What two moves will have the greatest impact in turning around the Rams fortunes in 2012?

The good folks at NFL radio were asking a pretty simple question today.  They phrased it several different ways. 

1. What two things would you do to make you team more competitive?
2. What are the highest impact moves your team can make to change their status for the better?
3. What roster additions would make the greatest impact on your favorite team?

‘Tis a fair questions and the one that every dedicated fan is asking himself this time of year.  It’s business season, afterall.  So here are my answers:

1. We need two wide receivers, specifically Justin Blackmon and Vincent Jackson.  One via the draft and one via free agency.  {We also need to resign Brandon Llyod, but this is separate issues.}
2. We need two high quality outside linebackers.  Who those two gents are, I will leave open.  I would take Zach Brown of UNC at the top of the 2^nd round, and try to find the best OLB available in the upcoming bonanza of free agency.  If Gregg Williams would prefer to get two veterans he knows personally, I would have no objections.  I would also prefer that we do it this way.

As I see things, the Rams have only two devastating weaknesses:  Wide Receiver and Outside Linebacker.   We’re strong elsewhere.

We could also use a couple of young and strong running backs.  Steve Jackson is turning 30 this year.  This is the notorious age-wall that kills just about all NFL running backs.  However, this is a commodity position.  Let’s exploit this fact.

Our offensive line could use some upgrades, but this is the time and place for Coach Fisher to show us his magic.  Throughout his career at the Oilers/Titans, Jeff Fishers teams were usually amazing strong in the trenches.  Their front 9 were almost always among the 4 or 5 best in the leagues.  Yet, very, very few of the men who manned these positions were 1st-round draft picks.  { Jevon Kearse and Albert Haynesworth are two noteworthy exceptions, but these are only two men among many.}  Jeff Fisher’s staff excelled at finding men in the 3^rd through 5^th round, and developing those talents.  Some were even undrafted free rookie free-agents.

For Ram-fans, this is the very best news about the hiring of Jeff Fisher.  He does believe in being strong in the trenches.  He can find great men in the middle rounds.  His staff will grind & polish these diamonds in the rough.  He does not believe in the pure Darwinian philosophy of “throw ‘em in and cut ‘em if they don’t work out immediately, and without coaching.”  It is an odious, egregious & despicable fact that the Rams have held to this philosophy for many years now.  Good riddance to this bad ideology.  Let’s cultivate some players.

So, to restate my thesis point:  We need two killer receivers and two killer outside linebackers.  Those are our high priority items.  If we can do that much, the Rams can make the Playoffs in 2012.  Why would I say that?  Aren't we pretty far from the playoffs?  Let me give you a list of reasons I have sketched out before:

1. There is nothing wrong with the Rams defense that cannot be repaired by fixing our wretched offense.
2. I know the Ram defense showed pretty poor stats during the season, but I am telling you the stats lie. 
3. Time of possession in 2011 was crucial to the Rams failure, both offensively and defensively.   Top rarely favored us.  We frequently lost the TOP battle by 5 minutes or more.  It got worse as the season went on.
4. With our offense going three-and-out all the time, it is incredible that TOP was as close as it was.  The TOP figures should have been much more lopsided than they were.  This is testimony to how many punts our defense forced.
5. If we can simply hold the football, flipping the TOP figures 2012, our defense will be vastly better.
6. Scoring is a huge issue for the Rams.  For the second time in just 3 years, the Rams were rock bottom of the league in offense.  Incidentally, offense is measured by points scored, not yardage.  I don’t know who the fool was who established that yardage was the measure of offense, but it is time for this egregious error to be corrected.  Yardage doesn’t win the game.  Points do.
7. The Rams scored only 193 total points in 2011.  This is just 12.06 points per game.  I don’t care how good your defense is, this is not enough to win games in the NFL. 
8. It should be noted that the Rams scored only 175 points in 2009, averaging 10.9 points per game.
9. It is absolutely clear that the Rams need massive upgrades at the offensive skill positions.  We are dying because we have lousy skilled-players on offense.
10. Of those lousy skilled-players on our offense squad, our receivers are the worst of the bunch.
11. The Rams have had the worst receiver corp in the NFL two years running.  I’m talking about 32^nd out of 32 teams.  I am talking about a crew of guys with hands of stone.  Dudes who couldn’t catch a cold running barefoot and naked through an Alaskan blizzard… soaking wet.
12. This is not a question of availability or health issues, as Devaney tried to spin it.  No friends, the quality of our guys are pretty low.  I only want Danny Amendola and Brandon Lloyd to return.  The rest can go. 
13. The main reason we can't score is that our receivers can't catch.  
14. With that said, a couple of Outside Linebackers will help.

Onward to the draft

At great length, the terrible 2011 season has come to an end.  Now we move on to my favorite part of the year:  Draft and free-agency season.  This is the phase of the year where all hapless fans of hapless teams (read Ram-fans) can get a little hope that things just might be a little bit better next year.

Of course, when you have absolute fools like Devany & Zygmunt running the draft, you don't have much hope at all.  At the moment, the Rams' GM post is vacant, and we don't have a clue who may fill that slot.  It would appear that newly minted head-coach Jeff Fisher is functioning as the defacto guy, running this show.  Most noises made by the org lead our clan to believe that the next GM will be a younger and junior executive who will, more or less, be subordinate to Jeff Fisher.

For this reason, most of use are expecting Jeff Fisher to call the shots on the draft.

This viewpoint was seconded by none other than 6-time NFL Executive of the year, Bill Polian.   When asked if he had been contacted by the Rams, Polian gave an unequivocal "No, and I don't think they will contact me."  When asked if he would be willing help the Rams on a consulting basis, he gave an unequivocal "They don't need me, Jeff and his associates will handle the draft just fine."  Implication:  Jeff is going to run the draft.  When asked what he thought the Rams might do with that #2 pick, Polian replied "Knowing Jeff personally, I would say that he would use it draft a dominant defensive player, if such a player could be found."  Implication:  Jeff is going to run the draft.

What is my feeling about this?  I don't know... I am languid and listless.  I am looking forward to the combine and seeing the young men in action.  I hope this will light my fire and enthusiasm again.  Right now, I am pretty dang low about the way this season turned out.

I just don't have a good feeling about where this football team and organization stands today.  When you factor in all this noise about games in London, stadium issues, potential moves to Los Angeles in 2015, I think we are staring down the gun-barrel at some lost years whilst the firm reorganizes and situates under our new owner.

The fact that we have a true football man running the show is a good thing, or at least better than Devaney & Zygmunt, but I am concerned about his propensity to go defense when what we need is offense.

I have said it before and I will say it again.  There is nothing wrong with our defense that cannot be fixed by fixing our wretched offense.  If our goddamn offense could say on the field for more than 3 consecutive downs (via receivers not dropping passes) then they might accumulate more than 20 minutes of possession time per game.  If we could do that, perhaps our defense would not be fighting extreme exhaustion by the middle of the 3rd quarter.

Our defense showed pretty poor stats this past 2011 season, but I am telling you that the numbers lie.  With good health and an offense that can hold the ball and score, our defense will be a top-10 unit in 2012.

Frankly, I am profoundly uncertain of our prospects in this draft.  The one thing that gives me hope is continued murmurings and mutterings of a bidding war for the #2 draft pick, and the rights to select RGIII. When last I took stock of these rumors, there were potentially 5 bitters waiting in the wings.

However, I am skeptical that either the Seahawks or the Chiefs will join in the merry bidding war, as has been suggested.  I am not sure Kansas City is ready to do away with Matt Cassel.  I know we would stick a gun in Seattle's ribs if they came calling.  If I know that, they know it also.  I think this would discourage the phone call.

I also question the notion that Miami will be in the bidding war.  If the Colts do as they are expected to do (release Peyton Manning) then I would expect Miami to be one of his top-destination points.  The Dolphins have the best Left Tackle in football, the dirtiest left guard in the league, a young and budding center, Brandon Marshall, and Reggie Bush.  They also have a weak coaching situation, and an owner who is dying for star power.  In short, it could not be a better destination point for Peyton Manning.

Toss in warm weather and natural turf for a guy with neck problems, and you have bloody heaven.  I think he goes to Miami if the Colts release him.

That would diminish the bidding war to just one or two teams:  The Redskins and the Browns.  What if the Browns are unwilling to give up on Colt McCoy at this point?  Then we have just one bidder, and the Redskins might take their chances.

So the Rams talked with Steve Sarkisian also?

One published report indicates that the Rams made contact with form USC offensive coordinator and current Washington Huskies HC Steve Sarkisian.  Kroenke wanted him to fill our currently vacant offensive coordinator position.  You can read about it here.

Sarkisian would have been a nice fit for the job, IMHO, as he is a bright offensive mind, a former QB, and a Pisces dude.  He would have had good synastry with Sam Bradford.

Unfortunately, Sark has already turned us down.  He simply had no interest in the position.  It's just too much of a lateral, if not southward, move in the pyramid.

I am worried that we are addressing our deepest needs last.  Fixing our offense is our most pressing, urgent, imperative goal of the off-season.  Our offense is what is stopping us.

Catching up with the Rams

I've had a couple of funny nights and days (in a row) due to Bod Pod testing and dietary change.  For these reasons, I haven't had a lot of time to blog about what's up with my Rams.  There have been a lot of news bits flying around on the wire.  The purpose of this entry is to filter and condense them all here.

#1 Stan Kroenke and the Patriot-Way

Imagine my distress when I came across a piece in the Boston Herald declaring Stan Kroeneke's admiration of the Patriot-Way? You know how I feel about this subject.  The Patriot-Way is just a fig-leaf covering Bellichick's totalitarian approach to doing business.  It's another way of saying 'my way or the highway' from a Bellichick perspective.

Since this guy hasn't managed to win a playoff game since he was caught cheating, I see no real point in lionizing this little bastard.  He's easily the most over-rated coach of all time.  Furthermore, this guy has no coaching tree, as is often mistakenly alleged by the media.  His sycophants continue to flunk-out in both the Pro and the college ranks.  This guy is no Paul Brown.  He is no Bill Walsh.  He is no Tom Landry.  He is no master innovator, nor is he a coach of coaches.  Fuck Bellichick.  May he eat shit and die.

According to the quotes, Kroenke read "Inside the War Room", which is subtitled "Building the perfect football team".  Kroenke proclaimed that this book described a wonderful business culture in which there were clear-cut responsibilities, clear cut assignments of final authority, and no escape from final accountability.  No shit, eh?

This immediately raises question marks in my mind.  What the hell does Bellichick know about building the perfect football team?  At the the end of the day, this dude is famous for just one thing:  Never having had an undefeated season.  Yep, you read that right.  Straight word to the moe-foe there.  Furthermore, the purported 'defensive genius' has the last-ranked defense in the NFL.  What does he know about the perfect football team?

Stop licking this guy's ass, for Christ's sake.  It is most unseemly for for a weak-minded fool to apply the yardstick of his wretched intellect to the game of Pro Football.  It is disgraceful for the same wretched fools to be caught licking the arse of Bellichick in public.

With that said, I am all in favor of clear-cut responsibilities, final say, and unavoidable final accountability... just as long as it doesn't all end up in Bill Bellichick's hands at the end of the day.

#2 Kroenke releases Josh McDaniel's from his contract

And McDaniel's immediately rejoined the Patriots' staff.  Speaking of Bellichick sycophants who flunk-out all over the place... and speaking of the Patriot-Way..

If Stan Kroenke's vision lies in New England, you sure can't prove that by his #3 move.  After sacking GM Billy Devaney and HC Steve Spagnuolo, the only coach under contract with the Rams was Bellichick Sycophant Josh McDaniels.  For approximately 24 hours, I was sweating bullets over the question of whether Jeff Fisher or Josh McDaniels would become the next Rams-HC.  Knowing that:

1. The Rams were reluctant to change offensive coordinators and systems for a 3rd time in Sam Bradford's brief 2 year career.
2. That Kroenke was (is) in-love with the Patriot-Way.

It was somewhat logical to conclude that McDaniels had to be in the running for HC.  Then sigh not so, but let him go into hey nonny, nonny.  McDaniels was released from his contract either Friday or Saturday morning, and he resigned with the Patriots sometime Saturday afternoon.

Good riddance.  I never liked the guy in the first place.  I still blame him for the destruction of a pretty good Denver Bronco team.  As you know, I just don't like Bellichick sycophants.  

I regret the fact that Sam has to go through another offensive transition, but if we face the facts, we must realize that he had no chemistry with McDaniels in the first place.  Those two gave it a try, but they just didn't mesh well at all.  Sam never grasped McDaniels' passing scheme, and McDaniels seemed unable to help him master it. The lines of communication were down.  This is all the more curious since McDaniels runs a spread offensive not all that different from the one Bob Stoops runs at Oklahoma.

There's something wrong with that McDaniels kid.  He is a weird Taurus.  As a Virgo, I aught to love the guy.  I don't don't.  Furthermore, as a Taurus, he aught to have great chemistry with a Scorpio like Sam Bradford.  Clearly, he didn't.  Further, he aught to have good and cordial relations with an Aries like Bellichick, but he shouldn't worship at the guy's arse.

There is something bad-wrong about that Josh McDaniels kid.  He just ain't right.

#3 All signs are pointing towards Jeff Fisher

In the past 24 hours, a significant number of facts have become evident.

1. Most of the so-called 'coaching A-Listers' are not interested in returning to the job in 2012.
2. The pool of available Head-Coaching Candidates has never been thinner than it is today.
3. There aren't many hot coordinators in the league right now.
4. Stan Kroenke wants to end the coaching carousel in St. Louis by bring in a veteran head coach.
5. The only guy who fits the suit is Jeff Fisher.

We've seen many other news blurbs about the Rams having the edge because of Sam Bradford, the Dolphins loosing their grip on Jeff Fisher, Fisher being close to delivering his decision, etc. Jason La Canfora has been on the record for a week now declaring that Fisher would be the next coach of the Rams.  Chris Mortensen has certainly backed these claims up.

As you know, I am not particularly pleased by any of this.  I don't think we made a sufficient effort to bring Gruden out of retirement.  Money talks.  Let's buy him out of Monday Night Football.  If you made him a whopping offer, I bet you he would come along.

So why do I object to Jeff Fisher?

1. I already made my case about his mediocre record.  No need to cover this again.
2. I don't think he will go well with Bill Polian.
3. I don't think he will go well with Sam Bradford.
4. He comes from the defensive side of the field.  He was a DB with USC and Chicago.
5. Our problems are on offense.  We need an offensively-minded, point scoring head-coach.
6. Given the fact that the NFL has illegalized defense, and given the fact that you have to look around for a yellow flag every time you hear the pads pop, I am not sure you can even hire a head coach from the defensive side of the field anymore.  Believe me, I choke as I write this.  I am from the defensive side of the field.

I just don't think Jeff Fisher meets our most pressing needs.  It would be better to bring back Mike Martz as head coach.  I would favor that move.  I can't believe the Bears have released him from his contract.

#4 Gregg Williams for DC

A number of reports, particularly those from Adam Schefter, state that Gregg Williams will be the next defensive Coordinator of the Rams.  Why?

Greg got his start in Jeff Fisher's coaching tree.  Gregg Williams has no contract for the 2012 season.  He is a coaching free-agent.  Although some have mentioned him as a potential HC candidate, and although there are openings available, it seems increasingly unlikely that Gregg Williams will get an HC position this year.  Many dispute whether he has the demeanor of a head coach, and whether he can delegate authority.

Further, we know there are now issues surrounding the hiring of an aggressive defensive coach as your HC, thanks to the NFL Competition Committee.  Anytime the pads pop, you have to look around for the yellow flag.

I am not sure why Gregg Williams would want to leave New Orleans.  I am not sure why he would rather work with Jeff Fisher than Sean Payton.  I am not sure why he would leave a good thing when he's got one.

Still, Schefter is almost never wrong.  This report has to be taken seriously.

#5 Jeff Tedford for OC

If Fisher is the head coach, and Williams is our DC, who will be the man tasked with repairing our woeful offense?  This is the Achilles' heel of our football team, you know?  We suck because of our offense.

Some rumors are circulating--very underground--that Stan Kroenke wants Jeff Tedford, head coach of the Cal Berkeley Bears to fill this position.  I am not sure Tedford would be interested in semi-demotion from head coach to offensive coordinator, especially when some consider him worthy of a full NFL HC position.  Still, the rumor is circulating that Kroenke has reached out to Tedford.

If he will take the position, I am all for it.  Tedford is my homeboy.  He's from SoCal originally, but he went to Fresno State where he was a very memorable Bulldog QB during my High School years.  He became the OC of the Oregon Ducks, and then the head coach at Cal.  I happen to be a UCLA guy.  He's been a serious thorn in our Bruins' side for years now.  Let's fetch him out of there to coach the Rams.  He is responsible for the early development of a QB you may have heard of:  Aaron Rodgers.

Jeff also happens to be a November 2, 1961 Scorpio dude.  Sirius 1.1 claims he has extremely high synastry scores with Sam Bradford, something Josh McDaniels didn't have.  They should be very good together.

#6 No sign of Bill Polian

At the moment, there is no sign of the Rams or Kroenke communicating with Bill Polian. The only word published on Bill Polian all week long stated that he was interested in the vacant Chicago Bears' position.

As you may imagine, my outlook is glum. I really, really, really want to see Bill Polian take over this organization. Bring Chris along with you.  There is nothing wrong with the way the Rams do things that cannot be addressed and corrected by hiring Bill Polian.  I am sure this guy can fix the organization.  He's fixed every organization he's ever been in, no matter how dysfunctional.

At the moment, all reports state that the Rams want to pair an experienced veteran HC (read: Fisher) with a young and hungry GM (read:  somebody Fisher would select).  Given the notion that Fisher is doing the selection, can you guess who we are talking too?  Titans VP of Operations Lake Dawson and VP of player personnel Ruston Webster.

So we are going to be the Titans-West instead of the Giants-West now, eh?  I am not too pleased by that.  I would sooner be the Colts-West.

Oklahoma St. defeats Stanford 41-38 in OT

I hope all Ram-fans were watching the Fiesta Bowl this evening. Stanford's kicker missed two critical field goals which basically gave the victory to Oklahoma St.  Still, it was one hell of a battle.  However, the much bigger story is Justin Blackmon.  He scored three touchdowns in this game and announced that he will be entering the 2012 draft.  We knew it.  You can read about it and see it here.

This should settle all questions about who our Rams should select with that #2 pick.  I am hearing all manner of rubbish about the Rams selecting a corner with that pick.  You can shove that bullshit.  That pick is going to be used to weaponize Sam Bradford.  That means Justin Blackmon.  He's our kid.  We're taking him.  He will be catching passes from Sam Bradford.  Nobody needs him more than we do.

Justin Blackmon's current #10 ranking won't have anything to do with the decision making process.  You just take a look at that 67 yard catch and run he made against Stanford and you know that #10 ranking is absolutely wrong.  He's way too low.

I want to go on the record saying that Justin Blackmon is my absolute favorite kid in the 2012 draft.  In recent years, Jake Long, Tim Tebow, and A.J. Green have held that title.  This year it is Justin Blackmon.

In case you were wondering, Blackmon is a Capricorn kid, and Sirius 1.1 does show a very high set of synastry scores between me and Justin.  There is a Capricorn-Virgo thing here, but this doesn't have anything to do with my evaluation.  Even the average talent scout knows this kid is special. 

The biggest news of the day: Bill Polian has been fired

Wow... shock of shocks!  The rumors were true.  Jim Ersay, owner of the Colts, has fired Bill Polian.  Rumor had it that Ersay was irate over the position Peyton Manning's contract has placed the organization in.  A tool that was intended to retain Peyton for the remainder of his career has backfired and become the booby-trap that virtually assures Peyton's release this off-season.

You know this is the one and only error that brought down the thunder.

I hope Silent Stan is listening out there somewhere.  Readers of this blog know how I feel about Bill Polian.  I fucking love that guy!  I think he is the best damn executive in the league.  He's been elected the NFL executive of the year 5 times, and that doesn't give him enough credit.  He's better than that.  Several years ago, I wrote a blog entry about how much I would love see Bill Polian take the helm of my Rams.

Now it is possible.

Let's get the Polians to take over command of the organizations.  Let's make it a father and son organization.  Trust me Stan, you're going to love this guy.  You're a Leo.  He's a Sagittarius.  It will work. You'll have a nice accord and it will produce the results you want to see.

The 2011 NFL Season is over... mercifully enough!

So the regular season ended yesterday.  Thank God!  Not a moment too soon if you ask me.  You may be experiencing a sense of loss, but not me.  If you are a Ram-fan, you have been waiting for the end of this nightmare for sometime now.  It couldn't end soon enough.  You are glad you finally woke up from a long and tormented sleep.

The deed has been done.  Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney have been fired.  You can read about it here. As you know, I have been gunning for Devaney for the better part of two years.  His poor eye for talent and his sub-par drafts are what got us here.  You can seriously question his priority list also.  I am less keen to see Spags go.

Now it is time for the real work to begin.  Now we have to begin the rebuild in earnest.

I will be out of my mind with rage if we hire Jeff Fisher.  I won't have it.  That just might be the end of my 31 years as a Ram-fan.  I don't care what anybody says, Jeff Fisher is not a coaching A-Lister.  His record with the Oilers/Titans was very mediocre.  He never won the Super Bowl, we beat him in the Super Bowl, and his Titans often failed to make the playoffs. He was the most over-rated coach in the league during his long tenure with the Oilers/Titans.

The only big credit to Jeff Fisher's his name is the fact that he knows how to last in a Bush-League organization.  I want Stan Kroenke to know that if he hires Jeff Fisher, he's sending the wrong message.  He's sending the message that he wants a coach who can last in a Bush-League organization... like the Rams.

Furthermore, I am hoping and praying the Chargers will not fire A.J. Smith.  I am hoping and praying he will not  even be available for the Rams' candidate list.  Hiring A.J. will certainly be the end of my 31 years as a Ram fan.  I hate that guy with a passion.  He is an A-Lister on the ass-hole list.  He is one of the few 100% pure, unrefined, unadulterated assholes in the NFL.  Most assholes have at least a few trace quantities of impurities in their asshole nature.  Not A.J. Smith.  He is 100% pure asshole.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We have apparent confirmation that Coach Spags and Devaney are on the Hot Seat

Today, November 28th, 2011 is the day when we got our first apparent confirmation that Coach Spags and GM Devaney are on the Hot Seat.  The word comes from none other than Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network, and it was published in print on the NFL's own website.

You can read it here.  SB Nation has another piece here.

We can now say, with honesty, that a serious source indicates that these two are in trouble.  La Canfora deals in rumor and innuendo, but he is seldom wrong.  I have gone hard against him a couple of times (in the case of the Donovan McNabb trade) and I wound up with egg on my face.  He was right, and I was wrong.  This guy doesn't piss in the wind.  If Jason says it, it has to be taken seriously.

There is just one caveat:  Farmers Field in Los Angeles.  Everybody knows the Rams are the #1 contender to play in Farmers Field.  Everybody knows AEG Productions are looking for two teams and not one.  How else do you get the full 1.2 billion stipulated in the Farmers Insurance contract?  They aren't going to leave that money on the table without a fight and half to get it.

With two teams headed to Los Angeles, it hard to imagine a scenario in which the Rams aren't one of them.  You just haven't heard it from officials sources due to the gag order issued by NFL HQ in New York.  Yep, that's right, the Commish done issued a gag order.  Keyshawn Johnson spilled the beans about that one on ESPN Radio.

I seldom discuss this subject because it upsets my St. Louis brethren so deeply.  Believe me, I know how they feel.  We went through it in 1994 here.

In short, La Canfora eludes to the often whispered conspiracy theory that Stan Kroenke will allow this inept front office to struggle for one more year before executing a 100% rebuild of the organization on the West Coast.  It's not so much that it will drive the box office revenues down, thus permitting a move.  Rather, its a question of how to rebuild the team most effectively in concert with a big move across country.

As I have said before, I would prefer that Spags stay, but I am increasingly alone on an island.  Most fans have had it with his offensive & special teams conservatism, as well as his clock management skills.  Perhaps it is because I am an old nose tackle who wished he had played in Spags' 4-3 scheme, but I think well of him.  He will be rehired immediately by the Giants, I can assure you of that.  They just haven't been the same without him.

Still, If Stan Kroenke does what I suspect, he will clean and flush the front office this off-season.  A new management team will be given instructions to do everything necessary to prepare the team for the move to the West Coast.  Stan may even appoint a new Team President, something he has not yet done.  The post has been vacant since former President John Shaw snuck out the back door.  

I, for one, would add my voice to those clamoring for Dick Vermeil's appointment as Team President.  Let's make him the boss, and let him pick his management team.

One step closer to blowing up the ship

So, in case you missed it, the Rams lost to the Cardinals 23-20 today.  This brings the Rams record to 2-8, {Editor's note:  We are actually 2-9.  I lost the count.  We've lost so many games, it's easy to do.} and gives us official control of the basement in the NFC West, the worst division in professional football.  We are officially one loss closer to blowing up the ship.

I said it last week, and I will say it again this week.  If we can't beat weak and rebuilding teams in our own pathetic division, we have plenary proof of abject failure.  The rebuilding project has failed.

The good news is that we remain in position to draft Justin Blackmon.  The bad news is we suck.  The good news is that we have one more victory than we did in 2009.  The bad news is that we have only one more victory that we did in 2009.

The boos are loud and continuous in Saint Louis

Well, the battle does not go well today.  The Cards are up 20-10 on the Rams right now.  The boos have been rather loud and continuous all game long.  Austin Pettis & Brandon Lloyd have both made catches that have brought the fans to their feet cheering, but these were only fleeting moments.  The chorus of boos have dominated these proceedings.  Not even in Indianapolis are the fans booing like this.

It's loud moments like these that make me think everyone is going to get fired at the end of this season.  I suspect we will do what the 49ers did at the end of last season.  We will clean and flush the coaching staff, but we will also blow-up the front office.  Just remember:  The prime suspect is Billy Devaney.  It's his draft decisions that have put us in this pathetic position.  If we don't get him out of there, we won't improve.  Hopefully, we will not flush and clean the roster.  This would be the second consecutive clean and flush without success.  I would hate that.

So Kroenke is planning to blow up the front office...?

Ryan Van Bibber of the Turf Show Times is reporting that Rams' owner Stan Kroenke is planning to blow up the front office and hire a new head coach.  That's the Rams' front office and the Rams' head coach, just to make sure we are clear.  Stan owns a lot of sports franchises.  Just wanted to avoid confusion there.

You can read about it here.

I place a question mark at the end of my title because I was unable to follow the trail of breadcrumbs back to the original source.  The links provided on this article point to the San Diego Union Tribune, and a piece detailing the Chargers' need for fresh blood in the management suites.

I do not deny the fact that both teams need new management.  I've been saying it for years.  I just couldn't find any reference to the Rams in that piece.  The piece is 3 pages long, and I grepped each page.  The word 'Rams' does not occur on any of the three pages. Since it is an online article, a revision and partial retraction may have been published.

I think we are all at the point now where we have rejected Billy Devaney's eye for talent.  More specifically, we don't think he's got one.  The thought of Devaney running another draft makes the hair on my neck stand on end.  The dude can't draft a wide receiver to save his life, and this is precisely the player we need the most.  I think we are all hoping that a transition will be accomplished quickly after the season ends.

However, with that said, they don't call him Silent Stan for nothing.  As far as I know, Silent Stan has been silent on this subject.  I would not expect him to telegraph his punch in this situation.

I sure hope Van Bibber is correct about this, but the prospect also fills me with some dread.

I had a lengthy conversation about this with some fellow Ram-fans at work, and we discussed the implications of firing the EVP and GM in some detail.  I am a fan of Spagnuolo's, and would prefer to see him stay on.  However, we know that this is bloody unlikely if both the EVP and GM are fired, as need be.

When you appoint a new Team President, EVP and/or GM, you almost always delegate the authority to remake and remodel the team.  Some owners can and do established protected players and coaches, but this can interfere in the rebuilding process.  Generally, you don't bring in a man at the rank of President/GM unless you are ready to trust him with the reigns of power, and the right to select his coaching staff.

More precisely, it would be unwise to talk Dick Vermeil into accepting the job of Team President, and then tie his hands by now allowing him to pick his coaching staff.  You have to allow Coach Vermeil to remake the organization in his own image.  Preferably, something a bit more like the good 'ole days of the Greatest Show on Turf.

All of this implies that we can't get rid of Demoff and Devaney without also sacking coach Spagnuolo.  Many will be glad to see him go.  I will not.  I have admired his defense mind for some time now.  I like what he has done with our defense.  Unfortunately, offensive power has been Priority-Z under his administration, and we have shown very little of it.

I am afraid that a lack of attention to scoring offense is going to cost another defensive HC his position.  It's an age-old story.  I have seen it many times before.  Names like George Allen, Chuck Knox, John Robinson, and Marty Schottenheimer come to mind.  All of these men have been hired and fired many times because of their strong defensive minds, and their offensive conservatism.

Will E. Stanley Kroenke clean house this off-season?

For those who do not follow my lowly Rams, you may or may not be surprised to find out that quite an angry clamor has been welling up in St. Louis (and other places) among Ram-fans.  There are rumblings.

A movement has been rising among Ram-fans, and the goal of this movement is to throw out the bums at the top of the organizational pyramid.  We're not talking about the Head Coach or the QB.  You do hear some rumblings about Spagnuolo and Bradford, but not much.  No folks, the stated targets of the movement are Executive VP Kevin Demoff and General Manager Billy Devaney.

Specifically, a motion is on the floor to fire Demoff and Devaney and bring back former head coach Dick Vermeil as the team President, and perhaps the GM, if he wants to wear two hats.  If he doesn't want double duty, let Vermeil pick his management team.

Will our owner, Enos Stanley Kroenke, pay attention to this mob of rabid Ram-fans?  I sure hope he does.  I was on the fence until today's game, but this loss to the Seahawks was just too much to take.  If we cannot defeat an inferior and rebuilding football teams in our pathetic division, when we have the home-field advantage, certainly the project is an abject failure.  This loss pushed me over the edge.

I am now calling for Devaney's head on a platter.  It would be good to get Demoff out of the way at the same time.  Clean house at the top.  Flush the toilet in the executive board room.  Have them pack-up and go.

You might not be surprised to read this in print coming from me.  I have very seldom been in agreement with Billy Devaney about personnel moves.  I would not have drafted many of the players he has drafted.  I found nothing winsome or impressive about many of the players he selected.  They were not on my shopping list, and I don't understand why they were on his shopping list.  I have a difficult time understanding how these busts wound up on his radar, much less his draft cards.

We must conclude that the man has poor taste in horseflesh.  He just doesn't seem to be able to identify a real player.  Certainly, an eye for durability, dependability and reliability just isn't there.

After the 2011 draft, I stated in print that I was ready to bury Devaney's arse somewhere in the Nevada desert.  I believed he made heinous mistakes, and it is looking increasingly like I was right about that.  Certainly, we did not equip Sam Bradford for success in this past draft.

Furthermore, I haven't particularly liked his taste in free-agents.  The two guys starting at guard for us right now would not have been on my shopping list.  I would have made a change at Left Guard by now.  There are some substantial free-agents we could have had for a song, and we did not go get them.  This has been analyzed and presented very well by the NFL Network's own Jamie Dukes.  Consult him for an unbiased opinion.

Football is a contest of men, fought on the field of battle.  The game belongs to the players.  They win the game.  They loose the game.  Certainly the coach matters, but the men make the difference.  This is not a good team loaded with good men.  Our offensive skill position players are pretty terrible, and our offensive linemen are pretty damn fragile.  We're doing a bit better defensively, but we have only 2 all-pro caliber talents there, and this is probably Coach Spagnuolo's doing.

After many years (6) of losing records, our team seems to be listing and foundering on the low-tides of the 2011 season.  We are no better than we were two or three years ago.  The offense is struggling just as badly as it was in 2009 when we averaged 10.9 points per game and won just one game.

This offense is ugly as sin to watch.  Our offense is downright offensive to any decent football-sensibilities.  Things have not worked out as planned.  The script was not supposed to play out like this.  The Rams were the buzz in the NFC West during preason... not that this is saying much.  This is a fight gone bad.

I truly believe the failure is at the top, it begins and ends with Billy Devaney's choice of players.  This is where we have to begin the correction.

What is this talk of a Bubble Match?

So bacon found in my mailbox this morning indicates that the Rams will play the Jaguars tomorrow at 4:30pm pacific daylight savings time. Whaaaaa...???

For those who don't remember, the Rams were scheduled to play in the Hall of Fame Game this year. We should have played the Bears. That game was canceled. Logically, this must mean one of two things: (1) we were originally scheduled for 5 preseason games, (2) they did something to quickly make up for the lost game. I have not heard of any rescheduling, so we must have been scheduled for 5 originally.

That is absolutely crazy.

In any event, it looks like we will have ourselves a Bubble Match.

For those who don't know, the first game of the Preseason is sometimes called the Fumble Match. This is because no unit in football has its $#it together as of game 1. There are often miscues, fumbles, interceptions, penalties, blown assignments, etc.

The second game has no name.

The third game is called the Dress Rehearsal. This is because both team's starters are expected go 2 or 3 quarters, and both teams are expected to compete for the victory. This is the big tune up game.

The fourth game is called the Bubble Match. Coaches are supposed to play their marginal rosters candidates through most of this game. This is the game where kids in danger of being cut get a chance to show they can do something to help the team make it through the season. If you are on the bubble, this is your chance to make it... at least in the near term. If you don't, they will burst your bubble, and you will be thrown off the team.

I understand Denario Alexander is on the bubble. Some believe Donnie Avery is on the bubble. That wouldn't surprise me, but it would surprise many. Cutting Donnie would mean we just gave up on our 2nd round pick of 2008. That would be another significant bust, and the first credited to GM Billy Devaney. Most believe Brandon Gibson and Mardy Gilyard are on the bubble.

The large number of receivers On the Bubble shouldn't surprise observant Ram-fans. We had the worst receiver corp in professional football last year. Most of these guys did not impress us. I thought Denario and Donnie might be safe, or at least beyond critical reach, but it seems they have underwhelmed coaches in camp and in the Preseason games. There will be some addition through subtraction.

The one guy who would cause me some mourning is Mardy Gilyard. He's a kid with a great story, and he was pretty sensational with the Bearcats, who even ran him as a Heisman candidate a couple of years ago. I was hoping he would flash some of that broken-field running ability we saw in college. However, I have seen some scared play out of him.

Run angry kid. Don't run scared. Run like hell. Don't tread softly. Run to kill the enemy. Don't run to avoid injury. You can still make it, and I hope you do.

Rams over Chiefs 14-10 in the Governor's cup

It was a game George Allen would have loved. It fit him to a tee. Furthermore, it was the type of game that will garner praise from any old-school smash-mouther.

The Rams looked like they had acquired former Patriot OC Charlie Weiss from the Chiefs, not former Patriot OC Josh McDaniels from the Broncos. What the Rams showed us in this game was a perfect example of Erhardt-Perkins offense, not the Spread. We ran like hell between the 20s and in the Red Zone we took passing-shots at the end zone to score. That is Erhardt-Perkins folks: You run to win, and pass to score. You run between the 20s and take shots at the end zone when you get to the Red Zone.

This is the offense that garners the most praise from the stogie, stick in the mud, fuddy-duddy, old-time religious conservatives of the golden order of St. Vincent Lombardi. Did somebody just say Merril Hoge..?

Did I mention to you that I utterly detest the Erhardt-Perkins offence? It's my least favorite scheme in the whole wide world. It usually means boring, boring football.

Still, I rather enjoyed it last night. Once again, the Rams offensive line fired out and blew the defensive line 4 and 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. They opened some big holes and Steven Jackson rumbled through with ease. This is something we have seldom seen during his career. Usually, Steve has been responsible for blocking 3 and 4 defenders in addition to carrying the football... each and every time he carried the football.

It's nice to see him get some fucking blocking for a change, goddamnit! What took you so long?

It is nice to see a functional offensive line for a change. Just don't let Sam get destroyed again like you did last night. I know that only happened once, but that was a nasty looking sack. We don't need anymore of that.

With that said, the days of the Ram offensive line pissing me off just might be over. We just need the young tackles to stop jumping off sides. I had visions of Alex Barron for a a split second there in the first quarter.

What happened in this game was pretty obvious. We got Steven Jackson back, and we wanted to give him a tune-up behind our re-born offensive line. I am very pleased with what I saw. I am sure Steve was very pleased with what he saw. I am sure the rest of the NFC West was frowning deeply. I am sure they foresee problems in the future.

We all know that the game is won and lost at the line of scrimmage. Whether you run or pass makes little difference. The game is won and lost at the line of scrimmage. You can't pass or run unless you win at the line of scrimmage.

It was interesting to see the impact that this game had on the world of NFL analysts. Mark Schlereth, one of my favorite ESPN analysts [because of his brutal honesty] was downright sanguine about the Rams. He described us as the class of the NFC West. That's a little bit of a double entendre, but we'll take it. It's a lot better than where we've been all these years.

You just knew that all the old offensive linemen were going to love this performance.

There is something to be said for coming out on the first drive, punching the defense in the mouth relentlessly, and throwing a pretty pass into the end zone. You send a Sicilian message to enemy: I'm going to beat you up, take our lunch money, and make you cry. However, the ESPN guys do exaggerate this value.

A few other observations:

• We certainly aren't showing much of the spread offense Josh McDaniels is famous for. We're showing just a little, but not a lot.
• Why is this true? Is this because we are playing Vanilla? Is it possible we wish to conceal what we will really do in the first game of the year versus the Eagles? Or is it because Coach Spags wants something more like a Ground-Chuck offense. I frequently chastised Pat Shurmur for our Ground-Chuck offense in 2009. Maybe it's Spags after all?
• I'm going to hope we are setting an ambush for the Eagles.
• We scored all 14 of our points in the first quarter. They got nothing in the first quarter. Our starters whupped their starters pretty badly.
• As you might surmise, depth is a problem for our Rams. We weren't able to sustain anything after our starters split from the game. Compare and contrast that to the way the Chargers' scrubs came back and won the game against the Cardinals. Teams like the Chargers, whatever their ultimate status, are deeper than our Rams.
• Their scrubs scored all 10 of their points, both scores coming off turn overs. Sam threw a pretty ugly pick in the first half. This setup a field goal. We had a fumble later in the 2nd half which set up a pretty touch down pass. Nothing else happened for the chiefs.
• As ESPN taught us, the chiefs have had almost as many turnovers as points scored this preseason. They have scored 23 points and had 22 turnovers. The analysts were laughing at that statistic. That's ugly, ugly, ugly.
• Despite the fact that I have no confidence at all in the Chargers, I think I am going to have to pick them over the Chiefs in the AFC West race. It looks to me like the Chiefs have regressed mightily this year. I don't think the Chargers have improved, but that doesn't matter, they still look better than the Chiefs right now. This is the year the AFC West passes the NFC West as the worst division in football.
• The Rams now lead the Governor's cup series 7-5.
• As Packer CB Charles Woodson says, winning preseason games is not important... if you loose. Winning is important... if you win.
• Robert Quinn showed up in the clutch, blocking a key field-goal attempt that would have set up an on-side kick and the victory drive for the Chiefs. As it turned out, Quinn's block completely snuffed the Chiefs. You should have heard the KC crowd boo, hiss and boo. The Chiefs died quickly after the blocked kick. As you know, I didn't want to take this kid. That's the way to show up and prove your critics wrong, youngblood.

So the Rams have played their third and final preseason game [remember they canceled the Hall of Fame Game] so we have finished our preseason course. It's all looking pretty good. I think we are going to shoot it out with Cardinals for the title. The Cardinals looked damn impressive against the Chargers. I think they are going to represent problems for us. I still think the 49ers and Seahawks are going to trail far, far behind.

The two guys who have impressed me the most are DT Justin Bannan (#95) and TE Lance Kendricks (#88). Justin Banna has the biggest damn arms I've ever seen... setting aside Gary Gibson. These guys are going to have to establish the 30 inch python club. Hulk Hogan has nothing on these guys.

Lace Kendricks is acquitting himself nicely. We've only seen flashes, but they are good flashes. So far so good. It looks like we may have a tighend vertical threat (finally). It would be nice to see us run the Ghost to the Post. As you know, I wanted Greg Little, now with the Browns. What really bothers me is the assertions that we could have selected Little in the 2nd round and gotten Kendricks in the 3rd. If we had done this, I would have been fine with it.

I'm still a rather pissed about the draft, but it looks like we may get away with it.

The intensification of Sam Bradford

Those who caught NFL Total Access on Monday know that they did a Rams-CAM interview with Sam Bradford. This was a different Sam Bradford than the one I saw last year.

Last year, Sam usually smiled for the camera, he came off mild-mannered, and a little happy. If you just received a $50 million dollar check, you would probably be pretty happy too.

This time, Sam bit his lip, frowned, and he looked a bit grim and intense. He even had a bit of anger about him. He tried to smile for the camera, but he seem more determined, grim and serious. You can see the video here. Maybe I am seeing things, but I think it is a pronounced change.

I've heard Sam say that he regrets not taking a more aggressive hand in leadership last season. He was just trying to manage his own transition to the NFL last year, and didn't speak up in key situations where he felt he should have. This year he plans to do things differently. So he says. I didn't say that, he did.

This is an interesting change. This is a much more Scorpio-like demeanor then what we saw last season. If he starts to play with a higher mental intensity and maybe a bit of anger... whew...

Troy Aikman was certainly intense on the field. He played angry. He played with passion. He shredded people when he wanted too. This is the competitive demeanor of a Scorpio.

I remember the day of 2008 when the Sooners shredded everyone except Texas and Florida. They annihilated the rest of their schedule by scoring 55-65 points a game. Sam was throwing the ball on almost every play in those days. He picked teams apart. They couldn't stop him. He pretty much took what he wanted, and nothing was enough. He was rapacious in those days.

If those days should happen to return in 2011... I know Sam wants the days of 2008 to return.

Rams over Colts 33-10

So, my Rams looked pretty decent defeating the Colts [who were without Peyton Manning last night] by a score of 33-10. It's hard to quibble with statistical and scoreboard domination.

Just between you, me and the lamp-post: We know thing would have been different if the Colts had had a fresh and healthy Peyton Manning playing throughout the entire 1st quarter. They might well have had 14 more points by the final gun.

We need an honest assessment, folks.

I took just three things away from this game:

1. Ray Lewis is quite correct when he says that the Colts would be a below average football team without Peyton Manning. Just a few days ago, NFL Network analysts Jamie Dukes and Warren Sapp were speculating about whether Peyton's consecutive game iron-man streak would continue in game 1 of this 2011 season. Charles Davis asked them how the Colts would fare without Manning at the helm. Both agreed that the Colts would not make the playoffs without Manning, and they might not have a winning record. I concur.
2. Sam Bradford seems to be absorbing the Josh McDaniels version of the Spread pretty well. Earlier in the year, I reckoned that this was more of a home-coming than a brand-new system for Sam. My instincts may be right. The good news is that we looked pretty sharp, despite the lack of off-season training.
3. The defense continues to look sharper and sharper under Steve Spagnuolo. I would expect that given a defensive master as the head coach. These guys have bought into Steve Spagnuolo's system, and they are investing themselves deeply in it. Even though they are not the most talented crew around, they are playing very solid team defense. You can do a hell of a lot of damage with team defense. Just ask the No-Name Defense of 1972 Dolphins.

As I have said before, we may well win the NFC West this season, and obtain the 4th seed in the NFC side of the tournament. This has everything to do with the West being a mess this year. I think we're going to slug it out with the Cardinals for the title. The 49ers and the Seahawks should bring up the rear, with the Seahawks looking like front-runners in the Andrew Luck bowl.

Just understand one thing: we entered this off-season with just one super-agenda item. The one and the only thing we absolutely, categorically had to do was obtain a big-playmaker for Sam Bradford to work with. This might have been A.J. Green, this might have been Julio Jones, this might have been Reggie Bush. It might even have been Mark Ingram.

We just didn't get it done.

The lack of a big-time and unstoppable playmaker will place a hard-cap on what we are able to achieve this season.

The Greatest Show on Turf

Many will complain that I should not put the Greatest Show on Turf in my series covering the NFL's greatest all-time teams. They will protest that I am being a homer. Don't do that until I skip the Patriots. Then you can call me a homer.

As we have heard many times, and many more this past weekend, the Greatest Show on Turf was probably the greatest offense the NFL has ever seen. It's the only offense to score more than 500 points in 3 consecutive seasons. Although it only resulted one world championship, we did make it to two Super Bowls. We should have won that second one.

Cheating bastards...

What was the secret behind that amazing and astounding chemistry? How could they be that dynamic? Well, why don't you just have a good look at the general synastry picture here. I know my Pentecostal brethern Kurt Warner and Issac Bruce would not approve of this analysis, but let's set that aside for the moment.

Look at the number of key players who are water signs:

1. Kurt Warner (Cancer)
2. Marshall Faulk (Pisces)
3. Issac Bruce (Scorpio)
4. Ricky Proehl (Pisces)
5. Orlando Pace (Scorpio)

Let's not forget about Dick Vermeil who is also a Scorpio. What about the rest? Well, Roland Williams, our much forgotten Tight End, is a Taurus. He goes great with everybody.

The most interesting fact about this unit is that Az-Zahir Hakim and Torry Holt are both Geminis, and they both had tremendous chemistry with Kurt Warner.

Sirus 1.1 says Kurt and Torry are totally compatible. Consider the following numbers.

1. Similarity of Interests and Temperament: 257

2. Mutual Success and High Achievement: 103

3. Problem Solving, Communication, and Mutual Understanding: 164

4. Mutual Kindness, Friendliness, Pleasantness, and Peace: 119

5. Aggressiveness, Competition, Power, Success, or Violence: 0

6. Adventurousness, Surprises, Disturbances: 172

7. Shared Creativity, Imagination, and Inspiration: 92

The story with Az Hakim is pretty good, too.

1. Similarity of Interests and Temperament: 371

2. Mutual Success and High Achievement: 31

3. Problem Solving, Communication, and Mutual Understanding: 9

4. Mutual Kindness, Friendliness, Pleasantness, and Peace: 192

5. Aggressiveness, Competition, Power, Success, or Violence: 39

6. Adventurousness, Surprises, Disturbances: 122

7. Shared Creativity, Imagination, and Inspiration: 36

What is the key to Kurt's outstanding chemistry with Gemini? First, Water and Air can mix with some difficulty. Second, Kurt is a 1st day Cancer. He was born right on the edge of Gemini. Finally, Kurt has a considerable amount of Air in his chart.

The offensive line is a remarkable mixture when you look at it. Gruttadauria and Nutten are 180 degree opposites, and you know the story about opposites. They attract and complement one another tremendously. Likewise, Fred Miller and Adam Timmerman are 180 degree opposites. Orlando was actually the odd man out on this unit, although he is all the more compatible with everyone else on the team.

Consider Coach Dick Vermeil (Scorpio) and Mike Martz (Taurus). They too are 180 degree opposites, and there was incredible dynamism between them. We were never the same after we lost Coach Vermeil. It was when these two were together that we had the best of the motivational disciplinarian and the mad scientist. Incidentally, both are super-compatible with their skill position players.

One more point: Martz (Taurus) is side-by-side with Hakim (Gemini) and Holt (Gemini) in spring time. This usually leads to good relations.

One of these days I am going to write a piece about what 1999 meant to me. It's crazy. It's so crazy, I still wonder if some of you will believe me. This is why I hesitate to blog about it.

A few bits of NFL News

RIP Bubba Smith

Bubba Smith finished his football career in the era before I was old enough to watch the game. Like so many Americas, I saw him scores of times in movies and television. He was a dear character actor in Hollywood.

As you all know, Bubba was found dead at the age of 66 today in his Hollywood home. The circumstances were not suspicious, and it is believed he passed away from natural causes. We are awaiting official confirmation of these preliminary conclusions, but the outcome looks certain. Rest in peace Bubba. We will all be joining you sooner or later.

Marc Bulger retires

As you all know, I was a Marc Bulger advocate and defender during the 2010 draft cycle when the Rams were preparing to replace him. I always said the Rams destroyed Marc Bulger, not Bulger the Rams. If I said it once, I said it a hundred times.

Marc surprised everyone in the football world today--except perhaps his friend Kurt Warner--by abruptly retiring. Marc's name was one of the hot ones on the NFL Network during the long hot lockout summer. The consensus on the NFL Network was that he would probably be a starting QB again in 2011.

I had hoped that these voices were correct, but I also knew the magnitude of the beating Bulger took in St. Louis behind that wretched OL we had. I was a little doubtful he could heal up as Jim Plunkett once did. As you know, remnants of that offensive line still remained at the start of 2010, and they were the chief reasons I didn't want to take Sam Bradford in the 2010 draft.

Although no one has said so, I suspect the magnitude of those injuries are greater than any of us thought. How else do you explain the lack of interesting signing him after each of his couple stops?

Kurt Warner gave us one tiny nugget during this summer suggesting that Marc might be better off stepping away from the field, using his time to tend to family and his charity foundation. This was only signal we got that Marc might be considering retirement.

We're not happy to see you go, brother, but enjoy your retirement.

The Rams Sign Cadillac Williams

I would like to welcome Cadillac to the Rams, but I want to caution all of you out there who think this is a big acquisition. Cadillac Williams is a 29 year old running back with a ton of millage on him who was replaced by an undrafted rookie free agent last season in Tampa. He is more than 1 full-year older than Steven Jackson, and he has suffered much worse injuries during his career. When I first heard the news, my first question was "Will he make the team?"

Don't expect Williams to change the fortunes of our organization.

I just can't seem to get excited about my Rams this year.

Call me a pessimist, but I just can't get excited about my Rams this year. You may say that I am busy with a lot of other subjects in my life right now, and you would be partially right, but don't fool yourself: If my boys had had a tremendous off-season, filled crucial holes with exciting players, and made most of the right moves, I would be off the hook with excitement about it.

The NFC West is an absolute mess this season with the last division champ, the Seahawks, on the short-short list of who may win the Andrew Luck bowl in 2011. The Cardinals have gotten a bit better, but don't fool yourself: They still haven't replaced Kurt Warner. The 49ers are on the short-short list of who was most severely compromised by the lockout. So are my Rams.

We might be the favorite to win the division, but don't kid yourself: nothing is in the bag, and if we win this sack of shit, it won't mean much. It simply means that we were the most buoyant turd in the toilet bowl.

At the root of my pessimism is Billy Devaney's handling of the draft and free-agency.

As you well know, I was ready to bury Devaney in an unmarked grave in the middle of Nevada desert immediately after the draft. As far as I am concerned, he made all the wrong moves, not all the right moves.

In free agency, we have done something close to nothing to plug out critical holes. Do you honestly expect me to be excited about the signing of Eagle safety Quentin Mikell? Do you expect me to be excited about the signing of ball-dropping wide-receiver Michael Sims-Walker from the Jaguars? If you do, you are crazy. Neither of these men are capable of changing the fate of the Rams organization.

Now, I hope they prove me wrong, but I seriously doubt they will.

You do know that Zac Diles is a cast-off from one of the worst defenses in the league? You do know that Al Harris, great as he once was, is 36 years of age, and might not make the team.

I like the signing of Harvey Dahl, but only up to a point. It would have been better if we had gotten Mike Pouncey and Harvey Dahl.

Rumor has it we are close to acquiring a running back. Unless that man is Ronnie Brown of the Dolphins, we will not obtain a man capable of changing the fate of the organization. Ronnie just might...

Bottom line is that we just didn't make much progress this season. Like the Bengals, we seem to be ballin' on a budget. We don't seem to be making any high-quality moves. We still don't have a playmaker for Sam Bradford to work with. This pisses me off and frustrates me in the extreme.

Because so many other good and exciting things seem to be happening in my life at this point, it has been easy to turn a deaf ear to the NFL Network, not that they have had much to say about my Rams lately. There has been virtually no coverage of the Rams lately, because there has been nothing to talk about. No story hear folks.

Inept management is the story line here. If he were doing good things, Devaney would have one hell of an advocate in me. However, that just isn't the case.

Bottom line is this: I believe 2011 will be a lost season for the Rams, just as it will be for a whole bunch of NFL teams damaged by the recent labor strife.