Well there you have it. If there was any doubt in your mind the Rams are going in a new and unknown direction heading into the 2013 season you shouldn’t any more.

Within a matter of a few days three of the biggest Rams free agents were signed to three different teams – the two wide receivers Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson and running back Steven Jackson.

Amendola was snatched away by the New England Patriots, Gibson took his talents and baggage to South Beach to join the Dolphins and Jackson packed up and headed down to Hotlanta.

(There’s a Craig Dahl teaser at the end of the post. Muhahaha.)

Steven Jackson trades in his Rams horns for Dirty Bird wings.

Jackson signed a three year, $12 million contract with $4 million in guaranteed money. His salary, if he had remained at Ram, would have been $7 million for 2013. Obviously, the Rams weren’t about to pay him a “bell cow” type salary for playing in a committee of running backs. But it wasn’t about the money according to Jackson.

Atlanta Falcons RB Steven Jackson (Courtesy AtlantaFalcons.com)

For all the lean years he stuck it out in St. Louis I for one am happy for Jackson. He finally has a chance to win a post season game and possibly even to the big game, a Super Bowl.

It’s going to be über strange seeing him in something other than Rams blue and gold but I wish him nothing but success. May your new wings take to higher ground and loftier places.

Not too many people believed me when I said…

This per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Falcons have had their eyes on Jackson for quite some time. In fact, they were at exploring the possibility of trading for him near the NFL trading deadline in October, but nothing materialized. As a result, Jackson finished out his ninth season as a Ram.

My conspiracy theory about Steven Jackson seems a lot more plausible now, doesn’t it?

» Continue reading “Rams Free Agency Fast Five – Part Three”

Rams WR Brian Quick (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

The Rams rammed it to the Chiefs Saturday at the Dome giving The Stache his first victory as Rams’ head coach.  A stunning 17-31 win.  Yes, it’s just preseason and yes it technically doesn’t count.  But as with most things, it still matters.

It matters because the team made progress since week 1.  It matters because it shows there is life in this reincarnation of their beloved team.  It matters because this gives fans hope.

(I love modern technology – until it decides to fail on me.  I have family visiting for a week so I couldn’t watch the Rams game live.  Next best thing was to record it and view later.  Ah, even the best laid plans sometimes…)

I don’t want to write something I didn’t see myself but since you guys shouldn’t have togo without because my DVR pooped out on me, here are a few game recaps from last night.  My favorite one being first up right here.

Too bad it didn’t count: Rams dominate Chiefs in preseason home opener

To quote Sam Bradford, “Wow.” That was his response to Danny Amendola’s highlight-reel-worthy one-handed, no-look touchdown catch that put the Rams up 14-0. But it may as well extend to the whole game, a 180-degree turnaround from last week and one of those rare football days when every single thing seems to go right.

Last week’s Rams fan mantra, “It’s only the preseason, it’s only the preseason,” might fall on a few deaf ears tonight in the wake of a manful 31-17 tuneup of the Kansas City Chiefs. Everything clicked for Jeff Fisher’s team tonight, from start to finish, from first string to third, from Sam Bradford’s first pass (an absolute beauty) to the rarely-seen victory formation.

But.

It’s only the preseason. … Read more at Ramsherd.com >>>>

» Continue reading “Pigskin Cover 3: Sunday Edition”

Rams Mini-Camp June 2012 (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

Here are some first hand observations from Rams mini-camp which was held June 14-16 in Earth City. (The weather pretty much held up the first couple of days. They were especially nice because Tuesday and Wednesday they took place late afternoon. Thursday’s practice was midday so the heat seemed a bit worse.)

From the first day of mini-camp: Tuesday

– DNP and/or limited action: Center Scott Wells (excused absence as well as what coach Jeff Fisher finally said was partly due to a knee scope; Wells is expected back healthy in time for training camp), cornerback Cortland Finnegan (who was seen leaving OTAs last week with a left hand injury), and tight ends Mike Hoomanawanui (did light workouts on the sidelines) and Lance Kendricks (left practice with an apparent hand injury, according to Rams writer Nick Wagoner).

– Undrafted free-agent rookie running back Nick Schweiger made his full-squad debut today as Dartmouth finally graduated its seniors over the weekend.

– Speaking of Schweiger, he and fellow rookie running back Isaiah Pead looked to be getting some extra reps as they both play catch-up after missing a good chunk of OTAs.

– Sam Bradford and wide receiver Greg Salas connected on what looked like a beautiful fingertip catch by Salas. The Hawaii product also showed some tight footwork during the catch.

–It looked like tackles Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold were getting some good work (not full contact) in this afternoon – a very good sign for Bradford.

» Continue reading “NOTES FROM RAMS JUNE 2012 MINI-CAMP”

Bradford Gets Hit - again and again and again (Courtesy of STLouisRams.com)

National spotlight with all their peers hanging back to watch what in the world is going on with the St. Louis Rams. Are they as bad as their record? How will they match up against a Seahawks team that’s still hanging around the NFC wild card race.

No surprise to anyone the Rams lose yet another humiliating game 13-30. Hey, at least the Rams scored an offensive touchdown, right? It only took the Rams sidelines 7 tries to get Steven Jackson the ball.

The Seahawks started out the game with a great kick off return by Leon Washington only to go three and out. Not quite what how you want to start out the game.

After several comical series of three-and-outs both teams exchange field goals with a score of 10-3 heading into half time. Mercifully, those 30 minutes went quickly. I almost had to get my brown paper bag out.

So much for the national spotlight giving them some positive pressure. The national announcers, Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, and Ron Jaworski were finding it hard to say anything good about the Rams. No one other than Rams fans should be able to joke and poke the team. At least Rams fans have vested interest. Everyone else is just making fun of the poor play for the sake of making fun. “We look forward to some good football next week.” Geesh!

Stats don’t do the game justice as to how ugly this game was. The image of Keystone Cops come to mind complete with Chris Berman “Whoop!” audioclip playing in the back ground.

The offense was horribly crippled with a wobbly Sam Bradford throwing all over the place. They had giant Seahawks’ secondary draped all over Rams’ receivers.

OC Josh McDaniels didn’t seem to be using Steven Jackson properly. It was almost as if they were trying to get himself fired for the newly vacant KC Chiefs’ head coaching position.

The defense did a respectable job holding the Seahawks at bay – at least for the half. But like in previous weeks they couldn’t keep up the pace. Especially with more parts of the secondary going down (Josh Gordy and Craig Dahl).

They tried their best but couldn’t contain the Pacific Northwest newest Skittle ambassador, RB Marshawn Lynch, who ran for 115 yards. Actually, I was expecting more so there’s that.

The biggest fail for me came at the hands of the special teams. An unexpected all out blitz on a Rams punt leads to a block ball by Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin and was recovered by RB Michael Robinson in the end zone. Seahawks touchdown. Sigh…

Second special teams gaff: Kicker Josh Brown miffs the onsides kick that only travels 9 yards. Basic high school skills, no?

It was quite clear by the end of the third quarter that this game was pretty much over. Steven Jackson and Chris Long fought hard but it just wasn’t enough.

I’ll give them this, the Rams are a consistently inconsistent hot mess. You know it, I know it, but now, the entire world knows it.

I’m hoping the game will look brighter tomorrow when I watch it again. I’ll try and point out more of the positives.

Until then here are the usual silver lining notes from the game;

- RB Steven Jackson rushed 20 times for 63 yards, caught three passes for 60 yards and tallied a 1-yard touchdown run. His total yards from scrimmage on the day was 123 yards on 23 touches.

- Jackson’s touchdown is his fifth rushing touchdown of the season, 52^nd career. He trails Eric Dickerson by four rushing scores for second-most in franchise history.

- Jackson moved past Henry Ellard for third on the Rams’ all-purpose yards list. Jackson’s 11,753 career yards have come through three outlets: 8,843 rushing, 2,892 receiving and 79 from kick returns. Jackson trails WR Torry Holt with 12,732, for second place.

- Jackson notched a season-long 50 yard reception in the third quarter. His last 50-plus yard reception came vs. Buffalo (9/28/08).

- WR Brandon Lloyd led the team in receptions with five for 82 yards, a 16.4-yard average.

- RB Carnell Williams rushed eight times for 49 yards, a 6.1-yard average.

- RB Jerious Norwood returned six kickoffs for 170 yards, a 28.3-yard average.

- Norwood tallied a 47-yard kickoff return, marking the Rams’ longest return of the 2011 season and his longest kickoff return since December 28, 2008, at St. Louis, as a member of the Falcons.

- DT Gary Gibson recorded his third career sack, all three came this season, with a takedown of QB Tarvaris Jackson in the first quarter.

- DE C.J. Ah You notched a sack for a loss of five yards. Marks his first sack of the season, sixth career.

- LB Brady Poppinga recovered a QB Tarvaris Jackson botched snap. The play marks Poppinga’s second career fumble recovery.

- According to press box statistics, LB James Laurinaitis led the team in tackles with 12 (seven solo).

- K Josh Brown converted 46 and 29 yard field goals.

- P Donnie Jones punted four times for 181 yards a 45.3 yard net with a long of 50. He placed two punts inside the 20 yard line.

World Champion St. Louis Cardinals visit the Edward Jones Dome (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

Good luck charms for the Rams on Sunday:

1) Having the World Champion baseball Cardinals come watch the game.

2) Being near the championship trophy.

3) Throw back jerseys.

Whatever it was, boy did it work.  Now we just need to bottle that up and release that good joojoo every week for the rest of the season.  All right?  All right.  Someone could make millions…

Here a sampling of the Rams’ players reactions after the game.  Can’t you just picture them busting out in a Jennifer Beals happy dance?  Haha, okay.  Maybe “Flashdance” wasn’t the best movie for a football dudes.

All kidding aside, I appreciated the fact players were thanking the fans for hanging in there the first seven weeks of the season.

So this is what winning feels like…  Remember how this feels, gentlemen.  This can serve as motivation for next week.

Enjoy the win, Rams Nation!

Steven Jackson

Just about everyone around the league had this game pegged as a blow out.  No one, other than some Rams fans, gave this team a chance.  Las Vegas has the Rams as a 15 point underdog.

The Rams lost today but it was a respectable loss – if there is such a thing.  I hate to use the phrase “moral victory” but that’s what it was.

Things that went well…

Rams moved the ball down the field – 424 total yards: 299 passing and 125 rushing.

321 yards (28 of 44 and 1 INT) passing from Sam Bradford against a questionable Packers secondary.

WR Danario Alexander decided to show up this week and hauled in 6 receptions (out of 10 targets) for 91 yards.  Rookie WR Greg Salas also made his presence felt in this game with 8 catches (from 10 targets) for a career/season high of 77 yards.  TE Lance Kendricks also got into the mix with 4 balls for 71 yards and a wicked stiff arm to break it open for a 45 yard gain.

RB Steven Jackson ran like a man on a mission.  His first game back since his quad injury he took the team on his shoulders and took some pressure off the passing game.  Jackson carried 18 times for a season high 96 yards and added 4 receptions for 29 yards as well.  Cadillac Williams also contributed with 4 carries for 24 yards before getting carted off with an ankle injury.

The Rams defense made a respectable showing

I thought the defense held the Packers running game in check for the most part by only allowing 96 total rushing yards.  James Stark (49), Ryan Grant (25) and Aaron Rodgers (15) were their leading rushers.

Rams Safety Craig Dahl intercepted a pass intended for Greg Jennings in the 4th quarter.

Sam Bradford released the ball a little bit quicker

It seemed like Bradford had more time this week to get the ball out of his hands.  He still got knocked around a few times but didn’t take as many hits as in previous weeks.  Lots of shotgun formations and no huddle situations helped his cause.

Things that didn’t go well…

Penalties

The Rams continue to shoot themselves in the foot.  LT Rodger Saffold all by his lonesome accounted for three false starts and a holding call which brought back a 14 yard gain by Greg Salas.  He would later be helped off the field with an ankle injury.  In all, the Rams racked up 7 penalties for 45 yards.

Sam Bradford missed a couple of easy TD throws

He had Danario Alexander in a mismatch and threw the ball low getting intercepted by Packers Sam Shields in the end zone.  Why Bradford didn’t use DX’s height as an advantage is head scratching.  He also missed a totally wide open Greg Salas in the end zone.  Sam also suffered a minor ankle injury when he got sacked.  He says he’s okay though.

I hoped for the best and expected the worst.  The Rams showed up and pleasantly surprised me with their improved performance.  They didn’t come away with the “W” which is what matters in the end but they took a step in the right direction this week.

Other game notes: 

-On offense, the Rams totaled 424 yards (125 rushing, 299 passing), collecting 22 first downs (nine rushing, 13 passing), and a time of possession of 30:41. The performance is the highest total yardage since the team posted 431 yards at Denver (12/5/10).

- The Rams outgained the Packers in the third quarter 102 to 85 yards, forced them to punt on both drives, went two-for-four on third down and put together a 10 play, 70 yard, 4:01 minute drive, including four first downs, no penalties, and a fourth down conversion.

- The Rams extended their streak of consecutive games with at least one takeaway to 11 when S Craig Dahl intercepted QB Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter. The interception is Dahl’s first of the season, third career. Dahl’s last interception came at New Orleans (12/12/10).

- QB Sam Bradford threw for 321 yards, completing 28-of-44 passes. The performance marks his second 300 yard passing game of the season, third career. He threw for 331 at the New York Giants (9/19/11).

- RB Steven Jackson rushed for a season-high 96 yards on 18 attempts, a 5.3-yard average. Jackson added four receptions for 29 yards for a total of 125 yards from scrimmage on the day.

- Jackson’s four passes pushed him past Jim Phillips (333) for eighth on the team’s all-time receptions list with 335 career catches.

- Rookie WR Greg Salas lead the team in receptions with eight catches for 77 yards, both career highs.

- WR Danario Alexander lead the team in receiving yards with 91 on six catches, including a 32-yard long. Alexander’s six receptions ties his career-high.

- Rookie TE Lance Kendricks set a new career long with a 45 yard reception in the first quarter. Kendricks totaled 71 yards, also a new career-high, on four receptions.

- DE Gary Gibson tallied his first career sack with a takedown of QB Aaron Rodgers for a loss of seven yards in the first quarter.

- According to press box statistics, LB James Laurinaitis led the team in tackles with eight (five solo).

- Rookie WR Austin Pettis returned two punts for 56 yards, a 28-yard average with a long of 39 yards.

- P Donnie Jones punted five times for 162 yards, a 32.4-yard average and 32.4-yard net. Jones had a long of 42 yards and placed three punts inside the 20.

- K Josh Brown converted at 36-yard field goal at the end of the half to put the Rams on the board.

Rams Huddle 09/01/11 (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

Good morning!

I usually don’t say TGIF but it seems appropriate today.  What a weird and long week it’s been and am glad that the weekend is finally here.  That and the fact my son returns from camp this afternoon.  Maybe that’s the real reason why Friday seemed so far away in my mind.  Guess I’m not ready to let go just yet.  I’m sure he was just fine and had a blast.  It’s always harder for those who are left behind so to speak.

What is everyone planning to do this weekend other than watch the Rams take on the Ravens?

Do you know what enhances pre-game experience as well as after the last snap?  Following your favorite Rams players on Twitter.  You’d be surprised at all that goes on in the minds of the players leading up to the battle and afterwards.

It’s been a very long time since done a Rams Follow Friday so here’s an extensive list of all the current Rams players I could drum up for you guys.

Of course in no particular order:

@CraigDahl43                             @brit_miller_td                     @Austin_Pettis                    @RobertLeeQuinn

@JakeMcQuaide                         @jrLaurinaitis                        @JNellyyy                             @D_Alexander84

@JoshHull56                               @Male_Hines7                       @GregSalas1                         @CL9ONE

@sj39                                            @MarkClayton89                   @Bgibson04                         @DomCurry_15

@Hooman86                                @QMikell27                            @MikeSimsWalker             @Rodger_Saffold

Here are a few others you should definitely be following from the Rams organization:

@STLouisRams                            @kdemoff                                @stlrampage

Please let me know if I’ve missed someone in the comment box below and I’ll add him to the list.

What was supposed to be the inaugural win of the 2011 season quickly turned into a nightmarish game (basically, stupid penalties, injuries to key players, etc.) for the Rams.

I don’t know if it’s the optimist in me but I’m still in denial about the beat down part of the game.  I promise I’ll address it later but for right now I’m all about the glass being half full.  I need some good news especially with today being 9/11.

The Good

Would you be surprised if I told you there were quite a few?

Rams DE Chris Long recorded his first sack of the season when he dropped Eagles QB Michael Vick for a 5-yard loss to force Philadelphia to punt on its opening drive. Long now has 18.5 career sacks.

S Quintin Mikell recorded his first sack as a Ram when he dropped Michael Vick in the second quarter. The sack, which gave him 18.5 for his career, also brought his fifth career forced fumble. LB James Laurinaitisrecovered the fumble for his second fumble recovery of his career.

Laurinaitis’ fumble recovery extended the Rams’ streak of consecutive games with at least one takeaway to seven.

K Josh Brown kicked a 49-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 23-yard kick in the third to make him 2-for-3 on the day.

CB Justin King first career sack when he tackled Vick for a 6-yard loss to force a punt in the fourth quarter. King was credited with three tackles for loss, according to press box stats.

RB Cadillac Williams rushed for 91 yards on 19 carries (4.8 average) in his Rams debut. Williams’ 91 yards were the most he’s gained in a game since he rushed for 129 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 1/3/10 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Williams also led the Rams with six receptions Sunday. He gained 49 yards on his six grabs.

WR Danny Amendola caught five passes for 45 yards, extending his streak to 24-consecutive game with at least one reception.

As a team, the Rams rushed for 154 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry.

S Craig Dahl led the Rams with nine tackles, according to press box statistics.

P Donnie Jones averaged 42.3 yards per punt on four punts.

I am SO thankful that the Rams finally wised up, went out and Steven Jackson a legitimate back-up in Cadillac Williams and Jerious Norwood.  Cadillac rolled in and took care of business when the Rams needed him.

9/11/11 Rams Rushing Stats

Remember how Rams WR Mike Sims-Walker didn’t get a chance to stick it to his former team the Jacksonville Jaguars last week?  Well, newly acquired S Quintin Mikell was a bit luckier.

Mikell finished the game with 4 solo tackles, a sack, and a hit on Eagles QB Michael Vick.

I won’t say revenge is sweet but I’m sure it was just as satisfying with his performance today.

I’ll leave you guys with this for today.  Brace yourselves for tomorrow post though.  It’s not going to be pretty.

I’m still trying to figure out the exact nature of Danny Amendola’s injury.  Spags said it’s a dislocated elbow and ESPN’s John Clayton is saying it’s a broken shoulder.  I’m asking @injuryexpert.  He’ll give me the low down and I’ll pass it on to you guys.

Colts at Rams 08/13/11 (Personal Photo)

So remember I was predicting in my previous post about this first preseason game being sloppy and clumsy?  Yeah, well to my pleasant surprise the Rams mostly proved me wrong.  No penalties were called until the third quarter of the game and for the most part it was a tight game for the Rams.  Don’t you just love how I used my reverse psychology on the game?  Worked like a charm!

The most encouraging point about last night’s win – plays from all sides of the ball, offense, defense, and special teams, contributed.  It was a good team effort that paid off in the end with a convincing win over the Colts.

Offense

Key players who saw a lot of time on the field were Sam Bradford who took 24 snaps.  (Sam had thought he’d play about two series but ended up staying out there a little bit longer to get more reps in.)  He finished the game with 7 completions out of 12 attempts for 45 yards and one TD.

It felt good. It just felt good to get out there playing the game again. It definitely nice to put some points on the board early, to be a part of two touchdown drives. It’s just a good start to the year.

Sam definitely looked very comfortable and confident on the field.  And as you watched the series unfold you got a good idea of who may be starting to emerge in the new offensive scheme.

Second round draft pick, TE Lance Kendricks, got a lot of playing time.  Sometimes lined up as a TE and sometimes lined up at flex.  Kendricks was targeted seven times and caught five of them for 47 yards and one TD.

I will admit I was not sure about Kendricks as a second round pick.  But like I said, he’s doing what he can to prove me wrong.  Not bad, rookie – for your first preseason game.  Let’s see what else you’ve got.

How competitive is Kendricks?  This is what Spags commented about him – and it was sweet news to my ears.

The thing about Lance is, the one he remembers is the one he drops. That’s the kind of guy he is. He’s a competitive guy that wants to catch them all.

Other receivers who got some playing time were Danario Alexander (3/43 yards), Mardy Gilyard (2/21 yards), and rookie TE Ben Guidugli (2/18).  Third round pick, WR Austin Pettis was targeted twice but no catches.

One position I was eager to see was at RB.  Steven Jackson sat out this first game giving his back-up’s Cadillac Williams and Jerious Norwood some serious playing time.

Williams started the game and was a little slow getting started but in the fifth offensive series of the game caught his stride and got rolling. Cadillac finished the half with 11 touches for 40 yards and one TD.

His counterparts, Jerious Norwood and the second year RB Keith Toston, saw most of the snaps in the second half of the game.  Norwood, or “Wood,” as he’s known, looked good out there.  He had some wicked cuts and showed quick bursts of speed at the right time.  He was effective against the Colts defense and finished three series with eight carries for 37 yards before Toston took over.

Toston played the entire third quarter grinding and pounding his way across the field.  He looked like a good workhorse out there.  He was the game’s leading rusher with eleven carries which yielded 64 yards and one TD.  The most telling stat is his 5.8 yards per carry.  The kid was moving the ball.

Defense

The first big play came just about three minutes into the game from newly acquired CB free agent, Quintin Mikell.  Mikell picked off a Curtis Painter pass and ran it back for 25 yards setting up the Rams offense at the Colts 16 yard line.

That turnover lead to a 6 yard TD pass from Sam Bradford to the Rams second round draft pick TE Lance Kendricks for the first score of the game.  And that wouldn’t be the first time the defense made the offense’s job a bit easier.

Just two series later, safety Craig Dahl comes up with an Orlovsky pass intended for C. Brooks at the Colts 34 and took it 18 yards to set up the offense in the redzone once again.  The Rams score 3 with a 30 yard FG by Josh Brown.

To finish off the INT hat trick rookie OSU safety Jermale Hines picked off an Orlovsky pass deep pass for Smith at the Rams 22.  Hines ran it out 16 yards to the 38.

That being said though, the defense did give up a couple of big yardage plays early on.  In their third series they gave up three plays of double digit yardage with the biggest chunk of ground gained when CB Justin King got schooled by Colts WR Pierre Garcon.  Garcon had a step (or two) on King, King didn’t have a play on the ball and couldn’t make a play on Garcon either.  Result: 41 yard reception.

First round draft pick, Robert Quinn, got some much needed time on the field.  I noticed though that he might need some adjusting to the speed of play at this next level.  Quinn was just a split second slow coming off the snap.  I didn’t see that burst coming off the end and I think that hurt him a bit at the beginning of the game.

I did see a couple of instances where he was getting double teamed so the offensive line for the Colts must have seen something that worried them.

Special Teams

One player stood out in special teams last night: Kicker Josh Brown who stole the show with his 4 field goals.  He had a few ho-hum 21, 30, and 53 yarders.  But the one that really lit up the fans and the team was the 60 yard bomb to end the first half.  Good to see he’s still got plenty left in that leg.

He (Spags) looked at me and (asked) ‘Do you want to kick it?’ Absolutely, why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t I want to do this? That’s the thing. He (Spags) was like ‘I can’t say no when you’re already halfway out there,’ so I kept running.

Another thing I was curious to see was how many touchbacks would happen.  This would our first glance at how the new 35 yard line kick off rule would play out.  If I counted correctly, there were 10 kick offs only 3 in which resulted in touchbacks.  6 of the 7 returns averaged 22 yards. Hmmm…  Maybe there really isn’t much to the 35 yard line hubbub.

I’m sure we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of Josh McDaniels’ playbook and that gets me really excited.  The first preseason game was much better than I had expected and team can only get better with time.

It’s a great time to be a Rams fan.

Personal Note:

It was great to be able to see the game in person last night.  There’s definitely something to be said about actually being in the Edward Jones Dome amongst the other fans and to feel/feed off their energy.

And I can’t end this post without giving a huge thanks to Mr. Kevin Demoff (Rams Executive Vice President of Football Operations and COO) for holding a trivia contest which made it possible for me to have this first hand experience.

Thank you for thinking of the fans, Mr. Demoff.

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.