8/24/08

Injuries to Mark Setterstrom (guard) and Justin King (CB) have sidelined them for the year.  Fortunately, the Rams added depth in the draft at the OL positions and signed Jacob Bell as a free agent during the offseason.  Alan Faneca would have made more of an impact on the offensive line than Jacob Bell, but the Jets signed Faneca.  As of today (August 20th), Steven Jackson has not reported to camp, and his fines are totalling around $400,000.  While fan sentiment seems to be against Jackson, what cannot be ignored is Jackson's value to the team.  He is without question the best player on the team, and the Rams are in desperate need to sell tickets as the Scott Linehan era has not been successful to date.  There is essentially no buzz surrounding this year's team which has many believing that the team will finish below .500 again.  Marc Bulger's performance during the preseason games has left much to be desired, and the new offensive attack under Al Saunders has not materialized yet.  I believe that the Rams should replace Bulger as the starter with Trent Green effective immediately.  A little bit of competition would be good for the team and for the all important position of QB.
 

8/9/08

Steven Jackson still has not reported to camp as he is hoping for a new contract.  The Rams maintain they will not negotiate with his agent until he appears in camp.  The Rams are now practicing against the Titans in Nashville in preparation for the preseason.  Wide receiver Derek Stanley has been looking good in camp making many plays.  Chris Long has a big learning curve on the defensive line, and most Rams fans are curious to see Donnie Avery play at WR in the preseason - the Rams made him the top drafted WR even though many others were rated higher by the independent scouting services.  Hopefully, he will play as well as the Rams brass thinks he can.

7/30/08

Now that all of the Rams 2008 draft choices have reported to camp the big question is when will holdout Steven Jackson come to camp.  Rams management indicates that they will not restart contract negotiations for a new deal for Jackson until he reports to camp since he still has one year left on his current deal.  Rumors indicate that Jackson wants to be the highest paid running back in the NFL, and the Rams are willing to make him among the top three highest paid.  With Jackson having changed agents during the summer, the negotiations got off to a later than normal start.  

The biggest point of optimism early in camp is the expected impact of new offensive coordinator, Al Saunders.  With the Rams offense being dreadful last season, many of the Rams veterans grumbled about the play calling.  Saunders will be much more attack oriented in his approach and plans to use all of his receivers and tight ends.  Look for tight end Randy McMichael to get many more reception opportunities this season.  

7/9/08

Things are quiet for the Rams as training camp approaches.  Chris Long has not signed a contract yet.  In fact, things are very quiet as far as his contract goes.  The biggest difference during this offseason from the past two appears to be the arrival of Al Saunders and the optimism that the Rams offense will return to the good ole days of something approaching the "best show on turf" as compared to the last two seasons where the offense under Scott Linehan and Greg Olson was ultra conservative and relatively unproductive.  It appears that Saunders is going to be much more "attack oriented" and that pleases players like Randy McMichael, Torry Holt, Drew Bennett, and others.  Saunders is also very excited about the Donnie Avery and his potential impact on the team at wide receiver.  

5/12/08

The Rams had what they called a very successful draft as they feel they have filled some needs.  From what we hear, it was a very tough decision for them to pick Chris Long in the first round over Glenn Dorsey.  Their second round pick is the one which raised the most eyebrows throughout the league as they selected Donnie Avery, wide receiver from University of Houston.  He is exceptionally fast (he has run sub 4.3 40 times), but he was still projected by many to be the tenth or so best WR available.  Billy Devaney maintains that he believes that if the Rams did not draft him when they did he would not be available at the beginning of the third round.  The Rams filled other needs at OG, LB, and CB with their other picks, but I was hoping they were going to also select a QB in one of the later rounds.  

2/18/08

The Rams have hired Billy Devaney as their new pro player personnel director.  At one time, he worked under Bobby Beathard.  Most recently, he was with the Atlanta Falcons.  Rams fans have been concerned about the Rams management's ability to accurately evaluate free agents and draft prospects and are hopeful that Billy Devaney will help the Rams to make better selections. 

2/8/08

The Rams have made some coaching moves during the offseason with the hopes of reinvigorating their stagnant offense.  Greg Olson was relieved of his offensive coordinator duties and accepted a position as QB coach in Tampa Bay.  Al Saunders was hired as offensive coordinator and Rams players and fans are excited about the prospects of Saunders making the Rams offense more innovative and exciting than it has been since Linehan was hired. 

In other Rams news, some Rams fans are growing concerned that 2008 is Steven Jackson's last year of his contract.  Last offseason, the Rams made it a priority to sign  Bulger to a contract extension as he was beginning the last year of his contract, and Bulger had a mediocre season.  Hopefully, the Rams have learned that it is best to let the players earn the big contracts.  After 2008, if the Rams and Jackson cannot agree on a contract, the Rams still have the ability to put the franchise tag on him. 

Season ticketholders are being sent letters by John Shaw indicating that the team will spend to the salary cap limit this offseason on free agents and draftpicks.  Let's hope so as there is much room for improvement in many areas.