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Wonderful goodbye to Cortland Finnegan:
Farewell to 1 of my favorite teammates I've had @CortFinnegan. A tone setter, a great football player and better teammate. Best of luck bro
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) March 5, 2014
Will the Rams sign Alterraun Verner? Jairus Byrd?:
No surprise, but Rams have inquired about Tennessee free agent corner Alterraun Verner.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) March 8, 2014
The #Rams were among the teams that inquired today on #Bills S Jairus Byrd, per source. That was a bit unexpected and interesting.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2014
Rams remain in mix for Tennessee CB Alterraun Verner; have had only limited contact RE: S Jairus Byrd.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) March 10, 2014
With all signs pointing to Saffold heading elsewhere, Rams can re-direct money. Might be serious players for a DB now. Verner top of list.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 10, 2014
Goodbye to a warrior:
No surprise here but #Rams making it official on G Harvey Dahl. He's been released.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 10, 2014
So...do you want the Rams to trade down...I sure do:
The depth of this draft class is impressive. There won't be much difference between player picked at 20 & player picked at 50.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) March 3, 2014
Sounds like a troll to me...I'm just more used to the Bradford kind:
#Rams asking for a 2014 first and second round pick for WR Tavon Austin and have spoken with multiple teams on parameters, I stand by story
— Darren Connolly IV (@DConnollyNFL) March 11, 2014
Free Agency Primers
Arizona Cardinals - ESPN
Seattle Seahawks - ESPN
San Francisco 49er's - ESPN
St. Louis Rams - ESPN
ESPN's NFC West correspondents briefly examine each team, heading into free agency. The Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks have some work to do if they wish to keep their roster intact.
10 Teams That Should Dominate Free Agency: Grantland
The Rest Of The NFL Shopping Season: Grantland
Bill Barnwell's take on free agency for all 32 NFL teams: who they should cut, who they should keep, and who they should sign.
Top 101 NFL Free Agents For 2014: NFL.com
Chris Wesseling and Gregg Rosenthal list their top 101 free agents. They organize the list into four value tiers: difference makers, impact starters, starters with questions, and players effective in the right role. Number 1 on their list? Safety Jairus Byrd.
Top Free Agents By Position: NFL.com
The Around The League analysts offer up their top free agents at each position. Free agents in the secondary and the offensive line abound this year.
Top 30 NFL free agents: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Jim Thomas lists his top 30 free agents hitting the open market today. Safety Jairus Byrd tops his list of available free agents.
Free agency, a primer: S.I. MMQB
Sports Illustrated's Peter King examines ten things to look for when the free agency signing period begins.
NFL Free Agency Primer: CBS Sports
Jason La Canfora offers his take on the opening of free agency.
Draft Prospects Highlight Reel: CB - Justin Gilbert - Oklahoma State
Rams Chat Rewind: ESPN NFC West
Nick Wagoner's weekly question and answer session, covering all things related to the Rams.
The 100% real and final guide to NFL Free Agency: SB Nation - PFT Commenter
Take all of the best attributes of the funniest commenter's on TST...combine them into one person...and voila, you have yourself PFT Commenter.
How To Replace Rodger Saffold: Top 2014 NFL Draft Guard Prospects: Ramblin' Fan
Some nice selections in this piece. Missing? Gabe Jackson, Cyril Richardson, and Spencer Long, to name three.
2014 NFL Free Agents: Rotoworld
The Rotoworld free agent tracker is among the best for following transactions as they occur.
Free agent issues and advice for 16 NFC teams: USA Today
USA Today provides a snapshot of each teams' roster, free agents, issues, and advice on the best of course of action heading into free agency.
Stat Facts Of The Week: Three-And-Out Percentage
| Team | Three and Out Drive Percentage | Total Drives | Three And Out Drives | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Chargers | 13.77 | 167 | 23 |
| 2 | Denver Broncos | 15.35 | 202 | 31 |
| 3 | New England Patriots | 18.41 | 201 | 37 |
| 4 | Detroit Lions | 18.88 | 196 | 37 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | 19.40 | 201 | 39 |
| 6 | Kansas City Chiefs | 19.80 | 197 | 39 |
| 7 | Dallas Cowboys | 20.22 | 183 | 37 |
| 8 | Houston Texans | 20.40 | 201 | 41 |
| 9 | Green Bay Packers | 20.43 | 186 | 38 |
| 10 | Chicago Bears | 20.88 | 182 | 38 |
| 11 | New Orleans Saints | 20.99 | 181 | 38 |
| 12 | Arizona Cardinals | 21.00 | 200 | 42 |
| 13 | Carolina Panthers | 21.18 | 170 | 36 |
| 14 | Atlanta Falcons | 21.23 | 179 | 38 |
| 15 | Seattle Seahawks | 22.53 | 182 | 41 |
| 16 | Indianapolis Colts | 22.87 | 188 | 43 |
| 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | 22.89 | 201 | 46 |
| 18 | Oakland Raiders | 23.20 | 194 | 45 |
| 19 | Tennessee Titans | 23.37 | 184 | 43 |
| 20 | Minnesota Vikings | 23.59 | 195 | 46 |
| 21 | Washington Redskins | 23.62 | 199 | 47 |
| 22 | Miami Dolphins | 23.71 | 194 | 46 |
| 23 | Cleveland Browns | 24.10 | 195 | 47 |
| 24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 24.47 | 188 | 46 |
| 25 | Buffalo Bills | 24.77 | 214 | 53 |
| 26 | San Francisco 49ers | 24.87 | 189 | 47 |
| 27 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 24.87 | 189 | 47 |
| 28 | Baltimore Ravens | 27.05 | 207 | 56 |
| 29 | St. Louis Rams | 28.26 | 184 | 52 |
| 30 | New York Giants | 28.92 | 204 | 59 |
| 31 | New York Jets | 29.08 | 196 | 57 |
| 32 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 30.77 | 195 | 60 |
Three-and- out drive percentage measures a teams ability to maintain possession of the football and sustain drives. The lower the percentage, the more successful a team is in sustaining drives (and scoring points). The Rams ranked 29th in the NFL in this vital statistic.
NFL free agency inspires caution among league's winning teams: NFL.com
A cautionary tale from NFL.com's Albert Breer:
"A study of the 12 playoff teams from last season revealed that the league's elite use free agency to augment rather than overhaul. Among the five highest-paid players on each playoff participant in 2013 -- a pool of 60 players total -- 42 represented home-grown talent while eight were acquired via trade. Just 10 were free-agent additions."
The Rams Release Harvey Dahl: Turf Show Times
I will never forget what Harvey Dahl did - in the Carolina game - in support of Sam Bradford. And boy did he ever let everyone know what "holding" was(n't):
Harvey Dahl - That's not F***ing holding! (via TEKster08)
Why The Rams Should Shy Away From The Big Names In Free Agency: Ramblin' Fan
Maybe this is the best strategy for the Rams to put in place:
"Shying away during free agency and signing players that will add depth, but still make an impact and build through the draft, might be the way to go in 2014."
Saffold's apparent exit magnifies a big area of need for Rams: Fox Sports Midwest
The Rams offensive line could have 4 new starters come September. By far the Rams' biggest area of need.
On This Day In Sports History
1941 - NFL Hall of Fame inductee Bronko Nagurski defeats Ray Steele to become NWA World Wrestling Champion. The Canadian-born Nagurski played for the Chicago Bears, while enjoying another career as a professional wrestler.
The free agent countdown - 100-51: S.I. - MMQB
The free agent countdown - 50-1: S.I. - MMQB
Sports Illustrated's MMQB lists their top 100 free agents.
Rams must rebuild offensive line: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead face a huge offensive line challenge. The Rams could experience an extreme makeover at that critical position."
Saffold heading elsewhere: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Rodger Saffold's agent informed Kevin Demoff of his clients intention to sign with another team. Good luck in your career Rodger!
Dahl's release no surprise...but that OL: ESPN NFC West
To put this into perspective, when free agency begins today, the Rams have only two players on the roster manning the guard positions: Barrett Jones and Brandon Washington.
Jairus Byrd looking for big money: Rams News Now - Video
Safety Jairus Byrd will be looking for $9 million plus per year as a free agent. Will he get that much? Would/should the Rams pay that much?
Who are the ten best drafting teams in the NFL?: Football Nation
The Rams crack FN's top ten list. That's what two quality drafts in a row will do for your rankings. Let's hope the Rams make it three in a row in May.
The NFL's best GM's: NBC Sports Rotoworld
The NFL's best GM's will all be busy during the opening of the free agent signing period. Les Snead ranks 21st on the list.
Nuggets from Rams' free agent trail: ESPN NFC West
Nick Wagoner rounds up all the action regarding the Rams, rumours, and the free agency market.
Top 10 Offensive Tackles In The NFL Draft: Cover 32 Rams
Cover 32 examines the 2014 draft offensive tackle class. By all appearances, the interior offensive line is the Rams' greatest need. Are the offensive tackle positions that far behind?
St. Louis Rams' Weekly Salary (Re-Cap)
I will be publishing a complete salary cap update for the Rams later this morning, outlining their current salary cap situation heading into the opening of free agency. Stay tuned!
Pre-free agency mock draft: Pro Football Talk
I imagine mock drafts will undergo massive changes, after the first couple days of free agency are completed.
Rams don't expect a free agent frenzy: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Will the Rams make a big splash in the free agent market?
"When you look at free agency, this is the year we’ve targeted probably to be a little less active ... than others." Rams executive vice president Kevin Demoff "
With Saffold out, the Rams could chase Verner: ESPN NFC West
It looks like the Rams will be saving some major cap dollars by not re-signing Rodger Saffold. Will they spend those dollars on CB Alterraun Verner instead? Or on Jairus Byrd?
Free Agent Tracker: ESPN
A handy-dandy webpage for keeping track of all the free agent happenings.
Calculating 2014 NFL free agent target prices: CBS Sports
Former agent Joel Corry gives his take on what free agents can expect to receive this year.
Rams' offensive line thinning out: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Could the Rams bring back Harvey Dahl at a later date?:
“We have expressed to Harvey that we have interest in bringing him back,” Fisher said. “Harvey’s done great things for this organization and this team, and was a mainstay of our offensive line the last two years."
Blast From The Past: Classic Rock Tuesday: Eric Burdon & War - Spill The Wine
Eric Burdon & War - Spill The Wine (via myBeatclub)
Please have a great Tuesday and a Ramtastic week!