Back to the combine! It's better than Christmas!

Last Thursday night's NFL Total Access was our first broadcast from combine in Indianapolis.  That is a significant significator.  It's the official start of the NFL draft season.  It's the unofficial start of the NFL business season also.

Love it!

I was pretty excited when I saw that the gang had been fully reassembled:  Mike Mayock, Charley Casserly, Charles Davis, Mike Lombardi, et al.  We'll be seeing Bucky Brooks and Corey Chavis soon also, I am sure.  I had heard rumors that Charley Casserly had signed exclusively with CBS Sports, and I was worried we wouldn't be seeing him on the NFL Network this year.  It is a good thing that rumor was false.  It wouldn't be the same without him.

It is so damn good to see you guys again!  You have no idea.  I was going to blog on this subject Thursday night, but I was a little preoccupied with prep for my next surgery on Feb 28, and a number of other mundane household subjects.

Sometimes I get a good feeling.  I get a feeling that I never, never, never had before.  I gotta feeling that this is going to be a really good draft.  The crop looks bountiful.  The crop looks good.  I am confident that we have some franchise changing players scattered across the top of this draft.  I am sure some of these kids will make it to the Hall of Fame.  It won't surprise me when they do.

Last year I complained bitterly about the poor quality of the seniors, the QBs and the offensive linemen.  I didn't like the Linebackers either.  Von Miller was the sole exception, and one of the three most exciting players in the Draft last year.

2011 was a poor draft year.  This is not the case in 2012.  This is a PH PHAT draft class.  The prospects look damn good to me thus far.  I am excited.

Speaking of Charley, he had the first Mock draft of the combine last night, and I think he pretty well nailed it.  Charley's list looked like this

1. Colts:  Andrew Luck QB Stanford
2. Browns (from Rams):  Robert Griffin III QB Baylor
3. Vikings:  Matt Kalil OLT USC 
4. Rams (from Browns): Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State
5. Bucs:  Trent Richardson RB Alabama
6. Redskins:  Morris Claiborne CB LSU
7. Jaguars: Quinton Coples DE UNC
8. Dolphins:  Riley Reiff OT Iowa
9. Panthers:  Michael Brockers DT LSU
10. Bills:  Courtney Upshaw OLB Alabama

Most of the others felt he nailed it too.  The most critical critique came from Coach Brian Billick, who said "Charley's got 9 out of the top 10 players, and 6 in the right spot, so he's only wrong by 4.  That's pretty good!"

I would say it's probably a little more accurate than that.   What are the points of disputation here?  I think they are as follows:

1. The Redskins won't take Morris Claiborne
2. The Bucs will take Morris Claiborne one spot earlier
3. The Bucs won't take Trent Richardson. They already have a damn good power-back in LeGarrette Blount.
4. The Redskins won't go quietly into the good night without a QB in this draft.  Rumor has it that they are adamant about getting Robert Griffin III.  Charley is presuming the Rams will chose to drop back just a couple of steps to gain some extra picks and still get our man (Justin Blackmon) a little bit cheaper.  I think that's a pretty good guess.  I can't see our team passing on some extra picks, but we won't want to lose Justin Blackmon either.  Most believe we would be reaching for him at the #2 pick, based on our critical need.  This is probably and accurate assessment of the situation.
5. It is questionable whether the Dolphins would take another tackle so high in the draft when they already have the best OLT in all of football.  Riley Reiff would be relegated to right tackle duties, and generally, you don't take a right tackle so high.  Charley has said this himself.  I do understand the logic, though. Riley Reiff would seem to be the perfect bookend companion and counterpart to Jake Long.  If you get Peyton Manning in Miami, you might want to make this pick.  It will be a very tempting choice if Manning comes to town.
6. Some would dispute the Bills taking Courtney Upshaw, but the more I think about it, the more I think it is the perfect fit.  The Bills play a 3-4 defense and they need a pass-rushing elephant linebacker.  There is none better in 2012 draft than Courtney Upshaw.  He is an ideal choice for their needs and scheme.  Call me foolish, call me irresponsible, call me a dreamer, but I think he would go great with Marcell Dareus.  Wait... hasn't that been tried?  Did that workout once before?
7. Many of us are still questioning whether Trent Richardson will wind up going so high in the draft.  It's not that he's unworthy of the pick, he is a very worthy dude, but rather the fact that the RB position is so deeply deprecated in the modern NFL.  Most GMs just don't believe that you take an RB so high in the draft.  As always, it will only take one GM to make it happen, tho.

I look forward to many more of these blog posts as the Draft season continues.

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.

2012 Draft: Wacky prediction #1 Jim Irsay selects Robert Griffin III

In the surprise upset of the century thus far, Jim Ersay and the Colts will select Robert Griffin III #1 over-all in the coming NFL Draft.  Robert Griffin, not Andrew Luck, will become Peyton Manning's successor in the Colt's lineup.  This will be the shocker of shockers in 2012.

Why? Let me give you a list of reasons why:

1. Jim Irsay is a Gemini
2. Robert Griffin III is an Aquarius
3. A number of astrological programs I own predict Irsay will like Griffin better than Luck.
4. This is pretty straightforward, if you understand the theory behind it, but there are some interesting wrinkles in this pile of numbers.
5. Jim Irsay has been making some emotional and intuitive decisions lately... like the decision to fire Vice-Chairman Bill Polian.
6. When decisions are made at the gut-level, you chose the kid you like better, rather than the one who comes most-highly recommended.
7. In terms of pure combine numbers, it is likely Griffin will out-perform Luck at the track-meet in Indianapolis.  This will provide a fig-leaf of science to cover pure choice by preference.
8. Robert Griffin III will 'fit' with current Colt personnel such as Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon, and Donald Brown somewhat better than Andrew Luck will.  These are three of the survivors expected to come forward into the new era of Colt football.
9. Many voices are muttering and murmuring about the coming era of the super-mobile athletic quarterback.  Of course, it's guys like Steve Young, Michael Vick, Tim Tebow and Cam Newton who created this buzz.  RGIII is expected to raise that buzz.  Many traditionalists reject this argument vehemently.  I suspect that Irsay will be willing to give it a try.  

The interesting wrinkle is that some software programs predict Irsay will like Griffin better on first contact, but get along better with Luck over the long-term.  

Every have one of those relationships?  You like somebody a lot at first, only to discover you don't get along that well in the long-run?  Ever have a luke-warm to cold reaction to someone at first, only to discover you are highly compatible later on?

This is basically what the Astrological software predicts.  Irsay is going to like Robert Griffin a lot when he first meets him, but it may be a difficult marriage in the long run.  Irsay's first meeting with Andrew Luck is going to leave him cold.  He's just not going to have a good or strong feeling about drafting Andrew.  If he does, it should work out fine in the long run.

Beware of those gut-level and intuitive reactions to people.  You can't always trust your feelings.  As the scientists say, try to disprove your theory, don't try to prove your theory.  You're heart can tell lies.

Virgo-Pisces Alliance No.228: Why is Trent Dilfer Andrew Luck's biggest fan?

So, unless you have been under a rock for the past two years, you probably know the name of Andrew Luck.  You probably know that he is expected to the be the #1 over-all pick in the up-coming 2012 NFL Draft.  Unless something really unexpected happens, the Colts will take him and begin their rebuilding effort in verity & sooth.

I will blog about Jim Irsay's very interesting dilemma soon, but not this time.

One of the things football fans have noticed over the course of the past several months is that Andrew Luck has many advocates.  In fact, he has almost zero (0) detractors.

So far, only Phil Simms has risen in critique of Andrew Luck.  I have the greatest respect for Phil Simms, and I view him as one of the top-analysts of the game.  However, I think his critique of Andrew is off-base.  I just don't see it his way.  I just can't see on film what he claims to have seen on film.  When Phil says Andrew doesn't make NFL-type throws, I simply can't understand what he's talking about.  I've seen almost nothing but NFL-type throws out of the kid.  The weight of evidence is greatly against Phil.

Among all of the many advocates Andrew has, one stands out above all the rest.  That would be Trent Dilfer.  Trent Dilfer has said extraordinary things about Andrew.  Like what?  How about "Andrew Luck has no flaws".

Wow... that would make Andrew Luck perfect, now wouldn't it?  I rate the kid pretty dang high, but I would stop shy of perfect.  It's pretty clear that Trent doesn't shy away from that statement.  He believes Andrew will have the most glory-ladened career of all the young'ins coming up in the 2012 NFL Draft.  Trent really believes he is the perfect QB candidate.

It's to be expected.  Trent is a March 13, 1972 Pisces dude.  Andrew is a September 12, 1989 Virgo kid.  That's almost a perfect 180, folks.  The circular distance between March 13 and September 12 is almost exactly 180 degrees.  That is the most powerful angle for attraction, balance, and complementary.  Sirius 1.1 doesn't score them that high, but this is one of those false negatives I like to harp upon.  Looking at the two charts in comparison, I can see obvious things the scoring engine missed.  Dilfer likes Luck better than Sirius says.

Incidentally, Trent is birthday-buddies with my brother.  My brother is 3 years younger.  Once upon a time, I was Trent Dilfer's biggest advocate in the NFL Draft.  I was the leader of the Draft-Trent movement among the Ram fans back 1994.  I was so incandescently pissed-off  when my Rams failed to broker a deal in that draft that I literally took a couple of years off from football.  I knew we were going to suck.  1994-1998 were absolutely dreadful years, only exceeded by our recent stretch of time.  I maintain those would have been much better years if we had made a deal and selected Trent.  Our biggest problem in those days was the QB position.

If you have been keeping track of super-recent events, you know that a debate is emerging inside NFL business circles.  The question is simple.  Who is better:  Andrew Luck of Robert Griffin III?  This is natural occurrence.  We always have too much time on our hands this time of year, ergo we chew over questions and non-questions a thousand times.  Just a couple of months ago, this question would have been considered untenable.

I want to make some specific predictions about this coming debate:

1. It will rage on until draft day
2. RGIII's knee injury will not deter this debate.  Andrew had one also.
3. The Fire/Air Alliance will back RGIII
4. The Earth/Water Alliance will back Andrew Luck.
5. Mike Mayock is going to be torn.  He's next door to Andrew and 180 degrees away from RGIII.  He's going to struggle with this one.  I bet he loves both of these kids.
6. The same goes for Mel Kiper.
7. Todd McShay will side with RGIII
8. Trent Dilfer will continue to be Andrew Luck's biggest advocate.
9. Kurt Warner & Rich Eisen will side with Andrew Luck.

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.

About that #2 pick in the 2012 Draft

Given my dearth of commentary on the Rams lately, you might conclude that I am not too particularly crazy about the coaching moves we've been making.  You would be right about that.

I got a text message from my apartment manager (who happens to be a 40 year Ram-fan) the other day.  It read: "Your silence speaks volumes."

Yep.

I like Gregg Williams.  That's the only positive thing I can say right now.  I think things would have been a lot better with Hugh Jackson at the helm offensively.

But this is not what I sat down to blog about today.  What I wanted to comment about is the up-coming 2012 NFL Draft.

If I understand things correctly, I take it that there will be three football teams engaged in a bidding war to acquire our #2 pick over-all in the up-coming 2012 NFL Draft.  Those three teams are the Redskins, the Dolphins and the Browns.  XM Radio combined with the Internet is pretty amazing stuff when it comes to intelligence collection.

The most fascinating rumblings of them all are radiating out of the Dolphins camp.  It would appear that Dolphin owner Stephen Ross has a massive man-crush on Baylor QB RGIII.  Scuttlebutt says that Ross believes Robert Griffin brings the talent and the star power necessary to make the Dolphins the talk of Miami again.  Rumor has it Ross is willing to give up a Roman Emperor's ransom to get him.  We're not talking about a King's ransom.  We're talking about a sum well north of that figure.

Many Dolphin fans seem to agree.  I am hearing outlandish talk about the potential offers.  I'm talking about the kind of offers that makes a season skeptic like your author salivate grotesquely...  all over the nice leather seats in my Hyundai Genesis.

Although I grimace as I write this...  We have to entertain those offers.  We have to be prepared to move down in the draft, even if it means losing Justin Blackmon.  You know I don't say that easily, or with a devil-may-care attitude.  I've wanted to draft this kid for a couple of years now.  It would hurt like hell to lose him now.

Nevertheless, the kind of loot they are talking about tossing in our direction is just too rich to pass up.  We have to be open to serious negotiations.

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 Rams have better than a puncher's chance of drafting #1 in 2012

Ryan Van Bibber over at the Turf Show Times summed things up succinctly:

1. Right now the Rams and Colts are tied for the worst record in professional football at 2-13
2. One game remains.
3. Should both end in a tie, the Colts will draft first based on a weaker schedule.
4. The Colts play the Jags, and they have a reasonable shot at victory in a game that is almost meaningless for both.
5. The Rams play the 49ers.
6. The 49ers need to win in order to secure a bye-week and the #2 seeding.
7. The Rams's chances of victory are slim and none.  We have no reasonable expectations for victory in this game.

It logically follows that, at the moment, the Rams have better than a puncher's chance of drafting #1 overall in the 2012 draft.  Would this be a bonanza or would this be a disaster?  It depends on how you play it.  If you intend to deal that pick, and know how to stoke the fire, it could bring a king's ransom.  Many interested parties around the league will compete for the right to draft Andrew Luck. 

I contend the following: If we do not sack Billy Devaney at the end of this season, more disaster is sure to follow.  This dude has never succeeded in trading down in his career, and there is no reason to expect him to rape and pillage now.  Further, the guy couldn't draft a wide-receiver to save his life, and would probably never do such a thing with the top pick anyhow.  If we are to parlay this consolation prize into a chance to rebuild our team, the pick must be dealt, and dealt well.  This means Devaney has to go on Black Monday.

Off with his head!  To the gallows.  Burry him in an unmarked grave in the Nevada desert.

I want to restate my position that the team has not found its footing in 4 years primarily due to poor and sub-par drafts.  Billy Devaney is the prime suspect with Scout-Boss Lawrence McCutcheon in the #2 spot.  If we are to stop being a Bush-league organization, the first thing we have to do is acquire some men with a real eye for talent.  Getting a real-wheeler dealer would provide a double-bonus.

I, for one, tremble at the thought of Devaney being allowed to handle the 2012 draft.  It is terrifying to think of this guy orchistrating any deals or actions surrounding that #1 overall pick, especially with the stature of Andrew Luck drawing even more attention than ever to this process.  You're putting C4 in the hands of children without any adult supervision.

I sure hope the rumors of Devaney's immanent departure are correct.  Further, I sure hope we will offer the presidency to former HC Dick Vermeil.  Further, I sure hope the rumors of coach Jeff Fisher's arrival in town are totally wrong.  Let's put Dick Vermeil in charge, and let him pick his people.  

Will Trent Richardson go in the 2nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft?

For reasons I will spell out in a soon-but-future blog entry, I believe Trent Richardson has to be the prohibitive favorite to win the Heisman this year. This is a continuation of the 10-year historical trend which shows that you must be (A) from a very established power-program and (B) play for a nation-championship contender and (C) be the MVP of that program. Trent is the only guy who fits the suit.

Most of the early draft boards show Trent as the #1 running back on the 2012 NFL Draft. Not the #1 pick, mind you, just the best running back. CBS Sports has him graded as the #8 overall pick in the entire draft. We know that there will be many swerves in the road between this point and that, and we know nothing of them. Still, it is a solid bet that TR will retain his top-ranking.

But this leaves open the question: Where and when will Richardson be drafted in 2012? Many great backs including Thurman Thomas have fallen into the 2nd round. Very few these days have been taken anywhere near the top.

With the massive success of undrafted free-agents like Arian Foster and LeGarrette Blount, there is more talk now that ever about how deprecated the running back position is in the NFL Draft. Former GMs like Michael Lombardi have told us many times that the RB is now a commodity position. GMs feel increasingly free to plug-n-play any sort of prospect in the lineup. There is no need to draft an RB in the 1st round or even near it.

With this as a background, consider the rumor I heard on XM radio yesterday evening: Unknown experts I am hardly familiar with stated (for all the reasons I just spelled out) their conviction that Trent Williams will go in the 2nd round of the 2012 Draft. Quote: "He may be pick 33, but he won't go before 33."

Wow... shocking... believe me, I know. Consider this: Trent's better predecessor narrowly avoided the 2nd round in this past 2011 draft. Further, 2011 gave us a very weak draft. Even so, Mark Ingram was selected just 4 picks away from the bottom of the 1st round. 2012 will be better year. If we put both of Richardson and Ingram on the same board together, I would select Ingram first.

If all this is true, it is plausible that Trent Williams will fall into the 2nd round. I had not considered this, but it is rational and plausible. Shocking none the less, I know.

I thought about the implications all night last night. If the chips do happen to fall as expected, the Rams should hold the #34 pick. We should have exercised the #2 pick on Justin Blackmon, just as CBS Sports and yours truly project. Think of the marvelous good luck we would have if Trent Williams just happens to be on the board at pick #34?

Do we snatch him with pick #34? Unless everybody in the building is on drugs, the answer is certainly yes! You know and I know that Steve Jackson is ever increasingly worn down. We have not gotten a full 16 game season out of him at anytime. Whether we deal him to a contender for his benefit is a question of internal politics in the big front office transition we face in 2012. Whatever happens, we would be stupid to pass on a potential franchise back who would do wonderful things to weaponize Sam Bradford.

Whilst I feel bad for Trent Williams, I am very excited for my team. The implications of snatching both Justin Blackmon & Trent Richardson in the same draft are fairly staggering. Provided our 3rd Rounder is a good choice, our offense could go from disgustingly weak to reasonably loaded in short measure. If we retain Bradon Lloyd, we could be ready for war in 2012.

Whatcha gonna do when Luckamania runs wild on you?

With his helmet off, he looks like the werewolf of London in full beast-mode.  I think it is pretty safe to say that he is the most hyped candidate in entire history of the NFL Draft.  He also happens to be a September 12th 1989 Virgo.  Whatcha gonna do when Luckamania runs wild on you?

In all seriousness folks, I do not recall a single draft prospect who got this kind of universal acclaim more than a year in advance of his hypothetical draft date.  The closest thing to it was probably the Hershel Walker case, but even the hype surrounding Walker wasn't this great.

I say hypothetical draft date because we should remember that Luck is not yet out of eligibility.  We are presuming he will enter the 2012 draft.  He could remain at Stanford for the 2012 college season.  Everyone in the world of sports will decry that last statement as absolutely crazy, but it is factually true.

As sure as we are all sitting here, we know Andrew Luck will be the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.  Who gets him is one of the most hotly debated subjects on Sports Talk Radio.  It is a popular subject.  Callers love to discuss this topic.  Not a single day goes by without 20 radio jocks discussing who will win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Through the first 8 weeks on the 2011 NFL season, there was plenty of discussion surrounding the Suck for Luck conspiracies that might be lurking and unfolding out there in the NFL.  Just how many teams were willing to pack-it-in and throw the entire 2011 season so they can secure their franchise's future by selecting Andrew Luck?  Incidentally, the big supposition there is that you can secure your franchise's entire future by selecting Andrew Luck.

Not a single bad word is spoken about Andrew Luck.  Nobody has anything critical to say about Luck.  All the QB alums from the NFL love this kid to death.  Steve Young, Trent Dilfer, John Elway, Joe Theisman, you name it:  They all say absolutely fabulous things about this kid.  They all seem to believe he is the best QB prospect since Peyton Manning or John Elway.

The one guy I haven't heard comment on Luck (yet) is Kurt Warner.  I look forward to his opinion with great interest.

What do I think about Andrew Luck?  Well... before saying it let me throw down a few provisos.

• You know how much I hate the entire concept of drafting a QB in the first round.
• You know how much I detest the notion drafting a QB at the very top of the first round.
• You know I rail against these ideas.
• You know I would rather take an offensive or defensive tackle with the top pick.
• You know how often these QBs go bust.
• As Jesus said, beware when all men speak well of you.
• Luck is a bit overrated, but it is hard not to be overrated when you are the most hyped candidate in the entire history of the NFL draft.

With all those cautions stated, I have to say, the hype is mostly legit.  The kid does look like the legitimate, genuine article.  I have not seen a flaw in his game.  I would have to take him at the top of the 2012 NFL draft, if I was the GM with that pick.  I would sweat the risk plenty, but I would have to take him.  

That's saying an awful lot about the kid when you consider how much I hate taking QBs in the first round. 

The kid finally made me comfortable with the hype during the very recent USC vs Stanford game.  USC fielded a very game and very talented team that was all-in.  They were absolutely determined to beat Stanford.

They jammed up Stanford's power running attack in the early going and broke out to 20-10 lead.  At that point all the news on the football wire stated that Stanford was in trouble.  The longest winning streak in the country was in jeopardy. USC was beating them down.

We all knew what was going to happen.  Stanford would have to abandon the run (for a time) and throw the football to catch up.  At that moment the thought on my mind was this:  "Okay kid, here we are.  This is the biggest moment of your life so far.  If you make it happen here, there will be no limit to the praise you'll garner.  If you fail here, critics will surface."

Luck started throwing the football all over the field.  Before you had time to get up and take a piss, Stanford scored a pair of touchdowns and the score was 24-20 Cardinal.  Luck disintegrated a 10 point Trojan lead with little or no difficulty.

Boy was I impressed.  He answered the clarion call like a champ.

The game wasn't over.  It turned into one hell of a shootout.  You know what happened.  Stanford won 56-48 in triple-overtime.  Every time Stanford needed Luck to show up, he did.  He had one interception late in the game, but he came right back from that to lead the Cardinal on a game tying drive.  Strangely, it made him look even better.  The kid leads a charmed life.

He impressed the hell out of me in that game, as did his counterpart Matt Barkley.  Incidentally, Matt Barkley just happens to be a September 8th, 1990 Virgo kid.

As we hear endless talk about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ... err... the 2012 drafting of Andrew Luck, just remember, there is risk in every prospect.  Nobody is a can't-miss kid.  This kid is just a very good risk.

Rams beat Saints 31-21 in the second biggest upset of the year

You are reading the blog of a pleased and relieved Ram-fan.  You are also reading the blog of an unhappy Bronco fan, but we will save that for a later time.

Some would say it was the biggest upset of the year, but I doubt that.  Many would say the Bills over the Patriots was the biggest upset of the year so far, but it doesn't look so big right now.  The Bills were just better than anyone gave them credit for being, and Patriots--as usual--were highly overrated.  I will save my blast at the great pretenders for another blog.

No sir, the biggest upset of the season this far involved the complete collapse of the Raven offense during out last Monday Night travesty.  The Ravens had no business losing to the Jags.  The Jags had no business wining that game, but win they did.  This was the biggest upset of 2011 season thus far.

We Ram-fans can enjoy the 2nd biggest upset for the moment.  After smoking the Colts 62-7, all the men of football--including me--were utterly convinced that the Saints had regained the form that made them SB44 champions.  The unstoppable offensive, the ultra-aggressive play-calling, the brutality to pour it on, it was all back in place in New Orleans.

Ad meanwhile, my Rams were winless and without our starting QB.  Our offense held just two cards in hand: one tired old running back and a freshly acquired receiver.  There was no chance we could keep pace with the offensive power of the Saints.  Everyone, especially me, braced for a massacre.

I decided to go to Dark Horse CrossFit gym this morning in Sherman Oaks.  I didn't want to watch the massacre in progress.  I had plenty of other reasons to go work out, but the lack of desire to see the humiliation was a good one.

When I returned home, my DirectTV tuner was still set for the NFL Network (212).  Of course, this was showing the NFL Scoreboard, and nothing else.  I nearly shit my pants when I saw that my Rams were leading 24-0 with just about 6 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter.  Surely this had to be a mistake.  No, it wasn't.  NFL.com had the same score, and it wasn't long before the Sirus voice on the HDTV began covering the most shocking upset of the day; the game everybody was watching.

As you know, the Saints began to pour it on, but they came up short 31-21.  You have to wonder if some of the World Series mojo the Cardinals had rubbed off on the Rams.  Let's hope that spirit has moved over to Edward Jones Dome.

There are a number of take home lessons from this game:

1. For those of us who have been grasping at straws, trying to understand how a team that should have been improved could sink so low, this is gratifying win.  We knew we were better than the record--thus far--reflected.  This is a bit of proof.
2. You have heard the poem "For the lack of nail a horse was lost.  For the lack of a horse, a Calvary man was lost.  For the lack of Calvary man a squadron was lost.  For the lack of squadron a battle was lost.  For the lack of the battle the war was lost."  
3. For the lack of a Wide Receiver, our Rams lost the first 6 games of the year.  I am not kidding either. I am deadly serious.  Now that Brandon Lloyd is making insane catches for us, just look at what has happened.  Just one nail, on one horse shoe, on one horse, for one rider...  Now the offense can function and convert on key 3rd downs.
4. When he's healthy, Steve Jackson is still a terrifying beast.  The Saints don't want to see him again any time soon.
5. Our defense is as good as I said it was, and better.  I've been telling everybody it's not the defense's fault.  
6. The fault lies on offense.  We just couldn't score or control the football.  Today we did both, and look at what happened.
7. The defense made our 24 offensive points stand up, and they even contributed 7 more of their own.
8. Many Ram fans are very sanguine at this moment, believing that this is a big turn around moment.  I would like to believe it, and I am a bit afraid of it, but don't jump to conclusions.
9. Understand we had a big moment like this back in 2008 against the Cowboys.  We routed them worse than the Saints, and immediately won another game.  People were instantly talking about Jim Hasslet as the NFL Coach of the year.  Understand that we still finished 2-14 and Hasslet got fired that year.

Personally, I am a bit torn.  In theory, if we run the table, we can still win a good playoff spot, but how likely is that?  More than anything, I want Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State.  If we are ever to capitalize on our investment in Sam Bradford and become a Super Bowl championship team, we will need another deadly threat receiver to go with Brandon Lloyd.  Blackmon is that guy.

You know it's going to take a high pick to land him.