Why the St. Louis Rams shouldn't fire GM Billy Devaney

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 9:00 AM CST in 2011 NFL regular season

The St. Louis Rams are a mess this season. They are easily the worst team, in the worst division, in the NFL. Whatever could go wrong with the Rams has gone wrong this season. Whether that's losing their best players to injury, coaching mistakes, or just bad play, Rams fans have seen all that and more this season.

Coming off a promising 7-9 season last year, what's happening in 2011 has everyone calling for the front office's collective heads. That's understandable; everyone has been questioning coach Steve Spagnuolo since last season.

What surprised me is when everyone started talking about firing Billy Devaney. I thought it would blow over after a while, but it's gotten worse with each passing week. Was he really worse than who has been in charge of acquiring talent in the past? I don't think so.

So following the jump, let's talk some Billy Devaney.

What Devaney was given when he became the Rams GM:

Billy Devaney was promoted to GM of the Rams following their 2008 season. He was originally hired in February 2008 to help the Rams draft players that season.

Most of the time when a GM inherits a team, there is a good chance that they have some good players or at least some good depth on the roster. Unfortunately, while the Rams did have a handful of solid players, a majority of the players were either old or didn't perform up to their contracts: See - Drew Bennett and Randy McMichael.

Nine of the players on the current St. Louis Rams roster have been here since Devaney was first hired. Believe me, he didn't cut those players because he wanted them to stay; he had to have something on which to build a team. Did anyone think that it would be easy or quick?

It's unfair to count the 2009 season. In 2009, it was more about breaking down the roster for Devaney and releasing players that struggled or under performed. (Go have a look at how many of the current 53-man roster were on the team in 2008)

The staff that Billy helped put together:

Billy's first hire as Rams GM was Steve Spagnuolo. Say what you want about Steve, but he and his defensive coordinator Ken Flajole have made the Rams average defenders look pretty good - but that's a story for another day. Pat Shurmur was also brought in, and did well enough to become a NFL head coach for the Browns two years later.

He also tried to solve the Rams injury problem by allowing Steve Spagnuolo to fire key members of the training staff as well as getting the team to stop changing the turf every season.

Devaney helped the Rams become more structured. He hired more scouts than the team had previously. He also hired Mike Williams as the vice president of player personnel, a position the Rams haven't had since the year 2000.

He hired Kevin Demoff to help with contracts and salary cap planning.

He hired a solid group of professionals who will help the Rams make it to the next level. This is the type of structure that the Rams needed and something they hadn't had in years.

The Draft

2011 - St. Louis Rams
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	14	Robert Quinn	DE	North Carolina
2	47	Lance Kendricks	TE	Wisconsin
3	78	Austin Pettis	WR	Boise State
4	112	Greg Salas IR	WR	Hawaii
5	158	Jermale Hines cut	DB	Ohio State
7	216	Mikail Baker cut	DB	Baylor
7	228	Jabara Williams cut	LB	Stephen F. Austin St.
7	229	Jonathan Nelson cut	DB	Oklahoma

2010 - St. Louis Rams
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	1	Sam Bradford	QB	Oklahoma
2	33	Rodger Saffold IR	T	Indiana
3	65	Jerome Murphy IR	DB	South Florida
4	99	Mardy Gilyard cut	WR	Cincinnati
5	132	Michael Hoomanawanui IR	TE	Illinois
5	149	Hall Davis cut	DE	Louisiana-Lafayette
6	170	Fendi Onobun cut	TE	Houston
6	189	Eugene Sims	DE	West Texas A&M
7	211	Marquis Johnson IR	DB	Alabama
7	226	George Selvie cut	DE	South Florida
7	254	Josh Hull	LB	Penn State

2009 - St. Louis Rams
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	2	Jason Smith	T	Baylor
2	35	James Laurinaitis	LB	Ohio State
3	66	Bradley Fletcher IR	DB	Iowa
4	103	Darell Scott	DT	Clemson
5	160	Brooks Foster cut	WR	North Carolina
6	196	Keith Null cut	QB	West Texas A&M
7	211	Chris Ogbonnaya cut	RB	Texas

2008 - St. Louis Rams
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	2	Chris Long	DE	Virginia
2	33	Donnie Avery cut	WR	Houston
3	65	John Greco cut	T	Toledo
4	101	Justin King	CB	Penn State
4	128	Keenan Burton cut	WR	Kentucky
5	157	Roy Schuening cut	G	Oregon State
7	228	Chris Chamberlain	LB	Tulsa
7	252	David Vobora cut	LB	Idaho

2011 - New England Patriots
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	17	Nate Solder	T	Colorado
2	33	Ras-I Dowling	DB	Virginia
2	56	Shane Vereen	RB	California
3	73	Stevan Ridley	RB	LSU
3	74	Ryan Mallett	QB	Arkansas
5	138	Marcus Cannon	T	Texas Christian
5	159	Lee Smith cut	TE	Marshall
6	194	Markell Carter cut?	LB	Central Arkansas
7	219	Malcolm Williams cut?	DB	Texas Christian

2010 - New England Patriots
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	27	Devin McCourty	CB	Rutgers
2	42	Rob Gronkowski	TE	Arizona
2	53	Jermaine Cunningham	OLB	Florida
2	62	Brandon Spikes	ILB	Florida
3	90	Taylor Price	WR	Ohio U.
4	113	Aaron Hernandez	TE	Florida
5	150	Zoltan Mesko	P	Michigan
6	205	Ted Larsen cut	G	North Carolina State
7	208	Thomas Welch cut	OT	Vanderbilt
7	247	Brandon Deaderick	DE	Alabama
7	248	Kade Weston cut	DT	Georgia
7	250	Zac Robinson cut	QB	Oklahoma State

2009 - New England Patriots
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
2	34	Pat Chung	DB	Oregon
2	40	Ron Brace	DT	Boston College
2	41	Darius Butler cut	DB	Connecticut
2	58	Sebastian Vollmer	T	Houston
3	83	Brandon Tate cut	WR	North Carolina
3	97	Tyrone McKenzie cut	OLB	South Florida
4	123	Rich Ohrnberger cut?	G	Penn State
5	170	George Bussey cut	T	Louisville
6	198	Jake Ingram cut	C	Hawaii
6	199	Stryker Sulak cut	DE	Missouri
6	207	Myron Pryor cut?	DT	Kentucky
7	232	Julian Edelman	WR	Kent State
7	234	Darryl Richard cut	DT	Georgia Tech

2008 - New England Patriots
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	10	Jerod Mayo	ILB	Tennessee
2	62	Terrence Wheatley cut	CB	Colorado
3	78	Shawn Crable cut	OLB	Michigan
3	94	Kevin O'Connell	QB	San Diego State
4	129	Jonathan Wilhite cut	CB	Auburn
5	153	Matt Slater	WR	UCLA
6	197	Bo Ruud cut	LB	Nebraska

2011 - Indianapolis Colts
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	22	Anthony Castonzo	T	Boston College
2	49	Ben Ijalana	T	Villanova
3	87	Drake Nevis	DT	LSU
4	119	Delone Carter	RB	Syracuse
6	188	Chris Rucker	DB	Michigan State

2010 - Indianapolis Colts
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	31	Jerry Hughes	DE	Texas Christian
2	63	Pat Angerer	OLB	Iowa
3	94	Kevin Thomas	DB	USC
4	129	Jacques McClendon cut	G	Tennessee
5	162	Brody Eldridge	TE	Oklahoma
7	238	Ricardo Mathews	DE	Cincinnati
7	240	Kavell Conner	OLB	Clemson
7	246	Ray Fisher cut?	DB	Indiana

2009 - Indianapolis Colts
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	27	Donald Brown	RB	Connecticut
2	56	Fili Moala	DT	USC
3	92	Jerraud Powers	DB	Auburn
4	127	Austin Collie	WR	Brigham Young
4	136	Terrance Taylor cut	DT	Michigan
6	201	Curtis Painter	QB	Purdue
7	222	Pat McAfee	P	West Virginia
7	236	Jaimie Thomas cut?	G	Maryland

2008 - Indianapolis Colts
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
2	59	Mike Pollak	G	Arizona State
3	93	Philip Wheeler	OLB	Georgia Tech
4	127	Jacob Tamme	TE	Kentucky
5	161	Marcus Howard cut	DE	Georgia
6	196	Tom Santi cut	TE	Virginia
6	201	Steve Justice cut	C	Wake Forest
6	202	Mike Hart cut	RB	Michigan
6	205	Pierre Garcon	WR	Mount Union
7	236	Jamey Richard cut	C	Buffalo

2011 - Pittsburgh Steelers
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	31	Cameron Heyward	DE	Ohio State
2	63	Marcus Gilbert	T	Florida
3	95	Curtis Brown	DB	Texas
4	128	Cortez Allen	DB	The Citadel
5	162	Chris Carter	LB	Fresno State
6	196	Keith Williams cut	G	Nebraska
7	232	Baron Batch cut	RB	Texas Tech

2010 - Pittsburgh Steelers
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	18	Maurkice Pouncey	C	Florida
2	52	Jason Worilds	LB	Virginia Tech
3	82	Emmanuel Sanders	WR	Southern Methodist
4	116	Thaddeus Gibson cut	LB	Ohio State
5	151	Chris Scott cut	T	Tennessee
5	164	Crezdon Butler cut	DB	Clemson
5	166	Stevenson Sylvester	LB	Utah
6	188	Jonathan Dwyer	RB	Georgia Tech
6	195	Antonio Brown	WR	Central Michigan
7	242	Doug Worthington cut	DE	Ohio State

2009 - Pittsburgh Steelers
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	32	Ziggy Hood	DT	Missouri
3	79	Kraig Urbik cut	T	Wisconsin
3	84	Mike Wallace	WR	Mississippi
3	96	Keenan Lewis	DB	Oregon State
5	168	Joe Burnett cut	DB	Central Florida
5	169	Frank Summers cut	RB	Nevada-Las Vegas
6	205	Ra'Shon Harris cut	DT	Oregon
7	226	A.Q. Shipley cut	C	Penn State
7	241	David Johnson	TE	Arkansas State

2008 - Pittsburgh Steelers
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	23	Rashard Mendenhall	RB	Illinois
2	53	Limas Sweed cut	WR	Texas
3	88	Bruce Davis cut	LB	UCLA
4	130	Tony Hills cut	T	Texas
5	156	Dennis Dixon	QB	Oregon
6	188	Mike Humpal cut	OLB	Iowa
6	194	Ryan Mundy	FS	West Virginia

2011 - Detroit Lions
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	13	Nick Fairley	DT	Auburn
2	44	Titus Young	WR	Boise State
2	57	Mikel Leshoure	RB	Illinois
5	157	Doug Hogue	LB	Syracuse
7	209	Johnny Culbreath	T	South Carolina State

2010 - Detroit Lions
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	2	Ndamukong Suh	DT	Nebraska
1	30	Jahvid Best	RB	California
3	66	Amari Spievey	SS	Iowa
4	128	Jason Fox	T	Miami (Fla.)
7	213	Willie Young	DE	North Carolina State
7	255	Tim Toone cut	WR	Weber State

2009 - Detroit Lions
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	1	Matthew Stafford	QB	Georgia
1	20	Brandon Pettigrew	TE	Oklahoma State
2	33	Louis Delmas	DB	Western Michigan
3	76	DeAndre Levy	LB	Wisconsin
3	82	Derrick Williams cut	WR	Penn State
4	115	Sammie Lee Hill	DT	Stillman
6	192	Aaron Brown cut	RB	Texas Christian
7	228	Lydon Murtha cut	T	Nebraska
7	235	Zack Follett cut	LB	California
7	255	Dan Gronkowski cut	TE	Maryland

2008 - Detroit Lions
RD	SEL #	PLAYER	POSITION	SCHOOL
1	17	Gosder Cherilus	T	Boston College
2	45	Jordon Dizon cut	OLB	Colorado
3	64	Kevin Smith	RB	Central Florida
3	87	Andre Fluellen	DT	Florida State
3	92	Cliff Avril	DE	Purdue
5	136	Kenny Moore cut	WR	Wake Forest
5	146	Jerome Felton cut	FB	Furman
7	216	Landon Cohen cut	DE	Ohio U.
7	218	Caleb Campbell cut	DB	Army

What you should take from the draft tables:

These draft charts weren't made to talk about players who start, but to talk about the players who are still on their drafted team. As you can see it's hard to consistently hit on players drafted on the third day of the draft.

It's evident the Rams need to start drafting players who have a chance to provide depth, also letting some of the players develop for longer than a year would help too.

Also, it would be easy to say the Rams should have drafted one player over another, or that they had easy choices to make because they picked high in the draft the last few years. I disagree. How many players in 2009 could the Rams have picked over Jason Smith that are doing well in the league now? Consider too, that the Rams could have missed on James Laurinaitis and picked Ray Maualuga. How many of you wanted Aaron Curry? So while the Rams might miss on "Day Three" guys, they hit on some good players too. The role of the coaching staff is critical with the late-round players, and Spagnuolo has control over who stays on the roster.

Players brought in by Billy Devaney:

Let's not try and make it sound like the draft is the only place to improve a football team. The Rams have picked up a few solid players in free agency and trades that have multiple year contracts. He aquired Justin Bannan, Brandon Gibson, Brandon Lloyd, Danny Amendola, Harvey Dahl, Quintin Mikell, Mark Clayton, Jason Brown and brought back Ron Bartell.

These players aren't superstars, but if you remove 20/20 hindsight, anyone would have to say they are solid players. OK, Jason Brown was supposed to be a great center, but when all is said and done, taking on a player based on their past performance for another team is a gamble at best.. Some of Billy's moves have proven themselves, with Quintin Mikell filling the void left by O.J. Atogwe when he signed with the Redskins, and Harvey Dahl is a good guard. These players didn't come to the Rams cheap, so it shows that Devaney will overpay a little for players who hopefully can become good starters.

He also brought in Danario Alexander, Josh Gordy, Brit Miller and Darian Stewart. These four players could have a future with the team despite being undrafted.

Questions people ask regarding Billy:

Where are the playmakers?

The ugly truth is that the Rams haven't had a chance to get those players, for various reasons. Teams just don't give playmakers away. This isn't Madden, it's the NFL. Then there is the possibility that the St. Louis Rams aren't an attractive destination for free agents. The only hope the Rams really have is overpaying, or just signing mid-level talent.

That's not to say that Billy hasn't tried. Last season, the Rams tried to trade for Vincent Jackson, but it was said that the Chargers wanted a better offer than the Rams could muster.

The Rams needing to build a foundation without missing or overpaying for players is an unfair standard to hold over anyone.

Let's not act like the pickings weren't slim either. There were afew playmakers in the past 3 drafts, but how many of them are doing consistently well now? The Rams finally have a solid foundation on this team, so they can begin to take chances and get playmakers.

The 4 Pillars are a joke, what's the point of following them?

It's a reason why the Rams avoided players like Brandon Marshall and Desean Jackson. They may be great players, but they can also cause great headaches and help divide the locker room.

The Rams should be able to add a couple of players who don't follow all of the 4 pillars next season, but adding those in the past would have harmed a rebuilding team. Really though: What's so bad about wanting players who have faith, character, core values, and put the team first?

How come the Rams don't have a young back up running back?

Having Steven Jackson gave the Rams some flexibility, now that he may be entering his final season with the Rams, they have to find another running back as a backup or potential replacement.

Why do the Rams give up on their lower drafted players so quickly?

I wish I knew. Some of the players could have been good depth players down the line. Players like Jabara Williams, Georgie Selvie, and everyone's favorite quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, could have helped the Rams down the line. The players the Rams drafted, and then cut aren't lighting up the league, but if they are good enough for other teams rosters, they should be good enough for the Rams.

What has Billy done this season?

Well even though this season has went down hill, he gave the Rams what should have been solid players. Mike Sims-Walker, Ben Leber, Zac Diles, and others haven't panned out. Maybe if the Rams had a whole offseason the free agents would have had more time to get used to their new system and the team around them.

Billy also put together a solid draft. The players selected in the first 4 rounds should be Rams for a while, and they all have shown flashes of at least becoming solid players.

It should also be mentioned that when Josh McDaniel's became offensive coordinator, Billy drafted players that Josh wanted in his offense. He also ended up trading for Brandon Lloyd, who Josh most likely vouched for and I'm sure Sam Bradford isn't complaining about the aquisition.

He did all that, but the Rams have regressed this season:

Honestly, it's easy to say that the Rams regressed this year, but it's not like the Rams were a great team last season. They went 7-9 against a weaker schedule than the one they are playing this season. The Rams didn't have the talent to beat good teams last year, so it's not a huge surprise that they didn't do it this season.

With all that said, Devaney gave the team a good enough roster to compete, before they were hit with a lot of injuries. The Rams lost 10 corner backs and all three of their runningbacks have been injured. Their franchise QB missed a couple of games. The Rams lost two good slot wide receivers. Both of their young struggling offensive tackles are out for the season. You have to admit that's a lot to overcome, especially for a team lacking a lot of depth.

Evaluating Billy Devaney:

Honestly - you have to be fair about this situation. When Devaney became the GM, all he had was "a dollar and a dream." I didn't write this to say that he has been perfect. I'm sure there are a couple of players in free agency and the draft that he could have chosen.

My point is to say, that no matter who "coulda - shoulda" been the GM instead of Billy Devaney - it would be hard to say that they would have done much better. You don't have to agree that he's been a good GM, but he at least deserves one more season to finish what he and Steve Spagnuolo started. If he and the other staff members haven't improved the team next year over this disgraceful season, then call for his head.

So let's be frustrated as fans; we have every right to given the state of this team and they don't deserve sympathy. We also should remind ourselves that it's not easy to build a team up from nothing. Bringing back Devaney and his crew next season, might feel like getting your teeth pulled, but the end result could be better than a fat kid eating cake.

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Comments

Agreed.

Thought Devaney was getting a bad rap from the fans. Spagnulio, no.

by AlwaysARamsFan on Dec 1, 2011 9:43 AM CST reply actions

GREAT read Tevin

I do have to say though that the last 2 drafts while originally looking brilliant, have proved to be quite poor.

Looking at 2009 draft class, only three players remain bradford (struggling), Sims (who? and Hull (again… who?)

When I say “who” obviously I mean not much of an impact.

Not blaming him for injuries, but even the injured players haven’t done much (excluding Murphy and maybe Saffold really).

Biggest thing that irked me is decisions at WR (Gilyard, Pettis AND Salas? No clue why we added 2 back to back last year.. good spot for a OLB!).

Just my 2 cents.

TurfShowTimes editor and don't forget to check out our Rams Breakdowns on YouTube

Follow @PeterDunbar

"Hell was Mark Levoir even in camp? Who is Mark Levoir? Who am I? Wtf is going on?"
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by VTramsFan on Dec 1, 2011 9:47 AM CST reply actions

VT hope it doesnt stand for Virginia Tech.......

ONLY thing Wrong with Pettis is our Stupid Decision not to Use him….Put him outside (6’-3 is not Slot size) and Allow him to be the Player he is and that we need. I believe this kid will shut allof the RamNation haters up. Every other team in the NFL is using their Rookie WR except us. At 2-9 we should almost cater to him to see if he is a Player wortthy of a spot on our squad. The Problem I see with this (because we didnt attempt to use hinm in preseason and had the 78th pick of the Draft inactive for the 1st few games) is HE could make Spags, McD and everyone else look So Stupid if he somehow flourishes….. Just An Honest Observation———who is making the decision to NEVER call a play for him OR have him in the game when we are in the RedZone……it’s not like he could do any worse than the 6 lousy Tds we have scored in the RedZone….Shouldn’t Damn Nearevery WR have 6 TDs on this teams…..Pathetic Offense……Call Plays that work, get Coaches with Heart, and FA Players that other teams want (not don’t want)…….we are 2-9 try something we haven’t tried because what we have tried Has NOT worked…..The End !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BlkSprmn

by sprmn4life on Dec 1, 2011 10:34 AM CST up reply actions

tall doesn't mean outside WR

and small doesn’t mean inside WR. It’s all about you skill set. Look at TJ Whosyourmama, He is actually is 6’ 2" and he is one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. Pettis’ skill set is destined for the slot. Good size, ability to go over the middle and run good short routes. He is a slot WR.

Follow @brandonbirkhead

by Brick Top on Dec 1, 2011 10:48 AM CST up reply actions

Vermont actually :-)

TurfShowTimes editor and don't forget to check out our Rams Breakdowns on YouTube

Follow @PeterDunbar

"Hell was Mark Levoir even in camp? Who is Mark Levoir? Who am I? Wtf is going on?"
- Bralidore

by VTramsFan on Dec 1, 2011 3:57 PM CST up reply actions

The last two drafts wasn't exactly rich with talent either.

That’s my thing about Spags, I’m sure he thinks he can make a good defense with anyone.

Here’s the thing to remember about the WR’s the Rams didn’t have a free agency first this year. So they didn’t know if they would be able to get a good wide out or if any would become available.

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 10:51 AM CST up reply actions

I'm sorry....What?

2010 was deep in talent… Talent goes up and down in drafts like el nino. It hasn’t been any worse in the last few drafts than ever before
Part of the GMs job is to position a team to take advantage of the talent in any draft. To deny that is to allow teams like Philly and NE to do better. The fact that their draftees got cut in comparable numbers doesn’t speak to the positions in each round they drafted at nor does it account for the fact that the base talent in their teams allow for better players to be cut in the week(s) before the regular season begins.
I won’t fault DeVaney for the obvious, injuries, the lockout etc. but the players we signed in FA sounded good to many but they didn’t pan out. Who’s accountable for that? The players? Hell most of them are gone. It has to be DeVaney. The last 3 1st round picks were fine, and I’m not about to argue with JL or Saffolds picks, though I always wanted to trade down and always was told we need a partner to trade with. Well no shit. Other teams did it. We didn’t, at least not until the 5th round or later. Another thing I heard was we had to give the picks time to develop. Well, again, no shit. We’ll give the picks time, but not the guy who’s making them. He has to go, and now. Otherwise he’s gonna make another draft for us. I’m not OK with that.

Wolf. Wolfgang Wolf

by dbcouver on Dec 1, 2011 12:04 PM CST up reply actions

Sorry I paragraphed 3 times in there and it didn't format. I should have previewed but it usually does that without previewing, what's up with that?

Wolf. Wolfgang Wolf

by dbcouver on Dec 1, 2011 12:05 PM CST up reply actions

And by the way

Props Tevin for taking this side of the debate. Rec’d for a super post.

Wolf. Wolfgang Wolf

by dbcouver on Dec 1, 2011 12:07 PM CST up reply actions

Thanks DB, Mostly I was talking about the 09 draft.

Off the top of my head I don’t know most of who was available when we drafted in 2010.

Honestly, this year the Rams were only able to add a few mid level guys to one yr contracts, or stop gaps. The only free agent bust Billy had was probably Brown, I’m kind of tired so I might not be 100% accurate on that.

I agree on the late round picks, we should hit on more depth guys in the end of the draft, I do think a chunk of the players should have stayed, but if Spags cut them, I don’t blame Billy for that.

Last year looks like a solid draft, rounds 1-4. I think they will be Rams for a long time.

I’m glad you liked it, thank you.

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 12:17 PM CST up reply actions

There is one thing I'd definitely expect to see from Kronk

Definitely don’t fire DeVaney unless he has a better option ready to go. This one requirement, in my opinion outweighs all my, and any others, arguments to axe him. This is the most common mistake I see in pro football and it’s always done to appease a fan base. I, for one, don’t want that, and won’t be impressed or appeased by that.

I hope you’re right about Kendricks, Pettis, and Salas, we need less holes to fill in the future, and O-line improvements will clear up 90% of our offensive problems. I hate to say it but if we went all O-line in the draft this year it wouldn’t be a bad thing, at least the first 2-3 picks. It would behoove us to continue the FA attempts as well.

This year the only 2 FAs I like are Bannan and Mikell and Dahl. FAs need to have a higher hit accuracy rate than draft picks, being they are only signed if they can help, and it seemed we were conservative at first then went tits out toward the end of FA to fill holes.

Wolf. Wolfgang Wolf

by dbcouver on Dec 1, 2011 3:07 PM CST up reply actions

I could live with OT, OG and OLB or DT in the first 3 rounds.

And I would expect all 3 of them to start from day 1, because our O line and OLBs/DTs are terribad.

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 3:56 PM CST up reply actions

Gige it a rest T.Ram Devaney has no clue how to be a GM he needs to go and take spags with him

between the two of them this is the worst Rams team in history Fuck Devaney

by Rammon105 on Dec 1, 2011 8:41 PM CST up reply actions

the thing that irked me the most with devaney...

was the laziness when free agency had first started. yes, i know, i read the numbers crunch the rams are currently in, but it just seemed like he was “ho-hum”, when he could of tried harder to pull the trigger on some good wr’s, or DT’s, that were free agents at the time. was it more the FA’s just overlooking the rams org? that may be the case as well…

but, then devaney trys to save face, by signing a bunch of old, past there prime players, to 1 yr deals. with the exeption of dahl, and mikell, billy has done a piss poor job when it came to free agency.

by Mark Jaramillo on Dec 1, 2011 9:52 AM CST reply actions

If funny that before the season, I remember everyone singing praises on Billy for his FA pickups.

How quickly we forget.

by crashoveride01 on Dec 1, 2011 9:55 AM CST up reply actions

+1

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 1, 2011 11:07 AM CST up reply actions

i wasnt "everyone"...

by Mark Jaramillo on Dec 1, 2011 1:50 PM CST up reply actions

+1

by ThomasZ on Dec 2, 2011 10:20 AM CST up reply actions

Fire the trainers to cut down on injuries.

how’s that working out for you.

by crazy mike on Dec 1, 2011 10:08 AM CST reply actions

It remains something of a rule that a team won’t win if it consistently bombs in the draft.

BD refusal to draft play-makers.The Rams have been habitual bottom-dwellers the last few years. BD is considered one of the main reasons for this situation IMO.

by Thomas W on Dec 1, 2011 10:12 AM CST reply actions

That's true, and he will haved no choice but to next season if he's back.

It’s hard to find those players after the 4th round. They tried with Gilyard, and the others. But besides a backup running back, I don’t think the Rams had a chance to.

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 10:42 AM CST up reply actions

Nice post!

It’s great to find posts that are worth the time to read!

by RadicalRamsFan on Dec 1, 2011 10:13 AM CST reply actions

Thanks sir

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 10:40 AM CST up reply actions

My point is yes the team was way under talented,

so why are less than 50% of his draft picks on the team. We are such a under talented team we should be around 60% retention of draft picks, but he has been so poor at drafting in the late rounds, we have to fill our roster with one year players like LEber and Poppinga.

Follow @brandonbirkhead

by Brick Top on Dec 1, 2011 10:50 AM CST reply actions

Some of the players are still in the league.

I don’t know if it was Billy’s or Spags that cut them, if it was Billy that’s a different argument, but I think it was mostly Spags.

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 12:18 PM CST up reply actions

devaney..."drafted players that needed more time to develope"...

true…i really felt at the time that jermile hines, jabara williams, and jonathen nelson, would have contributed in some way, at one time or another, because they seemed like pretty good players, but as usual, to make room for all the 1 yr, washed up players…spags let them all go!

by Mark Jaramillo on Dec 1, 2011 1:54 PM CST up reply actions

yea I can see cutting development players for 1 yr FA players when you are going for wins.

But we have only won 2 games, so obviously that didn’t work out. Now we have a bunch of 1 yr players who won’t be here next year, and lost some development opportunities (still don’t understand why we let go of Jabara)

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 1:56 PM CST up reply actions

Pretty sure we wanted to put him on PS

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 2:35 PM CST up reply actions

+1

by ThomasZ on Dec 2, 2011 10:22 AM CST up reply actions

If I may play devil's advocate?

The team you listed above all draft at the end of each round while Spagsvaney have drafted near the top of every round since 2008 and the only blue players they have acquired is Long. Bradford is a huge question mark, JL is the MLB on the worst rushing defense in the NFL in the past 3 years. Quinn may be a keeper but way too early. While there were not alot of good choices when Smith was taken, Monroe was a guy who played for a pro style offense and was a OL all years in college. You need to at least hit on a few late rounders for depth which he has massivly struck out. Having the 4th oldest team ion the NFL is also on the GM. The final straw was how last year he was on the radio and all around when they were .500 or so but has been invisible during this year’s debacle

by Mike Dietrich on Dec 1, 2011 10:57 AM CST reply actions 1 recs

I didn't get a chance to add it, but

Check the Jags draft, they were just as bad if not more, I think we got more impact players, plus I’m sure we hit on more FA’s. In the same 3 yr period, Our GM has hit on more guys

Jags gave their GM a 3 yr extension.

Rams were one of the youngest, but then we added these FA’s.

I agree we need to draft a little betterm this is usually the busiest time to scout I’m sure.

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 12:22 PM CST up reply actions

bleh, now we are drawing comparisons to the Jags.

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 1:57 PM CST up reply actions

Thanks for the in-depth article but...

…you lost me at “The Rams finally have a solid foundation.” Really???

Our O-line is overpaid and under-performing. Our wr’s are mediocre at best. No depth to speak of at rb. And our qb is looking more and more shell-shocked. Our defense makes second-string rb’s look like Eric Dickerson in his prime.

And let’s remember that he hired Spags, who the kindest thing I can say about him is that he is incompetent at his job.

The NFL is a “the buck stops here” type of business. Yes, there have been tons of injuries and BD started off with an empty cupboard, but at the end of the season he will be gone because the Rams are on a downward trajectory and someone has to take the blame.

As painful as it might be, I’m for tossing out the whole crew and starting over.

by CumberlandRam on Dec 1, 2011 11:04 AM CST reply actions

By solid foundation I ment

James L, Q Mikell, Chris Long, Sam Bradford, Lloyd if resigned, Quinn, the corners if healthy, S Jackson, Lance Kendricks, hopefully 3/5 of our offensive line. Players like that.

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 1:16 PM CST up reply actions

Thats where we differ I think

Mikell is on the wrong side of 30 and has had an awful year
James L- Way overated and quarterbacks the worst run defense in the NFL since he started
S Jackson-About to it 30, with all his touches the fall will be quick and tough for hi to avg 4 YPC
Kendricks-Awful rookie year, major project
Dont know what 3 you like on the OL-Saffold has been exposed outside of WCO, Dahl has been brutal, Smith may be cut, Brown should be cut, Bell should be cut.
Bradford-Jury is out on a guy who does not have a 75 QB rating in his career

The only guys I think are blocks are Quinn and Long

Basically just about the same place the were in 2009

by Mike Dietrich on Dec 1, 2011 1:45 PM CST up reply actions

Haters always gonna hate.

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 1, 2011 1:48 PM CST up reply actions

james L...WAY OVERRATED!?

wtf!? im with pekka…HATER!

by Mark Jaramillo on Dec 1, 2011 1:57 PM CST up reply actions

Please watch and breakdown the games 1st

You will see, he takes wrong angle way too much whoch causes long gashing runs.

Most tackles are 5 or more yards down the field

I liked the pick at the time and he is a good kid but he is rated as an average MLB

by Mike Dietrich on Dec 1, 2011 2:04 PM CST up reply actions

I think James is above average.

Might not be the best, but he’s not exactly in a great situation.

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 2:36 PM CST up reply actions

i did breakdown his gms...

JAMES LAURAINITIS 2011 stats=90 tackles-2 sacks-2 ints

PATRICK WILLIS 2011 STATS=93 tkls, 4 ff’s, 2 sacks…..

patrick willis stands behind one of the better defenses in the league, compared to what JL has to stand behind. so to be only 3 tackles behind, imo, one of the top 2 MLB’S in the gm? i would hardly call JL overrated. hes above average or more.

by Mark Jaramillo on Dec 1, 2011 3:32 PM CST up reply actions

I agree, JL is an outstanding MLB

join me @ Google+

by Douglas M on Dec 1, 2011 3:38 PM CST up reply actions

+1

by ThomasZ on Dec 2, 2011 10:25 AM CST up reply actions

Total Tackles is not a true gauge

Hell since Willis has more talent you would think he would get less tackles.

Paris Lennon is in the same group does that mean he is equal.

JL is OK not great not awful but way overated IMHO

by Mike Dietrich on Dec 1, 2011 5:39 PM CST up reply actions

I would agree with you.

But then we’d both be wrong. :D

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 6:38 PM CST up reply actions

No this is about right

I’m not sure JLs overrated but I’m alright with the rest of this.

Wolf. Wolfgang Wolf

by dbcouver on Dec 1, 2011 1:59 PM CST up reply actions

Mikell? Awful year? I don't see that.

Unlike QBs, your MLB can’t make the OLBs and DTs do their job. JL does everything he can possibly do and makes the plays when he has the opportunity, unfortunatley our DTs pretty much suck, which makes his job much harder.

Jackson is getting up there and has had a whole lot of touches in his career, I agree with that assessment. He may have a year or two left.

Kendricks is having an awful year. He needs to do a lot of work this offseason, he has a lot to prove.

Agree with the O line. Dahl is for sure a keeper, Brown/Bell/Smith need to go, Saffold still has a lot to prove, he has been victimized at LT all year. If we draft Kalil at LT a move Saffold to RT, I would be more comfortable with our O line.

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 2:04 PM CST up reply actions

I think Smith could become a sold OG

That’s just me hoping though.

We put a lot of stuff on Kendrick’s, he has the potineal to be really good.

I seen Mikell make some good plays, I think he’s an upgrade over O.J

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 2:34 PM CST up reply actions

Pro Football Focus

Had Mikell in the bottom 5 for safeties, they track every play

by Mike Dietrich on Dec 1, 2011 3:09 PM CST up reply actions

God I hope you're not considering the fantasy rankings

If so you just lost a lot of credibility with me.

Wolf. Wolfgang Wolf

by dbcouver on Dec 1, 2011 3:11 PM CST up reply actions

No, for all DBs for fantasy they have him ranked 13th, so he's not talking about that.

I can’t find the ranking he’s referring too. What I did find on Mikell was for the past 3 years they have ranked him as one of the best, and say he is one of the most talented and durable safeties in the NFL. he has 2 ints with 3 forced fumbles and has saved TDs from other defenders mistakes on more than 1 occasion. Mikell is the truth.

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 4:15 PM CST up reply actions

Mickell was one of the top safeties

But this year he is rated near the bottom this year and not in fantasy football.

Their rankings are only seen if you pay

by Mike Dietrich on Dec 1, 2011 5:41 PM CST up reply actions

blah, screw that. I'm not paying to see how wrong they are ;)

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 6:39 PM CST up reply actions

wow great team he build you can count the good players on one hand hahaha Devaney SUCKS

by Rammon105 on Dec 1, 2011 8:44 PM CST up reply actions

Great article TRam

I agree that one more year needs to be given to the coaching staff and (to a lesser extent) the GM before calling them a failure.

We were sooooooooo bad in 2008 that it’s impossible to right the ship overnight, which is what everyone around here expects. Martz and Linehan gutted this team. Completely void of talent. We were an expansion team. I’m optimistic for the future.

Pettis and Salas were great picks. Salas was every bit as good as Amendola was last year and then the unfortunate injury. Pettis is proving to be a great “hands” guy. And Quinn is gonna be a gem. Problem is, everyone around here is so impatient with our young players, and considering that most of our players are young, this is like throwing gas onto a fire. I mean, look at how tough most everyone around here has been on Chris Long. How many people has claimed him to be a bust? Tons, that’s how many. Hardly anyone took into account his age. Now, in his 4th year, he’s 5th in the league in sacks and its undeniable that he’s a great player. Same thing is gonna go with our young OTs, WRs, TEs, QB, DBs and DL.

But saying this is like pissin’ in the wind.

Again, great article TRam.

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 1, 2011 11:17 AM CST reply actions

I agree with you 100% Predator

The only thing I wish, is that we developed our late round picks more.

Thank you

Is that great man formally known as Tevin T. Broner, also I'm on twitter T_bron

by Tevin Broner on Dec 1, 2011 1:20 PM CST up reply actions

That's the only reason why I give BillyD less of a pass than Spags.

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 1, 2011 1:46 PM CST up reply actions

This hole team needs to be scraped and your talking about developing late round pics hahaha this a a joke right

by Rammon105 on Dec 1, 2011 8:46 PM CST up reply actions

3 years is not overnight.

I could see the staff getting 1 more year because they have plenty of excuses to use, I’m just not sure if it’s the right decision. Spags currently has the worst win percentage of any Rams coach with 1+ seasons in the history of the franchise. Almost everyone on the roster is a result of Devaney/Spags decisions, and we still lack talent, so that’s on them. If they stick around for 1 more season, they are going to have a whole lot to prove.

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 2:09 PM CST up reply actions

Yes it is, especially for an expansion team.

And we don’t lack talent like we did when they took over. We have some really good young players. We lack experienced talent that leads to knowing how to win football games. And just cause everyone here is a result of Billy/Spags’ decisions, doesn’t mean a damn thing. They’re piece-mealing shit together to try and get a team that can do…………anything. Chris Long is the perfect example. We have 5 or 6 Chris Longs on the team who aren’t gonna be really good for a little while. That doesn’t mean they’re not talented.

And I couldn’t agree more that:

If they stick around for 1 more season, they are going to have a whole lot to prove.

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 1, 2011 2:40 PM CST up reply actions

Expansion team?

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 3:59 PM CST up reply actions

Yes, that's what we were IMO.

Completely void of talent.

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 1, 2011 6:03 PM CST up reply actions

ah, I see.

Well in 3 years we’ve managed to not get much further with these guys. This isn’t rebuilding, this is stagnating.

Two things about me will never change. I will always root for the Rams, and I will always root against the Niners.

by DuhhhRams! on Dec 1, 2011 6:45 PM CST up reply actions

Nah, we're on the cusp.

Once our youngsters like Quinn, JL, SAM, Saffold, Murph, Stewart, Kendricks, Salas, Pettis, Fletch and the like grow up, we’ll be pretty damn good IMO.

These are basically kids playing against men and they’re probably not up to it at this point.

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 1, 2011 8:00 PM CST up reply actions

Current Regime

I’m not sure about Devaney but Spags has to go. I’ve read a lot of praise about his defense but the defense is last in the league against the run. Bannon is hurt but shouldn’t Gibson be able to step in and stop the run? What happened to Clifton Ryan? I believe that Devaney has brought in some good secondary help but the coaching staff obviously has considerable input on who to keep on the roster.

2011 Draft – Quinn – great pick, Kendricks – horrible pick
2010 Draft – Bradford ~~jury still out on this pick, Saffold~~ decent pick
2009 Draft- Smith – poor pick , Laurinaitis-great pick

by Mister T on Dec 1, 2011 12:19 PM CST reply actions