8 days into free agency and still waiting
by Dub3g on Mar 12, 2010 9:16 AM CST
15 comments
As a Rams fan I have learned to repeat a common phrase every January. "Next year we will be better." So coming off a 1-15 season I would say thats a pretty safe bet. The NFL year came & went and I thought for sure this off season was the one that by the time draft day came we would have some solid free agents to go along with all the future talent the draft would bring. So we are now at day 8 of free agency and we have signed a career back up QB and a DTthat lost his starting job the last 4 games of the season. Not really what I was hoping for. Trust me when I say I wasn't expecting the Rams to go out and spend millions on every free agent available. I knew that Julius Peppers wasn't going to sign with us and I realize a 1-15 team doesn't exactly attract the elite of the NFL. But we still did have our chances to make this team better now and we failed miserable to do so. I would have been happy just to sign 1 free agent with above average or pro bowl talent at OLB,CB,DE, or WR. Those 4 positions are by far our weakest and yet we didn't improve on any of them. And it would be nice if we can get a change of pace RB to compliment Jackson or even some help with the O line. When we draft Bradford with our #1 pick he will be on a team with a shakey offensive line that due to injuries hasn't played very long together and a WR group that is probably one of the worst in the NFL. So how much success can we expect from him when we don't provide any tools to succeed with. And if that wasn't enough pressure don't forget that our defense can't stop anyone either. When you look at past qb'sdrafted they had some talent to help. Matt Ryan has Roddy White and in 08 Atlanta d was a lot better. Joe Flacco has Todd Heap and Derrick Mason along with an awesome D. Mark Sanchez has probably the best D in the NFL along with a great offensive line. Even Stafford had Calvin Williams to throw to. We don't even have a starting TE which is a rookie qb's favorite target because the te is usually covered by a LB and he gets open down the middle of the field. If Bradford is indeed our pick then I truley feel sorry for him if we don't significantly upgrade the players around him.
So now we are coming up on the draft and have yet to fill any of many holes we have and we're still waiting to sign Atogwe. And based on our draft history I feel a little uneasy. Since 2000 we have drafted 1 pro bowler and that was Jackson in 2004. All those picks and only 1 single pro bowler. Now I know we have a completely new staff and front office but draft picks are always gambles no matter who picks them. It's going to be hard to try and get a competitive team when it's rebuilt entirely from the draft. And being that the Rams aren't known for making any jaw dropping trades there really isn't any other options than putting your faith in untested rookies. So the way this off season is panning out it looks like we're still going to be a 3-4 win team at best next year and we've got a good 3 years before we can get over .500 provided Bradford's not a bust. Because if he is we will set our organization back 5 more years and then we're really screwed. So I guess it's time to prep for another year of insults and mocking on ESPN as the Rams remain the NFL's worst team. But on the bright side if our draft pics actually pan out and the players we currently have improve we could have a great 2013 season.
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We play
like 7 teams that were in the playoffs not good
I hope were better than 3 or 4 wins
I’v been talkin 6 this year and i’d be behind spags still
If we get a couple play makers on both sides of the ball thats possible
Maybe by the start of 2011 we won’t be the laughing stock of the leage
Williams? Maybe you mean Johnson?
Get bay bay and sit him for a year and up the d this year in the draft. Then jake locker will have a big target to throw to
Per fas et nefas - Latin translation="By Any Means Necessary"
Demaryius Thomas
He could come in red zone situations and as a 2nd WR at times but i mean i dont want him to be thrown in at No.1 anytime soon. If his route running improves drastically then alright but i don’t want troy williamson 2.0
The ideal situation would be to have him No.1 at some point Robinson at No.2 and avery in the slot
Per fas et nefas - Latin translation="By Any Means Necessary"
Yea
He wouldn’t be number one right away, but we can’t just sit him and give him no experience for an entire year. Maybe make him 4th or 3rd on the depth chart. Could work.
Just let the new WR coach do what he does
Per fas et nefas - Latin translation="By Any Means Necessary"
Why spend millions of dollars
on free agents just to get to 6-10?
I like what the team is doing. It is building up depth. We have seen that injuries are a part of the game. Part of our problem has been a lack of depth. As our starters started getting hurt, players who shouldn’t be playing have been thrown in and weren’t ready.
To be comparing this draft to what we have done the last 10 years doesn’t matter. The front office is different. The people that made the decisions for most of those years are gone.
We didn’t go from Super Bowl champion to 1-15 in one year. We aren’t going from 1-15 to Super Bowl champion in one year either. We can’t fix all the holes at one time.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -- George Santayana (1863-1952)
Honest question.
Why aren’t you a Bear fan?
Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.
- John Wayne
Because
When I started following football, the Bears were simply awful. They even lost the coin flip for Terry Bradshaw. Then I saw Roman Gabriel play and I have been a Rams fan ever since. That’s over 40 years and counting.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -- George Santayana (1863-1952)
Good enough reason I suppose.
I live in the Chicago suburbs and get some flak over rooting for the Rams (well, not really too much. I definitely get for the Cardinals…but not so much the Rams) but since I’m originally from Southern Illinois, most people get it. Although you do get the morons that say “Yeah! but you’re from Illinois”.
Chicago people often don’t understand the size of the state. They think downstate is Kankakee.
Anyway, I bet you get a lot of odd looks being a Chicagoan and not rooting for the Bears. It’s bred into people here.
Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.
- John Wayne
I get odd looks. Think that's why?
Always wondered…
by CoachConnors on Mar 15, 2010 5:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Waiting game
If you spend every year waiting one more year to get quality players for your team you NEVER develop. There has been alot of talk from people about how the team will be better with just the natural progression of players, and just other players getting healthy. If that progression exists then you can expect some improvement int he win column, right? Well then instead of waiting ANOTHER year before getting quality players in free agency, then make moves now, let them get acquainted in the team one year, develop team synergy. Then the year afterwards the Rams could very well be able to make a move in a weak division. Now of course you only make moves for players that can help for the next 3 years, and sadly I don’t think any of those players are left.
But that is why you would spend millions of dollars to go to 6-10. So the team core is ready to WIN the next year!
by kickasskeever on Mar 15, 2010 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions
In an earlier time
I would have agreed with you. However, in the age of salary caps, you have to more judicious in how you spend your money. The NFL will not allow you to spend like the New York Yankees. They can just absorb a bad contract.
We have seen how the Rams have been hamstrung by Marc Bulger’s contract. Not knowing how the salary cap will be handled, you can’t be throwing money for the sake of spending money. You have to spend it wisely. I hope that the new CBA will allow for teams to circumvent the salary cap for players that were drafted and developed by their teams.
If we can go 6-10 with players that we draft and develop as our primary focus, rather than free agents first and drafting second and going 6-10, I would be happy .
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -- George Santayana (1863-1952)
I didn't think there were that many players
out there in FA that would have been great starters for the Rams, so I understand the signing for depth. What I don’t understand is why they didn’t sign a running back behind SJ, since Devaney said that was one of the primary needs. We only have so many high draft picks each year, and we can’t fill every hole with them, so why not use FA for the RB need? If we had signed Jones or Taylor, I would feel much better about our FA signings.
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