The fourth and final preseason game of the year is in just two days. The guys who are borderline on making the roster will get one last chance to impress and stick with the team. The first team offense and defense will get one final chance to show fans and experts why there is hope for improvement from last year's 2-14 debacle.
Unfortunately, this last opportunity comes against the powerhouse Ravens, and the best receiver in the league (if you ask Justin King) in Torrey Smith. The Ravens pounded the Rams last year and despite this being just a preseason game, hopefully the Rams will be looking to get at least a little bit of revenge for one of the worst losses of a terrible season.
Alright, time for the links! Hit the jump to read about the moves the Rams made yesterday, plus some other interesting NFL news!
Rams News
The Rams have traded Jason Smith to the Jets - As it was so accurately pointed out right here on TST, the Rams traded the third worst right tackle in the league for the worst right tackle in the league to clear the way for the second worst right tackle in the league to claim the starting job. I tend to like this trade more than most, seeing as I am a big believer in the change of scenery bump for players who have worn out their welcome on their current team. I can see it either way, and Ryan pumped out a ton of coverage on it last night. Take the time to read some of it, and give me your thoughts on how the Rams did in their deal with the Jets.
The first cuts are in, and Danario Alexander is no longer a St. Louis Ram - Although he could end up back on the team and on IR if he clears waivers, the odds of him making a comeback on the Rams are virtually nil. The anticipated apocalyptic response from his fans was not nearly to the level that most of us expected. When he couldn't even stay healthy enough to play in the preseason, I think we all saw the writing on the wall.
EddieP gives us this week's five non-starters that impressed - This has been my favorite weekly preseason column, and I thought it was a shame it got buried by all the roster cuts and the Smith trade. Interestingly enough, Eddie mentioned Jason Smith as one of the guys that impressed.
Other NFL News
The Arizona Cardinals are the only team in the NFL to still not have a starting QB - Although I would make the argument that when Whisenhunt picks either Skelton or Kolb...they still won't have a starting QB. Seriously though, we are just 13 days from the start of the season. Isn't it about time you just picked one of the two of them so you could start having at least a bit of stability?
Vince Young has been cut by the Bills in favor of Tavaris Jackson - I have always been a supporter of Vince Young (won over 60% of his games as a starter in ~50 starts), but at some point, not all of these teams are wrong. He clearly is missing something on the field, and now...he is missing a job.
This could be the "Season of the Refs" in the NFL - It really has been a disaster, and David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune nails it in this column. The NFL should be embarrassed that they are sending their multi-billion dollar dollar athletes out on the field with anything but the best refs. At least one regular season game will have it's outcome changed by the refs, and then maybe we'll see some movement in this work stoppage.
Other News
EBOLA CAN NOW SPREAD VIA CELL PHONES! EVERYONE PANIC! SERIOUSLY! - Ok, so it was because a guy with ebola had his phone stolen, causing the guy who stole it to contract the disease. But that's just the first step. Soon, talking to your sick friend over the phone will spread it right to you. It's clearly the beginning of the end.
Thanks for reading, guys, and have a Ramtastic Day!