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.

A Sicilian message to Billy Devaney: Your draft class gets a D-

"The boss of bosses wants to have a sit-down with you Mr. Devaney. Don't bring any of your friends."

This is what should be happening here, but since the Rams don't really have an owner just yet, Devaney and Co. are operating with impunity. They are lucky they are operating with impunity. They fucked up major big time. A few more drafts like this and somebody else will be making the calls.

Let's have a look at the Rams draft class of 2010:

Pick	Round	Overall	Name	Position	School	Grade	Class	Height	Weight	Speed
1	1	1	Sam Bradford	QB	Oklahoma	8.7	Junior	6-5	236	?
2	2	33	Rodger Saffold	OT	Indiana	8.1	Junior	6-5	316	5.23
3	3	65	Jerome Murphy	CB	South Florida	7.7	Senior	6-0	196	4.52
4	4	99	Mardy Gilyard	WR	Cincinnati	7.0	Senior	6-0	187	4.51
5	5	132	Michael Hoomanawanui	TE	Illinois	4.3	Senior	6-4	264	4.77
6	5	149	Hall Davis	DE	Louisiana-Lafayette	7.4	Senior	6-5	271	4.74-4.86
7	6	170	Fendi Onobun	Forward	Arizona Basketball	--	Senior	6-6	252	4.48
8	6	189	Eugene Sims	DE	West Texas A&M	--	Senior	6-6	235	?
9	7	189	Marquis Johnson	DB	Alamba	--	Senior	5-11	192	?
10	7	211	George Selvie	DE	South Florida	4.5	Senior	6-3	252	4.89
11	7	189	Josh Hull	LB	Penn State	2.9	Senior	6-3	237

That's downright ugly dude. With the exception of the first two picks, and maybe Gilyard, we came away with little or nothing. Particularly egregious were our selections of Defensive Backs and Tight Ends. Somebody smoked a lot of crack before making up that board. I sure hope it wasn't Steve Spaguolo.

There is little doubt that we are drafting poorly. The question is: How bad is it? Did we fuck up as bad as 2006 and 2007? I doubt it, but perhaps I am too much of a hommer. Perhaps I just can't accept the fact that we just had another 2007 draft.

We went into day #3 with a serious need for receivers and tight ends. What did we do? We selected some defensive candidates, many of whom will not make the roster in 2010. I am not the only one who thinks so. Coach Jim Mora Jr, the guy who was just scheming against us in Seattle, just chastized us on the NFL Network for not getting the receivers and tight ends Sam Bradford needs to succeed.

We took basketball players, guys not invited to the combine, folks from South Florida and West Texas A&M. Guys with grades too low to be drafted. Men with rankings like "454th best athlete on the board". Only about 250 guys get drafted each year. We drafted a guy who is known only as "Javier Arenas' backup at Alabama". There are strange, strange pipelines active in the Rams' scouting office.

Perhaps the only pipeline that is active is the crack pipe.

If it works, you are a genius. If it fails, your fired. It's as simple as that. As my old Coronel in the Army used to say to his tank platoon leaders "You got balls but no brains."

I would hate to justify this list to Stan Kroenke. Bill, I am warning you, the boss may cut your head off for this draft in a year or two.

So what if we get Bradford? What then?

Slowly, degree by degree, I am growing used to the notion that the Rams will select Sam Bradford. I don't like the plan. I think it involves to many predictable, known points of failure to be considered a rational or reliably plan. Nevertheless, whether I like it or not, I am starting to believe Devaney will go this way.

Suppose the die is cast and we will selected Sam Bradford #1 in the draft? What then?

1. We better sign Bobby Williams of the Bengals. What is the hold up here? His negotiations with the Bengals are in a stalemate position. Let's swoop in and get him.
2. Our 2nd round pick has to be Maurkice Pouncy of Florida. We will need interior linemen. Given Williams, Pouncy and Brown, we should be good through the mid range of our offensive line.
3. Our 3rd round pick better be Dexter McCluster. Sam needs weapons and Donnie is not enough.
4. We should consider resigning Torry Holt. I am not sure why we released him in the first place. Let's ask him back. Sam needs weapons.

Finally, we need to change our offensive philosophy. Just because Sam is the top ranked QB in the draft does not indicate that he is a perfect fit for the Faux West Coast we are currently running. We need to dump the West Coast and move on to greener pastures. I want to see us run the K-Gun offense that the Bills used to run. Let's run with the Zebra shotgun at a quicktime pace. This will maximize Sam's comfort level, and give us a legit threat of a passing game.

For those who do not yet know it, I do not believe in the run-first philosophy we have practiced. 1-15 disasters emerge from the run-first philosophy these days. The good teams who can pass will always outscore you in the final two minutes if you practice the smash-mouth running style. As Joe Montana often said [needling the Rams] you can't come from behind in the final two minutes by running the ball. As St. Lombardi said, a study of NFL history will show that most meaningful games are won in the last two minutes of the first half and of the second half. That is a big admission by a running guy. The law of the playoffs is now clear: You throw it or you go home.

We need to spread it out. We need to run out of the shotgun. Steven Jackson needs to take his position as the offset back. We need to run our offense at a quick-time pace. We need to rip defenses in the seams of the zone, as Sean Payton does in New Orleans. We need to do the old double post forcing a deep safety to pick his poison. We need to attack, attack, attack the way we did in 1999.

This strategy is not likely to produce a winning record in 2010, but it can get us 5 or 6 more victories than last season. A careful study of the statistics will teach us all that doubling the Rams point total from 10.9 to 21.8 is sufficient to produce an 8-8 season, possibly even 9-7 in our division. Doubling our point total has to be the absolute goal and objective of the 2010 season.

Tim Tebow 2.0 on NFL Path to the Draft

Well, well, well, sonofabitch in hell... Hehehehehehe! All the jealous losers in the SEC, Big 12 and Big 10 are really going to be upset when they view the video of today's episode of Path to the Draft on the NFL's main site.

Mike Mayock, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on Path to the Draft, declared that todays proceedings were a big success for Tebow. He has made strides. His delivery is more compact and efficient. His footwork is much improved. His receivers caught every pass. Mayock conducted a strawpoll of the NFL GMs in attendance, and the consensus is that Tebow helped himself greatly. They believe he has put the conversion talk to rest, and raised his stock as a QB.

Thus spake the official mouthpiece of NFL Films concerning the draft.

For a contrarian view of today's events, you can read Pete Prisco. A senior writer at CBS Sport, Prisco took one of his most audacious stabs at Tebow yet. You can read it here. He makes it clear that he thinks Tebow won't make it in the NFL, and that he should be a 5th rounder. Even he admits that he was contradicted... er... corrected by the lone NFL GM he queried.

Charles Davis and Bucky Brooks believe Tebow has solidified his position as a 2nd round draft pick now. You shouldn't be too surprised. I am not. I've been thinking 2nd for some time now. I thought we might get a real bargain in the 3rd, but alas, the kid showed his metal. In the 2nd, he's still a bargain.

But are the Rams at all interested? There is not one sign that either Devaney or Spagnuolo were in attendance at the University of Florida's ProDay. To the contrary, they were deeply engaged in social events last night in St. Louis and thereabouts. If a Ram scout was present, it was a junior scout. At such an event last night, Devaney declared that there were four candidates who had distinguished themselves over rest of the field. Sam Bradford was the first name he mentioned.

Personally, I am shocked that the Rams high commanders were not present at the UF ProDay. This is dereliction of duty. 10 Gators may go in the first three rounds of the draft. There were a ton of candidates to see there today.

It is looking more and more like the Rams will select Bradford. The Rams have no viable QB under contract. The Eagles are asking too much for Michael Vick. The Rams have made it pretty clear that they have no intention of giving up the #33 pick for Vick's services. There are no other viable veterans who can function behind the Rams offensive line. No, Fraley doesn't change things. Starting a rookie #2 pick behind our line would be worse than starting a veteran.

Yet starting a rookie #1 overall pick, with a $70m contract, is somehow a better notion? One who has a surgically repaired right shoulder? One who is slower afoot than Tebow? I guess you are expecting the sweet motion delivery to work in 1.2 seconds flat on every play. You better be praying that no defensive lineman will take liberties.

I don't know folks... Right now Devaney's thinking eludes me. I have read blurbs where Devaney declares that he expects the Rams' OL, as it is constituted now, to be solid this year. I think he is crazy. Unless these guys simply weren't willing to work for our QBs last year [in which case we should flush them all] I don't see how the miracle will be accomplished.

If we draft Sam Bradford, I can live with it, but can he?

..and can you?

As I have said in this blog many times, I am really not against Sam Bradford as an NFL prospect. The past several days I have been morose over the thought that our team is so ill prepared to receive & benefit from a rookie QB phenom, which Sam Bradford may well become in the right situation. Our opportunity to draft a Jim Plunkett type-talent is on the clock right now, but we don't have the line the Raiders had, which will be necessary to make Sam Bradford a champion. We have the sort of line the Patriots had when Plunkett was there; the type that will keep Bradford in the surgery room. Ergo, our opportunity here will probably go by the boards, one way or the other.

You don't know the frustration, the contempt, the irritation, and the exasperation that last paragraph makes me feel It's pathetic. We could have done so much more to be in the right position to receive Bradford right now.

We could have gone after Alan Faneca, not Jacob Bell. Does that decision look like a catastrophe in hind site? It better. Look at where the Jets line is now. Look at where the Rams line is now. Remember that our outstanding 1999 OL did not harden like concrete until we added one excellent veteran guard: Adam Timmerman. I still believe Alan Faneca would have the same effect our our current line.

You know we could have drafted DeShaun Jackson instead of Donnie Avery? That 'error' was pointed out to me the day after it happened by my NFL Jersey vendor. He slammed me on that occasion. There have been occasions since that day when... I am not ready to cancel the order on Donnie. DeShaun is a big weapon, but he has a rep for stupidity in the clutch. Our draft decision looks like a killer error right now, but give Donnie a bit more time. Remember, he can't throw the football to himself. Our QB play has been pretty terrible, and Donnie is all by his lonesome right now.

If we had more than 2 good offensive linemen and a single #2 receiver, we could have been in a position to select Bradford and do well with him. Unfortunately, such is not the case. We have only 2 offensive linemen, 1 potentially solid tight end in Daniel Fells, and a single #2 receiver in Donnie Avery.

Of course there is Steven Jackson. He is a powerback galore with speed and good hands. But I am not so sanguine about the ability of running backs to easy a rookie QB's transition into the NFL. It is the quarterback's job to pass, not hand off. One running back doesn't substitute for 3 missing offensive linemen, and two missing receivers. Let's remember that Jackson is not thrilled about the present situation either.

Does Bradford really need tools like this too succeed? Does a fish need water? Does a plant need sunshine? Do you need food on a daily basis? Of course the answer is yes! No man is an Island. No quarterback does it by himself. It takes 40 good men to win a Super Bowl... and some luck... and at least 1 bad call.

Sam Bradford's Resume

In college, Sam Bradford cut a stick figure, he was over 6'4" and weighed right around 200 pounds in 2006. Oklahoma Redshirted him in his Freshman year because they felt he needed physical development. When he got into the lineup in 2007, you could tell he was super talented right away. Coaches and scouts warned him that there would be questions about his durability in the NFL at such a low playing weight. He worked on it bit, and the Sooners claimed he reached something around 219-222 pounds.

I have a hard time believing that statement. If you look at some of the game film from the BYU and Baylor game in 2009, he didn't look that robust at that point. A 10% increase in muscle mass is substantial. You would be amazed at the transformation that can make.

Then the injuries struck. In the first game of the 2009 season against BYU Bradford suffered a 3rd degree AC sprain in his right shoulder, which just happens to be connected to his passing arm as the story works out. Bradford was supposed to miss 6 weeks. He rushed back into the lineup just 3 weeks later to play against Baylor. He looked good, throwing for 389 yards. Bradford suffered another injury to his passing shoulder in the Red-River Rivalry game against Texas, on 10/17/2009. It was an non-remarkable hit. You can see the game film right here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4569611

This hit occurred with a sensational Left Tackle prospect named Trent Williams guarding Sam's butt. [Mark my words, Trent Williams is going to be the best offensive lineman to come out of this draft.] Texas had to blitz a corner to get Sam. There was no Orakpo playing for Texas at that time either. This second hit effectively ended Sam's college career. All the NFL scouts were heard saying "We told you need to put on solid muscle weight to enhance your durability. Why didn't you listen, Sam?"

Sam went to famed Orthopedic surgeon Dr. James R. Andrews for a repair job. Dr. Andrews is the famed doctor who repaired Drew Brees's right shoulder. Dr. Andrews performed a 35 minute surgery that went "just as expected". Details of the injury and the repair job were kept medically confidential. The injury is simply described as a 3rd degree sprain of the AC Joint. What does that mean? The following information can be found on the Merck.com website:

Tears may occur in ligaments (sprains), in muscles (strains), or in tendons. Tears may be graded as minimal (1st degree), moderate to severe (2nd degree), or complete (3rd degree). Third-degree sprains may result in joint instability and are differentiated from 2nd-degree sprains by stress testing. Third-degree tendon tears disrupt muscle function. Treatment of all tears includes analgesics, immobilization, and, for some 3rd-degree sprains and tendon tears, surgical repair.

If Bradford was diagnosed with a 3d degree sprain, this means expert doctors stress tested his arm, and found a complete tear in his ligament. This will disrupt muscle function and cause instability in the joint. Not good for precision passing. The AC joint is the acromioclavicular joint. It allows you to raise your arm above your head, and functions as a pivot point or strut that permits range of motion. It is stabilized by 3 ligaments. We do not know which or how many ligaments Sam Bradford tore. That medical information appears to be confidential. I can tell you this. If he was on the table for just 35 minutes, it had to have been a simple arthroscopic procedure.

Dr. Bachner worked on my left knee for more than an hour last time I went in for surgery. He has a reputation for being fast also. It took him just 17 minutes to remove and clean up the torn cartilage in my right knee.

It would appear that Sam took his advisor's warnings to heart. When next we saw him appear, Sam had yoked up quite considerably. You could tell his physique had changed quite a bit. The difference was obvious. Sam Bradford 2.0 weighed in at 236 the combine. According to draft expert Charles Davis of the NFL Network, he is a brick solid 236. His new weight is lean, strong muscle tissue.

Gil Brandt, a former scout for the Rams in the 1950s, and VP of player personnel in Dallas under Tex Schramm, interviewed Sam Bradford at the Combine and blogged about it on the NFL.com website here. The substance of the report is that Sam had been medically examined by a number of team doctors. When asked how it turned out, Sam said he "passed with flying colors." Remember, the source of the report is Sam himself. As great a kid as he is, he may be just a bit biased.

How do you put on 14 pounds of lean hard mass and recover from shoulder surgery between 10/28/2009 and 2/28/20010? Only 4 month of calendar time elapsed between these dates. Well, we all know how this is done. However, it is politically incorrect to speak about "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" in an NFL context. This, despite the fact that is a cornerstone of the league, and has been for 40 years.

It should be noted that we still haven't seen Sam Bradford throw since the 2nd series of the Red River Rivalry game in 2009. We have heard nice reports, but we have not seen any film.

In summary

Sam is now a readshirt Junior entering the NFL Draft. This means he spent 4 years in college, and is 22 years old. He will not turn 23 until 11/8/2010. I heard he was on pace to graduate at the end of last semester with a degree in finance. Other reports hold that he needs to finish one more course this Spring semester. He is a smart kid, who finished high school with a 4.28 GPA, due to academic extra credits. During his Heisman year of 2008, he was rumored to be packing a whopping 3.95 GPA. Of course, we know he nailed the Wonderlic with a 36. This puts him in respectable company.

His class status and draft position puts Sam in uncertain statistical territory. Like Mark Sanchez, he is a graduate, and he is old enough to be a senior. He is not a true junior, but a redshirt junior. Under the Tuna formula, he is almost draftable.

He has never had any scandals or incidents. He's never seen the inside of jail. There are no questions about his character or makeup. He has two great parents at home. For those Ram fans who believe only another dedicated Christian like Kurt Warner can lead us back to the promised land: Sam Bradford is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at OU, and he is close buddies with Colt McCoy for this and other reasons.

It is frequently said that many scouts had him rated higher than Matt Stafford last year. I don't doubt that. As Mike Mayock says, Stafford will make one throw that will take your breath away, then he will make another throw that will make you bang your head against the wall. As good Stafford is, Stafford is a gunslinger, and he resembles Brett Favre in both the good and the bad ways. Bradford is not a gunslinger. He is a smart, disciplined, high precision passer who always seems under control, and who always seems to know what he is doing. For this reason I can understand choosing Bradford over Stafford.

There is a hell of a lot to love about this kid. If it weren't for the shoulder, he would be a dream come true. If we had offensive line, I would take the risk in spite of the shoulder, but when you put the two together it looks awfully damn bad.

On the subject of the shoulder, comparisons to Drew Brees are unwarranted. Brees had a much more severe injury to his shoulder. He had a torn labrum and a torn rotator cuff as well. Brees's surgery was no simple arthroscopic affair. Dr. Andrews assembled a team of experts to perform a challenging reconstruction job on Brees. This was no 35 minute affair.

So here I sit, grimacing over how dreadfully prepared we are to draft one hell of a good QB prospect; one of the better looking ones in the past several years. Our dreadful state of preparation means we will have to sit our rookie QB and develop him whilst we develop an offensive line. Financially speaking, this more or less nixes selecting Bradford.

You can't not play a #1 overall draft pick. Every team says they will sit their rookie #1 QB, none of them ever do it. Every rookie #1 overall plays. That's what happens. I am still horrified by the thought of throwing this kid in the Shark-Tank with our offensive line in front of him.

So why should we trade Adam Carriker?

For the Rams, the second really interesting bit of off-season personnel news cropped up today. The first was Marc Bulger cleaning out his locker. The second is Jim Haslett {our former coach and now DC in DC} calling to inquire about the availability of Adam Carriker in a potential trade deal.

This is interesting. It is interesting because there is a strong minority report among Ram fans that Carriker is a busted 1st rounder. I want to make it clear that I do not believe that. I believe we have had a swiss cheese defensive line, and Carriker has been one of the focal points for offensive lines around the league. As a result, he has taken a beating and gotten hurt several times.

Those who read this blog know that I am very eager to see what happens when you place Ndamunkong Suh between Chris Long and Adam Carriker. I believe this is a pure overload situation where we simply have to many killers on the field. Offensive lines will not be able to contain them all. You can't double bracket three men in a four man line. The math doesn't work out.

I would like Carriker critics to ask themselves the following question: Why are the Redskins calling about Adam? Is it because he is an injury prone bum? Is it because was a favorite of Haslett, and Haslett knows he can do it as a 5 technique in a 3-4 defense? Which is the case?

I'll tell you what I think. I think Haslett believes he can use the negative vibes on Carriker to steal a gem. They think they can get our guy cheap. Put Albert Haynesworth at the NT, Carriker at the DE, and Orakpo on his outside shoulder and you will have a hell of a nasty situation in that 3-4 defense.

This begs the question: Why in the world would be interested in dealing him when we are on the verge of having one powerful DL unit? Now that Fred Robbins is joining our team, we may even play Carriker at the DE ourselves. If we can get Leonard Little back, we can platoon our defensive ends a bit.

Unless the Skins are willing to part with substantial chinchillas, I don't think we ought to entertain this offer. I think we ought to stick with Adam. We will be glad we did when our defensive line explodes this season.

A coherent plan for rebuilding the Rams

Several friends have told me that my blog has being trending negative lately. I have been focused on what the Rams should not do, rather than stating any positive program for rebuilding the team. Sounds like Democrats complaining. I thought I had been clear earlier about what I believe we should do. Evidentially, these friends either have not read that program, or they have forgotten it.

Some tell me you constantly need to proclaim your program because folks believe it will change all the time. Perish the thought! If you are that wishy washy, end it now by kindly putting a gun to your head. Have a plan, stick to it.

On the off chance I have not been clear about this thing, I felt I would draft a comprehensive and clear statement about the direction I hope Bill Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo will go this off season.

Trades

We need to cloture arguments about drafting Sam Bradford by closing a deal for Michael Vick. It is better to do it earlier rather than later, as the Eagles will know they have us over a barrel if we pass on a QB in the draft before working a deal.

Why? We have a dogshit offensive line that needs three good new players. It is extremely unlikely that we can acquire 3 solid and make the 5 of them play as a unit in 2010. I am convinced that there is only one QB in the NFL, and available, who can survive and prosper behind the dogshit offensive line we are likely to field in 2010. That man is Michael Vick.

Will Vick be any good? As Dukes says: He knows this is the absolute last stop for him if he fails. I am convinced that Vick is a penitent man... for ruining his career if not killing the dogs. He strikes me as a guy who is desperate for second chance. Every thing he has said is pointed sharply at the fact that he laments destroying his career. It is always good to acquire a man desperate for a second chance. These guys usually explode.

Vick makes sense for other reason. As I have said so many hundreds of times, I believe the Rams should draft Tim Tebow at the top of the 2nd round if he is there for us to take. He will need one or two redshirt years to get ready. Vick blazes a trail for Tebow, setting up a Tebow era. Both are mobile, athletic Southpaw QBs who like to be in the Shotgun, and who like to run. Although it is hard to find two more radically different men, they have more in common on the field than you might think.

Free Agency

This is not a good time to be a have-not. The termination of the CBA favors the strong. New Orleans is in a sweet spot, not needing to franchise Jayri Evans. Most of the good prospects I had wanted for our team are now unavailable as restricted free agents. With that said there are still two worthwhile acquisitions we should make. A pair of guards named Stephen Neil (Patriots #61) and Bobby Williams (Bengals #63) have a reputation for being solid. They are both in their early 30s. If we get them, we will have a fighting chance. We will still need to draft at least one solid prospect, and hopefully gain another through releases.

It is also very important that we resign Daniel Fells. He was one of the few bright spots for us last season, and showed some real play-making ability. He's a keeper.

While on the subject of tight ends, Ben Watson of the Patriots is a free agent, and he is a dude who is rumored to have scored a 48 on his Wonderlic test. He can also play. He would be a marvelous acquisition for a football teams that needs to get smarter.

The Draft

Now we come to the all-important draft, my burning obsession and constant worry. We need to understand that most great teams build first and foremost through the draft. Free agents, trades, and cut-rehabs don't get it done.

1. Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska: Forget about drafting a QB in the first round. This is the prospect. There are only a few mega-stupid things you can do in this life to really destroy yourself. Swimming with sharks, whilst bleeding is stupid. Playing Russian Roulette with 6 bullets in the revolver is stupid. Starting a conventional infantry war in China is stupid. Trying to suntan inside an industrial microwave oven is stupid. However, selecting a QB in the first round of the 2010 draft is most incredibly stupid and self-destructive thing you can do.
2. Tim Tebow QB Florida: Provided that J. Wayne Weaver isn't successful in convincing his cadre to select Tebow in the 1st, we should take him in the 2nd and develop him. 20 years hence, people will laugh at the fact that scouts didn't think he was a prospect. He will be another bullet in Kiper's arse. The alternate here is Dan LeFevour. I would also be welcoming of Colt McCoy. Incidentally, did you see Tebow run the 4.7 40 yard dash? Did you see him broad jump 9.7? Did you see him spring 38.5? There is a lot of material there to work with.
3. Dexter McCluster WR/RB Ole Miss: Presupposing that he does not go in the 2nd round. I think this is a safe bet. A explosive play maker. The perfect lightning to Steve Jackson's thunder. He will kill people in the slot.
4. Myron Rolle SS Florida State: Supposing that he is there for us to take. We need a super-smart safety to call our adjustments.
5. Seyi Ajiratutu WR Fresno State: Supposing that he is there for us to take.

It is a bit foolish to project 4th and 5th picks. I won't predict or project 6th and 7th. So many chaos moments strike in the later rounds that you cannot predict (with any degree of confidence) who will be there and who will not. I think I have reason to believe that all of these players will be available when we draft.

Bear in mind that we select first in each and every round.

The objective of this draft is to get athletic playmakers with great good character, high intelligence, and excellent leadership qualities. Picks 1 through 4 have that in spades. I am not certain of my homeboy Seyi, but he strikes me as a good guy.

The Clausen Redux

Marginally informed Ram fans all over St. Louis and Los Angeles are beginning to get vocal in favor of Jimmy Clausen. The NFL recently put a video titled "Top Jimmy...?" on the front page of the league's website. Ignorant fans put 2+2 together and automatically presume the Rams will select Jimmy Clausen #1 overall. I have a simple message to you:

Forget about it.

History teaches us that selecting a QB in the 1st round is 50/50 proposition at best... if he is a senior. If you select an underclassman, the bust percentage increases to 90%. This is for a simple reason: You need more education, development, and maturity at the QB position than any other. Immaturity kills at this position, especially with the ultra-pressure that accompanies being a high-draft QB in the NFL.

Jimmy Clausen is a true Junior. That means he has a 90% chance of going bust, this according to the actuarial tables. This is the first fact to consider before any other considerations. Now just chew on that percentage for awhile and tell me that you want to use the #1 pick in the draft the select Jimmy Clausen.

Many have challenged me when I have declared that Clausen has the highest bust potential of any kid in the Draft. The Irish Alumni, in particular, have come after me with venom. They are doing a nice job of trying to back their candidate. I don't give a fuck what you say. His odds of making it in the NFL suck, period.

Weren't Mark Sanchez and Matt Stafford juniors last season? Yep, they were, but Sanchez was not a true Junior. He was already senior in age, and he had already graduated. Stafford was a true Junior.

Didn't they both make it? Don't jump to conclusions. We don't know that. The truth about these young men will not be known for several years. However, suppose that both of them have "made it": are you now prepared to temp the statistical tables with a third gamble on a true junior with only a 10% chance of victory?

There is another factor to consider. When you compare Clausen to Sanchez or Stafford, it is clear that he ain't no Stafford or Sanchez. Both of those guys are a lot more athletic and mobile, they have greater arm strength, and greater intangibles. If these two guys had come out this year, Clausen would be in a distant 4th place in QB rankings, and headed for definite 2nd or 3rd round status. You just don't select a player like that #1 overall. If you do, you are a stupid fool.

There are a number of yellow flags which even Clausen's advocates have raised regarding him. A very favorable critic can be read here raising these yellow flags.

• Throws longer than 40 tend to be late and fluttery
• Doesn't have the best footwork
• Executes a three quarter release that can cause problems
• Not very athletic, does not have the ability to run with the football
• Does not follow through on the little things, play action, fake rollouts, etc.
• Questionable personality: comes off as abrasive

I can honestly tell you that I saw plenty of Notre Dame games over the last three years. Never once did I consider Clausen to be a significant prospect for Sundays in the NFL. He just didn't impress me. As a freshmen, he looked like a kid in deep shit, way over his head. As a sophomore, I don't think he started to "get it" until later in the season. As a junior he put together a few significant games: Like the one they lost to 6-5 USC where Notre Dame scored about 30 points. It should be noted that USC was rebuilding their defense like a moefoe this season.

Then Clausen's coach is fired for running a very tepid program.

Perhaps that resume looks good to you. It does not look good to me. It does not convince me that Clausen will beat-out an actuarial table that gives him only a 10% chance to succeed.

Hold on to your arse Ram fans... it looks like we have an unexpected buyer

The Rams have been for sale for the better part of a year now... either officially or unofficially depending on whom you listen too. This sale has been greatly protracted by the Great Recession. Now we may have reached the end of the deal.

According to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, the Rams have been sold to Shahid Khan. You may want to have a look at Bernie Miklasz's fine piece here for some solid details.

What we do know:

1. Khan is a 55 year old 1st generation immanent to the United States. His family immigrated to the St. Louis from Pakistan when he was a child. He attended the University of Illinois, Champagne/Urbana where he earned an engineering degree.
2. He is said to regard St. Louis as his hometown, and is purportedly an enthusiastic Ram fan who has attended games in the Edward Jones dome.
   
3. Khan is expected to purchase the 60% owned by Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez.
4. Khan is purportedly prepared to purchase Kroenke's 40% should he activate the poison pill clause in his ownership agreement.
   
5. Khan is the only buyer. He has no partners. He will be the sole owner at the end of the day, if he is approved.
   
6. The total value of the team has been placed between $725 and $750 million
7. Khan is the president and owner Urbana Illinois based Flex-N-Gate Corporation (FNG).
8. Flex-N-Gate is in the auto parts business, with an emphasis on heavy work truck parts and components.
9. According to Forbes, FNG is the 229th largest company in the United states with an estimated global revenue stream of approximately $2.14B.
   
10. Flex-N-Gate has approximately 10k employees at 57 facilities in 5 countries.
    
11. Khan has apparently had some tax issues. Between 1999-2003, Khan and his wife Ann were investigated for allegedly sheltering $250M from the IRS. This was allegedly settled when his wife Ann paid $68m in back-taxes to the IRS. Khan stated that he would pursue litigation to obtain a refund of this cash.
12. According to the associated press, Khan is committed to keeping the team in St. Louis. He has allegedly stated that he entered his bid to own a team in his hometown and his hometown only.
    

What we do not know:

1. Has Khan purchased the 40% share owned by Enos Stanley Kroenke?
2. Has he reached an accommodation with Silent Stan?
3. Is Stan planning to use his right of first refusal?
4. Will the owners waive the cross-ownership clause for Silent Stan?
   
5. Will 75% of the NFL owners vote him into the club?

This is going to be very interesting to watch. To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Khan is of East Indian extraction. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a non-white owner of non-European extraction. The NFL Owners' club is a very elitist and clickish group. However, they have not blocked the acquisition of a team often. I will have to look for the last precedent.

For a 30 year Ram fan who has been following this process every day, closely, this outcome is nothing short of a shocker. Never once in all the pieces I read was the name Shahid Khan ever mentioned. He completely evaded our Radar net. He was nowhere on the scope. If these reports are accurate, Khan abruptly materialized out of thin air to snatch the team when nobody expected it.

Perhaps I speak out of turn, and out of school, but I suspect Mr. Khan may have some difficulties with the owners, whether real or contrived. I suspect he may have to negotiate a deal to get into this exclusive club. Methinks we will find out exactly what the NFL wants more: A team in St. Louis or a team in Los Angeles?

Nolan Cromwell and Issac Bruce

So, rumors are swirling about a rejiggering of the Rams coaching staff. I am skeptical. There is no doubt that WR coach Charile Baggett has departed for Tennessee. He couldn't take our pure lack of talent at the position. He must be replaced. This does not constitute rejiggering though. If we wanted to really fix something, we would start by firing Pat Shurmer and dumping the West Coast Offense. This would constitute a sizable first step in the right direction.

Getting Mike Leach would be huge.

But returning to the issue at hand, we need a new WR coach. Two named are being bandied about, and they are big names if you are a Ram fan. The first is none other the Issac Bruce, the 2nd all-time leading receiver after that guy named Jerry Rice. He is also a charter member of the Greatest Show on Turf. You could hardly ask for a better receiver to coach receivers. The other name is Nolan Cromwell. You youngins may not know that name so let me coach you up.

Nolan Cromwell was a QB at Kansas where they ran it out of the Wishbone. The Rams drafted him in 1977, and we moved him to Free Safety, where he QB'd our defense for years. He retired after 1987... The last strike year. I don't want to go into that. He is one of the unsung heros of Ram history. He was also our field goal holder for years and years. We frequently ran trickerations with Cromwell running or throwing the football. He was elected to four ProBowls and should have had more. He was an amazing athlete. Many do not know that Cromwell dropped a Pick-6 interception in SB14 that might well have clinched the game for the Rams.

It seems that Cromwell has been quite a Renaissance man in his after-life as a coach. He has been a special teams coach with the Rams and Packers. He coached receivers in Seattle. He has been the offensive coordinator of Texas A&M for the past 4 years. Let's remember that he was an option QB and defensive back as a player.

Choosing between these two guys is like choosing between your mother and your father. Its brutal. I'll spit it out: I do have to say that I think Issac is the better qualified guy to coach our receivers. You can hardly find a more skilled receiver in NFL history than Bruce. I believe he can pass it on. He is a good character guy also. He always conducted himself impeccably. We want and we need him back.

Is there another slot where we can make a place for Cromwell? I'll tell you this: I wouldn't mind making him the OC. It would shake things up plenty. I feel strange making a former defensive back and wishbone QB our coordinator. Still, we cannot do worse than we did last season. I need to study Cromwell's offensive philosophy, and see what he has been up to at Texas A&M these past 4 years.

So how then shall we draft?

Having watched a week of Senior Bowl practices, and having heard the words of Mike Mayock on some of the top candidates, how then shall we (the Rams) draft in 2010?

Let's remember that we were the worst team in the NFL, and primarily because of our offense. I still believe our Defense and Special teams are sufficient to fuel and playoff drive in 2010, if only our offense can produced 23 points per game. That might be enough for 9-7 and a 6th seed in the NFC. Getting to 23 points per game is going to be extremely difficult. That is a 230% increase in offensive output per game. This will require firing Pat Shurmer and acquiring some high-end free agents {perhaps like Brandon Marshall and Michael Vick}.

Draft List #1

The Rams have only 1 pick in each of the first 4 rounds, and we will select first in every round. We aren't missing any of our picks, but we don't have any extras at this point until the 5th round. Presuming we make no trades, acquire no draft picks, make no changes in draft order, we could take all of the following players in the first 4 rounds.

1. Ndamukong Suh, DT Nebraska: Mike Mayock says that Gerald McCoy is better. Mayock says McCoy is like Mike Williams of the Vikings, but could be better. I hate to break it to you, but that doesn't sound like a worthy #1 pick in the 2010 draft. I saw plenty of the Vikings this year, and Williams was not their best pass rusher or best defensive lineman. That was Jerad Allen. If McCoy might be better than Mike Williams, I leave him on the table and take Suh.



2. Tim Tebow QB, University of Florida: This is my favorite kid in the whole damn draft. If he is a mistake, he is a mistake I am more than willing to make. I believe he is a great gamble, and precisely what we need at QB. He should be availible at the top of 2nd round. Don't even think about Clausen.
3. Dexter McCluster, WR/RB Ole Miss. This is Mike Mayock's favorite kid, and my second favorite kid. He does nothing but make explosive touchdown plays. He takes nothing passes and turns them into 45 yard explosions. He takes simple pitchouts, and turns the corner against SEC defenses loaded with Sunday players. I think he is a super-weapon, and the perfect lightning to Steven Jackson's thunder.
4. 
   
   Myron Rolle, SS Florida State. This is the Rhodes Scholar from Florida State back in 2008. He's been at Oxford University for the past year. He had a good week at the Senior Bowl but is not expected to be drafted before the 4th round. I'll take him there, thanks. We could use a super-smart Strong Safety to lead our troops.

What happens if both Jimmy Clausen and Tim Tebow are both on the board at the top of the 2nd round? Let's hope that doesn't happen. Let's hope Seattle or San Francisco relieve us of Clausen in the 1st round. That would be the best thing for us all the way around.

What happens if neither Jimmy Clausen nor Tim Tebow are on the board at the top of the 2nd round? At that point I would try to re-jigger my draft order a bit and look for Colt McCoy, whom I like a lot.