Happy Friday Rams Fans! Hopefully today finds you well. Hooray it's June 1st! June 1st people! It means we are only two months and 5 days away from the Arizona Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints kicking off the preseason. The season is slowly creeping up on us, but with uncanny slowness for some. I liken this time of the year to watching grass grow, sooner or later you're going to get bored and turn to something else, perhaps hockey. Believe it or not, there are other sports out there and the NHL is in full Stanley Cup mode. You can check out more here and here.
Then again, I haven't watched an entire NBA game since game 5 or 6 of the Finals last year when Dirk Nowitzki helped Mark Cuban's Dallas Mavericks beat the Heat. So maybe I'm not your best source for NBA playoff predictions, but I can smell an upset in the making.
How the Rams compare to the rest of the division is quite subjective due to all the pieces that have been shuffled, discarded, or opened out of the original packaging by the new regime. If you are the consummate homer like me, the team is looking pretty damn good so far this year. If you are a skeptic, the team still needs more work. The Rams fair pretty well in many aspects of the game on paper. So far in OTA's the coaching staff has been happy with what they've seen. They have the best quarterback in the division and the best running back in the West. After that however, the contrasts are stark. The buzz around the team is pretty high though, and of course there is the old "any given Sunday" nature of the National Football League.
Could Jackson be a Fantasy Stud?
Speaking of inches, the Rams feature back, Steven Jackson is a dying breed. He's a running back who has shouldered the load for his team between the hash marks for far too long. The Rams will be running the ball a great deal this year, and thankfully, Jackson will have some help. Even with splitting a few carries with the new guys, Jackson is figuring fairly well in the early rankings for fantasy football. Perhaps behind the retooled and expertly coached offensive line he can do more for us than expected?
William Hayes and Trevor Laws are giddy over working for the Awful Waufle and Jeff Fisher.
Hayes worked under Jeff Fisher for three years while employed by the Tennessee Titans, so he has great familiarity with the Rams new Head Coach. Hayes will spell Chris Long and Robert Quinn on the outside of the line. Laws projects as the third tackle with the big guys in the middle. What was once a weakness for the Rams is now a strength with fellow free agent acquisition Kendall Langford and 1st round pick Michael Brockers rounding out the defensive line.
The Rams could beat the Detroit Lions in week 1 of the brand new NFL season thanks to off the field issues by Lions running back Mikel LeShoure and starting defensive tackle Nick Fairley. Fairley is facing legal trouble from a DUI arrest and a previous arrest this year for marijuana related charges. LeShoure has had two run-ins with the law for marijuana. How does that affect the Rams week 1 game? With two starters sitting out on possible suspensions, the Rams can take advantage of only Jahvid Best carrying the ball on offense and the Lions having less depth in the rotation at the defensive tackle position. Surely with those kind of holes in their depth chart the Lions will be vulnerable. We shall see.
The Rams continue their outstanding efforts in the local and global community.
Rams Linebackers James Laurinaitis and Josh Hull traveled to El Salvador to promote the importance of clean drinking water initiatives for communities struggling with this basic necessity. It may not seem like much, but every bit counts. Consider that world-wide, around 3.5 million people die each year from a water related disease, and that around 880 million people lack access to clean drinking water. The next time you take a shower, you will use more water than the average person in a developing country uses in an entire day. Pretty amazing right? To get involved visit here.
In other news:
If you are into donuts, today is National Donut Day. Celebrate by going and getting yourself a dozen or so of the fried treats. Dunkin Donuts is offering a free donut with a beverage purchase. Krispy Kreme is giving away a free donut with no purchase. Hmmm, sounds like I got breakfast for today in the bag. Much like my donut eating idol Homer Simpson, I will enjoy my donuts with much aplomb.
That is all for today Rams Fans. In honor of the 45 year anniversary of the release of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles, here's a little diddy.