St. Louis Rams 2009 NFL Draft grades

by VanRam on Apr 27, 2009 9:51 AM CDT in 2009 NFL draft Comment 43 comments

The 2009 NFL Draft has come and gone, and with that, the argument begins as to how the Rams, led by new GM Billy Devaney, came out of the first April affair of the post-Zygmunt era. How'd we do?

Here's a recap of the weekend with thoughts on each of the players taken and some discussion of the draft itself.
Tackle Box posted a look at the how the new players impact the Rams roster for '09, what holes remain, and a look at what might be on the table for next year's draft.
Finally, reading the national critics and the comments here, I think most were relatively pleased, if somewhat unexcited by the Rams draft. Here's a FanPost, with some good discussion going in the comments, with a counter, very critical view of the Rams draft. Be sure to weigh in.

What are they saying about the draft elsewhere, what kind of grades are tehy handing out? Let's take a look.

Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline.com gives the Rams a B-. Here's what he said about the draft:

They couldn't miss with the second overall pick and they did some other nice things

Best pick: Getting linebacker James Laurinaitis in the second round is a nice move. He is a big hitter who has good instincts. Steve Spagnuolo will love him.
Questionable move: Passing on Eugene Monroe for Jason Smith. That's a move we'll watch closely for the next 10 years.
Second-day gem: Fourth-round pick Dorell Scott has talent, but he under-achieved last season. But he has talent to get into the rotation at defensive tackle.

From USA Today, where they gave the Rams a C:

OT Jason Smith has that "can't miss" aspect to him but there's not much going on on that O-line between him on the left side and Alex Barron on the right. Smith replaces Orlando Pace. LB James Laurinaitis kept dropping and Rams got him with the 35th pick. If he plays better than he has been working out, he will help their porous run defense. His success may hinge on whether DT Dorell Scott can become a run-stopper and keep RBs from getting to the second level.

Apparently they missed the Jason Brown signing, which was largely praised as a great free agent signing, for the Rams and others. I can't find anything dogging Laurinaitis for his workouts, and you can see his Combine results (not that workouts mean everything) compare well to other MLB prospects in this draft.

At ESPN Fan Nation, fans graded the Rams draft a B+.

Some notable quotables from the chattering classes...

Bernie Miklasz, from the Post Dispatch, will give it a couple years before making final grades. His list of likes include, Jason Smith, Dorell Scott, and Chris Ogbonnaya. He "sort of liked" the Laurinaitis pick, but preferred Maualuga with the Rams second rounder. He did not like the third round pick of Iowa CB Bradley Fletcher...calling it a reach, though he does note that draft guru Rich Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News had Fletcher ranked as his 66th overall prospect in the draft, the very spot where the Rams took him. Like everyone else, he panned the Keith Null pick.

Here's ESPN's Mike Sando on the needs the Rams did not address in the draft:

The team did address needs at tackle and linebacker early. The Rams had too many needs to address all at once. In a perfect world, they might have added a receiver and defensive tackle earlier. But the needs they addressed early were also real.

Here's SI's Peter King on the Rams:

I can't be happier for the fans of the Rams that this team did the right thing and took a 10-year tackle. Why? The tackle situation was as bad as any single position for any team in football, and getting Jason Smith to replace Orlando Pace was essential ... James Laurinaitis over Rey Maulaluga at LB? It has to do with the Rams' belief that the Ohio State kid can better run a defense. I'll be writing about the Rams' weekend more in-depth at the top of Tuesday's column, but I think it was a positive weekend for St. Louis.

NFL Network's Steve Wyche took a look at the teams with new GMs and coaches this season; here's what he had to say about Devaney's first draft as Rams GM:

New coach Steve Spagnuolo helped win a lot of football games with the New York Giants boasting a rugged and massive offensive line along with a dominating defense keyed by defensive ends and a bell-ringing middle linebacker. St. Louis has won just five games over the past two seasons because of a banged up and somewhat undersized offensive line and not enough WHAM in the middle of the defense.

Jason Smith, the left tackle out of Baylor, was chosen second overall to help remake the offensive line, which got a big boost with the free-agent signing of Jason Brown. If quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson can be shielded, the Rams can be an effective offensive team, although a significant threat at wide receiver is needed to help open the field. WR Donnie Avery had 53 receptions for 674 yards and three touchdowns is the most likely candidate.

Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis is the three-down hammer Spagnuolo wants to be the tone setter on defense. With Chris Long, last year's second overall pick at one defensive end and veteran Leonard Little at the other, Spagnuolo now has some of the pieces to begin the turnaround of a roster that still has plenty of room for upgrades.

Here's Mel Kiper Jr. with ESPN:

GRADE: C If I were the Rams, I would have taken Mark Sanchez at the No. 2 spot, but I do like offensive tackle Jason Smith. Inside linebacker James Laurinaitis was a good selection in the second round. Cornerback Bradley Fletcher would've gone higher if he had better speed. There were better quarterbacks available in the sixth round, when they took Keith Null.

And Todd McShay:

Best pick: OT Jason Smith, Baylor (First round, No. 2 overall)
Worst pick: CB Bradley Fletcher, Iowa (Third round, No. 66 overall)
Bottom line: The Rams made the right call drafting an OT in their situation as a replacement for Orlando Pace at LT. I also thought cashing in on James Laurinaitis at No. 35 was a good move. He should provide leadership and upgrade the range of the Rams' LB corps. After that, though, things fell off for St. Louis. Fletcher was the biggest reach. While he's a big, physical corner, he lacks ideal range and is not an overly instinctive playmaker, so I'm not sure he'll ever be more than another sub-package DB on a roster filled with plenty of them already.

It's funny how divided people are on the Fletcher pick. There were similar issues with Justin King last year, with some seeing great value and others thinking he was just a workout guy; of course, the jury's still out on that one too. CBs are hard to judge, and even the top guys in the draft at that position stir much debate.

That's a pretty good analogy for the whole draft at this point, we'll just have to wait and see what we've got when the competition begins, or camp at any rate.

Poll

How do feel about the Rams 2009 draft?

I love it.

436 votes

In the middle, some good picks, some head-scratchers.

830 votes

I hate it.

41 votes

1307 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Justin King

Here’s something I noticed while doing my post on the roster. Justin King is extremely young. He’ll only turn 22 in May.

Did I ever tell you about the time Brasky and I went horseback riding, but there weren't any horses around? Anyway, Brasky throws a saddle on my back and rides me around Wyoming for three days. Well, wouldn't ya know it, my stamina increased with each day, and I develop tremendous leg muscles. So anyway, Brasky decides to enter me into the Breeders Cup under the name Turkish Delight. And Im running in second place, and I'm running, and I break my ankle. So anyway, they're about to shoot me. Then someone from the crowd yells out, God bless him, Dont shoot him, he's a human.

by Tackle Box on Apr 27, 2009 10:35 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Though I was disappointed by not getting a WR earlier,

the fact is this team has so many needs, there is only so much you can do with just seven picks. I wouldn’t go so far to say “I hate it” in the poll above, but I can’t really turn cartwheels over their draft. But this is a new management team, and they deserve the chance to put their own stamp on this franchise. This seems like a good thing for us to remember going forward, no matter how we feel about the individual draftees.

by tbell61 on Apr 27, 2009 10:48 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The thing is.

Having a good line makes our quarterback, running backs, and our receivers much better. Heck, a good offensive line can even make the defense better by hopefully leading to fewer 3 and outs and more points on the board.

Having great receivers means nothing if you can’t block worth a crap.

But as it stands now, we’ve got a receiving corps of Donnie Avery (2nd year), Laurent Robinson (3rd year), Keenan Burton (2nd year), and Brooks Foster (1st year), with the possible resigning of Dane Looker and a healthy-at-some-point Derek Stanley. Add a rookie to the mix next year and you’ll have a 3rd year, 4th year, 3rd year, 2nd year, and a rookie. That’s a good mix and I believe when they passed on the receivers in the 3rd round, I think they had this in mind.

by Tackle Box on Apr 27, 2009 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

good point on the WRs next year

I still would like them add a bigger, #1, playmaker type (whatever that means) for the rookie next year. then again, we may be surprised by what we’ve got already in house…and there’s always next year’s free agent bash, though the CBA stuff is likely to affect that.

by VanRam on Apr 27, 2009 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think

we will get a pleasant surprise from Laurent Robinson.

by Caruso on Apr 27, 2009 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm kinda thinking the same thing.

I’ve got my fingers crossed. And if he emerges as a legit member of the receiving corps, you’d have to look much more favorably upon this draft since it was a trade involving draft picks that got him here.

by Tackle Box on Apr 27, 2009 8:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've seen ratings all the way from A- to C

for the Rams draft. It just shows that no one knows how it will really turn out and it will take a couple of years to get a better handle on it. Worrying about how we did versus other teams is just a waste of time right now. I think the wildly varying fan reactions say more about the natural mindset of the fan rather than anything realistic about how the Rams did. If you’re down on the Rams in general, you see the things they didn’t get done and you underrate the guys they got. If you are a big booster of the Rams, you see all the good things they appear to have accomplished and wave off the problems.

I think the main issue is that the Rams just had too many holes to fill to get it all done in one draft. They appeared to get some of the important issues resolved, but others like wide receiver are still out there. We are going to have to wait another year to deal with the rest of the holes.

by andyrose on Apr 27, 2009 11:27 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

well said

by VanRam on Apr 27, 2009 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice Draft

With so many holes to fill, it’s impossible to fill every single one. While Smith is not the sexy pick, he’s an upgrade over what we have now. Now we have a nice looking line with Smith and Brown to anchor it for years to come. WIth the improved line, Bulger will return to form. What QB can throw from their back. Jackson is gonna have a phenomenal year, with the upgraded line and fullback. The defense is improved with our picks, and with Spags system in place, things are looking good for the RAMS future. GO RAMS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by onesam13 on Apr 27, 2009 11:49 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I don't like "grading" drafts

  It’s much more sensible to grade production, as in how a unit played after a game, or individual performances after a game or a season.
  Having not really thrown my two cents out there, I might as well do it now.
  Jason Smith was the safe risky pick. I know the Curry camp was strong here at TST, but asking him to move to MLB and anchor the defense is a lot to do. In taking Smith, we have an elite pass blocker who should improve his run blocking with time. He’ll certainly be in the gym working on his lower body strength, and hopefully he adjusts to the NFL immediately (as in not coming out of a two-point stance). I can get behind this pick very easily.
  The Laurinaitis pick is a solid one too. More than the J-Smith pick, the staff had a ton of options here, and took someone they think could carry the tactical weight of the defense. I wonder if he’ll have the mike in week 1; if so, it definitely speaks volumes about the football intelligence the front office obviously believes Laurinaitis possesses.
  Is the Bradley Fletcher pick confusing? Certainly. But it gives us depth at what you could argue was our worst positional unit as a whole last season. With so many names (and styles) behind Bartell, I think we’ll find someone who sticks and can get it done. I have no idea who’s going to end up playing across from Ron Bartell in week 1, but at least we have options.
  I like the Darell Scott pick. He’s not athletic, but that wasn’t the kind of DT we needed. We needed a big, fat, line stuffer. Hopefully Scott can become that DT soon.
  The last three picks give us more depth; really, in the last 3 rounds, that’s as much as you should be hoping for. Any home runs are just lucky picks anyway.
  I wrote “hopefully” a lot in this, but really, that’s what every draft review should include by fans. You’ve got to hope a coaching staff (especially a brand new one) can take your players and mold them into productive starters. If we get everyday starters out of Jason Smith, James Laurinaitis and Darell Scott, I’ll be ecstatic. The issue is how long will that take?
  Even though I hate doing it, if I had to give them a grade, I’d give them somewhere between a B- and a C. There were some enticing options in rounds 2-4, but I applaud the front office for sticking to their board. They obviously saw something in Fletcher that fit the defense they want to run, and they took him. If it doesn’t work, it’s not as much of a bad pick as a bad assessment. That’s something that can be improved. Coaching and mentoring? That takes new names. That’s what we did this offseason. Let’s give these guys 3 or 4 season to put their team together.

Jay Zygmunt, now that you have fired yourself, please have yourself hired by Seattle. Thanks.

by 3k on Apr 27, 2009 12:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Darrell Scott

I wouldn’t say he’s not athletic, he’s 312 pounds and ran a 4.9, 40, the 4th best at the combine. I know that doesn’t mean much but after watching some tape on him u know he’s got some speed and athleticism

by Caruso on Apr 27, 2009 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speed, yes

athleticism and agility? I’m not buying it. But I’m all for him changing my mind.

Jay Zygmunt, now that you have fired yourself, please have yourself hired by Seattle. Thanks.

by 3k on Apr 27, 2009 3:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't like to grade the draft either...

i love it Especially round 2 but I know where they are going with round 3 Bradley Fletcher is big and physical (just what Spags likes in his CB’s)

But kieth Null Crazy pick

Touchdown St.Louis Rams Won the SuperBowl

by WaZuP cReAtOr on Apr 27, 2009 2:46 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Null

Is the next Tom Brady, im sticking to that till im proved otherwise

by Caruso on Apr 27, 2009 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Null can chuck

The dude threw for 5,000 yards and 48 TD’s last season. I understand it’s Div II but that is pretty sick. Apparently the offense threw the ball 95% of the time and ran the spread. At the least he must have a pretty good arm. Hey he might be better than Kyle Boller lol.

by ksmooth on Apr 27, 2009 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

there is no next Tom Brady

by james535 on Apr 29, 2009 10:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

agreed and with such a late pick why not take a gamble, the guy probably wants to show people that div 2 qbs can play, look at steve mcnair and flacco, those were and are good QB;s

by Ram Fan on Apr 27, 2009 7:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Picture this

We could have picked Sanchez with our first pick. lb Maueluga with our second pick, the best availalbe wr, (Patric Turner 6’5’’, Ramses Barden, Juanqin Iglesias) with our 3rd pick. Darrell Scott looks like a good pick in the 4th round. 5th and 6th round I would have went tackles. With the seventh pick I like the running back they selected. I wouldnt have drafted left tackle because Barron can play that position, lg Bell, C Jason Brown, rg Incognito, and rt Grecco. They need to give Grecco a chance. Sanchez would be the future to replace Bulgers decreasing skills,

by ivobox on Apr 27, 2009 9:46 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Or Picture This

Smith, Maluauga, Michael Johnson, Scott,Duke Robinson, Kevin Ogletree, and Ogbannaya. This is about the 10th different draft lineup I’ve come up with, and I must say, I like it better. Every pick is a value and addresses a need, including releasing Incognito and replacing him with the number one guard in the draft. How much is Incognitos contract worth? Or is it one we’d have to pay any way? Oh well, Herman Johnson with the #5 pick. My point is we have too many needs not to take the best available. I think, with our current QB situation that a QB was an unneccessary luxury, unless it would have been Graham Harrell.

by dbcouver on Apr 27, 2009 10:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Michael Johnson

He would have been worth the risk. With Little getting older and more injury prone we could have gotten this guy as a steal in the 3rd Round

by ksmooth on Apr 28, 2009 8:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I heard something more

about the corner back today. He is best at getting up on the line and pressing the receiver. That’s the defense Spags wants. They talked about the Iowa-Illinois game from last fall. He was covering Illinois’ big star wide receiver and the guy couldn’t get free. He was in the receiver’s face and chest from the snap all day. Now I’m beginning to understand the pick.

I also heard about a couple of the free agents we signed. We apparently got a very good defensive end from Kansas or KState and another pretty good offensive tackle, plus a couple of big ol’ guards (315+) and another center.

by andyrose on Apr 27, 2009 10:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

So, how about our special teams?

I’m disappointed in the latter half of the draft, after we stopped picking up defensive guys and went after seeming one-skill players who might become individual pet projects of position coaches and end up fighting each other to become the Mr. Irrelevant of the roster.

The Rams last season were so terrible at the most basic phases of the game — blocking and tackling — that I feel like we couldn’t have drafted enough scrimmagers and open-field players in the later rounds. Guys who probably wouldn’t start but have a nose for the football and a desire to knock someone’s block off. Someone crazy enough to want to return kicks.

The one guy out of the second half of the draft that I have hopes for is Ogbannaya, who was a premier pass-blocking running back for a premier quarterbacking talent in Sam Bradford. He could also become a good-hands special teams guy, a mid-level blocker who can be relied upon to field squib kicks or onside kicks.

If the Rams get 16-game starters from their top two picks, which was a must, they’ll have earned a B+ just for that. I’d have liked to see a couple more crazies, though.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Apr 28, 2009 1:55 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Ogbannaya from Texas

Not Oklahoma – still a college premier QB in McCoy though.

Outfielders For Sale! This weeks special...GMJ - see Tony for details!

by gorams77 on Apr 28, 2009 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rams headed for playoffs

I think we had a good draft Jason Smith will give us that turn around Pace did and Laurinaitis is the leader on defense that we needed I went to see his dad in the WAR GAMES against the 4horsemen. James will get the mic helmet not the SS he is as tough as his old man and I am a S.C. man so I’m behind Scott all the way. The new pressure comes from the quick turn around of Miami and Atlanta first year coaches and in the playoffs I think we win the West and on to the playoffs.

by 39jackson on Apr 28, 2009 7:50 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

that fucking Kiper

that realy pisses me off when i see during the draft with mell kiper talking shit about the rams first pic,I think Devaney should give kiper a apology for not picking Kipers pic Santchez, lol, so right away he says oh ST Rams get a B+ and now his grade for the Rams is a C, lol its so funny to see how he will dump on any team that wont make his pic in the draft, what a peace of shit,i dont know how ta fuck this JERK OFF ever got a TV job, dam it must be that rediculos hair cut lmao,and one last thing i sware as a NFL fan not just a Rams fan, that if i ever see him in the street walking i will bitch slap his ass
fucking peace of shit

by james535 on Apr 28, 2009 1:40 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

I noticed they had a second draft guru

on this year. I was wondering if they are grooming this guy to take over from Kiper. For much of the early part of the broadcast Boomer only tossed questions to Jaworski and the other guy (whose name I can’t recall right now) and just ignored Kiper. They finally got him involved later on, but he wasn’t as big a player in the telecast early on. Maybe his price is getting too high (along with his ego) and they are thinking of dumping him. It sure wouldn’t be a problem as far as I’m concerned.

by andyrose on Apr 28, 2009 1:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

who, McShay?

McShay’s been around for a little bit, but it’s as much a move to reflect one of the more recent trends in TV: two guys arguing is more interesting in one guy arguing. PTI’s great; Rome is Burning sucks. Although part of that is because Jim Rome is an absolute toolbag (a combination of being a tool, and a douchebag). If Van reminds me, I’ll do my Jim Rome this weekend on Turf Show Radio. It’s pretty good.

Jay Zygmunt, now that you have fired yourself, please have yourself hired by Seattle. Thanks.

by 3k on Apr 28, 2009 6:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kiper is more than up for the task of shooting his mouth off

I was watching the later rounds of the draft with the sound off, trying to get my 8-month-old to stop panic-crying, and there was a great split-screen exchange between McShay and Kiper over some violation of the Kiper best-talent-available list or something.

If you ever watch “Lie to Me,” you start to watch for microexpressions. These guys were hilarious when each one was supposed to be listening to the other, but not allowed to talk. As Kiper was practically spitting venom and hair grease, McShay literally started forward a couple of times, with his eyes bugged out in murderous rage like the Sheriff on Deadwood, then he would recompose himself and nod his head slightly, submitting to his role as younger apprentice. This would happen multiple times per exchange. Then as the producer gave McShay his time to rationally and patiently explain some counterpoint, Kiper is sneering and pursing his lizard lips and shaking his head like he can’t believe they matched him up against some fluffy-haired flyweight.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Apr 29, 2009 3:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The new pimple on Kipers ass

by james535 on Apr 30, 2009 7:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

james!!!!!!!!!!! You've won me over!!!!

Brilliant tirade and rec’d!!!!!!

by Tackle Box on Apr 28, 2009 9:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

last three years i new we were doomed

All our privies drafts realy sucked,last three years i knew we were doomed although VanRam was optimistic every year lol i felf the doom lurking ,we were falling apart and none of our high draft pics we even able to hold there own,This year that has changed dramaticaly,i give the Rams Grade A+ for this years draft,and its true that only time will tell but its just a fealing i have and i have been a Rams fan for 50 years lol i dont get this fealing very often,we are a playoff team now , again thank god for sending us Devaney just like when god sent us Vermeil ,these guys are real football people ,the GM and Coach are the face of any team in any sport,that is who give the team personality its not the players its the coach and GM ,and we have that again after 9 years waiting time
it will be us and ARIZONA but im sorry to say we deserve them as our #1 rival since we dumped Warner like we did, but regardles we are playoff bound

by james535 on Apr 28, 2009 1:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

thats why i never liked Bulger

by james535 on Apr 28, 2009 2:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

James

you are without a doubt, my favorite commenter on this site. Just wanted to put that out.

Jay Zygmunt, now that you have fired yourself, please have yourself hired by Seattle. Thanks.

by 3k on Apr 28, 2009 6:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Releasing Warner

was probably the best thing we could have done for him. Not playing full time for other teams for a couple of years gave him time to heal, and he finally ended up with a team with an offense that could use him to his best ability. If he had stayed with us and kept playing, he probably would be out of football now since we couldn’t block for him and he would have gotten killed.

by andyrose on Apr 28, 2009 3:23 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

What might have been...

I digress about Warner. He should’ve been kept, while Mike Martz was dumped. We should have also hung on to Dre Bly, London Fletcher, Mike Jones, Az Hakim, Ricky Proehl, Kevin Curtis, Grant Wistrom, Ernie Conwell, Kyle Turley, and later Madison Hedgecock and Brandon Chillar. If we’d kept the core of the Greatest Show on Turf together we’d likely have beaten Carolina and then Philly and got revenge against NE in the 2004 Super Bowl. Instead, we went 12-4 and lost to the Panthers at home in the divisional round during the 2nd overtime because Martz and Bulger kept going for field goals instead of TD’s. Warner scored TD’s for us and could always find Bruce, Holt, Hakim or Proehl for big gains. We still had Faulk then too. The next year we barely made the playoffs at 8-8 and haven’t been back since. The Bulger legacy is 1-1 in playoff games since 2003 while Kurt was 5-2 in 3 seasons. Go figure!

by edpjr on Apr 28, 2009 8:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It wasn't Bulger who made the decision

to go for the FG at the end of regulation against Carolina. That was Martz all the way. The players wanted to keep going for the TD.

Warner was 5 – 2 playing with a great team. Once the team started falling apart around him, he wasn’t so great. And we all know the thumb was hurt more than he wanted to admit. He wasn’t that good while he was with the Giants. He wasn’t that good until sometime in the 2007 season, when he finally got it rolling again with Fitzgerald, Boldin and all the other great receivers to throw to.

And yet, in the last Super Bowl who was it who threw the ball right to a linebacker at the end of the first half down on Pittsburgh’s goal, and then wimped out on making the tackle that would have saved the TD?

by andyrose on Apr 28, 2009 11:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Lets not argue about who is better

There is no argument as to who is a better quarterback Warner or Bulger,just look at the sats,in his time in the NFL Warner has won two NFL most valuable player awards he went to two three superbowls,is one of the most acuret passers of all time,has the most 300 yard games of any quarter back in NFL history and is still playing at a very high level
now do we even want to talk about Bulger ? lol
i dint think so

by james535 on Apr 29, 2009 10:39 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

"Still playing at a very high level"

I’d change that statement to “once again playing at a high level”.

He wasn’t playing at a high level in his last days with the Rams and he sure as hell didn’t play at a high level with the Giants.

Health has everything to do with it, and it took a long time for him to get healthy.

by Tackle Box on Apr 29, 2009 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i agree 100% But

Sure your right but did you see the Patriots dump Brady cause his injured and cant play , LOL hell no
you never get rid of a superstar quarterback cause they just dont come every day,Warner had won a super bowl for us and only lost the second superbowl because of Martz play calling in that game
in three years he had won the NFL most valuable player 2 times , and you dump a qb like that
i call that a sin not just a mistake

by james535 on Apr 30, 2009 8:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Given a good team around him

Warner is clearly the better QB. My point is that the Rams haven’t had a good team for several years and he wouldn’t have done much here because of that. There is no chance Warner could have taken the recent Rams teams to the playoffs. In fact, given his record of being brittle, he probably wouldn’t have played that many games for us due to injury. Remember his last games with the Rams and how poorly he played.

Yes, he has had a wonderful career over two short stretches, but those who say we should have kept him because he would have taken us to several more playoff appearances are dreaming.

by andyrose on Apr 29, 2009 11:12 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs