Random Ramsdom: January 5: St. Louis Rams - The Off-Season Begins

Twitter Talk

Sure speaks volumes about the ability to adjust at half-time:

Rams score by quarters this season: 1st: 95-42; 2nd: 98-93; 3rd: 48-106; 4th: 83-113.

— Howard Balzer (@HBalzer721) December 29, 2014

Congratulations to John Hekker:

All-Pro @JHekker pic.twitter.com/dQxWPkxmsW

— St. Louis Rams (@STLouisRams) January 2, 2015

Ryan's New Year's Day tidings:

It's the year of the Ram, which means you'll have 12 months of below average results followed by a major move to the West Coast

— ryan van bibber (@justRVB) January 1, 2015

2015 NFL Mock Draft: Walter Football

Charlie Campbell updates his three-round mock draft. The Rams select OT Brandon Scherff in the first round, QB Brett Hundley in the second round, and WR Dorial Green-Beckham in the third round.

Owner of St. Louis Rams plans to build a stadium in Inglewood: L.A. Times

Rams owner planning L.A. Stadium: ESPN

"A year after purchasing 60 acres of land in Inglewood adjacent to the Forum and Hollywood Park, Rams owner Stan Kroenke has teamed up with the owners of the Hollywood Park site to build an NFL stadium, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday."

An examination of Brian Schottenheimer as an offensive variable: Cover 32 Rams

How much of the Rams' struggles on offense this season should be blamed on the OC?

The 2014 MMQB Awards: Sports Illustrated - MMQB

John Hekker, Robert Quinn, and Aaron Donald all should have received Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors this season. At least Peter King and his panel got it right, naming Aaron Donald the Defensive Rookie Of The Year.

Rams Chat: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jim Thomas conducts his weekly Q & A session of all things related to the Rams.

Draft Prospect Highlight Reel: OT - Cedric Ogbuehi - Texas A&M

Position grades for the 2014 Rams: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jim Thomas hands out his position grades for the 2014 St. Louis Rams. The defensive line and special teams merit the highest grades. The offensive positions all received lower grades (particularly the offensive line).

Bringing Sam Bradford back to be the Rams starter is the definition of insanity: Cover 32 Rams

It may seem insane to some, but to others it may be the best the Rams can do. Especially if they cover all their bases in the process: Bring in veteran competition (Hill, Davis, plus another veteran free agent), plus select a QB relatively early in the draft (Hundley, Petty, Hogan). Let them all battle it out in training camp, and keep the best three.

Rams make sure Quick isn't forgotten: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Jersey No. 83 looked a little lonely hanging in Brian Quick’s locker stall week after week, so in early December Kenny Britt decided to start wearing it in practice every day."

Is Marcus Mariota a sure thing in the NFL?: NBC Sports

Doug Flutie and Mike Florio discuss the merits of QB Marcus Mariota. Could the Rams offer up a bounty of picks to trade up for him?

Stat Facts Of The Week: Toxic Differential

Only 3 out of 12 playoff teams had a negative Toxic Differential for the 2014 regular season: Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis. Both Arizona and Pittsburgh were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs; by teams who were ranked in the top ten in Toxic Differential: Carolina and Baltimore.

For the season, the Rams ranked 16th in the league in Toxic Differential (-4).

The expression "toxic differential" was coined by former NFL coach Brian Billick. Billick was head coach of the Baltimore Ravens for 9 seasons, and led them to a Super Bowl victory in the 2000 season.

From an article by Brian Billick for NFL.com in November, 2011:

"People are constantly looking for the right combination of stats to indicate the probable success of a team. What are the key factors to winning? Is it sacks, third-down conversions, first-down efficiency, the ability to run the ball and stop the run, total passing yards? All are important, but none are a precise indicator of success."

"Beginning in 1998, when I was the Vikings' offensive coordinator, I used a formula that I called the "toxic differential" as the best barometer for our team's success. Simply stated, the toxic differential is the correlation between turnovers and explosive plays."

Brian Schottenheimer could go to Georgia: Ramblin' Fan

Many Rams fans would love to see Schottenheimer depart for a position elsewhere.

"According to Dawg Post, Kurt Roper, Brian Schottenheimer and Randy Sanders are all serious candidates for the vacant quarterbacks/offensive coordinator job for the Georgia Bulldogs."

Evaluating Rams' options at QB in the NFL Draft: KMOV

This might be the worst year for QB's in the draft since 2011. The Rams have little chance to grab Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota. I'd be happy with either Bryce Petty, Kevin Hogan (if he declares), or Brett Hundley.

2014 All-Pro Teams: Analysis of the full rosters: NFL.com

Here's my simple analysis: Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn, and John Hekker were all worthy of being selected to both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams. Period.

Stanford routs Maryland, possibly ending Kevin Hogan's complex career: Sports Illustrated

Will QB Kevin Hogan declare for the NFL Draft? Hogan would be a nice selection for the Rams, if he lasted to the third round in this years NFL draft.

On This Day In Sports History

1964 - The San Diego Chargers win the AFL Championship.

1995 - The AFC defeats the NFC 41-13 in the NFL Pro Bowl.

2014 Team Efficiency Ratings: Football Outsiders

For those who enjoy the statistical side of the NFL, FO presents their season-ending DVOA ratings. The Rams come in 18th in the overall ratings.

2015 NFL Mock Draft: Drafttek

The Rams select OT Cedric Ogbuehi in the first round of the NFL Draft. They follow that up with a QB and WR in the next two rounds.

Brett Hundley flashes first round form in Alamo Bowl win: CBS Sports

If the Rams were looking to select a QB in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft, will Hundley still be available? Or will they need to move up like Minnesota did in 2014 (to select Teddy Bridgewater)?

2015 NFL Free Agents: Spotrac

March 10 marks the beginning of the new league year, and the opening of free agency. I have Mike Iupati, Stefen Wisniewski, and Orlando Franklin at the top of my wish list.

2015 NFL Draft underclassmen tracker: SB Nation - Mocking the Draft

In 2014, a record number of underclassmen declared for the NFL Draft. So far, it looks like far fewer underclassmen will declare for the 2015 NFL Draft.

Looking ahead to key dates in the offseason: ESPN NFL Nation

Nick Wagoner takes a look at some key dates between now and the NFL Spring Meetings in May.

Fisher Up Front: Season Recap: St. Louis Rams Official Website

Myles Simmons discusses the Rams' 2014 season with coach Jeff Fisher.

Matt Bowen explains why Sam Bradford's "Gotta be the guy" next season for the Rams: 101 Sports Audio

Will the Rams make Kenny Britt an offer for 2015?

Should Rams coach Jeff Fisher stick with Brian Schottenheimer as his offensive coordinator?

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Dubs' Pigskin Picks - Season Recap

Pickwatch is a site devoted to tracking weekly picks results from NFL analysts, experts, and media types. This season, they tracked 133 experts on a weekly basis. I competed against them again this season, via my weekly Dubs' Pigskin Picks & St. Louis Rams Preview column.

For the second consecutive year, I managed to finish tied for first in the overall standings, with a record of 179-76-1, picking straight-up winners. The accompanying charts present my results for the season, plus the top twenty expert results tracked by Pickwatch.

Week	Wins Straight Up	Wins vs Spread	Hot Picks vs. Spread	Rams Straight Up
Last Week	12  4	9  7	1  2	1  0
Season	179  76  1	146  109  1	25  25  1	8  8
Win Percentage	70.2	57.3	50.0	50.0

Blast From The Past: Classic Rock Monday: Led Zeppelin - Since I've Been Loving You

Please have a great Monday, and a Ram-tastic week!!