RamView, 8/29

* Rams starters are expected to see action tomorrow night against Baltimore for at least a series after halftime. Kickoff is at 6:00, and I am still waiting for an explanation for why the damn game was moved up an hour. It's not on NFL Network.

* Injury list. Not expected to play:
- Harvey Dahl (illness)
- Eugene Sims (ankle)
- Darell Dorell Scott (knee)
- Darian Stewart (hamstring); Craig Dahl is healthy again and will start.

No updates on Brandon Gibson or Jamaar Jarrett, but I probably missed them. Assume they'll play.

Sam Bradford will also play, on the ankle he sprained 46 weeks ago.

Kendall Langford and Lance Kendricks sat out Tuesday's practice for "minor reasons".

* Transactions: the Rams picked up defensive end Mason (not Jethro?) Brodine and cut wide receiver Mike Campbell. Brodine was cut by the Raiders on Monday. Oakland signed him as a rookie free agent last year; he spent most of the season on the practice squad and was active the final three games. He's listed at 6'7", 255. He was a three-year starter at Nebraska-Kearney and holds a school record with 23.5 career sacks.

Meanwhile, the Jason Smith trade gets better and better. Not only did they deal him for one of the worst tackles in the league, they're paying the Jets $1.5 million of Smith's salary this season. Given how he's played the last 12 months, should the Rams even be that sure Wayne Hunter is going to make the team? Well, since they volunteered to pay an extra mill-and-a-half just to get him, I guess we know the answer to that one.

* Ex-Rams who didn't make the cutdown to 75 with their teams:
- Josh Brown, Jets
- Alex Barron, Seattle. Alex did have at least one false start this preseason.
- Anthony Hargrove, Green Bay
- Fendi Onobun, Buffalo
- Jonathan Wade, Miami
- Roger Allen, Carolina
- Dominique Curry, Detroit
- Demarco Cosby, Green Bay
- Jimmy Saddler-McQueen, Houston
- Cord Parks, New Orleans
- Demario Ambrose, Jets
- Terrail Lambert, Oakland
- Jamie McCoy, Pittsburgh
- Mortty Ivy, Pittsburgh
- Phil Trautwein, San Diego
- K.C. Asiodu, Chicago

-$-

Rams trade Jason Smith to Jets

Unbelievably, the Rams' signing of Vernon Gholston turned out not to even be their weirdest move of the past week. Tonight, they traded former #2 pick overall Jason Smith... and their offensive line got worse.

If there was any offensive tackle considered worse than Barry Richardson heading into this season, Jets tackle Wayne Hunter would have been a good bet, but thanks to the brilliant Brian Schottenheimer Pipeline of Mediocrity, it is in fact Hunter whom the Rams have acquired for Smith. Promoted to starter last season, Hunter richly earned a reputation as one of the worst tackles in the league. Pro Football Focus scored him as giving up 11 sacks for third-worst in the league, committing the fourth-most penalties and giving up the most quarterback hits by a tackle. This is supposed to protect Sam Bradford HOW? Seriously, Jason Smith was a huge disappointment, but trading Smith for Hunter is a major downgrade.

Say what you will about Jason, but he was never so bad that he got booed off the field by his own fans. Just last week, Hunter gave up 2 and a half sacks against the Giants and had to be restrained by a teammate from getting into a brawl with fans berating him behind the Jets' bench. He was replaced by a former undrafted free agent and banished to garbage time in the 4th quarter against Carolina Sunday night, when he gave up another sack and got booed again.

Coming into the season, Hunter was effective coming off the Jets' bench, but that pretty clearly is his high-water mark. The Rams, on purpose, are going into the season with two of the worst tackles in football as their main options at right guard.

Les Snead, what the hell are you doing? Any more shitty ex-Jets out there we need to pick up in an apparent effort to make this team even worse?

-$-

RamView, 8/27: Rams cut down to 75

The Rams made the following roster moves today to reach the league roster limit of 75:

* Placed DT Trevor Laws on injured reserve. His season is over.

* Released:
- WR Danario Alexander
- FB Todd Anderson
- TE Brody Eldridge
- WR Charles Gilbert
- DL Todd Gill
- WR Brandyn Harvey
- LB Alex Hoffman-Ellis
- OL Kevin Hughes
- LB Noah Keller
- K Garrett Lindholm
- OL Ryan McKee
- RB Calvin Middleton
- RB Nick Schwieger
- LS Travis Tripucka

* Comments:

RamView went 9 for 15 on this round of cuts, a far cry better than last year, when I think I went 3 for 10. I wasn't sure enough of Laws' or DX's injury status, but even had I predicted them to go, I still would have had Jamaar Jarrett and Quinton Pointer on the cut list.

The Rams didn't cut anyone I have making the final roster, but they did cut two I had on the practice squad, Hughes and Middleton. They must like T-Bob more than I do. And shoot, Middleton's shown me as much in preseason games as Isaiah Pead has.

I had Anderson on my cut list at the start of Saturday night's game, but he impressed me enough that I backspaced him and put in Ben Guidugli instead. The fan club lives a couple more days!

Never could figure why Hoffman-Ellis was only tried at middle linebacker. I had high hopes for him until I figured out his only chance was going to be to make one of the least open positions on the roster. Has to be another team out there he'd make sense for. Maybe Philadelphia.

Is Tom Brandstater even going to play Thursday night? What's he going to do the next three days?

Why keep Darell Dorell Scott when he hasn't cracked second string this summer and is going to be out injured the first couple of weeks of the regular season anyway? All I can think of is that they're not sold on Jermelle Cudjo yet; I'd be shocked if Matt Conrath failed to make the final roster.

-$-

RamView, 8/25

RamView for last night's 20-19 Rams loss in Dallas is up now at ramview.com. Link

* Positives: the rookie kickers, rookie QB Austin Davis, rookie safety Rodney McLeod, rookie RB Daryl Richardson, rookie guard Rok Watkins, Robert Quinn, rookie Isaiah Pead as a kick returner

* Negatives: the secondary was brutal beyond belief, especially rookie CB Janoris Jenkins, giving up 198 yards passing in the 1st quarter and 270 by halftime. Quinn Ojinnaka and Barry Richardson continue to baffle with their ability to hold starting NFL jobs and their inability to protect Sam Bradford. Pead as a RB continuing to get in his own way. Overall tackling was poor; overall officiating was even worse.

* Injuries: Besides the usual suspects, Harvey Dahl missed the game due to illness and could also be out Thursday. Brian Quick and Kellen Clemens both got rocked by big hits. Quick got his wind back and returned to the game; Clemens sat out the 4th quarter, which he may have been scheduled to finish.

* Rams host the Ravens at 6:00 Thursday. If both teams stay to their schedules, it'll be mostly Rams starters vs. mostly Ravens backups. Of course, that guarantees nothing. RamView of the game likely won't be up till Friday night or Saturday morning.

-$-

The road to 53, 8/25

With training camp having officially broken, and the league requiring rosters be cut down to 75 by 3:00 Monday (corrected), it's time for a guess or hundred about how the Rams' final roster will shape up before the regular season starts. Position by position:

* Quarterback (keeping 3): Sam Bradford, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis. We'll see if the new regime handles the Thaddeus Lewis scenario better than the last one did. Davis will not clear waivers to the practice squad. If you've watched any Green Bay games this preseason, you know he's already better than Graham Harrell, for instance. And hell, Davis could probably start for Arizona right now.
Cut: Tom Brandstater. As I have no idea where to find out how many games a player has been on the active roster in his career, I can only suspect that Brandstater is not eligible for the practice squad. If he is eligible, I would keep him, believe it or not. The Rams went through 4 QBs last season; it would only be smart to keep 4 on hand if possible. But I'll stick with 3.

* Running back (keeping 4): Steven Jackson, Isaiah Pead, Darryl Richardson, Chase Reynolds. So, there's a surprise already. Reynolds has looked good to me on special teams, which is the main thing that can help him survive the bubble. And he can actually play a position, unlike Dominique Curry the past couple of seasons.
Practice squad: Calvin Middleton.
Cut: Nick Schwieger.

* Fullback (keeping 1): Brit Miller. Miller should make the team for his special teams play even if he's beaten out at fullback. I've never been impressed with him at fullback, but haven't seen anyone stepping up and beating him out, either.
Cut: Ovie Mughelli, Todd Anderson, and, sigh, Ben Guidugli, though he might still have an outside chance at the practice squad.

* Wide receiver (keeping 6): Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson, Brian Quick, Chris Givens, Steve Smith, Greg Salas.
Suspended weeks 1-2: Austin Pettis, who I'm guessing takes Salas' job week 3. But Jeff Fisher has said he likes Salas' special teams play, which opens up a scenario for keeping 7 WR.
Cut: Danario Alexander, Nick Johnson, Mike Campbell, Charles Gilbert, Brandyn Harvey.

* Tight end (keeping 4): Lance Kendricks, Mike Mulligan, Mike McNeill, Mike Hoomanawanui.
Practice squad: DeAngelo Peterson, Corey Harkey.
Suspended weeks 1-4: Brody Eldridge, who I doubt we'll ever hear from again, effective week 5.
Cut: None, but Hoomanawanui would not be a shocker. I don't know that he's done anything in this camp to make the team. Not out of the question for Peterson to beat him out. I have Illini Mike as the last man in.

* Offensive line (keeping 8): The current starters are the easy ones: Rodger Saffold, Quinn Ojinnaka, Scott Wells, Harvey Dahl, Barry Freaking Richardson. Robert Turner's also easy to include. Physical, veteran, backs up guard and center. Rokevious Watkins has versatility and upside and could become a starter yet this season. #8, you need to have a reliable third tackle. Jason Smith is the most reliable tackle they have left, - Ojinnaka's shown the job is too much for him - so the one-time second pick overall makes this year's roster by the skin of his teeth.
Practice squad: Joe Long, Kevin Hughes.
Cut: T-Bob Hebert, Ryan McKee, Tim Barnes, Jose Valdez, Brian Mattison. I'm stumped all summer that Mattison's never taken the starting job away from Ojinnaka. And it's hard to see him taking up a bench spot when he's limited to playing guard.

* Defensive line (keeping 8): Chris Long, Robert Quinn, Eugene Sims, William Hayes, Michael Brockers, Kendall Langford, Matt Conrath, Jermelle Cudjo.
Practice squad: Scott Smith, who should get heavy consideration for a main roster spot. Current d-line injuries could propel him into the top 53, but the Rams also have Justin Cole to spot pass-rush, and he contributes on special teams.
Cut: Trevor Laws, Darell Dorell Scott, Cornell Banks, John Gill, Jamaar Jarrett, Vernon Gholston. Cudjo should win a roster spot at defensive tackle. Darell Dorell's never passed him on the depth chart (and is out for a month now after arthroscopic knee surgery), and Laws hasn't played a down in camp to my knowledge.

* Linebacker (keeping 7): James Laurinaitis, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Rocky McIntosh, Mario Haggan, Aaron Brown, Josh Hull, Justin Cole
Practice squad: Sammy Brown, consider him a pass-rusher more than a LB
Cut: Noah Keller, Alex Hoffman-Ellis. The Hoff is an excellent athlete, enough so that he's the iffiest of my projected cuts, but he hasn't played a down outside of MLB, where the Rams are about to sign Laurinaitis to a major deal. I don't think the Rams can tie up a practice squad spot grooming a backup Mike 'backer.

* Secondary (keeping 9): Cortland Finnegan, Janoris Jenkins, Bradley Fletcher, Trumaine Johnson, Jerome Murphy, Quintin Mikell, Craig Dahl, Darian Stewart, Rodney McLeod.
Practice squad: Matt Daniels.
Cut: Kendric Burney, Quinton Pointer. Sorry, but they're both awful. If my scenario holds up, Reynolds can thank the Josh Gordy trade for his roster spot. The Rams only kept 8 DBs last year, with four corners, so it's not like they're obliged to keep a bad player just to have ten DBs. However, all the recent injuries at safety may force the Rams to bring in a veteran stopgap, which would probably take Reynolds' spot away.

* Specialists (keeping 3): Greg Zuerlein, Johnny Hekker, Jake McQuaide.
Cut: Garrett Lindholm, Travis Tripucka.

-$-

8/24 injury report

The injury list should look something like this heading into tomorrow night's game with the Cowboys:

* Danario Alexander, out forever, hamstring
* Sam Bradford, probable, ankle, 45th consecutive week
* Craig Dahl missed Wednesday's and Thursday's practice due to sore hamstrings
* Brandon Gibson, out, hamstring
* Jamaar Jarrett, still out, still unknown
* Trevor Laws, out, knee
* Darell Dorell Scott, out, knee. Scott had arthroscopic surgery on a knee earlier this week and figures to be out for 4 weeks in the less and less likely event he makes the roster.
* Eugene Sims, out, ankle. Lower ankle sprain, out 1-2 weeks. Lucky thing, too, we now know those high-ankle sprains can last 45 weeks or more! The d-line injuries are enough that Vernon Gholston will get onto the field after a whole two days in camp, and I'd expect John Gill to get kicked inside. (He was at DE late in the Kansas City game.)
* Darian Stewart returned to practice this week and promptly went right back to the sideline with hamstring issues. Rodney McLeod will start and should get more action in Dallas than Debbie.

Bradley Fletcher, who had been out with a rib injury, has returned to action. Not sure how they plan to use Scott Wells, who has been practicing. Maybe limited action. Sounds like starters will play a series or two into the second quarter.

-$-

RamView, 8/23: Rams sign... Vernon Gholston?

Photo - Sports Illustrated

* In a move that can only be described as puzzling, the Rams have added former Ohio State and New York Jets defensive end Vernon Gholston to the 90-man roster. Gholston, the #6 pick of the 2008 draft, who many believed could have been taken higher, is one of the colossal draft busts of the past decade. In three years with the Jets, he started only 5 games and did not have a single sack. The Jets cut him last March. Chicago had him in training camp, where he also did not impress and was cut in September. Rex Ryan says today that he never liked Gholston coming out of college, thought he was "phony," and advised then-Jets head coach Eric Mangini not to draft him. In his defense, Gholston was a poor fit for Ryan's complicated system and was miscast as an outside linebacker.

Gholston's draft stock soared in '08 thanks to the NFL Combine, but the years since have exposed him as just another workout wonder. His strength did not translate to the field. He has no bull rush, can't shed blockers and doesn't stop the run well at the line of scrimmage. He's a stiff, upright pass rusher, a one-note speed rusher easily blocked by a RB or a TE, who takes poor angles to the QB and plays too out of control. He disappears on the field for stretches and his motor and killer instinct have been questioned. Whatever amount of faith you place in Rams defensive line coach Mike Waufle, he's likelier to successfully flip a crack house for a profit in the next two weeks than he is to turn Vernon Gholston into a viable NFL player.

The only advantage I can see in this signing is that it could potentially raise Jason Smith's self-esteem. For once, he might not be the biggest draft bust on his team.

* Wednesday injury list:
- Danario Alexander, out, hamstring
- Sam Bradford, probable, ankle
- Craig Dahl, out, hamstring
- Bradley Fletcher, out, ribs
- Brandon Gibson, out, hamstring
- Jamaar Jarrett, out, unknown
- Trevor Laws, out, knee
- Darell Dorell Scott, out, unknown
- Eugene Sims, out, foot. Jim Thomas reports Sims is wearing a walking boot.
- Darian Stewart, out, undisclosed but probably hamstring

Sims' and Jarrett's injuries seem to be the reason Gholston was signed. Nick Wagoner speculates that Gholston could play Saturday night.

-$-