Free agency micro-preview: offensive line

Top 5 UFA tackles: 1 - Doug Free 2 - Tyson Clabo 3 - Jermon Bushrod 4 - Jeromey Clary 5 - Jammal Brown

Free had a solid first season as Dallas' starting LT. Clabo is well-regarded, another of those Falcon players who just gets the job done. Better pass-protector than run-blocker. San Diego has a very similar player in Clary, but 3 years younger at 27. I get less and less sure what to make of Bushrod. He protects Drew Brees' blindside, and the Saints were a top-5 o-line last year in sacks allowed, but he gives up a lot of pressures. Brown's career has really been set back by injuries, and a problem with him is that he's likely to demand LT playing time, LT pay, or both.

Top 5 UFA centers: 1 - Lyle Sendlein 2 - Kyle Cook 3 - David Baas 4 - Olin Kreutz 5 - Samson Satele

Who? Pro Football Focus ranked Big Dead center Sendlein as the third-best pass-protector at center in 2010, behind only Jeff Saturday and Matt Birk; heady company. Bengal center Cook gets high marks for his leadership and athleticism; good marks for his run-blocking. While PFF calls Baas one of the worst pass-protecting centers in the league, he's the 49ers' top free agent priority, and they're afraid someone's going to swoop in and offer him "Jason Brown money". (Brown is the fifth-BEST pass protector at center, btw.) PFF's stats could be misrepresenting Baas since he switched to center from guard last season. He's likely to improve. Kreutz had a terrible 2010, and is likely on the downside of his career, but he still ranked well in pass protection, and Chicago's line was coming together by the end of last season. The undersized Satele's reputation is as a good pass-blocker, but his numbers don't show it. Still, he's an experienced starter.

Top 5 UFA guards: 1 - Carl Nicks 2 - Marshall Yanda 3 - Harvey Dahl 4 - Daryn Colledge 5 - Robert Gallery

Nicks and Yanda are two of the top young guards in the NFL and are expected to be top re-signing priorities of their respective teams, the Saints and Ravens. Yanda's also very capable at right tackle. Dahl's one of those instigators you always hate until he's on your team, though not the hack Richie Incognito was when he was here. PFF also considers Dahl a top-10 pass-blocker at guard, and, sit down if you're reading this, gives top 20 ratings to Incognito and Jacob Bell. Colledge had a solid 2010 for the Packers at LG, which seems to be his best position. Gallery is actually going to be one of the more interesting free agents to watch. He's played well for Oakland at guard, salvaging a little bit of the treasure trove they paid him to play tackle as the second pick overall in 2006. A lot of teams, including Seattle, sound very interested in him, and he's expecting a(nother) big payday.

Sleepers: Wayne Hunter (t), Ryan Harris (t), Jason Spitz (c), Justin Blalock (g)

Hunter's considered one of the best swing tackles in the league even after giving up 3 sacks in one game last year against Miami. Very strong but better at pass-blocking than run-blocking. Denver isn't expected to re-sign Harris, possibly due to injury problems, but when he's been on the field, he's allowed an impressively-low amount of sacks. Spitz is a powerful, um, road-grader, one of the strongest linemen in the league for his size. Can play center or guard and isn't expected to be re-signed in Green Bay. Falcon linemen are sure getting mentioned a lot in this post, and they're going to have problems keeping everyone. Blalock's a solid run-blocker at LG who can handle a bull-rush, but you can beat him with speed.

Out of the running: Logan Mankins (franchised by New England), Ryan Kalil (franchised by Carolina), Alan Faneca (retired), Will Svitek (re-signed with Atlanta), Daniel Loper (re-signed with Oakland), Mansfield Wrotto (re-signed with Buffalo), Richie Incognito (re-signed with Miami)

Voting present:
Tackles: Khalif Barnes, Matt Light, Jeremy Trueblood, Charlie Johnson, Barry Sims, Mario Henderson, Ryan Cook, Jonathan Scott, Trai Essex, Jon Jansen, Stephon Heyer, Rashad Butler, Guy Whimper, Quinn Ojinnaka, Allen Barbre, Tony Moll, Zach Strief, Pat McQuistan, Rob Petitti, Corey Hilliard, Adam Terry, D'Anthony Batiste

Centers: Chris Spencer, Jonathan Goodwin, Rudy Niswanger, Ben Claxton, Dylan Gandy, Eric Ghiaciuc, Chris Morris

Guards: Kyle Kosier, Deuce Lutui, Davin Joseph, Pork Chop Womack, Max Jean-Gilles, Derrick Dockery, Mike Brisiel, Billy Yates, Tony Ugoh, Mike Pollak, Evan Mathis, Scott Mruczkowski, Chester Pitts, Nick Cole, Kevin Boothe, Kasey Studdard, Tony (Ruh-Roh) Wragge, Reggie Wells, Josh Beekman, Nate Livings, Chris Chester, Leroy Harris

The doctor will see you now: Damien Woody, Willie Colon, Jared Gaither, Mark Setterstrom, Ryan O'Callaghan, Ray Willis, Ben Hamilton, Cory Procter

The financial planner will see you now: Langston Walker (could retire, 2010 season ended by concussion); Casey Wiegmann (working out with Chiefs but hasn't ruled out retirement)

Gawd no: Alex Barron, Sean Locklear. What team in their right mind is going to sign Alex Barron? Would you even sign him for your UFL team? I don't think so. Locklear's turned into Seattle's version of that tackle who's bad, but you still can't get rid of him, like Barron was with the Rams. Maybe this year.

RamView's move: Right guard is where all the action's going to be here; let's dispatch with the rest of the line quickly. Rodger Saffold looks like he's going to be a gem at LT. Jacob Bell at LG and Jason Brown at C don't seem to have lived up to their contracts as run-blockers, but they appear to make up for it as pass-blockers, if you take those numbers at face value, and Josh McDaniels' arrival at Rams Park will certainly increase the emphasis on pass-blocking. Jason Smith's been up-and-down, and injured a lot, at RT; it'd be great if this is the year his game takes the quantum leap to match his 2009 draft position. Renardo Foster was a pleasant surprise in spot duty at both tackle positions. He gives the Rams a level of comfort with their tackle depth; veteran Hank Fraley, who didn't have to take the field last year, should be able to help out at center or guard if needed in an emergency.

There's no such comfort level for the Rams at right guard, where I'm surprised at just how bad Adam Goldberg was last year. Yes, it was pretty apparent he was a liability run-blocking, especially in goal-line and short-yardage situations. What I didn't realize was on top of that, he was also the fifth-worst pass-protector at guard in 2010. That's flat-out bad, worse than I would have graded Goldberg even at mediocre. John Greco stole some reps from Goldberg during the regular season despite missing the better portion of training camp (again) due to (another) injury. It was apparent that he gave the Rams running game more power. And once you see how poorly Goldberg fared as a pass-blocker, how much worse could Greco be? (Seeing Incognito as a top-20 pass-protector makes me want to smash my head into all four pillars, btw.)

Time for Greco to live up to the Nick Kaczur hype he was getting before he was drafted; RamView's installing him as the starting RG in 2011. But keeping a close eye on college guard prospects again for 2012. You lose some versatility if you lose Goldberg, but nothing at guard you can't make up for by signing a veteran such as Max Jean-Gilles or Derrick Dockery.

Shoot the moon: Do what the Raiders did a couple of years ago with Gallery and admit you way overdrafted a guard. We know Jason Smith can maul people. Shuffle him inside and snag one of the top tackles. Heck, really shoot the moon and sign Ryan Harris from the Broncos; he's only given up 3.5 sacks in 24 career starts. He is a big injury gamble, but we're shooting the moon here, and if this slightly-crazy plan works, you've got the mauler the running game needs at RG and an elite or near-elite pass-protector at RT. Worth the gamble? Worth the PR hit the front office's drafting reputation would take? Hey, go big or go home, right?

Prediction: The coaching staff's "body language" from last season is that they like Goldberg - they kept rolling him out there, after all - and don't trust Greco; witness all the times he was inactive, though according to Steve Spagnuolo, it was done to keep Foster active due to injuries at tackle. I think they'll re-sign Goldberg (I'm not against that; I thought he played well as a spot starter before last season, and also note the leadership role he's taken with the linemen during the lockout), install him as the starter and cross their fingers along with everyone else in Rams Nation that Greco takes the RG job from him in training camp and makes Goldberg the swing man on the o-line again.

Up next: defensive line.

Photo: St. Louis Rams

Free agency micro-preview: tight end

Top 5 UFA tight ends: 1 - Zach Miller (Raiders). Pick of the litter: just 25 with back-to-back 60-reception seasons and 8 TDs in that timespan. 2 - Kevin Boss. Coming off hip surgery, but big target and reliable red-zone weapon. 3 - Daniel Graham. Regarded as one of the league's best blocking TEs. 4 - Daniel Fells. Hey, he's just turning 28 and is coming off a 41-catch season. Caught in uncomfortable territory for a TE, though; not a big-play threat, not a consistent red-zone threat, not a dominating run blocker. 5 - Bo Scaife. Really got out of favor in Tennessee; his productivity has dropped by one-third since 2008.

Sleeper: David Thomas. Saint H-back is very smart, a very effective short-area receiver and has given the Rams trouble in past meetings. Saints love him, though, and he's expected to be a high-priority re-signing. Also, he had more catches in each of his last two seasons in New Orleans than he did his first three (two healthy) seasons combined, all in New England under... Josh McDaniels.

Out of the running: Marcedes Lewis (franchised by Jagwires); Owen Daniels (re-signed with Houston); Jeremy Shockey (signed with Carolina); Alex Smith (re-signed with Cleveland); Kris Wilson (re-signed with San Diego); Daniel Coats (re-signed with Denver)

Voting present: Donald Lee, Jeff King, Leonard Pope, Matt Spaeth, Jonathan Stupar, Dante Rosario, Desmond Clark, Steven SPACH, Tory Humphrey, Derek Schouman, Ben Patrick, John Gilmore, Anthony Becht, Greg Estandia, Reggie Kelly

The doctor will see you now: Joey Haynos, Brad Cottam, Chris Baker

Gawd no: Randy McMichael, Darcy Johnson, Jerramy Stevens. If he's quit dropping everything in sight like he did his last season in St. Louis, McMichael is still a role player at best, and I wouldn't rely on him for a key block. I still don't know how Johnson made the Rams' regular season roster last year. Stevens should forever consider himself lucky not to be in jail.

RamView's move: Michael Hoomanawanui, who was a tantalizingly-good receiver when healthy in 2010, and 2nd-round draft pick Lance Kendricks figure to be the main receiving and field-opening options at TE, so RamView is all about getting somebody to knock some heads. I started the idea as a joke, but a mauler blocking TE really is a big need for the Rams and could well be one of the first items they address in free agency. I like Daniel Fells and Billy Bajema, but how many times have you heard either's name called for throwing a big block on a play? Think a big masher out on the end might not have helped the Rams running game a few times last year, especially on goal-line and short-yardage situations? Get a tight end that can seal the edge, and maybe the running game diversifies beyond its 90% Jackson-up-the-middle tendencies.

That's what has gotten me interested in picking up a veteran blocking TE like Daniel Graham, who's not only still considered one of the better blocking TEs around, he's also played in Josh McDaniels' offense in New England and in Denver. Hurdles to signing Graham, though: he's a Colorado native and could try to re-sign with the Broncos even though they cut him in March; he preceded McDaniels at both of their stops and may not actually be one of McDaniels' "guys"; Seattle is said to be very interested, and Graham played for Seahawks o-line coach/woman-beater Tom Cable in college.

As for Fendi Onobun, he hit the injured reserve last year with a ton of potential, but with little blocking experience, and with Kendricks aboard, he may have already missed his window here. Without a quantum leap in training camp, he's likely to spend a lot of time on the practice squad waiting for someone to get injured.

Shoot the moon: The Rams actually already shot the moon at TE when they drafted Lance Kendricks in the 2nd round of this year's draft, an aggressive move aimed at opening up their sputtering offense, and an interesting priority given Josh McDaniels' sparse use of tight ends in the past. Expectations will be high on Kendricks from day one, though. OK, kid, step on up and be Aaron Hernandez. If Kendricks and McDaniels can make that happen, the Ram offense, and franchise, will have taken a giant step toward returning to the top of the league.

Prediction: The Rams almost didn't keep Fells last year. McDaniels is said to like him, but at the same time, probably doesn't have that much of a role for him, and I don't expect Fells to fancy staying around to be a blocking TE. I'll guess Daniel for a Cleveland Browns uniform in 2011 and Billy Bajema as the third TE here, with Britt Miller getting looks there as well.

Up next: offensive line.

Photo: KDVR-TV (Denver)

Free agency micro-preview: wide receivers

Top 5 UFA WRs: 1 - Sidney Rice. Big, young, had major breakout season in 2009, but how's his hip? 2 - Santonio Holmes. Fast, develops chemistry with QBs quickly, one of the best clutch receivers in the league. 3 - Santana Moss. 93 catches last season and a surprisingly effective deep threat for a 32-year-old. 4 - Lance Moore. Productive slot receiver with 10 and 8 TDs his last two healthy seasons. 5 - Braylon Edwards. Capable big WR and deep threat but a known head case.

Sleepers: Jacoby Jones, James Jones. Jacoby the Texan has size, youth and blazing speed, and was starting to put it all together at the end of last season. He was a popular pick for breakout WR heading into 2010; maybe the pundits were just a year early. James the Packer is said to have elite starter talent, and is frequently compared to Anquan Boldin, but he drops a lot of passes.

Out of the running: Vincent Jackson (franchised by San Diego), Mike Williams (re-signed with Seattle), Ben Obomanu (re-signed with Seattle), Derrick Mason (re-signed with Baltimore), Darius Reynaud (re-signed with the Giants), Domenik Hixon (re-signed with the Giants), Jason Hill (re-signed with the Jagwires), Torry Holt (NFL Network)

Voting present: Steve Breaston, Malcom Floyd, Mike Sims-Walker, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Brandon Stokley, Brad Smith, Rashied Davis, Courtney Roby, Derek Hagan, Brian Finneran, David Clowney, Sam Hurd, Kelley Washington, Devin Aromashodu, Antonio Bryant, Ruvell FREAKING Martin, Chansi Stuckey, Maurice Stovall, Michael Clayton, Terrance Copper, Demetrius Williams, Keenan Burton, Joey Galloway, Dennis Northcutt, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Kevin Curtis, Greg Lewis, Troy Williamson. A long list, but pretty slim pickings. Breaston has a ton of positives but you'd be adding another bad knee to a receiving corps that's already had a lot of blowouts. Floyd's big but can't stay on the field. Sims-Walker seemed to disappear in every game last year but a couple.

The doctor will see you now: Steve Smith (Giants), Mike Furrey, Isaiah Stanback

Gawd no: Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Plaxico Burress, Dwayne Jarrett, Hank Baskett, Legedu Naanee. Moss' act has clearly worn thin around the NFL. Stallworth was an absolute bust in Baltimore last year (2 catches) and wouldn't be worth the bad PR. Burress is more likely a gawd-no from the Rams; I'm mostly ambivalent about the guy. Jarrett's up for his 2nd DWI charge in 3 years. Baskett's only notable for marrying a Playmate, and boy, did I have a much crueler way to phrase that originally. Naanee had a drunken fight with police this offseason but deserves even more scorn for fooling fantasy leaguers into thinking he'd be a decent waiver pickup after the first game last season. Yes, I fell for it.

Gawd no update: Why did I ever decide to give Terrell Owens the benefit of the doubt? If he even plays this year now, he'll be coming off recent surgery to fix an ACL reportedly torn while making his VH1 reality show. What an idiot.

RamView's move: More than anywhere else last season, the wide receiver position was where the Rams ran aground, so the team stocked up on big, sure-handed receivers and red-zone threats by drafting Austin Pettis and Greg Salas. Danny Amendola will certainly stick as a slot receiver and ought to thrive in Josh McDaniels' offense. Beyond them, it'll be a dogfight to make the team at WR. Danario Alexander flashed as a deep threat but showed a lot of rough edges. And knees about as sturdy as Joe Namath's. Donnie Avery might have Brandon Lloyd potential, or he might not make it out of training camp. Again. Based on his flurry of productivity as soon as he came to replace Avery last season, you'd call Mark Clayton the Rams' #1 wideout, but he's coming off a torn patellar tendon and still has to be signed to a contract. The main thing Laurent Robinson has going for him right now is that the coaches seem to like him. Brandon Gibson wishes he could say the same.

RamView's move, though, shocked as I am to say it, is no move at all. Rice is the only member of this FA class who impresses me enough to justify making a major move, and I don't know enough about his hip condition to say signing him would be a good idea. And he's had just the one huge season, which to me increases the gamble. Sure, I'd take Breaston over Avery, and either Jacoby or James Jones might have #1 WR potential here, but tinkering around the edges with moves like those isn't going to get the Rams much bang for their free-agent buck. A healthy Rice is the only feasible pickup I'd recommend to the Rams from a WR class that's surprisingly weak at second glance. Getting former Mizzou Tigers Alexander and Brad Smith on the field at the same time is a fun idea that would generate local interest, but Smith is too limited as a receiver, and the Rams lack room on the roster for someone who'd just be a gadget guy, to lead me to think Smith would play a down for the Rams this year that counts.

Shoot the moon: You don't have to be Neal Clark Warren to compute a good match between Sidney Rice, the Rams' lack of a marquee receiver, and Stan Kroenke's checkbook. Rice certainly sounds like Rams Nation's preferred free agent option at WR. He's just 24, a major deep threat who broke out in 2009 with 83 catches, 1,312 yards and 8 TDs. Wait a minute, what happened to 2010? Rice had hip surgery, missed half the season and had only really one impact game, and that was against Buffalo. Rice opted for the surgery in August after rest hadn't cleared up the injury, which he originally experienced in the 2010 playoffs. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, now claims Rice is in the best shape of his life. Well, good thing he's an unbiased observer. Still, Rice is the the plum of the WR class, the best chance the Rams have of bringing in a player who can credibly step right into the #1 WR role. Just like when they drafted Sam Bradford, the Rams' only move here is to go big, or go home. If they've got reason enough to be satisfied with the condition of Rice's hip, go for it.

Prediction: There's a reason the Rams drafted Lance Kendricks and plan to greatly increase the tight ends' role in the passing game this season. There's just not enough help out there at wide receiver. I'll predict they'll be a player in the Rice sweepstakes, but step aside once the bidding goes beyond what makes good sense, and go to training camp with the receivers they have now, re-signing Clayton and Robinson.

Tight ends up next.

Photo: Sports Illustrated

Free agency micro-preview: running backs

Top 5 UFA RBs: 1 - DeAngelo Williams. Most dynamic runner available and legitimate 1,500-yard threat, but injury issues are likely to make staying in Carolina his best bet. 2 - Cedric Benson. Revitalized his career in Cincinnati and is reportedly in the best shape of his life. 3 - Ahmad Bradshaw. Excellent breakaway threat can score from anywhere. Can also fumble from anywhere. 4 - Darren Sproles. Receiving threat par excellence, but will get you almost nothing if needed in feature-RB role. 5 - Joseph Addai. 15 TDs in 2007, 13 TDs in 2009, so he's due for another big year.

Top UFA fullbacks: 1 - Jason Snelling. Best receiving fullback in the league. 2 - Vonta Leach. Effective goal-line weapon. 3 - Le'Ron McClain. Big problem is that he doesn't really want to be a fullback. 4 - John Kuhn. Uncanny nose for the end zone. 5 - Naufahu Tahi. Good old-fashioned slobberknocker.

Sleepers: Brandon Jackson, Jerious Norwood. Norwood's a dynamite change-of-pace back capable of scoring any time he touches the ball. He's also capable of getting injured any time he touches the ball. Jackson's a young 24, has flashed good receiving and rushing skills and picks up the blitz well, but has never really settled into a role in Green Bay. Removed Willis McGahee, who is not a free agent

Out of the running: Pierre Thomas (re-signed with New Orleans), Leon Washington (re-signed with Seattle), Derrick Ward (re-signed with Houston), Danny Ware (re-signed with the Giants), Michael Bennett (re-signed with Oakland), Rock Cartwright (signed with Oakland)

Voting present: Clinton Portis, Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Mewelde Moore, Cadillac Williams, Brian Westbrook, Julius Jones, Jerome Harrison, Mike Bell, Michael Robinson, DeShawn Wynn, Patrick Cobbs, Tony Richardson, Ahmard Hall (fb), Lawrence Vickers (fb), Quinton Ganther, Jackie Battle, Heath Evans (fb), Willie Parker, Sammy Morris, Deon Anderson (fb), Kolby Smith, Clifton Smith, Tim Castille (fb), Korey Hall (fb), Kyle Eckel (fb)
7/26/11 - removed Michael Bush (RFA)

The doctor will see you now: Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor, Kevin Smith, Jason Wright, Justin Griffith, Ladell Betts, Kareem Huggins

Gawd no: Brian Leonard, LenDale White, Laurence Maroney, Garrett Wolfe. Wolfe just got arrested in Miami for walking out on a $1,600 bar tab (charges were dropped). Maroney's ties to St. Louis would be hard to resist if he hadn't been arrested here in January for possession of marijuana. White's probably violated all of Steve Spagnuolo's pillars, probably does most weekends. Leonard was actually ok for the Bengals at fullback last season but is always going to be a carrier of Scott Linehan anti-mojo. Late entry to the list: Tiki Barber. What's he been doing the last four years, just screwing around?

RamView's move: The Rams are obviously set at starter with one of the league's best players in Steven Jackson. Jackson's reaching the stage of his career, though, where there really needs to be a credible backup behind him, both to give the Rams a change of pace and to save Jackson some wear and tear. Famously, though, the Rams have never put a credible backup behind Jackson, (unless you count Kenneth Darby, which, don't) and once again this draft, managed to avoid drafting a RB for the job. It's even as if the Rams are trying to take backup away from Jackson. They didn't tender Darby or fullback Mike Karney. Karney should be adequately replaced by midseason pickup Britt Miller, but all that's behind Jackson right now are 2nd-year rookie free agent Keith Toston and 2010 practice squad pickup Chauncey Washington. Unless Billy Devaney knows either of those two is about to turn into Arian Foster, he'd better do some damn work filling in the roster at RB this offseason.

RamView thinks Packers RB Brandon Jackson would be a good candidate for the #2 role. Unless there's a Super Bowl premium, he should be a fairly economical pickup. He's just 24 and should be a solid fit here as Josh McDaniels' Kevin Faulk-type third-down back. He's a good receiver, ran well at times in an offense that, let's face it, wasn't very run-oriented, and he picks up blitzers well. I don't think Green Bay was ever able to commit him to a defined role. If you do that here, I think he'd thrive. Plus he's young enough to be a potential starter if the Rams have to bridge the gap at the end of Steven Jackson's career.

Shoot the moon: Free-agent RB would be a great expense for new Rams owner Stan Kroenke to throw his formidable checkbook at. My top three RBs are all guys who are going to command starting roles, but Sproles or Addai could be potent performers here and excellent fits in the new offensive scheme. If he's still at the top of his game at age 28, Sproles would give the Rams a threat to score from anywhere as a third-down back and could potentially also contribute as a kick returner. Sproles has been an excellent receiver and would flash some sick speed on the Dome turf. He might take some snaps from Jackson, but I can't see him taking any carries. He's been completely ineffective in recent years in situations where the Chargers had to use him as a feature back. You're not going to establish a running game with him if you have to. I'd sooner have Addai, who's the same age but substantially bigger, a better rusher and would be a perfect receiving back in the McDaniels third-down role. He's also probably the best back in the league at blitz pickup, so the Rams would be buying insurance for Sam Bradford at the same time. Super-smart player with a lot of Marshall Faulk in his game and his approach to the game. Shooting for the moon, I'd love to see the Rams steal Addai away from the Colts. Reggie Bush deserves mention in the moonshot range as well, but he'll probably be expensive to trade for, and less-than-thrilled to be in Jackson's shadow.

Prediction: So of course I'm guessing somebody else. I like the Cadillac Williams idea the more I hear of it. Great receiver, good blitz protector if I remember right, and what's more, he was the best third-down conversion back in the league last year. His knees have to be a big question mark, though. If not him, then how about Mewelde Moore, who's been an excellent third-down receiving back in Minnesota and Pittsburgh and has always seemed to step up when injuries force his team to put the rushing load on him. I'll predict Devaney FINALLY fills the #2 RB position with either of those two guys. Sproles is a very popular choice around here for that role, but Williams or Moore would still get you the receptions, with a credible rushing component added, at what's likely to be a much more economical price.

Heh, aren't I calling these "micro"previews? Up next, probably late tonight or tomorrow: wide receivers.

Photo: San Diego Chargers

Free agency micro-preview: quarterback

When hot stove season opened in the NFL a couple of
years ago, the raging argument in St. Louis was whether or not the Rams should make a play for freshly-released felon Michael Vick. Some of us expressed extreme doubts about the idea, but according to online polls, we were the minority. Had majority ruled, how would things have worked out? Vick, to his credit, has turned around his personal life and is arguably a role model to youth now. Perhaps even more surprising, his 2010 season showed that he could be a capable, accurate pocket QB. He completed 62.6% of his passes, threw for 21 TDs vs. 6 INTs, and had a passer rating of 100.2. Pro Bowl numbers even without the compelling story of personal redemption.

Would Vick have put up those kind of numbers in St. Louis? Not with the receivers the Rams trotted out in '09 and '10. But one of the many things the Michael Vick experience has proven is that there's more than one way to solve a problem. With free agency about to explode upon the NFL in all its chaotic glory - a much more attractive market than last year's CBA-limited offering, and compressed into probably a two-week mega-cram session between the final ratification of the CBA and the start of training camp - who will the Rams find to solve their remaining roster problems? Let's open that search with RamView's sort-of annual free agency preview.

Notes: assumption is that 2009's free agency rules will be in effect this season, meaning 4th-year veterans are eligible to be unrestricted free agents, unlike last year, when it was 6th-year vets. I compiled lists of free agents from various sources and vetted everyone from those lists through Rotoworld before dropping them in here. Hopefully that'll limit any screw-ups. QB is the only write-up I had remotely prepared up until now. The rest of the positions will be more of a quick-hit, "micro-preview" format.

On with it!

Top 5 UFA QBs (updated 7/8): 1 - Matt Hasselbeck. Once seemed a lock to return to Seattle; now, who knows. Rates #1 largely for his on-field leadership. 2 - Marc Bulger. Healed up, and accurate enough a passer to thrive in the right situation. 3 - Tyler Thigpen. Mobile, strong-armed, has played well in limited opportunities. 4 - Tarvaris Jackson. Younger than Thigpen with higher upside, if a team thinks they can harness it. 5 - Billy Volek. Has never won a starting job in his NFL career but has had come uncanny performances coming off the bench. (Hey, whaddya want here? This field is so thin I nearly ranked Terrelle Pryor.)

Sleeper: Alex Smith. Smith appears to be heading back to the 49ers, but I think he's the kind of player who'd be better off with a change of scenery. He's got the tools but never seems to put them all together, except against the Rams.

Out of the running: Peyton Manning (franchised by Indianapolis), Michael Vick (franchised by Philadelphia), Luke McCown (re-signed with Jagwires), Kyle Boller (re-signed with Oakland, darn), Seneca Wallace (re-signed with Cleveland), Chad Pennington (Fox Sports), Kerry Collins (retired, 7/7)

Voting present: Drew Stanton, Kellen Clemens, Bruce Gradkowski, Jim Sorgi, Brian Brohm, Nate Davis

Gawd no: Brodie Croyle, Todd Collins, Trent Edwards and Matt Moore all fell to pieces and were so awful in 2010 I wouldn't consider any of them better than reclamation projects at this point. Troy Smith's not likely to get away with every downfield pass being a Hail Mary again this year. And while we're at it, just say no to Fratboy Leinart, Rex Grossman, Charlie Frye, Chris Simms, J.P. Losman, J.T. O'Sullivan, JaMarcus Russell, and PLEASE, NFL, Brett Favre.

RamView's move: none. Coming off one of the best rookie seasons ever at QB, Bradford's a lock to start. A.J. Feeley looked capable enough before he got Wally Pipped last preseason. The Rams intriguingly had interest in Alabama QB Greg McElroy at the end of this year's draft - if he doesn't stick with the Jets, I could see the Rams making a play for him, though as a Duke alumnus, third-stringer Thaddeus Lewis certainly doesn't lack smarts.

Shoot the moon: A lot on offense is going to be Josh McDaniels' call, naturally. If there's somebody out there he likes a lot more than Feeley, the Rams certainly could make a move. What if that somebody turns out to be Kyle Orton, who had a Pro Bowl-quality season for McDaniels in Denver last season? He's obviously comfortable in the system, and you'd be denying your division rivals, all of whom are on the hunt for a legitimate starting QB, one of their top options. At least the Rams could talk to the Broncos and drive up the price for everybody else, couldn't they? Just shooting the moon here.

Prediction: Nothing to see here. Could be part of the reason the Rams were never in a hurry to name a QB coach - they didn't need his help evaluating prospects.

Up next: running backs, BILLY DEVANEY.

Extra homework at Rams Park

If a team's first job in free agency is to get its own players locked up, the news yesterday that unrestricted free agency will be restored to players with four years of service created extra work for Billy Devaney, Kevin Demoff and company. Besides trying to work out deals with WR Mark Clayton and OL Adam Goldberg, who have always had UFA status, they're now going to have to work out deals, should they choose to, with DT Gary Gibson and TE Daniel Fells. They'll be UFAs once the "old" rule is back. The Rams had previously tagged them with restricted free agent tags under the FA rules still in effect from 2010. My notes are a little murky, but I believe WR Laurent Robinson is another Ram who will become an outright UFA. The Rams did tender him in March.

The fact that the Rams tendered Gibson, Fells or Robinson at all (they didn't tender other potential UFAs such as Cliff Ryan and Kenneth Darby) leads me to believe the Rams fully intend to make legitimate offers to bring them back in 2011, and they'll be among the front office's top priorities once free agency does open, along with Clayton and Goldberg.

Then they'll start choosing from the menus I'm about to unleash with my fairly-rushed free agent preview-palooza.

Major CBA news

ESPN has managed to leak some of the details today that appear to be going into the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. Players are going to get 48% of revenues, teams are going to be required to spend close to 100% of the salary cap, and there will be a rookie wage scale.

Adam Shefter also leaked via Twitter that 4-year veterans will be eligible for unrestricted free agency. I'm sure that led to a run on midnight oil around the league. In essence, free agency rules seem to be reverting back to 2009, and the free agent market is going to be much more attractive than it was last year. That's the good news, news sure to keep Rams Park hopping, and a topic I'll do my best to develop here in the coming days.

There's also one bit of news I consider dreadful, and it's a good thing I'm not at the negotiating table, because I would NEVER agree to this bullet point: starting in 2014, there will be a Thursday night game EVERY week.

What is the NFL's obsession with Thursday night games? The season opener and Thanksgiving are fine, but other than that, I despise Thursday night games. I already have plenty to do weeknights in the fall, thank you very much. Thursday is a great night for Akron vs. Central Michigan or Louisville vs. Southern Miss. It's a poor night for, oh, Rams vs. Cowboys. Thursday games were a failure the last time the NFL used them over a full season, why revive them now?

Thursday games have to be an epic fail for fans attending games in person. Oh for the fun of rushing home after work and then hoping to rush back to the stadium in time for kickoff. No build like you get for a game on Sunday, when, you know, YOU HAVE THE DAY OFF. I don't know how anybody gets any serious Thursday tailgating done, either, short of taking a vacation day.

Based on past performance, scheduling also figures to be an epic fail from the NFL offices. The league has never even tried to schedule bye weeks fairly, and now, they're going to add another variable of imbalance, or unfairness, every week. How many times is a team going to get screwed playing a short week vs. a team that got a couple of extra days after a Thursday game? I'm also expecting a team to have to play a Thursday game against an opponent coming off a bye week - 3 days of rest vs. 10 - to happen at least twice. The league's never had the will to make sure it matches up evenly-rested opponents. Thursday night games are just going to make that pot boil over.

By instituting weekly Thursday night games, the NFL is also thumbing its nose at its key constituencies, the groups of people that have made it the world's most popular sport: gamblers and fantasy football players. Thursday night games are decidedly football pool-unfriendly. Say Chris Johnson tweaked his ankle in the 4th quarter Sunday against the Colts, and now the Titans host the Texans on Thursday night, and you have no idea if CJ2K is even going to play. Who do you pick in the football pool? What if CJ2K's on your fantasy team? (I know this will blow up in my face EVERY time. I'll either bench the injured guy and he'll start and score 40 points, or I'll start him and he won't play.) And Vegas' action on the game will certainly be reduced. They may never be able to put up a line on it.

The NFL wouldn't be as popular as it is without gambling, fantasy leagues, or me, and all they're going to do by shoving a Thursday night game down our throats every week is piss all of those people off.

Quit messing with a good thing, Roger Goodell.