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.