Not exactly a news flash, since it's Monday morning, but the Rams got first-round draft pick Chris Long signed to a six-year contract. That's very good work by both parties getting Chris signed in time for training camp. And the Rams have done a good job lately getting their draft picks signed on time.
Being a typical fan, though, I'll move on to the next complaint; the Rams had better have Donnie Avery on board in time for camp (though there is little reason to expect otherwise). Offense being harder than defense, I'd argue it's more important for Avery to be in camp on time than it is for Long. As the 33rd overall pick, Donnie is basically a first-rounder. Furthermore, he's the lucky guy expected to be the replacement for Isaac Bruce. He's also the guy the Rams are expecting to come in and stretch defenses; the Ram offense needs him. (Though, if he does flop, I like Al Saunders' chances of overcoming that much better than Scott Linehan's.) Keenan Burton has picked up a lot of fans in Rams Nation, and he's signed, but he's not the field-stretcher.
Long is here, which is great. Now the Rams need to get Avery in.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The race to L.A.
Something in St. Louis Rams fans' favor, working against the team's hypothetical future move back to L.A., is that the Rams could be pretty far back in line. Look at this list of teams whose stadium leases are due to expire soon:
2010 - Oakland, New Orleans
2011 - Minnesota
2012 - Buffalo
2014 - St. Louis
Besides the four teams soon to become the NFL franchise equivalent of unrestricted free agents, you've also got the Jagwires, Whiners and Chargers pretty actively looking to improve their stadium situations.
My prediction has been that L.A. will have two teams again by 2020, thinking Rams and Jagwires, but by the time the Rams are clear of the Dome lease, L.A. may not have room for them, with at least six other teams spoiling to move, excluding Buffalo, widely considered a lock to move to Toronto in the near future. The Rams may not even make San Antonio's short list, which I'd believe includes the Vikings and the Saints.
Where would the Rams move if L.A. and San Antonio's openings are filled? Not to any current NFL city; if those cities were, or became, attractive enough to draw the Rams, they'd keep their old teams. So where? Oklahoma City doesn't have the juice to steal another major sports franchise, do they? Memphis? Mexico City (Las Ovejas?) Speaking of "Las", would the NFL dare to move into the city built on what it considers its biggest taboo? (Would Al Davis give them a choice, if he lives long enough?)
NFL 2020
---------
AFC East: Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, Toronto
AFC North: unchanged
AFC South: Colts, Titans, Texans, L.A. Jagwires
AFC West: Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs, VEGAS Raiders
NFC East: unchanged
NFC North: Bears, Lions, Packers, San Antonio
NFC South: unchanged
NFC West: Seahawks, Big Dead, Whiners, L.A. Rams
At least the Rams will be staying in the country...
2010 - Oakland, New Orleans
2011 - Minnesota
2012 - Buffalo
2014 - St. Louis
Besides the four teams soon to become the NFL franchise equivalent of unrestricted free agents, you've also got the Jagwires, Whiners and Chargers pretty actively looking to improve their stadium situations.
My prediction has been that L.A. will have two teams again by 2020, thinking Rams and Jagwires, but by the time the Rams are clear of the Dome lease, L.A. may not have room for them, with at least six other teams spoiling to move, excluding Buffalo, widely considered a lock to move to Toronto in the near future. The Rams may not even make San Antonio's short list, which I'd believe includes the Vikings and the Saints.
Where would the Rams move if L.A. and San Antonio's openings are filled? Not to any current NFL city; if those cities were, or became, attractive enough to draw the Rams, they'd keep their old teams. So where? Oklahoma City doesn't have the juice to steal another major sports franchise, do they? Memphis? Mexico City (Las Ovejas?) Speaking of "Las", would the NFL dare to move into the city built on what it considers its biggest taboo? (Would Al Davis give them a choice, if he lives long enough?)
NFL 2020
---------
AFC East: Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, Toronto
AFC North: unchanged
AFC South: Colts, Titans, Texans, L.A. Jagwires
AFC West: Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs, VEGAS Raiders
NFC East: unchanged
NFC North: Bears, Lions, Packers, San Antonio
NFC South: unchanged
NFC West: Seahawks, Big Dead, Whiners, L.A. Rams
At least the Rams will be staying in the country...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Long expected to sign soon
Per the Post-Dispatch. Just get him in camp on time...
Rams Notes: Team expects to sign Long soon
By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Jul. 15 2008
After meeting for a second time with Chris Long's agent, Rams executive Jay
Zygmunt said he foresees no snags in the negotiations that would make the
team's first-round draft pick late for training camp.
"We remain very optimistic that we're going to be able to get everything worked
out and that Chris will be in camp on time," Zygmunt said after talks with
agent Marvin Demoff on Monday in Los Angeles. "Marvin expressed how important
that is to Chris, and we expressed how important it is to the Rams."
Zygmunt, the Rams' president of football operations and general manager, said
he and Demoff first met last week and will meet again soon, perhaps even today.
Repeated attempts to reach Demoff have been unsuccessful.
Long, a 6-foot-3, 279-pound defensive end out of the University of Virginia,
was the No. 2 overall draft selection. He has been designated the starter at
right end by Rams coach Scott Linehan.
The picks on either side of Long have been under contract for some time:
— The Miami Dolphins signed No. 1 overall pick Jake Long, an offensive tackle
from Michigan, to a five-year, $57.75 million contract, which included a $30
million guaranteed bonus, five days before the April 26-27 draft.
— Former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, the No. 3 pick, received a
six-year, $72 million deal from the Atlanta Falcons on April 20 that included a
guaranteed $34 million, as the third pick.
Also, Darren McFadden, a running back from Arkansas taken fourth by the Oakland
Raiders, signed a six-year, $60 million contract, with $26 million guaranteed,
on June 6.
Training camp opens next week in Mequon, Wis. Players are to report to
Concordia University on July 24, with the first practice scheduled for the next
morning.
The Rams have signed three of their eight draftees: tackle John Greco (third
round pick), wide receiver Keenan Burton (fourth) and guard Roy Schuening
(fifth). Others yet to come to terms are wide receiver Donnie Avery (second),
cornerback Justin King (fourth), and linebackers Chris Chamberlain (seventh)
and David Vobora (seventh).
Zygmunt said he and his assistant, Samir Suleiman, "have meetings scheduled for
the rest of the week" with the players' representatives. "Obviously, the higher
picks get highest priority right now," Zygmunt added. "That's what we're
focused on."
Rams Notes: Team expects to sign Long soon
By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Jul. 15 2008
After meeting for a second time with Chris Long's agent, Rams executive Jay
Zygmunt said he foresees no snags in the negotiations that would make the
team's first-round draft pick late for training camp.
"We remain very optimistic that we're going to be able to get everything worked
out and that Chris will be in camp on time," Zygmunt said after talks with
agent Marvin Demoff on Monday in Los Angeles. "Marvin expressed how important
that is to Chris, and we expressed how important it is to the Rams."
Zygmunt, the Rams' president of football operations and general manager, said
he and Demoff first met last week and will meet again soon, perhaps even today.
Repeated attempts to reach Demoff have been unsuccessful.
Long, a 6-foot-3, 279-pound defensive end out of the University of Virginia,
was the No. 2 overall draft selection. He has been designated the starter at
right end by Rams coach Scott Linehan.
The picks on either side of Long have been under contract for some time:
— The Miami Dolphins signed No. 1 overall pick Jake Long, an offensive tackle
from Michigan, to a five-year, $57.75 million contract, which included a $30
million guaranteed bonus, five days before the April 26-27 draft.
— Former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, the No. 3 pick, received a
six-year, $72 million deal from the Atlanta Falcons on April 20 that included a
guaranteed $34 million, as the third pick.
Also, Darren McFadden, a running back from Arkansas taken fourth by the Oakland
Raiders, signed a six-year, $60 million contract, with $26 million guaranteed,
on June 6.
Training camp opens next week in Mequon, Wis. Players are to report to
Concordia University on July 24, with the first practice scheduled for the next
morning.
The Rams have signed three of their eight draftees: tackle John Greco (third
round pick), wide receiver Keenan Burton (fourth) and guard Roy Schuening
(fifth). Others yet to come to terms are wide receiver Donnie Avery (second),
cornerback Justin King (fourth), and linebackers Chris Chamberlain (seventh)
and David Vobora (seventh).
Zygmunt said he and his assistant, Samir Suleiman, "have meetings scheduled for
the rest of the week" with the players' representatives. "Obviously, the higher
picks get highest priority right now," Zygmunt added. "That's what we're
focused on."
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The last time they met
The Rams are going to need to reverse a lot of history if they're going to make any run to respectability in 2008. If they repeat what they did the last time they played the teams on this year's schedule at the scheduled sites, they're going 4-12. And that includes a highly freaking unlikely win at New England.
The whole rundown, with links:
Week
1 @ Philadelphia, 12/1/2002: Lost 10-3. Andy King makes onto the Rams' All-Worst Team with just one career start.
2 vs. NY Giants, 9/15/2002: Lost 26-21. Freaking Sehorn.
3 @ Seattle, 10/21/2007: Lost 33-6. Seattle plays Tapps for Linehan, or so I'd have thought.
4 vs. Buffalo, 12/10/1995: Lost 45-27. Bills haven't been here since the Dome's first year, before RamView's existence. Link is to Jim Thomas' highly-entertaining game account.
5 @ Washington, 11/24/2002: Lost 20-17. WUERFELLED!
6 vs. Dallas, 9/29/2002: Lost 13-10. The two teams have exactly switched positions from where they were that fateful day.
7 @ New England, 11/18/2001: Won 24-17. The Rams OWN them in their place! j/k
8 vs. Big Dead, 10/7/2007: Lost 34-31. Maybe the referees will wear glasses this year?
9 @ NY Jets, 10/21/2001: Won 34-14. Remember the days when the Rams got criticized for running up the score?
10 @ Whiners, 11/18/2007: Won 13-9. Whiners will be a lot different on offense next time these two meet.
11 vs. Chicago, 12/11/2006: Lost 42-27. Maybe I should have counted this as a home game for the Bears?
12 vs. Miami, 9/30/2001: Won 42-10. Warner and the Rams shocked the league's then-#1 defense, especially with that play right before halftime.
13 @ Big Dead, 12/30/2007: Lost 48-19. And STILL Linehan didn't get fired.
14 vs. Seattle, 11/25/2007: Lost 24-19. Gus Frerotte makes his only lasting impression on Rams Nation.
15 vs. Whiners, 9/17/2007: Lost 20-13. Can't wait for Isaac to run wild in their secondary again, though. Oh.
16 @ Atlanta, 1/15/2005: Lost 47-17. That recently, these two moribund squads actually met in a playoff game. See? There's always hope. The Ram special teams may even improve someday!
You could say I've made this worse than it looks; after all, the Rams beat Atlanta and Washington the last time they played them, didn't they? Yes, but the opposite is true of their last meetings with New England and Miami (and boy, did I not take that loss particularly well.)
Like I said, the Rams have a lot of history to reverse.
The whole rundown, with links:
Week
1 @ Philadelphia, 12/1/2002: Lost 10-3. Andy King makes onto the Rams' All-Worst Team with just one career start.
2 vs. NY Giants, 9/15/2002: Lost 26-21. Freaking Sehorn.
3 @ Seattle, 10/21/2007: Lost 33-6. Seattle plays Tapps for Linehan, or so I'd have thought.
4 vs. Buffalo, 12/10/1995: Lost 45-27. Bills haven't been here since the Dome's first year, before RamView's existence. Link is to Jim Thomas' highly-entertaining game account.
5 @ Washington, 11/24/2002: Lost 20-17. WUERFELLED!
6 vs. Dallas, 9/29/2002: Lost 13-10. The two teams have exactly switched positions from where they were that fateful day.
7 @ New England, 11/18/2001: Won 24-17. The Rams OWN them in their place! j/k
8 vs. Big Dead, 10/7/2007: Lost 34-31. Maybe the referees will wear glasses this year?
9 @ NY Jets, 10/21/2001: Won 34-14. Remember the days when the Rams got criticized for running up the score?
10 @ Whiners, 11/18/2007: Won 13-9. Whiners will be a lot different on offense next time these two meet.
11 vs. Chicago, 12/11/2006: Lost 42-27. Maybe I should have counted this as a home game for the Bears?
12 vs. Miami, 9/30/2001: Won 42-10. Warner and the Rams shocked the league's then-#1 defense, especially with that play right before halftime.
13 @ Big Dead, 12/30/2007: Lost 48-19. And STILL Linehan didn't get fired.
14 vs. Seattle, 11/25/2007: Lost 24-19. Gus Frerotte makes his only lasting impression on Rams Nation.
15 vs. Whiners, 9/17/2007: Lost 20-13. Can't wait for Isaac to run wild in their secondary again, though. Oh.
16 @ Atlanta, 1/15/2005: Lost 47-17. That recently, these two moribund squads actually met in a playoff game. See? There's always hope. The Ram special teams may even improve someday!
You could say I've made this worse than it looks; after all, the Rams beat Atlanta and Washington the last time they played them, didn't they? Yes, but the opposite is true of their last meetings with New England and Miami (and boy, did I not take that loss particularly well.)
Like I said, the Rams have a lot of history to reverse.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Davenport interested in Big Dead, Lions
Dammit, I knew it!
Detroit Free Press
Report: RB Davenport interested in playing for Lions
Running back Najeh Davenport is reportedly interested in playing for the Lions and Arizona Cardinals, he told NFL radio according to www.nflgridirongab.com.
Pittsburgh released the backup running back recently after the team couldn't work out a trade for him.
The Lions might want to add another running back after cutting Kevin Jones. The team still has Tatum Bell, third-round pick Kevin Smith, Brian Calhoun, Artose Pinner and Aveion Cason.
Davenport rushed for a career-high 499 yards last season and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. But he was ineffective as a starter in the Steelers' final two games after Willie Parker broke his leg.
Davenport was held to 25 yards on 16 carries in a 31-29 wild-card playoff loss to Jacksonville. That was after he gained 27 yards on 12 attempts in a season-ending loss at Baltimore.
The Steelers recently drafted running back Rashard Mendenhall on the first round and signed third-down back Mewelde Moore, moves that meant Davenport had little chance of making the team. The team also wanted to keep second-year back Gary Russell.
Davenport played with the Green Bay Packers from 2002-04. He was in the final year of a contract worth $1 million in 2008.
In April, Davenport was acquitted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in Cleveland Municipal Court. He was accused of slapping and punching the mother of his 5-year-old son at her Cleveland home in October.
In 2002, Davenport was arrested at his alma mater, the University of Miami, accused of breaking into a university dormitory and defecating in a woman's closet. He denied the accusation. According to published reports, he was charged with one count of criminal mischief and one count of burglary. But the charges were dismissed in exchange for Davenport teaching a series of football clinics.
Detroit Free Press
Report: RB Davenport interested in playing for Lions
Running back Najeh Davenport is reportedly interested in playing for the Lions and Arizona Cardinals, he told NFL radio according to www.nflgridirongab.com.
Pittsburgh released the backup running back recently after the team couldn't work out a trade for him.
The Lions might want to add another running back after cutting Kevin Jones. The team still has Tatum Bell, third-round pick Kevin Smith, Brian Calhoun, Artose Pinner and Aveion Cason.
Davenport rushed for a career-high 499 yards last season and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. But he was ineffective as a starter in the Steelers' final two games after Willie Parker broke his leg.
Davenport was held to 25 yards on 16 carries in a 31-29 wild-card playoff loss to Jacksonville. That was after he gained 27 yards on 12 attempts in a season-ending loss at Baltimore.
The Steelers recently drafted running back Rashard Mendenhall on the first round and signed third-down back Mewelde Moore, moves that meant Davenport had little chance of making the team. The team also wanted to keep second-year back Gary Russell.
Davenport played with the Green Bay Packers from 2002-04. He was in the final year of a contract worth $1 million in 2008.
In April, Davenport was acquitted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in Cleveland Municipal Court. He was accused of slapping and punching the mother of his 5-year-old son at her Cleveland home in October.
In 2002, Davenport was arrested at his alma mater, the University of Miami, accused of breaking into a university dormitory and defecating in a woman's closet. He denied the accusation. According to published reports, he was charged with one count of criminal mischief and one count of burglary. But the charges were dismissed in exchange for Davenport teaching a series of football clinics.
Rams sign Burton
The Rams have signed 4th-round pick Keenan Burton to a three-year deal.
Surprisingly, this news actually comes from the Rams' website. Link
Three down, five to go. (Long, Avery, King, Chamberlain, Vobora)
I don't know if it's sillier that the Rams don't have anything done with Chris Long when the rest of the top 4 picks are already signed, or that neither of the seventh-round picks have signed yet. Hell, Vobora got a trip to the Playboy Mansion out of the Rams drafting him; he should be paying them.
Surprisingly, this news actually comes from the Rams' website. Link
Three down, five to go. (Long, Avery, King, Chamberlain, Vobora)
I don't know if it's sillier that the Rams don't have anything done with Chris Long when the rest of the top 4 picks are already signed, or that neither of the seventh-round picks have signed yet. Hell, Vobora got a trip to the Playboy Mansion out of the Rams drafting him; he should be paying them.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Will Chiefs fans stand for this?
As if to prove this is a really, really slow news time in the world of football, Yahoo is trumpeting on its main page today that the Kansas City Chiefs have banned standing up during games.
Well, maybe not so much. Looking at Arrowhead's stadium policies, I don't see a list of rules that would seem to be that much different than any other stadium's, though maybe Arrowhead's could use a re-wording. Their policy is to discourage fans from "standing and/or obstructing the view of other fans". The Edward Jones Dome's policy is worded, "Excessive standing that obstructs the view of others seated in the area." EJD's policy, as worded, does a better job of finding a happy middle ground than Arrowhead's does, not that I suspect Arrowhead's policy has ever actually been enforced, since they always seem to have 70,000+ fans standing all game. I don't see Chiefs fans getting kicked out of games for standing this season or in the future.
The new part is that an aggrieved fan can send a text message to one of Arrowhead's "Fans First Booths" to register a complaint. (Ah, technology!) This is being widely scorned by "real" fans, and I agree to some degree. Fans ought to be able to resolve problems amongst themselves. If I were causing a problem, I'd want a chance to correct a reasonable complaint myself without getting the stadium ushers into it. But I think texting can be a good backup option to have for particularly obnoxious offenses or offenders. It's just not the first option I would try.
The first option I would try is to politely ask you to sit down. Because I'm sitting down. I paid for a SEAT. I don't want to stand up for three hours to be able to see a football game I paid $75 to get into. You didn't buy a beer not to drink it. You didn't buy nachos not to eat them. You didn't gas up your car not to drive it. So use your seat. Stand up and cheer big plays, stand up and celebrate plays, but other than that, RamView doesn't need to see your backside when I'm trying to see the game.
Having said all that, I have to add that I have encountered almost no problem with other fans my whole life as a sports fan attending live events. Being a sit-downer supposedly makes me an awful fan, and this appears to be a huge difference between KC, where they stand all game, and STL, where we sit all game, and we can because the ushers enforced the limited-standing rule from the very beginning.
I think sitting down = bad fan is horsecrap. I make plenty of noise for my team, and yes, I'm on my feet for big plays. I just don't see the need to be on my feet the whole game. I'm watching the game, I'm not playing it.
What should I get for my $75? A terrific view from my near-midfield seat when everybody's sitting down, or an obstructed view all day from that same seat, which I don't even get to use?
Well, maybe not so much. Looking at Arrowhead's stadium policies, I don't see a list of rules that would seem to be that much different than any other stadium's, though maybe Arrowhead's could use a re-wording. Their policy is to discourage fans from "standing and/or obstructing the view of other fans". The Edward Jones Dome's policy is worded, "Excessive standing that obstructs the view of others seated in the area." EJD's policy, as worded, does a better job of finding a happy middle ground than Arrowhead's does, not that I suspect Arrowhead's policy has ever actually been enforced, since they always seem to have 70,000+ fans standing all game. I don't see Chiefs fans getting kicked out of games for standing this season or in the future.
The new part is that an aggrieved fan can send a text message to one of Arrowhead's "Fans First Booths" to register a complaint. (Ah, technology!) This is being widely scorned by "real" fans, and I agree to some degree. Fans ought to be able to resolve problems amongst themselves. If I were causing a problem, I'd want a chance to correct a reasonable complaint myself without getting the stadium ushers into it. But I think texting can be a good backup option to have for particularly obnoxious offenses or offenders. It's just not the first option I would try.
The first option I would try is to politely ask you to sit down. Because I'm sitting down. I paid for a SEAT. I don't want to stand up for three hours to be able to see a football game I paid $75 to get into. You didn't buy a beer not to drink it. You didn't buy nachos not to eat them. You didn't gas up your car not to drive it. So use your seat. Stand up and cheer big plays, stand up and celebrate plays, but other than that, RamView doesn't need to see your backside when I'm trying to see the game.
Having said all that, I have to add that I have encountered almost no problem with other fans my whole life as a sports fan attending live events. Being a sit-downer supposedly makes me an awful fan, and this appears to be a huge difference between KC, where they stand all game, and STL, where we sit all game, and we can because the ushers enforced the limited-standing rule from the very beginning.
I think sitting down = bad fan is horsecrap. I make plenty of noise for my team, and yes, I'm on my feet for big plays. I just don't see the need to be on my feet the whole game. I'm watching the game, I'm not playing it.
What should I get for my $75? A terrific view from my near-midfield seat when everybody's sitting down, or an obstructed view all day from that same seat, which I don't even get to use?
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