I think it's just about time to tune out on the NFL for 2010

So we are now in the deep off-season. The die is mostly cast for 2010... as much as it will be until final roster cuts come up, and the Rams get a shot at acquiring one or two valuable cast-offs.

It's no secret that this off-season did not go the way I hoped it would. Let us count the things that did not happen:

1. We did not fire Pat Shurmur.
2. We did not abandon our attempt to implement the West Coast Offense
3. We did not hire Mike Leach.
4. We are not implementing a Spread offense (for Bradford or Tebow)
5. We did not draft Tim Tebow.
6. We did not draft Toby Gerhart
7. We did not draft Dexter McCluster
8. We did not draft Ndamukong Suh
9. We did not acquire Albert Haynesworth
10. We did not acquire Brandon Marshall
11. We did not acquire Alan Faneca
12. We did not acquire Thomas Jones
13. We did not draft a few the excellent receiver prospects we could have taken in the 5th through 7th rounds.
14. We did not both to sign Jevan Snead when we could have had him for free.
15. We did not sign O.J. Atogwe.
16. We did not get a speedy resolution to our ownership muddle.

This is not to say that all of these things could have been accomplished. Most of those things could have been accomplished... if we had done the deal with Cleveland. So what did we do:

1. We kept Shurmer
2. We're supposedly going to run the West Coast this year
3. We drafted Sam Bradford
4. We drafted Rodger Saffold
5. We drafted Mardy Gilyard
6. We dealt Adam Carriker for a 5th rounder
7. We traded Barron for Carpenter
8. Steven Jackson had back surgery for a herniated disc
9. So far we manifest no signs of assembling a running back committee.
10. We're thinking about making an offer to Brian Westbrook.
11. We're going to let O.J. Atogwe go.
12. Kroenke's screwing around with the finance committee.

If you think I am painting a grim picture, it is only because I am painting a grim picture. Things are not well in St. Louis. The battle does not go well. We are not making a lot of progress.

A little while ago, I posted that the Buffalo Bills are a franchise drifting without a rudder, and in danger of foundering. Right now, ESPN expects project them as the team drafting #1 next year. Folks, my Rams resemble that remark. We are pretty damn close to drifting without a rudder and in danger of founding again.

I understand Steve Spagnuolo appeared on the Jim Rome show this morning, I look forward to hearing his comments with great interest. I wonder how he perceives the situation? I wonder how he can spin the circumstances. I am sure Rome asked him how he could pass on Ndamukong Suh. I look forward to that answer. I bet he tows the party line and says what you would expect.

"We're very excited about our choice, Sam Bradford. It's tough to win in this league without a quarterback, and we felt that quarterback was our most pressing need."

Just remember: I haven't heard the interview yet. I bet he said something almost exactly like that. It is predictable.

Anyhow, I have made my voice heard. I protested all of the management decisions made this year. I clearly presented an alternative program that would have been better. I have clearly pointed out why the present management direction (or direction-less-ness) should inspire no confidence in the fan base. I have clearly pointed out why implementing a WCO with Shurmur and Sam Bradford will end in tears.

It is clear that Devaney has set his course, and he is not entertaining suggestions for course-corrections at this time. So now we just have to wait for it all to collapse. It's a poor plan, so I think it will collapse. It's going to take a couple of more years in the basement, then maybe we can break out of this muddle.

The current moment in Ram history can be compared to the Richard Brooks moment in the 1990s. That was basically our 2nd failed coaching administration before Dick Vermeil showed up and fixed things.

Many of us believe Richard Brooks got a raw deal, and unfortunately, I think Spagnuolo might also. This time, I think it is really Devaney's fault.

The whole strategy and current direction is just badly thought-out and poorly conceived. The strategy is just bad. There are obvious foundational weaknesses in the program which should cause the house of cards to collapse.

Anyway... it is time to pack it in for another season. We missed our chances in 2010. Just put it away and drop it. Just leave it alone, cause we don't see eye-to-eye. There's only you and me and we just disagree.

When next I blog, I will blog about the Google Android kit. I intend to take all the time I have been wasting on Devaney's Rams lately and put that into something constructive. Namely: How to develop software for the latest rev of the Android OS. There are some exciting things happening there. They are building a champion... unlike my Rams.