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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can read about it here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Devaney is lucky I don't own a gun. I'd shoot him.

So, I going to spit this out real quick and that will be the very last I have to say about the subject. I'm not going to have anything to say about the Rams for a good long time after this.

So when the 47th pick comes up, we have a gift from God awaiting us. Greg Little, the good prospect among the several character guys coming out UNC, is still waiting on the board for us. Guess what? We select yet-another tight end nobody in Lance Kendrick. Greg Little is selected by Mike Holmgren at pick 59.

Good people of Cleveland, I hope you appreciate the great and good stewardship you are receiving from Mike Holmgren. He will have you in the playoffs shortly.

So when our 78th pick comes up, we have another gift from God staring us in face. Leonard Hankerson is there for us, just as CBS Sports projected. Naturally, both ESPN and NFL Network cut to commercial during this pick. Nobody wants to see what the Rams are doing in this draft.

When we get the news, the selection is Austin Pettis. The NFL Network's enthusiasm for the pick was underwhelming to say the very least. The guys on the NFL Network had nothing positive to say about this. The NFL.com website suggests that Pettis may compete for the #3 receiver spot on the team. So Pettis may compete for the #3 spot on the worst receiver corp in the NFL.

That's just fucking great.

The Redskins immediately pull Hankerson. They probably couldn't believe their great luck. The moment the Redskins select Hankerson, the NFL network crew did have words of praise for Hankerson. Mayock again cautioned about Hankerson's drops, but there can be little doubt that there was much greater enthusiasm for Hankerson than Pettis.

Stick a fork in folks. It's over now. The talent falls off hyperbolically from this point on, and we didn't get much of anything in the first three rounds.

Maybe the 49ers will win the NFC West in 2011... the horror...

I honestly have no clue what Devaney was thinking. This man's thought process totally escapes me. How he put this board together I will never understand.

This is a discrediting draft. If I didn't know better, I would say Devaney was selecting just to spite me. Of course, the real truth is that the Irish Pisces just had too much to drink.

Why I didn't like that pick last night

So I got a text message from a disappointed buddy this morning. He said he checked my blog around midnight and wanted to know why I didn't like the selection of Robert Quinn. I really don't want to waste time writing about this draft anymore, but since this came from a buddy of mine, I'll spell out my reasons.

Setting aside the fact that Quinn is what Mayock would called "a character guy", forgetting the medical red-flag for a brain tumor, setting aside that many team doctors in the NFL did not clear him to play, throwing out the fact that he did not play in his junior year due to NCAA suspension, dismissing the fact that we effectively drafted a sophomore, tossing out the fact that this is 265 pound defensive end who only benched 225 22 times, and setting aside the fact that defensive end was not a position of need for the Rams...

There's absolutely nothing wrong with this pick. It's a fucking great pick...

But then we would still have to deal with the Mike Pouncy thing. Perhaps it would help if we laid down the first precepts of drafting to ensure that we come to a right conclusion on this matter:

1. You never gamble.
2. You don't take risks in this game
3. You draft blue-chippers.
4. You take can't-miss sure shots whenever you can find them
5. You fill needs
6. You don't draft at strength positions when you have needs that must be filled
7. Did I mention that this is not a fucking Mississippi river boat?
8. Did I mention we don't gamble in this game?
9. Did I mention that we select sure-shot blue-chippers where ever they present themselves?
10. I hope I didn't forget to mention that you fill needs with you picks.

Now given these 10 absolute cardinal maxims, let me ask you the following question: You have a blue-chip, sure-shot, no-risk kid on the board who fills a need. You also have a medical red-flag character guy on the board who does not fill a need. Which one of these two kids do you select?

If you're Devaney and Spagnuolo you take the medical red flag character guy who doesn't fill a need.

Mike Pouncy was the sure-shot, no-risk, can't miss kid who filled a position of great need. Robert Quinn was the medical red-flag character guy who plays at position of strength for the Rams.

"Oh but we had him higher on our board than Mike Pouncey"

Well then, you were just absolutely and completely wrong weren't you now? I mean 100% wrong with a 100% chance of being 100% wrong and a 0% chance being even 1% right. That's like saying 2+2=9. It just ain't so.

"Oh but the whole league had Quinn rated at #6 in this draft."

Well then this would indicate that the whole league fucked up then, now doesn't it? I don't care if 300 people tell me 2+2=9. This just ain't so. This would only indicate that 300 people are wrong. I am still right when I say 2+2=4. This is not a democracy people, there is a straight up and down logical decision here.

Let's face the facts folks: This is a Steve Spagnuolo special. I am sure he was just in love with this kid, seeing a potential Justin Tuck there. He was just enamored with the sex-appeal of a killer pass rusher and he took leave of his senses. I am sure he talked Devaney into it. Since our board was absolutely decimated by the 13 picks ahead of us, Devaney allowed it.

If I was Stan Kroenke, there would be a whole lot of ass-chewing going on this morning. The 'ole F. Dick meat clever would make it's appearance again.

A serious contingency plan for the Rams... if worse comes to worse.

Let's suppose the Cardinals won't deal us the #5 pick unless we give them our #1 in 2011 and 2012. I agree with Billy Devaney, we shouldn't give up that #1 in 2012. That's just too much to ask. We don't know what the 2012 crop will look like just yet. We could be kicking ourselves from here until kindom come if we toss 2012 and it is a bumper crop.

Let's also suppose that Julio Jones goes at #6 to the Cleveland Browns, making a potential deal with the Cowboys pointless. Of course, this will really piss me off, but this scenario just might unfold tomorrow.

What do we do then? Roll over and die? I have a pretty serious proposition for this worst case scenario. How about this:

• Select Mike Pouncey with the #14 pick.
• Immediately contact Bill Bellichick and begin negotiations for Pick #28. The Patriots have already said that they are interested in negotiating with that pick. All sources indicate that this pick has a "For Sale" sign hung on it.
• The #28 pick has a theoretical value of 660 points. We'll offer them the 47th pick (430 points) and the 78th pick (200 points). This has a combined value of 630 points. Let's see if he'll take a haircut of 30 points. If he won't, then offer up the 145 pick, which has a value of 33.5 points. This shorts us by 3.5 point, but we can handle that.
• Bellichick will probably be looking for future picks. I would consider it, but don't give him the farm.
• With the 28th pick the Rams should select Greg Little, WR from North Carolina (UNC).

Some will complain that 28 is a tad rich for Greg Little. It looks like a reach. Granted, but not much of a reach. Right now, he looks like he's going bottom of the 1st top of 2nd. 28 is close enough to the bottom for my pain threshold. Let's remember that this is the hypothetical worst case scenario. Getting Greg Little is better than getting nothing, or Jonathan Baldwin.

I know Mike Mayock projected Greg Little as a middle 2nd rounder, which would be perfect for us at 47, but I assure you that the sea tides have changed. It does not look like the original projection is going to work out. Little is moving up.

If we were to work out this scenario, we would exit the draft with a blue-chip guard that we can plug in between Jason Brown and Roger Saffold. Brown, Pouncy and Saffold would make a formitable left side of the line. We would also have a potential star wide receiver, although he is a tad risky.

Essentially, we plug one hole at offensive guard, which is a serious need, and another hole at wide receiver, which is a crisis need. I don't like the fact that we plug the crisis hole with a somewhat risky choice, but you just can't have everything inside the worst case scenario.

Effectively, we would acquire two solid helpers for Sam Bradford and Steve Jackson. Steve will run better, and Sam will get sacked less. Sam will also have a better verticle threat.

There are other versions of this deal we might work out with Bill Bellichick. We might negotiate for that 33 pick (580) points, if Greg Little is still there. This deal would be a little cheaper, but not much. We would still have to give up 47 and 78, but we would get 33 and a 4th rounder in return.

Why everybody loves A.J. Green

So, a budy of mine at work--who is a dedicated Ram-fan--asked me why I am so sweet on Green when Julio is the guy all the Ram-fans are talking about. I answered him pretty directly.

A.J. Green is a 6'4", 211 pound version of Lynn Swann who is faster and more bio-mechanically efficient going into and coming out of his breaks. He has a 31 pound weight advantage on Swann, a 5 inch height advantage on Swann, and 1 or 2 tenths speed advantage on Swann. I think he leaps higher in combat, and uses his hands better. He's a lion-hearted kid also.

I know this is saying a hell of a lot, but I think my man can back it up all the way. I'm not the only one. Charley Casserly has already said he would select A.J. #1 overall. I just heard Moose Johnston say the same tonight on NFL Total Access. The Moose believes A.J. is the safest pick in the entire draft. Von Miller may be a little safer, but I am pretty much online with the Moose.

As we all know coach Steve Mariucci has a new show called Game Changers, but as far as I am concerned, A.J. is the most clear-cut game changer around. This is the guy I believe will turn the tide of battle when everything is going against you.

A shout out to Billy Devaney: Think about our Rams trailing by 9 points at the start of the 4th quarter against the Ravens. The Raven defense is putting on crushing pressure. Sam has to unload an errant pass. A.J. goes up in the air and out-fights Ed Reed for the football. Reed is not only robbed of an interception, he falls down in the process. A.J. outruns everyone to the endzone. Now the Rams trail by just 2 points with 14 and change left to play.

I could see a lot of scenarios like this in the near future, and what a bright future it would be. Think of the possibilities.

It's draft week folks.

We are at T-Minus 78 hours and counting to the launch of the draft folks. Thursday evening at 4:00 pm PST, the gavel will fall and the Panthers shot-clock will start. Let's hope they don't fuck it up by selecting Cam. I pitty you, Eric. You have my profound condolences.

A few key precepts

1. This is a razor-thin draft. There is no depth to this draft. Once we are thought round 3, stick a fork in it, cuz we are done.
2. The 2011 draft cannot compare in any way with the 2010 draft. 2010 was vastly superior to 2011. Understand that this is the weakest senior class Charlie Casserly has seen in 27 years in this business.
3. There will be a large and disproportionally high ratio of over-drafted disappointments and busts in this draft.
4. This is a defensive draft, not an offensive draft.
5. What depth there is in this skinny draft exists at the defensive end position.
6. The linebacker position is the thinest position in this draft class. Von Miller is the only impact player at the LB position. Akeem Ayers is the only good 2nd rounder. Chris Matthews is the only guy I want to select in round 3. This is a terrible year to be in need of a linebacker.
7. This is a bad year for the QB position. I just heard Rich Eisen suggesting that this is a 'seemingly' quarterback rich draft. This is marketing hype. It's quarterback rich like the year 2000. There may be another Brady 6 in this draft. There are more suspects than prospects at the QB position.
8. This is a wretched year for offensive linemen. Heavy-legged waist-benders with limited upper body strength, and skinny bastards too! Mike Pouncey is the only guy I would bank on as a blue-chip, can't miss prospect.
9. This is a very good year for Wide Receivers. We have two really sweet choices up top and a few others that might pan out in round 2. This is a good year to be in need of a WR.

Devaney unlikely to move up?

I want to preface this section by reminding us all that this is disinformation week. As Mike Lombardi says, it is liar's poker season. There will be more negative influence, trap plays, pump fakes, subterfuge and deception this week than any other week of 2011. Everyone is smoke-screening like a moe-foe, covering up their real intentions.

I have read several nasty reports that Billy Devaney intends to stay put at #14. In an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Devaney said that he felt the Rams were smack in the sweet-spot of the draft. Chances are that the Rams will stay put.

Of course, Billy would not be inclined to tell you he has potential deals in the works with the Cardinals and Cowboys even if it were so, now would he? This would only make WR desperate teams more inclined to try to jump us and take their man, right? This can only increase the cost of any potential deal, correct?

I can only say the following: If we aren't smart enough to mortgage the farm to get A.J. Smith, I hope we will take either J.J. Watt or Mike Pouncey. I see these two young men as can't miss blue-chips in any system, and at various positions. Although I would love to have Watt, I supppose Pouncey fills the greater need. I would be glad to see him join the team.

Anybody remember Leonard Hankerson?

Leonard Hankerson is the latest edition of Big-Bird. He was the big-time wide receiver at The U of Miami over the past several years. His draft stock is very uncertain. Many still accord him 2nd round draft status, although many are now reporting that he is slipping into the 3rd round. Mike Mayock's review of Hankerson has inspired much fear. Mayock has emphasized the dropped passes and questionable work ethic he has seen in Hankerson, almost identifying him as a one-year wonder.

Of course, you know I greatly appreciate Mike Mayock. He is one of the few authorities I trust on the draft. However, in this case, I inclined to disagree. I know Hankerson had drop-problems early in his career. I know he has been working hard with Mark Super Duper on this problem. During his senior year I saw real progress and few if any drops. Now, I haven't seen all his game film, so there may be more drops I haven't seen.

If worse comes to worse, and we don't nail one of the top two prospects at the WR position, I would hope we would be smart enough to nail Leonard Hankerson. His combine numbers are terrific. He was sensational at the senior bowl. He is a Taurus kid and will have good synastry with a Scorpio guy like Sam Bradford. Trust me on this one. They will matchup nicely.

If we can have him in the 3rd round, we better do it. CBS Sports currently ranks Hankserson as the 80th best prospect in the draft. It should be noted that the Rams have the 78th pick. Let's get him.

It is better...

1. It is better to have one or two blue-chippers than 7 nothings and nobodies.
2. Knowing that there is little DT depth in this draft, I would hope we would select versatile dude like J.J. Watt, or pass on all of them.
3. Knowing that there are no linebackers in this draft for the Rams, it is better to get a few (like Chase Blackburn) in free agency than to draft projects.
4. Knowing that there are few offensive linemen in this draft, I hope we will have the wisdom to reach for Pouncey or pass on them entirely.
5. Knowing that there are a couple of blue-chip receivers in this draft, it is better to go after them with our draft picks than to get a temporary WR fix in free agency.
6. It is better to fix our defense in free agency than to reach for some questionable prospects through the middle rounds of this razor-thin draft.
7. Strangely enough, I think it is better to go contrariwise in this draft and select offense over defense.

What we need to remember

1. There ain't no use in having a good quarterback if you don't have a receiver to catch his passes down field.
2. Having a quarterback with no receiver is like having a cigarette with no lighter.
3. Having a quarterback with no receivers is like having cornflakes with no milk.
4. Having a quarterback with no receivers is like having peanut butter with no jelly.
5. Having a quarterback with no receivers is like having Mac with no cheese.
6. We have $50 million invested in a pretty good quarterback
7. We have an absolute #1 pick in phattest draft in recent memory long-sunk in a pretty damn good quarterback.
8. It is a categorical moral imperative to weaponize Sam in this 2011 draft.
9. Getting a big-time receiver in this 2011 draft is the sine qua non, that without which nothing else is possible.

All the more reason to reach #5 and select A.J. Green

Just a quick thought before I run out the door to work

If you watched the Schedule Release show on the NFL Network last night, you know that Rich Eisen tapped Kurt Warner on the shoulder, designating him the messenger with bad news for all Ram fans. Just what is that bad news?

We have what appears to be a very tough schedule, especially up front. Although my little brother from another mother described the end of the schedule as tough, he was just plain wrong about that. The end is very do-able. It is very tough up front, but relatively easy down the stretch.

Those first 8 games contain some zingers.

I will do a detailed breakdown of the schedule at a later time. I just want to make one point for GM Billy Devaney. We can scream and cry about having to face the last four (5?) world champions, or we can point a loaded shotgun at them. Now which do you want to do?

I will give you one undeniable fact that no one can avoid: We won't beat a single one of these teams unless we score more points than they do. I assure you, my logic is infallible. I challenge you to disprove that statement.

So how do we score more points than the Ravens, the Packers, the Saints, and the Steelers? We better make their defenses sweat. Believe me, I know this is no mean feat. How do you make the Raven, Packer and Steeler defenses sweat? I will guarantee you this: Without a major upgrade at the WR position we will never make them sweat. They will shutdown the guys we have and blitz the hell out of Sam.

I know you don't want that anymore than I do.

The solution set is clear: We need to get up that board and select A.J. Green. Putting Green in front of Bradford is the moral equivalent of pointing a 12 gauge shotgun at these defenses. Now we'll give them some problems. Now we'll give them something to worry about.

I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it again: Nailing a deadly receiver is the first and most important task that we have to accomplish in this 2011 Draft. A.J. is worth whatever he costs us. Getting A.J. is the first and best use of our ammo in this 2011 Draft.

I would be talking deal with the Cardinals furiously right now.

A few bits of Ram-News

The Rams play the Bears in the Hall of Fame Game?

Maybe... We'll see. This is a classic example of counting your chickens before they are hatched. We need to get out of this lockout first. Many think this lockout will persist until we miss a few pre-season games. When the paychecks go missing and the box office recipes are wiped out, the two parties will come together quickly.

A few months ago, I speculated that this might be the first Hall of Fame induction not accompanied by a Hall of Fame game. I didn't even suspect my Rams would be tapped on the shoulder to play in this game. We may be the first team (along with the Bears) to miss a scheduled game.

The Rams Select Corey Liuget?

Maybe... I would be disappointed although there is nothing wrong with this kid. I am not super-familiar with Liuget. I never saw an entire Illinois game during his tenure there. I have seen him on YouTube videos. He looks pretty damn decent. I like him a lot better than Nick Fairely. He seems like a good guy. He would answer a need. I think Spags will like him very much.

It is important to recognize that this selection will not answer our most pressing needs. It is important to realize that this choice will force a choice in the second round that we may not like, especially in the long run. You need to think two moves ahead, chess players. Always think two moves ahead.

The Rams select Aldon Smith?

Maybe... I like Aldon. He reminds me a lot of the best of Charles Haley; hopeful not the worst. Charles is a guy on my top 25 defenders of all-time list. Yes he was a psycho-asshole, but he was a destroyer. Hopefully, Aldon will just be cocky, and not a psycho-asshole.

It is important to realize that Aldon will only fill a need if he stands up and plays the roving Elephant Linebacker who blitzes. I could get excited about this pick if Spagnuolo will use him in this fashion.

Nevertheless, he also sets us up for a second round choice that we may not like.

The Rams select Jon Baldwin in the second round?

If we're lucky... and stupid... Let's face the facts folks. If we don't bust a move to get up the draft board and nail one of the top two receivers in this draft, there is only one other candidate with game-changer potential. That fellow is Jonathan Baldwin of the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Baldwin has massive physical tools. He has all the ability of a Brandon Marshall. Unfortunately, he has the reputation for being both a diva and stupid. According to leaks, Mike Mayock has said that the diva rep is very well earned. He was not the most articulate dude I've ever seen in the interviews he's done, hence he did not disabuse me of the stupid rep.

The last thing we need is a goddamn diva. If we are going to get a diva, let's get Chad OchoCinco the second the Bengals kick him. This is the only WR diva I ever liked.

What about Greg Little of UNC?

Better... but I am still not crazy about this choice. Good luck in getting him, folks. Rumor has it that he is moving up the board and may be going bottom of the 1st or top of the 2nd round. I don't think he's in play where we draft in the 2nd.

In Conclusion

I just don't see this being a successful draft unless we bust a move to get up that board. One of the several reasons I did not want to select Sam Bradford last year is because I did not think we would arm him appropriately. Making any of the moves listed above constitutes a partial fulfillment of that prophecy.

It is important for us all to understand that the organization has a #1 pick and a $50 million dollar investment in Sam. To make that investment workout for us, we must make the big investment in a receiver this year. Our prior investment won't work out for us this year without that big sacrifice.

I like our chances of getting quality linebackers and defensive tackles much better than our chances of getting quality receivers in free agency... when that happens.

I would prefer getting Albert Haynesworth as a 1 year stop-gap solution to getting Chad OchoCinco as a 1 year stop-gap solution. I would rather bring in Chase Blackburn of the Giants than Domenik Hixon of the Giants.

Let's fix up our defense in free agency. Let's fix our offense in this draft.

Jimmy Clausen, Mike Lombardi and Me

My position on Clausen in 2010

A year ago, I was one of Jimmy Clausen’s most outspoken detractors. I went back and read a few of my blog posts in prep for this one, and I cringe at some of the ruthless, crushing, brutal statements I laid down. I was brutally honest. I had reason to be.

Those were desperate times. My Rams had hit the bottom of the barrel. The organization was going to change QBs, and that meant choosing a new QB somewhere in the 2010 draft. We all knew that. There was a loud and vocal Notre Dame contingent in the Midwest who were adamant that the Rams needed to select Jimmy Clausen #1 in the draft. Mel Kiper Jr. was pouring fuel on that fire. I had to stomp out the fire.

It wasn’t personal. I don’t hate the kid. I wish him success now that he is in the league. I just didn’t want my team to take him. Why? Well… I was pretty sure he was going to go bust for all the reasons I spelled out in detail. We were already in the shithouse. We could not afford to lose 5 years and another HQ regime on a busted #1 pick. The catastrophe had to be averted.

Mike Lombardi’s position on Clausen in 2010

A year ago, Mike Lombardi was pretty damn positive on Jimmy Clausen. Like many, he loved the fact that Clausen played under center for the ‘legendary’ (wft?) Charlie Weis. Like many, Lombardi suspected that Clausen might be the most pro-ready QB. Like so many, Lombardi felt that Clausen had fallen into a nearly ideal situation in Carolina. He was with a good team that had a solid running game, a good offensive line, and a good defense. Clausen was ostensibly the QB best setup for success in 2010. Or so they all said…

Well, here we are…

What a difference a single year makes. My Rams are no longer 1-15 but 7-9. The Panthers are no longer 8-8 but 2-14. We gained 6 wins. They lost 6 more games. We took Sam Bradford (over my objections) and they took Clausen (over my objections). The Panthers are drafting #1. We are drafting #14. What a remarkable flip-flop of positions.

My, my, my how everyone’s positions on Clausen have changed!

Mike Lombardi’s position on Clausen in 2011

Lombardi, like everybody else, seems to have completely written off Clausen after a just few starts in 2010. Yes, it was ugly. It was even more ugly than I suggested. Lombardi and everybody else has some justification for the quick flip-flop of position.

Now you see Lombardi advocating the notion that Carolina must draft Blaine Gabbert with the top pick in this 2011 Draft.

My position on Clausen in 2011

You have no idea how awkward I feel writing the following paragraph. Were I any other guy, I would probably be crowing about how right I was, and how wrong everybody else was. I would pound my chest about how I took a stand against the draft experts and won. Granted, I sorta did a little bit of that here, but this is not what I have sat down to write.

My position on Clausen in 2011 is… eh… ah… er… give him another chance.

WHAT?

Yep.

NO!

Yep.

NO FUCKING WAY???

Yes way. Let me make the following points and I’ll just leave it at that.

Reasons for not drafting a QB and giving Clausen a chance in 2011

1. You hardly gave Clausen a chance in 2011
2. Having drafted this kid, you are morally obligated to give this kid something vaguely resembling an even break.
3. The whole team clearly suffered a massive breakdown this season.
4. This wasn’t exactly Clausen’s fault.
5. You didn’t get better results with Nat Moore.
6. One of the best reasons why Clausen is going bust now lies in the fact that he came out as a true 21 year old junior. Junior QBs go bust at a 90% rate in the NFL.
7. Lombardi is counseling you to take another 21 year old true junior.
8. Do you want another thin-dime of a chance with your #1 pick in 2011?
9. While I do believe Blaine Gabbert is a heck of a lot better than Clausen, I am still not sold on this guy, especially as the #1 pick overall.
10. I think the odds are perilously high that you will compound the bust of one true junior QB with another true Junior QB. The cost of this bust will be vastly higher.
11. If you are smart, you’ll trade down with the Bengals, get a 2nd round pick. Then you should select Patrick Peterson and Christian Ponder or (maybe) Jake Locker.
12. Even if Ponder is the guy you start by the end of the season, you may develop Clausen into a salable commodity in 2011. Get something back for him.

I must say I am a little annoyed…

I’ve been mentioning Mike Lombardi quite a bit lately. Although I like the guy, he annoys me tremendously with his advocacy of the QB position. Setting aside the concrete fact that the only good QB is a dead QB, it seems that Lombardi’s sole mission on Path to the Draft is to convince as many teams to take QBs as high in the first round as possible.

I am not nearly so sanguine about taking a QB in the draft. Knowing full well that you bare a 70% chance of going bust in a best-case scenario, this is not a gamble you take lightly. You don’t gamble like this every year, unless you are a crazy fool. You should be especially careful of gambling like this when you are stuck in the shithole. If you miss here, you are fucked for 5 years, and it will probably sink the current administration.

Just remember what Billy Devaney said to Marshall Faulk “When I drafted this kid, I had to pack-up my office. If he gets hurt, I’m going to be fired.” Draft one at your mortal risk.

Now… once again, I feel a little funny writing that last paragraph. Why? Well… you see, my Rams seem to be the latest primary beneficiaries of drafting a top-end QB. Yes, I know this is true. It is very good not need a QB, especially this year. The future looks bright for my Rams, and this is because we have a rising franchise QB. Thought I fought the hell out of him, Devaney turned out to be right, and I was wrong.

I want to say it one more time, so I make it perfectly clear: None of the QBs in this draft are strong enough to carry the weight of Sam Bradford’s jockstrap. I don’t feel particularly great about any of the QB prospects in this draft. Last year, I liked three of them, but not necessarily for my Rams.

Don’t let anybody deceive you: 2011 is a much worse year for QBs than 2010. There are a lot of absolutely sensational athletes in this draft; possibly the best we’ve ever seen. I don’t know if there is so much as one franchise QB in this draft. If there is, he probably isn’t one of the guys they are looking at in the 1^st round.

The Mocks of 2011 suggest a great rivalry

So, my friends at the Bleacher Report sent me a morning NFL update, as they always do, and this one contained about 50th Mock Draft I've seen this season. What did it indicate?

Well, there were two points of interest for me in this and numerous other mocks:

1. The 49ers select Patrick Peterson, CB LSU
2. The Rams select Julio Jones, WR Alabama

That has been one of the premier street-fights in NCAA football over the past three seasons. If the Mocks are correct. It will continue and intensify in the Pro ranks. We'll see these two beat on each other twice per year for God knows how long.

The reasoning is pretty simple in both cases. In Peterson's case, the reasoning goes like this:

1. Patrick Peterson is possibly the best athlete in the draft
2. Corners are undervalued, and never go that high.
3. He made a 9 on his Wonderlic, sliding him down a bit
4. The NFL is about to tamper with his value as a returner
5. Ergo Patrick Peterson slides to 7 where the 49ers cannot pass

In the case of Julio Jones, the reasoning goes like this:

1. Julio blew up the combine
2. Julio either broke his foot at the combine, or before the combine (accounts vary). While this makes his performance all the more amazing, he now has a medical red-flag. Minor though it may be, it will not be ignored.
3. Julio is the clear #2 WR behind B.J. Green
4. Julio dropped some passes in college. Shame, shame.
5. The top 10 is jammed with teams that need QBs and defense.
6. There is only one very likely spot in the top 10 where a WR will go (Cleveland)
7. Julio is likely to slide to 14 where the Rams have a desperate need.

Of course, there are exceptions to this pattern. Some think Peterson will go as high as #1. I think that is bloody unlikely; wishful thinking really. It's either QB or DT for the Panthers. Forget everything else. Nobody else is truly in the running.

Some think the Washington Redskins will select Julio Jones at the #10 spot. I think that is bloody unlikely; trade stimulus talk to be frank with you. I think some Redskin fans are signalling this to see if they can pimp the Rams for some picks.

Why do I say that about the Skins? I'll give you two reasons. Few, if any NFL insiders think the Skins will select an offensive player in this years draft. Shanahan has a serious political problem and liability on his hands. He inherited a good 4-3 defense. He arbitrarily blew up the ship and went 3-4 when he did not need too. His defense is now at the bottom of the barrel. This literally spoiled the honey moon. Shanahan created some very, very, very angry Redskin fans with this one move. If that defense doesn't get up off the carpet and show some life in 2011, Shanahan could be in some danger.

I will bet you dollars to donuts that the Redskins go defense in 2011. I'll bet they do it in a big way. As Mike Lombardi says, they have a 3-4 defense, and they do not have 3-4 personnel. This is the Redskins' most serious problem. It's even worse than their QB situation, which is now sitting at #2 slot. Only after this can we begin to discus the subject of a WR. Julio Jones at #10? Nope.

Can you imagine Patrick Peterson and Julio Jones in the NFC West, playing for bitter rivals? One thing is for sure: This would be good for business.

It is time to discuss Wide Receivers

Intro

Most sources say the Rams will select a wide receiver in the 2011 Draft. Most say that receiver will be Julio Jones, junior from Alabama.

Devaney willing, this shall be the case. Quite frankly, I consider the case for a WR a no-brainer. Devaney just invested the whole franchise in his golden child, Sam Bradford. So far Bradford has validated this decision. Devaney must now make decisions that support and validate that critical choice. He’s locked in.

Green Interview

Furthermore, you have the fact that Sam is currently operating with (what most experts rate as) the worst receiver corp in the entire league. Some qualify that statement with the tag “due to injuries in 2010”. There is no need for that qualification. It is misleading. Sam has the worst receiver corp in the entire league, put a period on it. It isn’t just due to injury. Only Danny Amendola has proven himself a true asset. We’ve seen enough of Denario Alexander to be interested in bringing him back.

Every other WR on the roster better row for his life. Your professional careers are on the line.

As you know, I’ve been bitching about our receiver corp since before the 2010 draft. The top two reasons I believed we could not draft a QB in 2010 were:

1. 1. Our offensive line
2. 2. Our receiver corp

As it happened, our line was far better than I thought they would be. Not quite as good as I hoped, but far better than expected. If that sounds like a contradiction, just understand there is a wide gap between the best case and the worst case scenarios. The Ram OL was somewhere in-between, but leaning towards the happy side of the spectrum.

Unfortunately, our receivers were even worse than expected. It is astounding that Sam finished well as he did throwing to this crew. His good performance, in spite of the receiver corp, is probably the biggest single reason we all have confidence in him now. Just imagine what this kid will be like if we get him a deadly receiver. We all know and understand that our receiver corp is currently placing confining limits on Sam’s growth. This bottle-neck has to be broken if our team is to improve.

As I said, it’s a no-brainer.

Right now, we’re all on the same sheet of music, and feels pretty good. Last year, there was absolutely no consensus about what we aught to do with the top pick. There was a hell of a lot of bickering in that setting. I am glad we’re all together on this one.

The Situation

As you know, the Rams will be selecting #14 overall in the 2011 draft. This is not a bad position to begin our quest for a deadly receiver. Indeed, most sources say that Julio Jones will be there for us. Only one man is rated higher than Julio Jones, and that fellow is A.J. Green, one of the super-luminaries of this draft. Based on what we saw at the combine, the rankings may change.

If we get Julio Jones, we aught to be plenty happy. To some extend I am. However, it’s tough to get excited when you are drafting #14. A lot of things can happen in those first 13 picks. It is very difficult to guess what might be on the board when our actual number comes up. Nevertheless, we are all going to play the guessing game for the next 60 days, trying to get ready.

Thinking about the two candidates

I have had my eyes on Julio for some three years now. Understand that when I watch college football, I am doing so as a scout. I try to figure out who the prospects are, and who might make my team better. I have been wondering whether Julio might become a Ram, and possibly even the next great Ram receiver. Frankly, throughout his entire college career at Alabama, I was hopeful that we would draft Julio.

It’s a very funny thing… even as the fantasy seems set to become a reality, I am having some second thoughts. A.J. has definitely caught my eye. I am also concerned about who might have the best teamwork and chemistry with Sam. For some reason I can’t shake, I seem to think that fellow is A.J.

Perhaps we should begin with a serious comparison of these two young men.

Julio Jones

Let’s go in reverse order, and start with Julio Jones, the candidate most likely to be our pick in 2011. According to his Wikipedia page, Julio is a 2/3/1989 Aquarius, who just turned 22 years of age. He stands 6-4 and weighs in at 220 pounds. More accurate numbers may be released from the NFL combine soon.

He was an immediate and three-year starter and standout at Alabama. The Tide won a national championship during his watch. He decided to leave school a year early to enter this 2011 draft. Julio was one of the top performers at the combine, out-performing his draft-rival from Georgia, A.J. Green. Julio ran the 40 in 4.43 and 4.39 seconds. He nailed a 11'03" broad jump, and also posted a 38.5 inch vertical leap. In short, you see all the size, speed and vertical leaping ability you want in a receiver.

Alabama was a running team during Julio’s time in college. He did not see the football nearly as much as he would have at a place like Oklahoma or Florida. In my mind, he made the most out of his limited number of touches by physically dominating the corner opposite him. He is an extremely physical receiver who blasts through press coverage, shakes off and runs over defenders.

Physically he reminds me of two NFL receivers. His body type is very much like that of Terrell Owens. The way he runs after the catch is very much like Anquan Bolden. If you can imagine Terrell Owens running after the catch with an attitude like Anquan Bolden, you can visualize what Julio Jones looks like in action. Incidentally, Julio has not had any ‘personality’ incidents during this time at Alabama. He has shown no signs of being a WR-Diva.

The big knock on Julio is that he doesn’t use his hands to catch the ball as consistently as he should. They call him a body-catcher, and they blame this ‘bad-technique’ for a series of key drops he made as a junior. I have to say that I did not see those drops. I would like to have a look at that game film. Personally, I have always felt that the knock on body-catchers is over-rated. Lynn Swann never caught a pass with his hands in his entire life. Swann is an HOF guy. Issac Bruce, our all-time leading receiver, caught alternately with his hands or body, which ever seemed favorable in the situation.

Critics also say Julio is a build-up speed guy. What does that mean? Translation: he doesn’t have fantastic acceleration off the line. This critique may be debunked and inoperative after these combine results.

What do I think? I never saw a single down in Julio’s career where the corners didn’t try to jam the hell out of him on the line of scrimmage. They rode him like a bronco every step of the way through that initial 5 yards. Given this sort of relentless press coverage, I am not sure how you can judge a man’s snap acceleration correctly.

A.J. Green

According to his Wikipedia page, A.J. Green is a 7/31/1988 Leo who is also 22 years old, albeit 5 months older than Julio Jones. He stand 6-3 5/8^th, just a hair shorter than Julio Jones. He weighs in at 211 pounds, 9 pounds lighter than Julio Jones. Once again, more accurate numbers may be released from the combine.

Like Julio, A.J. was an immediate and three year starter for the Georgia Bulldogs. He has a few less games under his belt due to a 4 game NCAA suspension in 2010. Why he suspended? He sold his 2009 Independence Bowl jersey to former UNC defensive back Chris Hawkins. The NCAA designated Hawkins as an agent, or someone who markets amateur athletes. Despite playing in fewer games, Green has much larger game numbers than Jones. This is primarily a function of the offense Georgia runs.

A.J. Green did not have a fantastic day at the combine. I am not sure you can describe it as ‘poor’ the way some sources have, but it was not what he wanted. Green ran the 40 in 4.48 and 4.51, considerably slower than Julio Jones. He posted a vertical leap of 34.5 inches, four inches less than Julio. Most surprisingly, Green posted a broad jump of 10 feet and 2 inches. This is 13 inches less than Julio Jones. According to the rumor, did out-bench Julio 18-17.

The speed result was particularly disappointing for A.J. Green. Prior to the combine, it was widely thought that Green had a sizable speed advantage over Julio Jones. Green’s 40 time just erased that advantage. The measurables say Jones is faster.

So riddle me this Batman: If A.J. is a little shorter, slower, lighter, less springy than Julio, why is he ranked higher? Because he can bench one more rep?

Nope, that’s not it at all. A.J.’s game film is what’s done it for him. The kid has a preposterous highlight reel. He’s made some insane catches. I’ve seen him make one-handers in the end-zone that dropped my jaw to the floor. He also uses his hands just about perfectly, which is something that the critics look for. He may be a tad smaller, less fast, and less springy, but he can flat-out play, and that’s enough.

My thoughts

If you wonder why I would have any second thoughts about Julio after seeing the combine results, I can summarize it all in just one word: Chemistry. I have very little doubt that Julio will be great receiver in the NFL. I just wonder what kind of chemistry he would have with Sam Bradford.

Sam is our guy. He’s been wearing the Ram uniform for a year now. We need to get the receiver who compliments him best. If we are going to spend a resource as precious as that 1^st round choice, we better get the guy who compliments Sam best.

For some reason, I have a difficult time shaking the notion Sam might have better chemistry with A.J. than Julio. If this weren’t a fucking lock-out year, Devaney could arrange interviews with Julio and A.J. where Sam would throw to them. We could study how they perform together, and how they communicate. Regrettably, this is a fucking lock-out year, and Devaney can’t have any contact with Bradford once it’s on.

That officially sucks. Believe me, I’m pissed. The league is fucking around with one of the most important decisions the Rams will make in the next several years. We need to get this shit ironed-out fast so the draft can proceed naturally.

Conclusions

Many are saying the A.J. Green vs. Julio Jones just might be the most fascinating position battle in the 2011 draft. Before the combine, it seemed that Green had it salted away. After the combine, it’s game-on baby. These two are going to be jockeying for position all the way to the finish line. I am sure there will be plenty of controversy and debate over which of these two fine players is better.

With the 14^th pick, we cannot dictate who we get. Indeed, if Julio rises on the board, and A.J. doesn’t drop much, we might not get either of them. This once again, this suggests to me that we need to be thinking about moving up the board in 2011, not moving down the board. We need to secure one of these two guys.

At this point in the game, I just trying to relax about the question. If we can get one of these two guys, that should be good enough for us. For the moment, let’s say heads we win, tails we win.