Get rid of Steven Jackson? Say what? (Courtesy STLouisRams.com)

First there were rumors flying that the Rams could possibly trade Sam Bradford for Robert Griffin III before the megabuster trade went down with the Redskins.  Just as that was put to bed, SI’s Peter King stirs the pot again but this time with the other leader of the Rams as front and center.  Yeah, I’m talking about Steven Jackson.

As hype and love for Alabama’s RB Trent Richardson grows as the draft nears all sorts of scenarios are brought to light.

» Continue reading “Pigskin Cover 3: SJax/TRich, Jeff Fisher And Bradford/Kloss”

Where will he end up? (Courtesy of STLouisRams.com)

Lloyd heads Rams’ free agent crop - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Under the old regime at Rams Park, the Rams were interested in re-signing Lloyd. But it’s unclear at this point what the new regime thinks of him. There’s also a different face on the other side of the negotiating table, because Lloyd recently signed with a new agent, St. Louis-based Tom Condon of CAA.

At the end of the season Brandon Lloyd said as much as he’d pretty much follow Josh McDaniels because McDaniels knew how to best utilize Lloyd in an offense.  Of course, this is in reference to his breakout year in Denver (2010: 77 rec for 1,448 yds and 11 TD’s) and his short 11-game stint in St. Louis (51 rec, 683 yds for 5 TD’s) where he was the team’s leading receiver.

» Continue reading “Pigskin Cover 3: Free Agents And Mock Drafts”

If you’re a fan of Mike and Mike in the Morning you know it’s that time of the year again.  Greeny and Golic do their own two-a-days each fall.  Haha, and before you start laughing at the prospect of Greeny doing anything close to something athletic, calm down.  They cover two teams a day answering 5 questions surrounding two NFL teams and give their predictions for the final season record.

1) Does the entire 2011-2012 season rest entirely on the arm of QB Sam Bradford?

Not entirely, but with all those rookie records, yes, a lot will be riding on Sam.  He will have a lot of help from RB Steven Jackson though.  The Rams have to expect Sam Bradford to take that next step in his development and lead the team to the division title.

Sam Bradford's 2010-2011 Stats

2) Can Steven Jackson rush over 1,000 yards with the additions of Cadillac Williams and Jerious Norwood?

Being the competitive athlete he is, Steven Jackson will not want to give up playing time and reps to his back-ups.  But to his chagrin those few breathers on the sideline will give him fresher legs to prolong his NFL career.

Jackson had a team high leading 330 carries.  His back-up, Kenneth Darby, only 34.  Look for Cadillac Williams and Jerious Norwood to take a bite or two out of that pie.

Rams 2010-2011 Rushing Leaders

3) Which Rams WR will have a breakout season?  Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson or Mike Sims-Walker?

Obviously, they haven’t been paying much attention to what’s been transpiring at training camp.  If they had even taken a quick looksie they would have discovered the other targets that Sam has at his disposal.

Second round draft pick TE Lance Kendricks has been getting lots of reps with the first team offense as well as third and fourth round picks WR’s Austin Pettis and Greg Salas.  But don’t turn a blind eye to the veterans on the team either.  Mardy Gilyard, Donnie Avery, Danario Alexander, and Dominique Curry are all still lurking in the background.

Look for McDaniels to have Sam spread the ball around to as many receivers as he can.

Rams 2010-2011 Receiving Stats

4) Do you expect to see DE’s Chris Long and James Hall maintain their level of performance from last season?

Chris Long had 8.5 sacks and James Hall with 10.5 sacks.  The Rams actually had 43 sacks putting them #7 in the league.  Most of those sacks coming from the D-line.

Expect the Rams first round draft pick, Robert Quinn, to ease into the lineup this season.  He’s still learning his way around an NFL D-line.  But from what I saw he’s got potential and could make a contribution to that sack total this season.

5) How will the Rams finish this season?

Greeny and Golic both have the Rams 9-7 and winning the division.  *Seattle’s line is blank as they will be covered on August 29.

Mike and Mike's (& Liam's Mum's) Projections for the 2011-2012 Season

Greeny was not at all banking on any of the other QB’s in the division: the 49ers QB Alex Smith, Seahawk’s Tavaris Jackson, and even Arizona’s Kevin Kolb.

By the way, Liam’s mum has NO IDEA about football (or horse racing and basketball for that matter) yet she was eerily good at predicting such things.  Should we feel some comfort in the fact that she loves the Rams?

A stat you didn’t know:

Sam Bradford‘s favorite target, Danny Amendola, tied Cardinal’s WR Larry Fitzgerald for the league lead in red zone targets.  Greeny didn’t say exactly how many and I for one am looking into this.  I’ll get back to you guys once I get an answer from the stat guru Mike Clay.

Well, there you have it.  Mike and Mike’s Rams two-a-days.  Sounds like they’ve partaken in the Rams kool-aid.  What do you guys think?

Anyone else have a splitting headache the size of the Grand Canyon?  I literally do.  Some lockout induced and some of it from what I think is a summer scorcher cold.  The lack of sleep I’m sure isn’t helping.

We’re in day 5 of an excessive heat warning in St. Louis.  Today’s high’s are expected to reach 101′F with heat indices between 105-115′F.  Lots of hot and bothered people…

And if that wasn’t enough to get NFL fans blood boiling the owners tried to pull a switcheroo on the players yesterday.  Who in their right mind ratifies a proposal that the other side hasn’t seen yet?  It’s like taking a poll of people whose answers you all ready know.  Well, everyone except Oakland.  Thank you Al Davis for being the only sane person of that bunch.  (Never thought I’d be saying that!)

Owners Vote: 31-0, Oakland abstain

I’m listening to ESPN’s Sal Palantonio right now on Mike and Mike.  Greeny, “Did the owners pull a fast one?” Sal is calling it a power play by trying to force the players into a vote.  But what’s the difference?  Players are saying the owners added items that they were not aware of into the proposal and not to believe everything that’s being said out there.

Steelers Safety Ryan Clark

Bears Safety Chris Harris

Cardinals Kicker Jay Feely

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

1) Here’s Andrew Brandt’s breakdown of what the owners voted on.  Top issues are highlighted here but read the article for the full analysis.

• Owners will receive approximately 52% and Players 48%.
• Owners have agreed to a 2011 Salary Cap of $120.375 million with increases depending on the share of revenues each year.
• In 2011 and 2012, there is league-wide commitment to cash spending of 99% of the Cap.

We will still be in Canton to honor Marshall Faulk and Les Richter, and this doesn’t change how special a day it will be for two great Rams players.  As an organization, we’ll make sure it’s still a special weekend for those individuals.

3) 101ESPN Writer Howard Balzer has an interesting spin on the lockout drama that unfolded yesterday.  This was all a set-up.

I always love a conspiracy theory.  So do you think De Smith and Roger Goodell orchestrate all these ups and downs so they look like the heros when the CBA finally gets done?  It would do a lot to repair their damaged reputations if they saved the 2011 season, don’t you think?

I leave you with this Dead or Alive song that describes my current state of mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJv5qLsLYoo&feature=player_detailpage

Mayhem - Allstate

I was watching NFL Live for the first time in a few weeks.  (Basically, I only watch it live when Trey Wingo is hosting but I digress.)

Trey Wingo, Tim Hasselbeck and Mike Golic were discussing the end of the 130 day lockout.

As I watched I couldn’t help but think, “Will the beginning of the end signal the start of a different type of  ’out,’ sheer chaos, or both?”

Lockout

Items still left to be ironed out in the negotiations before we can even get to that are:

• Settlement of the anti-trust law suit Brady et al vs. NFL
• Settlement of the “lockout insurance” case in Judge Doty’s court
• $320M in lost player benefits from an uncapped 2010
• Off season player safety concerns
• Re-formation of the NFL Players Union

As the main plaintiffs in the anti-trust law suit, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Logan Mankins, and Vincent Jackson made their settlement terms known.

• Peyton Manning and Drew Brees want exemptions from the franchise tag for the rest of their careers.  Both QB’s were slapped with the tag back in February.
• Logan Mankins and Vincent Jackson want to become UFA’s (unrestricted free agents) or receive $10M.  Both Mankins and Jackson were hold outs in 2010 over contract disputes.

But surprise!  Just as we’ve seen one too many times throughout this lockout, the Fab Four reverse course and ultimately withdrew their demands late last night.

After some debate over possible special relief for at least some of the 10 player-plaintiffs, it was determined it would be too cumbersome to try and work out individual deals,” Borges writes.  “Since the bulk of plaintiffs were well-placed NFL veterans, the best way to go, it was decided, was to stick simply with the larger deal negotiated between the NFLPA and the league’s owners.

Who’s bright idea was it to try and squeeze every last drop out of this law suit anyway?  It’s got the stench of Kessler written all over it.  And Mike Florio agrees.

Holdout 

From the league’s and owners’ standpoint they didn’t “lose” money since the preseason will most likely start on time.  Games will not be missed and therefore no tangible loss of revenue.

But from the coaches and teams perspective it’s not quite so rosy.  As the lockout dragged on for what amounts to the entire off season, lost were weeks of OTA’s, mini-camps and most importantly time for a proper free agency period.