NFL Path to Draft put the Rams on the clock Thursday

Intro

Unless you’re some kind of deranged lunatic or something, I know you DVR every episode of Path to the Draft, and review carefully. To do otherwise would be immoral, unethical, and beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct. This is just one of those thing you have to do in life, or you really won’t know what’s going on.

Last Thursday

Naturally, our Rams are not getting as much press this year as last. We draft #14, not #1. We aren’t in the leadoff spot, and we aren’t going to set the table for everybody else. Still, we have gotten some attention, and that reached a pre-draft apex on Thursday.

D'Marco Farr, Munchkin pass rusher extraordinaire on our 1999 Super Bowl team, was the guest analyst. As we all know, he is the color guy on Ram broadcasts these days. It was interesting to see that, once again, and I are agreeing on most points. You see, all of us runt defensive tackles think alike. We could have been the Mercury twins on the D-Line. He’s a Gemini and I am a Virgo.

What are those points of agreement?

1. 1. If Julio Jones is there at #14, it is the biggest no-brainer of all time. I said just about the same thing a month ago.
2. 2.
We are in danger of not getting a receiver if we stay put. We will be fortune if he falls to us.
3. 3. If we can’t the receiver, Missouri DE/LB tweener Aldon Smith would be a very good choice.
4. 4. Mark Ingram is an option also, because we have no competent back up for Steve Jackson.

There was one point of disagreement though. D'Marco Farr doesn’t think that a move up the board is either likely or reasonable given the number of needs we have on this team. D'Marco may just be echoing information he has been given by insiders, such as Devaney himself. I may not be disagreeing with D'Marco on this point.

Also, there was no mention of Mike Pouncey from D’Marco. This surprised me. Our need(s) at guard are nearly as great as our need at the WR position. Mike Lombardi mentioned this immediately when they went to him.

Aldon Smith?

I have praised tweeners several times in the last few months, and particularly DE/LB tweens, describing them as the most destructive and disruptive players on the defense. I have also praised their bargain basement prices. Because these guys are usually projections, you can get them cheap, in the later rounds. The #14 pick the 1^st round wasn’t exactly what I meant when I said that. With that said…

Aldus Smith is one hell of a pass-rusher who reminds me of two men: Charles Haley and our own Leonard Little. He is one of those super-lean, greyhound defensive ends who just sprint around tackles and make free-runs on their way to sacking the QB. Even if he doesn’t get home, he forces the QB to change his underwear at half-time. All else being equal, I would love to draft this kid. Unfortunately, all else is not equal

It is difficult for me to see Aldus Smith getting a lot of snaps at DE for the Rams, unless it is the result of an injury. Chris Long and James Hall have proven their worth as our starters. We nailed 43 sacks last season as a result of their strong play. Fred Robbins has to be given considerable credit for getting home also. Because Gary Gibson is the other DT, and Fred Robbins has 11 years in the league, I think DT is the much greater priority.

Now on the other hand, if we were going to use Aldus Smith as the Will Linebacker, I would consider him a very exciting pick. As Steve Wyche correctly pointed out, Spags believes our biggest weakness is our outside linebackers. Teams love pitchouts and quick hitting stretch plays that go wide. They think they can hit our OLBs hard and fast, and we haven’t given them a reason to think otherwise. We were hurt much worse by the outside breakaway that the run up the middle last season. We have a great need at OLB.

Now for the rub: Would Spags want to use Aldon Smith in this capacity? If he does, we also need to grapple with the fact that we are drafting a projection player at #14, which is not usually considered a good value or risk. If Spags would use him like this, I would draft him. I think Aldon is a special player, and I would love to have that kind of defensive force at the WLB. In this case, I would gamble.

Mark Ingram

Although I have seldom mentioned this fact, Mark Ingram is one of my favorite guys in this draft. How can you not love this kid? If you loved Emmitt Smith, you have to love this kid. I remember the day, some 3 years ago, when a dude at work first told me Alabama had an Emmitt Smith clone, and he’s the son of Giant receiver Mark Ingram. I scoffed, and declared that this is just because he wore #22. Since that day, Mark Ingram has given me about 1,000 reasons to eat my words. I enjoyed the piece Marshall Faulk did regarding Mark Ingram, as he also prosecuted the case for baby Emmitt.

The case for and against Mark Ingram with the Rams is very, very complicated. There are a pros and cons to it that are tough to sort out. I’ll try to do it quickly in two lists of bullet points.

Pros

• Steven Jackson has had a preposterous workload over the past three years. None of us like to think of the day when Steve Jackson wears down or retires, but that day is coming.
• The Rams have no competent back up for Steve. When he gets hurt, the running game dies, and we become mono-dimensional.
• All recent Super Bowl champions have had running back committees. No recent champion has had a single sledgehammer back.
• Mark is one hell of a good kid. You gotta love this kid.
• Others (not me) have frequently compared Sam Bradford to Troy Aikman. Everybody (and I mean everybody) compares Mark Ingram to Emmit Smith. You draft Ingram and we are 66.66667% of the way to putting the triplets back in business again.

Cons

• There is a theory that Jerry Jones never drafts offensive linemen in the first round. Rather, he always takes a flashy and exciting play-maker.
• You know Jerry loves Emmitt to death, and misses him terribly. There is a theory that Jerry is laying out there in the weeds, getting ready to pounce on Mark Ingram at #9. You know this would be a very popular pick in Dallas. The fans will forgive him immediately.
• Believe it or not, we might not get a shot at him.
• Josh McDaniels is now our OC. We are going to the Spread.
• In the Spread, balance means throwing 2 or 3 times for every run.
• In the Spread, balance is more about ensuring that everyone touches the ball than a 50/50 run pass ratio.
• In the Spread, the most lethal sort of back is a Marshall Faulk, Therman Thomas, C.J. Spiller, Jhavid Best type of guy. The Spread requires a back who is a deadly and elusive receiver circling out of the backfield.
• You can make a very good case that acquiring Reggie Bush on the cheap would do more to enhance Josh McDaniels’ offensive agenda than anything else.
• How will Josh McDaniels make use of two sledgehammer backs in his Spread offense?

My two cents

The notion of assembling a new set of Triplets on our roster is a very, very exciting idea. You have to be galvanized by the notion of putting Sam Bradford together with Mark Ingram.

However, let’s remember that Michael Irvin was the first of the three Triplets in Dallas. Right now, we have nothing like him. A.J. Smith and Julio Jones look a hell of a lot like him, if you ask me. I still believe the Receiver is our first and greatest need.

Wouldn’t be just fucking incredible if we could get both Ingram and Green somehow? Oh well, we can always dream.

The Intangibles

So, i took a close look at the Rams 1999 season highlight film this morning. It was the first time in quite a few years; probably 6 years. One thing struck me immediately. Pay close attention to audio sound bite from Kurt Warner which opens this video:

Being a championship quarterback is not all about athleticism and size. There's a lot that comes straight from the heart and the head, and your desire to be a winner.

That is the quote straight out of Kurt Warner's mouth that opens up the highlight film of our magic 1999 season. I was nodding my head in total agreement. This is a very fitting way to open up the film. The intangibles folks. It's all about the intangibles. Speaking of intangibles, I happened to pass by the Rams site for the first time a week or so this morning. I was much dismayed to see that a piece had been posted about Bradford and Clausen. I guess it was necessary and unavoidable in this run up to the draft. The web guys had to do it.

However, my mood lightened up when I read this piece carefully. Check this lovely quote from GM Bill Devaney:

Devaney has been in the personnel game for a long time and has seen plenty in that time. So, what will he be looking for when he begins talking to prospects to fill that role for the future of the Rams?

“Kind of in my history with quarterbacks, the guys that I have been involved with that didn’t pan out, (it’s) the intangibles for me,” Devaney said. “I have come full circle. If you don’t have the intangible to play that position…to me the physical skills are almost the easy part for these kids. There’s so much that goes into being a quarterback in the NFL that the work ethic you have to have, the leadership, the time that you put in, the media scrutiny, if you can’t handle all of that stuff you are going to have a hard time performing on the field. It’s the intangibles as much as anything.”

YES! YES! It's all about the intangibles Goddam...! I know Tebow would be upset with me for blaspheming, but the scouts are really making me angry these days. I like what Bill Devaney is thinking right now. I like where his head is at.

Speaking of Tebow, did anybody watch the NFL combine on NFL Network? Of course, I don't want to talk about size and athleticism today, although it was on display in spades at the combine. Many wanted to talk about lining up under center and doing the 3-5-7 drop back. Jeeezz... put the emphasis on the wrong thing! I like what Devaney says about the physical skills being the easy part. Most kids in high school learn the 3-5-7. Why do you think this is such a big bugbear?

Did anybody notice any associations between the word intangibles and any particular player at the combine? I must have heard Mike Mayock, Mike Lombardi, Rich Eisen and Michael Irvin praise Tebow for having intangibles that are off the scale about three dozen times. They talked about his leadership, they talked about his work ethic, they talked about his competitive drive, they talked about his charisma, they talked about how the guys rally around Tebow.

Speaking of charisma, I am hoping that everyone has either seen or read excepts from D'Marco Farr's appearance on NFL Total access. This is the one where he attributed Marc Bulger's collapse in St. Louis to his total lack of charisma. This occurred shortly after Devaney gave that quote for the Rams' official website. The intangibles folks. It's the intangibles. Let us remember that D'Marco has one of those 1999 Super Bowl rings, and he remains connected to the organization. He is the color man for the radio broadcasts.

Speaking of leadership consider this quote from that very same article on the Rams' official website:

Among this year’s draft prospects, this is one area that seems to be most dominated by Florida’s Tim Tebow who by all accounts has intangibles to spare. Bradford and McCoy are thought of in similar ways.

Notice who gets the superlative in this quote? Bradford and McCoy are tossed in as after mentions. I do want to mention that I like all three of these QBs, but you know who I like best.

You can't measure leadership, charisma, will, drive, desire, or competitiveness with a scale or a stop watch, submersion tank, vertical jump, broad jump, X-Ray, MRI, or blood test. They are the intangibles. If you aren't stupid, you will know this greatness when you see it, but you have to be careful to actually get to know the kid.

Are we sensing a pattern here? Does anybody notice any dots lining up in a straight line? Do you see an arrow head pointing out some directionality here? Do you sense something in the wind right now?

I am very hopeful today that the things I have written won't actually amount to a pile of rubbish. I am optimistic that the Rams' leadership and I are on the same sheet of music these days. I think we are thinking along the same lines.

It was good to see D'Marco Farr NFL Total Access last night

As we all know, D'Marco Farr was one of our several defensive tackles on our 1999 championship team along with Agnew and Zgonia. He was our pass rushing specialist. A kid born in San Pablo California (just a little north of Oakland), who idolized Hulk Hogan, and played his college ball at the University of Washington. I remember him playing nose tackle for the Huskies, decked out his #49 jersey, which I considered very strange. #75 looked a lot better on him. D'Marco was our martial artist and pass rushing specialist during between 1994 and 2000. He is now the color analyst for the Rams' radio broadcasts. I am glad he has stayed connected to the team.

So, on to the good stuff. D'Marco gave us five take home points we should talk about:

1. Farr said he is almost absolutely certain that Marc Bulger has played his last snap as a Ram QB.
2. When diagnosing Bulger's collapse in St. Louis, Farr shocked many by declaring that it was Bulger's complete lack of charisma and leadership that was his undoing.
3. Farr has been given off-the-record inside word by the organization that we have three players on their spot sheet: Suh, McCoy and Bradford. The intent is to perform a completely unbiased mathematical summary of all their grades. The kid with the highest mathematic index value will be the choice.
4. When asked to predict who the Rams would select, Farr answered "Ndamukong Suh" without hesitation.
5. When asked what the Rams would do about a QB, he stated that we would pursue a veteran QB, and select a QB in a later round.

Let's take it point by point.

Marc Bulger has played his last snap as the Rams QB. I know it is true. I understand why we are not in a rush to release him, but the fact that he has cleaned out his locker tells all. I don't know why Devaney would continue to posture as if he might yet remain the QB. He may execute this charade to avoid a look of desperation. Why pretend? I don't think anybody doubts Bulger is done. Maintaining a charade is a waste of breath. It would take an incredible reversal of fortune for Bulger to remain with the team in 2010.

Marc Bulger failed because of his complete lack of charisma. I find this to be a surprising statement. Marshall Faulk credited Bulger with a little bit more than this. I do know that Bulger was once a confident QB, and his play over the past two seasons has shown a complete lack of confidence. I think his charisma withered away and died with his confidence. I think it needs to be stated that it was his lack of durability that really killed him. Lack of durability lead to injuries. Injuries lead to fear. Fear killed confidence. The death of his confidence killed his charisma. I would put this at the tale rather than the head of the list.

Off the record inside word says we will pick based on a strict mathematical grading system, not need. In this case, it is utterly obvious that we will select Ndamukong Suh. The scouts are united in stating that Suh and McCoy stand head and shoulders above the rest of the class. It is only the need-based theorists at ESPN who push the notion of Bradford... mostly because this is the off season and they have nothing to talk about.

The Rams will select Ndamukong Suh #1 in the draft. Thank God for that! It is a perfectly coherent stance with point #3. It's logical, flawlessly logical.

The Rams will pursue a Veteran and select a QB in a later round. This is the best possible plan. I love it. Let's just hope it is Michael Vick and Tim Tebow.

I should also mention that D'Marco favors trading for Donovan McNabb. Let us thank God that this is completely unrealistic notion. The only reason we are even discussing it is because a local St. Louis writer decided to fire a petard.

Also, MSNBC is reporting that the Rams have not had any conversations with the Eagles about McNabb. Read about it hear. Burwell is blaming copyist errors for an overstatement. He still stands by a weaker version of his petard. We'll soon find out it was absolute bullshit.