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.

“Sunday morning rain is fallin’.”  Yes, I know it’s Monday but it’s very appropriate for what it looks out this morning.  There’s never anything wrong about starting out the day with a little Maroon 5.  Don’t you agree?

The equivalent of Christmas weekend for the NFL season has just wrapped up.  Did everyone get the goodies they wanted?  Now that we’ve opened all the presents that the Draft Santa brought let’s take a look at the highlights.  These are my thoughts, part 1:

• Rams were lucky to have grabbed at top 10 talent in Robert Quinn at 14.  He was probably the biggest gift the Rams got this weekend.  Let’s just hope that he’s able to get back to full football mode to make a difference this season.

• I’m slowly getting on the Kendricks’ band wagon but still think he would have been on the board in round 3.  So many other players could have been taken at 47.  RB Mikel LeShoure and WR Torry Smith just to name a couple.

• It really bothered me that Cam Newton was cool and collected when his name was called at the number 1 pick overall.  As if it was foregone conclusion.  He had expected it all along and was taking his rightful place.

• The previous observation about Cam Newton was even more exaggerated when Von Miller was so overcome with emotion that he had to have a moment before he got up from the table.  You could tell being drafted really meant the world to him.  He even gave Roger Goodell a big ole bear hug.

• The first 5 picks went pretty much as planned but at number 6 we got a doozy!  I understand the reasoning why Atlanta would want to move up for Julio Jones.  They must have wanted that “last piece to the championship puzzle.”  But to give up 4 extra picks?  WOW!  Gutsy, gutsy move by GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith.

• Now we can clearly see the effects of what the lack of free agency has done:  The desperate run on all the mediocre QB’s in the 1st round.  Jake Locker at #8 to TEN was probably the biggest shocker.  Then MIN @ 12 took Christian Ponder.  2nd round talent taken in the 1st round due to need.  So much for the “take the best available player” mantra.

• What a great player the Cardinals got with #5.  Patrick Peterson.  Now there’s a team what went with the best available.

• Nick Fairley to the Lions.  That’s gonna be a scary D-line next season.  Cutler, Stafford and Christian Ponder need to take some extra disability insurance just in case.

• News of Bin Laden’s death came swiftly last night as I was getting the kids to bed.  Although I was greatly relieved when I heard the news I can’t say that I was joyous about another person death, even someone as dreadful as he was.  I do hope this gives the victims families some much needed closure though.  I couldn’t help but to think about former Cardinal Pat Tillman.  I send out my gratitude and thanks to all those who have and continue to serve our great country.

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.

 

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.! 

Mock, mock, mock. Mock ’til you drop. This mornings Rams headlines revolve around the upcoming draft. I’ll be glad when it’s finally here because all we’ve really done is posture what we think each team will do. It’s getting exhausting rehashing the same material. April 28th can’t come soon enough. But until then here’s more, wait for it… draft analysis!

1) So what is the overly fake-and-baked head coach of the Redskins going to do? Will he stay at 10, trade up, or trade down? Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com thinks they’ll move back to possibly get another pick. BleacherReport.com thinks they’ll trade up, making Julio Jones more likely to be around when the Rams pick at 14. Of course, I’m all for the later senario.

2) StLouis.SBNation.com: Taking a quick look at the RB’s for possibly in the mid to later rounds. Names being mentioned are Taiwan Jones (E Washington-wicked fast pro day), Mikel Leshoure (Illinois), and Mark Ingram (Alabama).

3) SportingNews.com: Jim Thomas does a concise wrap up of the Rams needs by position and gives grades on previous Rams drafts. At least it looks like the Rams have been heading in a positive direction.

Somehow it’s already mid-April and there’s just so much to get done. No, I’m not talking about getting taxes filed by this Friday. Today is April 12th which means the 2011 NFL draft is merely 16 days away. GM’s, coaches and player personnel are scrambling to finalize their draft boards for the big event happening “as usual” in NYC. If things weren’t crazy enough the draft has been further complicated by the ongoing (if you want to call it that) labor negotiations. But that’s an entirely different post all together.

According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch several VIP’s (Very Important Prospects) are scheduled to visit Rams Park today. On top of this list is fan favorite Alabama’s WR Julio Jones. Chances are quite slim he will still be around come pick 14 but it’s good to see that the Rams are doing their due diligence. But for those of you who are holding out for a miracle, don’t lose hope. With so many combinations and permutations you never know what will happen with this year’s draft. Also on the list are more familiar names, college locals Missouri defensive end Aldon Smith and Illinois defensive tackle Corey Liuget.

As of Monday, 12 players had been confirmed as scheduled pre-draft visitors to Rams Park:

Running backs Alex Green, Hawaii; Mikel Leshoure, Illinois; Stevan Ridley, LSU; and Daniel Thomas, Kansas State.

Wide receiver Julio Jones, Alabama.

Offensive guard Will Rackley, Lehigh.

Defensive ends Cameron Jordan, California; Robert Quinn, North Carolina; and Aldon Smith, Missouri.

Defensive tackle Corey Liuget, Illinois.

Linebacker Mason Foster, Washington.

Cornerback-safety Marcus Gilchrist, Clemson.

Now for the age old question: Do the Rams draft according to need or should they pick the best player still available? What’s your draft philosophy? If I’m Billy Devaney, I’m looking at the big picture and the long haul. I’m looking to draft the best available player left on my board. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, the Rams have several holes to fill on both sides of the line so who ever they choose at 14 will be worth it.