So Devaney is open to the possibility of trading down, aye?

As you know, I am long-time (forever) Ram-fan. Even when I have tried to quit, I have remained a Ram-fan. As such, I have now witnessed Billy Devaney orchistrate three complete drafts. Close Observation of Devaney's speach & actions during these past drafts has taught me that there are seven great lies in life. They are, in order:

1. We haven't decided who we are going to take with our first round pick yet.

2. The team will perform an unbiased mathematical evaluation of the key candidates, and the one with the highest grade will be our selection.

3. I am certainly open to the possibility of trading down to accumulate more picks.

4. Coach Spagnuolo will have a lot of input in the process.

5. We'll hold a committee vote just before we fly to New York. Majority rule.

6. The check is in the mail.

7. I promise not to cum in your mouth.

None of these statements are true. All are false.

The line of bullshit currently flowing out of Ram headquarters are a scripted set of sports cliches designed to prevent anyone in the media (or the league) from concluding that they are sure of what Devaney is planning to do.

The funny thing is that we always wind up knowing, somehow someway, just what Devaney is going to do in the 1st round of the draft. Three years ago, we knew Chris Long was going to be the choice at the #2 pick overall. I was certain of this for more than 3 weeks before the draft. Two years ago, we pretty well knew that Jason Smith was going to be the selection at the #2 pick. I was certain of this event for nearly two months before it happened.

Last year, Adam Schefter announced early-on that he would stake his professional rep on the 'fact' that Devaney would select Sam Bradford #1. We all should remember how that prediction turned out. Many of us long-term Ram-fans had good reason to believe it wouldn't happen. How could Schefter be so certain? Because Devaney told him so.

In each of the past three draft-seasons, Devaney performed a Broadway show tune, the lyrical theme of which praises how good it is to trade down the board and accumulate picks. Never once has he done it... at least in the first or second rounds. I believe the 'trade down' talk is just smoke and mirrors used to try to bolster his claim that he hasn't made up his mind, or that he isn't attached to any particular player.

Despite the trickeration, there are no surprises in the 1st round when Devaney is drafting high. Devaney turns out to be totally predictable, or he intentionally leaks his choice to key members of the media.

There is another fair conclusion that'ss ripe for the plucking: Devaney makes up his mind early, and then insists that he hasn't. If you are a fairly decisive guy who makes up his mind early, and doesn't change like the wind, why would you deny this fact? That's a good question. The draft is always full of misdirection, negative influence plays, subterfuge and deception. Most GMs don't want their competitors to know their draft plans. This means they can't tell you, the loyal fan, their draft plans either.

The funny thing is that Devaney turns right around and tells what he's going to do... indirectly. He usually does so through a chosen media member. There is something odd about a fellow who tells Adam Schefter he's going to take Sam Bradford, and then spends the rest of the draft cycle denying the very notion that he's made up his mind. It's not as if anyone could have snatched Bradford ahead of him in 2010 either.

In short, Devaney is a Pisces. He is a man of very interesting contradictions. He's like two fish lashed together at their tails, swimming in opposite directions against each other. There is the guy who says he wan't to trade down and never does it. There's the guy who makes up his mind early, and says he hasn't. There's the guy who doesn't want to tell you anything about his draft plan, and then there is also the guy who leaks his pick to Schefter. There is the GM who denies every report about his chosen player, and there is the GM who takes that very player on draft day.

Contradiction is the key word with Pisces. Contradiction is the key word with Billy Devaney.

So what are the actual facts about Devaney's draft behavior? A realistic summary of Devaney's draft patterns might look like this:

1. Devaney perpetually talks about trading down, and he never does it.

2. Devaney makes up his mind early, and he doesn't wavier, but he will deny it all the way.

3. He does not perform and unbiased mathematical evaluation of the key candidates to arrive at his choice... As if there were such a mythical beast in the first place.

4. Devaney makes a gut-level, instinctive choice based on what his eye-balls tell him about the key candidates.

5. The rest of the draft cycle consists of Devaney looking for key information that confirms his gut-level call.

6. The vote before the flight to New York is a strawpoll. It's only used to indicate how well Devaney has sold the rest of the organization on his choice.

7. Somewhere between 8 and 6 weeks prior to the draft, Devaney will leak his pick to some key member of the media.

8. He will continue to deny he's made up his mind, even after he puts out the leak.

I have just one caveat to add. All of these patters will be harder for Devaney to follow in 2011, given the Rams' draft position at slot #14. A lot of things can happen in those first 13 picks. Devaney can't be sure of what he is going to do this year, because it is impossible to know those first 13 picks ahead of us on draft day. In 2011, there will have to be a contingency plan. There can and will be surprises in those first 13 picks. It's unavoidable.

How about that Tebow?

Overdue

I’ve been meaning to write this column for the better part of a week now, but it’s been a very busy time. I spent a good chunk of this holiday at home in Fresno California with the family, and my brother came down to L.A. to visit afterward. I didn’t want to do a half-ass job on this entry.

Tim had his first 300 yard game

For those who don’t know it, Tim Tebow just had his first 300 yard game against the Houston Texans. He shot 16/29 for 308 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. This yields him and NFL QB rating of 89.44, and an NCAA rating of 148.869. The formulas are different. He also ran 10 times for 27 yards and a touchdown. His long was 11 yards for the TD, so can see in the statistics that he was mostly running to avoid pressure. Most importantly, his offense put 24 points on the score board and won the game.

So Tim is back up to his old tricks again. For those who don’t know it, Tim had a career NCAA passer rating of 175. That roughly translates to an NFL rating of 122. You should note that no NFL QB has ever had a rating of 122 over 4 or even 3 seasons. Tim did precisely this against the finest SEC, Big East, Big-12 and Big-10 defenses in the country. He threw those passes against defenses loaded with Sunday talent. He did that on route to two NCAA championships and a Heisman trophy. His achievements as an NCAA passer cannot be denied.

Of course, I am biased. I have called Tim Tebow the son I never had. You know I love this kid. I temper those critiques with this point: There is a reason I adopted this kid. Getting your first victory and an 89.44 rating in just your second start is damn good for any QB. It took Sam until his 3^rd start to get his first victory, and 7^th start to get a passer rating over 89. Of course, Tim was going against the Texans’ defense, and he does have the NFL’s leading receiver to throw to.

Perplexed by the critics

I have to say, I continue to be perplexed by Tim Tebow’s doubters. For some utterly bizarre reason, they seem to think he can’t throw the football. I am absolutely sure I have no idea what the hell you guys are talking about. I am fairly sure that you are looking at some other kid named Tim Tebow, not the Tim Tebow. I keep hearing these utterly bizarre conversations about some H-Back or Tightend that came out in last year’s draft. This absolute non-sense is baffling. I have no idea where this talk comes from.

To straighten out the confusion on this subject, you must begin with one iron-clad law: Quarterback evaluators don’t know what the hell they are talking about. They are ignorant as fuck, as a rule. I am not just speaking of Tebow’s case. I am speaking of all cases, period. If they knew what they were talking about 70% of all can’t-miss QBs selected in the first round wouldn’t go bust. As I stated so many times last year, the 70% bust rate among first-round QBs is iron-clad proof that NFL Quarterback evaluators don’t know what the hell they are talking about.

You must admit, you’re 70% rate of failure is an absolutely damning statistic. If a QB missed on 70% of his passes and lost 70% of his starts, he would be a shitty QB indeed. You need to entertain the possibility that you are all quite shitty at evaluating QB prospects.

Michael Lombardi quoted Bill Walsh many times during the last draft cycle. His favorite quote was this: Very few men are qualified to evaluate the QB position, and even fewer are qualified to coach the QB. I will translate that for you: “Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN does not know what the hell he is talking about when he evaluates Tim Tebow.”

Lombardi is a very nice and diplomatic guy, and would never run the ragged edge of serrated knife through Kiper’s guts. I would, I have, and I will again. I rather enjoy it. I better cut Mel whilst I still can. He has vowed to retire soon due to the bust of Jimmy Clausen.

When you see Mel Kiper doing a QB evaluation, you must begin with the presupposition that he has a 70% chance of being wrong. You would also do well to presume that 70% of what he says is absolute bullshit. If you do not begin with these presuppositions, you are a fucking fool.

The Chargers are next

The Chargers are next. I live here in SoCal, and I hear quite a bit of Charger chat on the Radio. I can tell you that the Charger fans and the Charger coaching staff are concerned about this game. The fans don’t want to be embarrassed and neither Norv Turner no A.J. Smith want to end with a loss to the rudderless and ruined Broncos. Such a loss could be the last straw.

Most of the talk I hear is worried talk. The Chargers are worried about defending Tim Tebow. He does what Michael Vick does, and what Steve Young did. He takes the snap from shotgun and fades back to throw. You set yourself to defend the pass. He runs. Suddenly your defensive configuration is all wrong. This gives NFL DCs like Ron Rivera fits.

Congradulations to Rodger Saffold, the number 4 pick overall in the Sports Illustrated Re-do draft

SI/CNN 2010 NFL Draft Re-Do

Don Banks, famed writer for CNN & Sports Illustrated just published his Draft Red-Do. It is interesting. The first three picks go in the same order, and then BANG! The first change is listed.

Banks would have the Redskins select Rodger Saffold (taken by the Rams at the #33 slot) as the #4 overall pick in the draft. Don Banks claims that Trent Williams was a good pick, but Rodger Saffold is better. According to Banks, Saffold is the consensus top tackle in the 2010 draft among NFL personnel men. Saffold has only allowed 2 sacks in 14 games.

How about dem apples? If the true, the Rams got pair of Top 4 talents in the draft. That’s quite a promotion from #33 to #4.

What about our 2010 rookie quarterback crop?

So how the hell are our young quarterbacks doing this year anyhow?

It is not my style to comment so much and so often about Quarterbacks. The position is overrated to the point of demigodhood by most media people. I categorically reject all the delusions of godhood. I still believe in the team concept. With that said, you know I got deeply ensconced in the in rather vigorous quarterback debate during the 2010 draft cycle. I had a lot to say about quarterbacks earlier this year. I said it early and often.

There were a couple reasons for this great exception to policy. First, a couple of kids I loved watching in college just happened to be graduating last year. Those kids were Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy. Second of all, my Rams were known to be in the market for a new Quarterback, and I was hoping to impact that process.

There was also the matter of the Notre Dame alumni try to force Jimmy Clausen on the Rams, but I will downplay that matter.

We all know how the story played out. Billy Devaney took Sam Bradford over my strenuous objections. Josh McDaniels selected Tim Tebow in the first round. Jimmy Clausen slid to the middle of the 2nd round where he was selected by the Panthers. Quarterback guru Mike Holmgren absconded with Colt McCoy in the 3rd round.

So how are the kids doing? Well... it's interesting.

I've had ring-side seats for the dawn of the Sam Bradford era, and the kid looks a hell of a lot better than I thought he was. We all knew he was a highly accurate passer in college. However, I did not expect him to be quite the same after the surgery.

It turns out that he's better. As we all know, he spent months after his shoulder surgery in the weight room, mostly working on his lower-body. I have heard many quarterbacks say that arm-strength is the most over-rated aspect of the quarterback's toolkit. Most of your throwing velocity comes from hip torque and torso twist. Well, if that be the case, it might explain why Sam seems to be throwing harder and faster than ever. He definitely torques his hips when he throws. It might also explain why he has greater running speed than I remember.

I hate to make Jinxy statements, and I don't want to over-sell the truth, but... Ehmmm… Let's put it this way. Several sanguine Ram fans on the Bleacher Report site were pretty adamant that our team nailed the best QB to come out of college in the past 3 or 4 seasons. Let's just say, I'm almost sold on that proposition. I don't think it is a controversial statement to say that Sam has had the best rookie campaign of any of these young kids. There's been enough there to shock a guy like me.

But then there is Colt McCoy. I remember being dismayed when I heard Mike Lombardi of the NFL Network downgrading Colt, painting him as a bust pick. Mike believed that McCoy just didn't have the sort of arm that was necessary to succeed in this league. I though that was a very strange statement coming from a guy who calls himself a disciple of Bill Walsh.

I knew Mike Lombardi's statements about McCoy were pure bullshit. He must not watched McCoy much during his four years at Texas. The kid is a pure winner, and more Joe Montana than Joe Montana. I am sure Bill Walsh would have had a flaming hard-on for Colt if he was still involved in football during the 2010 draft.

Just as sure as I am sitting here, I know that Mike Holmgren recognized those traits in McCoy, and that's why Mr. President drafted him in Cleveland. That's why Mr. President came down from the president's booth and began working with McCoy personally during training camp. I think this is why McCoy has given the Browns a competency at QB that they haven't had in ages. Just keep watching Colt. Everything is going to be just fine in Cleveland.

One of the bleak spots of the 2010 NFL Campaign for me, personally, has been the Tim Tebow story in Denver. As you know, Tim has seen very limited action. The good news is that he’s been fantastic on the 5 or 6 plays they have let him run. The bad news is that he has only run 5 or 6 plays this season. This has been a great disappointment to me.

McDaniels seems to be replaying the 1980 Joe Montana campaign script for Tim Tebow. They send him on in carefully selected situations where he can score touchdowns. The key is to build his self confidence and the team's confidence in him.

Unfortunately, the Broncos are a foundering ship. It is unlikely they will finish 8-8 for the 3rd straight season. It is more likely they will fall down to something 6-10. There have been rumblings inside Denver that owner Pat Bowlen will not guarantee McDaniel's job in 2011. Due to the pending lockout, Bowlen may not make an immediate change in 2011, but then again he just might.

Certainly, McDaniel's has made a lot of terrible pseudo-Patriot moves. He was close to the top of my shit-list until the moment he selected Tim Tebow. I was down against Josh to the uttermost farthing until the moment he selected Tim Tebow. Any guy smart enough to select Tebow can't be all bad. Not all bad, but probably 90% bad. If he gets fired, we'll have to say he earned his ticked on the first thing smoking out of town.

But what happens to Tim Tebow if Josh McDaniels gets the sack? This is the question that has plagued my worried mind. Certainly, few in the NFL were committed to Tebow as a Quarterback in 2010. McDaniels was one of those few. Unless someone like Jon Gruden is selected as the next HC of the Broncos, I don't know what Tim's fate will be.

Lately, one of the vogue trends in NFL Football is to allow any new HC to "pick his people." This means blowing up the ship, both offensively and defensively and reconstructing things according to the vision of perfection you subscribe to as a coach. It doesn't matter if the present talent crop is good, bad or indifferent. As a new HC, you have the right to blow up the ship and start all over again. If this happens, Tim could become a casualty of organizational politics.

Certainly, if you get a run-of-the-mill candidate off the coaching retred cycle, said coaching candidate may not favor Tim Tebow. Many of these fellows don't like southpaws. Many more dislike QBs who make plays outside of the pocket with their feet. Personally, I love them, but that makes me a member of the minority report. The majority report says that guys like Steve Young, Michael Vick and Tim Tebow ain't no damn good to God or this country. St. Vince Lombardi would not approve.

It would really suck if Tim Tebow failed to make it in this league through no fault of his own, but because of the vicissitudes of organizational politics.

Finally, have the case of Jimmy Clausen. This guy may have the odd distinction of being the most advocated draft pick in Notre Dame Alumni history. In the run up to the draft, the Notre Dame forensics team was working 24/7 on his behalf advocating his case. The ferocity they brought to the table surprised me.

To this day, I believe that getting Jimmy picked high was a linchpin of Notre Dame's 2010 (and beyond) recruitment strategy. Needless to say, things haven't work out as they hoped they would.

What I can't understand is why the NFL establishment bought into the Notre Dame Forensics argument. IMHO, there was no part of the eyeball test that Clausen passed during the scoutting process. I never saw what they claimed to see in the kid. I never even suspected he would be mentioned as a serious NFL QB candidate during his three years at Notre Dame.

It shocked the shit out of me when some advocates suggested the Rams would take him with the absolute #1. I acted to crush that theory as quickly as possible. I was only partially successful. Quite a controversey arose. I got the rep of being a Clausen hater, and an Anti-Catholic, anti-Notre Dame guy on the Bleacher Report.

Before continuing, I should mention that I bare no personal grudge against Clausen. It would suit me just fine if he turned out to be a success with the Panthers. I just didn't want my team attempting to rebuild around him. I believed, and still do, that he's going to go bust. My Rams could not afford to take that plunge.

To this day, I seriously doubt he is an NFL quarterback. Certainly, better candidates than Clausen have gone bust. Still, for his sake and the sake of the Panthers, I wish him luck. It looks like he is going to need it.

Clausen did not win the starting job straight out of boot camp in 2010. This fact surprised many. Nat Moore performed very poorly coming out of the gate. After a few weeks, be it of injury or lack of performance, Clausen got his first start. The results were not good. During one game, he had a QB rating of ZERO after the first half of play.

Clausen got the hook quickly, and Nat Moore because the starter again. I have family living in North Carrolina, and they told me that the Panther fans went into an immediate funk, believing the organization made another mistake drafting Clausen. Even a detractor such as me was surprised at the speed of this write-off. Lately, it has become fashionable for the local media to ask John Fox why he didn't take Colt McCoy.

Wow...

Guess what? It ain't over yet. Moore gets hurt, and Clausen gets another chance. The second time around, he looks good until he gets hammered by Aquib Talibe on the final offensive play of the game against the Bucs. Thus ends the second act of Clausen's rookie campaign. We'll see if he gets a third strike as a rookie. The news today indicates that he will probably start week 12.

I once called out Michael Lombardi, a McCoy detractor and a Clausen advocate, telling him I would crawl to Ravenna Italy on my arthritic knees if Clausen ever became any kind of NFL Quarterback. So far I am not worried out that pledge.

2010 is going to be the year I kick the Ram-habit

I think 2010 is the year I am going to kick the Ram-Habit.

Most would say it's a bad habit. I've been a Ram-fan since late 1979 and early 1980. We played the Steelers in the Super Bowl XIV that year. For better or worse, the spectre of that defeat shadowed my youth. Jimmy Carter was running against Ronald Regan back in those days. Vince Ferragamo got paid $52,000 a year as the starting QB of the Rams in 1980.

I've been a fan ever since. Through two moves, oppression at the hands of the 49ers, many bad seasons, a Super Bowl victory, and another Super Bowl defeat; I've stuck with the Rams through thick and thin. I've seen us at the bottom of the league twice: 1996-1997 and 2009-2010.

Now I am calling it quits. Just pull the plug. Disconnect. Get out of the market. Pull-up stakes and leave. Legally separate. File the divorce papers. Tune out. Throw in the towel. No mas! I am done. It's finished. This is that magic moment when Sara Brightman and Andrea Bocelli singing "Time to say goodbye" on PBS.

So why now? Many would say "why not now?" It would seem like an opportune moment. The Rams are a one-victory team at the bottom of league, who just blew the big draft of the decade in which they were selecting #1 in every round. Just about all power-rankings [be they expert-driven or fan-based] have the Rams occupying the #32 spot.

That's dead-last folks. Obviously, they don't think much of Billy Devaney's 2010 Draft or free agency moves. The consensus on these moves amounts to "no felt impact in 2010". Most would say that this is a good moment to sell your stock, cut you losses, and protect assets.

Mike Mayock says that missing on an absolute #1 picked quarterback will cost you five (5) years of lost franchise history, primarily because of the money involved. That is estimated to be some $80m with $50m guaranteed. That's a lot for a small-market team like the Rams. I could hire a regiment of 1,538 Vince Ferragamos in one year for that price tag. I could also have Battalion of 256 Vinces for 6 years for that price tag. Vince was good, too.

I think we missed. It's not Sam's fault that he will become a medical bust. It's Devaney's fault. Goodness of fit is the absolute issue. Sam is a bad fit for the Rams. The Rams are a bad fit for Sam. It is a classic mismatch. I never bought into Devaney's theory. I'll tell you why, one last time.

Over the past 10 years, no team has surrendered more sacks that the Rams. Our OL has allowed 40+ sacks each year and every year for the past 10 seasons. O-Linemen have come. O-Linemen have gone. One thing has remained constant: we have allowed copious sack totals each year and every year. The reason is obvious. We are a rooty-poot organization with no commitment to building a steel-reinforced concrete bunker for our quarterbacks. That is a fact, not a theory. The facts are indisputable.

Given the proven fact that we are a rooty-poot organization with no commitment to building an all-pro offensive line, the logical mind is faced with certain absolute restrictions regarding what sort of QB we may and may not select in the draft and free agency. Specifically, the organization is restricted to fast, evasive, athletic, running quarterbacks. As a rooty-poot organization with no line, you also need quarterbacks (plural) that are highly robust mesomorphs who, like Timex, have proven that they can take a licking and keep on ticking.

This means guys like Tim Tebow... and maybe Michael Vick. Alone among QB candidates in the 2010 draft, Tebow had the unique combo of winning-character, muscle mass, speed, running ability, toughness and evasiveness to make him successful with the Rams. Tebow was never really on Devaney's radar. This speaks volumes about Devaney.

Given the robust fact that we are a rooty-poot organization with no commitment to building an all-pro offensive line, there are certain fruits that are absolutely forbidden to us. Namely, we cannot take a fragile, injury prone, surgically repaired high-precision passer with questionable ability to take a hit. If you do so, you are one stupid, drunken riverboat gambler throwing paper money (on fire) into the muddy Mississippi.

Given these lawful restrictions, what did Devaney do? He took Sam Bradford. Sam is unquestionably the worst sliding quarterback 'Chucky' Gruden has ever seen. That statement is on video-tape, by the way. He takes a lot of hits, and he gets hurt. Our line will certainly let him take plenty of hits, but maybe his body wont.

So now that Devaney has chosen Sam Bradford what has he done to logistically support that decision? Did he sign Alan Faneca? Did he sign Bobby Bell? Is he trading for Stephen Neal? Did he trade for Jammal Brown? Did he sign Flozel Adams? I could go on folks. The answer is no, no, no, no, no and no. I am tired of making suggestions. Devaney is not entertaining reason at this time. He is not open to reason.

The results are highly predictable. We are going to absolutely destroy a good kid who should have a wonderful NFL career. We are going to destroy Sam Bradford the way we destroyed Marc Bulger. In fact, no sooner had we completed the absolute destruction of Marc Bulger than we began the plot to destroy Sam Bradford.

Mike Mayock says that missing on an absolute #1 picked quarterback will cost you 5 years of lost franchise history. Ram-fans are staring right down the gun barrel at 5 years of lost franchise history. I refuse to go through this. I never signed up for this. I was against it all the way. Right up until the very last split-second, I was hoping Roger Goodell would come to the podium and announce the trade with Cleveland. I had hoped we would accept Mike Holmgren's gracious offer. I am not on-board with this decision, even now.

I want to know who the idiot was who invented the fanciful campaign slogan, "The Rams have to take Sam Bradford; they need a QB to give their players and fans hope for the future." That asshole didn't know anything about the Rams or football.

I don't want this. I don't need this. I don't like this. I was never on-board with this decision. I did not sign off on this decision. I non-concur. If this were the Senate, I would have filibustered this draft pick. I don't intend to watch this carnage. I am not going to witness this travesty unfold. I don't want to see a good kid, in flames, at the hands of a stupid GM. I don't want to be disappointed anymore. I am not going to blow another Sunday morning watching the fiasco in progress. I am resigning.

The first move is to cancel the NFL Super-Fan package. I have DirectTV. I have had the Super-Fan for the past three years: 2007, 2008, 2009. I am scheduled for automatic renewal. It's not going to happen. I am canceling. I don't want it. I don't need it. It's a small token of resistance that will certainly be lost among a slew of cancellations on the second dip of a W shaped recession. It's not much, but it is the best I can do.

Someday soon, I will be able to say with honesty and without venom "I used to be a Ram-fan, but not anymore. Now I am just an impartial football fan. I like the sport, not any particular team".

The NFL Network's big chill

A friend of a friend commented that I rarely mention the NFL Network these days, and wondered if my interests had changed. He said he could tell I am watching more FoodNetwork than NFL Network these days. He wondered if this was a permanent change in interests or if I would blog about the NFL Network again during the regular season.

Well... The perception is a bit off, but there are many grains of truth there. There is also an interesting blog post found in this conversation.

You probably have noted that there are more ESPN references lately than NFL Network references. I am watching more NFL Live than NFL Total Access these days. Is that just because it is the off season?

No. Let me tell you about it.

There was a cleavage between me and the NFL Network during the 2010 draft campaign. I bet you know what caused it, too! Or do ya?

During the run up to the 2010 NFL Draft, I realized several very unhappy truths about the NFL Network. Specifically, I realized that this is the official propaganda mouth piece of the 32 front-offices and also HQ. Notice I did not use the term teams. I used the term front-offices. There is a big distinction there which I am well aware of. I chose my terms carefully and with reason. I mean to say exactly what I wrote.

Perhaps I am just a slow and dull old boy, but I had formerly considered sources such as Mike Mayock, Charley Casserly reliable and brutally honest. I knew some guys on the network were glad-handlers; Steve Marucci comes to mind. However, to the very last man, I watched each one of these guys change their tune regarding Sam Bradford and the Devaney-agenda.

When the draft began Charley Casserly was adamant that you never push a guy up the board because he fits a need. He vehemently defended drafting the best athlete regardless of position. He sited case after case showing that the worst busts happen when you reach for a guy because of need. He was opposed by coach Jim Mora Jr. who said that was a management position, and coaches get fired quick because of one or two missing players at key positions of need.

Casserly began the 2010 draft cycle insisting that Gerald McCoy was the #1 pick in the draft. He didn't like Bradford because of his injuries and his background in the Spread-Offense. I saw him do a dramatic about-face during the process. Why? Because Bradford stood on the side-line during the combine with his arms folded? On the strength of just one controlled workout? Was that it?

I have--in pure digital--Mike Mayock declaring that 2010 was a bad QB year. "All the QBs are injured and questionable for one reason or another," he said. I watched him do a dramatic about-face and support Devaney with the bullshit-line "a franchise quarterback trumps all." Early in the process, he said he didn't believe there were any franchise QBs in the 2010 draft. The closest thing to it was Sam Bradford, and he was much more than uncertain about Sam.

Why did Mike Mayock change his mind? Because Bradford stood on the side-line during the combine with his arms folded? On the strength of just one controlled workout? Was that it?

Folks, I could go on. There are many more dramatic examples of dramatic about-faces inside the NFL Network regarding Sam Bradford. Were there a good reasons for this dramatic about-face? Hell no!

There was a very bad reason for this about-face. Billy Devaney informed the NFL Network--off the record--that he was going to take Sam Bradford. He probably gave Adam Schefter this news also. This is why Adam Schefter gave us this news with total conviction, early on, when that seemed like a preposterous story. Of course, they would never admit they knew. This is for the same reason the old WWF would not admit that wrestling was scripted entertainment. This would blow the illusion.

As I have stated several times lately, the NFL Network has a promotional function. This promotional function is the primary function of the NFL Network. This leads us right into the pages of MIT Professor of Linguistics Noam Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent." We should give some credit to Edward S. Herman also. He co-wrote the book.

"Manufacturing Consent" examines the propaganda model of the media. The thesis is pretty simple: Mass media supports large corporate and governmental interests. They have too. This is the side their bread is buttered on. This apparatus is used to form a soft-grip control on public opinion. It is a subtle, non-violent, means of evangelism and persuasion used to get people on board with the decisions big bosses are making at higher levels. Of course, this is better than the violent means of coercion used by totalitarian societies, but it is so unfortunate that weak minded fools repeat anything they hear through "authoritative news sources".

Everything Chomsky said in this book and movie applies triple-force to the NFL Network. I think the NFL Network was founded after Paul Tagliabue saw "Manufacturing Consent" and cried-out in joy "Eureka!"

I noted all of the elements of this propaganda model operating on the NFL Network during the 2010 draft campaign. These techniques and tactics were employed to get Rams fans on-board with Devaney's decision to draft a quarterback, and more precisely, Sam Bradford. The NFL Network is still using Chomsky-specific propaganda to do post-sale evangelism on Sam Bradford. Note Steve Wyche's recent use on the Bandwagon technique in fabulous fiction regarding Sam Bradford.

This is no conspiracy theory. The NFL Network is wholly-owned subsidiary of the NFL. It is the NFL. They do the NFL's bidding. This is all out in the open folks. This is no conspiracy. From it's very inception, the NFL Network was designed to be an NFL controlled source of information. You know that.

I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Devaney knew he was going to make an unpopular and controversial pick when decided he was going to select Sam Bradford. I know that he knew many dedicated fan-forces were arrayed against this decision, and for differing reasons. I know he felt he needed help in persuading these fans to get on his bandwagon. I am certain he went to the NFL Network, gave them off-the-record information (which makes them look like genius analysts on draft day) and (in return) asked for their help in evangelizing Ram-fans.

This is why Mayock changed his tune. This is why Casserly changed his tune. This is why Lombardi said things like "He's drafted linemen in each of the past three years; he can't go back into that locker room and say 'I've drafted another lineman'". This is why you had everyone chanting the pious cant "the Rams need a a QB to give the fans and the team hope for the future."

Am I saying that the NFL Network is the official mouth-piece of the 32 NFL front-offices? Yep. Am I saying it is part of their official function to promote the agenda of the 32 NFL front-offices? Yep. Am I saying that Devaney runs one of those 32 NFL front-offices? Yep. Am I saying a gentileman's agreement was reached? Yep. Am I saying that there was an official directive inside the building to soft-pedal Devaney's agenda? Yep. Am I saying out that they carried out that agenda, among many others? Am I saying that they are currently engaging in post-sales evangelism? Yep.

Right now just about all of the star analysts on the NFL Network are congratulating Devaney on making the right move. We will see if they saying the same thing in 5 years when we may well have destroyed a #1 draft pick kid who we were grotesquely unprepared to receive in camp.

The Rams gained one poxy point... 65 + 1 = 66

Me bucco Daniel Wolf at the Bleacher Report published a piece regarding the 2011 Madden team rankings yesterday. As many are saying, the Rams enter the season as the presumptive worst team in the league: Our ranking is #32. How about the strength score? Our 2010 strength score was 65. Our 2011 strength score stands at 66.

One poxy point: That's how much we improved as a result of Billy Devaney's wonderful draft list. Of course, Devaney would attempt to throw the EA Sports team under the bus, and saying things like 'they don't know shit from shine-ola'.

I beg to differ. They do know shit from shine-ola, and a lot more than that. Madden has the most advanced football simulator ever devised. It is so good, they can sell it on the open market at a handsome profit. It's so good, that every new release is major event in the gaming world. A lot of academic computer scientists can't say anything of the kind for their weather simulators.

Why is Madden so good? It's partially because they have John Madden counseling them about what is good and bad football. He insists on realism, and the programming team loves it. They are obsessed with building a perfect mathematical model of reality. They've got heavyweight stats men pouring through the data everyday, trying to find out what really matters to wins and losses.

The proof is in the pudding: They have accurately prognosticated the Super Bowl 7 out of the last 8 years. They have some bear & lion heads on their wall to point at.

You see! I am not the only one. Some of the most sophisticated football analysts around did not care much for Devaney's draft either. The horror of looking a #32 ranking and a +1 strength score after selecting #1 overall is tempered by the fact that I more or less wrote as much in very public forums around the net. I did not like our draft at all. I would have selected different players in almost every slot. Saffold and Gilyard are the only two picks I am willing to bet on.

The video blogger on Fox Sports stated openly that he hated our draft and didn't think Devaney was anything resembling a quality-personnel man. He mocks the fact that we are drafting based on a need for asses in the seats rather than solid architectural logic. He said the coaching staff is bad. I disagree with his assessment of Spags, but it goes double for Pat Shurmur, a dude who would have been fired months ago under my administration. Schein calls it out: We've made a lot of bad decisions... Most recently in the 2010 draft.

The sting of this criticism from a Patriot fanboy is tempered by the fact that I said as much (or worse) in very public forums around the Internet. This Patriot fanboy was basically seconding my motion in his video blog. Don't forget the dynastanalingus whilst you do that, Schein. Actually it is a dead dynasty so call it necro-dynastanalingus.

I wrote, in these very pages, that we are drifting, nearly rudderless. The current plan is a poor plan, and we will have to wait a couple of years for the house of cards to collapse. Perhaps Kroenke will make positive changes in the near future (meaning a year or two).

I'm going to state it concisely one more time: lacking a line, a healthy running back, and a wide receiver corp, a man would have to be a fool to draft a frail quarterback #1 and pay him the sum of $80 million, $50 million guarenteed. Is that a receiver corp you've got there, or a witness protection program. He looks a lot more like Donnie Brasco than Donnie Avery. Don't look now, but we don't have Sam Bradford under contract just yet either. I don't like that... I'm just saying... I don't like that.

One other point I want to clear up: I know for a fact that the Rams organization knew that Steven Jackson had either had or would soon have spinal surgery as they made their decision to select Sam Bradford. They may choose to down-play that surgery, but I know they know. They knew the whole cover-story ("Steven Jackson is Sam Bradford's security banket") was utter bullshit even as they uttered it off-the-record, so it could be repeated 100 times on the NFL Network.

I know they know that there is a high-probability that they will throw Sam Bradford head-first into the shark-tank, naked, sink or swim style. When I say naked, I mean without line, receivers, and a healthy running back.

I reasoned with several different (knowledgeable) Oklahoma fans online about this very point. They dearly wanted Bradford to be the #1 pick, even ahead of Gerald McCoy. I warned them that his chances for a good start with the Rams (nay even a good career) were slim. They seemed aware of all the drawbacks of our current roster. They simply regarded it as part and parcel of being the #1 pick. The #1 picks always go to a bad team. That's just the way it is. They felt Sam was good enough to survive and turn things around.

Now they don't seem so sure. Read some articles in the Tulsa newspaper, if you want samples.

Update:

So I have not been watching a lot of the NFL Network or ESPN lately (it is the deep off season) and I just accidentally stumbled upon this video online. Have a look folks. It does not look good. The NFL Network is doing the 32 teams in 32 days routine, and guess who leads off in the 32nd position? You got it: The St. Louis Rams.

Remember the NFL Network has a promotional function. Their purpose is to promote interest in the upcoming 2010 campaign, even in St. Louis. There was not much the gang could say about my Rams. My main man Jamie Dukes tried to put it as gently as he could: "Who is the guy helping Sam Bradford in St. Louis. We know he's a talented kid. You need to do something to surround him with talent."

Believe me, he could have hit the ball much harder than that during baseball season. He hit a polite 1st base ground ball when he could have hit a 560 foot tape-measure home run.

All the homers in St. Louis tore me a new one when I critiqued our dastardly off-season moves. They use terms like 'negativity' and 'pessimism' and 'doom and gloom'. These are the same folks who think Hank Fraley is going to save our offensive line.

No. It's called looking in the mirror and starring reality in the face. Sometimes the truth hurts, but the truth is never bad. It's always the truth.

About Sam Bradford, the young man, not the draft decision

So they had just a bit of footage from the Rams' OTAs last night on NFL Total Access. The focus was on the question "Why is Sam working out with the 2nd string right now?"

It was false drama by the media. All of us know why. The team is trying to pretend they aren't going to throw him head first into the shark tank immediately... sink or swim. We all know the truth is a little bit different. Jason La Canfora said as much, but he put a tad bit of spin on it, saying something along the lines of:

"They're taking it one step at a time. They want him to feel that he's earning it. Everyone expects him to be the starter by the time the games start counting. They describe his workouts as 'awesome.'"

Setting aside all my disputes with Devaney's judgement and draft strategy, which are numerous, what do I think of Sam Bradford, the player, the guy in a Ram helmet, right now?

He looks pretty good in a Ram uniform. He's not the skinny as a rail kid he was a few years ago during the BCS championship game. His throwing motion looks a lot faster as well. He always had a nice fluid throwing motion, reminiscent of Jim Plunkett at his best, but I don't recall his motion being quite this snappy before. Maybe he's self consciously trying to decrease his release time. Maybe his release has gotten faster as a result of the muscle weight and strength increase. I don't know.

We all know a quick release is good. Dan Marino, John Elway and Brett Favre had the three fastest releases I've ever seen in my life. Some say Elway was the fastest. Some say Marino was the fastest. It doesn't really matter now. They are both in the Hall of Fame, and they are both legendary figures of football folklore.

I would really appreciate it if our friends at the NFL Network or ESPN would put the super-high-speed cameras on his motion, and get out the laser speedometers, and clock Sam's throwing motion. Somebody probably already did that during the draft, but I did not see any results published. Also, I would like to see how Sam's new and faster release compares to Elway, Favre and Marino's.

Maybe I am a stupid homer, but it looks to me like his release time just might be down there in the lower milisecond regions, where the aforementioned great-ones dwell.

If so, this bodes extremely well for my Rams. I know for a fact that a slow-release doesn't kill you in the NFL. Many HOF QBs had slower releases. However, I know for a fact that a quick release does help. It's a positive. It's just like having quick feet. It's a good talent to have, if you've got it. Not absolutely mandatory, but it is to your advantage.

I think it has more to do with a QB's instant reaction to a situation than surprising defensive backs. I still don't believe NFL Corners can read the QB's throwing motion and react as quickly as they say they can. One thing we have to remember: defenders are always full of bravado and bullshit. This is true of Nose Tackles also. Defenders claim they can do all sorts of things they cannot do. You might call it "talking shit" but it's more like "believing shit."

Each time I see the kid on film, and I've only seen about 5 minutes of practice film, he looks very good. He looks better than most QBs I've seen practicing in these OTAs. Maybe it's just because he's deadly serious, and others are taking it easy. If so, there's nothing wrong with that picture. Can't complain about that.

Honestly, we can't tell until the regular season strikes, but so far he looks good. You know I am hoping and praying I am wrong about his career. Nobody will be happier than I will be if I turn out to be wrong here. The problem is the percentages are not good.

Everybody else seems extremely bullish about Sam Bradford. Just two days ago, I watched a couple of old episodes of Path to the Draft and Draft Recap. They said some terribly flattering things about Sam. Our two GMs, Michael Lombardy and Charlie Casserly, were very high on Bradford.

Casserly, in particular, said remarkable things. Just what did he say?

• "Bradford is one of the best QB prospects I have scouted in the past 10 years"
• "If I was a Ram fan I wouldn't question this selection. I would take heart and be excited about this choice. You're getting a great quarterback."
• "Bradford is the best player in this draft. He is the number one athlete, and he is going to be the #1 pick by the Rams."

When scientifically comparing the QB prospects from 2009, 2010, and 2011, several of the commentators on draft-recap believed Bradford is the best of the breed. This was particularly clear in Casserly's case. He favored Bradford's accuracy over Stafford's raw arm strength. He favored both over Jake Locker, who he seems to view as non-No.1 absolute. Mike Mayock seems to favor Stafford based on his 'generational arm', or arm strength alone.

[The logic of Mike Mayock's argument is not particularly sound. You never favor a dude on arm strength alone. If so, JaMarcus Russell would actually be a quarterback, and not an unemployed civilian. I should also caution you with the fact that Cassely doesn't think Tebow is a natural passer who can read coverage. That is bizarre notion, as Tebow is the NCAA's most efficient passer ever, even over our own Sam Bradford.]

All of these glorious statements can be challenged by a skeptic. Follow some of these statements to their logical implications. If any of this is true, do you know what it means? It means that Bradford ranks along side of guys like Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler, etc." Do you think that's right? I'm just asking. I don't know the answer yet.

We should caution with the following fact: Casserly also said Ben Roethlisberger had to be preferred over Sam Bradford. This was based on concrete achievement. Don't forget the Steelers were prepared to trade Roethlisberger and sweeteners for our Bradford. That's based on disgrace.

If these statements are true, Bradford is a better athlete than Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy. Do you believe that is true? I'm just asking. I don't know the answer yet. I find that difficult to believe. Let's remember, Mike Mayock kicked off the draft season by saying that this was a bad QB year, and two men stood head and shoulders above the field: Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy. Somehow he changed his tune with the "Franchise Quarterback trumps alls" motif.

If just some of these statements are mostly true, this would strongly imply that my Rams just got away with the best QB prospect in the past 3 years. We'll also have a better one than will be available next season. He'll also be 1 year ahead of Jake Locker in experience during 2011.

One fact cannot be disputed: We are not well setup to receive a young man who has had injury problems at the quarterback position.

1. We had a bad line that gave up 44 sacks last season
2. We jettisoned two bad starters in Icognito and Barron. This is good, but...
3. We are rejiggering the line, switching a Right Tackle Sophomore to left, and a freshman Left Tackle to Right.
4. We're plugin in our reserve tackle Adam Goldberg at right guard.
5. We don't have terrific receiver threats. They are better than some think, but worse than the homers would have you believe.
6. Steven Jackson is coming off back surgery. The presumed security blanket may not be there.
7. Steven Jackson has no competent backup.
8. We do not have a running back committee, as we should have.
9. This cannot be remedied by signing Michael Westbrook, presuming he will sign with us, which is a big "IF".
10. We're running the WCO, which is an outdated and outmoded offense; a scheme that has been systematically defeated by the Belichick Box.
11. We've got Pat Shurmer as our OC... Nuff'said.
12. Whatever else you want to say about it, durability is the paramount issue. You can have fantastic size, strength, speed, lightning fast release, laser-guided accuracy, a brilliant mind, etc. If your body breaks down, your career goes up in smoke. My worst fear is that Sam lacks the physical durability necessary to make all of his other gifts work for him in the NFL.

All of these are great obstacles Sam is going to have to overcome. I hope he does so, for all our sakes.

I hope this is the turn of the tide. I hope we have a deadly franchise QB. I hope we have the next QB everybody will be raving about. I hope he triggers the establishment of a new dynasty and 10 years of glorious winning. I hope he's the QB every wide receiver wants to play for, just as Kurt Warner was in the early stages of this decade.

There is a lot to love about this kid. I just hope we are not responsible for destroying this young man with bad draft decisions, bad coaching, and bad personnel misses. One of the things that pisses me off is that Devaney took this kid, and then passed on coaches and tools that would make him successful. That has to change really damn quick.

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.

Final thoughts about the big four QBs in this draft

I heard Michael Lombardi denigrating Colt McCoy on a recent post-mortem edition of Path to the Draft. He seemed to think McCoy didn't have the ability to be NFL Quarterback. In particular his arm strength and accuracy just weren't great enough to be quality starter in the NFL.

Now doesn't that just beat all? I thought Lombardi was Mr. 49er. He studied at the footstool of Bill Walsh right? I though Joe Montana and Bill Walsh proved (together) that a QB with a 5 out of 10 in terms of athletic ability could be a 9.5 out of 10 as an NFL QB. Now Colt will study under Mike Holmgren, the premier QB developer in the league (the greatest student of Walsh), and Lombardi doesn't think Colt will make it? That did not compute.

Let me be the first to say it: Colt is going to do just fine in Cleveland. The people there are going to love him.

On the other hand, Lombardi, and everybody else, seems to think Clausen can be the A.P. Offensive Rookie of the year. I am not going to rehash my case against Clausen. I will simply say this: If Clausen turns out to be any kind of good NFL QB, I will walk on my surgically repaired & arthritic knees to Ravenna Italy. The women are beautiful there, I am told.

Learning to live with risk

Those reading this blog know I was never on board with the selection of Sam Bradford. I was against it all the way. To the very last instant, I was hoping for a trade announcement. Why so negative?

I felt drafting any QB #1 overall is an outrageous risk. Moreover, the natural risk is exacerbated by how poorly setup the Rams are to receive a fragile rookie QB. Our risk factors are higher than average, and average is pretty damn high already.

More specifically, I believed Sam would face the same fate as Marc did before him. Marc wasn't a bad guy. As I have said many times, we killed Marc Bulger. We let his OL dwindle to shit. We let his receiver corp dwindle to shit. Last year, we put Marc together with the worst offensive coordinator I have ever seen: Pat Shurmer. Now we are going to stick Sam Bradford in almost exactly that same shit.

Now does that sound like a good idea...?

And we are going to do so at the cost of $80 million. This is half an offshore oil drilling rig. This is the price of a modest Hollywood blockbuster. This will officially make Sam Bradford the highest paid Ram in history.

I used to laugh at teams who selected QBs #1 overall. A team fresh off of disaster elects a QB as their savior. A downtrodden fan base anoints this kid as the savior. Everyone hopes this will be the key player who is the linchpin of the next dynasty. They never seem to realize how seldom this works out in the end. The probability table is downright ugly.

If the kid will sign and play for you--which isn't always--he often gets hurt, or isn't good enough, or looses his confidence, or isn't serious enough to succeed. It will be the medical in Sam's case, if he doesn't pan out. When they don't go bust, the often turn into serviceable QBs who don't do much of anything spectacular. Look at Carson Palmer. Although he was selected #2 overall, look at Donovan McNabb. I always thought these poorboy franchises were foolish for going this route.

And now we have done it.

I spelled out the real risks in crass anatomical detail. I published them in high-traffic websites. I did everything possible to make this pick as uncomfortable as possible for Devaney. I was stone-cold ignored. He went and did anyway. When the pick came, it was like a wedding day celebration on national TV. It was clearly a joyous occasion for this administration. My heart was strangely warmed by this celebration. I was glad to see them make this pick with solid confidence. It gave me a very small modicum of confidence. 7 micrograms worth to be specific. Now what if they are fools?

Well, we did get one lineman and one receiver for him. I guess that's cold comfort.

The organization has taken a risk I have never witnessed in my lifetime. In 30 years of being a Ram fan, I have never seen the Rams do this. The last time we took a QB in the 1st round the year was 1964. This was something like 9 months before I would be conceived. We drafted Bill Munson from Utah State. He was not the absolute #1 either. That bust-o-matic bustola cured us. We would not take such a risk again for 46 years.

They stone-cold ignored me in several years when I wanted to take a Quarterback. I launched the "Draft Trent Dilfer" campaign at UCLA in 1994. The Rams gave me the middle finger. We fucked up. We stayed down low and selected Wayne Gandy from Alburn. He was a bust for us and the Steelers. Trent was a bust for the Bucs. He had to go elsewhere to succeed. I still contend that both Trent and the Rams would have had a much better time together than apart. We suffered without a QB for 5 years.

I was totally against Tony Banks and we saw what a tremendous bust he turned out to be. The only reason we don't mention him in the top 10 is because he was a 2nd round draft pick. This guy broke all records for fumbles and interceptions. He made Jake Del Homme look like a careful guy. The second we fired him, we won the Super Bowl. The second the Ravens fired Tony Banks (the very next year) they succeed us as World Champions.

Now when two teams that were struggling with you fire you and then immediately win the Super Bowl... in back-to-back years... Trent Dilfer succeed Banks in Baltimore. Don't you think we should have taken Dilfer instead of Banks in the 1990's?

FUCK!!!!

I hardly raised an eyebrow over the Trent Green acquisition. You never take a flier on somebody else's backup QB. Kansas City refuses to learn their lesson. Montana, Bono, Grbac, Green, Castle... they just keep doing it over and over again. Seattle will fair no better this season. Mark my words: Whitehurst is a stop gap insurance policy. Next year they are going to make a big move on Jake Locker. You never take a flier on somebody else's backup QB. This is why I was not big on the Trent Green trade.

In all fairness, Trent Green did show up big time for us in 2000. He was the NFL's highest rated passer that year. We immediately traded him. That was a mistake. I would still like to hire him as our offensive coordinator--if they won't hire Mike Leach--and sack Pat Shurmer.

I am usually not wrong about these Quarterback things. I have an instinct for it. I hate being right all the time. I am very hopeful that I am wrong about Sam and our organization... this time. However, I doubt it.

Devaney aught to know his ass is on the line. Spagnuolo is also on the line. If this doesn't work out, they are both dead meat. If it works, they are both geniuses, and everybody knew it all along.

I remember the scene when Governor Tarkin turns to Darth Vadar and says "This is an awful risk you're taking, Vadar." Vadar allowed the Millennium Falcon to escape with plans of the Death Star, knowing the the Rebs would take it to their main rebel base immediately. He planed to track them and destroy that rebel base-planet with the Death Star.

Let's just say it didn't work out. They blew the Death Star with a real bad call on that one.

Just picture me turning to Billy Devaney as Tarkin turned to Vadar and saying "This is an awful risk you're taking, Devaney."

Random thoughts after the Draft.

Here we are 72 hours removed from the 2010 draft. Has my mood lightened? Has my assessment of the situation improved? Do I think we earned a B-grade as many experts seem to say?

The short answers to those three questions are: (1) Not much, (2) yes, (3) no. I'll unpack those answers just a bit.

My mood has not lightened, as regards the Rams in 2010. I think we tally 2 or 3 victories in 2010. We may be much improved, but we will still draft #2 or #3 this time next year. We're not going to pull a magic turn around. Further, there will be no particularly strong units on our football team. None of the several units will be exceptional... unless we sign Alan Faneca. Then the offensive line can be exceptional. More about this later.

If we can finish the season with Sam Bradford moderately healthy, that will be the moral victory of 2010. In 2009 the Detroit Lions drafted Matt Stafford #1 and gave him a record breaking contract. They waited a couple of games, then threw him head-long into the shark tank, sink-or-swim style. He did pretty well, but he had crap-ass protection. Oh, ghee! I forgot the 3 or 4 human sieves on the offensive line. How could I do such a thing? Matt needed two (2) surgeries at the start of 2010. The orthopedic specialist sliced his shoulder and his knee.

Anytime your quarterback undergoes 2 surgeries, you know you are suffering from crappy protection. Nuff'said.

This exact storyline could play out with Sam Bradford in 2010. If it does, 2010 is a catastrophe. I am beginning to get a little optimistic about our O-Line, but don't take that statement too far.

We flushed the toilet on Incognito last season. We appear ready to pull the chain on the commode vis-a-vis Alex Barron. If we do, the two biggest malefactors on our offensive line will be gone at the start of 2010. That, in itself, is a serious upgrade. That is addition by subtraction.

But wait! It gets better. We drafted Rodger Safford, a quality guy from Indiana. I've done some investigation over the past 72 hours, and he comes highly recommended. The Indiana press considers him one of the finest products their football team has ever produced. Several Big-10 products (including my step dad and a Michigan guy here at work) have no idea why Rodger wasn't ranked as the top tackle in the draft. Now when a Buckeye and Wolverine can can agree that Hoosier is the best tackle in the draft... Jesus... cats and dogs living together in sin.

Saffold had a 1st round grade from most teams. The Packers were planning to take in him their 1st round pick. They never expected Bulaga to be there. Saffold fell down the board to us. As you know, we saw some action on the #33 pick. The teams that were dealing with us for that #33 pick wanted to draft Saffold. We took him. Nice! Hopefully he will lock down that right tackle position which has been a serious problem for us since 1994. You can argue we've had problems with that ROT position ever since Jackie Slater began to break down in 1993. That's 17 years without a solid incumbent.

The line is still not solid yet. I don't like our guards. I've talked about Jacob Bell many times before. Goldberg is basically our utility backup. However, Alan Faneca just got released by the Jets. Clearly, we should get him. Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Brian Price, Dan Williams and guy named Albert Haynesworth are all on our schedule this season. Any one of those guys can airmail Sam Bradford back to Dr. James R. Andrews. I would feel a lot better with Alan Faneca blocking one or all of them. I am sure Sam would too.

If you smash Albert Haynesworth with Brown and Faneca, we can handle him. Same thing for Dan Williams. Suh is a greater problem. They will square him against Jacob Bell rather than Faneca. Bell and Brown might be able to handle him... or maybe not.

The Tampa game is the true danger-match. If you ask me to predict when Sam Bradford suffers his season ending injury in 2010, the answer is: October 24, 2010 Raymond James Stadium. That is week 7 of the 2010 NFL season. Mr. Devaney: If you don't want to see this happen, sign Alan Faneca. Don't haggle about money. Just pick up his contract as-is.

If you trash Incognito, draft Saffold, sign Faneca, and trash Barron, the result is a night-vs-day comparison. That is like darkness at the bottom of 4 mile deep mineshaft vs. the sunshine of at noon in the Sahara desert. That's a transforming upgrade. We could have a very good line at that point. There is no comparison between Faneca and Icognito. This is the difference between a future Hall of Famer and a bum who taunts officials before game winning field goals. I doubt there is any comparison between Smith and Barron either. This is the difference between a stupid guy and kid who did graduate work before his athletic eligibility ran out.

But we still have no receivers... Many have commented that a young quarterback needs receivers like a babby needs his mother's breast milk. If they don't get it, they grow-up stunted, and runted, developmentally retarded for life.

This brings me to my point of greatest anger with Billy Devaney. Most of the NFL Illuminati were shocked that Devaney did not select a WR at round #2 and/or #3. Many suspected we would select WRs in one or both slots. Instead we took Saffold, which is perfectly understandable. No criticism there. We all accept that as a wise choice. You have to protect the franchise.

Then we take a fucking CB! No offense to Jerome Murphy of South Florida, but this selection just isn't the remedy for the aliment. He can turn out to be a Hall of Famer, and he still won't be the remedy to our aliment. Just as you wouldn't prescribe menstrual cream for a 60 year old man with cancer, you don't take a corner when you need receivers. This is the wrong answer.

We wait until round 4 to select Mardy Gilyard. After that we get absolutely nothing, and I do mean absolutely nothing. A basketball forward is not a tight end. A blocking tight end is not a receiver threat. Forget about those choices.

According to several pieces by Bernie Miklasz, HC Steve Spagnuolo wanted to balance the selection of Bradford with several defensive picks. Don't forget the defense, Spagnuolo cautioned. When challenged on his lack of receivers and highly questionable tight end selections, Devaney said something to the effect of "Ghee, I though our receivers were pretty good."

If Bernie is reporting Devaney accurately, that statement is a very bad sign. I mean it is a bad, bad sign. Bad with a capital BAD. I mean we're in a lot of trouble. If our GM's perception is that far off the market, we are going to have a long ugly season in 2010.

So here we come to the focal point of the maelstrom. This is where I have to land some blows. This is where I would have done things utterly differently. Given the first two picks as fait accompli, I would have done the following:

1. At pick 65, top of the 3rd round, I would have selected Damian Williams of USC. As the 56th ranked talent on the board, he would have been a high-value at 65. He would have also filled a need. Dezmond Briscoe would have been a figure I was looking at here also.
2. In the fourth round I probably would not have selected Mardy Gilyard. No offense to Mardy. I am glad we have him now, but I would have been looking for a tight end. Dorin Dickerson of Pitt, and Dennis Pitta of BYU are the guys I would have chosen between here. In all honesty, I am not sure which way I would have gone at this split instant. Since he is a poorman's Dallas Clark, I probably would have taken Pitta
3. In the 5th I would have taken Dorin Dickerson of Pitt. I would have been stunned that he was still on the board. At 6-4 and 226 and 4.4 speed, we'e talking about the Brandon Marshall of this draft class. At worst he is the new Shannon Sharpe. I'll take that any day. This is the missing player I am most sore about. If you want to know why I am pissed, just think Dorin Dickerson. I know Dickerson was taken in the 7th round, and I know I would have reached here, but I just trying to be honest with you. I would have taken him here.
4. In the 6th round I would have taken Kansas's Dezmond Briscoe. I would have been stunned that he was still here. I would have considered him and even taken him in the 4th.

From that point on I would have been selecting offensive linemen.

So there you have it folks. Receivers, receivers and more receivers. That's what I would have taken. Here is my reasoning:

1. Having taken leave of our senses and passing on Suh for Bradford, we have now sunk the #1 pick in a frail QB. Only a fool would do this, but we did it. The deal is done and done.
2. We are going to have to invest something like $80 million to sign Bradford This is the price of a modest Hollywood epic, or the price of half an off-shore oil platform. This will officially make Sam Bradford the highest paid Ram in Rams history.
3. Having invested the #1 pick and $80 in a QB, I am not on the hook to give him every weapon necessary for him to be successful. If he fails, my tally-wacker is going sliced-fine, just like salami.
4. Ergo, I will take Rodger Saffold, a host of receiver candidates, and sign Alan Faneca.
5. At this point, we will have some prayer of putting together some 20+ point games.
6. Spagnulo and the DC just have to accept the fact that we took a QB this year and have to make him successful. This means forsaking the defense in the 2010 draft.
7. Make it clear to Spagnuolo & the DC that they will not be held accountable for defensive breakdowns in 2010. Make it clear that they will get a pass in 2010. We know we forsook the defense in the draft.

The Percocet Theory

This is going to be one of those days when I am glad that few people read my blog. I am going to do some fairly heavy speculating, but it is all coherent speculations, and not without foundations in medical fact.

I am going to tell you precisely what I was thinking as Jimmy Clausen slid down the board for 1.5 rounds. As we now know, he went dead-middle of the 1st round: Pick 48. Why?

I participate in a number of social networks related to sports. Some of them are more cordial and formal than others. Some are downright nasty, with high school and college kids throwing hand grenades at each other. Explosive allegations were made against Clausen one of the 'hand grenade' boards. Specifically, several guys who claimed to be from Notre Dame, and who claimed to have had negative run-ins with Clausen, declared that he was a Percocet freak.

They usually brought this up whenever Notre Dame hommers praised Clausen for playing injured all season long through his Junior year.

The allegations were clear: A Narcotic painkiller known for being addictive and having negative psychological side effects was responsible for Clausen's ability to practice and play with two torn ligaments in his big toe. The negative side-effects of Oxycodon, the synthetic narcotic in Percocet, are the reason he is considered cocky, pompus, arrogant, and a bad teammate.

I brushed it off, at first, disregarding the claim as a low-blow. I presumed they had an ax to grind with him. Perhaps Clausen got the girl at the party, and these guys were pissed off and jealous.

Well, I did a bit of investigation, and what I found out tweaked my curiosity. Clausen claims that his doctors prescribed Torodol for him. He claimed he had to take a Torodol pill each day before practice just to be able to practice. If so he would be dead or in the hospital right now, recovering from a sleeve gastrectomy and the shortening of his intestines.

Also, it would not have killed the pain in his toe.

I know a little something about Torodol. My doctor prescribed it for me twice. Torodol, better known as Ketorolac, is an extremely powerful NSAID. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. Consider it super-Naproxen. It has great power to reduce inflammation, and very limited ability to kill pain.

It also rots the stomach lining and eats your intestines. My two bottles of Torodol came with stern written warnings from the doctor, the pharmacist, and the pamphlet not to stay on the drug for more than 5 days at a time. They warned of increasing intestinal upset after use of the drug. The warnings were true. I got nauseated around day 3. I started suffering heart burn continuously. I stopped taking it early.

This was not an allergic reaction. This was the expected side-effect of the drug.

I knew Clausen's claim was bullshit immediately. Further, I knew that orthopedic surgeons don't prescribe Torodol without also prescribing a narcotic pain killer to go with it. Torodol doesn't really kill pain. The dirty little secret that the medical establishment keeps in the closet is that only narcotics kill pain. Only the stuff that grows in Poppies can stop your pain receptors from firing signals to the brain.

My doctor prescribed Vicodin first, and when that didn't work, he upped it to Norco. I learned all about painkillers at this time in my life. Two knee surgeries will do that to you.

Vicodin and Norco are based on the same chemical agents, and they are different from Percocet. Vicodin and Norco are based on Hydrocodone. This is the least addictive narcotic pain killer currently known to medicine, but it is still addictive. Brett Favre had a problem with this agent. Hydrocodone is rated at half the power of Morphine, unit for unit.

Percocet is based on Oxycodone. It is a lot more addictive that Hydrocodone. Many people have addiction problems with Oxycodone. It is called 'hillbilly heroin' because of its tremendous popularity in the Appalachian mountain region. There were alegations that Mike Vick had a problem with Oxycodone before he was shipped off to Fort Leavenworth Kansas. Oxycodone is also rated at half the power of Morphine, unit for unit.

Vicodin, Norco & Percocet all have varying amounts of Paracetamol in them, but that is of little importance.

The important difference between Oxycodone and Hydrocodone is this: More thebaine vs. less. Thebaine is one of three primary chemicals found in Opium Poppies that are useful to Orthopedic surgeons. The others are Morphine and Codeine. Unlike Morphine and Codeine, doctors never prescribe thebaine directly for patients. However, it is on the controlled substance list of the FDA.

Why is thebaine controlled? Because thebaine is chemically similar to Morphine and Codeine, and it can be chemically synthesized into all manner of narcotics, if you know how. One of those synthetic narcotics is Oxycodone. Some thebaine is also required to manufacture Hydrocodone, but not nearly as much.

Thebaine is a curious chemical. It is a powerful stimulant. It will cause strychnine-like convulsions at higher doses. This is the only member of the opiate family that is s stimulant. All the rest are depressants, and mildly hypnotic. All other narcotics suppress your cardiovascular system, and they make your drowsy. Thebaine does not. Neither does Oxycodone.

If you are an athlete or mind-worker in pain, Hydrocodone may kill the pain, but it messes up your work schedule. Oxycodone does not. Rather, it kills the pain and kick-starts your ass at the same time. You can understand why football players would consider it fantastic.

Like all narcotics, Oxycodone tweaks the Mu receptors on your neurons... unless you are narcotic resistant like me. I have the rare mutant Mu-Beta receptors. Tweaking the standard Mu receptors blocks pain and triggers a big release of Serotonin from the brain. That makes you feel fantastic; on-top of the world. The serotonin, the pain-free state, and the stimulant makes you want to go out and do battle.

This is why it is frequently prescribed for those dying of cancer. It helps them avoid becoming bed-ridden shut-ins for as long as possible.

I myself have never experienced the Serotonin rush from narcotics. It's all my doctors can do to keep the pain down. I am a narcotic resistant guy by genetic endowment. Only 3% of the world is like me, though. Almost everybody I know, reports feeling absolutely incredible after taking Norco. I just transition from a state of greater pain to lesser pain, and that is all. That is good, but it is not pure bliss. Others experience pure bliss.

97% of human beings feel super-human, even god-like if they take enough of it. Delusions of godhood and extreme cockiness are side-effects of a good dose of Oxycodone. Rush Limbaugh manifested extreme cockiness before he went away for rehab. Same thing was true for Mike Vick.

That brings us back to Clausen.

Suppose you have a turf toe with a couple of torn tendons. You can't take Torodol for long. It will rot your intestines, and it won't really kill the pain either. A friendly and helpful Notre Dame doctor gives you a prescription for Percocet, knowing it won't hurt, but indeed help your performance. It's good. It works. You like it. You can practice and play like a million bucks.

You have to come out of it sooner or later. It's hard, but you do it.

Unfortunately, the NFL has it's own version of the Black Water Security consultants. They can find out anything. They find out about the Percocet from websites where kids throw grenades. They investigate. They find out it's true. The NFL knows you used Percocet for an entire season. They know that would explain the cocky arrogance. This information is released to the 32 NFL teams under an NDA.

Nobody wants a drug problem at the Quarterback position. Just the off-chance that you may have a tendency to like Oxycodone is cause for concern.

Suppose, in the first place, that the candidate is not really as good as Mel Kiper Jr says he is. Suppose he might come bundled with the Oxycodone baggage.

That's enough for mildly interested parties to become totally hands-off. I think that is what happened during the 2010 draft.