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Cruise missiles are flying, but the precision bombing in Libya has nothing on the carpet bombing happening between players and the league in the press, on the web, Twitter and finer email inboxes around the league. But that's not where we're going with this thing. We're going to plumb the depths of Random Ramsdom, to get a sense of what's going on, whoa, what's going on with the St. Louis Rams and the NFL.
Owners meetings start tomorrow
NFL owners and executives head to New Orleans today for their March meetings. The event is sure to offer plenty of labor rhetoric to add to the ongoing PR war. But they'll also be voting on some big changes, like the kickoff rule and whether or not to make all scoring plays subject to a booth review.
Orlando Pace flexing media muscle
Former Rams offensive tackle and likely hall of famer Orlando Pace bought a 15 percent stake in a local media group that owns sports-talk KFNS 590 AM among other properties. The good news here is that Pace could be doing getting some air time of his own.
The Second Shutdown 40: #48—Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina
Friend of TST Doug Farrar takes a look at Austin, from the free trips to technique. Austin is a tremendously talented player who lost some needed refinement to his game by missing his senior season. That could make him a draft day steal to a team that believes it can coach him up and get his full ability out of him. For a 4-3 team, he's probably more of a one-technique than a three, but could work into either role.
Proposed kickoff rule change exposing rift?
Dam Pompei at the NFP recounts conversations with coaches who are adamant that the league leave the kickoff rules alone. That could pit them against owners who have a slightly different view of safety...which I would suspect has as much to do with money as anything else.
Draft preview: Best of linebacker prospects
Here's a run down of the top linebackers in the draft. Warning, it's got a heavy 3-4 bias to it, but still has plenty of good insight. If slightly more half the teams in the NFL, why does the 4-3 get so ignored this time of year?
(addition from 3k)
Jesse Bartolis from NFL Mocks put together a very needs-based mock this morning. Is it too needsy, or it the kind of approach the Rams could apply this year?