I don't know why anybody would want to see this team in person after the first three weeks, but the game against Washington Sunday has qualified as a sellout and will be televised locally. KTVI at noon. Fortunately the Rams won't collide with anything the Cardinals are doing - they are on the road and playing game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies Sunday night.
Good luck to everybody.
-$-
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Rams report, 9/29
* Free draft picks! Get your free draft picks here! At 0-3 and no better than the 30th-ranked team in the league, you would think the Rams wouldn't be in a position to just toss away players they drafted this year, but au contraire, their fifth-round pick, Jermale Hines, is now an Indianapolis Colt. The Rams were hoping Hines would clear waivers so they could move him to their practice squad, but the Colts have injuries at safety and weren't reluctant to put Hines directly on their main roster.
What to learn from this latest dunderheaded maneuver from the Rams front office?
1. Remember for future reference: draft picks don't clear waivers. There was a lot of thought before the season that the Rams would try to pass third-round pick Austin Pettis through to the practice squad. No way would he have made it.
2. The Rams now have nothing to show for trading their original fifth-round pick this year to Atlanta, which they used to take Jacquizz Rodgers. The Rams turned that pick into Hines and Jonathan Nelson, also no longer a Ram. Had the Rams simply stayed at 145, they could have taken Denarius Moore. Sure, call me a second-guesser, but RamView pushed for Moore as a late-round pick. Now, if I could just link to that...
3. Hines was a poor pick in the first place. Fifth-round was pretty high to take essentially an in-the-box safety. There was a lot of feeling draft weekend that Hines' main attraction was his special teams play. But again, why draft those guys? They are easily found "on the street". Hines may well develop into a nice player someday, but there was nothing so special in his college career or pre-draft workouts to say he should have been drafted in the fifth round. In 2010, for instance, the Rams got Darian Stewart for free.
4. The Rams have given up Thaddeus Lewis, a QB prospect with upside, and now their fifth-round pick, yet Dominique Curry, who hasn't made a play on special teams this season, has roster security rivaling Steven Jackson's. It's about time for Curry to re-prove his special teams worth.
5. Did I not say the Rams would pay for cutting Ben Guidugli?
* Injury update:
Limited: Steven Jackson (quad), though it looks like he's going to get a full load Sunday;
Michael Ohihurtmyknee (back strain);
Darell Dorell Scott (thumb);
Cadillac Williams (hamstring).
Not participating: Danny Amendola (elbow), though he's raring to go and trying to get himself activated for Sunday.
Full participation: Sam Bradford, who says he has no idea why his toe was ever made an issue.
C.J. Ah You is now rocking the awesome club to protect his injured wrist.
* Ex-Rams update: Besides the Rams idiotically giving away draft picks, that is...
- Donnie Avery signed with Tennessee yesterday.
- Anthony Becht was released by Kansas City.
- In a surprise move, Houston signed Chris Ogbonnaya from their practice squad after cutting Steve Slaton.
Going back to last week:
- Dallas signed Laurent Robinson.
- Cincinnati signed Andrew Hawkins from their practice squad.
And earlier:
- Buffalo re-signed Ruvell Freaking Martin.
- When Seattle signed Fendi Onobun to their practice squad, they released Dominique Byrd.
* Finally, with the Cardinals' impressive charge into the MLB playoffs culminating last night, I'd like to congratulate the Rams for taking just three weeks to achieve cultural irrelevance here in River City again...
-$-
What to learn from this latest dunderheaded maneuver from the Rams front office?
1. Remember for future reference: draft picks don't clear waivers. There was a lot of thought before the season that the Rams would try to pass third-round pick Austin Pettis through to the practice squad. No way would he have made it.
2. The Rams now have nothing to show for trading their original fifth-round pick this year to Atlanta, which they used to take Jacquizz Rodgers. The Rams turned that pick into Hines and Jonathan Nelson, also no longer a Ram. Had the Rams simply stayed at 145, they could have taken Denarius Moore. Sure, call me a second-guesser, but RamView pushed for Moore as a late-round pick. Now, if I could just link to that...
3. Hines was a poor pick in the first place. Fifth-round was pretty high to take essentially an in-the-box safety. There was a lot of feeling draft weekend that Hines' main attraction was his special teams play. But again, why draft those guys? They are easily found "on the street". Hines may well develop into a nice player someday, but there was nothing so special in his college career or pre-draft workouts to say he should have been drafted in the fifth round. In 2010, for instance, the Rams got Darian Stewart for free.
4. The Rams have given up Thaddeus Lewis, a QB prospect with upside, and now their fifth-round pick, yet Dominique Curry, who hasn't made a play on special teams this season, has roster security rivaling Steven Jackson's. It's about time for Curry to re-prove his special teams worth.
5. Did I not say the Rams would pay for cutting Ben Guidugli?
* Injury update:
Limited: Steven Jackson (quad), though it looks like he's going to get a full load Sunday;
Michael Ohihurtmyknee (back strain);
Darell Dorell Scott (thumb);
Cadillac Williams (hamstring).
Not participating: Danny Amendola (elbow), though he's raring to go and trying to get himself activated for Sunday.
Full participation: Sam Bradford, who says he has no idea why his toe was ever made an issue.
C.J. Ah You is now rocking the awesome club to protect his injured wrist.
* Ex-Rams update: Besides the Rams idiotically giving away draft picks, that is...
- Donnie Avery signed with Tennessee yesterday.
- Anthony Becht was released by Kansas City.
- In a surprise move, Houston signed Chris Ogbonnaya from their practice squad after cutting Steve Slaton.
Going back to last week:
- Dallas signed Laurent Robinson.
- Cincinnati signed Andrew Hawkins from their practice squad.
And earlier:
- Buffalo re-signed Ruvell Freaking Martin.
- When Seattle signed Fendi Onobun to their practice squad, they released Dominique Byrd.
* Finally, with the Cardinals' impressive charge into the MLB playoffs culminating last night, I'd like to congratulate the Rams for taking just three weeks to achieve cultural irrelevance here in River City again...
-$-
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Rams report, 9/28
* The Rams lead the NFL! In dropped passes. With 8. Further statistical autopsy after the first three weeks:
The Rams are 31st in the NFL in total defense and scoring defense. (Their next opponent, the Redskins, rank 5th/16th, even with Jim Haslett as their coordinator.)
The Rams rushing defense ranks dead last in the league. Maybe that should be dead-and-buried last. THEY'RE THIRTY-EIGHT YARDS PER GAME OUT OF 31ST PLACE!!!!! (Though it is a shocker that the #31 team is Rex Ryan's Jets.)
The Rams "defense" gives up 5.4 yards per carry, 31st in the league. Thank God for the Raiders. I don't want to hear any more crap about the Michael Vick factor, either. The Giants are 15th in the league, Atlanta is 20th, and they're both giving up 3.6 yards per carry despite playing a game against Vick.
The silver lining? The Rams rank 19th against the pass, and are tied for 11th in sacks, with 8. Chris Long's 3 sacks tie him for 7th in the league.
Things aren't much brighter on offense:
The Rams are 21st in total offense, 29th in scoring. (Redskins are 15th/14th.) And, famously, they've given up as many TDs on offense as they've scored. (3)
The rushing offense ranks a respectable 11th, but the passing offense is 23rd. Sam Bradford is 29th in the league in passer rating at 73.3. For God's sake, he's behind Tarvaris Jackson (73.7). That has to be largely because Sam's completing under 50% of his passes, while Jackson is over 60%.
Only Jackson, Jay Cutler and Matt Ryan have been sacked more times than Bradford's 11, which ties him with Chad Henne and Alex Smith.
The Rams are 21st in turnover ratio at -2.
They have committed the 5th-most penalties in the league, for the 2nd-most yardage. (Thank God for the Raiders again.)
Wow.
* Roster churn: The Rams have finally signed CB Rod Hood after at least three tryouts here over the last two years. Hood was last with Tennessee; Steve Spagnuolo coached him at Philadelphia for one season. He has 14 career INTs, 3 of them pick-sixes, in eight seasons, if you count 2010, which he missed all of due to a torn ACL.
To make room for Hood on the main roster, the Rams cut Jermale Hines. To apparently make room for Hines on the practice squad, the Rams committed the mortal sin of cutting Ben Guidugli again, for which they will pay for all damnation.
Bizarrely, a team in such bad need of CBs had to cut a healthy one yesterday. That was Dionte Dinkins, who was IRed in training camp with a designated minor injury. (Ankle, I think.) That designation meant that Dinkins by rule had to be cut once he became healthy, and the Rams by rule can't re-sign him until after this season. What kind of stupid rule is that?
A move I neglected to report last week was Josh Gordy getting the call up from the practice squad to replace Tim Atchison, who went on IR.
Here's how I have the Rams' current depth chart at corner:
1. Bradley Fletcher
2. Al Harris
3. Rod Hood
4. Josh Gordy
5. convert Quintin Mikell from safety
6. Aeneas Williams. He's a local minister, he wouldn't have a long drive.
7. convert James Butler from safety
8. Chris Chamberlain. He's pretty quick and played some safety in college.
9. Todd Lyght. He's only 42, he can probably still go.
10. convert Mike Sims-Walker from wide receiver
11. Dexter McCleon
12. perennial Pro Bowler and future Hall-of-Famer Ryan McNeil
13. Justin King
* 2011 draft watch: Yet another of this year's draft picks getting cut inspires another recap of the Rams' 2011 draft picks to date:
1. Robert Quinn - active 2 games, 2 tackles, 1 sack. Has to have some pass pressures, too; he's showing he can get after it.
2. Lance Kendricks, 4 catches, 69 yards, 1 rush, minus-8 yards. No TDs. 2 official drops, 4 by my count.
3. Austin Pettis - active 1 game. 2 catches for 8 yards.
4. Greg Salas - active 2 games. 5 catches for 48 yards. 2 official drops, at least 3 by my count. Critical muffed punt in Giants game. 2 punt returns for 49 yards.
5. Jermale Hines - cut, may be heading for practice squad. Has not been active this season.
7a. Mikail Baker - perpetually-injured college player now listed on Rams' injured reserve
7b. Jabara Williams - has not been active this season
7c. Jonathan Nelson - cut.
Wow again. But I'm not going to give the Rams crap about not drafting Torrey Smith; I didn't want him, either. It's not like Justin King made him prove he could beat a jam or run routes more refined than sprinting in a straight line. Smith showed better hands than I expected, but I still think he's Darrius Heyward-Bey Jr. He was just covered last Sunday by Taje Allen Jr.
Haven't heard anything about ticket sales for Sunday yet, but I'll be stunned if the TV blackout gets lifted. That'll shorten RamView up a bit, that's for sure.
-$-
The Rams are 31st in the NFL in total defense and scoring defense. (Their next opponent, the Redskins, rank 5th/16th, even with Jim Haslett as their coordinator.)
The Rams rushing defense ranks dead last in the league. Maybe that should be dead-and-buried last. THEY'RE THIRTY-EIGHT YARDS PER GAME OUT OF 31ST PLACE!!!!! (Though it is a shocker that the #31 team is Rex Ryan's Jets.)
The Rams "defense" gives up 5.4 yards per carry, 31st in the league. Thank God for the Raiders. I don't want to hear any more crap about the Michael Vick factor, either. The Giants are 15th in the league, Atlanta is 20th, and they're both giving up 3.6 yards per carry despite playing a game against Vick.
The silver lining? The Rams rank 19th against the pass, and are tied for 11th in sacks, with 8. Chris Long's 3 sacks tie him for 7th in the league.
Things aren't much brighter on offense:
The Rams are 21st in total offense, 29th in scoring. (Redskins are 15th/14th.) And, famously, they've given up as many TDs on offense as they've scored. (3)
The rushing offense ranks a respectable 11th, but the passing offense is 23rd. Sam Bradford is 29th in the league in passer rating at 73.3. For God's sake, he's behind Tarvaris Jackson (73.7). That has to be largely because Sam's completing under 50% of his passes, while Jackson is over 60%.
Only Jackson, Jay Cutler and Matt Ryan have been sacked more times than Bradford's 11, which ties him with Chad Henne and Alex Smith.
The Rams are 21st in turnover ratio at -2.
They have committed the 5th-most penalties in the league, for the 2nd-most yardage. (Thank God for the Raiders again.)
Wow.
* Roster churn: The Rams have finally signed CB Rod Hood after at least three tryouts here over the last two years. Hood was last with Tennessee; Steve Spagnuolo coached him at Philadelphia for one season. He has 14 career INTs, 3 of them pick-sixes, in eight seasons, if you count 2010, which he missed all of due to a torn ACL.
To make room for Hood on the main roster, the Rams cut Jermale Hines. To apparently make room for Hines on the practice squad, the Rams committed the mortal sin of cutting Ben Guidugli again, for which they will pay for all damnation.
Bizarrely, a team in such bad need of CBs had to cut a healthy one yesterday. That was Dionte Dinkins, who was IRed in training camp with a designated minor injury. (Ankle, I think.) That designation meant that Dinkins by rule had to be cut once he became healthy, and the Rams by rule can't re-sign him until after this season. What kind of stupid rule is that?
A move I neglected to report last week was Josh Gordy getting the call up from the practice squad to replace Tim Atchison, who went on IR.
Here's how I have the Rams' current depth chart at corner:
1. Bradley Fletcher
2. Al Harris
3. Rod Hood
4. Josh Gordy
5. convert Quintin Mikell from safety
6. Aeneas Williams. He's a local minister, he wouldn't have a long drive.
7. convert James Butler from safety
8. Chris Chamberlain. He's pretty quick and played some safety in college.
9. Todd Lyght. He's only 42, he can probably still go.
10. convert Mike Sims-Walker from wide receiver
11. Dexter McCleon
12. perennial Pro Bowler and future Hall-of-Famer Ryan McNeil
13. Justin King
* 2011 draft watch: Yet another of this year's draft picks getting cut inspires another recap of the Rams' 2011 draft picks to date:
1. Robert Quinn - active 2 games, 2 tackles, 1 sack. Has to have some pass pressures, too; he's showing he can get after it.
2. Lance Kendricks, 4 catches, 69 yards, 1 rush, minus-8 yards. No TDs. 2 official drops, 4 by my count.
3. Austin Pettis - active 1 game. 2 catches for 8 yards.
4. Greg Salas - active 2 games. 5 catches for 48 yards. 2 official drops, at least 3 by my count. Critical muffed punt in Giants game. 2 punt returns for 49 yards.
5. Jermale Hines - cut, may be heading for practice squad. Has not been active this season.
7a. Mikail Baker - perpetually-injured college player now listed on Rams' injured reserve
7b. Jabara Williams - has not been active this season
7c. Jonathan Nelson - cut.
Wow again. But I'm not going to give the Rams crap about not drafting Torrey Smith; I didn't want him, either. It's not like Justin King made him prove he could beat a jam or run routes more refined than sprinting in a straight line. Smith showed better hands than I expected, but I still think he's Darrius Heyward-Bey Jr. He was just covered last Sunday by Taje Allen Jr.
Haven't heard anything about ticket sales for Sunday yet, but I'll be stunned if the TV blackout gets lifted. That'll shorten RamView up a bit, that's for sure.
-$-
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Rams report, 9/27
* Injury update: the good news for the Rams is that their current injury report is as benign as their offense...
Steven Jackson and Cadillac Williams got through Sunday's game in good shape. Jackson is supposed to be getting an increased workload, but I don't know if that means a full workload.
Sam Bradford sprained a toe, but the injury is not expected to be serious. One, I'm shocked that's all he hurt Sunday; two, I hope he hurt that toe breaking his foot off in the ass of one of his useless linemen.
Michael OhIhurtmyknee is day-to-day with a back strain, and you have got to be fucking kidding me. He played what, two games? The guy's making Drew Bennett look like Bruce Matthews.
Darell Dorell Scott will be sent to a specialist to have a thumb injury checked out. Darell Dorell, if you get the chance, you have to get one of those awesome clubs.
It sounds like Danny Amendola's on track to return after the bye week. Though many Rams fans may have mistaken the Baltimore game for the Rams taking a bye week, the bye actually comes after Sunday's game against the Redskins.
Bet365 has the Rams-Redskins line at even? Only thing that keeps me from jumping all over that right now is not knowing how much the Rams will be able to use Jackson. He's the only thing that makes me think the Rams have a chance against anybody anytime soon.
-$-
Steven Jackson and Cadillac Williams got through Sunday's game in good shape. Jackson is supposed to be getting an increased workload, but I don't know if that means a full workload.
Sam Bradford sprained a toe, but the injury is not expected to be serious. One, I'm shocked that's all he hurt Sunday; two, I hope he hurt that toe breaking his foot off in the ass of one of his useless linemen.
Michael OhIhurtmyknee is day-to-day with a back strain, and you have got to be fucking kidding me. He played what, two games? The guy's making Drew Bennett look like Bruce Matthews.
Darell Dorell Scott will be sent to a specialist to have a thumb injury checked out. Darell Dorell, if you get the chance, you have to get one of those awesome clubs.
It sounds like Danny Amendola's on track to return after the bye week. Though many Rams fans may have mistaken the Baltimore game for the Rams taking a bye week, the bye actually comes after Sunday's game against the Redskins.
Bet365 has the Rams-Redskins line at even? Only thing that keeps me from jumping all over that right now is not knowing how much the Rams will be able to use Jackson. He's the only thing that makes me think the Rams have a chance against anybody anytime soon.
-$-
Monday, September 26, 2011
Stark Raven crap
Here's the link to the RamView recap for yesterday's fiasco, in which the Rams lost to Baltimore by 30 and established themselves as one of the two or three worst teams in the league this year. I've got Kansas City and Miami as their main competition for the first pick overall in the 2012 draft.
So, Andrew Luck, anyone? Should be some interesting conversations before too long with the folks who say to always draft the best player available...
Not much news on the injury front after the game. Justin King has a shoulder stinger, not that I give a damn after that putrid performance...
So, Andrew Luck, anyone? Should be some interesting conversations before too long with the folks who say to always draft the best player available...
Not much news on the injury front after the game. Justin King has a shoulder stinger, not that I give a damn after that putrid performance...
Friday, September 23, 2011
Rams report, 9/23
* The Rams host the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. Enough tickets have been sold to avoid a TV blackout; the game will be on KMOV at 3:00 Sunday. Note that the game's not at the usual bat-time or on the usual bat-channel.
* Injury report.
- Steven Jackson will be a game-time decision again this week. His status is considered "questionable to doubtful". He took a handful of practice reps yesterday. Not helping things, Cadillac Williams injured a hamstring in the first quarter of Monday night's game, and he has yet to practice this week. Looks like Sam Bradford's throwing a hell of a lot Sunday.
- Danny Amendola's dislocated elbow is rapidly improving, but it's likely he won't return until after the Rams' bye week, which is the week after next. C.J. Ah You, Ben Leber and Michael Hoomanawanui were all limited at practice yesterday. Greg Salas was a full participant yesterday. I'm thinking he would make a very nice healthy scratch for Sunday.
* Lies, damned lies, and statistics. Going through team stats yesterday, I was surprised to see the Rams rank ahead of the Ravens on offense (18th to 25th) AND defense (20th vs. 22nd). Of course, that's yards per game. Check the vastly more important points per game, and the Ravens lead on offense (15th vs. 28th) and on defense (5th vs. 28th). Baltimore's also got the 2nd-best turnover differential in the NFL with +5; the Rams are 20th at -1. And the Rams are EASILY the WORST rushing defense in the league. Hell, they're over 20 yards a game out of 31st place. While the Ravens have moved up to a 4-point favorite, that still seems way too small.
That's a lot of 28ths or worse for a Rams team that's supposed to be on the way up.
-$-
* Injury report.
- Steven Jackson will be a game-time decision again this week. His status is considered "questionable to doubtful". He took a handful of practice reps yesterday. Not helping things, Cadillac Williams injured a hamstring in the first quarter of Monday night's game, and he has yet to practice this week. Looks like Sam Bradford's throwing a hell of a lot Sunday.
- Danny Amendola's dislocated elbow is rapidly improving, but it's likely he won't return until after the Rams' bye week, which is the week after next. C.J. Ah You, Ben Leber and Michael Hoomanawanui were all limited at practice yesterday. Greg Salas was a full participant yesterday. I'm thinking he would make a very nice healthy scratch for Sunday.
* Lies, damned lies, and statistics. Going through team stats yesterday, I was surprised to see the Rams rank ahead of the Ravens on offense (18th to 25th) AND defense (20th vs. 22nd). Of course, that's yards per game. Check the vastly more important points per game, and the Ravens lead on offense (15th vs. 28th) and on defense (5th vs. 28th). Baltimore's also got the 2nd-best turnover differential in the NFL with +5; the Rams are 20th at -1. And the Rams are EASILY the WORST rushing defense in the league. Hell, they're over 20 yards a game out of 31st place. While the Ravens have moved up to a 4-point favorite, that still seems way too small.
That's a lot of 28ths or worse for a Rams team that's supposed to be on the way up.
-$-
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
NFL response to Giants cheating: a stern memo
From ESPN.com :
NEW YORK -- The NFL sent a memo Wednesday to all 32 teams warning of fines, suspensions and loss of draft picks if the league determines players faked injuries during a game.
In the memo obtained by ESPN and The Associated Press, the NFL reminded teams of league policy that calls on coaches to discourage the practice, and that there was no specific rule on the topic.
However, two days after there was speculation the Giants' Deon Grant faked an injury against the Rams during the Monday night game, the NFL is warning of disciplinary action.
Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said Tuesday the team notified the league office that it suspected the Giants were feigning injuries in St. Louis' 28-16 loss. Rams quarterback Sam Bradford said it was obvious the Giants were just buying time with St. Louis running a no-huddle offense.
"They couldn't get subbed, they couldn't line up," Bradford said. "Someone said, 'Someone go down, someone go down,' so someone just went down and grabbed a cramp."
The memo from the league said:
"Going forward, be advised that should the league office determine that there is reasonable cause, all those suspected of being involved in faking injuries will be summoned promptly to this office ... to discuss the matter. Those found to be violators will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action for conduct detrimental to the game."
On Tuesday, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said he was not aware Grant might have faked an injury late nn the first quarter. Coughlin said he thought Grant went down with cramps.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
In related news, Tom Coughlin is fuller of shit than a herd of cows eating prunes and Metamucil.
NEW YORK -- The NFL sent a memo Wednesday to all 32 teams warning of fines, suspensions and loss of draft picks if the league determines players faked injuries during a game.
In the memo obtained by ESPN and The Associated Press, the NFL reminded teams of league policy that calls on coaches to discourage the practice, and that there was no specific rule on the topic.
However, two days after there was speculation the Giants' Deon Grant faked an injury against the Rams during the Monday night game, the NFL is warning of disciplinary action.
Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said Tuesday the team notified the league office that it suspected the Giants were feigning injuries in St. Louis' 28-16 loss. Rams quarterback Sam Bradford said it was obvious the Giants were just buying time with St. Louis running a no-huddle offense.
"They couldn't get subbed, they couldn't line up," Bradford said. "Someone said, 'Someone go down, someone go down,' so someone just went down and grabbed a cramp."
The memo from the league said:
"Going forward, be advised that should the league office determine that there is reasonable cause, all those suspected of being involved in faking injuries will be summoned promptly to this office ... to discuss the matter. Those found to be violators will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action for conduct detrimental to the game."
On Tuesday, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said he was not aware Grant might have faked an injury late nn the first quarter. Coughlin said he thought Grant went down with cramps.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
In related news, Tom Coughlin is fuller of shit than a herd of cows eating prunes and Metamucil.
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