Tuesday, March 13, 2012

I Love the Smell of Tampering in the Morning


Written By: Anthony Bafaro

On Sunday, the Rams announced they had scheduled a press conference for Wednesday—for what exactly, they did not say.

Are they announcing plans to move to L.A.?  Are they announcing an agreement with the CVC?  Plans to build a new stadium?  Are they finally revealing new uniforms?  My best guess is that the presser is to reveal the details of Gregg Williams’ bounty discipline, but that’s boring, and potentially depressing, so I’m going to go in another direction.

When the free agent period officially opened, Adam Schefter reported that CB Cortland Finnegan planned to visit the Rams on Wednesday and that DT Jason Jones would be visiting the Rams Tuesday evening.  I’m going to be a bit bold and suggest that the Rams have had tentative agreements in place with Finnegan and Jones since Sunday evening  (of course, that’s not possible, because any negotiations with other teams’ players prior to the beginning of the new league year is prohibited) and that Tuesday’s presser is to announce the signings.  Perhaps that’s wishful thinking, but that’s what the free agency period is all about.

UPDATE: While editing this piece, Adam Schefter reported the Rams have reached an agreement with Finnegan—5 years-$50 million.

In addition to the defensive prospects, the Rams were in contact with WR Pierre Garcon and requested a meeting with WR Robert Meachem.  Luckily, the Rams opted not to match the ridiculous offer of 5 years-$42.5 million to Garcon—a glorified slot-receiver.  Robert Meachem, on the other hand, is a perfect fit for the Rams, if the price is right.

Meachem has spent his entire career in New Orleans, and some peg him as strictly a straight-line deep threat.  Well, that may be true.  Some of that I believe, and some of that I don’t believe.

“You aint got to be a real good blues-man just because you come from Mississippi and Arkansas; and you aint got to be a real good jazz-man just because you come from New Orleans; it’s about living conditions”- Big Bill Broonzey

Meachem, for the length of his career, has been playing with Marques Colston.  Meachem’s job was to take off the top of the opposing defenses—opening up the underneath and over-the-middle routes for Colston.  There’s no need to go across the middle when your partner is 6’4 225.

Meachem could serve a similar role for the Rams.  The Rams certainly don’t have a Marques Colston, but they do have a laundry list of slot-recievers—all of whom (except Brandon Gibson) would benefit from having a teammate that can stretch the defense vertically.  

 If the Rams sign Meachem, it could mean bad news for Blackmon-lovers.  If Meachem, or any other solid WR signs with the Rams, I expect them to pass on drafting Blackmon.  I know that’s blasphemy; most fans think the best course of action is to surround Sam Bradford with as many weapons as possible, and by weapons, they mean WR.  I’m not saying that train-of-thought is wrong; I’m saying I don’t think it’s a train-of-thought shared by Coach Fisher.

Fisher runs a fairly simple game: run ball, kick field goal, play defense, go deep off of play-action two or three times a game.  I think he would be comfortable going into his first season with a WR core of Meachem, Salas, Amendola, and some later round draft picks or undrafted rookie free agents.  I don’t think he’s comfortable implementing his run-heavy defense with only a 29-year-old Steven Jackson at RB, and I know he’s not comfortable having to start Darrell Scott or Gary Gibson at DT.  Signing a WR makes drafting RB Trent Richardson or DT Michael Brockers over Blackmon a likely scenario.

UPDATE: Robert Meachem signs 4 years-$26 million contract with Chargers







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