If the Rams sign a new, old quarterback...
by VanRam on Jan 27, 2010 9:20 AM CST
15 comments
I'm diverging from all the draft and prospect talk for a short post this morning, getting back to the quarterback issue. The St. Louis Rams are one of several teams that pundits and professional speculators keep linking to the fate of Eagles QB Donovan McNabb. The Rams and every other team with a coaching connection that traces back to Andy Reid have been identified as a possible landing spot for McNabb. Whether that happens or not, signing an older quarterback for the 2010 season - McNabb will be 34 this year - means the Rams have to seriously think about their backup situation.
In case you forgot, the Rams current starting QB, Marc Bulger, has had his sunset years beaten out of him, and as a result has been a part of the Rams struggles. Behind Marc Bulger have been a series of older and/or injury prone backups such as Gus Frerotte, Trent Green and Kyle Boller. It should come as no surprise that the team continued to struggle when each of those guys got pressed into starting duty. If the Rams trade for or sign a free agent older veteran QB, like McNabb, who carries a bit of an injury history himself, the move has the potential to create more problems than it solves by pushing the backup QB into starting duty and giving the 2010 Rams offense a look and feel just a little too close to the 2009 Rams offense.
A couple of related questions...
If the Rams draft a QB in the second or third round, is that kid going be any more ready to handle a starting job than Keith Null version 2010? [Note by VanRam, 01/27/10 10:31 AM EST ] An additional thought on this... Null's still something of a project, in that he has raw talent, but a big learning curve for the NFL game. Drafting a QB would give the Rams another project, especially a second or third round QB. Can the Rams afford to have two QB projects on their roster?
If the Rams do acquire Michael Vick, which seems to be the hot talk lately, to me, there's just as much risk...with some potential reward. Vick hasn't thrown more than two passes in the NFL since 2006. He'll be 30 next season, and maybe bought himself a couple of more years in the league by giving his legs a rest in the pen...maybe. Vick circa 2006 would be exciting under center for the Rams; Vick circa 2010 is a big question mark that requires a solid No. 2 option.
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Definitiley something concerning Van
You hit the nail on the head when you asked if we need 2 project QB’s on our roster. That’s why I think if we do draft Suh, we will be bringing in an experienced FA QB… we’d almost have to.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Jason Campbell
Is probably our best fit, but he probably won’t be available.
You guys should trade for Brodie Croyle of the Chiefs
hes still young and you could get him pretty cheap and he has a hell of an arm.
What's with the overly optimistic love for Null?
I’m sorry I was excited two but 9 interceptions in 3 games shouldn’t cause us to not draft a 2nd or 3rd round
And as to ur question, I believe with the right scouting yes he will be more prepared for Null…
he’s just a career backup, not a future starter
Calling Null a Career Backup is Just as Wrong as Calling Him a Future Pro Bowler
The Null optimism comes from his moxie, attitude and arm strength. He showed passable accuracy and his mechanics were better than advertised but nothing amazing.
Really, the only knocks on him are his inexperience under center (played shotgun in college) and his inexperience reading pro defenses. He hasn’t played enough to make a judgement on his decision making, because some of his picks came off recievers hands and some were because he wasn’t used to the defenses he was facing. If he was familiar with the Defense and still made lots of INT’s, then that’d be more of an indication of bad decision making.
Remember, they weren’t even letting him run the scout team in practice for the first half of this year, so he got very little exposure to reading D’s compared to Boller or other backups in the league.
Lets not forget it takes a QB a good 3 to 5 years to mature into what they’re going to be, and Null got way less work in his 1st year than a 1st or 2nd rounder would’ve gotten.
No, he’s clearly not ready to be the Rams starter. But there’s also no way anyone can say he’s a career backup. That’s 100% guess work.
by CoachConnors on Jan 27, 2010 12:05 PM CST up reply actions
Do We Have 3-5 Years To Wait
for this guy?……….I’m still on the fence with Null, but we do need to have a plan B, even if that plan becomes plan A sooner than later
Jake Locker in 2011
Retreads...
If the Rams could pick up through free agency or even trade a lower round draft pick for one of the following players:
Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick-Eagles, Jason Campbell-Redskins, Sage Rosenfels-Vikings (depending on Favres retirement), Chad Pennington-Dolphins or Carson Palmer-Bengals we would still need to address the offensive line.
You tend to wonder if Marc Bulger who is only a couple of years removed from the Pro Bowl would still be a viable quarterback if he had some Pro Bowlers blocking for him. I understand this post is about the QB position and whether or not we should draft a rookie or bring in a veteran but regardless of who we put in under center, we need to build our line! I firmly believe that 2 of our top 5 picks should be an offensive tackle and offensive guard.
That said, If we don’t take Jimmy Clausen with the first pick, I am not opposed to taking Suh number one and then drafting someone like Tony Pike or Dan Lefevour in the third round but regardless……we need O-Line help!
that does sound like something Buffulo would do.
which means the Rams probably should do the opposite.
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