When hot stove season opened in the NFL a couple ofyears ago, the raging argument in St. Louis was whether or not the Rams should make a play for freshly-released felon Michael Vick. Some of us expressed extreme doubts about the idea, but according to online polls, we were the minority. Had majority ruled, how would things have worked out? Vick, to his credit, has turned around his personal life and is arguably a role model to youth now. Perhaps even more surprising, his 2010 season showed that he could be a capable, accurate pocket QB. He completed 62.6% of his passes, threw for 21 TDs vs. 6 INTs, and had a passer rating of 100.2. Pro Bowl numbers even without the compelling story of personal redemption.
Would Vick have put up those kind of numbers in St. Louis? Not with the receivers the Rams trotted out in '09 and '10. But one of the many things the Michael Vick experience has proven is that there's more than one way to solve a problem. With free agency about to explode upon the NFL in all its chaotic glory - a much more attractive market than last year's CBA-limited offering, and compressed into probably a two-week mega-cram session between the final ratification of the CBA and the start of training camp - who will the Rams find to solve their remaining roster problems? Let's open that search with RamView's sort-of annual free agency preview.
Notes: assumption is that 2009's free agency rules will be in effect this season, meaning 4th-year veterans are eligible to be unrestricted free agents, unlike last year, when it was 6th-year vets. I compiled lists of free agents from various sources and vetted everyone from those lists through Rotoworld before dropping them in here. Hopefully that'll limit any screw-ups. QB is the only write-up I had remotely prepared up until now. The rest of the positions will be more of a quick-hit, "micro-preview" format.
On with it!
Top 5 UFA QBs (updated 7/8): 1 - Matt Hasselbeck. Once seemed a lock to return to Seattle; now, who knows. Rates #1 largely for his on-field leadership. 2 - Marc Bulger. Healed up, and accurate enough a passer to thrive in the right situation. 3 - Tyler Thigpen. Mobile, strong-armed, has played well in limited opportunities. 4 - Tarvaris Jackson. Younger than Thigpen with higher upside, if a team thinks they can harness it. 5 - Billy Volek. Has never won a starting job in his NFL career but has had come uncanny performances coming off the bench. (Hey, whaddya want here? This field is so thin I nearly ranked Terrelle Pryor.)
Sleeper: Alex Smith. Smith appears to be heading back to the 49ers, but I think he's the kind of player who'd be better off with a change of scenery. He's got the tools but never seems to put them all together, except against the Rams.
Out of the running: Peyton Manning (franchised by Indianapolis), Michael Vick (franchised by Philadelphia), Luke McCown (re-signed with Jagwires), Kyle Boller (re-signed with Oakland, darn), Seneca Wallace (re-signed with Cleveland), Chad Pennington (Fox Sports), Kerry Collins (retired, 7/7)
Voting present: Drew Stanton, Kellen Clemens, Bruce Gradkowski, Jim Sorgi, Brian Brohm, Nate Davis
Gawd no: Brodie Croyle, Todd Collins, Trent Edwards and Matt Moore all fell to pieces and were so awful in 2010 I wouldn't consider any of them better than reclamation projects at this point. Troy Smith's not likely to get away with every downfield pass being a Hail Mary again this year. And while we're at it, just say no to Fratboy Leinart, Rex Grossman, Charlie Frye, Chris Simms, J.P. Losman, J.T. O'Sullivan, JaMarcus Russell, and PLEASE, NFL, Brett Favre.
RamView's move: none. Coming off one of the best rookie seasons ever at QB, Bradford's a lock to start. A.J. Feeley looked capable enough before he got Wally Pipped last preseason. The Rams intriguingly had interest in Alabama QB Greg McElroy at the end of this year's draft - if he doesn't stick with the Jets, I could see the Rams making a play for him, though as a Duke alumnus, third-stringer Thaddeus Lewis certainly doesn't lack smarts.
Shoot the moon: A lot on offense is going to be Josh McDaniels' call, naturally. If there's somebody out there he likes a lot more than Feeley, the Rams certainly could make a move. What if that somebody turns out to be Kyle Orton, who had a Pro Bowl-quality season for McDaniels in Denver last season? He's obviously comfortable in the system, and you'd be denying your division rivals, all of whom are on the hunt for a legitimate starting QB, one of their top options. At least the Rams could talk to the Broncos and drive up the price for everybody else, couldn't they? Just shooting the moon here.
Prediction: Nothing to see here. Could be part of the reason the Rams were never in a hurry to name a QB coach - they didn't need his help evaluating prospects.
Up next: running backs, BILLY DEVANEY.
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