All the hype about new additions to the team
by RamChop on Sep 7, 2010 12:02 PM CDT
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I'll be the first to admit that I'm pretty pleased with what the Rams FO, coaches and players have shown us so far this year. Last year I was pretty depressed as we headed into the regular season with guys like Marc Bulger, Alex Barron, Ritchie Incognito, Leonard Little, Vic Adenyaju and many others, since exited, holding down important positions. And, to be perfectly honest, I'm still concerned about Pat Shurmur's role. No matter how good the players, if you're play-calling is bland and predictable, you'll get beat. Sam Bradford, Steven Jackson and JL are spark plugs. If they can get some real effort from their teamates, we'll win some games.
One thing that has been a major irritation to me all off-season though, is the constant rumor-mill regarding the Rams picking up new players from other teams - some of whom are supposed to be good. Oddly enough, NO deals got worked out. Well, we open in 5 days and we're still short a quality b/u RB and number 1 WR. But how long did I hear that Westbrook was gonna sign? Or that we were gonna get one of the Redskin's RB's. Then it was the TO saga. Of late it's been Vince Jackson or even Housh. I worry that we haven't been able to sign a couple of these guys. Let's face it. Darby's a backup's b/u. He can't successfully spell SJax. So we're gonna beat our prize stallion to death again or give up a lot of running downs to no gain. And, while I'm not sure Donnie Avery is really that good, he was among our top 1-2 receivers. Sam needs a number 1 guy to throw too. Where would Tom Brady be without Moss and Welker??
And to be perfectly honest, we all know both the O-Line and D-Line need at least one more quality player each for us to be talking wildcard or NFC West Champions. Even so, I feel like I may get my money's worth outta Direct TV this season. Our team has improved and out schedule couldn't be easier. If little else, we gotta break the ten game winning streak the Sh*thawks have on us. Go Rams! The Chopper hath spoken.
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Tom Brady
was winning super bowls before Moss and Welker.
From 2002-2006 the patriots didn’t have a single WR reach 1,000 yards and they still won 2 super bowls in that span. #1 WR’s aren’t nearly as important as elite QB’s.
thank god someone said it before me
a better example would have been where would peyton manning be without his WRs, but what people dont realize is that QBs can make wrs look good and vice versa. roddy white was a bust before he had a real qb throwing to him. all our wrs last year were adjusting to marc bulgers throws and wide open tds were lost because bulger couldnt hit the wind he threw into. im not saying we have HoF wrs on the roster now, but you may be surprised how guys do with a QB with an arm, smarts and accuracy throwing to them. we will see. thesmart1 is right though, an elite QB is alot more important then an elite WR
עם ישראל חי
I disagree...
we need a #1 WR in the worst way. If you look at the offensive starters, that’s the only missing piece. When the KING is great, he could only hope for above average numbers with our WRs. We need a game breaker at WR….no doubt about it in my opinion.
On the other hand, as long as SJax can stay healthy, I think a backup RB is a luxury, not a necessity. We were 1-15 last year and had way too many holes to fill and RB fell by the wayside. Maybe there’s still a move to be made for a better backup? Furthermore, because of how bad we have been in recent years, we can’t expect to have any kind of depth. BUT, the addition of the KING, to quote Jon Gruden, made the Rams a whole lot better! Much better than Suh ever would’ve made us (sorry RamChop, had to insert that jab). :)
Next year’s draft has a #1 WR in the first round written all over it (depending of course on how this year goes). And then we need to focus on defense, especially a pass rusher. I advocate trading up to get a DE/DT in the first round next year in addition to a WR.
And lastly, let us hope that next year’s draft will result in some hidden gems…like Uh-Oh, Saffold, Selvie, Hull or Fender. And who knows, maybe when guys like Gilyard and Murphy get a chance to get their mojo on, they’ll also turn into gold. Anyhow, I don’t think we can argue that Spags is doing pretty well right now, and with ownership in place, I hope things continue to get better. AND…
LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Sep 7, 2010 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Here's another example for you guys...
How about the success a guy named Kurt Warner had when his receivers were Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, Az-Hakim, Ricky Proehl, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald? A super QB and a bunch of number 1 receivers often equals a trip to the SB.
im not saying our WRs are fine
but we dont really know until we can see how our wrs play out. colsten of the saints is a pretty damn good #1 wr, and he was the second to last pick in the draft. meanwhile, he replaced donte stallworth, who was a top 15 pick. we will see how our WRs do, i still think we go WR next year, and i hope we do get a big #1 wr somehow. but i wouldnt be shocked if we have one on our roster now.
also az hakim and ricky proehl are anything but #1 wrs. in fact, both are the definition of backup slot guys,
עם ישראל חי
if i recall correctly
moss and welker were never there for any of their three sb wins so if a qb is that good they dont have to have an all star wide out but it sure makes both of them better when they do
Brady did have quite a few WR and TEs to throw too and they were prety good
There numbers might not be great in comparison to other WR’s but the Patriots spread the ball around very well so that accounts for there lower numbers ,They pass a lot to RB TE and WR so wile Brady did not do it with Moss or Welker the Pats were loaded with better then average players at that position
WR. Dion Branch
WR.Troy Brown
WR.Donald Hayes
WR.David Patton
WR.Bethel Jhonson
TE Daniel Graham
TEChristian Fauria
To name some
that is about the least impressive list of receivers besides branch
everybody else pretty much sucks (at least w/o brady they have)
by stlcardsfan4 on Sep 7, 2010 11:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Branch hasn't done anything
since he left the Patriots system so you can say the least impressive list including Branch.
I used to upload the NCAA Football '09 and '10 rosters into Madden and always drafted Sam Bradford onto the Rams in Franchise Mode...I liked him before he was cool =)
Troy Brown is the only impressive one on the list IMO
he was productive throughout his career (pre Brady as well) as a WR and KR. Long career too. Everyone else on that list pretty much sucks.
I should be working right now...
Troy Brown was solid and he played some d-back for them also. That shows what a great athlete he was.
Ignorance is bliss and way too many people are happy.
i just don't understand how you guys can bash the Rams "solid" yet unproven players
yet praise these average receivers… the rams wideout staff is probably better than the list above… save probably troy brown (even though he had only one good year without brady)… athlete’s got nothing to do with how good a player is in football… it helps determine if they will, but not how good they were
"athlete’s got nothing to do with how good a player is in football"
Wow!
Ignorance is bliss and way too many people are happy.
well
you can’t say he’s a great athlete… and assume that means he’s good at football… that was my point… pretty much everyone in football is a great athlete so i don’t really understand how saying Player X is a good athlete supports that he is a good player
They are obviously a lot better then you think
I just hope our no star receivers can play as well as they did for Brady
I think you guys are missing the point here...
RamChop is excited for the season!
Let’s hope the team doesn’t let him (and the rest of us) down.
"I have something 95 percent of all those All-Stars only wish they had: a World Series ring. If I had to choose between that and being an All-Star, it would be no contest. I’d grab the gold ring and never look back." -Tim Salmon
lol.... I was thinking the same thing
This is the most optimistic I have every seen Ramchop. He is not an overly excitable fan let me tell you. I love it!!
We still have a lot of holes ...
… but we are now going to compete more often than not.
Our opponents had better take us out of the game early, because talent or not, we’ll fight to the end. If we are close early, we’ll surprise some teams.
That being said, we still have a long ways to go, but at least we are well on our way.
I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.
Just don't count on Darby to grind out too many 1st downs when/if we're trying to run out the clock.
Darby is the next Brian Westbrook man.
I used to upload the NCAA Football '09 and '10 rosters into Madden and always drafted Sam Bradford onto the Rams in Franchise Mode...I liked him before he was cool =)
You mean
Cut by his team? Hope so
You can pick your friends and
you can pick your butt.
But you can't pick your friends butt.
JohnnieWarthawgism
by johnniewarthawg on Sep 8, 2010 6:41 AM CDT up reply actions
Hahaha! Now that was funny.
Darby should be cut, he sucks! Toast is the only guy that did ANYTHING in the preseason.
Ignorance is bliss and way too many people are happy.
Agree completly
Toast just looked to me like he ran with more determination. Darby cannot follow his blockers and has been on this team way too long. Get some fresh blood in there.
I feel like ramchop has been abducted
and replaced by stuart smalley. Ramchop…did you find love?
If you love something, set it free. If it doesn't come back, find it and kill it.
I've had the same woman for 27 years now.
I’m just pleased that Sam is starting at QB, Jackson’s healthy and we got rid of a ton of dead wood players including Keith Null.
LMAO u kill me
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Nice to hear you Chopper
When you are optimistic, that tells me a lot. BTW I did a “search” for the word “Clayton” in your post, and it was non-existant. What’s your thoughts on Mark Clayton?
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
I'd give any former 1st rounder a shot.
Apparently the Ravens didn’t think he was as good as Housh or Boldin, but he’s probably gonna be one of our top receivers. I was happy to see the move.
Yea I'm there with you...
I don’t think he is the real answer we need however, compared?
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Chopper.
Does that mean you would give Matt Jones a shot?
This is our 3rd 1st rounder from 2005 to give a shot to.
Barron, Carpenter and now Clayton. I do think Clayton was a “good” pickup and should surprise (due to the “timing routes”) required by WCO. Just give him a few weeks to get in sync with playbook & Sam.
It's always a gamble.
Barron turned out to be a slug and a jinx despite his physical prowess and knack for not getting injured. I’m not sure we gave Carpenter enough time in our system. During limited play in pre-season I saw him get an INT and a sack. And, Bill Parcells grabbed him up real quick. Of course there are always exceptions to the 1st round rule. We, unfortunately, have plenty on record; Trung Canidate, Alex Barron, Tye Hill, and Adam Carriker. It’s just my belief that if one rises to 1st round pick level, at one time they must’ve exhibited some real skills. Maybe those skills can be revived? Not so much so in the case of Kyle Boller I guess…
...and Carp had a deflection that led to a pick
from what i saw, he was outststanding in coverage.. better than i expected.. shocked he got cut
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
How could I have forgotten about Boller ;-)
Carp probably wasn’t giving his all and probably kept making the same mistakes over again. Two things Spags and Flajole will not tolerate (especially in a vet).
Good post, RamChop.
We all pretty much know we need a #1 WR, a backup RB, and another couple of solid players on the line to really be able to compete for the playoffs, if we are honest. But I think we can all see the FO is working at building a team that will be able to compete for several years and not just for 2010. The irresponsible nonsense put out by the writers about how the Rams are interested in every player out there is very irritating, but we need to recognize those “reports” for what they are and not get excited about them.
Things are improving. We’ll be a better team this year, and better yet next year. It will be fun to go to games knowing we have a decent chance to win this year. And with Kroenke probably wanting the public to help with a new stadium in a few years, hs will likely be pushing the FO to make sure the continuing improvement happens so fans will feel much better about the team and want to keep them here.
I still think the Rams will not be using Darby as their b/u RB as the season moves on...
but since they didn’t make a move on the waiver wire after cut down – I have a feeling that for whatever reason it is a money thing now. A player signed after week 1 of the season makes considerably less than someone signe before the season starts. The FO must feel that whoever it is that they are targeting will still be there at that point.
At least that is my guess….because the FO can’t like Darby that much – can they? No, I’ll answer that – the answer is no becasue I refuse to belive they would (even if they do).
I should be working right now...
The 2nd RB is still not a Ram yet
There will be another trade in the works. Dallas will bite eventually.
+1
I used to upload the NCAA Football '09 and '10 rosters into Madden and always drafted Sam Bradford onto the Rams in Franchise Mode...I liked him before he was cool =)
I think our offense will surprise some people this year!
With Steven Jackson in the backfield and a plethora of pass catchers at Bradfords disposal, we’re gonna be moving the chains even if we don’t have a legit #1 receiver. You figure Mark Clayton, Laurent Robinson, Brandon Gibson, Mardy Gilyard, Danny Amendola, Michael Hoomanawanui, Daniel Fells, Fendi Onobun, Billy Bajema, Dominique Curry and an eligible tackle play to Jason Smith every now and then will keep the opposing defenses on their heels.
The key like Shea Weber for Prez said earlier on this post is “when Jackson is healthy”. I would feel a whole helluva lot better if the Rams brass would make the move and bring in an experienced SOLID backup for Jackson. I think with our front office the way they have been making “good sense” moves this offseason, that they just might be working on something as we type.
I am very confident with our wide recievers. If the Rams fail to keep up with their competition this year, I have a feeling it will be because of the defense. Now that we have our QB, OT’s, TE’s and hopefully WR’s for the future, I think we should concentrate on getting a pass rushing force, a run stuffing tackle, a tackle machine linebacker and a shutdown corner in next years draft.
Look out Cardinals, here we come!!
Agreed
These last 2 preseason games were just the tip of the iceberg for Bradford. He can only get better with more experience at NFL game speed and learning the play book.
Back-up RB is a no brainer. Why not make a trade with Dallas?
I really think we need a game-changing DE next season. We can wait for the DT. I’d also like to see an OLB and an OT in the 3rd or 4th round.
Next year's draft is SO deep for defensive linemen
that I think we can get a potentially dominating tackle and end in the first two rounds.
I used to upload the NCAA Football '09 and '10 rosters into Madden and always drafted Sam Bradford onto the Rams in Franchise Mode...I liked him before he was cool =)
With an offensive draft this year,
I wouldn’t doubt that Spags wants to go defensive next year. But that will be really hard with the talented receivers coming out. Hey, let’s hope that someone between Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Michael Floyd and Jonathan Baldwin stay for their senior years because defense definitely dominates next years draft and I would like to go that route in 2011.
I used to upload the NCAA Football '09 and '10 rosters into Madden and always drafted Sam Bradford onto the Rams in Franchise Mode...I liked him before he was cool =)
I would love to see an eligible tackle play!
Jason Smith used to be a tight end. Imagine trying to tackle him once he gets a head of steam.
Let's not forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SB are won off of defense although don’t get me wrong with the amount of money spent on Bradford whom I do like it’s going to be our D that keeps us going this year. Although the secondary is def questionable I believe it’s the defense that will put us in winning predicaments. One example Rex Grossman c’mon if he can make it to the SB then ANY TEAM with good D can make it.
Either way my point is we don’t necessary need a #1 receiver for this year. Right now at least from what I see is what we need to focus on is protection which we have been working on, as well as a backup RB which we all know the obvious on that one. Bradford is still a rookie even though he has shown briefly a very well developed rookie. Keep him in the wraps throw some short outs and a few long balls. We have more than enough to chose from in next years draft so I’m very happy so far and the future is most definitely looking bright.
Passing games win championships.
The passing game wins Super Bowls and it’s that simple. Only two teams have gone without a top rated passer and most teams have had a pretty average defense. Defense and running game winning championships are things of the distant past my friend. Colts, Pats, Rams, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Philly, New Orleans all have top notch passing games and top rated passers. When RamChop said that Shurmer/Spags were too “Old School” in their game planning; he was right. If you follow the Rams back to the 80’s, when we have had our highest running game totals we have had our worst record as a team, all the way back to Bettis (prime examples 93, 94, 06 & 09"). A running game is good for one thing, setting up the pass.
Ignorance is bliss and way too many people are happy.
Just heard Dan Dierdorf say that Sam Bradford will not end up anything like Matt Lienert...
He also said if there are 10 things that a QB should have to be great, Sam has all 10 of them. Just adding to the hype.
Football players, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers. ~Merle Kessler
With ya 100 percent on the Running back
situation. Are you kidding me? I want to see Darby do ANYTHING productive consistently in ANY regular season game. If SJ goes down for any reason, it’s gonna be open season on Bradford. On the other front, I’m not too worried on wideouts. Sam is going to be a great QB.
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