Rams update, 2/24

Thought I'd first catch up on some Rams items before diving into this weekend's Combine coverage. And yes, there's still going to be a Senior Bowl report. Stupidly, my work on it so far was not saved at home or in the cloud, so I'll have to get back to it next week. But it's close.

Short version: Ziggy Ansah star of the game, followed closely by Cornelius Washington. Quarterbacking terrible, especially Landry Jones, who looks like the next Blaine Gabbert. Eric Fisher continues to dominate; Lane Johnson continues to impress.

Also, I obviously have a LOT of work to do on Ramview.com, which I wouldn't even recommend going to right now because it's so out of date. Unless you like juicy news about LAST year's Combine. I'll try to get updates done there and announce them here in the coming days.

* Bye. "The Rams have a number of free agents [we] would like to keep, and [this player] is one of them." Who was Jeff Fisher talking about? The correct answer: Brandon Lloyd, last February. Fisher used almost the exact words describing the Rams' situation with Lloyd as he has to describe this year's situation with Danny Amendola (and Steven Jackson, too, actually). The comparisons with Lloyd don't stop there. Rams GM Les Snead has already announced the Rams won't franchise Amendola. They wouldn't franchise Lloyd last year, despite his outsized value among the receivers on that year's roster. 30 years old at the time, Lloyd wouldn't have been the right player in whom to make a franchise-player-sized investment. Amendola's just 27, but he's also missed 20 games the past two seasons. RamView believes Danny is an elite slot receiver who would have had a 100-catch season by now if he'd stayed healthy. But I wasn't ready to give him franchise-player money when I thought the Rams had salary cap space. Knowing now that they don't, and seeing how everything's lining up just about the same way it did with Lloyd last year, I don't expect to see Danny back with the Rams next year. He can get more money from a lot of other teams than the Rams will be willing and able to give him. Danny's one of the Rams' best, and most popular, players; I hope there's a way to work this out that I'm not seeing. But the trends are pointing the other way.

The Rams will talk to Eugene Parker, Steven Jackson's agent, at the Combine, but it's all but certain that Steven is going to void his contract and at least get a gauge of his open market value.

* QB shuffle? Talking to Nick Wagoner at the Combine, Snead as much as said that if the Rams are bringing Kellen Clemens back, it'll be as the #3 QB. The Rams apparently liked Austin Davis so much last preseason that he's the lead candidate for QB2. Wow, RamView really can pick 'em sometimes.

* O-line healing up. All the offseason news has been good as far as the Rams' injured offensive linemen. Harvey Dahl (torn biceps) and Scott Wells (knees) are reported by Fisher as being right on track with their rehab. And in one of the all-time offseason upsets, Rokevious Watkins' (ankle) rehab is not only complete, he has lost significant weight in getting there. I was expecting him to be about four bills by now. Couldn't have hurt that Hostess went bankrupt during that time period.

* Combine pre-report. I have to chuckle at all the gushing already going on this morning about some of the blazing 40 times the o-linemen are running at the Combine. These are NFL Network's hand-timed readings, which have been notoriously unreliable. Wait for the official times before you get too excited.

* Mock draft review. Some of the pre-Combine mock draft projections for the Rams:
Mel Kiper: 16 - Lane Johnson; 22 - Cal WR Keenan Allen. We'll have to keep an eye on the 6'3" Allen's 40 time tomorrow.
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): 16 - Lane Johnson; 22 - Florida International safety Jonathan Cyprien. Prisco says, pointedly, "They need to get Craig Dahl off the field." No argument here.

* Ex-Rams report. Two teams on the Rams' 2013 schedule now have defensive coaches that Fisher basically fired this offseason. Gregg Williams is now the senior assistant defensive coach of the Titans. Sounds like his role will be similar to Dave McGinniss' role here, because current DC Jerry Gray is expected to retain responsibility for play-calling. And Rob Ryan was picked up by the Saints, who are converting to a 3-4, and, called it.

Titans-Rams has so many story lines, it almost HAS to be a national TV game, doesn't it? Look for that one on Monday Night Football. If Rams-Titans doesn't get on there, 49ers-Titans will. Watch your ankles, Vernon Davis.

In other coaching moves:
* Ken Flajole has successfully bounced from the Saints to the Browns, where he's going to be the inside linebackers coach;
* Jeff Zgonina has been hired as an assistant defensive line coach for the Texans.

In player moves:
* The Rams can get Jason Smith back if they want him. The Jets cut him among several players they dumped to get under the salary cap. None of the "experts" you're going to hear from about draft prospects the next two months (with the possible exception of Charlie Casserly, who correctly opined no o-lineman that year was worth a top ten pick) had anything bad to say about Jason Smith in 2009. Yet here he is, though certainly not at the head of the class with Ryan Leaf and Jamarcus Russell, on his way to the Draft Bust Hall of Fame. Looks like you're now on your last shot in the NFL, Jason; make it count.
* Then again, the Chiefs signed Mardy Gilyard a couple of weeks ago, so maybe there's no limit on the number of chances a player can get.
* The Packers signed Kevin Hughes. So Kevin Hughes is working, and the #2 pick of the 2009 draft is not.

-$-