big target the passing game lacked, but was a big BUST instead. Bennett's big contract means he'll continue to be a big clog, ER, cog, in the Ram offense if I like it or not. Behind those three, the Rams were carrying FOUR small WRs having questionable kick return skills at the end of last season. The Rams are clearly in a position where they need to get younger, bigger and faster at WR, and have to get serious about preparing for the day Isaac and Torry hang up their cleats. The Rams seem almost certain to draft at least one receiver in April, and with trade rumors for Chad Johnson or Roy Williams a-swirling, the WR corps for next year could certainly take any number of shapes.
Viewing the field: There are a ton of UFA WRs available, though I'll be the first to admit I can't tell a lot of them apart. If you're looking for potential field-stretchers, there's Devery Henderson, Samie Parker, and Keary Colbert, among others. If you're looking more for big men, there's Doug Gabriel, Drew Carter, Justin Gage, and Ernest Wilford, among others. No way in hell is Randy Moss signing on with a 3-13 team. But in the current UFA WR field, only he and Berrian caught more passes last year than - Isaac Bruce. Hackett's 32 catches, 384 yards, 3 TDs are impressive when you know he played only 6 games last year. Of course, he was injured for 10. Johnson is a seriously productive WR. Buried behind Fitzgerald and Boldin in Arizona, he still had almost 50 catches. Too bad the Rams already have Bennett. If the Rams are indeed self-PR-destructive enough to cut Bruce, David Patten is at least statistically a very similar player. Henderson is interesting because he averaged over 20 yards a catch. Then again, he only had 20 catches.
RamView's move: Until I get over to analyzing the defensive side of the ball, Hackett's my #1 target in free agency. He's young (27 next season). He's big (6'2", 199) and he looks fast. If he's clear of any issues with last year's high ankle sprain, you'd be weakening a division opponent and have a clear successor to Bruce on your roster. Plus dude, he's a graduate of San Dimas High School! San Dimas High School Football rules! Tell me this receiving six doesn't work for you in 2008: Holt, Hackett, Bruce, draft pick (James Hardy? Please?), Hall, Bennett. That's a great mix of size, speed, youth and experience, even with Bennett in the mix. I can keep Derek Stanley to back up Hall on kick returns, while calling an end to the Marques Hagans Experiment, and with apologies to his fan club, Dane Looker's run in St. Louis. Donnie Jones is perfectly capable of holding kicks.
What the Rams could do: Randy Moss and Scott Linehan are a natural match, right? Who was OC at Minnesota for Randy's biggest seasons? OK, enough humor. The Rams will keep Bruce, unless they're complete idiots. Even so, they have to regard WR as a priority area. They will address it early in the draft, and in FA they ought to be looking for a bona fide #2 WR who will rotate with Bruce and Bennett depending on the situation. Knowing Linehan likes his WRs big, my guess is they'll go after Johnson, who's slightly bigger and slightly younger than Hackett, without any current physical questions.
Prediction: Holt, Bruce, Bennett and Hall will be joined by a big WR from the 2008 draft and by somebody like Drew Carter, who'll compete with Bennett for the eventual #2 WR job and will come more cheaply than some of the higher FA prospects.
A Minor signing
Following up on my RB preview, the Rams have signed Travis Minor for next season.
That more and more leads me to believe they're not going to make any changes at RB.
Minor seems replaceable by any number of available FA RBs, but there's no replacing his
FOSL rating. Probably the most to expect from him is that he plays capably on special
teams and is a reliable receiver out of the backfield, possibly as the #2 guy.
That more and more leads me to believe they're not going to make any changes at RB.
Minor seems replaceable by any number of available FA RBs, but there's no replacing his
FOSL rating. Probably the most to expect from him is that he plays capably on special
teams and is a reliable receiver out of the backfield, possibly as the #2 guy.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
FA RB preview
UFA RBs/FBs as of 2/18/08 (from kffl.com)
RamView's Top 5: 1 - Michael Turner 2 - Jamal Lewis 3 - Ron Dayne 4 - Chris Brown 5 - Derrick Ward
Sleeper: Mewelde Moore
Gawd No: LaBrandon Toefield
Rams analysis: There is a lot of youth and uncertainty behind Steven Jackson, and the Rams have some work to do at the position. They need a reliable #2 back, a reliable fullback and a pass-catcher who can come off the bench. 2nd-year back Antonio Pittman is ostensibly the #2, though take away his 43-yard TD at New Orleans and he didn't even average 3 yards a carry. 2007 2nd-round pick Brian Leonard wasn't a big success at #2 tailback and is bulking up now to play fullback, where he struggled last year. Travis Minor was the only speed and receiving threat in the backfield for a while, but he blew a knee and was replaced by another raw RB, Rich Alexis. "FB" Richard Owens has no more business on the Rams roster than I do. The Rams have to come up with at least one RB behind Jackson who knows what he's doing out there.
Viewing the field: Jackson's going to get a lot more than 50% of the carries, making any of the top free agents poor deals for the likely money. Ward started the season hot for the Giants but ended it on IR and is surely buried on the depth chart behind Jacobs and Bradshaw. Moore is just 25, has the speed you love to have in a 3rd-down back, was a super receiving threat up till last season, and is buried on the Vikings depth chart for a long, long time. Aaron Stecker won't set the world on fire but could fill Minor's 3rd-down role. At fullback, there has been talk about Tony Richardson, a 3-time Pro Bowler who did superb work for Al Saunders in Kansas City, but he's 36. I'd rather go with Cecil Sapp, who's 29, has a career rush average of 4.6 and would be a better goal-line scoring threat. Sapp's also regarded as one of the league's best special teams players, so you'd improve two units.
RamView's move: If I can get Moore, he'd replace Pittman and Minor, and I'd use him similarly to the way New England uses Kevin Faulk. If can't get Moore, I'll go after Sapp, to replace Minor and the useless Owens. I'd then need to keep Pittman as the quick change of pace RB and cross my fingers that he or Leonard, probably Leonard, develops into the receiving threat the Rams need behind Jackson. Again, though, backups to Jackson aren't critical roster spots I'm willing to spend much money or a significant draft pick on. I'm not too bothered going into 2008 as-is, though there's no use having Owens on the roster in any event. Seriously. Use that spot on an extra lineman or even a kickoff specialist. Anybody would be more useful than Owens.
What the Rams could do: Well, they could draft Darren McFadden and dump everybody else except Jackson and Leonard. Or, they could leave everything the way it is, figuring that Pittman's struggles were due to the offensive line and that RB coach Art Vandelay (VALERO) can develop Leonard into the kind of blocking and receiving fullback Mike Alstott was. The young RBs do seem to have "the tools" if they can be "coached up".
Prediction: Minor's likely done, but the Rams will keep everyone else intact, including freaking Owens, who is already under contract for 2008. They'll entertain signing Richardson but will end up sticking with Alexis at #4 RB. The only other departure would seem to be John David Washington, whose practice squad eligibility I believe has expired.
RamView's Top 5: 1 - Michael Turner 2 - Jamal Lewis 3 - Ron Dayne 4 - Chris Brown 5 - Derrick Ward
Sleeper: Mewelde Moore
Gawd No: LaBrandon Toefield
Rams analysis: There is a lot of youth and uncertainty behind Steven Jackson, and the Rams have some work to do at the position. They need a reliable #2 back, a reliable fullback and a pass-catcher who can come off the bench. 2nd-year back Antonio Pittman is ostensibly the #2, though take away his 43-yard TD at New Orleans and he didn't even average 3 yards a carry. 2007 2nd-round pick Brian Leonard wasn't a big success at #2 tailback and is bulking up now to play fullback, where he struggled last year. Travis Minor was the only speed and receiving threat in the backfield for a while, but he blew a knee and was replaced by another raw RB, Rich Alexis. "FB" Richard Owens has no more business on the Rams roster than I do. The Rams have to come up with at least one RB behind Jackson who knows what he's doing out there.
Viewing the field: Jackson's going to get a lot more than 50% of the carries, making any of the top free agents poor deals for the likely money. Ward started the season hot for the Giants but ended it on IR and is surely buried on the depth chart behind Jacobs and Bradshaw. Moore is just 25, has the speed you love to have in a 3rd-down back, was a super receiving threat up till last season, and is buried on the Vikings depth chart for a long, long time. Aaron Stecker won't set the world on fire but could fill Minor's 3rd-down role. At fullback, there has been talk about Tony Richardson, a 3-time Pro Bowler who did superb work for Al Saunders in Kansas City, but he's 36. I'd rather go with Cecil Sapp, who's 29, has a career rush average of 4.6 and would be a better goal-line scoring threat. Sapp's also regarded as one of the league's best special teams players, so you'd improve two units.
RamView's move: If I can get Moore, he'd replace Pittman and Minor, and I'd use him similarly to the way New England uses Kevin Faulk. If can't get Moore, I'll go after Sapp, to replace Minor and the useless Owens. I'd then need to keep Pittman as the quick change of pace RB and cross my fingers that he or Leonard, probably Leonard, develops into the receiving threat the Rams need behind Jackson. Again, though, backups to Jackson aren't critical roster spots I'm willing to spend much money or a significant draft pick on. I'm not too bothered going into 2008 as-is, though there's no use having Owens on the roster in any event. Seriously. Use that spot on an extra lineman or even a kickoff specialist. Anybody would be more useful than Owens.
What the Rams could do: Well, they could draft Darren McFadden and dump everybody else except Jackson and Leonard. Or, they could leave everything the way it is, figuring that Pittman's struggles were due to the offensive line and that RB coach Art Vandelay (VALERO) can develop Leonard into the kind of blocking and receiving fullback Mike Alstott was. The young RBs do seem to have "the tools" if they can be "coached up".
Prediction: Minor's likely done, but the Rams will keep everyone else intact, including freaking Owens, who is already under contract for 2008. They'll entertain signing Richardson but will end up sticking with Alexis at #4 RB. The only other departure would seem to be John David Washington, whose practice squad eligibility I believe has expired.
FA QB preview
UFA QBs as of 2/18/08 (from kffl.com)
RamView's Top 5: 1 - Billy Volek 2 - Todd Collins 3 - Daunte Culpepper 4 - Byron Leftwich 5 - Chris Redman
Sleeper: Craig Nall
Gawd No: Rex Grossman
Rams analysis: Replacing Brock Berlin is a must. He's overmatched by the pro game, and it cost the Rams the Cincinnati game last year. Gus Frerotte played with such disappointing unintelligence in 2007 that he can't be considered a reliable insurance policy for Bulger. The only reason to keep Frerotte around is if it's for the best economically. More than a few of the available QBs would be upgrades over Gus, and all would be improvements over Brock.
Viewing the field: Collins, an Al Saunders QB, ran the Redskin offense extremely well last season after Jason Campbell went down. Collins is 36, though, and with Frerotte on the last year of his contract anyway, it doesn't seem very cost-effective to make that move. The rest of the top four will likely come with high price tags, but they could like the situation in St. Louis enough to come at a discount. Marc Bulger gets hurt all the time, so his backup's got a great chance to start. Daunte Culpepper's name has obviously come up before, and he has history with Scott Linehan. His big arm's a plus, but unless he's coming very cheap, his propensity for fumbling and his mid-70s passer rating since 2004 don't make him a very good deal for the Rams.
RamView's move: My first target is the 30-year-old Redman, who had a hot hand at the end of last season and has some starting experience with the Falcons and Ravens. The main concern is that he'll overprice himself based on that season-ending hot streak. I want to try to get by a little cheaply here because it's not a crucial position and because I could be eating the end of Frerotte's contract. My backup plan is 28-year-old Nall, who should relish the chance for playing time behind Bulger vs. deep burial on Green Bay's bench. He's young, should be cheap, looks strong-armed, and looks like he knows what he's doing when he gets into games. I'll probably keep Frerotte at 3rd string if I have to settle for Nall; otherwise, Gus is out if I can get a nice QB bargain on draft day. I'd consider a 2008 QB depth chart of Bulger, Redman and, say, Eric Ainge, a major improvement over last year.
What the Rams could do: I think the Rams will also target Redman and will also cross their fingers on snagging a bargain QB in the draft. Billy Devaney had a good look at Redman in Atlanta and Redman was Linehan's QB at Louisville. I expect Cleo Lemon will also be prominent on the Rams' radar since Linehan coached him in Miami. If they can't get Redman, or decide to keep Frerotte, Lemon would certainly be an upgrade over Berlin as #3 this year and could credibly step up to #2 in 2009.
Prediction: Sensing the fanbase won't want to make a big splash at backup QB, the Rams keep Frerotte, settle for Lemon to replace Berlin and make sure to use lots of draft picks on the line positions.
RamView's Top 5: 1 - Billy Volek 2 - Todd Collins 3 - Daunte Culpepper 4 - Byron Leftwich 5 - Chris Redman
Sleeper: Craig Nall
Gawd No: Rex Grossman
Rams analysis: Replacing Brock Berlin is a must. He's overmatched by the pro game, and it cost the Rams the Cincinnati game last year. Gus Frerotte played with such disappointing unintelligence in 2007 that he can't be considered a reliable insurance policy for Bulger. The only reason to keep Frerotte around is if it's for the best economically. More than a few of the available QBs would be upgrades over Gus, and all would be improvements over Brock.
Viewing the field: Collins, an Al Saunders QB, ran the Redskin offense extremely well last season after Jason Campbell went down. Collins is 36, though, and with Frerotte on the last year of his contract anyway, it doesn't seem very cost-effective to make that move. The rest of the top four will likely come with high price tags, but they could like the situation in St. Louis enough to come at a discount. Marc Bulger gets hurt all the time, so his backup's got a great chance to start. Daunte Culpepper's name has obviously come up before, and he has history with Scott Linehan. His big arm's a plus, but unless he's coming very cheap, his propensity for fumbling and his mid-70s passer rating since 2004 don't make him a very good deal for the Rams.
RamView's move: My first target is the 30-year-old Redman, who had a hot hand at the end of last season and has some starting experience with the Falcons and Ravens. The main concern is that he'll overprice himself based on that season-ending hot streak. I want to try to get by a little cheaply here because it's not a crucial position and because I could be eating the end of Frerotte's contract. My backup plan is 28-year-old Nall, who should relish the chance for playing time behind Bulger vs. deep burial on Green Bay's bench. He's young, should be cheap, looks strong-armed, and looks like he knows what he's doing when he gets into games. I'll probably keep Frerotte at 3rd string if I have to settle for Nall; otherwise, Gus is out if I can get a nice QB bargain on draft day. I'd consider a 2008 QB depth chart of Bulger, Redman and, say, Eric Ainge, a major improvement over last year.
What the Rams could do: I think the Rams will also target Redman and will also cross their fingers on snagging a bargain QB in the draft. Billy Devaney had a good look at Redman in Atlanta and Redman was Linehan's QB at Louisville. I expect Cleo Lemon will also be prominent on the Rams' radar since Linehan coached him in Miami. If they can't get Redman, or decide to keep Frerotte, Lemon would certainly be an upgrade over Berlin as #3 this year and could credibly step up to #2 in 2009.
Prediction: Sensing the fanbase won't want to make a big splash at backup QB, the Rams keep Frerotte, settle for Lemon to replace Berlin and make sure to use lots of draft picks on the line positions.
Gimme an "A" game!
Teams that don't bring their "A" game deserve little respect from their fans, and today I'm calling out a part of the Rams franchise that has underachieved since at least the middle of last season. The members of this unit need to step up their game dramatically. Regardless of past performance, none of them should ever feel comfortable in their job security, as they're some of the cheapest, most replaceable parts of an NFL franchise. Bring your best every game or go home.
Yes, I'm calling you out, Rams cheerleaders. You didn't dress in costumes for the Halloween home game and the Rams lost. Christmas week, while you performed in uninspiring getups, which I think were just the regular uniforms with fur glued on them, the Rams lost twice. And the latest blow
came in the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, which came out this week with the cover announcement that there would be NFL cheerleaders in bikinis inside. There were 12. NONE of them were Rams.
It's not the cold weather, because the Patriots and Eagles were represented. It's not because the team sucked last year, because the issue had a cheerleader from the Raiders and one from the Dolphins. I can only conclude the Rams cheerleaders DIDN'T WANT IT ENOUGH!
Well, in 2008, it's time for you ladies to start bringing your "A" game. You're the public, and pretty, face of the franchise. So do something with it! We the suffering fans of Rams Nation demand a cheerleading crew that the NFL Network clamors to feature in a reality show. We want more than the same four routines to the same four songs you dance to every week all season. Let's have sexy Santa's helper costumes all December. And after the season, we want you banging down Sports Illustrated's doors, demanding you be in the 2009 swimsuit issue.
As for Halloween... there will be French maids. Oh, yes, there will. And nurses and biker chicks and belly dancers and other costumes so hot Rams fans will have to pay a cover charge to get into the Dome. We have seen enough subpar performances lately from our offense. Our defense. Our special teams. Our coaching staff. We're not going to put up with it from our cheerleaders. Knock yourselves out and knock our socks off.
How's that for improving game time atmosphere?
Yes, I'm calling you out, Rams cheerleaders. You didn't dress in costumes for the Halloween home game and the Rams lost. Christmas week, while you performed in uninspiring getups, which I think were just the regular uniforms with fur glued on them, the Rams lost twice. And the latest blow
came in the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, which came out this week with the cover announcement that there would be NFL cheerleaders in bikinis inside. There were 12. NONE of them were Rams.
It's not the cold weather, because the Patriots and Eagles were represented. It's not because the team sucked last year, because the issue had a cheerleader from the Raiders and one from the Dolphins. I can only conclude the Rams cheerleaders DIDN'T WANT IT ENOUGH!
Well, in 2008, it's time for you ladies to start bringing your "A" game. You're the public, and pretty, face of the franchise. So do something with it! We the suffering fans of Rams Nation demand a cheerleading crew that the NFL Network clamors to feature in a reality show. We want more than the same four routines to the same four songs you dance to every week all season. Let's have sexy Santa's helper costumes all December. And after the season, we want you banging down Sports Illustrated's doors, demanding you be in the 2009 swimsuit issue.
As for Halloween... there will be French maids. Oh, yes, there will. And nurses and biker chicks and belly dancers and other costumes so hot Rams fans will have to pay a cover charge to get into the Dome. We have seen enough subpar performances lately from our offense. Our defense. Our special teams. Our coaching staff. We're not going to put up with it from our cheerleaders. Knock yourselves out and knock our socks off.
How's that for improving game time atmosphere?
Monday, February 18, 2008
Catching up
Thought I'd better get the blog back in gear before the arrival of the NFL Combine on Wednesday.
Besides hiring Al Saunders as offensive coordinator, the Rams' biggest move this offseason was the decision to bring Billy Devaney aboard, apparently in the role of authentic personnel chief, a position the Rams' front office has officially, and sorely, lacked for some time. Devaney was previously Atlanta's assistant GM - no, that's not a big feather in the old cap, but his years working with NFL legend Bobby Beathard in Washington and San Diego make up for that. (Although Beathard DID draft Ryan Leaf.)
Not to damn Mr. Devaney with faint praise, but the fact that anyone besides Scott Linehan and/or Jay Zygmunt is making the calls now, on draft day and beyond, by itself is a major step forward for the Rams. Much as Linehan admitted his limits with the good Saunders hire, Zygmunt has admitted his with a good hire. Score it a B+.
(If you're wondering what happened to Tony Softli, I imagine he's wondering the same thing.)
At secondary coach, Linehan promoted the former assistant coach, Ron Milus, into the lead role. Milus is another FOSL, Linehan crony via the U-of-Washington, but has a good record as a secondary coach, especially where interceptions are concerned. It's probably no coincidence that OJ Atogwe picked off so many passes last year. The Ram secondaries this decade have not been good at ball-hawking, with the brief exception of Aeneas Williams; Milus may well represent a positive change in aggression. Grade: C
At tight ends coach, Judd Garrett is on a year's leave from the team and assistant coach Jim Chaney was moved to the position. The intent seems to be to have Garrett come back. Linehan certainly didn't recruit for a bona fide NFL TE coach; Chaney's never done it. Then again, the Rams throw so little to the TEs, it's probably enough for Chaney to work on blocking with Joe Klopfenstein. It's a positive that the team has given Garrett the time he needs to work out his family issues, but it's a coaching step down at a position that's already bad. Grade: D+
Finally, at QB coach, Terry Shea will replace Doug Nussmeier, who moves on to Fresno State as offensive coordinator. That's arguably a step up for Nussmeier, who I'm guessing got lucky to have that nice offer available when Saunders stepped in and the writing on the wall said that he'd be out of there pronto in favor of Saunders' guy. Which would be Shea, who coached QBs under Saunders at Kansas City. We'll have to ignore the more unsavory lines of Shea's resume, which include last year at - UGH - Miami, and a 2004 season as Chicago's OC in which the Bears finished 32nd in the NFL in points and yards (Granted, their QB situation was a hellish mess).
I'll credit Shea for having unsuitable material in Miami and Chicago, though, and have faith that he can turn Marc Bulger around after having made Trent Green a Pro Bowl QB. Grade: B-
That's still working out pretty much to a solid C for the Rams' offseason moves. Then again, they probably should get a full letter grade on the curve because of how poor the previous situation was, especially at OC and in the front office. Let's give them a B overall.
Besides hiring Al Saunders as offensive coordinator, the Rams' biggest move this offseason was the decision to bring Billy Devaney aboard, apparently in the role of authentic personnel chief, a position the Rams' front office has officially, and sorely, lacked for some time. Devaney was previously Atlanta's assistant GM - no, that's not a big feather in the old cap, but his years working with NFL legend Bobby Beathard in Washington and San Diego make up for that. (Although Beathard DID draft Ryan Leaf.)
Not to damn Mr. Devaney with faint praise, but the fact that anyone besides Scott Linehan and/or Jay Zygmunt is making the calls now, on draft day and beyond, by itself is a major step forward for the Rams. Much as Linehan admitted his limits with the good Saunders hire, Zygmunt has admitted his with a good hire. Score it a B+.
(If you're wondering what happened to Tony Softli, I imagine he's wondering the same thing.)
At secondary coach, Linehan promoted the former assistant coach, Ron Milus, into the lead role. Milus is another FOSL, Linehan crony via the U-of-Washington, but has a good record as a secondary coach, especially where interceptions are concerned. It's probably no coincidence that OJ Atogwe picked off so many passes last year. The Ram secondaries this decade have not been good at ball-hawking, with the brief exception of Aeneas Williams; Milus may well represent a positive change in aggression. Grade: C
At tight ends coach, Judd Garrett is on a year's leave from the team and assistant coach Jim Chaney was moved to the position. The intent seems to be to have Garrett come back. Linehan certainly didn't recruit for a bona fide NFL TE coach; Chaney's never done it. Then again, the Rams throw so little to the TEs, it's probably enough for Chaney to work on blocking with Joe Klopfenstein. It's a positive that the team has given Garrett the time he needs to work out his family issues, but it's a coaching step down at a position that's already bad. Grade: D+
Finally, at QB coach, Terry Shea will replace Doug Nussmeier, who moves on to Fresno State as offensive coordinator. That's arguably a step up for Nussmeier, who I'm guessing got lucky to have that nice offer available when Saunders stepped in and the writing on the wall said that he'd be out of there pronto in favor of Saunders' guy. Which would be Shea, who coached QBs under Saunders at Kansas City. We'll have to ignore the more unsavory lines of Shea's resume, which include last year at - UGH - Miami, and a 2004 season as Chicago's OC in which the Bears finished 32nd in the NFL in points and yards (Granted, their QB situation was a hellish mess).
I'll credit Shea for having unsuitable material in Miami and Chicago, though, and have faith that he can turn Marc Bulger around after having made Trent Green a Pro Bowl QB. Grade: B-
That's still working out pretty much to a solid C for the Rams' offseason moves. Then again, they probably should get a full letter grade on the curve because of how poor the previous situation was, especially at OC and in the front office. Let's give them a B overall.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Grading the coaching changes
OK, enough of the Super Bowl; everybody's 0-0 now, tied for first, which makes the Rams competitive for the first time in quite a while.
Scott Linehan, to his credit, hasn't sat on his hands this offseason and has made several changes to the coaching staff. At least one of the moves he's made looks very promising. A couple of others just look like extensions of the FOSL job security plan. Some of the moves are or could become a mixture of both.
Over the next few entries, I run down the coaching staff changes made so far, and grade each one. So far Linehan's averaging a solid C, though to abuse the report card idiom, at least he got the A in an important course like math or English, and the other grades are in lesser classes like art class or marching band.
Scott Linehan, to his credit, hasn't sat on his hands this offseason and has made several changes to the coaching staff. At least one of the moves he's made looks very promising. A couple of others just look like extensions of the FOSL job security plan. Some of the moves are or could become a mixture of both.
Over the next few entries, I run down the coaching staff changes made so far, and grade each one. So far Linehan's averaging a solid C, though to abuse the report card idiom, at least he got the A in an important course like math or English, and the other grades are in lesser classes like art class or marching band.
Offensive line: Paul Boudreau out, Steve Croney, er, Loney, in
This easily the most hypocritical move by the Rams this offseason. Linehan got the benefit of the
doubt from John Shaw because there were so many offensive line injuries in 2007, but Boudreau, a fine offensive line coach who had a bunch of scrubs dominating the trenches at the end of 2006, did not get the same benefit of the doubt from Linehan. So Boudreau's out, replaced by a FOSL, Loney the Crony. Croney ran a top-of-the-league offensive line at Minnesota while Linehan ran their offense, so there's something to recommend him. Then again, he made nothing happen at Arizona last year, and in an informal role as Rams consultant last year, opened up a Larry Marmie-style "talent" pipeline of Big Dead castaways, and the Rams' injured players were replaced by the likes of Milford Brown, Brandon Gorin and Nick Leckey, as opposed to players who could actually block at the professional level. The great concern with Croney heading into 2008 is that the Big Dead rejects will hang around instead of being replaced by young prospects or others who, well, can actually block at the professional level. Short of repeating his performance at Minnesota, Croney isn't an improvement over who the Rams had, and if the Ram offensive line personnel situation isn't significantly reworked, he's a step down.
Grade: D+ There was really no reason to replace Boudreau; good luck to him in Atlanta.
doubt from John Shaw because there were so many offensive line injuries in 2007, but Boudreau, a fine offensive line coach who had a bunch of scrubs dominating the trenches at the end of 2006, did not get the same benefit of the doubt from Linehan. So Boudreau's out, replaced by a FOSL, Loney the Crony. Croney ran a top-of-the-league offensive line at Minnesota while Linehan ran their offense, so there's something to recommend him. Then again, he made nothing happen at Arizona last year, and in an informal role as Rams consultant last year, opened up a Larry Marmie-style "talent" pipeline of Big Dead castaways, and the Rams' injured players were replaced by the likes of Milford Brown, Brandon Gorin and Nick Leckey, as opposed to players who could actually block at the professional level. The great concern with Croney heading into 2008 is that the Big Dead rejects will hang around instead of being replaced by young prospects or others who, well, can actually block at the professional level. Short of repeating his performance at Minnesota, Croney isn't an improvement over who the Rams had, and if the Ram offensive line personnel situation isn't significantly reworked, he's a step down.
Grade: D+ There was really no reason to replace Boudreau; good luck to him in Atlanta.
Running backs: Wayne Moses out, Art Vandelay, er, Valero in
I'd hardly have pointed at Wayne Moses as a reason the Rams failed badly in 2007, but he took the bullet so Linehan could put in another crony. Valero's hiring was questionable at the outset, not only for its cronyness, but because Valero wasn't hired to an actual position. With only the o-line and OC posts open, it looked like a pretty stupid move. Knowing now that Valero will be the RBs coach (and assistant head coach, or whatever the hell that's worth), the move looks better. Valero worked with Cadillac Williams, Mike Alstott and Michael Pittman at Tampa; I can see how he could improve Steven Jackson as a runner and a receiver, especially if he can get him to attack the line more quickly. I think the key player to watch to see if Valero's doing any good, though, is Brian Leonard. There were a lot of Mike Alstott comparisons when Leonard was drafted; let's see if Valero can make good on those. Fundamentally, the Ram RBs aren't good blockers. Valero's task is to make a blocker out of Leonard and get better blitz protection out of this unit. If Valero can get that done and make Jackson a less picky runner, he'll represent an improvement.
Grade: C+
Grade: C+
Defensive backs: Willy Robinson out
The Ram defense improved last year, making it a surprise that Linehan fired any of the defensive coaches. And with OJ Atogwe emerging as one of the game's best young safeties, there's certainly a case to say that Robinson knows what he's doing. And Robinson's unit fared pretty well when you factor in Fakhir Brown's suspension, Tye Hill's injuries and the necessity to start Lenny Walls. Then again, this secondary always looked a couple of steps late in zone coverage. Brown is irritatingly bad at finding the ball. Ron Bartell has been slow to develop. Jonathan Wade doesn't have a clue how to tackle. And all of these guys are helpless against larger receivers like Larry Fitzgerald and Braylon Edwards. So there's a case against Robinson, too.
And I'll make a prediction who Linehan is going to hire. He's currently the DBs coach at Kansas State
and his name is Greg Burns. He's got some good lines on his resume. For instance, I never have a problem with hiring a Tampa defensive coach. Or a USC coach. Burns coached Troy Polamalu and Darnell Bing at USC. He ought to be able to make good things happen with what figures to be a very young Ram secondary.
Now to drop the other shoe, but it's the main reason he'll be hired here: Burns was secondary coach on the same staff as Linehan on that legendary Louisville team that went 1-1 at the Liberty Bowl, and he ALMOST coached at Idaho the same time Linehan did, missing him by just two years. I'm sure Scott won't hold that against him.
Louisville + Idaho on the same resume? Welcome aboard, coach Burns.
Grade: C (A++ for me if I called it)
And I'll make a prediction who Linehan is going to hire. He's currently the DBs coach at Kansas State
and his name is Greg Burns. He's got some good lines on his resume. For instance, I never have a problem with hiring a Tampa defensive coach. Or a USC coach. Burns coached Troy Polamalu and Darnell Bing at USC. He ought to be able to make good things happen with what figures to be a very young Ram secondary.
Now to drop the other shoe, but it's the main reason he'll be hired here: Burns was secondary coach on the same staff as Linehan on that legendary Louisville team that went 1-1 at the Liberty Bowl, and he ALMOST coached at Idaho the same time Linehan did, missing him by just two years. I'm sure Scott won't hold that against him.
Louisville + Idaho on the same resume? Welcome aboard, coach Burns.
Grade: C (A++ for me if I called it)
Offensive coordinator: Greg Olson out, Al Saunders in
Turns out Greg Olson, who's already moved on to Tampa as QB coach, got a bum rap. Though it was said that Linehan took over play-calling in 2007 after the Dallas game, it's becoming more widely known that Linehan basically called the plays all season. So except for those final four games in 2006, Olson, the offensive coordinator, never called plays, making one wonder what the hell he was around here for. Perhaps not coincidentally, those four games in 2006 were practically the only time in the Linehan Era the Ram offense actually looked like it knew what it was doing. Linehan apparently didn't trust Olson enough to let him run on his own with the gameplan. The end of 2006 says he should have, but Olson took a bullet for the underperforming head coach instead.
The silver lining, of course, is that Linehan made a MAJOR upgrade to the coaching staff by bringing in Al Saunders from Washington. Saunders was atop my short list to take over for Linehan as HEAD coach, so you know I'm on board. Instead of the questionable Dennis Erickson offensive system, the Rams will return to what they do best; the Don Coryell offensive system. Saunders' credentials are impressive. He was wide receivers coach here for the Super Bowl championship, and as Dick Vermeil's OC at Kansas City, put the Chiefs' offense at the top of the league over a 5-year span. Saunders will surely put a spark back in the steps of Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. His term in Kansas City shows he knows the power running game; he could turn Steven Jackson into a monster. He also knows how to use the tight end, something Linehan's never figured out despite keeping 10 or 12 on the roster. And if Saunders can make a decent deep threat out of Marc Boerigter, there may even be hope for Drew Bennett. Though I'm not counting on it.
The hiring of Al Saunders is a coup for Scott Linehan and a positive sign that he's willing to make the sea change the Rams need for 2008. Linehan is smartly (for once) putting the offense completely in the OC's hands and stepping out of the way. Linehan jokes that he'd just like to add one play a week to the gameplan. Honestly, I wouldn't trust him with any play more complicated than the end-of-game kneeldown. Maybe next season, the Rams will get to use that play a little more often (and with the lead, at that, remembering the fiasco in Baltimore).
Saunders gives Linehan his best chance to pull his butt out of the fire in 2008. His acquisition alone makes this a good offseason so far at Rams Park.
Grade: A
The silver lining, of course, is that Linehan made a MAJOR upgrade to the coaching staff by bringing in Al Saunders from Washington. Saunders was atop my short list to take over for Linehan as HEAD coach, so you know I'm on board. Instead of the questionable Dennis Erickson offensive system, the Rams will return to what they do best; the Don Coryell offensive system. Saunders' credentials are impressive. He was wide receivers coach here for the Super Bowl championship, and as Dick Vermeil's OC at Kansas City, put the Chiefs' offense at the top of the league over a 5-year span. Saunders will surely put a spark back in the steps of Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. His term in Kansas City shows he knows the power running game; he could turn Steven Jackson into a monster. He also knows how to use the tight end, something Linehan's never figured out despite keeping 10 or 12 on the roster. And if Saunders can make a decent deep threat out of Marc Boerigter, there may even be hope for Drew Bennett. Though I'm not counting on it.
The hiring of Al Saunders is a coup for Scott Linehan and a positive sign that he's willing to make the sea change the Rams need for 2008. Linehan is smartly (for once) putting the offense completely in the OC's hands and stepping out of the way. Linehan jokes that he'd just like to add one play a week to the gameplan. Honestly, I wouldn't trust him with any play more complicated than the end-of-game kneeldown. Maybe next season, the Rams will get to use that play a little more often (and with the lead, at that, remembering the fiasco in Baltimore).
Saunders gives Linehan his best chance to pull his butt out of the fire in 2008. His acquisition alone makes this a good offseason so far at Rams Park.
Grade: A
The 2001 Rams are off the hook!
Congratulations and thank yous from all of Rams Nation to the New York Giants, whose 17-14 victory over the evil Patriot empire in Super Bowl XLII is being widely hailed as the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. Pointspread-wise, that honor really belongs to the SBIII Jets, and the Patriots were slightly smaller favorites yesterday than the SBXXXVI Rams, but it looks like those Rams are off the hook for biggest upset and/or choke in Super Bowl history. With the recent revelations that the Patriots didn't just cheat during that game - they cheated by filming the Rams' walkthrough the night before - karma ran over the Patriots last night like Osi Umenyiora running over Matt Light. That wasn't just karma last night, it was truckma.
Assorted Super Bowl XLII notes & observations:
* I voted Eli Manning MVP; back-to-back Manning MVPs was just too powerful a story to resist. Plus, there's Eli's two 4th-quarter TD passes and the insane escape from several Patriots on the miracle deep pass to David Tyree. But a big reason Eli wins MVP is because it's impossible to pick one Giants defensive lineman to vote for. They were all outstanding and were 2/3 of the reason the Giants won the game. My MVP top 5:
1 - Eli
2 - Osi Umenyiora, who seemed to whip Matt Light on every play and was constantly in Brady's face
3 - Justin Tuck, 6 tackles, 2 sacks, also in the Pats backfield all night
4 - Wes Welker, 11 catches, would have been MVP had the Pats held on
5 - Corey Webster, who's probably the overlooked star of the game. Brady is so good at finding the open receiver, you know the number of times he got sacked or hit or threw the ball away was because the Giants were covering everybody. The d-line was more valuable, because they gave Brady so little time, but the Giant secondary (coached by ex-Ram DC Peter Giunta?!? what's next, the Seahawks win it all next year with the Larry Marmie-coached secondary?) deserves its due.
* The Giants won in 08 in much the way the Patriots won in 02. No, they didn't cheat; they hit their opponent in the mouth, and what we learned about the 07 Patriots is that they're very much the finesse team, very much the antithesis of what they were at the start of their run. Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo had a brilliant game plan and can pretty much name his price to HC somewhere (except if I were him, I'd avoid Daniel Snyder like the plague right now). The Patriot offensive line, so heralded these last few seasons, was completely dominated by the Giants' quickness and by Spagnuolo's willingness to mix in the blitz. I railed at the Jagwires and Chargers for not doing more to put heat on Brady this postseason. Spagnuolo wasn't cowardly, and it paid off in a Lombardi. The Pats couldn't handle the Giants' speed and couldn't establish a thing on the ground, even though they had the two starting linemen back they were missing when they beat the Giants in week 17.
* Did the Patriots choke? Hell yeah, they choked! Take the Giants' red-hot play this postseason out of the equation, and you've got a two-TD favorite who lost to the #5 seed from the decidedly weaker conference, a team they just beat a month ago, on the road, minus two offensive line starters, to boot! (If it weren't for those offensive line injuries in December, maybe I would have had a brain in my head and picked the Giants to win after pointing out all of the Super Bowl XXXVI parallels a few posts ago.) The Patriots surely choked, especially their offensive line, and their whole defense, really. Sure, they gave up only 17 points, and in the 4th quarter, they were pressuring Eli like nobody's business, but really, the Giants walked up and down the field last night. The Pats led 7-3 at halftime, but you really felt like the Giants were winning. Their o-line did its fair share of pushing the Pats around. The Patriots you saw last night are a team that needs to get a lot more physical. Funny how they beat up the SBXXXVI Rams to start their run and ended it by becoming the SBXXXVI Rams, getting beaten up by their opponent and lacking the physical game to answer.
* The Patriots also got flat out-coached. Spagnuolo coached the Pats' OC wunderkind under the table. It was fun to watch Brady losing his composure and yelling at his teammates. Belicheat shouldn't leave any postgame analysis unscathed. On 4th-and-13, OF COURSE you should be trying the field goal when it's a 49-yarder, certainly in your PK's range, AND YOU'RE INDOORS. If Gostkowski misses, the field position change, which Troy Aikman idiotically tried to play up, is a whole 7 yards compared to not making the first down, which is what happened. I think the Giants made up the 7 yards the next play. TMQ better be ripping Belicheat for that stupid, GAME-LOSING decision early in the game. And why were the Patriots flinging deep the final two plays? On 3rd-and-20 with 20 seconds left, I thought they would have been FAR better served working for a quick first down and then try to get into long FG range. Highly weird that from their 20, with :35 left and all three time outs, that they had to resort to crazy deep throws the last two plays.
* More good news: the team that loses the Super Bowl always sucks the next year. The Rams went 7-9 after SBXXXVI; don't think I'm not pining for the Pats to do the same. Belichick has a large coaching challenge for next season, which is not to go through the whole season in shock from the Super Bowl like the 02 Rams did. A challenge Mike Martz didn't meet.
* The Rams play BOTH Super Bowl teams next year, btw. Thank God for that cushy last-place schedule, huh?
* TV notes: thought Joe Buck was great, thought Fox should have shown us a LOT more of what was going on in downfield coverage, which they also ignored in XXXVI, Jordin Sparks has enormous hips, favorite commercial: Coke's runaway parade balloons, funniest: Bud Light cavemen, worst by far: jumper-cable nipple guy. Glad we got away from groin-humor-dominant commercial crops; now let's start relying a lot less on grossout spots (That means you, puking E-Trade baby). And thanks to the advertising geniuses of the world, after last night I can no longer tell one energy drink from another.
* Biggest disappointment: the Victoria's Secret commercial; the Patriots cheerleaders were wearing less than the model in the commercial was! On a related note, let's hear it for the Patriots cheerleaders.
* Made the night for me when Curt Menefee declared XLII the biggest upset in NFL championship history. He got that ball rolling, and hopefully it'll leave XXXVI in the dust.
Assorted Super Bowl XLII notes & observations:
* I voted Eli Manning MVP; back-to-back Manning MVPs was just too powerful a story to resist. Plus, there's Eli's two 4th-quarter TD passes and the insane escape from several Patriots on the miracle deep pass to David Tyree. But a big reason Eli wins MVP is because it's impossible to pick one Giants defensive lineman to vote for. They were all outstanding and were 2/3 of the reason the Giants won the game. My MVP top 5:
1 - Eli
2 - Osi Umenyiora, who seemed to whip Matt Light on every play and was constantly in Brady's face
3 - Justin Tuck, 6 tackles, 2 sacks, also in the Pats backfield all night
4 - Wes Welker, 11 catches, would have been MVP had the Pats held on
5 - Corey Webster, who's probably the overlooked star of the game. Brady is so good at finding the open receiver, you know the number of times he got sacked or hit or threw the ball away was because the Giants were covering everybody. The d-line was more valuable, because they gave Brady so little time, but the Giant secondary (coached by ex-Ram DC Peter Giunta?!? what's next, the Seahawks win it all next year with the Larry Marmie-coached secondary?) deserves its due.
* The Giants won in 08 in much the way the Patriots won in 02. No, they didn't cheat; they hit their opponent in the mouth, and what we learned about the 07 Patriots is that they're very much the finesse team, very much the antithesis of what they were at the start of their run. Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo had a brilliant game plan and can pretty much name his price to HC somewhere (except if I were him, I'd avoid Daniel Snyder like the plague right now). The Patriot offensive line, so heralded these last few seasons, was completely dominated by the Giants' quickness and by Spagnuolo's willingness to mix in the blitz. I railed at the Jagwires and Chargers for not doing more to put heat on Brady this postseason. Spagnuolo wasn't cowardly, and it paid off in a Lombardi. The Pats couldn't handle the Giants' speed and couldn't establish a thing on the ground, even though they had the two starting linemen back they were missing when they beat the Giants in week 17.
* Did the Patriots choke? Hell yeah, they choked! Take the Giants' red-hot play this postseason out of the equation, and you've got a two-TD favorite who lost to the #5 seed from the decidedly weaker conference, a team they just beat a month ago, on the road, minus two offensive line starters, to boot! (If it weren't for those offensive line injuries in December, maybe I would have had a brain in my head and picked the Giants to win after pointing out all of the Super Bowl XXXVI parallels a few posts ago.) The Patriots surely choked, especially their offensive line, and their whole defense, really. Sure, they gave up only 17 points, and in the 4th quarter, they were pressuring Eli like nobody's business, but really, the Giants walked up and down the field last night. The Pats led 7-3 at halftime, but you really felt like the Giants were winning. Their o-line did its fair share of pushing the Pats around. The Patriots you saw last night are a team that needs to get a lot more physical. Funny how they beat up the SBXXXVI Rams to start their run and ended it by becoming the SBXXXVI Rams, getting beaten up by their opponent and lacking the physical game to answer.
* The Patriots also got flat out-coached. Spagnuolo coached the Pats' OC wunderkind under the table. It was fun to watch Brady losing his composure and yelling at his teammates. Belicheat shouldn't leave any postgame analysis unscathed. On 4th-and-13, OF COURSE you should be trying the field goal when it's a 49-yarder, certainly in your PK's range, AND YOU'RE INDOORS. If Gostkowski misses, the field position change, which Troy Aikman idiotically tried to play up, is a whole 7 yards compared to not making the first down, which is what happened. I think the Giants made up the 7 yards the next play. TMQ better be ripping Belicheat for that stupid, GAME-LOSING decision early in the game. And why were the Patriots flinging deep the final two plays? On 3rd-and-20 with 20 seconds left, I thought they would have been FAR better served working for a quick first down and then try to get into long FG range. Highly weird that from their 20, with :35 left and all three time outs, that they had to resort to crazy deep throws the last two plays.
* More good news: the team that loses the Super Bowl always sucks the next year. The Rams went 7-9 after SBXXXVI; don't think I'm not pining for the Pats to do the same. Belichick has a large coaching challenge for next season, which is not to go through the whole season in shock from the Super Bowl like the 02 Rams did. A challenge Mike Martz didn't meet.
* The Rams play BOTH Super Bowl teams next year, btw. Thank God for that cushy last-place schedule, huh?
* TV notes: thought Joe Buck was great, thought Fox should have shown us a LOT more of what was going on in downfield coverage, which they also ignored in XXXVI, Jordin Sparks has enormous hips, favorite commercial: Coke's runaway parade balloons, funniest: Bud Light cavemen, worst by far: jumper-cable nipple guy. Glad we got away from groin-humor-dominant commercial crops; now let's start relying a lot less on grossout spots (That means you, puking E-Trade baby). And thanks to the advertising geniuses of the world, after last night I can no longer tell one energy drink from another.
* Biggest disappointment: the Victoria's Secret commercial; the Patriots cheerleaders were wearing less than the model in the commercial was! On a related note, let's hear it for the Patriots cheerleaders.
* Made the night for me when Curt Menefee declared XLII the biggest upset in NFL championship history. He got that ball rolling, and hopefully it'll leave XXXVI in the dust.
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