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Well...at least Richie got THAT much right:
I guess I'm as dumb as I look.
— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 15, 2014
An incredible exchange on Twitter over the last of couple of days. This came in the wake of CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora's comments, reported by Ryan Van Bibber Monday on TST (link). The tweets were exchanged between TST's own Daniel Doelling, NBC Rotoworld's Evan Silva, and Spencer Engel, editor of Cover 32 Rams:
Bradford trolling is at its peak and as redundant as ever. Same talk, a different day.
— Daniel Doelling (@Daniel_Doelling) February 17, 2014
@Daniel_Doelling Led by the ultimate #Rams troll, @evansilva.
— Spencer Engel (@Cover32Engel) February 18, 2014
@Cover32Engel @Daniel_Doelling Not pretending mediocrity is worth $14.015 million = "Trolling." Got it.
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) February 18, 2014
@evansilva @Daniel_Doelling You've repeatedly said - unprompted - that the Rams "suck." I'd say that counts as trolling.
— Spencer Engel (@Cover32Engel) February 18, 2014
@Cover32Engel @Daniel_Doelling Well it isnt breaking news. The Rams suck. They have sucked for a long time.
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) February 18, 2014
I guess Mr. Silva isn't a big Rams fan. Props to Spencer and Daniel!! And Jason La Canfora? Not a peep since Monday. My thoughts on the issue were expressed on January 23, in "Sam Bradford's 2014 Salary Cap Hit: Can It Be Lowered" (link). The conclusions I drew in that article still stand.
Assessing the Rams' current cap space: ESPN NFC West
Nick Wagoner gives his take on the Rams' current salary cap situation. I'll be preparing my first major cap space update of the year next week, as part of an ongoing off season primer series.
Chat With Nick Wagoner: ESPN NFC West
Wagoner continues his weekly question and answer series, covering a wide range of topics related to the Rams.
The Sam Bradford Dilemma: National Football Post
Joe Fortenbaugh examines the contract issues the Rams face regarding Sam Bradford. His thoughts coincide almost exactly with mine, in the article I wrote for TST mentioned above.
2014 NFL Draft Big Board: Walter Football
Charlie Campbell offers up his latest big board, highlighting the top 132 college prospects in the nation.
Predicting The Rams' 5 Biggest Free Agent Moves: Rant Sports NFL
Anthony Blake believes the Rams will be quite active in free agency this year. The Rams will re-sign Rodger Saffold and Jo-Lonn Dunbar. In addition, the Rams will sign free agent DT Linval Joseph, DB E.J. Biggers, and G/T Geoff Schwartz. The Rams would benefit greatly from such a scenario unfolding, although I don't see how they could create enough salary cap space to make it happen.
Draft Prospect Highlight Reel: QB - Aaron Murray - Georgia
Aaron Murray - 2014 NFL Draft Profile (via Erick Ward)
Greg Cosell Breaks Down Quarterbacks: SB Nation - Mocking The Draft
Respected NFL analyst Greg Cosell briefly shares his thoughts on the top 3 QB's in the 2014 NFL Draft. The fate of these 3 QB's is inextricably tied to what will happen with the Rams' # 2 selection in the upcoming draft.
Vetting potential trade partners: Vikings: ESPN
As part of an ongoing series, Nick Wagoner discusses the viability of trading down the Rams' #2 selection in the draft to the Minnesota Vikings.
NFL Combine 2014: 10 Bold Predictions: Bleacher Report
Will QB Derek Carr cement 1st round status? Will Ra'Shede Hageman move into the top 15? Can Jadeveon Clowney run a sub-4.4 forty? These questions - and many others - could be answered this week at the scouting combine.
Rams still must find a way to score more: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Bernie Miklasz ponders what it will take for the Rams to score more points next season:
"Over the past five years, 50 NFL receivers have caught at least 10 touchdown passes in a season. And the Rams? They haven’t had a receiver gather more than seven touchdown passes in a season since Torry Holt grabbed 10 in 2006."
Lions releasing Burleson and Delmas: Yahoo Sports
The Rams came close to signing safety Louis Delmas last year, but couldn't settle on contract terms. Given the Rams' obvious need at the position, could the Rams again attempt to sign Delmas? Or should they draft a safety early in the 2014 draft? Or both?
Stat Facts Of The Week: Top 20 Rookie Receiving Seasons In The Past 20 Years
Top 20 Rookie Receiving Seasons since 1992 (min 50 receptions)
|
Player
|
Team
|
Year
|
Rec
|
Rec Yds
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
2004
|
54
|
817
|
|
2
|
|
|
1996
|
63
|
844
|
|
3
|
|
|
2012
|
50
|
861
|
|
4
|
|
|
1995
|
52
|
883
|
|
5
|
|
|
2002
|
74
|
894
|
|
6
|
|
|
2008
|
62
|
912
|
|
7
|
|
|
1996
|
54
|
924
|
|
8
|
|
|
2011
|
54
|
959
|
|
9
|
|
|
2010
|
65
|
964
|
|
10
|
|
|
2003
|
66
|
976
|
|
11
|
|
|
2008
|
91
|
980
|
|
12
|
|
|
1999
|
66
|
986
|
|
13
|
|
|
2007
|
70
|
995
|
|
14
|
|
|
2006
|
70
|
1,038
|
|
15
|
|
|
1995
|
67
|
1,039
|
|
16
|
|
|
2011
|
65
|
1,057
|
|
17
|
|
|
1996
|
90
|
1,132
|
|
18
|
|
|
2004
|
80
|
1,193
|
|
19
|
|
|
1998
|
69
|
1,313
|
|
20
|
|
|
2003
|
101
|
1,377
|
Adjusting to the NFL is a very difficult thing for most rookies, especially wide receivers. The chart - courtesy of Sporting Charts - presents the top 20 rookie receiving seasons between 1992-2012. Only 7 rookie WR's achieved 1000 yards in that time period. San Diego's Keenan Allen - with 1046 yards - achieved the feat last year. The bottom line: not many rookie WR's have a huge impact in their first year, irrespective of where they were chosen in the draft.
Ra'Shede Hageman Scouting Report: Walter Football
DT Ra'Shede Hageman - a physical freak - should have little trouble improving his draft stock this week at the combine. It should come as no surprise if the Rams selected him with the 13th pick in the NFL draft. Take a peek at some film from Draft Breakdown (link).
2014 NFL Mock Drafts: CBS Sports
Rob Rang, Dane Brugler, Pete Prisco, and Pat Kirwan post their latest 1st round mock drafts. No surprises for the Rams with the #2 pick. Some interesting selections at #13.
What the Rams Can See From The Stats Of Seattle's Success: 101 Sports
The recipe for success seems rather simple, at least in theory:
"There are countless ways to look at why teams win football games. In the case of the Seahawks, their formula of winning the turnover and field-position battle has been a fairly tried and true one."
Rams Chat Highlights: Rams News Now
Highlights from Jim Thomas's weekly question and answer period. Interesting thoughts on Sam Bradford, and soon-to-be free agent CB Alterraun Verner.
NFL Combine: Position-By-Position Primer: Bleacher Report
BR takes an in-depth look at which players to watch for - at each position - during the combine.
On This Day In Sports History
1965 - The NFL decides to add a 6th official for all games.
A nostalgic look back at Los Angeles Rams highlights from the 1950's through the 1970's:
LA RAMS highlights 50's-70's (via Robert McDorman)
Mike Sando talks about Sam Bradford and contract extensions:
Rams Coach Jeff Fisher: Sam Bradford Is Our QB: Sports Illustrated
Enough said...
The Rams & Bradford: Looking at four possible contract scenarios: Over The Cap
I covered all of this ground in my article a couple weeks back on Bradford's contract. This is still worth the read, for it reinforces all of the complexities involved in contract structuring.
Standing by Bradford right move...for now: ESPN NFC West
Might as well get all the Bradford stuff out of the way in ONE Random Ramsdom.
The Mike and Mike Show - Jeff Fisher - Audio: ESPN Radio
Fisher: Bradford is our quarterback: ESPN
The boss addresses all of the Sam Bradford talk from earlier this week.
Mike Mayock's 2014 NFL Draft Position Rankings: NFL.com
Respected analyst Mike Mayock releases his first NFL draft positional rankings of the year.
NFL Scouting Combine Preview: SB Nation - Mocking The Draft
Over at MTD, Dan Kadar previews the Combine, and what to look for in the coming days.
2014 NFL Draft Big Board: S.I. Audibles
Doug Farrar presents his top 40 prospects entering the scouting combine.
St. Louis Rams Off Season Preview: CBS Sports
John Breech previews the Rams off season, heading into free agency and the NFL draft.
Vetting Potential Trade Partners: ESPN NFC West
Nick Wagoner continues his series, exploring potential trade partners for the Rams' #2 selection in the upcoming NFL draft.
Blast From The Past: Classic Rock Wednesday: Led Zeppelin - Since I've Been Loving You
Led Zeppelin - Since I've Been Loving You Live (HD) (via Jimmy Karlsson)
Please have a great Wednesday and a Ramtastic week!