It’s about time… (Personal Photo: 2012 NFL Experience Indianapolis)

In case you missed this, here’s a repost of my 101 ESPN column from April 13.  I’m still at my wit’s end about all the mock drafts floating around and can’t wait for April 26 for the ultimate anti-mock draft.  Enjoy.

NFL fans are 13 days away (but who’s counting?) from arguably one the biggest football days of the year: the 2012 NFL Draft. Yes, opening day (Sept. 5, 2012) and the Super Bowl are equally adrenaline pumping, but the draft is the one day where all 32 teams are emotionally invested.

All 32 teams start out fresh with each being undefeated. There’s the undeniable sense of anticipation and excitement as teams select future players and look ahead to the 2012 season.

Personally, I love draft weekend and all the hope that comes along with it: the red carpet entrance into Radio City Music Hall, NFL Network’s Rich Eisen’s superb hosting and most of all the emotion of the draftees and their families. With all the crying that will take place, I’ll be wearing waterproof mascara and have a box of tissues ready.

But all the speculation (Andrew Luck visits the Redskins, Robert Griffin III does not visit the Colts) and smoke screening (Vikings are not locked into offensive lineman Matt Kalil) prior to this blessed event is nauseating. Believe me I know nausea; I’ve successfully navigated through three pregnancies. This is far worse.

» Continue reading “I Hate Mock (Drafts)”

Sigh... SMH.

With Pettis out, revisiting the NFC West drafts

Rookie draft choices are making strong contributions throughout the NFC West, but less so in St. Louis after the NFL suspended receiver Austin Pettis.

Something we here in St. Louis know oh too well.  And not the rest of the ESPN/NFL world knows it.  It’s especially depressing when you go through and read how the other teams’ draft picks have progressed and flourished.  49ers’ Aldon Smith and Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson just to name a couple of stand outs.  Most people couldn’t even name one Rams’ draft pick from this year.

Rams 2011 draft class disappointing

Through injury, poor performance and questionable roster decisions, this year’s draft has not been very productive for the Rams. In fact, in the final two games of the season, defensive end Robert Quinn (first round) and tight end Lance Kendricks (second round) will be the only two drafted players active. Two undrafted free agents will also play: cornerback Chris Smith and long snapper Jake McQuaide.

Um, yeah…  So what’s going on with the Rams?  Is it bad talent evaluation or is it bad coaching, or both?  Another damning red flag against the current regime staying.

Stop with the excuses for Spags and Devaney

Perhaps I need to read (again) the words of the late, great Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, just to make sure I remember the objective here.

It was Lombardi who once said, “Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will all be judged on one thing: the result.”

Yet, many make excuses for Spags and Devaney staying put.  I’m pretty much decided on getting rid of Devaney but there’s definitely a part of me that thinks Spags could get another year – at least let him finish out his contract.  I’d like to see what he could do with a healthy roster.  I don’t think Mr. Miklasz really agrees but that’s okay.

New Rams Austin Pettis and Lance Kendricks via Ron Clements

The dust from the NFL draft has finally settled and we’ve had a chance to let things sink in.  We’ve all read the various “draft grades” handed out by various experts.  The Rams brought home grades anywhere from A’s to C’s.

Lots of fans came out of the draft scratching our heads and left wondering what in the world???

Billy Devaney was on The Bernie Show yesterday and tried to explain himself and clear the air.  I don’t think reading his responses tell the whole story.  If you listened to the interview yesterday, it wasn’t so much what he said but more HOW he said it.  He let out sighs, and sometimes, big sighs.  Sighs of regret and frustration.  At least that’s how it sounded to me.  Maybe he was just tired to answering the same questions, I don’t know.  There was a sense that he was trying not only to convince the fans and Bernie about how well the draft went but he was trying to convince himself.

Q: Overall how do you think the draft went?

It went as well as we could have expected.

Could we realistically have expected him to say anything else?  He’s not going to say it went horribly, right?

Q: When asked about why a TE in the 2nd round:

Well as far as the TE, he’s (Lance Kendrick’s) a hybrid kind of guy that we think with his athletic ability and his speed he can cause a mismatches for the defenses. That’s what you’re always looking for.  He’s an incredible blocker. This is an oversized receiver lined up there.  He can block some, he’s not going to knock somebody doors down as a blocker but he’s a functional block and the defenses will have to decide how they cover him.  Whether it’s with a linebacker or a DB in the game.  He gives us a lot of flexibility in the game.  He can score.  He’s a big play guy.  We’ve been talking about adding juice and big players to our offense.  We happen to think that the TE will be able to do that.

Q: Why did they take Greg Salas in the 4th round right after taking Austin Pettis in the 3rd?  They are basically the same type of receiver.  Redundant?

As far as the receivers, yeah, they are much alike and that’s a good thing. Had them graded really really close as good football players.  We really like Pettis obviously and when it was time for us to make our selection in the fourth round the value of Salas was too high to pass up.  He’s another guy that’s going to create problems.  He’s a tough inside receiver, he can play the outside as Pettis does so, I think it gives Josh a lot of flexibility as far as, coupled with the players that we have, Amendola and the rest of the receivers. Hopefully it causes problems for the defenses.

Q: How much of an influence did McDaniels have on 3-4 round selections?

Not so much with the receivers but I will say this the way he plans to utilize the TE’s.  It certainly was an influence.  There were other positions that we could have gone players that were graded close to Kendricks that may have been more situational type players.  As much as we plan on having Kendricks on the field, that made it an easy choice to go in that direction.

Q: And my biggest question for Devaney: Did they try to get a back up running back?

As far as targeting or coming close yeah there was a guy specifically I had in mind.  we got close, we got real close but we lost him.  Believe me it wasn’t for lack of trying.  It will be addressed, I promise.

Q: How hard were they trying to trade up?  He really sounded defeated here.

We were trying.  We were trying.  We were working the phones extensively and couldn’t make it happen.

Q: Was not coming away with a RB your biggest disappointment in the 3 day draft?

I would have liked to have come away with one.  Yeah, I would say that’s probably true.

Q: On why they didn’t take a RB in the 2nd round:

Here’s the only thing, and you’re right.  We’re on the same page.  Obviously we love the RB from Illinois, LeShoure.  It was a good group, it was a deep group.  If we had taken LeShoure in the 2nd round we were thinking, ok, if he’s here, no matter what people think Jackson is playing at a real high level, as good as ever.

So you have LeShoure here. You know how Jackson is, he doesn’t want to leave the field.  So LeShoure carries the ball six times, seven times a game. 8 times if Jackson is healthy and really doesn’t give anything on special team.  Or do you go another direction?  Or are you going to play a guy that plays 50% of the snaps and contribute on the special teams.  That’s what it always comes down to.  You’ve got a weigh all those things.

Looks like many of us jumped the gun in terms of giving Devaney a difficult time with this.  It was reassuring to hear that they tried and tried hard.

Q: So they chose players that will have an immediate impact?

That’s better way putting it – playing a lot right away.  All those guys, yeah.  I think I think they do have that potential to play and contribute immediately.  That was part of our focus as with most teams.  As long as this  lockout is in affect we know how the an adverse effect on a lot of guys, the young guy’s ability to contribute right away. So we wanted to find guys that physically had the skills set certainly but also mentally they can learn a playbook in short order if it came down to that.

Q: Can Jermale Hines from OSU move up into the box and play more of a WLB?

Exactly. To be honest that is his forte. The closer to ball, closer to the line of scrimage.  It’s best for for Hines.  He’s a big physical run down strong safety type.  We’ve had Craig Dahl played that position in and some packages with Spags.  Stewart play some in that so this is a bigger body in there that can bang a lot better.

Q: What about Jonathan Nelson?

Nelson is a kind of the opposite.  He’s your roaming center field kind of safety, more athletic kind of guy.  So they’re both (special) teams guys.  They’re not on the field right away.  We plan on having them play on special teams while they’re learning the defense.

I’m glad Devaney was up front and honest (as he could be) about what was going on in the war room.  Next year I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt before bashing them.

And all this draft grading that’s been going on non-stop since Saturday night.  Enough!  We won’t be able to definitively see anything until these guys have been in the league for a few years.  Let’s revisit this breakdown in three years.  Then and only then will we have concrete numbers and tape to determine how well the drafts really went.

Continuing my random draft thoughts, musings, and rants:

• The Vikings take Christian Ponder in the 1st round.  Does this really mean that Brett Favre is retired for good???  Has Peyton Manning sent that congratulatory letter to Favre yet?  Please, pretty please?  I would like a “Favre-watch” free summer.  I’m sure ESPN’s Ed Werder would sign off on that one, too.

• I was actually hoping to see the Pouncey twins reunite in Pittsburgh.  Imagine all the fun the two of them would have had fooling teammates.  I wonder if Maurkice would have hazed his rookie twin brother.  Guess we’ll have to wait until one of them gets traded to see what happens.

• The Indianapolis Colts selected two O-linemen to help protect their biggest investment, Peyton Manning.  6′ 7″, 311 lbs. Anthony Castonzo from Boston College and  6′ 4″ 317 lbs Ben Iljalana from Villanova.  They’re going to need to protect Peyton and his big ole noggin from getting knocked around.

• Technically, Peyton’s not a Colt since he’s a UFA but honestly where else would be go?  Can’t see Jim Irsay letting his franchise walk out the door because of salary issues.

• The Lions not only fortified their DL but also picked up some good talent on the offensive side as well.  Boise State WR Titus Young will be a solid compliment to Megatron and another target for QB Matthew Stafford.  They also got Illinois RB Mikel LeShoure to add to their talented young backfield with Jahvid Best.

• If Detroit can keep Stafford HEALTHY and injury free they will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.  The NFC North is going to be a very competitive and fun division to keep tabs on.

• The Bengals on the other hand, are going through massive changes.  Or at least judging from Carson Palmer and Ochocinco it’s certainly looking that way.  My guess is Carson retires because Mike Brown refuses to trade him.  Ochocinco has already burned bridges with Marvin Lewis and has expressed some interest in coming to STL – not that the Rams should seriously consider 85.  No way!

• Will TCU QB Andy Dalton come into Cincy and be able to win the starting job?  Where does Jordan Palmer fit into all of this?  Maybe Jordan should hang up his cleats and focus on Rocksoftware, his booming software/app business with John Shahidi.

• I’m still not 100% certain about what took place between the Bears and Ravens during that trade gaff.  But it sounds like someone in the Bears organization dropped the ball big time.  Verbal apologies were made regarding the confirmation phone call that wasn’t made but the Ravens wanted more.

• The Ravens wanted a pick in return from the Bears.  The Bears refused such a demand and a BAD taste was left in the Ravens’ beak.  In the end I think the Ravens still got the guy they wanted but just one pick later.

• But it just wasn’t the Ravens who came away scorned.  Other teams will be weary of doing future business with the Bears and it could come back to haunt them.  Bad business karma.

• I watched the Mark Ingram interview over again and I began to get annoyed with Suzy Kolber.  Was she trying to pull a Barbara Walters on him by making him cry with that email from his father who happens to be in prison?  What won’t networks and reporters do for ratings these days.  Or were they trying to get in touch with the female audience by adding that human interest element into the draft coverage.  I’d love to hear who’s idea it was to do that to him.

• The next few days stories from the war rooms will start leaking out.  ”Bart Scott!” to read about how close teams got to making trades that never materialized.  Maybe they’ll answer some linger questions that Rams fans have regarding the draft picks.

• One thing that absolutely drove me nuts the past few months about the draft is all this talk about “value.”  ”Player X was a great value at that pick…”  or “Player Y was a steal at round x.”  Value of what?  A bargain compared to who?  Are they talking about how much talent they got from that pick?  Or maybe the value of how much they’re going to have to pay the player based on what round they were taken?  I’ve yet to see an article where someone addresses this notion of “value.”

• The UFL (United Football League) conducted their draft for the 2011 season last night.  A few players who slipped through the NFL draft were taken by the UFL.  The most noticeable name for me was Mark Herzlich.  It’s a shame that no one in the NFL had the vision to take Mark.

It’s a shame this draft was marred by the lockout.  Not only did it steal some of its thunder but it changed the dynamics of the draft.  It will be interesting to look back at this draft 3 or 4 years from now and realize its impact on the league.

via Ron Clements

The first day of the 2011 NFL draft was filled with all sorts of emotions.  Excitement from the anticipation of who we would pick, the anger as we watched the Commissioner walk down the stage with the pompous look on his face, and the sympathy I felt for Mark Ingram as we watched him cry as he was picked and talked about his father.

Although we didn’t get the potential big time WR I was hoping for I was quite content with getting DE Robert Quinn at the 14th spot.  Despite his off field history (NCAA suspension for receiving inappropriate gifts and his benign brain tumor) Spags and Devaney seem comfortable and confident that he is past both issues and is ready to move forward.

So rounds 2 and 3 were last night and I’m thinking, “Okay today’s the day we could get a WR, OLB, and possibly a back up RB.”  A variety of names have been floating around the STL media for weeks now and I was just getting familiar with all of them.  Then Marshall Faulk announces the 47th overall pick belonging to the Rams.

TE?  But it’s not Kyle Rudolph because MIN had just taken him.  Who’s Lance Kendricks???  Not even on my radar.  I’m not necessarily knocking the TE from Wisconsin per se but why at 47?  We have a barn full of TE’s and why here?  RB Mikel LeShoure, WR’s Torry Smith, Randall Cobb, and Greg Little were still on the board.  *Scratching head… Maybe McDaniels is trying to create his own version of the Patriot’s Hernandez-Gronkowski TE duo.  Let me do some more research on Kendricks and get back to you.  Hopefully, there’s some good news there.

Next, we had the 78th overall (Round 3, pick 15) pick.  Now your guess is as good as mine.

By the middle of the 3rd round Smith, Cobb, and Little were off the board so for a WR the Rams selected Boise State WR Austin Pettis.  This pick I was okay with.  Wish we could have gotten Greg Little because we could use a bigger threat down the field but Pettis is also capable of being that big WR measuring in at 6′ 3″ 209 lbs.  Austin Pettis an athletic player who can contribute to the team in a variety of way.  He’s a receiver but he can also throw, punt, and hold kicks.  He’ll be fighting for one of the later spots on the WR roster but his versatility as a special teams player land him on the team.

“And with the 14th pick in the 2011 draft, the St. Louis Rams select Robert Quinn, DE from the University of North Carolina.”

With Julio Jones already taken from the board the Rams were best off selecting someone who will bolster Spags’ pass rush happy defense.  And they did just that with DE Robert Quinn.  A surprise, or not such a surprise, run on mediocre QB’s during this free agent-less off season aided his slide down the draft board and right into the Rams’ lap.

I’ve seen Quinn mocked at high as 5 going to Arizona which could use help at DE.

Quinn is a Junior, 6′ 5″, 270 lbs. and is still only 20 years old.  He turns 21 on May 18th.

His upsides:  Built well to to be used as a 5 technique pass rusher with his speed and size.  He’s very athletic, has good hands, and a great burst off the line.

His downside: Has been sitting out from football this past year due to being declared ineligible by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits from an agent.  Also considered was a benign brain tumor which was discovered and removed when he was in high school.

Overall, Quinn was a solid pick at 14.  Glad Spags and Devaney didn’t try and give up picks to get him.  Their stand pat approach paid off this round and got their man.

Good morning, everyone!  Draft day has officially arrived!  Seems like forever but football’s equivalent to Christmas day is finally here.

But before tonight’s festivities begin let’s take gander at some other news.

1) NewsOK.com: Let’s take a quick look at what Sam Bradford’s been up to.  He’s been spotted in DC encouraging kids to be more active.

2) TheTelegraph.com: Ron Clements has the low down on what Spags and Devaney had to say at the pre-draft news conference. 

3) Ramsherd.com: The Ramsherd takes a look at how Judge Nelson’s ruling last night and how that might affect the Rams tonight.  I personally like the Malcolm Floyd acquisition if we can get him at a reasonable price.

Again, here’s the link to the Rams official draft party at local Buffalo Wild Wings.

If you want live updates on the draft make sure you follow us on Twitter.

@Aerys_Rams and @AerysSports_NFL

Happy draft day!

 

Apparently news of the lockout being “lifted” yesterday hasn’t affected what’s been going on at Rams Park this morning.  A few local journalist have been spotted there but no players have been seen trying to enter the building.

Today, Rams GM Billy Devaney was a guest caller on 101Sports’ “Zach and the Coach.”  When asked if anything was different today and his response was,

No difference.  All I know is we’ve been holed up in the draft room since 7:30 this morning.  I couldn’t  tell you a damn thing that’s been going on in this building. 

Good to see that he’s focusing on what’s sure to take place – the draft.

Speaking of the draft, it sounds like Devaney is having ball coming up with different senarios of what might play out come Thursday night.  They could stay at 14, move up or move down.  There are many possibilities to plan for.  He says, “It’s been a blast.” 

No one will know for sure until Thursday night but it looks like they’re open to most things at this point.  They have their draft board and they have a pool of players that they’d be “absolutely thrilled to get at 14.”  He didn’t say exactly how many are in the “pool” of players though.  I would venture to guess, Julio Jones, Corey Liuget, and Robert Quinn made that cut.

In what circumstances would he consider moving up or down?  Well, as he put it, if “nuclear winter” hits and 4 of your top 5 guys went quick then they’d be making call to see what it would take to move up, even if it’s 1 or 2 spots, to get their guy under the right conditions, of course.  Or you take that gamble and hope that your guy is still there at 14.

On the otherhand, if the picks get to 12 and 13 and you still have 4 of those guys on your list then you can think it might be worth trying to trade down and get an extra pick. 

We feel confident that one of our guys is gonna be there so in this case we think the way the draft unfolds is really going to dictate our philosophy whether we just stand pat or whether we have to be aggressive going up or down.

How are they going to handle the unpredictability?  Devaney and Spags have had a draft “heart-to-heart” and came up with a game plan: 

You’ve got to come up with a philosophical approach before the draft and say, “Ok, we’re going in and let just say this we are not giving up next year’s 1, we’re not going to do it.  We don’t want to give up next year’s 2 unless somebody blows our doors away.  When we get to rounds 3 or 4, you know we’ll talk about it.  We’ve come up with that game plan and we’ll try and stick to it as much as we can.

So now we know what he meant when he said he wouldn’t trade next year’s 1st rounder to trade up in this year’s draft.  This makes more sense now that it’s in the context of the conversation.

Now that we’re in football labor purgatory, what happens to a player when he comes in and wants to work out?  All Devaney said was there are guidelines that each team has and that they would deal with whatever happens, when it happens.  
 
With no free agency, as of right now, how does this impact the Rams strategy?  Devaney says it won’t make much of a difference.  They are going to let their draft board dictate and take the best player available.

We’ve got to just approach this that whatever we think at the time is going to make our team better on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, that they are the players that we’re going to take.

Last week Steven Jackson came out and said he’s still “young and jubilant” so the Rams should focus on taking care of other teams needs and not worry about finding him a back up.  Devaney being ever so PC says,

I love Steven Jackson.  I love his approach, I love his attitude.  Again, we’ll do whatever our board dictates.  If it’s a running back in whatever round we’re talking about.  If that’s the best available player at that point where we have graded, whether it’s a receiver, whether it’s a guard, that’s going to drive our draft.  But I know this, I feel, I love the fact that Steven Jackson is the number 1 RB on our team, that’s for sure.

I find it funny that Billy Devaney can talk so much but not really ”say” anything.  He should definitely consider a career in politics if the whole NFL GM thing doesn’t work out.

Devaney says he hasn’t gotten any phones call from agents since last night and that his sole focus is on the college draft which is about to take place in about 48 hours.  But if free agency starts, in whatever form it may be, they’d be ready.  No ones’s sure what the rules are yet.  One things for certain, “It would be a frenzy.”  

Looking forward the Rams have many positions that need to be address during the draft.  They could use a WR, DT, DE, S, and the list goes on.  Except for one, the position of QB.  Thank you, Sam Bradford!  Devaney continues:

Especially in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd/4th rounds where that board is going to dictate where we go.  So, it’s impossible for me to say, here are the positions.  Hell, we might even come away with multiple guys at the same position if that’s the way the board goes.  So, it’s impossible to say.  I’m hoping to come away with 2 CB’s or 2 LB’s or whatever.  There are too many things that can happen at this point.

The moral of this story?  ‘Our board will dictate our draft board.  Trust the draft board.’   The fans will just have to have blind faith that the scouts, coaches, and Billy Devaney have done their homework.  Personally, I’m hoping by some miracle Julio Jones is still there at 14. 

Who do you want the Rams to take in the 1st round?

I start out this gloomy rainy morning by reading my Bible.  And it’s not because today is Good Friday – although that’s probably a better answer.  The book I’m actually consulting is the old testament, specifically Genesis chapter 6.  There lists the instructions on how to build Noah’s ark.  Forecasts for the STL area calls for a flash flood watch until Saturday night and rain until NEXT Wednesday! 

If I get washed away who’s going to bring you the daily Cover 3?  Better charge up my iPad just in case…

1) Network.yardbarker.com: A big deal was made about the 30 or so Washington Redskins players that came together for voluntary work outs this week.  Well, they’re not the only ones making an effort.  Sam Bradford and some of his receivers are huddle in Big H to get some work done, too.

2) STLToday.com: Trade up, trade down, or stay put at 14?  Here’s the latest from Billy Devaney.  In otherwords, no one knows what will happen.

3) 101Sports.com: Who would our resident NFL expert Tony Softli take in the draft if he were GM of each team?  #1 overall is not who yoou think it may be.  If you don’t already you should follow Mr. Softli on Twitter.

 

I’m starting a new feature here on The Pigskin Arch called the “Audibles”  -my own version of SI Peter King’s “10 Things I Think.”  When inspired, I’ll be airing my random thoughts, sharing tweets/comments, and just about anything that catches my eye.

• What’s that? Ah — Lock out?  Don’t talk about – Lock out?  You kidding me?  Lock out?”  That is all.  If I try and say anymore about it I will explode from frustration. 

 

• I think Steven Jackson means well but the team really needs to find a real #2 RB.  The Rams need a solid insurance policy for the RB position.  And this is not a snub on SJ as it is more common sense.  Don’t spend a first round pick on an RB but mid-round selection might not be a bad idea.  Names that are being tossed around are Alabama’s Mark Ingram, Illinois’ Mikel LeShoure, and SJ’s alma mater OSU’s Jaquizz Rodgers.

 

• When asked about his new OC during his phone interview with “Zach and the Coach’ SJ said,

“I haven’t sat down with Coach McDaniels yet.  The first thing that pops out is that we’ll probably be more of a spread offense using 4-5 receivers a lot more than we have the past couple of seasons.  Hopefully I’ll be utilized out of the back field a little more.  I know that’s what he typically does with his back and just to spread the wealth and the ball more than we have in the last few seasons.”  

• Does it bother anyone else that the new OC hasn’t met with the star offensive player of the team???  My understanding is McDaniels hasn’t met with Sam either.  I wonder if the Rams were one of the 5 teams that were caught breaking the silence rule.  I think the fines would be worth the rewards of getting some contact with the players.  Oh, did I just bend one of the Four Pillars?

 

• They’re looking all happy here during their reunion but SJ will be missing his buddy, Mike Karney, ON the field soon.

“Notably for myself, I won’t have a full back ahead of me there anymore.  Hopefully spreading the ball around and using the zone blocking scheme, we would run, will help out with the running game. “

SJ and Karney from @SJ39

• All these stories about what we think Billy Devaney will do during the draft is making my head spin.  One report says he’d be willing to trade up, another says he could trade down, and a third says he’d be content at 14.  So which is it?  All of the above?

 

• I’m disappointed that the Rams have their bye on week 5.  A little bit early in the season for my taste.  I’m sure the guys would have liked it more in the middle of the 16 game season.

 

• According to NFL.com, the Rams will travel 15,278 miles during the 2011-2012 season and have the 26th hardest schedule based on the opponent’s 2010 cumulative record.  But we all know last year’s records don’t mean much for the next season.  Hey, we went from 1-15 to 7-9!

 

• Ok, Derrick Mason can call the Commish a joke but Amani Toomer?  C’mon man! Saying Roger Goodell is “using his power… kind of a Gestapo-type situation,” you’ve crossed the line.  As Deion Sanders would say, H.O.P.!