The Aftermath, Rams vs. Packers

The newest Ram Brandon Lloyd, was recently interviewed by NFL Network.  Lloyd doesn't lack for confidence, and he feels fairly certain about what ails our fading hometown franchise.

When asked about quarterback Sam Bradford, Lloyd said, "His reputation around the league is really growing as far as being a student and then just having the intangibles. Being able to drop back and drop dimes and throw laser passes and make those kinds of plays. Sam's only going to be as good as the people who are catching the passes from him."

"We're going to have to work together to elevate Sam to that next level because he does have that talent. Players around the league and coaches and scouts all see that, and they all see that he has the talent; he just needs to get a motivated receiving group around him and that will elevate everyone's play because he's that good."

After being initially skeptical, I'm starting to like this guy.  I initially scoffed at the idea of the 0-5 Rams trading for a 30 year-old wide receiver in the last year of his contract, but that was before I realized that the Rams only gave up a conditional 6th round pick for Lloyd.  That pick can turn into a 5th rounder, if Lloyd finds a way to catch 30 passes for the Rams during the final 11 games of this regular season.  I think the trade makes sense for the Rams and we can look directly at this past week's Packers game for the reasons why.

The Rams finally figured it out this past Sunday.  It took an 0-4 record for them to come to grips with the fact that they remain a developmental team.  I wanted, all fans wanted, the Rams to take step forward to a winning record and a playoff berth in 2011.  We now know that's not happening.  The Rams found a way to reach a 7-9 record last year by playing an incredibly weak schedule.  They weren't a great team, or even an average team.  If you want to argue with that, just reference the final game of the season.  The Rams played a horrendous game against the Seattle Seahawks of national TV and lost to Charlie Whitehurst with a home playoff game on the line.  The Rams weren't ready to arrive on the big stage, and they still aren't.  I've now realized that this season is no longer about wins and losses.  In my mind, the final 11 games of this season are about the development of young players.  That's why I was happy to see the Rams figure it out on Sunday and bench Ben Leber, Jerious Norwood and Mike Sims-Walker.  In their place, more opportunities were created for Chris Chamberlain, and more importantly, Danario Alexander, Greg Salas and Lance Kendricks.  The receiver core, in particular, really responded against the Packers.  I believe the addition of Lloyd, and the activation of Mark Clayton from the practice squad, will only continue to benefit this bunch.  Let's take a quick look at each player:

Danario Alexander:  I love the guy, but he's not a starting receiver in the NFL right now.  He has massive big play and red zone capability and he can now be used in those specialty roles.  Adding Lloyd & Clayton to the roster allows Danario to move to back-up role.  This will take pressure off him from trying to be an impact player every game, and keep his practice reps down during the week.

Greg Salas:  I'm also beginning to love this guy.  Salas had a great game of Sunday, catching 8 passes (on 10 targets) for 77 yards.  Salas already looks the part of a bigger, slightly more dynamic, Danny Amendola.  I'm sure Salas has a long way to go to reach Amendola's NFL knowledge and dependability, but he sure looks on his way.  Lloyd & Clayton are certainly not superstars, but they are legitimate NFL outside the hash-marks receivers.  Their presence should allow Salas to enjoy single-man coverage in the slot.  I expect him to exploit it.  Even with Lloyd & Clayton now in the mix, I wouldn't be at all surprised to look up at the end of the season and see Salas near the team lead in receptions.

Lance Kendricks: I know it's tough to see now, but Kendricks in a monster.  It was evidenced by his 45-yard catch & run early in the first quarter of Sunday's game, when he stiff-armed the Packers' Morgan Burnett right into the turf.  Kendricks still makes plenty of mistakes, including a false start later on that drive and a key drop late in the game, but those things should be coach-able.  His athleticism is natural and it showed up all pre-season.  The addition of the veteran receivers will free up more of the middle of the field for Kendricks, and I think he becomes a more consistent player from now to the end of the season.

Now, one name I've yet to mention is Sam Bradford.  Bradford is also clearly in the developmental stage of his career.  Not only were we spoiled by the Rams record last year, we were also spoiled by Bradford.  He made such a smooth transition on & off the field, that we almost forgot he was a rookie coming off a major injury as a Junior at Oklahoma.  I'm a Bradford honk, but he's missed a few throws this year, including a bad under-throw of Alexander in the red zone on Sunday.  Bradford needs to show consistent improvement over the next 11 weeks, as well.  Bradford will greatly benefit from Lloyd & Clayton.  Their ability to read defenses & CATCH the Football should take considerable pressure off of Sam, and allow him to regain confidence in throwing the ball down the field.

Let's hope the Rams stay with this pattern, moving forward.  Let's hope they coach-up these new and young players.  I still don't believe the current coaching staff and main members of the front office will be here next year, but let's hope their last big move is the one that finally begins the franchise's long-awaited ascent.

Written by: Michael Handshear