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Caption this Rams training camp photo: Murphy v. Gilyard
by VanRam on Jul 30, 2010 10:00 AM CDT
in St. Louis Rams training camp
8 comments
Here's a cool picture from the St. Louis Rams training camp yesterday. I thought fans would really get a kick out of seeing two of this year's most intriguing draft picks CB Jerome Murphy and WR Mardy Gilyard.
Get you caption writing hats on and have at it.
Bradford in camp today?
by VanRam on Jul 30, 2010 9:17 AM CDT
in St. Louis Rams news
2 comments
The St. Louis Rams continued talks with first overall pick QB Sam Bradford last night, and apparently they made real progress. According to Brian Stull of ESPN 101, whose twitter account is quickly becoming the source for Rams news, says that he'd be surprised if Bradford does not report to camp today.
There you have it. Bradford should be suited up and ready to roll when the full Rams squad takes the field for practice tomorrow.
Rams emphasizing versatility: Random Ramsdom, 6/30
by VanRam on Jul 30, 2010 7:12 AM CDT
in St. Louis Rams training camp
6 comments
Alright, if you think the St. Louis Rams will open the season with Rodger Saffold at right tackle, stand on your head. It's really encouraging to see the Rams emphasizing versatility with their players at positions like that. Injuries come and go, as we know so well, and it's essential not to be so specialized that the best player can't switch sides and fill-in with as little disruption as possible.
However, Jason Smith gets paid a lot of money, second overall pick money and, more importantly, has the skills that translate well to the left side. Give his experience in Baylor's spread offense and his work in the two-point stance, the Rams would be smart to run some more shotgun with Bradford at the helm. Saffold played LT in college and it would be great for the Rams if he could play left tackle in the NFL; for the flexibility alone it's worth it.
Speaking of position changes...
- John Greco worked at C yesterday in practice.
- The official site has a training camp preview for the defense.
- The Sam Bradford watch continues. I suspect the next 24 will bring fruitful news of a contract between the QB and the Rams.
Yo
Jerome Murphy
"The circumstances was I was at a seven-on-seven-like tournament at my school. And as soon as I pulled out of the seven-on-seven, I was going to Publix to get some meat because I was having a barbecue because I was supposed to leave Wednesday to come back here. Then I got pulled over. I was with another driver, but they said I didn’t have my license on me because I was waiting for my social security card to come back, which I got. I’ve taken care of everything now. I’ve got the license, so everything is good now."
Should Steven Jackson be the NFL's Highest Paid Running Back?
by Brett Gall on Jul 29, 2010 5:50 PM CDT
8 comments
In recent years, Steven Jackson has been the meat, the potatoes, and…well…pretty much everything on the plate except for the garnish on top of the Rams’ sizzling filet. He has had a considerable number of carries in that time, and is likely once again expected to grind and cut through defenses at least twenty times per game this year.
Not many teams employ the "workhorse running back" method and have moved towards running backs by committee. Some workhorse running backs have stuck around for years in committees, while others serve as mediocre backups, and yet others fall off the face of the earth in terms of production. Running backs simply do not carry the ball as much anymore, and even the new breed of "workhorse backs," like the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson, don’t touch the ball like the older guys used to.
In 2009, it seemed as if the last of the workhorse running backs were finally dying off, and the ones that were still around were pushed into committees (Larry Johnson) or were skeletons of their former selves (LaDainian Tomlinson). The one exception? Steven Jackson.
Steven Jackson has been through a lot, but is hitting what could be the peak of his career, before he begins the precipitous fall that almost inevitably happens to running backs at age 30. My question to you: how good ishe? He is the top paid running back in the league (unless Chris Johnson gets his dream payday) but is he really worth the top salary?
Argument against:
Jackson has some mileage on him right now. While he doesn’t have the 3,000+ touches of LaDainian Tomlinson, he has touched the ball over 1,800 times, much greater than many players in the NFL. Additionally, he has suffered several injuries in recent years, playing only 12 games in 2007 and 2008. The latest injury to his spine could possibly be a chronic injury that threatens his ability to play professional football, especially at the level he has played in the past.
Additionally, he averages 4.4 yards per carry over his career, and his YPC was showing a trend of diminishing until this year. His YPC is still very good, but does very good warrant the highest contract in the NFL? Probably not. Proven veterans like Adrian Peterson and Michael Turner (despite his injuries last year) have a 4.9 YPC average for their careers.
I won’t say it is his fault that he didn’t score (the Rams didn’t give him many red zone opportunities anyway), but the biggest issue I have with him is that his numbers are certainly inflated. We can look at 2009, yet another futile year for the Rams, as a good example. Jackson was pretty terrible in the red zone. He had a 2.5 YPC average within the enemy’s territory. Additionally, his yards per carry were higher in the second half of games. This is after the Rams were already 14 points down in most cases. To highlight this, Jackson’s YPC in the 1st quarter were, on average, 3.7 while in the second half, they were almost 4.5. Therefore many of his yards came in the second half, once we already were hoping for a mercy rule.
Argument for:
Are you kidding me? This guy has raked in the yards by the hundreds on one of the worst teams in the league. For the past five years, facing stacked boxes, fighting through injuries, and providing leadership to his entire team, he has led the Rams. He also provides a focus of attention for the defense, enhancing our passing game (oh wait, we don’t have one). With a solid line, he will be the key to giving comfort to Sam Bradford in the future.
Admittedly, Jackson is somewhat injury-prone. This may be a result of the constant pressure he faces, however. Give him a good backup and you’re set. Surprisingly, in those two years that he missed 4 games apiece, he still broke the 1,000 yard mark.
In case you didn’t know it, he just set a career high in 2009 for runs of 20+ yards, with 10 runs. Certainly not bad, especially when he averaged about 22 touches per game. He is only getting MORE explosive.
The thing that differentiates him from many other running backs is that he only fumbled twice last year. That is TWICE, in 324 attempts. That is one fumble every 162 rushes. Ask Adrian Peterson or Steve Slaton how much they’d pay for those hands.
His career yards per carry are pretty amazing considering he has been significantly injured three seasons in a row. The guy doesn’t slow down, with a 4.4YPC average for carries 1-10, 11-20, and 21-30. Additionally, while his 4th quarter YPC is lower than his average, (1) it is not bad and (2) that was only in games where he was losing badly. When the Rams were down by seven or less in the 4th quarter, his YPC was 4.9. When the games are close he performs better. If ahead by 8 or less points, his YPC was 5.4, if behind by 8 or less points, his YPC was 4.4. That’s what you want in a player.
Jackson is only getting better in my opinion. Every other quality running back in the league has other threats on his team. Chris Johnson had a mobile Vince Young last year, Adrian Peterson has an army of quality wide receivers, a Pro-Bowl QB, and a Pro-Bowl line, Michael Turner has young, explosive players around him. Obviously Jackson’s touchdown count is deceiving, since he faces stacked boxes every down and the Rams’ impotent offense gets in the red zone about every time Haley’s comet passes. If we get some free agent to back him up, and his body doesn’t act up too much, I strongly believe his next year can be better than his 2006, 2300+ yard performance. Here's to optimism!
Best running back in the league? Let me hear your thoughts.
Rams training camp notes, 7/29: Saffold working at LT
by VanRam on Jul 29, 2010 4:42 PM CDT
in St. Louis Rams training camp
22 comments
The St. Louis Rams had their first full day of training camp...sort of. Rookies and assorted veterans were on hand for two practices today, here's a round up of what happened.
- Rodger Saffold worked at the LT spot. Don't get your knickers in a bunch, just yesterday Pat Shurmur said that he'll be a RT. 48 hours ago he was a RG.
- Saffold was filling in for Jason Smith, who is still limited.
- It was a typical August day in MO, i.e. it was damn hot and humid. Still, Spagnuolo seemed pleased with the way things went and some of the guys recovering from injuries made it through just fine this a.m.
- Steven Jackson and OJ Atogwe were the only Rams players coming back from injuries that did not practice today.
- CB Bradley Fletcher looked like he was back at full speed. That's great news. The Rams really, really need Fletcher to pick up where he left off last season. Solid play from the secondary will help the pass rush.
- TE Daniel Fells looked good to go too.
A report from Alex Marvez of Fox Sports has some good insight into the Rams team mentality this year. Head coach Steve Spagnuolo is expecting his players to focus on three things: "demand, compete and finish." To stoke the competitive fires, the team is making it inescapable. Keeping score in seven-on-seven, weightlifting contests and even a pingpong table. Here's Spags:
"We were trying to create as much of a competitive atmosphere as we could. We’ll carry that right into training camp. That’s what your good teams and very special players do. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird … Tiger Woods, he probably competes at everything, not just golf. That was kind of my message to (the players) – have that mindset in everything you do. It will make us all better."
Even threw in a Tiger Woods joke...props to the head coach!
Click on the photo above for more pics from training camp.
Entry level math: Can Bradford top the Rams QBs from 2009?
by VanRam on Jul 29, 2010 3:21 PM CDT
in St. Louis Rams training camp
5 comments
The discussion of whether or not the St. Louis Rams will start QB Sam Bradford in week 1 has been a hot topic again lately, with the Miklasz column today and the post at Rams Herd yesterday. Should the Rams take a cautious approach with their young players, even if it means keeping them on the bench until further into the season? It's all about how ready the players are in the eyes of the coaches.
Readiness is an arbitrary notion, determined by the coaches. Ready or not, the Rams offense was so bad last year that Bradford and the 10 other guys on the field with him don't have to go up very far to offer a better product. They may not be "ready" but they could very well be better.
Let's go back to the first three games of last season, which your brain should have purged from you memory in order to maintain any sanity, and take a look at the QB performance and the offense as a unit.
How much stuff does an OT need for training camp?
by VanRam on Jul 29, 2010 10:45 AM CDT
in St. Louis Rams training camp
1 comment
St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Jason Smith arrived for training camp yesterday. Besides a clean bill of health, Smith unloaded a truckload of other stuff for a lengthy stay in the team hotel.
And what kind of things does an OT need?
- A yoga mat. Excellent, the Rams need a healthy Jason Smith to be competitive this year and keep Bradford on his feet. Core strength and conditioning is essential, and what better way to get there than yoga.
- A giant mug. Gotta stay hydrated.
- Laundry detergent? Hard to tell what that is behind the giant mug, but it looks like a container of laundry soap. Does Jason Smith have to do his own laundry?
- Could that be Pat Shurmur's playbook in the blue Rubbermaid tub?
- I'm glad he doesn't, but it's surprising for a pickup truck without empty beer cans in the back.
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