It's August already... I don't know about you, but when I see "August" on my calendar, I start to get pretty darn excited! Football is HERE !! Camp has started, all our draft picks are signed, AND we're pretty healthy too!
OK there's plenty to talk about... may as well start with the story of the week:
*Sam Bradford Signs... for REAL. LINK HERE WITH VIDEO Bradford becomes the highest paid NFL rookie of all time, and most likely NO other NFL rookie will ever be paid that much again due to CBA talks. Bradford and the Rams agreed to a six year, $78m contract, with $50m guaranteed. On a side note, he COULD potentially earn up to $86m if he reaches all incentives (which haven't been disclosed yet).
Note: I've seen a lot of people posting negative comments about Bradford making this kind of money on various message boards... Listen, don't hate the playa'. He's just doing what anyone else would be doing if they were in the same shoes.. heck, wouldn't YOU?
*More On Bradford - Excited to be a Ram... Jim Thomas answers the question regarding Sam Bradford's willingness to play for us. LINK HERE There's NO question the kid is excited to play for us, and here's a quote from Rams executive Kevin Demoff, "I talked to Sam earlier tonight, and he's very excited. I'm excited that every fan will want to see the beginning of a new era with him and the Rams and our other new players."
Let's end this particular conversation shall we? He signed, he's here, he said he wants to be here, etc etc.. case closed.
*And even MORE on Bradford - Training Camp SIGHTING... Mark it down, 2:53pm July 31, 2010.. that's when Sam Bradford first stepped onto a St. Louis Rams practice field LINK HERE Looks like he even got some reps with the first team, which is really encouraging.
*Onobun Is Eager - Coach Spags is "hopeful" for the young man, and says he is, ".. so eager". Man wouldn't it be something if he progressed enough to contribute substantially this year? Taking nothing away from Fells of course... but a target like this guy would REALLY be helpful. LINK HERE
*Speaking of helpful, Donnie Avery bulked up to 193 lbs... He's ready to have a healthy, break out season, and many experts are predicting he could emerge at season's end with 1000+ yards receiving. This is BIG news for a team so sorely lacking a #1 receiving threat. LINK HERE Talk is cheap.. so we'll see what happens...
*Have a look at what StLouisToday.com writers depict as the most interesting battles in camp. Nice little read! LINK HERE
*A Little Off Topic BUT - Cowboys Dez Bryant out 4-6 weeks - This is unrelated to the Rams, but with some people screaming his name during our pre-draft chats here at good ole TST, I thought this could be noteworthy. LINK & VIDEO OF a DISTRAUT Jerry Jones HERE Looks like a high ankle sprain. It's also important to note that the Cowboys top three draft picks are now ALL injured... did they pick up our ex-strength and conditioning coach or what?
That's about it for now... with a bit of a "lull" today as far as football goes, you may as well watch the NASCAR race today from Pocono at 1pm est. And don't say you're not interested in seeing cars drive in circles, because today is one of the three occasions per season where... they do NOT drive in a circle. Pocono is a triangle... The other two? Road courses... Sonoma and Watkins Glen..
Factoid: i've been to Pocono Raceway a few times and it's a GREAT atmosphere. Did you know it has the largest toilet facility in the world? "Long John". In 1990 they removed all of the old 375 toilets and replaced them all with "Long John", the biggest toilet facility in the world, with 1000 stalls, to be sure fans had no lines.
Enjoy your Sunday everyone.