This year's Rams team post-season awards, as voted on by the players:
Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award (MVP): Steven Jackson.
Carrol Rosenbloom Memorial Award (Rookie of the Year): Sam Bradford.
Carl Ekern Spirit of the Game Award (leadership award): Oshiomogho Atogwe.
Ed Block Courage Award: Bradley Fletcher.
Jackson won the MVP last year, too, yet I wouldn't call him the reason the Rams went from one win to seven this year. Unless there's a rule against giving the award to rookies, I would have voted Bradford team MVP. Veterans only, then definitely Jackson.
Bradford's an easy pick for ROTY, as he should be for the whole league when that vote is taken. The Ekern award always seems to go to a defensive player, otherwise, I don't know why Jackson shouldn't win it, same argument I made last year. Fletcher's comeback from knee surgery makes him a good recipient for the Block award.
Congratulations to the award winners.
-$-
Friday, January 7, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
All-time team updates
I won't get around to changing the all-time team pages on ramview.com for a while, but now that the season's over, it's time to reflect what "roster changes" to make.
All-time St. Louis Rams roster
QB: Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, Sam Bradford. I was going to wait a year but I think Bradford's already surpassed Trent Green.
RB: Marshall Faulk, Steven Jackson, Amp Lee, James Hodgins at fullback. No change.
WR: Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Rickey Proehl, Az Hakim, Kevin Curtis(?). Curtis' roster spot may get stolen one of these days.
TE: Ernie Conwell, Roland Williams, Jeff Robinson. No change.
OT: Orlando Pace, Fred Miller, Ryan Tucker. I was going to put Rodger Saffold on the "practice squad", but he may already qualify for the main roster.
C: Andy McCollum, Mike Gruttadauria. No change.
OG: Adam Timmerman, Tom Nutten. No change.
DE: Leonard Little, Grant Wistrom, Kevin Carter. I respect what James Hall accomplished this season but doubt he's ever cracking this lineup. Would like to see Chris Long start moving this direction, though.
DT: D'Marco Farr, Ryan Pickett, Jeff Zgonina. Fred Robbins is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and has a shot to crack the lineup.
OLB: Mike Jones, Roman Phifer, Pisa Tinoisamoa. Like Curtis, Pisa's roster spot may be in jeopardy soon.
MLB: London Fletcher, Will Witherspoon, James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis will be "promoted" from the "practice squad". Haven't decided whether to keep Witherspoon.
CB: Aeneas Williams, Todd Lyght, Dre Bly, Dexter McCleon. No change.
S: Keith Lyle, Toby Wright, Oshiomogho Atogwe, Billy Jenkins. No change.
K: Jeff Wilkins, likely forever.
P: Donnie Jones.
KR: Tony Horne.
PR: Hakim.
Specialist: Robert Holcombe.
"Practice squad": Tyoka Jackson, Chris Massey, Justin Watson, Todd Kinchen, Mark Rypien, Nate Hobgood-Chittick. Green will probably bump Rypien. Laurinaitis' open spot will very likely go to Danny Amendola.
Coaching staff: Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz, Lovie Smith, Frank Gansz.
I don't think the all-worst team is going to get any updates this year. The hottest debate: Jerry Rhome vs. Pat Shurmur at OC. Here it is for now, though:
QB: Chris Chandler, Steve Walsh, Scott Covington
RB: Lawrence Phillips, Craig Heyward, Jerald Moore, Trung Canidate, June Henley, Richard Owens at fullback
WR: Drew Bennett, Terrence Wilkins, Eddie Kennison, Troy Edwards.
TE: Joe Klopfenstein, Randy McMichael.
OT: Wayne Gandy, Grant Williams, Alex Barron.
OC: Steve Everitt.
OG: Dwayne White, Jesse James, Claude Terrell, Richie Incognito.
DE: Anthony Hargrove, James Harris.
DT: Jimmy Kennedy, Jimmie Jones, Damione Lewis.
LB: Jamie Duncan, Robert Jones, Robert Thomas, Eric Hill, Chris Claiborne.
CB: Taje Allen, Jacoby Shepherd, Travis Fisher, perennial Pro Bowler and future Hall-of-Famer Ryan McNeil.
S: Rich Coady, Jason Sehorn, Michael Hawthorne, Mike Furrey, Kim Herring.
K: Steve McLaughlin.
P: John Baker.
Returner: Chris Johnson.
"Practice Squad": Joe Germaine, Andy King, Jon Kirksey, Chuck Osborne, Keith Loneker, Jason Shivers, John David Washington.
Coaching staff: Scott Linehan, Larry Marmie, Bobby April, and Jerry Rhome for now.
The all-worst lineup won't change much. I'm thinking about demoting Barron and Fisher to starters, and Jacob Bell's starting to creep onto the radar. Mardy Gilyard's a threat to bump Shivers off the PS.
-$-
All-time St. Louis Rams roster
QB: Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, Sam Bradford. I was going to wait a year but I think Bradford's already surpassed Trent Green.
RB: Marshall Faulk, Steven Jackson, Amp Lee, James Hodgins at fullback. No change.
WR: Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Rickey Proehl, Az Hakim, Kevin Curtis(?). Curtis' roster spot may get stolen one of these days.
TE: Ernie Conwell, Roland Williams, Jeff Robinson. No change.
OT: Orlando Pace, Fred Miller, Ryan Tucker. I was going to put Rodger Saffold on the "practice squad", but he may already qualify for the main roster.
C: Andy McCollum, Mike Gruttadauria. No change.
OG: Adam Timmerman, Tom Nutten. No change.
DE: Leonard Little, Grant Wistrom, Kevin Carter. I respect what James Hall accomplished this season but doubt he's ever cracking this lineup. Would like to see Chris Long start moving this direction, though.
DT: D'Marco Farr, Ryan Pickett, Jeff Zgonina. Fred Robbins is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and has a shot to crack the lineup.
OLB: Mike Jones, Roman Phifer, Pisa Tinoisamoa. Like Curtis, Pisa's roster spot may be in jeopardy soon.
MLB: London Fletcher, Will Witherspoon, James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis will be "promoted" from the "practice squad". Haven't decided whether to keep Witherspoon.
CB: Aeneas Williams, Todd Lyght, Dre Bly, Dexter McCleon. No change.
S: Keith Lyle, Toby Wright, Oshiomogho Atogwe, Billy Jenkins. No change.
K: Jeff Wilkins, likely forever.
P: Donnie Jones.
KR: Tony Horne.
PR: Hakim.
Specialist: Robert Holcombe.
"Practice squad": Tyoka Jackson, Chris Massey, Justin Watson, Todd Kinchen, Mark Rypien, Nate Hobgood-Chittick. Green will probably bump Rypien. Laurinaitis' open spot will very likely go to Danny Amendola.
Coaching staff: Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz, Lovie Smith, Frank Gansz.
I don't think the all-worst team is going to get any updates this year. The hottest debate: Jerry Rhome vs. Pat Shurmur at OC. Here it is for now, though:
QB: Chris Chandler, Steve Walsh, Scott Covington
RB: Lawrence Phillips, Craig Heyward, Jerald Moore, Trung Canidate, June Henley, Richard Owens at fullback
WR: Drew Bennett, Terrence Wilkins, Eddie Kennison, Troy Edwards.
TE: Joe Klopfenstein, Randy McMichael.
OT: Wayne Gandy, Grant Williams, Alex Barron.
OC: Steve Everitt.
OG: Dwayne White, Jesse James, Claude Terrell, Richie Incognito.
DE: Anthony Hargrove, James Harris.
DT: Jimmy Kennedy, Jimmie Jones, Damione Lewis.
LB: Jamie Duncan, Robert Jones, Robert Thomas, Eric Hill, Chris Claiborne.
CB: Taje Allen, Jacoby Shepherd, Travis Fisher, perennial Pro Bowler and future Hall-of-Famer Ryan McNeil.
S: Rich Coady, Jason Sehorn, Michael Hawthorne, Mike Furrey, Kim Herring.
K: Steve McLaughlin.
P: John Baker.
Returner: Chris Johnson.
"Practice Squad": Joe Germaine, Andy King, Jon Kirksey, Chuck Osborne, Keith Loneker, Jason Shivers, John David Washington.
Coaching staff: Scott Linehan, Larry Marmie, Bobby April, and Jerry Rhome for now.
The all-worst lineup won't change much. I'm thinking about demoting Barron and Fisher to starters, and Jacob Bell's starting to creep onto the radar. Mardy Gilyard's a threat to bump Shivers off the PS.
-$-
2011 draft order, so far
By failing to win in Seattle Sunday night, the Rams will get the 14th pick in the 2011 draft instead of the 21st (or worse). Had Seattle lost, they would have been picking 8th.
Adam Schefter's already saying Carolina's taking Stanford QB Andrew Luck and that it would take a minimum of THREE first round picks to budge them out of the top slot.
1. Carolina (2-14)
2. Denver (4-12)
3. Buffalo (4-12)
4. Cincinnati (4-12)
5. Arizona (5-11)
6. Cleveland (5-11)
7. San Francisco (6-10)
8. Tennessee (6-10)
9. Dallas (6-10)
10. Washington (6-10)
11. Houston (6-10)
12. Minnesota (6-10)
13. Detroit (6-10)
14. ST. LOUIS (7-9)
15. Miami (7-9)
16. Jacksonville (8-8)
17. New England (from Oakland 8-8)
18. San Diego (9-7)
19. New York Giants (10-6)
20. Tampa Bay (10-6)
-$-
Adam Schefter's already saying Carolina's taking Stanford QB Andrew Luck and that it would take a minimum of THREE first round picks to budge them out of the top slot.
1. Carolina (2-14)
2. Denver (4-12)
3. Buffalo (4-12)
4. Cincinnati (4-12)
5. Arizona (5-11)
6. Cleveland (5-11)
7. San Francisco (6-10)
8. Tennessee (6-10)
9. Dallas (6-10)
10. Washington (6-10)
11. Houston (6-10)
12. Minnesota (6-10)
13. Detroit (6-10)
14. ST. LOUIS (7-9)
15. Miami (7-9)
16. Jacksonville (8-8)
17. New England (from Oakland 8-8)
18. San Diego (9-7)
19. New York Giants (10-6)
20. Tampa Bay (10-6)
-$-
Rams 2011 opponents
Home:
Arizona (5-11 in 2010)
San Francisco (6-10)
Seattle (7-9)
Philadelphia (10-6)
Washington (6-10)
New Orleans (11-5)
Baltimore (12-4)
Cincinnati (4-12)
Away:
Arizona (5-11)
San Francisco (6-10)
Seattle (7-9)
Dallas (6-10)
N.Y. Giants (10-6)
Green Bay (10-6)
Cleveland (5-11)
Pittsburgh (12-4)
A LOT of tough-looking games on that schedule, but thanks to their membership in the NFC West, the Rams' schedule only ranks 26th in difficulty. The Big Dead have the easiest schedule heading into next season, while the NFL's worst team this year, Carolina, gets stuck with the most difficult schedule.
If the league would be kind enough to time it right for me, I'd really like to do a road trip for the Dallas game. I've only taken one road trip as a Rams fan, Tennessee in 1999. I'm way overdue.
I also wonder which, if any, of these games would have prime-time appeal. There's a lot of marquee teams here, but the Rams didn't show they could hang with any marquee teams this year. Crazy guesses: Rams at 49ers on ESPN, with NFL Network maybe grabbing the Steelers or Packers game. A prime-time shutout wouldn't shock me, though.
One last bit of mixed news: the Bengals are the closest team on the Rams' schedule geographically, so there shouldn't be a game in 2011 where the Dome is overrun with the other team's fans. That might make sellouts harder to accomplish, though.
-$-
Arizona (5-11 in 2010)
San Francisco (6-10)
Seattle (7-9)
Philadelphia (10-6)
Washington (6-10)
New Orleans (11-5)
Baltimore (12-4)
Cincinnati (4-12)
Away:
Arizona (5-11)
San Francisco (6-10)
Seattle (7-9)
Dallas (6-10)
N.Y. Giants (10-6)
Green Bay (10-6)
Cleveland (5-11)
Pittsburgh (12-4)
A LOT of tough-looking games on that schedule, but thanks to their membership in the NFC West, the Rams' schedule only ranks 26th in difficulty. The Big Dead have the easiest schedule heading into next season, while the NFL's worst team this year, Carolina, gets stuck with the most difficult schedule.
If the league would be kind enough to time it right for me, I'd really like to do a road trip for the Dallas game. I've only taken one road trip as a Rams fan, Tennessee in 1999. I'm way overdue.
I also wonder which, if any, of these games would have prime-time appeal. There's a lot of marquee teams here, but the Rams didn't show they could hang with any marquee teams this year. Crazy guesses: Rams at 49ers on ESPN, with NFL Network maybe grabbing the Steelers or Packers game. A prime-time shutout wouldn't shock me, though.
One last bit of mixed news: the Bengals are the closest team on the Rams' schedule geographically, so there shouldn't be a game in 2011 where the Dome is overrun with the other team's fans. That might make sellouts harder to accomplish, though.
-$-
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Rams sign nine
The Rams have re-signed the players on their end-of-season practice squad to future contracts:
- QB Thaddeus Lewis
- WR Greg Mathews
- OT Ryan McKee
- OL Drew Miller
- DT Jimmy (Hyphen Jr.) Saddler-McQueen
- LB Maurice Simpkins
- RB Chauncey Washington
- WR Joe West
They have similarly re-signed Marquis Johnson, their first pick in the 7th round of the 2010 draft. He started the season on the practice squad, was called up for a couple of games in September and was IR'ed in October to get knee AND shoulder surgery.
-$-
- QB Thaddeus Lewis
- WR Greg Mathews
- OT Ryan McKee
- OL Drew Miller
- DT Jimmy (Hyphen Jr.) Saddler-McQueen
- LB Maurice Simpkins
- RB Chauncey Washington
- WR Joe West
They have similarly re-signed Marquis Johnson, their first pick in the 7th round of the 2010 draft. He started the season on the practice squad, was called up for a couple of games in September and was IR'ed in October to get knee AND shoulder surgery.
-$-
It boggles the mind
After that performance against a lousy defense Sunday night, Pat Shurmur is the FAVORITE (per Adam Schefter on Twitter) to become the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns? Then again, ESPN Sunday morning was calling Marty Mornhinweg, whose head coaching stint in Detroit may have been one of the worst ever in sports, a leading candidate, so obviously, the competition can't be that tough.That's got to excite the Cleveland fan base, doesn't it? Bill Cowher's out there, everybody's after Stanford HC Jim Harbaugh, Jeff Fisher might be available, but WE'RE hot on the trail of the offensive coordinator whose team scored SIX points against Seattle in a winner-take-all for the playoffs this weekend.
The bad news for Rams fans: you really hate to start changing offensive coordinators on Sam Bradford when he's only been in the league a year. The OC merry-go-round didn't exactly help Jason Campbell's career.
The good news: the Rams play Cleveland next year, so we're already starting 2011 with a win. I'm pretty sure we can watch out for Peyton Hillis on the A-gap slam.
-$-
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Injury report, 1/1
Michael Hoomanawanui practiced on a limited basis Friday. He'll be listed officially as questionable on the injury report. Sounds like he has a pretty good chance of playing, though.
I don't think any other Rams player is even going to be listed. Jerome Murphy's expected to be good to go.
Matt Hasselbeck practiced for the Seahawks Friday and opinion increasingly says he's going to be the QB for Seattle.
-$-
I don't think any other Rams player is even going to be listed. Jerome Murphy's expected to be good to go.
Matt Hasselbeck practiced for the Seahawks Friday and opinion increasingly says he's going to be the QB for Seattle.
-$-
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