Rams acquire Mark Barron

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Make no mistake, part of the reason this is the world's slowest blog is that the Rams are just no fun to write about. The 2014 season is rapidly spinning down the toilet bowl after an uncompetitive 34-7 loss at Kansas City dropped the Rams to 2-5 and about half the team was injured, including Brian Quick and Jake Long for the season. But there has been plenty to write about.

For instance, the Rams made a frankly puzzling trade at the deadline Tuesday and acquired Tampa safety Mark Barron. Drafted 7th overall in 2012, Barron has underachieved so far in Tampa and they're basically giving up on him. With several injuries yet to be reported, the Rams may have made the move because they've run out of bodies in the secondary. Rumor is that Rodney McLeod has a long-term knee injury. Cody Davis got a concussion Sunday. All of that conspired to bump Lamarcus Joyner back to safety for a while during the game. Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson could both return to action this week, but the roster is still very thin at safety short of moving TruJo or Joyner back there full-time, not the best use for either player.

Barron is 6'1", 213 and just 25. He was considered the best safety of the 2012 draft class, highly regarded for his ball skills, range and run support. Those haven't translated from Alabama to the NFL so far. Pro Football Focus ranked him 70th at his position as a rookie, 55th last year, and he was down to 66th this year. The verdict from Tampa is that the Bucs never used Barron correctly, that he should be used as an in-the-box safety but played deep safety about 70% of the time. He's supposed to be a very good run defender and to possess the skills to cover tight ends underneath to thrive as a box safety. His deep speed and coverage skills are lacking and the Bucs were not putting him in the best position to succeed.

The Rams gave up 4th- and 6th-round picks for Barron. There's little question any more those are going to be picks very early in those rounds. It's also hard to look at this team and not think they need all the draft picks they can get. With all the holes they (still) have, that's too high a price to pay for an unproductive safety. Box safeties are cheap commodities. In recent seasons, the Rams have found Davis, McLeod and Darian Stewart as undrafted free agents. And what the hell happened to Maurice Alexander, this year's 4th-round pick? He ideally would have been next man up, but instead, the Rams fired off two draft picks to not have to play him. So, two picks for Barron, and expense a blown pick on a safety they're apparently already giving up on to that account, too.

Barron sounds like a good fit, and he's still young. It's still a trade I have a hard time getting enthused about until Les Snead finds a way to replace those draft picks.

-$-

Rams report, 10/18: Key Seahawks missing

AP

More Rams news you already knew, from the world's slowest blog:

* Attendance report. Who knows how much it will matter since the Rams just lost to the 49ers without Patrick Willis, NaVarro Bowman or Aldon Smith, but Seattle will be missing some key players for tomorrow's game:

-The heart of the defense, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, will be out due to turf toe. His absence should be a significant help to the running game. Plus, if that pulls Kam Chancellor into run defense even more than he already is, the Rams should be able to kill Seattle with play-action tight end passes.

- With Byron Maxwell (calf injury) out, Brian Quick should have a much better time getting open than he did against the 49ers. Maxwell's injury should make Marcus Burley the next man up for Seattle. Seattle should also be much more vulnerable in the slot than usual.

- The best player on the Seahawk offensive line, center Max Unger, is out due to a foot injury. If the Rams don't get pressure up the middle on Russell Wilson tomorrow, they never will.

- And, in possibly the worst-timed trade in league history, the Seahawks traded Percy Harvin to the Jets Friday. So they didn't watch tape of the Rams from opening week at all? Harvin was set up to kill the Rams with jet sweeps tomorrow, and loosen up the field a lot for Marshawn Lynch. The Rams will be keying all over Lynch now.

The Rams' injury report:
Doubtful: Tim Barnes (shoulder, injured Monday night)
Questionable: Jo-Lonn Dunbar (groin), Trumaine Johnson (knee), Brandon McGee (foot), Ethan Westbrooks (hand)
Probable: Alex Carrington (knee), Barrett Jones (back), Austin Pettis (ankle), Chase Reynolds (hip), Zac Stacy (ankle).

The Rams are 6.5-point underdogs and Seattle is being picked to win straight up by 98% of the public.

* Referees admit they're idiots. In a rare admission, the NFL said the referees blew the call against Jared Cook in the first half Monday night. League vice-president Dean Blandino:

From the back judge's perspective, the official that threw the flag, he's got Cook extending his arms into the defender, and in his judgment, pushing to create separation. That's not the case when you look at the sideline angle. (Cook) is going to get jammed by the defender and he's going to use his hands to get that release. That's legal, that's not offensive pass interference. Not a correct call.

Unfortunately, a bad, young team like the Rams that finds plenty of ways to lose games on its own isn't going to recover from referee screw-ups.

* Alumni news. Not a lot out there this week, though I have to admit I didn't look very hard. John Greco has moved to starting center for the Browns after Alex Mack's season-ending injury last week. The Browns also suffered another season-ending injury: Armonty Bryant, the defensive lineman whose tackle blew out Sam Bradford's knee in preseason, blew out his right knee against the Steelers. Maybe Bradford was contagious? 

-$-

Rams report, 10/12: Class of '99 reunion

* Monday night injury report:
Out - Trumaine Johnson (knee); Brandon McGee (foot).
Questionable - Alex Carrington (knee); Jo-Lonn Dunbar (groin); Barrett Jones (back); Chase Reynolds (hip).
Probable - Kenny Britt (knee); Eugene Sims (groin); Zac Stacy (calf).

Stacy is expected to play. The worrying name on this week's list is Dunbar, who's made a good number of run stuffs this season and has been the player most comfortable in the new scheme, since he played in it before in New Orleans. For San Francisco, Vernon Davis (back) and Anthony Davis (back) look like the most significant injuries. Both are questionable.

ESPN

* Transactions:
The 49ers are 3-point favorites and are getting picked straight-up by 94% of fans, so the Rams will try to chop down the mightiest tree in the forest with a Herring. To replace Ray Ray Armstrong, they signed veteran LB Will Herring (31, 6'3", 241), who vexed the Rams a time or two as a Seahawk. It'll be as shocking to hear that Herring played a season for Gregg Williams in New Orleans (he spent three years there) as it will be to hear that he's a graduate of (sigh) Auburn University.  Scouting reports consider Herring strictly a special-teams specialist. His veteran temperament could settle down the Rams' special-teams penalty problems. He was the Saints' special teams captain last season.

* Alumni report:
- As for Ray Ray The Penalty Machine, he was cut on Monday and picked up by Tuesday by the team he was born to play for: the Raiders. And yes, he will return to St. Louis November 30.

Sporting News

- Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson was the subject of A Football Life this week on NFL Network. It wasn't a bad hour of TV, but it wasn't very compelling, either. If you missed it, you don't have to go out of your way to watch it. The highlight was, well, the highlights, featuring not only Dickerson's amazing ability to break tackles and make people miss in the open field, but the impressive offensive line he ran behind. I think he broke O.J. Simpson's record with a 9-yard run; thanks to his line he didn't have to deal with a defender for the first 7 yards of it. Another favorite highlight was a 20-25 yard TD run where Dennis Harrah has his back to the play and it's not even close to over, but he raises his hands and heads toward the sideline because he knew that early in the play that it was going to be a TD. Old fans don't need to hear from me that a RB that good with a line that good in front of him really should have gotten the Rams a championship or two.

- And, of course, the Rams are going to have the better part of the Super Bowl XXXIV championship team in St. Louis this weekend and tomorrow night. The Rams' gameday info e-mail to season ticket holders lists these as the players and coaches expected to attend: Coach Dick Vermeil, Coach Mike Martz, Ray Agnew, Taje Allen, Lionel Barnes, Dre Bly, Isaac Bruce, Devin Bush, Kevin Carter, Rich Coady, Ernie Conwell, Clifton Crosby, D'Marco Farr, Marshall Faulk, London Fletcher, Mike Gruttadauria, Az Hakim, James Hodgins, Robert Holcombe, Torry Holt, Mike Horan, Tony Horne, Keith Lyle, Dexter McCleon, Andy McCollum, Fred Miller, Mike Morton, Tom Nütten, Orlando Pace, Jeff Robinson, Cameron Spikes, Chris Thomas, Ryan Tucker, Rick Tuten, Kurt Warner, Justin Watson, Jeff Wilkins, Jay Williams, Roland Williams, Grant Wistrom, Jeff Zgonina. Forget the halftime ceremony: they could stand to suit about 16 of those guys up for the game.

RamView will have to miss all the fun due to a scheduling conflict - thanks for the stupid Monday night game, Goodell, I could have made it today - but maybe I'll have the recap out Wednesday now instead of Friday. Monday night games still suck.

-$-

Rams cut Armstrong

@boom_king26

In the wake of a 34-28 loss at Philadelphia in which they trailed 34-7 at one point, the Rams have cut special teams player Ray Ray Armstrong. As they're known to do, the Rams hurt their cause with a bunch of penalties (10), many of them dumb, and though I think this was his first penalty this season, Armstrong's had a penchant for stupid special teams penalties, and he committed the dumbest one Sunday, a 15-yarder for shoving an Eagle player down after a 22-yard Darren Sproles punt return. That put the Eagles across midfield to start what would be a FG drive. (He might also have had something to do with the Eagles' blocked punt TD; the pressure came from the gap between him and Corey Harkey.)

For that to be a penalty that cost him his job, Armstrong didn't get his money's worth, because it wasn't that much of a push. The Eagle player fell more because he slipped on the turf than because Armstrong pushed him. It was a soft penalty, but you know what? Just don't do that. There was no need for it, and Armstrong's penalties have hurt the Rams more than enough times.

So, it took over two years, but there are finally implications in the Fisher regime for committing stupid penalties. With Armstrong out, and with Zac Stacy injured, there's the glorious chance Monday night that the Rams' 3rd- and 4th-round picks this year, Tre Mason and Maurice Alexander, might both actually be active for a game. Being down a LB could mean that Denicos Allen will get called up from the practice squad, but there's no official move there yet.

I also wouldn't be terribly surprised to see Armstrong turn up on the roster of a NFC West team in the next week or so.

-$-

Rams report, 10/3: Lots of stuff you already knew

AP

* Davis named starter. Jeff Fisher has backtracked on his pre-bye week talk and has named Austin Davis the Rams' starting QB for the rest of the season. It's surprising that Fisher changed his mind after saying nothing but "Shaun Hill is our starter" for three weeks, but it's the right move. Davis' ability to lead the offense, his mobility, his fearlessness going downfield, and certainly not least, his 70+% completion percentage, have earned him the starting role, while Hill hadn't done anything to plant himself decisively into the role.

Designating Davis as the starter for the rest of the season is the right move, too. If he's earned the job, he's earned the chance to have and keep the job without having to look over his shoulder every week. I feared Davis' interceptions or blitz-reading skills might knock him back to second-string, but in promoting Davis and avoiding a QB controversy, Fisher has made the right move.
 
* Injury report: The Rams should be in pretty good shape coming off a bye week, and they are.
Out: Trumaine Johnson (knee), Barrett Jones (back), Brandon McGee (foot). Johnson is said to be on schedule, which to me means he could return in the next couple of weeks. Jones has improved to the point of working out individually and could be ready to go next week.
Probable: Shaun Hill (quad). Sounds like Hill is really 100%, though.
Questionable: Tavon Austin (knee). Austin has looked good in practice and should be active tomorrow.

Two significant injuries for the Eagles: they could be missing Mychal (aka Marvin) Kendricks on defense, and will be missing center Jason Kelce on the offensive line.

* Tick talk. The reason for Scott Wells' mysterious absences this summer has been revealed: a bug bite. STLToday article OK, it was much more serious than that. Wells contracted a disease called ehrlichia, which develops from tick bites. It started with flu-like symptoms before Wells actually ended up in intensive care the last week of OTAs. Yikes. Wells also lost 20 pounds while in ICU. Double yikes. Wells doesn't have any idea where he got the tick bite. He wasn't out camping and his dogs weren't even at his house. He missed time in training camp getting his weight and his strength back.

So obviously, Wells had a lot to overcome physically just to be ready for the season. STLToday's article agrees with my last RamView that Wells and the offensive line are coming off their best performance of the season. Still TBD if a symptom of ehrlichia is forgetting snap counts, though.

* Practice squad shuffle. Justin Veltung returned to the practice squad during the bye week, replacing Brad Smelley. Since then, though, Smelley has returned, replacing Kourtnei Brown. The current squad: Denicos Allen, Emory Blake, Christian Bryant, Matt Conrath, Garrett Gilbert, Mike Remmers, Smelley, Veltung, Jemea Thomas, Brandon Washington.

* Alumni report:
- Ryan Pickett re-gained the crown for longest-tenured former Ram from Steven Jackson when he was signed by Houston last week.
- Carolina signed Chris Ogbonnaya. He was cut by Cleveland before the start of this season after playing there for three years. Carolina's top three RBs are all out right now, so Chris could see some carries.
- Kevin Reddick, who had a cup of coffee on the Rams' PS in September, has been signed by San Diego.
- I'm sure everyone's had enough of the Ray Rice story, but I didn't know about former Ram (identified only as a former Raven) Chris Johnson's involvement in the anti-domestic violence movement. I knew his sister had passed away but not that her death was a result of domestic violence. Johnson has become a pretty prominent voice, so I thought I'd link to this SI.com article.

ESPN

* The Rams are 7-point underdogs to the Eagles Sunday. Straight up, 97% of fans are picking Philadelphia to win. The Eagles looked far from unbeatable in San Francisco, though, thanks to injuries in the middle of their offensive line. LeSean McCoy, and therefore my FFL team, have gone nowhere the past two weeks. The 49ers knocked Nick Foles around. Of the two QBs tomorrow, Davis may be the one with the better deep ball. I would definitely like to see the Rams run plays that get Davis outside. Philadelphia was clueless last week to the idea of pocket containment. They don't defend the edges well at all, so let's run plenty of sweeps, too. A lot more flaws to this team than you'd expect for a playoff-caliber team. Let's see if the Rams can find ways to exploit those.

-$-