Good morning everyone! I hope your ready because we're getting right to the links!!
Rams are crowded at TE (Post Dispatch)
The Rams offense this season will depend heavily on TEs. Need proof? 8 out of the 90 spots are for TEs right now. There's Lance Kendricks who was a disappointment in his rookie year after a great pre-season. Then there is everyone else. Michael Hoomanawanui is a good TE, but he is always hurt. UDFA DeAngelo Peterson has his fans. Ben Guidugli was great in training camp last season and he was put on the practice squad. Mike Mcneill, Matt Mulligan, Bobby Eldridge, Jamie Childers, and Cory Harkey complete the group. Roster spots for TEs are up for grabs, making this one of the most exciting positions to watch in Training Camp.
Former Rams' GM Billy Devaney on what went wrong (Yahoo)
Well...almost everything went wrong. Bad drafts and bad coaching are the two leading causes of he and Spagnuolo's firing, but there was a lot else to it. If you read nothing else, read this.
Rick Venturi offers his take on the 4 most important aspects for the Rams to focus on in TC. Protection is an obvious issue. Special teams hasn't gotten much focus lately, if at all, but the NFC West has great return guys and the Rams did lose at least one game because of special teams. The Rams are going with rookie kicker and punter. This unit will need to grow up fast. Venturi than mention that Robert Quinn will have to step up. Quinn needs to be able to get pressure for this defense to improve. The last point was really interesting, and it's to go with the young guys.
We coaches are competitive by nature, and don't want to put guys out there until they're absolutely ready. Unfortunately, you do not have that luxury with this team.
Other NFL News:
Another Lion, another arrest (NFL.com)
The Lions had their 6th (Yes, 6th) arrest of the offseason (Mikel Leshoure and Nick Fairley were arrested twice). CB Aaron Baily was arrested for a DUI and a hit and run. DUI's have become an epidemic of sorts for the NFL. The NFL has to do something and I suspect Roger Goodell will bring down the hammer hard.
NFL Network's Top 100 List Concludes Tonight (NFL.com)
I think this Top 100 list has many issues. To start with, how do you compare an offensive linemen to a CB or a QB? You can't do that fairly in my opinion, but this is exactly what NFL Network is doing for the second year in a row. The list concludes tonight, and I can tell you the top 10 players are Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Peterson, Haloti Ngata, Darrelle Revis, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Willis and DeMarcus Ware. Only the order is yet to be determined.
Other Football News:
Goodbye BCS! (ESPN)
The end of the BCS has come! A four team playoff will now determine the national champion starting in 2013. 4 may sound like too few to many, but it's a lot better than just 2.
Video of the Week:
The Best of Ari Gold, the funniest character on TV.
That's all for today. Have a good one and GO RAMS!!