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Saint Louis Rams Column
By:
Roger Sinnott
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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.