Cortland, Jones, Holes, and Domes

Finnegan: Boom!  I know it’s $10M per year, 1/3^rd of our total remaining cap space, but Finnegan is worth it.  We needed a great player to lead the transition of this defense.  Less than half of the money is guaranteed, so if he falls off after he turns 30, just give him the Bartell treatment.

Jason Jones: We should know by Monday at the latest, but with Jason Jones escaping St. Louis for a visit to Seattle, and with an offer from Tennessee also on the table, the Rams may lose out on an explosive interior lineman, and I may lose out on some silver I wagered in my decree.  Silver lining—thousands of Ethiopian children could be sporting discarded Jason Jones Rams jerseys in the near future.

Other Free Agents: Today, the team hosted WR Mario Manningham, WR Steve Smith, QB Shaun Hill, C Scott Wells, and G Travelle Wharton.  All of them are good enough to displace someone on the roster—Wells and Manningham would be significant upgrades.  It comes down to money and health for all of them.

I know everyone wants WR’s; I want WR’s.  We currently have under contract Greg Salas, Danny Amendola (RFA 2^nd round tender), Austin Pettis, Brandon Gibson, Danario Alexander, and Dominique Curry.  There isn’t a guy there you can count on to be a difference maker.  Amendola is reliable, but he can’t get separation more than five-yards down field, and he can’t make anything happen after the catch.  Salas, Pettis, and Alexander are all talented enough to have a role on a good team, but for various reasons all have been unreliable.  Gibson and Curry, well, Curry is a nice special teams player.

I’d like to say this is a top priority, but after looking at the roster, I’m not sure I can.  Take a look at some the names that are currently STARTING on this team as of now:

LG: Kevin Hughes (R)

C: Bryan Mattison

LDT: Darell Scott

RDT: Jermelle Cudjo

SLB: Josh Hull

WLB: Justin Cole

That doesn’t even take the Jason Smith situation into account.  I don’t think you want to rely on more than one or two rookies to fill starting roles, and there’s only $20 million left (still have to sign draft picks with that).  What’s the priority?

Stadium: According to Amir Kurtovic of the St. LouisBusiness Journal, Edward Jones has signed an 11-year extension for the naming rights on our Section-8 stadium.  I’d like to think the extended agreement between the Rams and their sponsor means the team plans to stay here for a while, but I have a feeling it’s more like signing an NFL player to a long-term deal—this is what the price is until we don’t want you anymore.