Ram Rumors are flying. Let's untangle fact and fiction

Four significant pieces have been published in the past 24 hours outlining some spectacular Ram-Rumors.  The jist of these pieces are as follows.

• Apparently, Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney await the gallows.  Their fate is sealed.
• Jon Gruden has decided to return to coaching in 2012
• This would apparently void his 5 year contract with Monday Night Football
• The Rams mean to get him
• Should the Chargers fire their GM, A.J. Smith, Stan Kroenke intends to make him GM of the Rams.
• According to the bullshit, A.J. Smith has the wherewithal/clout to bring Gruden into the organization
• Some Ram fans are sweating the fear that Gruden would dump Sam Bradford, and want to roll with Andrew Luck

First, let's temper all these scrambled eggs with some facts:

1. Most hope/believe that Spagnuolo and Devaney await the gallows.  I am gunning for the second name, not the first, but I accept the fact that they rise and fall together.
2. Stan has said nothing.  That's why they call him Silent Stan.  We all hope he will do the deed.
3. I am going to peel back-flips and celebrate overindulgently if we nail Jon Gruden.  I fully endorse & support this move.  I love it.
4. Jon Gruden has said nothing.
5. ESPN claims Jon Gruden is fully committed to Monday Night Football.
6. If Stan tries to hire A.J. Smith, I will fly to St. Louis with a .460 Weatherby Magnum sniper rifle and make sure he never enters the building alive.  In all seriousness, I can hardly think of a worse candidate for the job.  This is absolutely not the man for the job.
7. The notion that A.J. Smith has the wherewithal/clout to deliver Jon Gruden is spectacularly fictitious bullshit.  I will continue to say this until someone shows some proof of a connection.  I know of no connection, direct or indirect, between A.J. Smith and Jon Gruden.  
8. Jon has never voiced any love for this guy.  I don't know why he would.  I certainly wouldn't. Would you?  Of course not!  You would never do a thing like that.  Neither would I.
9. Why does anyone think A.J. Smith, a guy whose stock is about to be delisted on the Dow Jones, has the clout to deliver Jon Gruden?
10. Kevin Demof is the guy with the most likely open-connection to Jon Gruden.  He worked with Gruden in Tampa Bay during their championship run.  Demoff is vastly more likely than A.J. Smith to deliver Jon Gruden.  Further, using this connection could be the move that saves Demoff's neck.
11. Most writers have correctly slapped down rumors that Gruden would dump Sam Bradford.  This is utterly baseless.  He hasn't even accepted the job.  This is just pure fear.  Gruden worked with Sam during his QB camp two years ago, and said tremendously flattering things about him... aside from declaring him the world's worst slider.  There are presently no reasons to believe Gruden would dump Bradford.

Anyhow... here are those pieces for your consideration:

• Business Insider
• ESPN NFC West Blog
• NBC Pro Football Talk
• Bleacher Report

I would feel much better about the whole thing if the rumors said "Dick Vermeil declared Team President, and presently negotiating for Jon Gruden's services."

Can somebody please start that rumor?  That would be good.

One very nice footnote to report:  Highly-esteemed Sports Illustrated writer Peter King declared that the Ram-jobs could be the most desirable and best landing spots for candidates during the 2012 hiring cycle.  Why?

1. Sam Bradford
2. The #1 absolute pick in the 2012 draft
3. The greatest projected cap room of any NFL franchise come 2013.

All the more reason to reach #5 and select A.J. Green

Just a quick thought before I run out the door to work

If you watched the Schedule Release show on the NFL Network last night, you know that Rich Eisen tapped Kurt Warner on the shoulder, designating him the messenger with bad news for all Ram fans. Just what is that bad news?

We have what appears to be a very tough schedule, especially up front. Although my little brother from another mother described the end of the schedule as tough, he was just plain wrong about that. The end is very do-able. It is very tough up front, but relatively easy down the stretch.

Those first 8 games contain some zingers.

I will do a detailed breakdown of the schedule at a later time. I just want to make one point for GM Billy Devaney. We can scream and cry about having to face the last four (5?) world champions, or we can point a loaded shotgun at them. Now which do you want to do?

I will give you one undeniable fact that no one can avoid: We won't beat a single one of these teams unless we score more points than they do. I assure you, my logic is infallible. I challenge you to disprove that statement.

So how do we score more points than the Ravens, the Packers, the Saints, and the Steelers? We better make their defenses sweat. Believe me, I know this is no mean feat. How do you make the Raven, Packer and Steeler defenses sweat? I will guarantee you this: Without a major upgrade at the WR position we will never make them sweat. They will shutdown the guys we have and blitz the hell out of Sam.

I know you don't want that anymore than I do.

The solution set is clear: We need to get up that board and select A.J. Green. Putting Green in front of Bradford is the moral equivalent of pointing a 12 gauge shotgun at these defenses. Now we'll give them some problems. Now we'll give them something to worry about.

I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it again: Nailing a deadly receiver is the first and most important task that we have to accomplish in this 2011 Draft. A.J. is worth whatever he costs us. Getting A.J. is the first and best use of our ammo in this 2011 Draft.

I would be talking deal with the Cardinals furiously right now.

The Charger fans are choking and puking on Brees's Super Bowl ring

So, I just got back from lunch a few moments ago. Of course, I tuned into sports talk radio as I drove, I was interested in seeing what was up on this fine day. 570 AM was doing a review of the Super Bowl commercials. No need to listen to that. 710 AM had an NBA interview scheduled for this moment. No need to listen to that. I dialed in the Chargers' flagship station at 1090 AM, and I found the radio host in full-siege mode.

The host was under attack, and the stress level in his voice was palpable. Fans in San Diego are vomiting and retching and cursing the football gods with venom this morning. You see, they never should have let Drew Brees go. This was hilarious for me. In all my razor sharp focus on SB44 itself, I had never stopped to consider just what it might mean to San Diego if the Brees-lead Saints won the Lombardi. Life gives you these little surprises sometimes.

I would have thought the Charger fans might be satisfied with Philip Rivers. He is one of the top-ranked passers, and one of the most intellectual QBs in the game today. Without directly attacking Rivers, the fans insisted that they would have won the Super Bowl in 2006 if they had just kept Brees. They insisted that this proven winner would have gotten them a couple by now.

It is an interesting theory. Bress is a proven winner who resurrected both teams he has played for. But now the Charger fans are insisting that they are fans of a cursed franchise. They cannot win the Super Bowl so long as Norv Turner and A.J. Smith remain in command of this franchise. Kill them both! Kill them all! Off with their heads! So say the Charger fans. They seem convinced now that they let go of the key piece of their Super Bowl puzzle 4 years ago, and this is why they have choked ever since.

Nah, I just think they have had two choker coaches; that's all. Marty Schottenheimer is well know for his advanced expertise & doctrine of choking. Norv is getting to that level also; he will be there soon.

Maybe you should look for a better coach.