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.

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

You're Fired!

Written By: Anthony Bafaro

-Mr. Gibson, Mr. Trump
will see you now.

With free agency looming, the Rams started their house cleaning Monday by cutting some of the overpaid holdovers from the Devaney-Spagnuolo era.  Center Jason Brown, DT Justin Bannan, DE James Hall, CB Ron Bartell, LB David Nixon and WR Nick Miller were all informed the Rams would release them.  These moves, along with the Cowboys-Redskins donations, have the Rams staring at about $30 million in cap space.  Pencil in $7-$10 million for rookies and extensions for any serviceable players on the current roster, and they suddenly have $20 million to attack free agency with. 

One notable non-cut is OT Jason Smith.  His current contract still contains a lot of guaranteed money, but the team could have easily afforded to eat that next season if it thought he was no long viable.  Fisher is known for his ability to develop lineman, an attribute that allowed him to consistently field top-notch offensive lines despite never using a 1^st round pick on the position.  We’ve seen flashes of Smith’s road grading ability in the run game; hopefully the new staff can cook some of the still raw talent and help him shed his bust status.

What will the Rams do with the spare cash?  Well, they’re absolutely signing a starting CB and a starting DT.  There is no way Fisher is going into the season with with Justin King as a starter on the outside and there is no way any team in the league would rely on Darrell Scott and Gary Gibson to anchor the interior of its defensive line. 

If I had to guess, I’d say the merchandise department has already started printing Jason Jones jerseys.  Fisher drafted Jones in the 2^nd round of the 2008 draft.  Jones had a solid, and steadily ascending three year career as a DT before the Titans inexplicably moved him to DE in 2011.  As for the corners, I’m going back to the Titans for former Fisher bad boy Cortland Finnegan.  Finnegan—age 28—is arguably the best CB on the market.  With the Rams new found wealth, and the connection to Fisher, it’s a natural fit.

An interesting note on Finnegan, is that he’s suggested that he would like to be a package deal (are we in the NBA?) with free agent WR Vincent Jackson.  The notion of getting both of them seems almost surreal from a fan’s perspective, but it’s not completely out of the question.

I’ll bet silver to shoeshine that the Rams sign Jason Jones, and I’ll say the same about a high end CB.  Whether that CB is Finnegan may depend on how adjoined he is to Jackson.  Despite the need for playmakers, Fisher doesn’t have a history of splurging on WR’s, and the Rams may not want to give big money to someone with Jackson’s history of off-the-field-issues.  Additionally, with two 1^st round picks in 2013 and 2014 the Rams have the ammo to go up and get a WR the next time Andre Johnson or Calvin Johnson shows up.

Big Deal, Now What?

Written By:  Anthony Bafaro

It came sooner than expected, but as we predicted, the Redskins paid the asking price and more on Friday when they traded the 6^th and 39^th pick in the 2012 draft, along with their 2013 and 2014 1^st round picks for the Rams 2^nd overall pick.  The question now is what the Rams will do with the 6^th pick.  What we know for sure is the Colts are taking Andrew Luck and the Redskins are taking RGIII, and I think it’s safe to assume that the Vikings have their sights set on Matt Kalil.  Blind-side book-ends are pivotal to the success of any team and the Vikings don’t have one.  Most of the NFL draft community believes that the remaining elite talent in this draft consists of Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, and Trent Richardson—in that order.

Morris Claiborne
 

In my perfect world, Claiborne falls to the Rams at six.  A lot of people say that Claiborne is no Patrick Peterson—former LSU CB and 2011 5^th overall pick by Arizona.  I agree with this assertion, he’s not Patrick Peterson, he’s better, at least as a CB.  Morris does not have the freak-show athleticism that Peterson used to shred the Rams and the rest of the league in the punt-return game last season.  However, his ability as a lock-down corner is elite.  Combine that with the fact that he’s a ball-hawk (11 interceptions in the past two seasons) and only 22 years-old, and it’s obvious why he’s ranked 4^th on most prospect boards.

The Rams have some pseudo-depth at CB, but there are more questions than answers at the position.  Ron Bartell is 30 years-old, coming back from a career-threatening neck injury, and hits the cap for an irrational $6.2 million (a figure that will probably get him cut regardless of whom the Rams acquire at the position).  Bradley Fletcher, when healthy, is an excellent corner, but has now had two torn ACL’s in as many seasons.  Jerome Murphy is returning from a broken ankle, and is better suited as a nickel-corner than he is on the outside.

I’m finding it hard to convince myself that this scenario is possible, but if the Browns decide that Richardson is their man, and the Bucs decide that their non-existent receiving core is more of a priority than their unreliable defensive backfield, the Rams will ignore their offensive needs and take this game-changing defensive back.

Justin Blackmon

Blackmon is the heart-throb of most Rams fans, but I think that has more to do with the embarrassing list of recent Ram receivers than it does Blackmon himself.  Most analyst believe that Justin is the best receiver in the draft, but they also believe that this draft class offers more in the way of depth—Blackmon, Floyd, Wright, Randle, Hill, Jeffery, Givens—than it does in top-end talent.  Having said that, he’s still a very good prospect, and the Rams are in desperate need of offensive playmakers; if he’s still on the board at six, he’ll be the pick.

Whether or not he is still on the board at six probably depends on what the Browns think of Trent Richardson and Ryan Tannehill.  Morris Claiborne will be the best player available, but the Browns have their number-one corner—2010 1^st rounder Joe Haden—and they have even fewer offensive playmakers than the Rams.  Their trade offer makes it obvious that they’re not beholden to current QB Colt McCoy and with the uncertainty surrounding Peyton Hillis, they may have an opening at RB.  If the Browns value Richardson or Ryan Tannehill over Blackmon, I fully expect the Buc’s to pounce on Claiborne and allow the Rams to start building their offensive arsenal.

Trent Richardson

My worst nightmare is one that is all too likely—the Browns sign Peyton Hillis to an affordable, incentive-based contract and choose the value-need combo of Justin Blackmon, and the Bucs make the most logical choice of Morris Claiborne.  I have nothing against Trent Richardson, he’s a tremendously talented football player.  Additionally, Steven Jackson’s days are numbered, especially if we’re honest with ourselves, and admit that a full front-office/coaching change, along with a plethora of draft picks, means that Sam Bradford is the only player on the roster with immunity. 

My problem with this scenario is that I hate the idea of drafting any RB in the first round, especially in the top-ten.  Running backs have shorter NFL lives than any other position and they’re the most susceptible to game-to-game injuries.  From a value standpoint, I’d rather find two or three role players at the running back position, than use the 6^th overall pick on a work-horse.  However, the possibility of drafting Richardson can’t be ignored.  Fisher has typically utilized a primary work-horse in his offensive schemes, and has twice spent first round picks on running backs—Eddie George in 1996 and Chris Johnson in 2008—though both were drafted outside of the top-ten. 

I assume that the Rams are quietly putting out feelers for the trade-value of Steven Jackson.  If they can find a partner willing to give up a 2^nd round pick, and if Blackmon and Claiborne are both off of the board, Richardson may be manning the Rams backfield in 2012.

Trade Down…Again
Why stop now?  If Richardson is the only elite talent left when the Rams are on the clock, and they agree with me that 6^th overall is no place to draft a RB, why not explore trading down again?  Remember, a new coaching staff and a new GM are embarking on an effort to rebuild a team that went 10-38 over the past three seasons—what these guys want is to turn over 90% of this roster as fast as possible; the best way to do that is with a boat-load of draft picks. 

The Seahawks, Broncos, Cardinals, and Dolphins are all looking for a QB—Manning and Flynn can’t play for all four.  Tannehill projects as a mid-round pick, but QB’s have a way jumping up draft boards on draft day.  As far as Richardson’s value, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that the Jets, Lions, or Packers may identify him as a player that puts them over the top. 

The Rams biggest needs are WR, OL, and DT; they can move down to the mid, or even late first, and still get an impact player at one of those positions.

Trade Up?
The Vikings are fielding offers for the 3^rd overall pick and some crazies are suggesting that the Rams should trade up to secure Justin Blackmon.  I hope, for the sake of diligence, that Les Snead at least inquires about the price, but let’s be honest, if the Rams trade with the Vikings, they’re doing it take a franchise LT, not an above average WR.

Sit and “Reach”
Let’s consider the possibility that the Rams’ draft board might look quite a bit different than that of the so called “experts.”  Maybe they think Michael Floyd is the best receiver in the draft; maybe they think David Decastro is animalistic enough to warrant drafting an OG 6^th overall; maybe they think Quinton Coples is the kind of natural killer that doesn’t need the motivation of a bounty system.  It’s not unreasonable to think that the Rams may have a higher grade on someone outside of the anointed “elitte-six.”


The return on this deal is unprecedented—blowing the Eli Manning standard out of the water—and I feel pretty good about the likelihood of those future 1^st round picks being in the top half of the draft.  What matters right now, is that they made the deal.  It’s nice that the trade was done early, giving the team time to properly vet all of their options.  We still have over a month to ponder all of the possibilities, but if recent actions are any indication, we can count on the new regime making a sound and professional decision with the 6^th overall pick, whatever it may be.