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”

If day one of Rams free agency was about the big splash (Jared Cook) then day two can be summed up in three words: Long. Physical. Wait.

Rams fans were losing their minds waiting for the white smoke to appear from the top of Rams Park hoping that they would know either way what had happened with Miami Dolphin free agent left tackle Jake Long. Both Long and Detroit Lions safety Louis Delmas were at Rams Park getting poke and prodded to make sure their respective injury prone parts checked out.

Tight end Jared Cook officially signs with the Rams.

Rams Tight End Jared Cook signing his new contract at Rams Park (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

For all you salary cap buffs out there here are the specifics. As announced Monday morning, Cook received a 5-year, $31.5 million contract with $19 million guaranteed. His contract could go up to $38.5 million with incentives.

Now we need to get him a good nickname. I’ve seen the hashtag #TopChef from @STLouisRams. What do you think?

How many hours does it take for Jake Long to get his physical?

Apparently way too Long. (See what I did there.)

“Long Watch” was just that. It began around 7:00 a.m. St. Louis time with Rams fans hanging on each and every Jim Thomas tweet. Every once and a while we’d see an update from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network saying it’s still going. Meanwhile, all I can think of is, “Are we there yet?”

» Continue reading “Rams Free Agency Fast Five – Day Two”

With the first day of NFL free agency in the books this is what we know.

The St. Louis Rams seem to have the Miami Dolphins number (at least personnel wise.) The Dolphins keep losing ex-Titans to the Rams. First, Coach Jeff Fisher and now it appears they have missed out on tight end Jared Cook. The off field tug-o-war stands at Rams 2: Dolphins bupkis.

1) The Rams have agreed to terms with former Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook.

It’s a five-year deal and according to a tweet citing long time Tennessee Titan beat writer Jim Wyatt as his source Cook’s deal is worth $35.1 million. No word yet on how much of that is guaranteed though.

This is a little too rich for my blood and it definitely takes Cook out of the Nordstrom category of $5 million – $6 million range and places him up in Neiman Marcus territory of $7+ million. The Rams definitely went with the luxury signing on Tuesday.

New Rams TE Jared Cook (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

Here’s a quick bio blast on Jared Cook Jr. Cook is a 6 ft. 5 in., 248 lb. 25 year old, 5th year player who was selected by Jeff Fisher in the 3rd round (89th pick overall) of the 2009 draft. There’s no doubt Fisher had a hand in convincing Cook to choose the Rams over the Miami Dolphins. Déjà vu anyone?

This per Jim Thomas:

Cook has freakish athletic skills, including 4.49 speed in the 40. He’s not much of a blocker, and lined up frequently in the slot for the Titans.

» Continue reading “Rams Free Agency Fast Five”

The highly anticipated free agency period, arguably the craziest week in the NFL, is finally upon us. So get ready to hunker down in front of your computer and make sure your favorite Twitter app up and functioning properly. Once Tuesday, March 12, 3:00 p.m. CDT gets here you’re not going to want to miss a single tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter and your favorite NFL team beat writer. (If you’re a Rams fan then you’re just waiting for Jim Thomas’ tweets.)

I think this new “legal tampering” window that the NFL instituted at midnight Saturday is laughable at best. Under the new guidelines teams are given permission to converse with certified agents of opposing teams free agents with the league’s blessings. BUT…

It is impermissible for a club to enter into an agreement of any kind, express or implied, oral or written, or promises, undertakings, representations, commitments, inducements, assurances of intent or understandings of any kind concerning the terms or conditions of employment offered to, or to be offered to, any prospective Unrestricted Free Agent for inclusion in a Player Contract after the start of the new League Year.

I know the league isn’t so naive to think that discussions aren’t already going on behind closed doors and over the airwaves. Inquiries and dialogue, albeit informal, have been taking places for weeks. The NFL underwear Olympics (scouting combine) isn’t the only thing that takes place in Indianapolis in late February.

» Continue reading “Things I Think: St. Louis Rams Pre-Free Agency Edition”

Offseason? What NFL offseason?

We had a two week down-ish window between the Super Bowl and the combine (or as NFL Network’s draft guru extraordinaire Mike Mayock calls it the “Underwear Olympics.”) But don’t be mistaken, something is always going on in the NFL and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

1) I think WR Titus Young Sr. must be quite the basket case.

Now you see him then now you don’t. The Rams were the only NFL team to put a claim on Young Sr. after the Detroit Lions said enough was enough. This wasn’t a complete head scratching move on the Rams part because the situation at wide receiver is still very much in flux in St. Louis. So why not take a low risk gamble on a very troubled yet talented player.

Yet Rams head coach Jeff Fisher and company decided Young Sr. wasn’t worth the headache after nine days.

We just felt like he was not the best option for us at that position. We went into detail. We felt like we’ve got a good young group, and we feel like perhaps Titus is better suited for another organization.

And this coming from a coach that took chances on some non-Four Pillar-esque players such as Janoris Jenkins, Chris Givens and Trumaine Johnson.

If Fisher didn’t give you a chance you might be done playing in this league, Mr. Young.

» Continue reading “Five Things I Think – St. Louis Rams Early Offseason Edition”

I’m going to try something new (Thanks to our Broncos  writer, Brenda.) by jotting down observations, big plays, and anything else that stands out during each quarter.

First Quarter

Rams offense’s stop and go is giving me motion sickness. Third down conversions compounded by a false start penalty (Robert Turner) is not helping the Rams’ cause. Dramamine anyone?

Continued chants of “Craig Dahl sucks” overflow my Twitter timeline as he whiffs on two open field tackles. What are Rams fans going to do when Dahl isn’t around next year as their punching bag?

Seattle’s Russell Wilson continues to show flashes of why Pete Carroll sat Matt Flynn in favor of the rookie quarterback. Wilson evades Rams defensive end Kendall Langford and gets a key first down.

Seahawks have a TD called back on a pushing penalty.

But the other Rams have been getting to Wilson. Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Chris Long, and William Hayes have all said hello to the rook in the Seahawks backfield.

Rookie punter Johnny Hekker is not having a good day. He’s not helping the field position game at all. You need to get it together kid. The team needs you.

First quarter ends scoreless. Rams have been so the last six first quarters.

Second Quarter

Sack number four on Wilson. This time Robert Quinn gets to him for a loss of two yards.

Steven Hauschka‘s 43-yard field goal gives the Seahawks the first points of the day.

» Continue reading “St. Louis Rams At Seattle Seahawks Quarter Quick Hits”

The bad news: The Rams didn’t make the playoffs this year. The good news: In all honesty I didn’t see them winning more than 6 games. So for them to be sitting at 7-7-1 is a pleasant surprise.

Can you believe how the past 16 weeks have just flown by? Fifteen games so far leaving Rams fans with some head scratching losses (Detroit, Miami, and New York Jets) and heart attack inducing close games (San Francisco). Say what you will but it’s been an exciting year of Rams football.

Obviously the Rams have areas that need to be addressed this off season (offensive line being the biggest in my book.) But overall the future of the franchise is bright as Jeff Fisher finishes up a full season as the head stache around Rams Park.

The Rams still have one final game on the docket though – a very challenging game against the Seahawks.

St. Louis played the Seattle back in week 4, beating them 13-19 in the Edward Jones Dome. But the two teams facing off at Century Link Field on Sunday are not the same teams. Both young teams have come a long way since that September 30 game. Both quarterbacks have matured and the Rams receiving group have made big strides since their first meeting.

1) Contain the athletic gear brand name QB.

The biggest change coming from perhaps the lesser talked about rookie quarterback in the NFL, Seattle’s Russell Wilson. Yeah, so he’s short for a NFL quarterback (He’s listed at 5′ 11″) but what he lacks in height he makes up with his football smarts and his feet.

What Rams assistant head coach Dave McGinnis thinks of Wilson:

*Note: The graphic above should read Week 16.

I’ve been illin’ (and not the good kind) most of the week so this will be a very abbreviated version of my usual game previews. Apologies… 

A random thought came into my head as I was coughing up a lobe from my right lung Friday night.

“I wonder which Rams team will show up in Tampa Bay on Sunday.”

Even while I’m under the weather I’m thinking about the Rams. Or maybe it’s due to the fact that I get sick to my stomach thinking about the three games the Rams should have won: Week 1 at Detroit (23-27), Week 6 at Miami (14-17), and Week 10 at San Francisco (24-24 tie). The Rams should be 9-5 right now fighting for a wild card.

Then you have the Rams that tied and beat the almighty (?) 10-3 49ers. Yes, St. Louis seems to have San Francisco’s number. Not to mention the Rams (with one last game remaining in Seattle) are one of five teams (Green Bay, New England, Houston, and Denver) that are undefeated in their division. The irony though is that those four teams are their respective division leaders and in the playoffs. Dagger!

Reality hits though as the Rams are set to face a slumping (four straight losses coming into this week) but still dangerous team in the Buccaneers. Quarterback Josh Freeman has had his ups and downs this season which doesn’t bode well for his big time, big size receivers Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams. I should know, V. Jackson is on my fantasy team. The other big Bucs threat, the player formerly known as The Muscle Hamster, running back Doug Martin. He’s on both my fantasy teams and he’s also had a seat on the roller coaster that’s the Tampa Bay offense.

Rams running back Steven Jackson needs 91 yards to reach the 1,000 yards rushing for the eighth consecutive season. The longest active streak in the NFL. I say he gets it done today despite the Bucs ranking number one against the run (83.3 yards per game) coming into Sunday. Jackson has seen tough rush defenses this season and has risen to the occasion, especially against the 49ers (101 and 48 yards).

The Bottom line (Nothing really new here, folks.)

The Rams need to tune out all the noise and concentrate on their game. The rest will fall into place.

Run the ball via Steven Jackson.

Protect quarterback Sam Bradford giving him time to find one of his young receivers. This might prove to be harder than expected with their staple offensive lineman Harvey Dahl being placed on IR after a biceps tear. Chris Williams is slated to take Dahl’s place and will be challenged by the Bucs defense.

Don’t commit idiotic self-inflicted penalties. Seriously, this has to stop.

Win the field position battle. i.e. the Rams rookie punter Johnny Hekker needs to be more consistent. Kicker Greg Zuerlein will be the difference in the game.

Rams squeak out a close one winning by a field goal, 23-20 and get back to .500 with one last game to go.

7-7-1.

St. Louis Rams defense huddle. (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

The home season finale at the Edward Jones Dome didn’t go quite as planned. The score at half time ballooned to 30-7 and the Rams got lost searching for their missing offense. They’ve had a habit of starting games slowly and this time the deficit was too big to overcome.

All Day Made The Rams Pay

I fully expected the Rams to win Sunday. I knew Vikings powerhouse running back Adrian Peterson would run on the Rams. With that being said, I didn’t think I’d witness a 212-yard spanking. He did almost half of the damage on two runs in the second half: 82 yards that resulted in a TD and 52 yards that ended with a 51-yard field goal by kicker Blair Walsh. In all fairness to the Rams defense they did hold Peterson in check for a good portion of the game. It’s just that when he did break a couple of runs he really gored them.

The Usual Penalties 

The Rams offense drudged through the first quarter on their way to eight penalties. So last week’s two flags were the anomaly. Four false starts by the offensive line (seriously who gets called for false starts at home?!),  holding calls on left tackle Rodger Saffold, and my personal favorite the unsportsmanlike conduct taunting flag on wide receiver Brandon Gibson.

Just when the Rams have you believing they are headed in the right direction they take a detour the next game. This latest loss may have directed them out of the playoffs.

» Continue reading “36-22 Loss To Vikings Detours Rams Playoff Chances”

Milestones.

Rams running back Steven Jackson is on the cusp of a few of them this Sunday as they take on the Minnesota Vikings.

a) 71. The number of yards Jackson needs to reach the 10,000 career rushing mark. In doing so, he will become only the 27th player in NFL history to accomplish this feat. Of the 26 ahead of him on that list, 13 are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

b) 164. The number of yards Jackson needs to reach 1,000 yards in one season. When he does get there he will have done this for the 8th consecutive year – the longest active streak.

c) 55. The current number of career rushing TDs Jackson has right now. One more he ties Eric Dickerson for second in Rams history. Three more he will tie Marshall Faulk‘s mark of 58 career TDs.

The 2012-2013 Rams are also hoping to achieve some highlights as well. With a win over the Vikings the Rams will have:

a) a winning record of 7-6-1. It’s been 10 weeks since they were above the .500 mark. (3-2 in Week 5)

b) had a winning record after week 15. This hasn’t happened since the 2003-2004 season when the Rams were 11-3 after 14 games.

c) won four games in a row.  Those same 2003-2004 Rams actually went without losing a game from week 10 to week 16 (seven game winning streak). They finished out the year going 12-4 under Mike Martz at the helm.

What’s nice is however minuscule, the Rams are still in the playoff chase. I love that we are still able to talk about a post-season. What a far cry from the 2-12 record at the same time last year. What a difference a new coaching staff makes!

» Continue reading “Minnesota Vikings At St. Louis Rams Week 15 Preview”