Silver Lining

Anthony Bafaro

I have no desire to talk about Sunday’s scrimmage against San Francisco.  I don’t want to talk about the fact that the 49ers put up nearly five times as many rushing yards as the Rams.  I don’t want to talk about the Rams joining the Redskins and the Seahawks as the only teams to be shutout this year.  I certainly don’t want to talk about the league’s worst offense taking its ineptitude to a new level by not even breaching the 45-yard line of their opponent once on Sunday.  There isn’t any point in drumming up new ways to say that this team is terrible, boring, and virtually unwatchable.  I really didn’t even want to watch the game this week, but I couldn’t help myself; I’m addicted.

So, as any true addict will do with their drug of choice, I’m going to attempt to justify the fact that I will continue to make this team a part of my life for the remainder of the season.  I’m going to attempt to disregard the bad and magnify the good.  Here are the things that are still worth watching:

1. Chris Long has developed into one of the NFL's best pass rushers.  Last year, Long was third among all defensive players in quarterback pressures with 57 and he doubled his career best in sacks with 8.5.  This year his 43 pressures lead all defensive players and he’s threatening to double his single-season sack total again, having accrued 11 through the first 12 games.  Unfortunately, the former 2nd overall pick is still not an elite all-around defensive end.  He’s actually been more of a liability as a run defender than rookie Robert Quinn, who couldn't get on the field earlier in the year due to his inability to defend the run. Long still needs to round-out his game in order to live up to his draft status, but when it comes to rushing the passer, there are few players in the NFL, if any, that are better.
   
2. Robert Quinn’s 6 sacks and 16 pressures aren't eye opening numbers, but they’re impressive considering he has over 300 fewer snaps than Chris Long and over 200 fewer snaps than James Hall.  At his rate, if he had as many snaps as Long he’d have 11 sacks, and 28 pressures-top ten in both categories among 4-3 defensive ends.
   
3. Brandon Lloyd makes plays.  I mocked the move when the Rams acquired Lloyd and I still stand by my statement that unless the Rams resign him, it’s a bad trade.  However, for the time being it’s great to see him snagging highlight reel catches in a Ram uniform.  Lloyd leads all Rams receivers in receptions (51), yards (713), and touchdowns (4), and at least once a week finds a way to make a “wow” catch.
   
4. Justin Bannan and Fred Robbins stuff the run.  First of all, I realize that our total rushing yards allowed would suggest that no one on this team stuffs the run.  I also realize that it’s somewhat ridiculous to suggest that two gap-plugging specialists are reasons to watch a football game.  That said, they’re at least doing their jobs.  Pro Football Focus has Robbins and Bannan ranked 7^th and 8^th respectively against the run among all defensive tackles.  They’ve combined for thirty stops and only two missed tackles.  Part of the problem for the Rams run defense is that Robbins and Bannan also happen to be ranked 34^th and 48^th respectively in terms of playing time among the same group.  At some point, you would think the coaches would get tired of being the launching pad for opposing running back’s record-breaking days and start playing their best run defenders more.
   
5. Sam Bradford looks good.  Okay, so he doesn't look so good now, in that he’s hurt, not playing, and some of his numbers so far are ghastly.  His 220 passing yards per game is in the bottom third of the league.  His 72.3 quarterback rating is among the worst for all starting quarterbacks and he has fewer touchdown passes than Blaine Gabbert and Carson Palmer (he’s played three games).  Those statistics show the end result, but they’re a bit misleading when it comes to the cause.                    
   
   Bradford has been hit while throwing twice as many times as anyone else in the league and he’s third in the league in times sacked.  The Rams are tied for 5^th in dropped passes and Danario Alexander is the only Rams wide receiver in the top 60 in YAC per reception.
   
   Bradford has missed some throws, particularly in the Red Zone, but for the most part, he's picking himself up off of the ground after hitting the open man, only to find that he gave up his body so that Brandon Gibson could continue to pursue his league lead in dropped passes or record a three-yard gain on a five-yard completion.  Despite the lack of everything around him, he's still making mostly good decisions and throwing the ball well.  He's thrown only 5 interceptions in 367 attempts.  Only Aaron Rodgers and Jesus himself have fewer interceptions per passing attempt.

None of these things make up for the various screw jobs from various sources the fan base has had to endure this year. None of these things will make up for the four additional brow-beatings we’ve yet to receive. Some of these things, however, do qualify as entertainment, a silver lining, and it sure beats spending your Sunday afternoons cleaning out the gutters or raking leaves.

Spagnuolo Blamed for Unpolished Turds

As has been the case with every loss since week three, the sports talk forums are filled this week with lynch calls from the mob for coach Spagnuolo.  The calls may be warranted, but I caution from calling for revolution without first knowing who the next leader will be.  Let’s not forget that when the Rams fired Mike Martz for having questionable head coaching abilities, the supposed solution was Scott Linehan.  The fact of the matter is even if Tom Landry were at the helm with Buddy Ryan and Bill Walsh running the defense and offense respectively, this team couldn’t win.  They don’t have enough good players.  Although Devaney inherited a barren roster, at his point he’s turned it over almost completely.  You can't blame the previous administration if the ship's still sinking over three years later.

When the Rams hired Devaney, the franchise told the fan base that there were finally proven football people running the team.  Devaney cut his teeth as a scout with the Redskins under Bobby Beathard and later followed Beathard to San Diego where he became director of pro personnel for the Chargers.  Devaney moved to the Falcons in 2006 where he was the assistant GM until the Rams hired him in 2008.  From the very beginning Devaney stressed the importance of building through the draft.  Take a look at all of his picks.

Donnie Avery, seen here in his most prominent role as a Ram,
was the first receiver taken in the 2008 draft 

(despite being the 15th ranked receiver on Mel Kiper's Big Board).
He did not make the final roster cut for the 2011 team.

2008 (2^nd overall pick)

Round 1: Chris Long

Round 2: Donnie Avery

Round 3:  John Greco

Round 4:  Justin King

Round  5:  Roy Scheuning

Round 7:  Chris Chamberlain

Round 7:  David Vobora

2009 (2^nd overall pick)

Jason Smith, the 2nd overall pick in 2009,
only lasted one season as the Ram left tackle.
He was demoted to right tackle in his second year.
He's been a combination of injured and inept
in his first three years in the NFL.

Round 1: Jason Smith

Round 2: James Laurinaitis

Round 3: Bradley Fletcher

Round 4: Dorell Scott

Round 5: Brooks Foster 

Round 6: Keith Null

Round 7: Chris Ogbannaya

2010 (1^st overall pick)

Round 1: Sam Bradford

Round 2: Rodger Saffold

Round 3: Jerome Murphy

Round 4:  Mardy Gilyard

Round 5:  Michael Hoomanamanui

Round 5: Hall Davis

Round 6: Fendi Onobun

Round 6: Eugene Sims

Round 7: Marquis Johnson

Round 7: George Selvie

Round 7: Josh Hull

Mardy Gilyard was supposed to be a
steal in fourth round of the 2010 draft.
He rarely saw the field last year
and did not make the final roster cut
for the 2011 team.

2011 Draft: 14^th Overall Pick

Round 1: Robert Quinn

Round 2: Lance Kendricks

Round 3: Austin Pettis

Round 4: Greg Salas

Round 5: Jermale Hines

Round 7: Mikail Baker

Round 7: Jabarra Williams

Round 7: Jonathan Nelson

Of his 34 draft choices since joining the Rams, only 18 (53%) are still on the team and 10 (29%) are out of the league completely.  Not only has Devaney been unable to identify players that fit his coaches’ systems, he has trouble recognizing NFL caliber players-period.  They’ve already cut half of their draft picks from this year, more than anyone else in the league.  The numbers look even worse when you look at what the Falcons have done since Devaney left. 

When Devaney left to take the Rams job, the Falcons were a mess.  Their hundred million dollar, face-of-the-franchise-quarterback was facing incarceration, and their head coach had walked out on the team.  They turned to the Patriots head of college scouting, Thomas Dimitroff, to take over as their GM.  Dimitroff came in stressing the importance of the draft as a way to build a sustainable contender, just like Devaney.  He selected 34 players over his first four drafts, just like Devaney.  The difference is 29 (85%) of those players are still Falcons, and only three of them are out of the league. 

Those numbers are nauseating if you’re a Rams fan, especially considering the fact that the Rams drafted in the top two, three out of four years.  I understand that the draft is no exact science, but that is a gargantuan disparity.  That’s the difference between drafting a team into a Super Bowl contender overnight and drafting a team that’s not even competitive after four years.  That’s why Devaney has to go as GM.  In fact, the entire scouting department needs to be reviewed.

In June of 2010, the Rams promoted John Mancini from his Midwest College Scouting position to Director of College Scouting.  Mancini graduated from The State University of New York at Plattsburg, a small college in upstate New York, with a degree in business management.  He started working with the Rams in 1995 as a ticket broker.  In 1997, he became a scouting assistant.   In 2001, he became a full time scout. 

Mancini never played or coached at a professional or Division I level.  He doesn’t appear to have any real football experience prior to 1997.  What’s also strange is that he was promoted to head of College Scouting after Devaney's hiring.  You’d think Devaney’s first move, as a man brought in to fix the draft, would be to clean house in the scouting department and fill the positions with his own guys.  Instead, he appoints a relatively inexperienced leftover from a failed era to run all of college scouting.  I don't understand that at all.  

Steve Spagnuolo might not be a good coach.  He’s 10-32 as the Rams head coach and that’s nearly impossible to defend, but Billy Devaney's 12-46 is no easier.  Maybe Devaney and crew are drafting good players and the Spagnuolo staff simply isn’t coaching them well, but nearly one-third of Devaney’s picks weren’t good enough to find a role anywhere in the league.  If someone like Cower, Gruden, Fisher, or Reid is available, that’s great, I’d love to bring in someone that is proven as a winning head coach.  I just don’t think it’s wise to fire a coach and start over in the continuity department unless you know for sure you can get someone significantly better, especially when it’s clear that there are bigger problems further up the ladder.  

Rams in Need of More Blues Fans

Anthony Bafaro

I’m not talking about fans of Bill Broonzey, Little Walter, or Muddy Waters; I’m talking about fans of Bob Plager, Chris Pronger, and the perpetually salty and swollen Tony Twist.  What stood out to me the most while watching the Rams blindside the Saints on Sunday was not the pressure of Long and Quinn (we’ve actually seen that all year), it wasn’t the great play of A.J. Feely (that didn’t happen), and it wasn’t the dominant play of Steven Jackson (at this point, that should surprise no one).  What stood out to me was the series of shots of the lethargic crowd that semi-filled the Dome.  At its peak, we saw a seated and passive golf clap as the Rams fought for their greatest victory in years.  As I searched for an explanation of what I perceived as apathy I couldn’t help but notice that every camera shot also included at least one person in Cardinal gear.

Cardinal fans are often regarded as “the best fans in baseball” and while there may be grounds to refute that assumption, I’m not here to do that.  I only mean to suggest that their greatness does not seem to translate to football.  When I attended the week four game between the Rams and Redskins, my buddy and I stood and shouted in a drunken stupor for every defensive stand.  My heart hurt as we received dirty looks from the sixty year old season ticket holders in front of us and my ears bled as the soccer mom behind us (sporting a Bo Hart jersey-tee) saved her only scream in years for, “sit down, my kids can’t see!”  Your kids can’t see?  Maybe they can’t see because their faces are (figuratively) buried in your bosom.  They should be on their feet, they should be standing on their chairs, they should be…with their father!  If you want a family picnic, go to the ball park.  This is a professional football game.  This is the gridiron.  This is war!  I wanted to kill this woman, if only to properly callous her children, but the few sober cells that somehow circumvented the booze inside of my head allowed me to recoil and realize that it wasn't her fault, she simply was not equipped to be a football fan.  The very attributes that allowed her to be a great Cardinal fan, that allowed her to balance enthusiasm with etiquette, prohibited her from being an effective Rams fan.  I fell into a momentary depression.  Maybe, as a city, we just didn’t have the moxie to properly support a football team.  Then, just as I found my Ram pride waning to the lees, I heard a great jeering from the section next to me.  I turned to see a middle aged man in a Lavar Arrington jersery, his head soaked in beer, cowering before a man sporting the Blue Note, and there I found what I was looking for, what the Rams were looking for.

Friday night’s game against Vancouver was the 45^th consecutive sellout for the Blues, a team that's made the vastly inclusive NHL playoffs only once since 2004.  Anyone who has had the privilege of attending all three of the major sports venues in St. Louis will tell you that Blues games, unequivocally, are the most intense live sporting events in the city.  This forty-plus year old franchise has never won a championship.  Still, there is a pride and passion behind the phrase, “the Blue Note doesn't hit the floor” that is unmatched even by a franchise as storied as the St. Louis Cardinals.  These fans are rowdy and relentless.  They pound beers in the parking garage between periods.  They shout, “Red Wings suck!” in the bathrooms, even when the Blues are hosting the Flyers.  They physically accost Blackhawk fans that dare to wear Patrick Kane jerseys to Scott Trade on a Friday night.  These are the people we need in the Dome.

I understand the difficulties.  It’s easy for Cardinal fans to make it to a noon game on Sunday.  They’re already awake, having attended 8:30 mass and taken their grandmothers to brunch while Blues fans are still sleeping through their hangovers or riding out their meth benders.  Kroenke needs to implement a discount beer for breakfast promotion to get them out of bed (a legitimate place to tailgate would also help).  This city is losing the battle for football pride, and it’s losing it in the stands as much as it is on the field.  Shut your mouth when we have the ball and act like an animal when we don’t.  No one wants hear this, but Richie was right when he said, “…Our fans get in their seats, they don’t know how to cheer, when to cheer.”  We have a choice to make.  This war is not over (Was it over when the German’s bombed Pearl Harbor?  Hell no!).  We can either show the rest of the league that we’re real football fans with gravel in our guts and spit in our eyes, or we can sit in our seats, touch up our makeup, and wait for the winter warm-up.  Who’s with me?  

Trick Or Treat?

With Halloween a day away, the Rams pounded the Saints 31 - 21 at the Edwards Jones Dome  this past Sunday.  It was without question, one of the more shocking upsets in the NFL this year.  I mean, seriously, who saw this one coming?  The Rams came off of a disaster game the week before in Dallas, giving up a Cowboys franchise record 253 yards to rookie DeMarco Murray.  Murray is a talented guy coming from the University of Oklahoma, but he never even approached 253 yards in a game against Mizzou.  The Rams simply looked awful in the game, and legitimately had people wondering if they could challenge the Colts and Dolphins in the “Suck for Luck” campaign that seems to be sweeping through the country via the sports media.

As bad as the Rams looked against the Cowboys, the Saints made the previously mentioned Colts actually look worse later that same day.  The Saints embarrassed the Colts on Sunday Night Football, winning 62 - 7 (Speaking of DeMarco Murray and the University of Oklahoma … 62 - 7 is the score of an Oklahoma vs. Tulsa game, NOT an NFL game).  The Saints marched up & down the field, beating the Colts to a pulp.  It was frightening to think of what the Saints could do to the Rams.  It was even scarier when Sam Bradford didn’t throw a ball in practice all week and A.J. Feely was announced again as the starter at QB.

While many folks from St. Louis (myself included) were enthralled with the baseball Cardinals and their World Series victory parade, the Rams were beating the Saints in every which way.  The Rams pounded the Saints for over 180 yards rushing, with Steven Jackson having his most spirited effort in years.  Meanwhile, the Saints rushed for 56 against the Rams, who featured the league‘s worst defense coming into the game.  A.J. Feely did not play well (reference his one major under throw, then over throw of a wide-open Brandon Lloyd on the first drive of the game,) but the Rams were 3 for 3 in scoring touchdowns in the red zone.  Feely also did not throw an interception, though he did have a horrendous fumble near the end zone though.  Feely and Lloyd made a few plays, as did the improving Greg Salas.  No one could have expected Feely’s 175 yards passing to be enough against the vaunted Saints, but it was more than enough for the Rams suddenly nasty defensive line.  The d-line was in the backfield throughout the 3 hour contest.  Chris Long registered 3 sacks.  Robert Quinn flashed his immense potential with a sack and game-changing blocked punt (Quinn just HAS TO BE a near every-down player moving forward, doesn't he?)   Fred Robbins also added a sack, as he & Justin Bannan tag-teamed to clog the middle and shut down the Saints’ running game.  Chris Chamberlain (4 tackles and a key tackle for loss early in the game) & James Laurinaitis (10 tackles, 1 sack, 2 pass break-ups;  monster) continued to play well.

And, most surprisingly, the Rams secondary not only held up, it succeed against the Saints high-powered passing attack.  Al Harris continued his renaissance as he blanketed Marquis Colston for most of the game.  Josh Gordy contributed with an interception.  Darian Stewart made the other game-changing play with his pick taken back to the house.  The play by Stewart was the first defense touchdown the Rams have had in 32 (yes, 32) games.  The Rams just outplayed the Saints in every form & fashion.

Don’t get me wrong, as a Football fan, I loved Sunday’s performance by the Rams.  I love the fact that Steven Jackson fired up the troops and that the Rams looked like they at least had a pulse.  The Rams were alive & kicking.  But, there is just no way to forget how dreadful the Rams were in their first 6 games.  Despite Sunday’s win, the Rams have still been outscored by over 100 points this season.  They are still near the bottom of the league in points per game and they rank right at the bottom in sacks allowed.  I wasn’t particularly impressed with anything I saw A.J. Feely do on Sunday, but I do commend the fact that he finished the game.  Feely was getting pounded early & often in the game as the Rams gave up another 4 sacks (and plenty of other QB hurries.)  The offensive line continued it’s horridly inconsistent play.  The Rams defense did look very good for most of this game, but I have to believe the Saints weren’t focused on Sunday.  They must have taken one look at the Rams game tape from the first 6 games of the season, and then immediately fallen asleep in the meeting room.  They probably watched DeMarco Murray run wild just a week ago, and simply decided it was a good week to lay off the weights and instead pound the Halloween candy.  Most Saints players figured beating the Rams would be less strenuous than their bye week.  They tried to give a game to the Rams, and the Rams took it for a change.

Sean Payton, clearly not ready for game time

My biggest fear for this Rams team is that they do make a small charge here in the second-half of the season.  The Rams schedule does now lighten up a bit, as they get into more division games.  The Rams have a chance to string together another 5 or 6 wins over the rest of the year.  I ask … So what?  That would make the Rams 6 - 10 or 7 - 9.  The San Francisco 49ers are already 6 - 1.  They don’t look like the Atlanta Braves, and I don’t see a similar fade coming here.  The first 6 games of this year showed Rams fans how far way this team is from competing with the league’s elite.  I’d rather the Rams finish 2 - 14, get a Top 5 pick in the draft and complete a cleaning of house in the front office, than scratch and claw their way to  7 - 9.  The one thing that’s scaring me the most this Halloween is the idea of the Rams finding mediocrity.


Written by: Michael Handshear

Deadline Decisions Lack Foresight

Anthony Bafaro

Thanks to being protected by the St. Louis Cardinals from the local media, and being protected by their own utter irrelevance from the national media, very few questions were raised by any weighted member of the press as to why an 0-5 team would trade anything at all for a 30 year old receiver in a walk year.  It’s clear that this team is several years away from contending for a championship.  Once you’ve accepted that, you have to start shedding valuable players that aren’t part of the long term picture instead of adding them.      

The minute the Rams passed on interior offensive lineman Mike Pouncey to take Robert Quinn in this year’s draft, James Hall should have been on the block.  How else do you justify drafting a defensive end there.  This is not some elite team that has the luxury of drafting depth players in the first round.  This team needed to upgrade ten or eleven starters with a focus on Bradford and the passing game.  If Robert Quinn was so good that he just had to be taken there, then he should’ve been good enough start over Hall.  Instead, Quinn is still only getting half as many snaps as Hall, because he isn’t good against the run.  That makes sense; I mean we wouldn’t want to disrupt the great string of Spartan shields that is the Rams run defense (They’re allowing 185 yards rushing a game.  It’s perfectly legitimate to pick up third string running backs in a fantasy league as long as they’re going against the Rams; how embarrassing is that?).  If Quinn isn’t good enough against the run to be part of this run defense, then he didn’t deserve to be drafted in the first round.  Let him learn to play against the run by playing him against the run; that’s the only option right now if you have any self respect as a GM or coach.  Run him out there until he can’t move, then give Hall a snap.  Hall is 34 years old. He's in the second to last year of his deal that hits the cap for $3.4 million per year; that’s a movable number.  Trading him probably would have drawn a fifth or sixth round pick at the deadline and would have opened up some cap space.  Whoever is in charge of personnel this off season needs to unload James’ salary and put it towards the signing of a young starter.

Steven Jackson turned twenty-eight in July of this year.  Most backs of his caliber find themselves falling back to the curve, or further, when they reach the fatal age of thirty.  Unless you think the Rams are going to make a Super Bowl run next season, it’s disrespectful to both the fan base and to Steven Jackson to have to watch his abilities waste away on a hopeless team.  The move should’ve been made coming into the year, it should have been made again at the deadline, and it must be made this off-season.  Hopefully he’d garner a 2^nd or 3^rd round pick and possibly an additional late pick.  Trading him would also relieve the cap of $9.7 million per year which he is set to make through the 2013 season.  That daunting cap hit may make it difficult to trade him, but having just under $4 million left in guaranteed money, maybe he’d be willing to restructure in order to play for a contender.  He’s putting up 4.9 yards per carry behind a below average run blocking line and a passing attack that frightens no one.  You can’t tell me that the Lions, Cowboys, or Jets, wouldn’t have at least been willing to talk.  Steven is still an elite back if he’s on good team.  He’s the type of player that can turn a top ten team into a Super Bowl favorite, but that’s not what the Rams are.  On this team, his inflated salary, deserving demand for touches, and short shelf life are all road blocks on the way to an sound rebuilding process.  Trading him is what is best for all parties involved.

I know that moving two of the better players on this team seems counter-intuitive.  I know that the term “rebuild” is not something that Rams fans want to hear again, but that’s not the way to look at it.  Last season was a façade that made a lot of people, including the Rams front office, think that the process was almost over.  The truth is, with Bradford in his second year, it’s just beginning.  Peyton Manning was good out of the gate, but he didn't win a playoff game until year six (all six years in the same system).  Prior to Peyton's second season the Colts traded 26 year old Marshall Faulk for 2nd and 5th round draft picks.  They replaced Faulk with 21 year old running back Edgerrin James in the first round.  They used the 2^nd round pick from the trade to draft current Falcon linebacker Mike Peterson, and the 5th round pick to draft defensive end Brad Scioli, who played six years with the team as both a starter and a backup. They knew they needed to put a young team in place that could grow with Peyton, so they traded some prime, expensive talent for some young, potential talent.  It’s time for the Rams to show that kind of foresight; sacrifice a short term chance at mediocrity for a long term chance at dominance. 

Band-aid on the Mouth of a Choking Baby

Anthony Bafaro

I know it’s still early.  I know the Broncos don't score much and they're a run heavy offense, but Brandon Lloyd has zero touchdowns. You have to admit it's kind of funny that this team is adding a player that is racking up a bunch of yardage and not scoring. 

On Wednesday the Rams traded a conditional 2012 draft pick for Broncos’ wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.  After the trade there was a great deal of angry shouting about this move being nothing more than Devany trying to save his job.  I don't really care if it was or not.  If anything this trade is actually an indictment of Devaney’s poor performance that led us to this point; still, it’s nice to see some urgency from any part of this organization.  They recognized a blatant hole and they made a move to fill it, sort of.

What the Rams are Giving Up

What exactly the Rams gave up for Lloyd depends on several factors.  If Brandon has at least 30 catches throughout the rest of the season, the Rams send a 2012 5^th round draft pick to the Broncos; if not, they give up a 6^th round pick.  How much of a loss that draft pick is depends who is doing the drafting for the Rams next April.  Devaney has drafted eight players in the 5^th and 6^th rounds since taking over the Rams’ front office in 2008.  Of those eight players, two are currently on the Rams 53 man roster: often injured tight end Michael Hoomanawanui and defensive lineman Eugene Sims.  If we assume that Devaney keeps his job, they essentially traded a 25% chance at getting a role player. 

It is possible that the Rams actually gave up much more than that by trading for Lloyd.  After week six they were one of three teams in the NFL that were still without a win, and they were clearly the worst of the bunch (Dolphins: 0-5, net points: -53, Colts: 0-6, net points: -59, Rams: 0-5, net points: -88).  It seemed as though they would be lucky to pick up home wins against Arizona and Seattle, and were likely to go 2-14 at best.  Waiting at the top of the 2012 draft board is Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.  While the Rams themselves have no need for Andrew, there are plenty of teams in the league that would be interested in acquiring the highly touted quarterback.  The Dolphins would probably make them a respectable offer to move up a spot or two, knowing that the Rams would likely trade the pick rather than simply let him fall.  That would still leave the Rams in position to grab Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon.  If they traded to the middle of the draft or later, they would get a ton in return.  Last year the Falcons gave up two 1^st round picks, a 2^nd round pick, and two 4^th round picks to move up twenty-one spots in the first round and to take the number two receiver in the draft, Julio Jones.  Even if they overpaid, the difference between the 2^nd wide receiver on the board and what many are calling a generational quarterback is massive.  The Rams could easily get that much if they traded down to the middle or late first round. 

The addition of Brandon Lloyd does not make the Rams a good team, but it does make them better.  It might make them 6-10 instead of 2-14, which would strip them of Luck leverage, and quite possibly prevent them from getting an impact receiver, which is undeniably their biggest need.  There’s no guarantee that the Rams won’t get the first pick even with the addition of Lloyd, and there’s no guarantee that they would have gotten it without him, but the move certainly does shift the odds.  Given the number of holes in the Rams’ starting lineup, and the weight that the Luck pick carries, it’s something that has to be considered when weighing the benefits of the trade. 

What the Rams are getting

If Brandon does reach 30 catches with the Rams he would finish the season with at least 49.  That would be the second highest in his nine year career.  Last year, at 29 years old, he had by far the best year of his career as he nearly doubled his career marks in both yardage and touchdowns.  Prior to last season, he’d broken 500 yards in a year only twice, and 700 only once.  He did a whole lot of nothing for seven years and then had great season.  He does have a good career average in YAC with 16, and his lack of total numbers early in his career might have something to do with the fact that he spent his first four seasons catching balls from: Jeff Garcia, Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey, Alex Smith, and Mark Brunell.

His biggest immediate impact will be the fact that he knows the offense better than any receiver on this team, so Bradford should be able to count on him being in the right spot at the right time.  He’s also a legitimate deep threat and he does not drop passes.  Last year he scattered only four dropped passes as he collected his 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns.  If Kendricks had that touchdown to dropped pass ratio, he’d have 17 touchdowns after five games.  It will be a benefit for all Rams receivers to see what it looks like to be a successful professional in this system. 

Lloyd’s most important job for the rest of year is not to win games or score points, at least not directly.  His most important job, the reason the Rams traded for a rent-a-player after an 0-5 start; save the mental and physical health of Sam Bradford.  This organization’s number one priority right now is to maximize the development of their franchise quarterback.  A receiver that gets open quickly should save Sam a few poundings per game, and a receiver that can consistently catch 40 yard passes should bode well for Bradford’s confidence.

Lloyd will be a free agent at the end of this season and it may be difficult to keep him.  He has never experienced two things that all NFL players covet: a big contract and a Super Bowl win.  If he is able to continue his pace for the rest of the season he will have accrued over 2,500 total yards over two seasons.  While he may have to choose between the big payday and the chance to win a title, he will at least have put himself in a position to make that choice, and it’s not likely that the Rams will be able to offer him either.  It’s fair to assume that the Rams would not be Brandon’s first choice if he wanted to go to a contender.  The Patriots, Titans, and his original team, the 49ers, all expressed interest in acquiring Lloyd from the Broncos.  All of those teams appear to be closer to being a Super Bowl contender than the Rams.  The Rams will also be seriously limited in what they will be able to offer Lloyd in the way of cash.  Currently, after the addition of Lloyd and the release of Mike Sims-Walker, the Rams are about 2 million dollars under the cap (it’s actually more like 6 million, but they like to keep a buffer for incentive contingencies in various players’ contracts).  The only multi-million dollar player coming off the books next year is left guard Jacob Bell.  Bell is costing the Rams 3.1 million dollars against the cap this year.  Unfortunately, due to the nature of his restructured contract, he will hit the 2012 cap for 2.3 million dollars regardless of if or where he is playing.  According to Rams money man Kevin Demoff, the Rams will have about $10 million in cap space to work with during the 2012 offseason.  Even with the new rookie pay scale the Rams could easily spend half of that on draft picks alone.  With all of the holes this team has on both sides of the ball, I don’t see a way that they can afford to pay Lloyd enough to stay.     

If they somehow resign him to a reasonable extension, I'll like this deal.  In the meantime, I'm a little worried about pretending to be better than we actually are.  It's better for the team and the fan base if they grow steadily instead of bouncing back and forth.  I know I talked about boosting Bradford, but the return of Clayton and the continuing experience in the offense may have been enough to get through this season.  From a talent perspective this team still needs to be making top five draft picks, especially with the new pay scale.  They also don't need to be giving up 5th round picks, despite their lackluster track record, because they need every chance they can get at a cheap role player.  I don't know if Devaney meant to hang his job on this trade or not, but I think he did.  If Lloyd plays poorly it will simply be another name on the long list of Devany failures, but if Lloyd plays well, and they don't resign him, the fan base will call for heads on pikes

.    

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

Ding-Ding: Week Six Preview, Rams at Packers

Anthony Bafaro 

                                                                 Clubber, what's your prediction for this game?

PAIN!

This week the Rams travel to Green Bay for an exciting matchup between the best team in football and the worst team in football.  To make things worse (as if that’s even possible at this point) Mike Sims-Walker made his biggest impact as a Ram last week when he collided with Bradley Fletcher during practice.  Fletcher tore his ACL on the play for the second time in his short career.  The injury not only eliminates the last professional CB on this team (I love Al Harris, but if your number one corner was conceived during the Nixon administration your season is over), it also puts Fletcher’s career, or at least his ceiling in serious question.

Rams’ Offense vs. Packers’ Defense

This is where I would normally say that the Rams have a puncher’s chance, that they should be able to move the ball through the air because they’re going against a defense that’s actually worse than they are in terms of porous pass coverage and whose pass rush is kept respectable only by the ever dominant play of Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji.  However, if the offense ignores Matthews and Raji in the same way that they ignored a similar matchup against Ngata and Suggs in week three, Bradford and the Rams will continue their quest for David Carr’s single season sacked record of 76 (currently on pace for 72). 

     Despite taking last week off, the Rams still have more dropped passes than any team in the NFL and are third in sacks allowed.  What’s worse is that the Rams’ coaching staff decided to spit in face of their fan base in week four by running Danario Alexander’s paper-mache knee out there as a blocker on the kick return team, when all year they’ve justified his offensive absence by saying they want to limit the stress on his knee.  To be fair, Danario was out there for more passing plays than any WR except Sims-Walker against the Redskins, which is great to see, but it’s still an idiotic move to put him out there on special teams, an idiotic move that was highlighted by the fact that he committed a holding penalty on the play.

     The Packers have major issues in the secondary.  Charles Woodson is finally starting to show his age and Sam Shields seems to have regressed back to his undrafted status after a solid rookie campaign.  Morgan Burnett has been neither good nor bad in pass coverage at SS, but everyone else in the secondary and a most of the linebackers are getting torched through the air.  Those are all relevant points if they’re going against a competent, competitive offense.  We will see if that’s what Rams decide to bring this week.

Rams’ Defense vs. Packers’ Offense

Robert Quinn looks better and better with every snap.  He and Chris Long should be able to get pressure against a dinged up Baluga and whatever marginal combination of Derek Sherrod and Marshall Newhouse the Packers send out at RT, but none of that really matters.  Aaron Rodgers is one of, if not the best QB in football.  He has plenty of weapons around him, and by the end of the game he will be bored of scoring at will against whatever exhausted series of adjectives you want to use to describe the Rams’ secondary.  This is where the pain comes in.  This is why the Rams cannot win this game.  The Packers will get points on every single possession.  Once they've had their fill they can bench Rodgers and burn out the clock while building confidence in their backfield against a team that still can’t stop the run.

Even if the Packers are completely asleep coming into this game, and even if the Rams miraculously take a lead into half time, I’d still put my money on the Packers dropping the hammer in the second half and covering the laughable 15 point spread.  Yes, I do realize that Rocky ends up beating Clubber, I’ve seen the movie many times, but the Stallion wins with epic levels of single attribute that the Rams have not shown in a long time, heart.  I don't hate Rams, I love them, but this week, I pity the fools.

Establishing An Identity

526 + 540 + 503 = 1,569.  The St. Louis Rams scored an absurd 1,569 points during the 1999, 2000 & 2001 football seasons.  During this run of the “Greatest Show on Turf,” they established themselves as the first offense in NFL history to amass over 500 points in three consecutive seasons.  Obviously, the numbers were just astonishing.  Those seasons all concluded with Rams being voted as the league’s Most Valuable Player (Kurt Warner in ’99 & ’01, Marshall Faulk in ’00.)  In the 2000 season, the Rams blazed (no pun intended, Tony Horne) to a league record 7,335 total yards.  They also set an NFL single season team record that year with 5,492 passing yards from scrimmage.  Most importantly, the team won 37 regular season games over those three seasons, made the playoffs all three years, went to the Super Bowl twice and won it once.  It was simply a period of excellence. 

The Rams entered that 1999 season with a rebuilt roster.  They traded for Marshall Faulk, signed Adam Timmerman and drafted Torry Holt.  The organization looked at their home field, the dreary “Trans World Dome” at the time, and realized that it was built for speed.  The conditions were ideal indoors.  72 degree temperatures, no wind, no rain or snow, and an Astroturf surface that played fast.  The Rams decided to hire a mad genius offensive coordinator in Mike Martz and open up the offense.  They keyed on precision and WRs who ran perfectly executed timing routes.  None of these WRs were 6’5’’, and none were college high-jump champions.  It didn’t matter.  They had the change of direction and attention to detail needed to fit the scheme.  The offensive line didn’t feature maulers,  but it was athletic and could hold up in pass protection and in the zone-blocking running game.  The QB threw a wobbly ball and didn’t have the monster arm to consistently throw deep.  Warner was accurate though, and deadly on the intermediate passes that the offense relied on.  The defense also didn’t feature a ton of muscle and was often overlooked.  While never dominant, the defense was built perfectly to play with an early lead … Which that Rams team often did.  Two good pass rushing DEs in Grant Wistrom and Kevin Carter could get after the QB in obvious passing situations.  The LBs and Secondary could play it safe and keep opposing offenses in front of them.  The defense was again predicated on speed and utilized undersized players whose strength was to run to the football on that fast playing surface. 

I’m sure you’re asking yourself, why take this trip down memory lane?  What does this have to do with the 2011 Rams?  Well, in my mind, it proves the significance of the current Rams' lack of identity.  I wasn't alone in 1999.  Many fellow fans went to the Dome during that era, and they all knew what they were there to see: A team built on speed and a team built to play on turf, with a lead.  Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce didn’t scare anyone when they got off the bus,  but they terrified opponents on the turf.  Those players were obtained with a scheme in mind, with an identity in mind.  Opposing teams knew what the Rams were all about when they arrived at the stadium, they just couldn’t stop it.

Now, look at the current version of the Rams.  What is their identity?  Can anybody tell me?  When you show up at the now named “Edward Jones Dome,” do you have any idea of what to expect?  Is this a power running team, featuring an expensive interior offensive line and a pro bowl running back in Steven Jackson?  Is it a spread formation passing team with new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels calling plays for Sam Bradford?  Or, is this a defensive oriented team with head coach Steve Spagnuolo bringing the pass rush like it’s 2007?  The unfortunate answer is that it’s none of the above.  The Rams seem to draft players (Jason Smith, Donnie Avery, etc.,) and sign players (Jacob Bell, Jerious Norwood, etc.,) without an apparent fit for their franchise, or for their scheme. 

To further explain my point, let’s take the Pittsburgh Steelers.  We’re not fans in Pittsburgh, nor do we closely follow the team.  But, when they select a college DE / LB in the draft, we all know that player is going to be positioned as an outside, rush LB in their 3-4 defense.  We know that player will be brought into the NFL to do one thing: Rush the QB.  That player won’t be in coverage and they won’t have to define their role in training camp, it was conceived for them on draft day.  All good teams do this.  They all have an identity.  And they sign, draft and develop players based on it. 

I don’t know if the Rams will be searching for a new head coach or a new general manager after the season.   But if they do, I have one request: Hire someone with a vision, someone that wants to build an identity for this franchise, and someone willing to stick to it.  Please.

Written by: Michael Handshear

Please Don't Lose to Rex Grossman: Week Four Preview, Redskins at Rams

Anthony Bafaro

The Rams lead the league in dropped passes and Bradford has been hit while throwing more than any other QB in the NFL.  This is the world of Sam Bradford.  He has an offensive line that’s lucky to give him two seconds of protection, and a receiving corps that takes seven seconds to get open.  When he escapes the pressure and buys time, they drop passes.  If that’s not bad enough, the opposition spends most of the game knowing he’s going to drop back and pass, because his defense is allowing 21 first half points per game.  I wonder if he’s starting to wish he had left school early and gone to the Lions.

Rams Offense vs. Redskins Defense

What the Rams are able to do on offense this week depends on two things: what percentage of Steven Jackson we get, and whether or not our young tackles decide to play at a high level, which kind of sucks for us. 

Saffold hasn’t been horrible, but he’s not playing as well as he did last year, particularly in pass protection.  Hopefully it’s just a matter of adjusting to the new system, but maybe his skill set is more exposed outside of the super conservative Shurmer offense. Jason Smith, right now, is one of the worst starting tackles in the NFL.  He’s been better so far this year in the running game, but still not good, and he’s a turnstile in pass protection .  They’re going up against Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan.  Orakpo was a first round pick in 2009, and unlike the Rams first rounder from that year, he’s played well in the trenches.  He had 11 sacks his rookie year and 8.5 in his second.  Kerrigan, their first round pick this year has been good so far with a sack in each game, a forced fumble last week, and a tipped pass-interception-touchdown in week one.

The Rams really need Steven to be full throttle here.  You know Haslett’s crazy ass is going to send at least six guys on every down.  We need Steven blocking, running screens, and turning dump offs into big gains.  We need him doing anything & everything.  The fact of the matter is no other skill player on this offense scares anyone in the NFL.  It’s a sad state of affairs, but it’s the truth.  If he’s not out there for the majority of the Rams offensive snaps, it could be a long and lethargic day for the offense. 

I would like to see more of Pettis this week and an emphasis on getting Kendrick’s the ball.  Lance does have more dropped passes than, well, any TE in football, but he’s also top five in yards-after-catch.  He looks like a playmaker, which takes some getting used to, and I think the dropped passes issue might just be a matter of building his confidence.  It’s also likely that the underneath routes will be most successful, which could be to the advantage of both of these players.  Bradford did enjoy picking on the perpetually overrated Deangelo Hall last year, but the redskins have scary safeties after stealing Atogwe from the Rams to join with Laron Landry; a deep pass to inferior athletes will be a dangerous move all day.

Rams Defense vs. Redskins Offense

The defense owes the offense a big game.  It’s hard enough trying to implement a new offense with a second year quarterback, unreliable blocking and no weapons without also having to play two possession catch up for most of the game. 

Skins starting LT, Jamall Brown is bad in pass protection; he’s already allowed 4 sacks this year.  This needs to be a break out game for Chris Long.  He’s looked great so far, ranking 3^rd in the NFL with 13 QB pressures, and picking up three sacks in as many games, but the combination of Jamall Brown and Rex Grossman presents an opportunity for Long to have a multiple sack-turnover game, and it would be nice to see some game changing plays from our former top pick.  I hope we see a lot of Robert Quinn in this game as well.  We can’t stop the run anyway, so we might as well just play Hall at DT and keep Quinn out there.  He looks angry in the pass rush, Selvie-esque, and he’s not going to learn how to play against the run by standing on the sideline. 

I have no idea what to do about the secondary.  With Bartell and Murphy out it’s pretty much going to take a comeback player of the year performance from Rod Hood to stop the bleeding.  Fletcher is a good corner, maybe a great corner, but after him its liability after liability in one form or another.

The Rams need to get consistent pressure and they need to do it with four guys; the secondary will be badly exposed if they over blitz.  Grossman, over his entire career, has had a propensity to do terribly stupid things when pressured and the Rams definitely need some stupidity from the opposition to level the playing field. 

I really think the Rams are going to find a way to win this game.  Steve Spagnuolo was embarrassed last week and his defense’s numbers for the season thus far are embarrassing.  I think we’re going to see everything that he has in terms of preparation this week.  He knows that his side of the ball has the opportunity rip this game out of Grossman’s hands, and I think that’s exactly what they’re going to do. 

Who's To Blame?

OK, I admit it.  I was wrong.  No, I was VERY wrong.  I championed the Rams here in this space last week.  I claimed that they were ready to eliminate their mistakes and turn the corner.  It’s clear that I greatly over-estimated the Rams progress.

“I don’t have an explanation, I wish I did.” - Steve Spagnuolo

I agree with this quote from Coach Steve Spagnuolo after the Rams loss on Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens.  I’m sure many fans also agree that it’s hard to find an explanation for the debacle that unfolded this past weekend at the Edwards Jones Dome.  I sat there on my couch near the end of the first half with the Ravens leading 27-0, and watched as CBS began running the charade of graphic-displays.  The first one explained how the Ravens set a franchise record with 21 points in the 1^st quarter.  Next, I was informed that the Ravens set another franchise record with their 406 total yards in the first half.  I, sitting at home, was apparently as clueless as the head coach was.  Searching for answers, I started to ask myself questions … “How does this happen?”  “Man, how stupid am I going to look to anyone who read the blog?”  “Is it me, or do even the Rams cheerleaders now seem lackluster in comparison to the rest of the league?”  Wait, who is this Torrey Smith guy again?”

Unfortunately, we’ve all seen this story before.  The Rams played games just like this throughout the 2007-09 seasons.  Most fans (myself included) just assumed that the franchise had moved past that previous era.  Upon further review, maybe they haven’t.  So, my question for today is this: Who’s to blame for the Rams not being able to turn the corner?  Is it Spagnuolo?  General Manager Billy Devaney?  Or, even brand new Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels?  Let’s examine further.

One of the first things Steve Spagnuolo did after being hired as the head coach of the Rams prior to the 2009 season was to hire Defensive Coordinator, Ken Flajole.  Job titles aside, let be serious … Steve Spagnuolo runs this defense.  His handprints are all over it, and he has persuaded the front office to pick-up many of his former players from his days as a position coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and as a Defensive Coordinator with the New York Giants.  The list of Spagnuolo’s former players brought to the Rams is long, from James Butler in 2009 to Fred Robbins in 2010 to Quintin Mikell this past off-season.  Spagnuolo was hired in large part, based on his history as the defensive guru who shut down the Tom Brady and the Patriots in the 2007 Super Bowl.  Spagnuolo has built this defense in his vision over the past 3 years, and his unit is clearly regressing.  Through the first three games the Rams are allowing a league high 174 rushing yards per game.  They are also allowing 5.4 yards per carry and have allowed 96 total points, which are both good for second worst in the league.  The Rams had a surprisingly good defense a year ago, but I think we can partially add that up to the Rams facing an awful schedule that featured some of the league’s most atrocious offenses.  In a clear test against the league’s elite, the Rams defense has failed, and failed miserably.  Also, it struck me how confused the Rams looked early in the game against Baltimore.  Yes, I was also surprised to see the lack of Ray Rice and the running game early.  But, once it was clear that the secondary (and Justin King, in particular) were going to be attacked, it was on the head coach to make some defensive adjustments.  The Rams lost by 30 points to the Ravens on Sunday.  Looking across the rest of the league, the next largest margin of victory this week was the Giants beating the Eagles by 13 points.  13 points … the Rams lost by 30!  You always hear analysts and people from inside the game talk about how close the talent gap is in the NFL.  You could see that this Sunday.  Most NFL games are decided late in the contest by a single field goal or touchdown margin.  Not the Rams.  They lose by 30 points.  At home.  I just can’t believe that the talent gap for the Rams is that large, when it clearly isn’t for the rest of the league.  Also, the turnovers and penalties (the Rams are averaging 8 penalties per contest) have continued to be a major issue.  That has to reflect negatively on the coach’s ability to prepare his team.

When examining the Rams roster, one thing is clear.  There is no longer a grace period of rebuilding for Billy Devaney & Co.  Devaney joined the Rams in 2007 as a consultant and took over General Manager duties around a year later.  There are currently only five Rams on the active roster that preceded Devaney taking over the G.M. role.  Those five are Steven Jackson, James Hall, Adam Goldberg, Donnie Jones (a punter) and Ron Bartell (on injured reserve.)  Otherwise, this is Devaney’s team.  He’s built it through the draft and through 12 free agent signings this offseason.  Devaney can no longer explain that he’s rebuilding or reshaping the roster, especially when you look at the nearly completed turnarounds by Detroit & Tampa Bay that started around the same time.  Devaney has to be held responsible.  One particular area highlights Devaney’s struggles.  He has either drafted or paid big free agent money to all five starting offensive lineman.  Devaney drafted both tackles high in the draft (including Jason Smith #2 overall, who was benched this week) and identified Jacob Bell, Jason Smith and Harvey Dahl for massive contracts.  As I watch Sam Bradford get pounded week after week, I shake my head at the millions of dollars Devaney has invested in this offensive line.  Also, where are all the Undrafted Free Agents (UDFA’s) making a difference?  Billy Devaney’s best find as an UDFA was Danario Alexander.  Other than the former Mizzou standout, the only UDFA’s on the roster signed by Devaney are long-snapper Jake McQuaide and Darian Stewart.  I know it may seem like a small thing, but look at the list of UDFA’s throughout the league: Arian Foster, LeGarrette Blount, Miles Austin, Tony Romo and Wes Welker.  I imagine a few of them could help.  Devaney’s running out of excuses, and he’s running out quickly.

It’s hard to put much blame on Josh McDaniels at this point.  Remember, the Rams were adversely affected by the NFL lockout.  Therefore, McDaniels only had five weeks to whip this offense into shape.  Other than calling the occasional screen play to slow down the pass rush, it's hard to critique the Offensive Coordinator until we're later into the season.

In my estimation, Spagnuolo and Devaney are a packaged deal.  Devaney was the man who brought Spagnuolo to town, and I think they have to ride together on this one.  Unless something turns around quickly for this franchise, I think new Rams owner Stan Kroenke needs to find new on, and off the field leadership after this season.  Believe me, I want this group to succeed.  I would love nothing more than this Rams team getting off the mat and starting a winning streak against the Redskins this week.  But, this is a results-oriented business and the results are this: Steve Spagnuolo is 8-27 as the Rams head coach.  Scott Linehan was 11-25.  Sorry guys, the time for free passes is over.

Written by: Michael Handshear

I Might Be Wrong, But I Doubt It: Week Three Preview Ravens @ Rams

Anthony Bafaro

Tony Softli wrote a very uplifting article on Tuesday forecasting the Rams upcoming matchup, and likely victory, over the Baltimore Ravens.  He noted that when he went back and reviewed the film of the Eagles and Giants games he saw that, “The Rams have outplayed both of their opponents but they self-destructed with turnovers and penalties.”  He goes on to suggest that Ray Lewis’ athleticism is ever waning, that Haloti Ngata is playing slow and with poor technique, and that while Ed Reed is “still dangerous” the Raven’s are vulnerable at the cornerback position.  He does give the Ravens' offense plenty of credit, referring to Ray Rice as “one of the league's most elusive all-purpose running backs with power” and anointing Aquan Boldin as, “…the best running back after the catch at the receiver position in the NFL.”  He summarizes the article by saying, “I'm not buying the hype on the Ravens. On film they looked tired, old, sluggish and non-productive in their game against Tennessee, and I think they are beatable Sunday in the Lou.”  He projects a Rams’ victory, 20-17.

Rams’ Offense vs. Ravens’ Defense

The Ravens are vulnerable at the cornerback position, but so were the Giants, a matchup that yielded an abundance of yards, but only a single passing touchdown.  Additionally, the Giants have no one in their secondary that plays at an Ed Reed level.  At 33 years old Reed is still arguably the best safety in football.  He’s coming off of a season in which he played in only ten games and still led the NFL in interceptions.  Ngata and Lewis may be playing slow, but it does not appear to be affecting their ability to plug run gaps, as the Ravens come into week three with the fourth ranked run defense in the NFL.  This ranking is compounded by the fact that both Steven Jackson and Cadillac Williams are questionable to play and certainly will not be one hundred percent if they do.  The Rams should be able to move the ball through the air.  The question is whether they can be balanced enough to keep the Ravens honest and prevent Ed Reed from reaping the benefits of a full on pass rush.

Rams’ Defense vs. Ravens’ Offense

 The Rams’ run defense, in terms of yardage, is the worst in the NFL.  This is somewhat skewed by the fact that Michael Vick rushed for 98 yards in week one, but even if you look exclusively at running backs they are allowing 4.8 yards per carry.  It’s an aggressive run defense that leaves itself susceptible to cutbacks and screens, two strengths of Ray Rice.  Anquan Boldin is an elite receiver, particularly after the catch.  Bradley Fletcher has the ability to contain him, but he must make a greater effort in making a play on the ball and avoiding interference calls.  From a schematic standpoint, it will be interesting to see how the Rams plan to matchup with the two young receiving tight ends, Edward Dickson and Dennis Pitta.  With Leber and Poppinga lacking the athleticism, and Justin King lacking the size to defend either in man coverage, Laurinaitis may be forced into playing a lot of Cover-one/Cover-two zone, putting a lot of pressure on the Rams’ defensive line to keep Rice from running up the gut.  The Rams will pressure the quarterback, they always do.  Unfortunately, the dynamic ability of Ray Rice as both a runner and a receiver is the perfect remedy for said pressure.

I have a lot of respect for Tony Softli, no question, but I adamantly disagree with his assessment of this match up.  I do not agree that the Rams have outplayed their opponents in the first two weeks.  You don’t get outscored 59-29 by outplaying your opponents.  While it’s true that the Rams have looked good at times, all of those turnovers, penalties, dropped passes, etc. were not acts of god.  Ball security, discipline, and focus are attributes, no different than pass rushing, run blocking, or throwing accuracy.  All attributes, collectively, are what determine whether or not you outplay your opponent.  I’m not saying that the Rams cannot win this game.  This is the NFL after all, any given Sunday and all that.  They are at home and they’re desperate to avoid an 0-3 start.  If they’re going to have a chance they need to win the turnover battle and reign in the mental mistakes.  They also need to find a way to stop the run.  Most importantly, they need Steven Jackson to play and to play well.  They just do not have enough play making depth to compete with elite teams without their best player.

If all of those things happen, they can beat the Ravens, and I’ll have to tip my hat to Tony for calling it.  Unfortunately, we've yet to see a game where any of those things happen.