Rams news, 3/31

* On his way to Houston, punter Donnie Jones told the Post-Dispatch that the Rams told his agent (Drew Rosenhaus) that they plan to DRAFT A PUNTER in this year's draft.

The Rams have eight draft picks. They currently need a cornerback, two linebackers, two defensive tackles, a guard, a tight end, at least one wide receiver, a change-of-pace running back and maybe even a backup QB. Do you see a lot of room for a freaking PUNTER in there?

A reminder to Les Snead and the Rams front office that you NEVER draft a kicker, and you will lose a full letter grade from RamView draft weekend if you are foolhardy enough to do it. Bad omen here, too; Snead's Falcons drafted their current punter, Matt Bosher, in the 6th round last year. For that, they got the 30th-ranked punter in the league in yards per punt; 19th in net. Bosher replaced Michael Koenen, who the Falcons originally acquired as an undrafted free agent. Ahem.

* The Rams did sign offensive lineman Robert Turner, as the Jeff Fisher Family and Friends Plan for bringing talent to Rams Park has apparently been replaced for the time being by the Brian Schottenheimer Pipeline of Mediocrity. Turner has started twice in his five-year career and missed all of last season due to a broken leg. He's 6'4" 308 and was apparently solid guard/right tackle depth for the Jets; Jets beat writer Rich Cimini says the Jets missed him last season.

* Though everyone else implicated in the Saints bounty scandal - Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt - is going to appeal their suspensions from Roger Goodell, Gregg Williams is not doing so. Since he's going to need Goodell in a good mood at some point to ever get to work in the league again, that's probably a good move.

* Since they do not have enough slow slot receivers on the roster already, the Rams will have Jerricho Cotchery (more Schottenheimer-y goodness!) in for a visit next week. In some basement rec room somewhere, Laveranues Coles is starting to stretch out his hamstrings.

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All-time team updates

After minutes of thoughtful consideration, I am planning to make the following changes to the all-time team pages at ramview.com:

All-St. Louis team
* Chris Long played his way onto this team in 2011. I didn't want to cut any of the other DEs (Leonard Little, Grant Wistrom, Kevin Carter), so I'm going to drop a DT, Ryan Pickett.
* Darian Stewart, I believe, is good enough for the "practice squad". He'll bump Tyoka Jackson.

All-worst team
New starters on the all-worst team:
* Jason Brown at center over Steve Everitt.
* Justin King at corner over everybody. Kim Herring comes off the team at safety; he probably never really deserved to be there anyway.
* Almost forgot: the new offensive coordinator will be Josh McDaniels.

Kevin Hughes dodged a bullet once I remembered that game where Andy King gave up 4 sacks to N.D. Kalu. So Hughes is safe.

I'm holding back on Jason Smith for the time being, but 2012 will probably determine a spot for him in the worst-tackle rotation and/or worst draft pick in team history.

I also added the Cadillac Williams f-up on the backwards pass in the Giants game as one of the ten worst plays, replacing a Tony Banks INT. Banks had plenty of INTs; that one won't be missed.

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Torry Holt to retire a Ram

Torry Holt will sign a one-day contract with the Rams in order to retire as a Ram, the team announced Wednesday. Sadly, just like Isaac Bruce two years ago, Holt will also be the best receiver on the Rams' roster for the duration of his one-day deal.

The classy Holt's next stop should be the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the leading receiver in both catches and yards for the 2000-09 decade, a decade which saw the primes of Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. He's the only receiver in NFL history with six straight seasons over 1,300 yards. He led the league in receiving yards in 2000 and 2003, two of the top ten single-season marks. He also led the league in 2003 with 117 receptions, another top ten single-season mark. He played in seven Pro Bowls and two Super Bowls. He was an invaluable, irreplaceable part of The Greatest Show on Earth. He exuded class on and off the field. Like his running mate Bruce, Holt excelled at a Hall-of-Fame level without resorting to the look-at-how-great-I-am persona so many others at his position have chosen to do.

Holt should be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. He won't be because the current voters are handling the WR position extremely poorly. They've created a logjam there by rejecting Cris Carter five straight times and Tim Brown another three or four. Marvin Harrison and Isaac Bruce are on the way. Terrell Owens and Randy Moss will come along in later years to turn the logjam into downright gridlock.

Holt also has the misfortune of entering the same HoF class as Hines Ward. If the voters stick to the stupid convention of no more than one player per position per year like they did this year, the NFL's overwhelming Steeler bias will allow Ward to dance in past Holt, no matter that Holt ran circles around Ward on the field. Holt and Ward should both be first-ballot Hall of Famers. It's just not likely to happen. In fact, I'll bet today that Ward also beats Bruce into the Hall, which will piss me off to no end. And don't tell me Ward belongs in over Holt or Bruce because of his blocking. Yeah, that's what the receiver position is all about. Anyway, rant over. All three should and will be in soon enough.

Congratulations to Torry Holt for an amazing career. Thank you for providing all us Rams fans, and all football fans, with so many outstanding memories while never compromising your integrity. We'll always be proud to have had you as a representative of our favorite team and of St. Louis.

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ESPN mock drafts

Both of ESPN's draft analysts have the Rams taking LSU CB Morris Claiborne in their latest mock drafts. Todd McShay just posted his 4.0 version; Mel Kiper is currently on 3.0. They both have Justin Blackmon going to the Browns at #4 and Trent Richardson to the Buccaneers at #5.

McShay's is a two-round mock, with the Rams' picks as follows:
6-Claiborne
33-Jerel Worthy
39-Reuben Randle

Guess I'm going to have to find out what the fuss is about Worthy, since this is the second major mock draft to have him go at #33. And in McShay's case here, it's Worthy over Zach Brown, Coby Fleener and Alshon Jeffery. RamView would almost have to take Jeffery at 33 if unable to get Justin Blackmon at 6, but admit I'm a little stuck at 39. Looks like I'll be repeating my Martin (Doug) and Martin (Mike) scenario from the Walter Football mock. Offensive skill players, please. The Rams have a big hole at DT, but I don't need one over a wide receiver. And I have reservations on Randle.

Speaking of Martins, Kiper has Stanford tackle Jonathan falling out of his first round and into the mix with Z. Brown and Jeffery. I would imagine that if the board really does have that many attractive prospects at the top of the second round, the Rams' first instinct will be to try to trade down, hopefully just a little bit. McShay doesn't have any of those players falling to 39.

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Rams need a punter

Maybe the Rams should have franchised Donnie Jones. He has gone to the Houston Texans, who have signed him to a two-year deal. I don't believe the Rams have any punter under contract at the moment. It should also be mentioned that Jones had been the Rams' holder on placekicks. So great, another reason for Josh Brown to screw up.

If you've been following along with the free agent madness on this blog, you already know there isn't a hell of a lot left at punter for the Rams to fall back on. Mat McBriar and Daniel Sepulveda have serious injury considerations. Matt Turk can't kick his age. Brad Maynard and Jason Baker aren't even top 32 punters in a league of 32 teams.

The Rams options appear to be: 1-Dave Zastudil; 2-blow a precious draft pick on a punter when there are so many other roster holes to fill; 3-hope to get lucky on a street free agent after the draft; 4-tell Josh Brown to get his leg really, really loose for next season.

Donnie wasn't great for the Rams last year, but this really sucks. The Rams should have just re-signed him given the available alternatives. Now they have a major hole on special teams to go along with all their other problems.

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Rams news, 3/28

* Jeff Fisher said plenty at the NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach yesterday to keep reporters busy awhile:
       - The Rams had inquiries from teams looking to make a trade for Sam Bradford. Cleveland writers seem fairly certain that the Browns tried to make a deal for him.
       - Fisher also says there is a "good chance" the Rams will trade up or down from their current position at #6 overall on draft day. The talk being sparked here is that they'd trade back up with Cleveland to take Justin Blackmon, with the Browns dropping down to take Trent Richardson or Ryan Tannehill.

* Then there's Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who Rams beat reporter Jim Thomas actually got multiple syllables out of in Palm Beach. Kroenke started by whining after Thomas asked how involved he is in the Rams' counteroffer to the St. Louis CVC's upgrade proposal for the Dome:

"I'm the owner of the team. Unless you haven't noticed, I've been involved 20 years. I've put a lot of my life, not just my personal (finances) at risk for this enterprise. And that might be good to mention sometimes."

You know what would really be good to mention sometime, Stan? How serious you actually are about keeping your "enterprise" in St. Louis. Some of us have been involved 20 years and put a lot of our personal finances into your "enterprise", too. Also, the Rams aren't a Constitution-class starship. They're a football team.

Oh, it gets better; Thomas asked Kroenke if he had any message for St. Louis fans, and Kroenke said, Tell them we're working hard to have a quality product. OK, that's fine. Do you think you'll be saying that ten years down the road?

Hopefully, if we're still around - I mean me personally, some people think I'm getting a little bit older all the time - we'll still be working hard to have a quality product.

If we're still around. Was that a Freudian slip? Does Kroenke really think he isn't going to survive on Earth another decade? Is that a catchphrase of his? Yeah, I know, quit parsing every sentence Kroenke says. But he says so few! He went on to say positive things about the Rams' free agent signings, Jeff Fisher, and his hopes for the Rams' extra draft picks. The stadium situation in St. Louis, though, continues to be a big, fat No Comment.

* Rules changes. Three notable rules changes for 2012 have come out of the owners' meeting:
- Regular-season overtime will now be the same as playoff overtime; with both teams getting a chance to have the ball before sudden death goes into effect, unless a TD is scored. Very sensible change.
- Automatic replay booth review of all turnovers. I have a small concern this will noticeably lengthen games, but I still fully support the change. Would have helped the Rams stay in last year's game at Dallas, for one.
- Too many men on the field becomes a dead ball foul. Another very wise rule change. When the Giants committed it with the lead in the final moments of Super Bowl XLVI, everybody suddenly realized the benefit of being able to run down the clock while having an illegal number of defenders on the field.

Somehow, though, the idiotic TV blackout rule continues to survive. Maybe next year.

-$-

Walter Football mock draft

Walter Football just updated their mock draft today. I always enjoy theirs because they're one of the few who project all seven rounds of the draft. Right now, though, they're just doing five, so for the Rams, a four-round draft since they gave their fifth-rounder away:

1/6 - Justin Blackmon
2/33 - Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
2/39 - Kendall Reyes, DT, UConn
3/65 - Billy Wagner, LB, Utah State
4/96 - Leonard Johnson, CB, Iowa State

RamView's alternative draft:
1/6 - Blackmon
2/33 - Zach Brown
2/39 - Doug Martin, RB, Boise State
3/65 - Mike Martin, DT, Michigan
4/96 - Jeff Allen, OL, Illinois
6/171 - Justin Bethel, DB, Presbyterian

At 39 and 65, you could go with the Reyes/LaMichael James combo as I've done in other mocks. I like this grouping better. Doug Martin's a better prospect than James at RB, and Mike Martin is a play-to-the-whistle tough guy like Harvey Dahl that the Ram d-line can really use. I assume the Rams think they'll be set at WR if they get Blackmon, so I passed on A.J. Jenkins and Chris Rainey in the 4th to take the top o-lineman available. TE Ladarius Green also a strong consideration there. Walter doesn't appear to have Bethel going in the first 5 rounds; I think he would be an impressive value at the top of the 6th. I'll still go with UCLA blocking TE Cory Harkey early in the 7th, and probably Raider it with Mr. Less-than-Irrelevant. Fastest guy available.


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Dodgers sold to Magic Johnson group

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be sold to the group led by Magic Johnson for two billion dollars, ESPN reported tonight. The majority owner will be Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter. $2 billion is the highest price ever paid for a North American sports franchise.

The sale to Johnson denies Rams owner Stan Kroenke the most obvious scenario to date for moving the Rams to Los Angeles. If he had become owner of the Dodgers and the land around Dodger Stadium, the opportunity to build a football stadium there and move the Rams into it figured to be a big, irresistible moneymaker, especially irresistible to an owner who refuses to express any level of commitment to keep the Rams in St. Louis.

Well, Stan's a real estate guy, and the #1 rule of real estate is location, location, location; if he intends to move the Rams to L.A., he just lost out on the very best location. 

-$-

Rams' 2012 draft picks

With the announcement of compensatory draft picks yesterday, the order for the 2012 draft is now official. Here is the Rams' current allotment of picks:

Round        Overall pick
1                 6 (from Washington)
2                 33 (first pick of round)
2                 39 (from Washington)
3                 65
4                 96 (first pick of round)
6                 171 (first pick of round)
7                 209
7                 252 (compensatory)

252 was awarded to the Rams yesterday as a compensatory pick. Compensatory picks cannot be traded. It is also the first-to-last pick of the draft, so the Rams are getting Mr. Less-Than-Irrelevant. I believe that's where they got Josh Hull a couple of years ago.

The Rams blew their fifth round pick, #137 overall, by trading it for Brandon Lloyd last season, so Denver has it now. So courtesy of Billy Devaney, Les Snead and company start the 2012 draft with one pick blown already.

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Rams sign WR Steve Smith

...this would be the Steve Smith who was drafted by the Giants out of USC in 2007 (2nd round) and played with the Eagles last season. Smith is 26, 5'11", 195 and has struggled with injuries throughout his career. He missed most of his rookie season due to shoulder and hamstring injuries. He was outstanding that postseason, though, and had four clutch catches for first downs in the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory over the Patriots. He became one of Eli Manning's favorite receivers in 2008, 57 catches, 574 yards and a TD, and exploded in 2009, with 107 catches, 1,220 yards and 7 TDs, good enough to get him into the Pro Bowl as an alternate. He was considered a top slot receiver, a great route-runner and playmaker, a big-play threat who can line up anywhere. Although he lacked top speed, his route-running was sharp, with no wasted motion in and out of breaks. He also didn't drop many passes.

However, Smith has only produced 59 catches, 653 yards and 4 TDs in the two seasons since that Pro Bowl season. A knee injury cost him about half the 2010 season, and the Giants opted not to bring him back while he recovered from microfracture surgery. The Eagles signed him but he wasn't completely recovered and started training camp on injured reserve. He had only 11 catches for Philadelphia and never rose above 5th WR on the depth chart.

The 2010 knee injury and microfracture surgery appear to have Steve Smith's career at a crossroads. He's gone from big-play threat out of the slot to a possession WR at best who's likely just a training camp flier. The Rams seem to be hoping that he'll approach his 2009-10 form and that they can pair him as a #2 wideout with Justin Blackmon. Seems like that will require a lot of luck to me.

Thumbs down to this signing as well. Seems like Kevin Demoff should have sent all the new guys a memo that the Rams had about a billion injuries last year, many of them in the receiving corps, and that it might be a waste of time bringing in players we full well know have bad injury histories. The Rams need Steve Smith's talent. They don't need his football bill of health.

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Rams sign TE Matthew Mulligan

... who could very well be the first Ram in team history from the University of Maine. Mulligan is 27, 6'4", 255 lbs with 11 starts in 34 career games since the Jets signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2008.

Mulligan is strictly a blocking TE. He has 6 career catches for 60 yards and is a poor receiver. He runs bad routes and has bad hands. Various fan reports describe him as a decent-to-very-good blocker, though, dominant at times, a good pass protector. He works hard, fights hard, blocks with good leverage. Sounds like a better in-line blocker than a lead blocker. He has also long-snapped.

The problem, however, is that Mulligan was, as some fans put it, a "penalty machine" last season. He committed nine penalties for 64 yards, six of them pre-snap - I assume false starts. And he doesn't get anywhere near as many snaps as most players. He got into shouting matches with coaches and teammates as a result of his, and their, frustration with his stupid penalties. In one November game, he got chewed out on the sideline by OC BRIAN SCHOTTENHEIMER after his penalty erased Shonn Greene's longest run of the season. He was only on the Jets' roster because Jeff Cumberland blew an ACL in week 3. Nobody there seems reluctant to have let him go.

So was this Schottenheimer's idea? Bring in the Alex Barron of tight ends? And he gets a TWO-year contract? Brilliant. Unless he bears down, learns to focus and stops it with the penalties, Mulligan won't even be an improvement over Stephen Spach. If he does stop it with the penalties, he could give the Ram running game a very important component it has badly lacked.

Big, fat thumbs down on this signing. Why give a player a two-year contract who may not have the discipline to make it through training camp? He'd better at least be cheap to cut.

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Rams sign two free agents

The Rams have signed WR Steve Smith to a one-year contract and blocking TE Matthew Mulligan to a two-year contract. Smith was drafted by the Giants out of USC and was with the Eagles last year. Mulligan comes from the Jets.

My current knowledge of these two is that Smith's been injured most of his career and the Jets let Mulligan go because he commits too many penalties. So neither registers as a very exciting acquisition at the moment. We'll see if that changes when/if I can get more detailed biographies up.

Update: Nope. Were any of the Rams' problems last year that they didn't commit enough pre-snap penalties, or didn't have enough injured players? I didn't think so.

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NFL Draft Countdown mock draft

Scott Wright's NFLDraftCountdown has long been one of my favorite draft sites. I'll list his mock draft for the Rams' first three picks for the time being, but something to note is that this version is three weeks old:
6-Justin Blackmon
33-Michigan State DT Jerel Worthy
39-Troy OL James Brown

RamView's picks here would be:
6-Blackmon
33-Zach Brown
39-Connecticut DT Kendall Reyes. Wright also has Stanford TE Coby Fleener and South Carolina CB Stephon Gilmore available here; I'm going to guess those will change in his next mock.
65-LaMichael James, RB, Oregon. Thought about Illinois OL Jeff Allen, but I'm turning into Billy Devaney here holding off too long on a playmaking RB. Also gave very strong consideration to Illini WR A.J. Jenkins, who I may have said before would give you everything Brandon Lloyd did.
I'd be looking at corners to kick off the 4th, such as Casey Hayward of Vanderbilt.

31 days till the draft! I have a bunch of Path to the Draft backlogged; that's probably the next project for the blog.

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PFW mock draft

Version 2.0 of the Pro Football Weekly mock draft, by Nolan Nawrocki, is out. And let's just say it's not what you might expect for a certain team. With Justin Blackmon still on the board, Nawrocki says the Rams should take Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. As good as Cox may be, good luck getting that idea past the season ticket holders. Nawrocki had Cleveland taking Morris Claiborne, also a bit of a curve ball, with Trent Richardson going to Tampa.

Rest assured that RamView is taking Blackmon in Nawrocki's current scenario. Pick #33 would almost have to be Michael Brockers given the Rams' gaping hole at DT right now. Also considering Zach Brown, Doug Martin and Whitney Mercilus.

However, Brockers' stock plummeted from top 10 to out of the first round after the Combine. He showed a complete lack of explosiveness, had the worst shuttle times and interviewed poorly.

Lots of research left to do for this here draftnik, that's for sure.

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Goodell spells out community service for Williams

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reportedly laid out a path to career rehabilitation for suspended Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. This was detailed in a letter Goodell sent to Williams after suspending him; the letter has apparently been leaked to Peter King, who reported on it today:

Goodell to Williams:

I will review your status at the conclusion of the 2012 season and consider whether, and if so, on what terms, you may be reinstated and again eligible to be employed in the NFL... In making this decision, I will give considerable weight to the extent to which you cooperate with my office in any further proceedings, as well as developing and implementing programs designed to teach players and coaches -- particularly at other levels of the game -- how to play football in a way that is safe, fair, and that respects the game and those who participate in it ... I appreciate that this decision will be difficult for you. I hope you will use the opportunity to reflect on how you can return to the NFL in a way that honors the game and improves it for those who participate in it.

No word on whether Williams will also be required to view a screening of The Michael Vick Project.

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Kroenke in final three for Dodgers bid

Stan Kroenke, who entered the game late, has been cleared by Major League Baseball as one of the three finalists in the bidding for the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Bloomberg Business Week. Kroenke's purchase of the Dodgers would unquestionably be seen in St. Louis as the latest, and most massive, reason to believe he has no interest in keeping the Rams here past 2014. There are some hurdles in the way of Kroenke becoming the owner of the once and future Los Angeles Rams, though:

1-He doesn't have the highest bid for the Dodgers. At $1.6 billion, that honor currently belongs to the group headed by Lakers Hall-of-Famer and entrepreneur Magic Johnson. Johnson's group also has the strongest Los Angeles representation, largely because of him. However, Johnson's bid is believed to include the lowest amount of actual cash.

2-He's not the richest dog in the hunt. That belongs to the group led by billionaire hedge fund manager Steven Cohen, which also includes billionaire biotech CEO Patrick Soon-Shiong, the richest man in L.A. Their combined wealth is $15 billion. They are believed to have bid $1.4 billion, 900 million of it in cash, the most of any of the three finalists.

3-Not everything about the Dodgers is for sale, yet. The team, Dodger Stadium, and the Dodgers' broadcast rights, which come up in 2013, yes. However, current owner Frank McCourt currently intends to continue to own the land around the stadium, and to lease the parking lots to the new owner. The biggest appeal of the Dodgers to Kroenke, though the TV contract will hardly be chicken feed, comes if he could build a new stadium close to Dodger Stadium.

The final three bidders are expected to be put to an approval vote of MLB owners on Tuesday, at which point the bidding will begin in earnest. McCourt has until April 30th to sell the team.

RamView wishes Magic Johnson's and Steve Cohen's groups the best of luck in buying the Dodgers. I'll even kick in 50 bucks if it'll help keep the team away from Kroenke. Let me know.

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Rams sign Quinn Ojinnaka

Offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka, who was in training camp with the Rams last year, has returned, signing a one-year deal with the team last night. He played tackle, guard and even some center while in camp with the Rams, and appeared to be on track for a backup spot, but instead lost out to really great linemen at the peak of their careers like Jason Brown and Hank Fraley. Almost 28, he's a 6'5", 295 career backup who's played for the Patriots, Falcons (hmm) and Colts. I believe he's also been in camp with the Bucs. Better pass protector than run blocker, but his versatility makes him valuable, and the Rams need experience in their offensive line depth. Thumbs up to this signing.

Ojinnaka's signing probably also means Adam Goldberg will be on his way to another team. I think Goldberg played every line position but center for the Rams at one time or another. Hats off to him for that, and he even showed well at tackle at times. The biggest problem was his seeming lack of power to play his natural position of guard, which came back to bite the Ram running game at the worst times.

The Rams also have visits scheduled with linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar and guard Chilo Rachal, either of whom would be excellent signings at positions of great need. See the (up-to-date, shockingly) free agent previews on either of those two. The Rams are also talking with tackle Barry Richardson, which I only understand if the Stadium Club is looking for a new floor manager or a waiter or something. Should just keep Goldberg if you're going to sign the markedly-worse Richardson.

-$-

Free agency scorecard

Free agency scoreboard

as of 3/24/2012

Quarterback

Top available: 5-Vince Young; 7-Luke McCown; 9-Byron Leftwich; 11-Dennis Dixon; 12-Kevin O'Connell

Signed: 1-Peyton Manning (Denver); 1a-Alex Smith (re-signed by San Francisco); 2-Matt Flynn (Seattle); 3-Chad Henne (Jagwires); 4-Kyle Orton (Dallas); 6-Jason Campbell (Chicago); 8-David Garrard (Miami); 10-Josh Johnson (San Francisco)

Rams moves: none so far; have talked with Jason Campbell, 15-Shaun Hill (re-signed by Detroit), 20-Brady Quinn (signed with Kansas City)

---

Running back

Top available: 3b-Brandon Jacobs; 4-Justin Forsett; 5-Cadillac Williams; 6-Kevin Smith; 6a-Joseph Addai; 7-Mewelde Moore; 9-Jackie Battle

Signed: 1-Mike Tolbert (Carolina); 2-Michael Bush (Chicago); 3-BenJarvus Green-Ellis (Cincinnati); 3a-Peyton Hillis (Kansas City); 8-Jason Snelling (re-signed with Atlanta); 10-Tashard Choice (Buffalo)

Rams moves: none

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Fullback

Top available: 3-Owen Schmitt; 4-Jacob Hester; 5-Kris Wilson; 6-Ahmard Hall; 8-Moran Norris

Signed: 1-Michael Robinson (re-signed with Seattle); 2-Le'Ron McClain (San Diego); 7-Lex Hilliard (Minnesota)

Rams moves: none

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Wide receiver

Top available: 6-Plaxico Burress; 16-Patrick Crayton; 17-Devin Thomas; 23-Jerricho Cotchery; 24-Courtney Roby

Signed: 1-Vincent Jackson (Tampa Bay); 2-Pierre Garcon (Washington); 3-Marques Colston (re-signed with New Orleans); 4-Brandon Lloyd (New England); 5-Reggie Wayne (re-signed with Indianapolis); 7-Early Doucet (re-signed with Arizona); 8-Mario Manningham (San Francisco); 9-Robert Meachem (San Diego); 10-Laurent Freaking Robinson (Jagwires); 11-Matt Slater (re-signed with New England); 12-Ted Ginn (re-signed with San Francisco); 13-Harry Douglas (re-signed with Atlanta); 14-Andre Caldwell (Denver); 15-Deion Branch (re-signed with New England);18-Eric Weems (Chicago); 19-Eddie Royal (Washington); 20-Chaz Schilens (Jets); 21-Josh Morgan (Washington); 22-Donte Stallworth (New England); 29a-Randy Moss (San Francisco)

Rams moves: none, lost out on Manningham, Douglas, Meachem, Garcon; have talked with Steve Smith (not Carolina)

---

Tight ends

Top available: 2-Visanthe Shiancoe; 5-Jeremy Shockey; 5a-Dallas Clark; 8-Donald Lee; 10-Leonard Pope

Signed: 1-Martellus Bennett (NY Giants); 3-Joel Dreessen (Denver); 4-Jacob Tamme (Denver); 5b-Kevin Boss (Kansas City); 6-Daniel Fells (New England; 7-Kellen Davis (re-signed by Chicago); 9-Alex Smith (re-signed by Cleveland)

Rams moves: none

---

Offensive tackles

Top available: 3-Demetrius Bell; 6-Dennis Roland; 7-Adam Goldberg; 10-Pat McQuistan; 12-Brandon Keith

Signed: 1-Eric Winston (Kansas City); 1a-Anthony Collins (Cincinnati); 2-Jared Gaither (re-signed with San Diego); 4-Khalif Barnes (re-signed with Oakland); 5-Jeff Backus (re-signed with Detroit); 9-Frank Omiyale (Seattle); 11-Steve Vallos (Philadelphia)

Rams moves: signed 8-Quinn Ojinnaka. Also talked to Eric Winston, 17-Nate Livings (signed with Dallas) and Barry Richardson

---

Guards

Top available: 5-Chilo Rachal; 6-Chris Kemoeatu; 8-Andre Gurode; 9-Geoff Hangartner; 10-Jacob Bell

Signed: 1-Carl Nicks (Tampa Bay); 2-Ben Grubbs (New Orleans); 3-Steve Hutchinson (Tennessee); 3a-Evan Mathis (re-signed with Philadelphia); 4-Adam Snyder (Arizona); 7-Mike Brisiel (Oakland); 12-Travelle Wharton (Cincinnati)

Rams moves: talked to Wharton and 5-Chilo Rachal

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Centers

Top available: 5-Todd McClure; 9-Dan Koppen; 10-Brett Romberg; 11-Fernando Velasco; 12-Jeff Faine

Signed: 1-Chris Myers (re-signed by Houston); 3-Nick Hardwick (re-signed by San Diego); 4-Samson Satele (Indianapolis); 6-Matt Birk (re-signed by Baltimore); 7-Jeff Saturday (Green Bay); 8-Dan Connelly (re-signed by New England)

Rams moves: signed 2-Scott Wells

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Defensive ends

Top available: 4-Andre Carter; 7-Wallace Gilberry; 7a-James Hall; 11-William Hayes; 12-Dave Tollefson

Signed: 1-Mark Anderson (Buffalo); 2-Red Bryant (re-signed by Seattle); 3-John Abraham (re-signed by New England); 5-Jeremy Mincey (re-signed by Jagwires); 6-Jason Jones (Seattle); 8-Jonathan Fanene (New England); 9-Israel Idonije (re-signed by Chicago); 10-Adam Carriker (re-signed by Washington)

Rams moves: lost out on Jason Jones

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Defensive tackles

Top available: 3-Marcus Thomas; 5-Amobi Okoye; 6-Eric Foster; 7-Derek Landri; 7a-John Henderson; 8-DOOZER Douzable; 9-Antonio Garay; 10-Fred Robbins

Signed: 1-Brodrick Bunkley (New Orleans); 2-Paul Soliai (re-signed by Miami); 2a-Sione Pouha (re-signed by Jets); 4-Pat Sims (re-signed by Cincinnati)

Rams moves: signed Kendall Langford (RamView rank: #15 defensive end), lost out on 19-Andre Fluellen (re-signed by Detroit)

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Outside linebackers

Top available: 3-Jo-Lonn Dunbar; 4-Philip Wheeler; 6-Manny Lawson; 7-Rocky McIntosh; 8-Gary Guyton; 9-Erik Walden; 10-Geno Hayes

Signed: 1-Mario Williams (Buffalo); 2-Wesley Woodyard (re-signed by Denver); 2a-Kamerion Wimbley (Tennessee); 5-Erin Henderson (re-signed by Minnesota); 11-Chris Chamberlain (New Orleans)

Rams moves: none, have talked with Chamberlain and Jo-Lonn Dunbar

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Inside linebackers

Top available: 2-David Hawthorne; 4-E.J. Henderson; 5-London Fletcher; 9-Tim Shaw; 10-James Farrior

Signed: 1-Curtis Lofton (New Orleans); 3-Stephen Tulloch (re-signed with Detroit); 6-Joe Mays (re-signed with Denver); 7-Jameel McClain (re-signed with Baltimore); 8-Dan Connor (re-signed with Dallas)

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Cornerbacks

Top available: 5-William Gay; 11-Reggie Smith; 12-Rod Hood; 14-Chris Carr; 15-Terrence Newman

Signed: 1-Carlos Rogers (re-signed by San Francisco); 2-Brandon Carr (Dallas); 4-Aaron Ross (Jagwires); 6-Richard Marshall (Miami); 7-Tracy Porter (Denver); 8-Dimitri Patterson (re-signed by Cleveland); 9-Tim Jennings (re-signed by Chicago); 10-Ron Bartell (re-signed by Raiders); 13-Will Allen (New England)

Rams moves: signed 3-Cortland Finnegan; have talked with Tracy Porter

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Safeties

Top available: 2-Sean Jones; 6-James Sanders; 9-Oshiomogho Atogwe; 11-James Ihedigbo; 12-Bryan Scott

Signed: 1-Jordan Babineaux (re-signed by Tennessee); 3-Brandon Meriweather (Washington); 4-Reggie Nelson (re-signed by Cincinnati); 5-Haruki Nakamura (Carolina); 7-Dwight Lowery (re-signed by Jagwires); 8-Craig Steltz (re-signed by Chicago); 10-Mike Adams (re-signed by Denver)

Rams moves: none

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Punter

Top available: Dave Zastudil, Donnie Jones

Signed: Nick Harris (re-signed by Jagwires); Ben Graham (re-signed by Detroit)

Rams moves: none

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Placekicker

Top available: Neil Rackers, Dave Rayner, Shayne Graham

Signed: Nick Folk (re-signed by Jets); Jay Feely (re-signed by Arizona)

Rams moves: none

-$-

Free agency preview: placekickers

Placekicker

Voting present: Jay Feely (re-signed by Big Dead 3/24), Neil Rackers (signed by Redskins 4/24), Ryan Longwell (cut by Vikings 5/8), Dave Rayner, Shayne Graham (signed by Texans 5/9)

Sleepers: Graham hasn't had a lot of work the last two seasons, but he's nearly 80% for his career in the 40-49 yard range, which beats everybody here, and Josh Brown (70%), pretty handily.

Tag you're it: Connor Barth, Phil Dawson, Mike Nugent, Matt Prater, Josh Scobee. I think more kickers were tagged this year than any other position.

Out of the running: Nick Folk (re-signed by Jets)

Gawd no: At 42, John Kasay's no kind of long-term answer, and he's very unreliable outside of 40 yards.(Re-signed by Saints, 4/24.) David Buehler has a big leg for kickoffs, which you'd want on your roster if kickoffs were still from the 30. He had hip surgery last year and sprayed FG attempts all over the place the year before.

RamView’s moves: Josh Brown has been a disappointment from the moment he signed the big contract to come here in 2009. Playing more than half his games in domed stadiums, he still only managed to go 8-for-14 last year beyond 40 yards, which includes 0-for-2 beyond 50. That is not a big-money performance. He also has an annoying knack to kill the rare offensive momentum the Rams can muster with untimely misses. And even though kickoffs were moved up five yards last season, Brown only kicked 15 touchbacks and shows no ability to put the ball out the back of the end zone, even indoors. His FG% rate of 75% was 32nd in the league, and he ranked 22nd for the 40-49 yard range. I'm sick of Brown's act and would happily invite Shayne Graham to camp to battle it out with him. Graham's leg is fresher and he's been a much better career kicker on longer kicks. I'd also expect him to be a cheaper alternative to Brown.

Shoot the moon: Jay Feely is several years older than Brown, but he's a better overall kicker, with 21 touchbacks and a 6-for-9 rate last year at FGs beyond 40 yards (1-2 > 50). (Surprisingly, Rackers was only about as good as Brown, a mediocre 8-13 beyond 40 last year.) I'd happily bring Feely in to replace Brown for a couple of seasons, too.

Prediction: Brown will be back to play out the last year of his contract and will continue his career pattern of being more successful at meaningless 51-yard FGs than at meaningful 45-yarders.

-$-

Free agency preview: punters

Punters

Voting present: Dave Zastudil (Re-signed by Bif Dead 4/10), Donnie Jones (Signed by Houston 3/29), Nick Harris (cut by Jagwires 5/3, signed by Panthers 5/8)

Wild card: Mat McBriar was diagnosed with "drop foot" in his plant foot midway through last season and had an operation in February to remove a cyst from his knee that was found to be the cause of the condition. A Pro Bowl-quality punter when healthy, he's expected to be ready for the 2012 season.

Tag you're it: Steve Weatherford. I'd make relentless fun of the Giants for franchising a PUNTER if I hadn't thought earlier that the Rams were going to tag Donnie Jones.

Out of the running: Ben Graham (re-signed by Lions), Nick Harris (re-signed with Jagwires)

The doctor will see you now: Daniel Sepulveda was IR'ed midway through last season due to cartilage damage in his right knee. He's had a history of knee problems. Also Richmond McGee, who missed almost all of last season due to a back injury and numbness in his leg.

Gawd no: Sorry, Matt Turk. Can we call it a sign a punter should retire when he can't kick his age? Brad Maynard ranked 37th in yards per punt, 33rd in net yards. Aren't there only 32 teams?
Jason Baker (cut by Panthers 3/14): worst net punting average in the league last year.

RamView’s moves: RamView was not happy at all with Donnie Jones' performance last season. He ranked only 22nd in the league in yards per punt at 44.3, and a woeful 31st in net at 37.0. I'd wager he has the worst ratio in the league of punts inside the 20 that don't make it inside the 15. I want very badly to replace him. But there's nothing out there besides injured guys and old guys who really can't punt. Zastudil would be pretty much a lateral move, as would Sav Rocca, who's still an Eagle, but they seem very disappointed with him. We're going to have to assume Donnie got a tired leg from leading the NFL in punts with 105, bite the bullet and bring him back.

Shoot the moon: RamView NEVER recommends drafting punters, and the Rams don't have the luxury of using any of their draft picks on specialists. But the way the 49ers brought attention to winning football by winning the field position game with Andy Lee, somebody is going to draft Cal punter Bryan Anger as high as the fourth round on the grounds that he's a game changer. He was the leading punter in college last year, and he drilled three 60-yard moon shots during the East-West Shrine Game.

Prediction: Fisher seems to believe in stability on special teams. Craig Hentrich punted for him forever. He'll get a challenge in camp from a street free agent, but Donnie Jones will be back.

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BREAKING NEWS: WILLIAMS SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY

Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for involvement in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scheme. He will not coach in the NFL this season. Goodell will decide if Williams should be reinstated AFTER this season. The NFL.com article does not address whether Williams has been suspended for the season without pay. Other key figures were suspended without pay, so the guess here is that Williams isn't getting paid, either.

Saints head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the 2012 season without pay. GM Mickey Loomis has been suspended for eight weeks without pay. In former Rams news, Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt has been suspended six weeks without pay. The Saints were also fined half a million dollars and have to forfeit second-round picks this year and next. Individual players are still being reviewed with any possible punishments to come down at a later date.

Accused of architecting and funding the scheme, and (along with Vitt) misleading league investigators, Williams seems to have gotten the harshest punishment. The guess here is that NFL investigators are going to be digging very thoroughly into his Washington, Buffalo and Tennessee tenures between now and the end of the 2012 season, possibly giving Goodell reason to ban him beyond 2012, maybe even permanently. So far, Williams' transgressions haven't pulled Jeff Fisher in with him - Rams Nation has to hope very hard that continues to be the case, or this franchise is screwed yet again.

Though the notoriety of Williams' bounty system is reportedly its payoffs for knocking opposing players out of games, the NFL edict seems to be aimed at any kind of bounty system, even if there's just a pool paying off for recovered fumbles, downed punts, first downs, or the like. All teams have been ordered to provide written guarantees to Goodell by March 30th that they do not have bounty systems in place.

This would seem to make Dave McGinnis the Rams' acting defensive coordinator. I'll have updates here as needed.

-$-

Tweets from Jim Thomas:
* Rams surprised by severity of Williams' suspension, thought he would get eight weeks.
* Williams is suspended without pay. Suspension is effective immediately, so he's not even allowed to have anything to do with installing the new defense in OTAs or training camp.
* Steve Spagnuolo could be the Saints' head coach for at least the first six weeks of the season while Joe Vitt is suspended. See, Spagnuolo came to St. Louis in 2009 and WAS coaching a Super Bowl-quality team after three seasons!
* (Though he was terrible at it in Tennessee) Chuck Cecil could be considered for the acting DC position. McGinnis is the favorite for the job.

-$$-

Jeff Fisher announced yesterday that he will not name a new defensive coordinator nor hire an additional defensive coach to make up for Williams' absence. As to whether Williams will be brought on board when/if he is reinstated by Goodell, Fisher said he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it. Williams' responsibilities will be spread out between Fisher and the other defensive coaches. It sounds like the plan for the time being is for Fisher to call the defensive plays on gameday.

-$$$-

Free agency catchup: safety

Safety

Top 10 UFA Safeties:

1 - Jordan Babineaux (re-signed by Titans)

2 – Sean Jones: in-the-box safety, excellent clutch playmaker, not great in coverage but has 14 INT in last 3 years (signed by Lions in late June)

3 – Brandon Meriweather (signed by Redskins)

4 - Reggie Nelson (re-signed by Bengals)

5 - Haruki Nakamura (signed by Panthers)

6 - James Sanders: versatile safety with good speed and range, good run-supporter (signed by Big Dead 4/6)

7 - Dwight Lowery (re-signed by Jagwires)

8 - Craig Steltz (re-signed by Bears)

9 - Oshiomogho Atogwe: will be 32, has always been liability in coverage, forced only three turnovers last year (June signing with the Eagles)

10 – Mike Adams (signed by Broncos)

Sleepers: Boy, you can tell this year's draft isn't strong for defensive backs, can't you? It took barely a week for the shelves to get pretty bare at the DB store. But James Sanders looks like he would be a quietly good pickup for someone. He's good on special teams and good enough at either free or strong safety to push both of Atlanta's starters last season. I see him as a very good "glue" player on a defensive depth chart.

Wild card: Jim Leonhard is one of those coach-on-the-field type players who can make clutch plays and help on special teams, who rarely blows an assignment. His problem is that he's 30 and coming off major leg injuries each of the last two seasons. Can you rely on him to stay on the field?

Tag you're it: Tyvon Branch, Dashon Goldson, Michael Griffin

(Also) out of the running: Thomas DeCoud (re-signed by Falcons), Atari Bigby (signed by Chargers), Erik Coleman (re-signed by Lions), Brian Dawkins (retired 4/24), Steve Gregory (signed by Patriots), LaRon Landry (signed by Jets), Kyle McCarthy (signed by Chiefs), Brodney Pool (signed by Cowboys), Tom Zbikowski (signed by Colts), Jarrad Page (signed by Dodgers. Yes, you read that right, the Dodgers. He quit football.)

Voting present: James Ihedigbo (June re-signing, Patriots), Bryan Scott, Abram Elam (signed by Chiefs 6/4), Jon McGraw, Matt Giordano (re-signed by Raiders 4/17) , Corey Lynch, Deon Grant, Tanard Jackson (cut by Bucs 4/10, signed by Redskins 4/14), Chris Hope (signed by Falcons 7/1), Alan Ball (signed by Texans 6/4), Chris Harris, Hamza Abdullah, Reshard Langford, Derrick Martin, Anthony Smith, Stevie Brown, Madieu Williams (signed by Redskins 4/11), Yeremiah Bell (released by Dolphins 3/19, signed by Jets 5/18), Sean Considine (signed by Ravens 3/24), James Butler, Sabby Piscitelli, C.C. Brown

The doctor will see you now: Melvin Bullitt (out most of last two seasons due to shoulder problems), Hiram Eugene (dislocated hip), Husain Abdullah (concussions), Dominque Barber (Lisfranc), Jon Corto (wrist), Courtney Greene (knees, re-signed by Jagwires 4/3), Tyrell Johnson (hamstring, signed by Dolphins 4/6), Jim Leonhard (torn patellar tendon), Chris Crocker (cut by Bengals 4/6, coming off knee surgery in January and has had nagging knee injuries for three years running), Nick Collins (cut by Packers 4/25, neck injury)

Gawd no: Bret Lockett, a little-used, oft-injured Patriots safety whose claim to fame is very publicly lying that he had a 5-month affair with Kim Kardashian. He had to admit he made the whole thing up, and that he'd never even met Kim, upon threat of a lawsuit. Might not want to try that kind of stunt with a celebrity whose father was a famous lawyer.

RamView’s moves: The Rams' free agent splash last season, Quinton Mikell may not have been a flop, but he didn't perform to expectations, either. He didn't play to his reputation as an elite tackler and cover man. He'll remain a starter, but cross your fingers the Rams didn't overspend on a player on the decline. That is no concern with Darian Stewart, who I'm convinced is about to become a star in this league. Under the tutelage of veteran secondary coach Chuck Cecil, if Stewart just cleans up the missed tackles that burned the Rams on some long runs last season, the Ram defense has a chance to improve by a leap and a bound, and Stewart will reach the verge of leaguewide recognition for the rest of his game. A big issue for the Rams is going to be safety depth. Craig Dahl and James Butler, neither of whom can cover a lick, are free agents unlikely to be brought back. Dahl can at least hit a little and help on special teams, but I'm surprised he hasn't joined Steve Spagnuolo in New Orleans already. (My original information was incorrect - Dahl is under contract for 2012. He should be back as safety depth.) I like Sanders the most out of the depleted market remaining at safety. Beyond adding the veteran, I have to hope Jerome Murphy can help out as a crossover guy if needed, and that the Rams get lucky again in rookie free agency like they did with Stewart. It doesn't seem too unusual for college in-the-box safeties with mid-round grades to go undrafted, though, which is exactly what happened to Stewart.

Shoot the moon: Cut Mikell, though I doubt it's cap-feasible, and draft a safety like Justin Bethel, Brandon Taylor or George Iloka on day 3 of the draft. Little question that would be a riverboat-gambler type of a move, that's for sure.

Prediction: Les Snead makes me look good and makes a play for Sanders, knowing the Falcons have a lot tied up in their young starters and won't want to shell out a lot for a backup. Keep an eye on someone like Jon McGraw, too, given the tone the Rams are going to want to set on defense.

-$-

Free agent catchup: cornerback

Cornerback

Top 10 UFA CBs:

1 - Carlos Rogers (signed by 49ers)

2 – Brandon Carr (signed by Cowboys)

3 – Cortland Finnegan (signed by Rams)

4 - Aaron Ross (signed by Jagwires)

5 - William Gay: solid nickel back, was on his way out in Pittsburgh (signed by Big Dead 3/26)

6 - Richard Marshall (signed by Dolphins)
6a - Drew Coleman (cut by Jagwires 5/3)

7 - Tracy Porter: small but quick, could be effective in the slot. But is not physical, has had injury problems, poor tackler, only 2 INTs last two seasons (signed by Broncos 3/22)

8 - Dimitri Patterson (re-signed by Browns)

9 - Tim Jennings (re-signed by Bears)

10 – Ron Bartell (signed by Raiders)

Sleepers: Wow, did this market get picked clean in a hurry or what? I won't even bother to re-calibrate my top ten to account for signings, with most of it already gone. Reggie Smith is still hanging around as a sleeper signing, though. He's played safety for four years for the 49ers but was a corner in college, and still shows the speed, range, fluid movement and loose hips to play corner at the pro level. He has a few career starts and wouldn't be a total project. At worse, you've got a hybrid corner/safety. (Signed by Panthers 4/3, will play safety)

Wild card: I'll have to call Bradley Fletcher the wild card for the Rams' cornerback outlook. How his recovery progresses, and how much the new regime wants to trust him coming off his second blown ACL, stands to affect how much of an overhaul they want to make in the secondary, where they've already made a couple of major moves.

Tag you're it: Brent Grimes

(Also) out of the running: Al Harris (retired), Rashean Mathis (re-signed by Jagwires), Jason Allen (signed by Bengals), Ronde Barber (either re-signs with Bucs or retires, signed by Bucs 3/21), Jarrett Bush (re-signed by Packers), Michael Coe (re-signed by Giants), Marquice Cole (signed by Patriots), Cedric Griffin (signed by Redskins), Jacob Lacey (signed by Lions), Terrell Thomas (re-signed by Giants), Eric Wright (signed by Buccaneers)

Voting present: Reggie Smith (signed by Panthers 4/3), Rod Hood, Will Allen (signed by Patriots 3/21), Chris Carr (signed by Vikings 4/5), Terrence Newman (cut by Dallas 3/14, signed by Bengals 4/11), Donald Strickland, Chris Johnson, Bryant McFadden, Andre Goodman (cut by Broncos 4/14), Drayton Florence (cut by Bills 5/4, signed by Broncos 5/11), Lito Sheppard, William Middleton (re-signed by Jagwires 4/10) , Benny Sapp, Elbert Mack, Corey Graham (signed by Ravens 3/23), Antwuan Molden (signed by Giants 4/12), Kelly Jennings, Kelvin Hayden (signed by Bears 4/6), Leigh Torrence (signed by Redskins 4/11), Jonathan Wilhite (signed by Bears 4/6), Paul Oliver, Travis Daniels (re-signed by Chiefs 4/4) , Patrick Lee (signed by Raiders 3/20), Frank Walker, Justin Tryon (re-signed by Giants, 3/14), Byron Westbrook, Nathan Jones, Brandon McDonald, Kennard Cox, Zack Bowman (signed by Vikings 3/26), Reggie Corner (June signing, Jagwires), David Jones, Will Blackmon, Cletis Gordon

The doctor will see you now: Domonique Foxworth (chronic knee problems), Marcus Trufant (chronic back problems, re-signed by Seahawks 4/10)

Gawd no: Philip Buchanon's coming off a substance abuse suspension and a season-ending shoulder injury. I'm sure Adam "Pac-Man" Jones (re-signed by Bengals, 3/23) and Jeff Fisher would have wonderful chemistry together if re-united. And I still cringe at the overwhelmed Danny Gorrer attempting to cover anyone in a failed run here in St. Louis. But the ABSOLUTE WORST thing the Rams can do in 2012, besides move to Los Angeles three years early, is bring back Justin King. Lauded for his supposed speed, King was instead burned deep repeatedly all season long, infamously so by rookie Torrey Smith for THREE TDs in the Baltimore game. King was also faked out constantly by bubble screens, and had an amazing knack for allowing first-down catches right in front of him in zone coverage. In 2011, King landed the crown of worst defensive back in St. Louis Rams history. He didn't cover anyone all year. You may not be able to spell Justin King without stinking, but I wish him the best of luck landing a job with another team in 2012. Preferably Seattle, Arizona or San Francisco.

RamView’s moves: The Ram secondary was an injury train wreck in 2011, with I believe 11 cornerbacks going on injured reserve at one time or another. Most of them won't be back, including Ron Bartell, who was cut and quickly signed with the Raiders. I've rarely had more than 50% faith in Bartell, but probably would have tried to keep him at a lower price vs. making the big splash for Cortland Finnegan. I thought the Rams also got decent play out of Josh Gordy and Rod Hood in a pinch. Hood should be a cheap free agent to retain. There's Jerome Murphy hopefully bouncing back from an ankle injury that cost him all of 2011, and Bradley Fletcher hopefully returning from his SECOND blown ACL. I don't need to discuss King again. I would have announced I was cutting him even though he's a free agent. I might have added one veteran, like Reggie Smith, or drafted a corner in the first four rounds to guard against Fletcher's latest injury being the one that does him in. But the Rams could have gone to war with Bartell and Fletcher. Unless an actual grenade goes off in the Rams' secondary during training camp, they'll have far more stability back there this season than they did any time in 2011. I get why the Rams have made the moves they've made so far, but am not sure they needed to be as urgent, or expensive, as the route they're taking with Finnegan. The Ram secondary was pretty good on paper in '11 (even with Justin King) before it became a MASH unit.

Shoot the moon: Before free agency started, knowing I couldn't get this and other previews written in time, I fired off a scenario where the Rams sign Courtland Finnegan and draft Morris Claiborne. Well, we're halfway there.

Prediction: I don't see Claiborne slipping out of the top five, though, or the Rams selecting a corner with the #6 pick overall. Tracy Porter must have made a lot of plays against Les Snead's Falcons; I don't understand the interest in him otherwise. He's not a physical, Fisher-type DB; he and Finnegan would give the Rams bookend midget corners; do they really want that? I think it'll be Finnegan, Fletcher and a rookie unless a good veteran comes cheap. Meaning that if they do get Porter, he'd better be really cheap.

-$-

Free agency catchup: inside linebacker

Inside linebacker

Top 10 UFA ILBs:

1 - Curtis Lofton: explosive, durable, violent tackler, exceptional in ball pursuit, young (25), intense team leader. 100+ tackles last 3 seasons; 147 last year. Liability in pass coverage. (Signed by Saints, 3/24)

2 – David Hawthorne: heavy-hitting tackling machine. Seattle D didn't miss a beat when he stepped in after Lofa Tatupu's injury. Can play Mike or Sam LB. (Signed by Saints, 4/3. Also, wow, Saints.)

3 – Stephen Tulloch: hard hitter, great nose for the ball, 110+ tackles last season, a little behind on size and speed (Re-signed by Lions 3/20)

4 - E.J. Henderson: athletic and powerful, good in pass coverage, 100+ tackles, but Vikings only want him back as a backup. Is he past his prime at 31?

5 - London Fletcher: did I add up correctly that Fletcher had 165 tackles last season at the age of 36? Why did the Rams ever let him go? (re-signed by Redskins 4/14)

6 - Joe Mays (re-signed by Broncos 3/20)

7 - Jameel McClain: 3-4 strongside, attacking LB reaching his peak. Pass coverage liability. (Re-signed by Ravens, 3/23)

8 - Dan Connor (re-signed by Cowboys 3/16)

9 - Tim Shaw: regarded as a top special teams player

10 – James Farrior: still an 80-tackle 3-4 ILB last year at 36

11 - Bradie James: has lost (at least) a step, platooned with Keith Brooking last year (Signed by Texans 4/13)

12 - Marvin Mitchell: situational rushing-down LB and special teams ace (Signed by Vikings 4/11)

Sleepers: I might have expected to have heard Tim Shaw's name tossed around at Rams Park by now. Quite a few teams made locking up their top special teams players one of their earliest priorities. But Shaw, considered one of the best special teams players in the league, has hit the market. And he was a Titan. Played for Jeff Fisher. We'll see.

Wild card: Jonathan Goff started every game in 2010 and was one of the league's top run-stopping LBs. His 2011 season ended before it started, though, due to a torn ACL. The Giants are trying to re-sign him on the cheap. (Signed by Redskins 5/1)

Tag you're it: no inside linebackers tagged this year. James Laurinaitis and Chris Long are major candidates for franchise tags next season. My guess is it'll go to Laurinaitis.

Out of the running: Lofa Tatupu (signed by Falcons), Demorrio Williams (signed by Chargers two days after the Chiefs cut him), Blake Costanzo (signed by Bears), Tavares Gooden (signed by 49ers), Niko Koutouvides (re-signed by Patriots)

Voting present: Tim Dobbins (re-signed by Texans 4/13), Keyaron Fox, Chase Blackburn (re-signed by Redskins 4/14), Na'il Diggs, Brendon Ayanbadejo (re-signed by Ravens 3/23) , Reggie Walker (re-signed by Big Dead 3/26), Andra Davis, Darryl Blackstock

The doctor will see you now: Gary Brackett (32 and missed last season due to torn rotator cuff), Titus Brown (knee), Stephen Cooper (32, missed most of last season due to torn biceps), Matt McCoy (knee, re-signed by Seahawks 4/13), Reggie Torbor (chronic shoulder problems)

Gawd no: Barrett Ruud (signed by Seahawks 4/7). Don't get caught buying the name. The Bucs made one of the best free agent moves of 2011 when they didn't sign Ruud, though he was coming off three very good seasons for them and seemed in line for a big deal. The rest of the league caught on, too. Ruud didn't get signed until very late in free agency, by Tennessee, where he was a total flop and finished the season on the bench.

RamView’s moves: The Rams have a player on the cusp of the Pro Bowl in James Laurinaitis. They could look for an upgrade over Josh Hull, who appears to be the likeliest backup candidate, but he played well as a rookie (missed all of last season due to an ankle injury). Laurinaitis has been so reliable, and Hull is still cheap; this looks like one of the very few positions on the team where the Rams don't need to make a move.

Shoot the moon: If the Rams have one last splurge left in the budget, David Hawthorne would be an awesome pickup. He's in his prime, he makes plays all over the place, there's a chance he could play outside, you'd be taking him off a division rival... And if I remember correctly, the Rams gain a ton of salary cap space next year and can afford to keep him and Laurinaitis and Chris Long long-term. Then again, I budget like the Democrats do. But if a signing like this is remotely feasible, I hope the Rams are at least kicking the idea around.

Prediction: Having Laurinaitis on the roster is like having a pair of kings at the blackjack table. You don't split them. You don't take another card. You stand pat, and much more often than not, you win.

-$-

Free agency catchup: outside linebacker

Outside linebacker

Top 10 UFA OLBs:

1 - Mario Williams (signed by Bills)

2 – Wesley Woodyard: 25, coming off career year with 97 tackles, special teams captain, plays weakside or middle (re-signed by Broncos)
Kamerion Wimbley: (cut by Raiders 3/16, signed by Titans 3/20)

3 – Jo-Lonn Dunbar: 27, undersized but quick, had breakout season in '11 with 80 tackles, can play strongside or middle (Signed by Rams, 4/2)

4 - Philip Wheeler: a top-15 OLB last season with 85 tackles, but average athlete coming off a foot injury (signed by Raiders 3/31)

5 - Erin Henderson: only 25, good-sized Will backer with 70 tackles last year, Vikings are slow-rolling him (Re-signed by Vikings, 3/23)

6 - Manny Lawson: 27, scheme-diverse, good run defender, has been a good pass-rusher, grades as one of top 4-3 LBs (Re-signed by Bengals, 3/29)

7 - Rocky McIntosh: didn't get big contract last year, play dropped off quite a bit and he got in trouble for breaking curfew (signed by Rams, 6/15)

8 - Gary Guyton: current Patriots benchwarmer, had 85 tackles two years ago (Signed by Dolphins 4/14)

9 - Erik Walden: seemed to have big games whenever I watched the Packers, but never took over the strongside job there. Packers weren't happy with his pass-rushing. (Re-signed by Packers 4/24)

10 – Geno Hayes: 3-year starter in Tampa, lost job to Quincy Black. (Signed by Bears)

11 - Chris Chamberlain: valuable special teams player who's never entered a season as a starting linebacker, but has finished a couple there. (Signed by Saints, 3/23)

Sleepers: Looking for a longshot free agent? How about Patriots backup Gary Guyton? He's only 26, has elite speed and makes plays sideline-to-sideline. Instinctive run defender who fights off blocks well and can disrupt the backfield. Rarely blows a tackle and is improving as a pass defender. Has been productive whenever he's been on the field. Not sure what I'm missing here, but if I were a real scout, I'd be trying to break out lots of tape on this player.

Wild card: Leroy Hill: a physical weakside linebacker who can get you 80-plus tackles and four sacks like he did last season? Remove a traditional Ram-killer from division rival Seattle? Sign me up, please. Three marijuana arrests and a domestic violence charge in the past four years? Uh, not so fast. Then again, he got let off his most recent charge because he passed a drug test administered right after the arrest. (Re-signed by Seahawks 4/13)

Tag you're it: Anthony Spencer

Out of the running: Kirk Morrison (re-signed by Bills), Patrick Bailey (re-signed by Titans), Heath Farwell (re-signed by Seahawks), Jarret Johnson (signed by Chargers), Kenny Onatolu (signed by Panthers), Tracy White (signed by Patriots)

Voting present: Ernie Sims, Brady Poppinga, Brandon Johnson (signed by Steelers 6/13), Jordan Senn (re-signed by Panthers 4/10), Jarvis Moss, Antwan Applewhite (re-signed by Panthers 3/30), Omar Gaither, Mario Haggan (signed by Rams 5/15), Jason Hunter (re-signed by Broncos 3/30), Bryan Kehl (signed by Redskins 4/24), Quentin Groves (signed by Big Dead 5/24), Travis LaBoy (cut by Chargers 5/8), Keith Brooking, Kevin Bentley, David Vobora, Xavier Adibi, Cody Brown

The doctor will see you now: Isaiah Ekejiuba (shoulder), Mike Peterson (torn triceps), Matt Roth (concussion), Bryan Thomas (torn Achilles / re-signed by Jets 3/14)

Gawd no: Clark Haggans (re-signed by Big Dead 6/5) or Joey Porter. The two Cardinals graded as the two worst OLBs in the league by Pro Football Focus. Also Bobby Carpenter (signed by Patriots 4/6), or Ashlee Palmer (signed by Lions 3/23), because that is totally a girl's name.

RamView’s moves: The Rams have struggled at the outside linebacker positions for a while now, and last year was no exception. The plan last year was to go with free agent veterans. Brady Poppinga was no worse, or better, than average, and probably talked his way out of St. Louis for good by slamming Gregg Williams in a recent interview. Ben Leber was a total disaster and didn't even last the season, while Zac Diles didn't even last training camp. While Poppinga could at least hold down one side, it was a revolving door on the weakside. Bryan Kehl got the next try at WLB after Leber, but like 2010, the player to end the season at the position was Chris Chamberlain, who showed the most playmaking ability of anyone the Rams tried. Chamberlain's also a valuable special teams player, and though the new regime appears to be showing little interest in him, I'd be happy to have him back as linebacking depth. I'd go after Guyton in free agency, but he, Chamberlain and Josh Hull, who lost all of 2011 to an ankle injury, sound more like linebacking depth than linebacking starters. With no real outside linebackers on the roster at the moment, and cap room running out, I'm getting a little nervous for the Rams to make a move. There are a few young, playmaking, unsigned, OLBs hanging around; the Rams need to get a move on. I'll target Lawson to join the other veterans I have but also plan to draft a LB.

Shoot the moon: I'm not entertaining the idea beyond mentioning it here, but I've seen some suggest the Rams sign (Curtis Lofton? Steven Tulloch?) or draft (Luke Kuechly?) another inside linebacker and move James Laurinaitis outside. Laurinaitis reportedly isn't opposed to the idea.

Prediction: The Rams still have about $10 million to play with under the cap, with quite a few good linebackers still out there. I have a feeling they have one last significant free agent move on the way, and it'll be at LB, and Laurinaitis could indeed be moving outside. They don't seem very involved in the Lofton or Tulloch sweepstakes at the moment - let's see if they're keeping their powder dry for someone like David Hawthorne, who would be an awesome pickup. More about him next when I get to the ILBs.

-$-