This barely-begun competition ain't going to make late August

Well... I am still a subscriber to Sports Illustrated. That's going to stop soon. I get a piece of bacon in my mailbox each morning which I usually flush right away. I took a look at it this morning due to the fact that we just had the hall of fame inductions this past Saturday.

What do I find? Don Banks has been in St. Louis recently. He doesn't want to go "I have seen the future of Rock N' Roll" on us now, but he does know what's going to happen in Ram camp. The quarterback dual between A.J. Feely and Sam Bradford, ain't going to make late August. By this, Banks obviously means that Sam Bradford will be declared the starting QB some time his week.

Folks, I have posted in highly-trafficked websites like BleacherReport.com many times regarding this subject. I warned everybody that the Rams were going to throw Sam Bradford head-first into the shark tank, naked as a Jay Bird. I declared that for the first time some 2 or 3 weeks immediately prior to the 2010 draft. I have continued to say the same thing since then.

Once again, I am correct. You won't get more accurate prognosticating anywhere. I am accuracy incarnated.

Whilst some conservative Ram fans have hoped that the establishment would have the good sense to keep him off the firing line for a few games--at least long enough to determine the offensive line can block Pop-Warner kids--I knew it would never happen. You don't take a kid #1, give him $50 million of guaranteed money to put him on the bench and get 0.000% impact out of him. The Rams are going to throw him in, even if it kills him.

Besides that, who else do they have? A.J. Feely? If this were a boxing match, we would call it a setup.

Don Banks makes it all sound so good. Everything is going great. Swimmingly, in fact. Very hopeful scenario. Bullets flying all over the place, dead in the hands, full stride, etc.

You just wait for that wet paper mache offensive line to give way and the injury to strike. Are you saying you don't trust the Rams offensive line, Dave? I don't trust them any further than I can throw them, and since they are all over 300 pounds, and there are 5 of them, I can't toss them very far at all.

Truth be told, you don't have the slightest reason to trust them either. When you say "the Rams line isn't all that bad", you are making a metaphysical declaration of faith. That statement is based on zero facts and fallacious reasoning.

1. The last three years, the Rams have a had a QB rotation by medical triage. The least wounded QB took the field. When he got more wounded, the next-least wounded guy went in to spell him.
2. All three Ram QBs finished 2009 beaten to a pulp. Bulger had a broken leg. Explain that one.
3. The Rams offensive line has given up more than 40 sacks per year each year and every year for 10 years straight. This is a passing league. Sam Bradford is a passer. This fact matters to Sam.
4. The Rams just flushed two starters from last season. Whilst they were bums and it was good to flush them, only one replacement was acquired: Rodger Safford, a guy with a back injury. It is lovely to shop at home for talent, but only if there is something in the refrigerator.
5. Given a rejiggered line, you have no idea whatsoever of what you have right now. You don't know if they are better or worse. You just hope they are better. Yet you have no logical or evidential reason to expect they will be better.
6. When challenged on this level, the minority of Ram fans who were desperate to draft Bradford, react very defensively. They site preposterous and arcane run-indexes that 'show' the Rams offensive line isn't that bad.
7. Their reasoning is absolutely fallacious. You cannot site run indexes to show that a line can pass protect. In the case of the Rams' line, you cannot site run indexes to prove anything at all. The Rams run because Steve Jackson is a powerful punisher who gets lots of yards all by himself, with little or no blocking
8. All apologies for the Rams offensive line must begin with the 40+ sacks every year for the past 10 years. They never do. Apologists for Devaney are forever avoiding this fact like the plague, understanding well that this is the absolute critical-flaw in the strategy.

Ergo sum, Sam Bradford is going to be thrown head-first into the Shark Tank, naked as a Jay Bird. Don't try to make it sound like it some kind of wonderful thing either. It is the immediate prelude to a season ending injury.

Before the draft was held, I pissed off Bradford-advocates by repeatedly posting fan-polls asking how many games Sam would start before suffering his season ending injury in 2010. The highest number you could select was 7. I stopped the count after 7. I set the over-under number at 3. I did all of this deliberately, and for good reason.

There ain't no way he's making it past 7 starts without suffering a bad one. It is more likely that the number will be 2-4. If you think I am wrong, you just make your case. I have made mine. We shall see who is right.

This is the reason I am dropping the NFL Super-Fan this year. I don't want to watch the travesty unfold.

Right now, I feel just a little bit like Winston Churchill during the time Neville Chamberlain was running the show. Whilst Devaney is announcing he has achieved peace in our time, I know it just 'taint so. Ad-meanwhile, little old lady Ram fans are approaching me on the street telling me they would put poison in my coffee.

Commentary on Billy Devaney's Natal Chart

Rising Sign is in 06 Degrees Cancer

My first impression is "that must be wrong". I would say that Devaney strikes me as a Capricorn. He is very stone faced and serious. I would place his birth time somewhere between 4:00 AM and 5:00AM. This would make his ascendant Capricorn. Interestingly enough, that birth time would keep the moon in Virgo. This would also match him with Sam Bradford's ascendant--at least given Bradford's theoretical birth time--accounting for some of the attraction there.

Sun is in 16 Degrees Pisces.

My first reaction to this was "awe crap!" Incidentally, that should be enunciated the way Hellboy says it. You don't know what this means to me. I know Pisces. My dear brother Ben and cousin Ana Julia are both pisces. My former business partner, now behind bars for insurance fraud (whom I will call John Z), is also a Pisces.

Whilst the Star Goddess will focus on drugs, alcohol, and music--all of which is true--you need to understand that these are morally grungy people. These are suspected purps. I say that with great agony in my heart. Understand I am saying this about family members and a guy I once counted as my best friend in life. I would describe two of them as serious alcoholics and one as a pretty serious drug user. All three have a thing for recreational drug use.

These are also world class concealers. They size you up before revealing anything about themselves. They keep a lot of secrets, and they keep them well. You won't suspect, and you will be shocked when you find out. John Z's family was utterly shocked the day the Treasury Department guys came and slapped the hand cuffs on him. I had no idea he had a fraudulent insurance firm on the side. He never once spoke of the insurance business. No bullshit. I was his alleged "best friend". Incidentally, the Treasury guys never once interviewed me in the case. They already knew, somehow, that I had no knowledge that could serve their ends. I still marvel at this.

It should also be noted that Pisces is diametrically opposed to Virgo, 180 degrees on the other side of 360 degree circle. This also happens to correspond to the 7th house in my (accurate) chart. This allegedly means that my wife is supposed to come from the Piscean clan. This is as good an explanation as any for why I have never married. No matter how much these depressed emotional bad girls may attract me, they are usually totally unacceptable as wife material. You just can't build a solid family with a Pisces as the mama. It is much better to roll with Capricorn or Cancer or Taurus... but none of these are in my 7th house.

Let me assure you, these people are not psychics. The women all think they are, and they all make disastrous decisions based on foolish hunches. These are the women who windup crying on the Oprah show. They will tell you about the night they were so certain, and how they were betrayed and abandoned...

Devaney sure did a nice job of publicly denying that he was going to draft Sam Bradford, long after he had revealed his plan to Adam Schefter and the NFL Network. This is a perfect example of the deceptive personality I am talking about. His ability to conceal may serve the Rams well as they prepare to relocate to Los Angeles.

Moon is in 04 Degrees Virgo.

Well, maybe this is the sign that saved Devaney. Interesting that his Moon is in opposition to his Sun. I guess that produces some balance. You would have to consult a more advanced fellow for better analysis. It is impossible for an executive type to roll without a little Virgo in his chart. You just won't be sharp enough. I guess this is where Devaney gets his modicum.

Mercury is in 19 Degrees Aquarius.

This is allegedly a smart-combo. Aquarius supposedly produces the greatest number of geniuses. Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison are a couple among many. You know what I think about geniuses. If you don't, refer back to my reviews of Splice and Sarah Polly's character.

Rather than being smart, Aquarius is simply "unchained", "unbound", and "off the hook". This is a radical sign. Some people confuse radicalism with intelligence. I never make that mistake. These are the folks who regard the 10 Commandments as 10 iron bars forming a prison around them, rather than 10 excellent safety devices on a car designed to get you to your destination alive and well. They do not understand--or will not understand--the adaptive quality of rules and regs. Law and tradition are not codified wisdom, in their view.

Geniuses are radicals. They need to think outside the box, or they won't revolutionize anything. What you don't understand--if you think they are smart--is that they frequently crash and burn, and they can unleash hell when they do. Aquarius is not as smart as you think.

This is as good an explanation as any I have seen for why Devaney would not respect the constraints the Rams' offensive line placed on his quarterback selection. After a couple of shots of whiskey, he probably said "Ah fuck it! Why am I constraining our choice this year based on a collection of linemen that will change in a year or two."

You want the answer? I'll give you the answer. Because the collection of linemen you have this year will ruin your QB selection's career... Right now in 2010. You're overlooking critical weaknesses just because you want to. That is stupid, not genius.

Venus is in 03 Degrees Aquarius.

This is another radical sign on the love planet. I don't like that at all. This doesn't say anything good about the man. I have no use for this sign on this planet at all.

Mars is in 06 Degrees Taurus.

"Careful, slow and thorough about all that you do, at times you are also willful and stubborn when others try to alter your course." And so the more I hit him, the more he wanted to draft Sam Bradford. 'Nuff said.

Jupiter is in 20 Degrees Cancer.

Well... you can refer to my chart for this analysis. We share this sign. Supposedly, anything he turns his hand to should grow and prosper. We shall see. Maybe he would be better in real estate and the food business.

Epilogue

So how do I describe what I am feeling after reading this chart... Nothing good. I doubt I will ever like the way Devaney makes his moves, or what he does in those moves. Comparing his chart to mine is interesting. There are reasons (Ascendant and Sun) why I initially had a positive reaction to the guy. He struck me as a somewhat familiar friend or family member initially, then I discovered some thing about him I just didn't like.

So you see, dear friends, I was quite correct in cashing in my chips. This was indeed the correct historical moment to dump my Ram-stock after 30 years. I'm not going to be able to like or tolerate the coming era. When you have an immutable stubborn-bull who gets emotionally attached to his psychic dreams of what the future might look like if only... You know you just can't reason with a guy like this. A logical and sober sensible argument will have no impact whatsoever. You cannot convince a guy like this of anything, at anytime, for any reason. You just have to wait for the bad plan to collapse of its own demerits, and then the ax will come out.

That is your cue that it is time to checkout. Cash in 'dem chips. Cut and run.

The Star Goddess

All right, so now it is time for the moment you have been waiting for! Let the real entertainment begin.

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 about face is radical...?

According to Steve Wyche of the NFL Network, there has been a radical about-face among Ram-fans. He says that prior to the draft the mere mention Sam Bradford drew ire and scorn from Ram-fans. Suh was the desired candidate. As we know, Devaney ignored these folks (like me) and went right ahead with his selection of Sam Bradford. Now, according to Wyche, Bradford is approaching folk-hero status before he has ever played a game.

Fuck... that sure is news to me... and I though I was a connected guy. The mood on Bleecher Report is still guarded and somber. VanRam soft-pedals deeply disturbing news regarding Rodger Saffold, Jason Smith, and Greg Bell. Even our backups like Setterstrom are out for the season right now. My apartment manager, who is a 40 year Ram-fan, looked me dead in the eye and asked "what the fuck are we going to do with a quarterback this year?"

He said that laughing, in a grim, gallows-humor sort of way. That sounds like a bizarre statement to most football fans, unless you understand what's happening with the Rams. If you know what's up, this is actually a funny inside-joke.

He knew that I knew. I knew that he knew. He knew that I knew that he knew. I knew that he knew that I knew. We know each other. We know we know.

I will tell the rest of you non Ram-fans the ancient Chinese secret, which is no secret. I will give you the sacred piece of divine wisdom we are missing. There is an ancient piece of Chinese wisdom which Devaney and the Rams are sorely lacking. It the key to our failure. This bit of wisdom was written down by the ancient philosopher Confucius sometime around 490 BC.

Are you ready for this? A rough translation into English goes like this: You need to put some concrete and steel in your basement before you attempt to build your 2nd floor firmly in mid-air.

The Rams were poorly setup to receive a highly accurate passer like Sam Bradford before the injury bug began to strike down our offensive line (yet again). Only stupid fuck-heads ignore Confucius. You would do well not to, Devaney. Yep, I'm talking to you.

Drafting a QB with basically no line in front of him, a surgically repaired running back, and receivers that can't scare very small baby hamsters is exactly like attempting to build the 2nd floor with no foundation or ground level. Sorry bitches, that's just the way it is.

The last time we won the Super Bowl, which was the first time we won the Super Bowl, the entire teams was ready before we discovered we had a QB. It's funny how we got lucky just when everything else was prepared perfectly for a stroke of luck. Kinda reminds me of the old saying, "the harder I work the luckier I get." Kurt Warner was setup for success. Given those dazzling weapons and a superb OC, it would have been difficult for Kurt not to fall into the pit of success.

I am very sorry to say this, but 10 years later the story is entirely different. We are trying to go in absolute reverse. We are starting with a premium grade QB and we have nothing else. We have a shitty line, shitty receivers, an absolute turd of an offensive coordinator, and a surgically repaired RB. Believe me, my blood runs cold as I say this, but poor Sam is not setup for success as Kurt Warner was. That is an obvious and self-evident statement. No contest must be the plead.

This is my mood. This is the mood of the Ram-fans I know. I know of a few cheerleaders on the Bleecher Report who believe firmly in Devaney's actions and Sam's potential. Even these kiddies don't think Sam is a folk hero yet. They won't predict so much as a break-even record for the Rams in the 2010 season

Once again: This is not Sam's fault. I am not saying that he is to blame for any of this. I am not saying he is a failure already. I am telling you Devaney's rebuilding program is cracked. I am telling you that none of us expect a winning record or anything close to it in 2010. We are expecting hard times ahead. We hope Sam will survive this season uninjured. That is our first and best hope.

Where is the folk hero in that story? Where is the hero worship? Where is the adulation? Where is the adoration? I am sure he is getting some attention, but I think these statements are dramatically overblown. I haven't got the foggiest notion of what Sam Wyche is talking about. He is speaking of some other situation, certainly not the Rams.

Attack of the Shills...?

Somewhere around the year 2003, I first began encountering the word Shill in an Internet context. I found that strange. To me, the word had always meant the second man in two-man con game. One guy plays a vendor of something. The Shill pretends to be a completely unrelated bystander who buys into the sales pitch enthusiastically.

According to Wikipedia, the term is a shortening of the Yiddish word shilaber. This was a term for a carnival worker who pretended to be a membe of the audience in an attempt to create interest in an attraction.

The Internet term is not precisely the same thing. An online shill is more like a Spin Doctor, but it has overtones that are somewhat similar.

The theory of shills states that the online world has become the dominant force in consumer affairs these days. Consumers form their opinions of good and services online. Ergo, the things said about a company or its product online are terribly important to the bottom line of any given company. Reputation matters.

Rumor has it that Shills used to invade Computer Hardware sites like Anandtech, Tom's Hardware, [H]ard OCP, and my own haunt: 3d Buzz. I remember when nVidia laid a stinker with the NV30 family of accelerators. All of us were discussing the NV30's problems when suddenly... POP! A Shill from nVidia would pop up and say he was having a wonderful time with his NV30 and there were no problems. Well... it took awhile, but the performance issues were more than proven out. nVidia decided that the strategy of denial wasn't going to work. The Shills quit shilling. nVidia admitted forthrightly that there were serious problems with the NV30. It is now a famous failed product.

Back in those days, my fellow enthusiasts were the first to complain of an invasion of "Shills" in the online world. The alegation was that certain firms, like nVidia, were actually paying employees to surf the web, looking for hotspots of complaint. If they found any, the mission was to argue against it, and spin-doctor to any degree necessary to put the fire out.

I hemmed and hawed at that. I was skeptical. I doubted any firm would actually pay people to do this mission. My buds though I was being naive. I just wasn't accepting "the power of the web to determine the fate of a company." I thought this was a Sasquatch or Chupacabra type urban myth. I just didn't believe it.

The website operators sure seemed to believe Shills existed. Many wrote Shill clauses into their terms of service. If it could be demonstrated that you were actually working as a Shill, the website owners would ban you from their sites. No Shill activity would be tolerated.

I've always had suspicions that these guys might exist, but I have never quite believed it... but now....

Funny things have been happening on the Bleacher Report. I myself have had contact with one or two fanatical fanboys who don't seem much like fanboys. They don't seem that deep in the history of the Rams, yet pretend to be long-time devoted fans. It's easy to take them out of their depth. I do so without ever intending to do so.

The funny thing about these characters is that they back every move Devaney makes, no matter how nonsensical. They are very good at argumentation. They quote formal logic, almost the way lawyers do in court. They seem well aware of how a good argument is structured, and they never allow a premise, no matter how well founded, if it is harmful to the defense of the organization's chosen direction. Stop. Rephrase that: Devaney's chosen direction.

I have never seen any fan who agreed 100% with any general manager. I have never seen any fan willing to defend every action of a GM. I have never seen a fan who was relentless in his defense of a GM. I have never seen any true fan who was so adamant in his defense of a GM that he might deny, deny and deny again even the most factual premise if proves harmful to his defense of the GM.

To believe these... errr... Shills... you must believe that all bad moves made by Rams ended when Devaney took control. The horror we have now is entirely the aftermath of the Jay Zygmunt administration. No mistakes have been made since Zygmunt was fired or resigned. Mistakes are now a thing of the past, as is Zygmunt. No mistakes have been made recently. Devaney is not making any mistakes now, even as I write this sentence.

Several times, I have felt that I was arguing in the court of public opinion with a lawyer whose professional services were retained to defend Devaney (the client). The postulated lawyer would not quit for that reason. The level and zeal found in the defense of Devaney, coupled with a weak knowledge of the Rams, just doesn't seem believable at all. I just don't believe I am corresponding with a real Ram fan. It seems tremendously phony.

Mind you, I am not precisely willing to admit that Shills actually do exist just yet. However, these recent events have brought me a hell of a lot closer to believing Shills do indeed exist. I am actively looking around for proof now.

I have mentioned this to a couple of friends, particularly my buddy Colin. He laughed like hell at me. "I guess you don't believe in the existence of pussy either, do you?" he replied. He said it is common knowledge that Hollywood studios pays good Shills like low-level Lobbists in Washington D.C. Some stars, who can afford it, also retain the services of Online Shills if they feel threatened. Rumor has it that Tom Cruise did this several years ago when he hit the skids.

I am very curious...

Is it at all possible that the St. Louis Rams organization has retained the services of a couple of failed lawyers as inexpensive Shills: One in Chicago and the other in Los Angeles? I wonder? Is Devaney that worried about the situation? Would he deploy one or two Shills to the Bleacher Report to try to prevent public insurrection from forming against him?

I wonder... Certainly the Rams have a catestrophic record over the past 3-4 years. We have 6-42 over the past 3 seasons. Those are Devaney's years. Devaney has 6 wins to show for his his work. Ever heard of just win baby? Not good, baby!

Is Devaney worried enough about the online reputation of his product, that he is willing to do something like this? Maybe he fucking should be.

I'm a loud-mouth. I admit it. If you do something I hate, I am going to make you look stupid. This is for a simple reason: I am rational. Any well-reasoned move is usually acceptable to me. [Selecting Rodger Saffold in the 2nd round or Mardy Gilyard in the 4th, for instance.] Only the stupid, poorly reasoned, moves are entirely unacceptable.

If you make a stupid, poorly reasoned move, I am going to show the world why it was entirely unacceptable. I am not going to pull my punches either. I'm going to break your nose and rub it in some shit. A loud mouth like me, who hits hard, could start a negative trend downward in public opinion about your goods and services... especially if a 6-42 record has left a lot of uncombusted fuel laying around on the ground. Would that warrant the deployment of Shills?

Maybe...

Whether it is true or not, I have decided it is not a good idea to waste time engaging with these two characters. They are not available for an open exchange of ideas, nor are they open to reason. Good Internet conversations are an open exchange of ideas and reason. On the chance that they are professional Shills, it would be a waste of time to communicate with them.

It is the deep off season. There isn't a lot of Ram news right now (outside of camp injuries). Ergo, I am laying low. However, I am going to continue to call it as I see it. If the Rams get off to a bad start, with a terrible offense a-la Shurmur, I'm pulling out the AA-12 and going to work. Devaney's going to have a lot of XHTML holes in his arse.

I will call for his head on a platter.

The... errrr... Shills may be upset by my unwillingness to engage them in discussion at that time. The will be more upset when when I expose them as Shills. You can destroy a guys reputation online with the mere actuations that he is a Shill. You can make him abort his mission by asking key questions that put them on he spot.

Whither too my Rams...?

Just a word about the Rams. I've been tracking the few and meager words said about my Rams in the media during the past few weeks of deep off-season. Only one summary of these words is possible and plausible.

Either I have been incredibly effective in forming the media's opinion about the upcoming season, or the experts have looked at the exact same phenomena I have and reached very similar conclusions. I seriously doubt I have formed anyone's opinion on the subject, so we must be looking at the same phenomena, and we must have reached the same conclusions.

Gone are the rubbish statistics that say the Rams had the #12 ranked pass protecting line in the NFL last season. There is a stark, cold realization that this line has surrendered 40+ sacks each year every year for 10 straight years. This means we have a bad line. Gone is the metaphysical belief that Dr. James R. Edwards can magically declare that Sam Bradford has no more chance injury than any other player. Gone are assertions that the Rams have a security blanket named Steven Jackson for Sam Bradford's rookie campaign.

Now there seems to be a stark realization that Sam Bradford is going to be thrown head first into the shark tank... if not immediately than soon. Now there are questions about the young and rejiggered offensive line. Now there are questions about Steven Jacksons health. Now there are questions about Sam Bradford's durability.

Although no one has mentioned Billy Devaney by name, there are questions about the basic course heading and strategy of the management in St. Louis.

What is my response to this? You are just a little bit fucking late, Jack! Where the hell were you in the run up to the draft when the Rams were casting this situation? Why did you not speak up in the prelude to the draft when it might have mattered? Why did you not saying this on Tuesday of draft week when we might have avoided taking this catastrophic risk? Why didn't you challenge the course heading and strategy before the draft?

Although I am hopeful that all will work out for Sam Bradford, and I will be the first to cheer his success (if there is any) the cold logic in me dictates that the percentages are very low. The risk is extremely high.

Looking at it with cold logic, the Rams just replaced one fragile passer with another. You got rid of some experience along with a broken down body. You got some youth along with a less broken down body. Yes, you can argue that Sam Bradford has a much greater potential ceiling than Bulger. However, Bulger had two Pro Bowl elections and Sam Bradford has yet to prove himself. Right now all that talk leads to a stalemate. What we can say objectively is that the Rams traded an older frail passer for a younger frail passer. That is all. Only this and nothing more.

We are coming out of the Marc Bulger era. This era was a loosing chapter in Ram history. We lost a lot of games. There were many reasons why we lost, but one of the key reasons was this: Our so-called franchise quarterback was always injured. He was always injured because (a) God did not give him a body that could endure the punishment of Pro Football and (b) the Rams furnished him with an offensive line that stank up the Edward Jones Dome.

The Bulger era came to a close in 2009, and we all knew it was so. There was little debate among Ram fans about this subject as the calendar flipped over to 2010. We knew the Bulger era was over.

As we walked on the cusp of that rare moment when the Rams were prepared to change quarterback administrations, we all debated what sort of quarterback solution we should look for. There was literally no agreement. There was very strong disagreement. Ram fans wanted to go in 5 or 6 different directions.

It seemed to me that, after suffering through an era with a fragile QB who was always injured, the paramount quality we would & should be selecting for would be rugged reliability and durability. That means Tim Tebow, right? Nope. Devaney selected Sam Bradford.

Smart! Damn smart!

Are you ready for the punchline: We are going to put him behind a shaky and inconsistent offensive line that has lots of injury problems... and we are rejiggering that line right now also!

Funny how life works out some times. Maybe we just have bad management. When you look at the number of solid pros we have thrown out the door, and when you look at how many busted draft picks we have submitted to the Commish, maybe it is time we recognize that the Rams are a poorly managed team, after all.

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.

Just a brief word about the Barron-Carpenter Trade

I don't have a whole lot to say about the Barron-Carpenter trade. I think it is as it has been characterized by the pundits: Two teams trading trash. Perhaps one man's trash can become another man's treasure. We all hope so.

Tulsa world is criticizing Spagnuolo and Devaney pretty sharply for making this deal.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/OU/article.aspx?subjectid=92&articleid=20100511_202_B1_SOMECH883217

The author argues that there are enough concerns about Jason Smith's health, Rodger Saffold's health, and Sam Bradford's health to warrant keeping Alex Barron around. His case is well made, and enough to give me pause... for about 8.2 seconds.

Bottom line folks: Barron is nowhere near as good as his defenders would have you believe 15 sacks in the past 32 games is pretty terrible. His defenders attempt to characterize that as an "average" performance. Oh bouy....

Let's play with that statement mathematically for a split second and see where that leads us. If all 5 of my men on the offensive line are average performers, and they each give up 15 sacks in 2 seasons, my offensive line will give up 75 sacks in 32 games (5 x15 = 75). That is an average of 2.34 sacks per game, or 37.5 sacks per season.

For the Rams 37.5 would be an improvement over the 44 we gave up last season, but still unacceptable. So here you have your explanation for the controversy over Barron: Barron gave up less sacks than some of the other guys, but this is damning with faint praise.

Even so, there should be no controversy. The penalties were the back breaker in the deal. 43 false starts in 74 starts? How many holding calls...? Although he has a big body for his position, the guy just doesn't play well.

Ram-fans seem to have such incredibly low standards these days... it is almost sickening. They don't seem to realize that we are never going to get out of the basement with "average" linemen such as this. To get out of the basement, we're going to need dramatically better talent than Barron brings to the table. None of these guys seem to recall Jackie Slater or Orlando Pace in their primes. They are just too young. I remember both of them. Barron was never like these two gents.

"Oh well, Dave, you can't expect to have guys like Jackie Slater or Orlando Pace all the time..."

No, that's precisely where you are wrong. We need to have guys like Slater and Pace around all the time. That needs to be a focal point of the organization. I am not surprised Devaney did this deal. I didn't think he would want Barron blocking for his $80 million baby.

So can Saffold be Slater and Smith-Pace, or vice-versa. Let's just say I am a hell of a lot more confident in these young men than I am in Barron. It is much more likely that both of these two men will turn into Slater & Pace than Barron would. After 5 years, we know what Barron is, and he ain't Slater or Pace.

So why not keep him as a back-up swing-tackle? I must confess that this is an interesting argument. Early in his career, Barron had a rep for being a flaming complainer. I doubt he would take a move to the bench very well. You have to be careful of that locker-room chemistry and atmosphere. Further, I don't think Devaney would want Barron blocking for Bradford even then.

If you read the comments on that Tulsa World article, you are going to read several folks who share my great concerns about Sam Bradford's robustness and physical toughness. The absolute premise of this piece is that Sam is fragile and the Rams line is not good. Several posting there think the Bradford era is going to be a short one in St. Louis.

How many times did I preach that message with conviction during the run up to the draft? How many times did I say that this whole thing was going to end in tears? How many times did I say they should be scouting Tebow, not Bradford?

Frankly, there can be only two possible reasons Devaney did not go after Tebow:

1. Devaney bought into the line that Tebow is not QB prospect. If this is the case, we have a fool at the helm and we need to change that quick.
2. Devaney believes Tebow is going to be a 2-3 year investment project before he bears fruit, and he is looking for a much more immediate turnaround on investment. He's taking a bigger risk for more immediate return. I think that is a snake-eyed bet.

We'll find out.

Anyhow, the Barron-Carpenter trade does not fundamentally alter the situation. It does not change the shape of things to come. It will eliminate a bunch of penalties. That is all.

Billy Devaney's publicity stunt?

I was a nose tackle in high school and junior college. As such, you may be surprised to hear me harp on the offensive line as much as do, but you shouldn't.

My experiance in football was pretty damn simple. It can be sumarized as follows. When our opponents had a weak offensive line, I and my brothers ran rough-shot over the other team. They had no chance for victory and we knew it immediately. We didn't just beat them, we murdered them. It was easy. It was truly like a feeding frenzy in shark infested waters.

When the other JC had two or three outstanding offensive linemen, young men being recruited by PAC-10 teams, they usually won. My experiance during such games was entirely different. I remember some brutal battles, a lot of physical pain, exhausion, more than one injury, and needing to lie down dead for about 24 hours after the game.

The game of football is won and lost in the trenches. If you win the battle at the line of scrimage, you win. If you loose the battle at the line of scrimage, you loose. It's just as simple as that. As Warren Sapp says, the most valuable Real Estate on Planet Earth is that one little yard in front of the football. Winning that one little yard each snap makes all the difference in the world to your outcome.

It is the hallmark of rooty-poot football team to ignore it's need for offensive linemen. Tutti-fruity executive-leadership would prefer to spend money on splashy PR moves like signing glamorous quarterbacks and running backs. Why waste money on unglamorous big uglies? The organization can get more PR, sell more jerseys and tickets doing the glamor thing. Why do the ugly unglamorous thing?

Because guys like me will utterly kill your prettyboys, that's why. Your splashy PR move will be a very temporary thing indeed if when my brothers and I come to town.

It is the hallmark of a rooty-poot team to select quarterbacks high in the 1st round, and repeatedly go bust due to deeply intrenched organizational cancers.

Cancers? What cancers? How about this one: The tendency to pull an $80 million dollar publicity stunt selecting Sam Bradford and not secure that investment with $2 or $3 million spent on acquiring Alan Faneca. That's a good one. I would call that a fuck up.

To make the principle more general I would formulate it this way: Any organization that makes the big and splashy move on the quarterback without building a massive offensie line is a rooty-poot organization.

Think about how many times the Bengals have gone bust. Jack Tompson, David Klingler, Akili Smith. Now they are working on Carson Palmer. Granted, the Bengals are a good team right now, but this is a recent phenomenon. This has been a bad football team over the years.

Think about the Lions. Chuck Long, Andre Ware, Joey Harrington. Now they are working on Matt Stafford. The filthy bastards are digging the poor kid an early grave. This is a rooty-poot organization that cannot seem to understand the importance of the offensive line.

Consider the Cardinals. Kelly Stouffer, Timm Rosenbach, and now Matt Leinart. These may all be busts, or Matt Leinart may yet make it in this league. We will have to see. One thing cannot be denied, thought: they signed Alan Faneca. Now we have neither Alan Faneca blocking for us, nor Ndamukong Suh to challenge Faneca. We could have had them both working our trenches.

Consider the Colts. Art Schlichter, John Elway (they couldn't even sign him), and Jeff George. Now they are workin on Peyton Manning. That is 3 QBs selected at the absolute #1 position before they finally hit upon one. Granted, the Colts are now the model organization. This is the doing of Bill Polian. You already know what I think of Bill Polian. He's the best executive in the history of the league. Before Polian, the Colts were dogshit for more than 20 years.

Frankly, a week or two after the draft, I am still in a state of shock that Devaney would ignore the risk-tables and draft:
1. A junior quarterback
2. With a history of injuries
3. Who hasn't played in some 18 months
4. Who stood with his arms folded at the combine while Tebow ran his ass off.
5. Pay him $80 million
6. Draft just one tackle (2nd round) to help protect our new quarterback
7. Draft only a single 4th round receiver to help him

And expect success. I personally believe our offensive line is no where near ready for this big splashy move of selecting a QB #1. So great are the odds against success that it baffles the mind.

This brings me to my worst fear. What if Devaney does not expect success from such a high-risk venture? What if Devaney is doing this to simply turn around the Rams' foundering economic fortunes for the near term? What if this is not a football motivated move at all, but rather a entertainment spectacle PR stunt?

Come now, the thought must have crossed your mind? Have you noted how complicit the NFL Network is in featuring the Rams now that we have selected Bradford? Have you noticed that they pay little or no attention to Detroit's selection of Ndamukong Suh? The NFL Marketing department desperately wanted Devaney to do this. Now with a face for the franchise, the marketing department can go to work.

One thing is certain: Devaney is either a genius or he is a crazy high-stakes gambler drunken on board a river boat casino. It's either going to work or it's going to go down in flames.

I can tell you this: If it had been my $80 million, and if I had the line the Rams have, I would selected the most robust, fastest, most durable, most healthy QB in the draft. Of course, that is Tim Tebow. He would not have cost $80 million either.

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.