Tag: St. Louis Rams (Page 16 of 42)

      If Rams have trouble signing Bradford, they have themselves to blame

      July 19, 2010 /
      St. Louis Rams No.1 draft pick quarterback Sam Bradford (8) runs a play during day one of the Rams rookie camp at the teams practice facility in Earth City on April 30, 2010. UPI/Bill Greenblatt Photo via Newscom

      The Dolphins accomplished the feat two years ago with offensive tackle Jake Long. The Lions were able to do the same thing last year with quarterback Matthew Stafford.

      But the Rams decided to wait and now, well who knows. Uncertainty is about to become their best friend over the next couple of weeks.

      According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, when a deal eventually gets done, the guaranteed money in Sam Bradford’s contract will be between $45 million and $50 million. That’s a ton of dough for any franchise to fork over for one player, not to mention one whose owners are in the midst of trying to sell the team.

      Of course, this could have been avoided had the Rams struck a deal with Bradford before the draft. They had more leverage then and certainly more options. While they wanted and needed a franchise quarterback most of all, if they knew that signing Bradford would be an issue (or they weren’t prepared to hand him $50 million in guaranteed money), they could have selected Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh or Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Bears nab Unga, Cowboys select Price-Brent in the NFL supplemental draft

      July 15, 2010 /
      SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 6: Harvey Unga #45 of the BYU Cougars runs with the ball during their game against the Washington Huskies on September 6, 2008 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Cougars defeated the Huskies 28-27. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

      It took seven rounds before the two most popular players in this year’s NFL supplemental draft were selected, but BYU running back Harvey Unga and Illinois defensive end Josh Price-Brent eventually found homes.

      The Bears selected Unga in the seventh round of today’s draft and the Cowboys took Price-Brent in the same round. The Bears and Cowboys will each have to forfeit their seventh round picks in the 2011 NFL Draft.

      Unga rushed for 1,087 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2009 while becoming BYU’s all-time leading rusher with 3,455 yards. He earned first-team All-MWC honors following the season, although on April 16, 2010, he voluntarily withdrew from the school after violating its honor code.

      The Rams were rumored to have been interested in him as a potential complement to running back Steven Jackson before the draft. But Unga wasn’t able to contribute in any offseason practices due to an ankle injury and St. Louis’ interest cooled off. He’ll now join Matt Forte and Chester Taylor in a crowded backfield in Chicago.

      Price-Brent totaled 71 tackles, five sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles in his two years as a starter with the Illini. But he was declared academically ineligible this past spring and also spent 30 days in jail for a DUI last year. Scouts like his size, but his strength has been a question mark after he only had 31 reps on the bench during his private workout. That was the lowest amount of reps by a defensive tackle over 295 pounds that was invited to this year’s scouting combine.

      That said, he’s a good fit in Dallas (who runs a 3-4) because he’s projected as a nose tackle at the next level.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Rams taking right approach with Bradford

      June 23, 2010 /

      On Wednesday, Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo answered questions from fans (all four of them) at the Missouri Botanical Garden and reiterated that A.J. Feeley was his starting quarterback for now.

      “It would be an injustice to Sam and the rest of the team” to set a timetable, he said. “He’s in the early stages of developing as an NFL quarterback. He came into the league far advanced from some quarterbacks I’ve worked with. We’ll do first what’s right for the team and second what’s right for Sam.”

      St. Louis fans might not have wanted to hear that, but Spags is right when he says it’s not far to Bradford to make him the starter right away. He’s in the infancy stages of his career and just went from basic algebra to advanced calculus in terms of his learning curve from Oklahoma to the NFL.

      The inexperience of the Rams’ offensive line also plays into whether or not Bradford should start right away. Assuming 2010 second round pick Rodger Saffold joins 2009 first round pick Jason Smith in the starting lineup, the Rams’ offensive tackles will have a combined seven games of experience under their belts. That’s not to say that the line won’t be a strength by the end of the season (Smith and Saffold both offer plenty of upside, while center Jason Brown is an excellent pass blocker and guards Adam Goldberg and Jacob Bell are serviceable) – it’s just too early to tell what the Rams have at the position.

      Another thing to keep in mind is that the team has an extremely young receiving corps. I really like Laurent Robinson’s potential, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy and neither has Donnie Avery, who was a bit of a disappointment last season. Brandon Gibson showed last year that he could push for a starting job, but he has fallen victim to nagging injuries himself. Rookie Mardy Gilyard is lightening in a bottle, but like Bradford, he too has a learning curve to overcome. Everyone focuses on the offensive line when it comes to judging whether or not a young quarterback should start, but the talent and experience level of the receiving corps plays a huge part as well.

      Spagnuolo and his staff are handling Bradford well. They’re allowing him to learn the system without having the pressure to succeed right away hanging over his head. If he looks like he’s ahead of the learning curve in preseason, then maybe the Rams can visit the idea of starting him as a rookie.

      Until then, let the kid learn.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Is Isaac Bruce a Hall of Famer?

      June 7, 2010 /

      When Isaac Bruce officially retires on Wednesday, he’ll do so by holding every major Rams receiving record of all-time. He ranks fifth in NFL history in receptions with 1,024 and is second in all-time receiving yards with 15,208. He’s also ninth all-time in receiving touchdowns with 91 and was selected to four Pro Bowls.

      But even though the former Ram and 49er set NFL stat sheets ablaze with his numbers, some don’t consider him a Hall of Famer because of the offensive systems he played in. From 1999 through 2001, the Rams led the league in passing yardage and they also set the record for most passing yards in a season in 2000 with 5,232. Therefore, many consider Bruce’s success a mere product of the Rams’ passing success in those three seasons.

      While it’s hard to argue that Bruce didn’t benefit from the offensive systems he played in (as well as from lining up across from Torry Holt all of those years), it’s hardly fair to deny him entry into the Hall of Fame because of it. It’s not like he had a choice to play in those offenses during those years and besides, he still put up outstanding numbers.

      Was Bruce a dominant player? No, but neither was Lynn Swann and he’s in the Hall (albeit after 14 tries). Bruce has the numbers, was fairly consistent (he racked up eight 1,000-yard seasons during his career) and played on some great teams.

      He’s probably not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but I believe Bruce should be elected into Canton at some point. Again, he wasn’t a difference maker but we’re talking about the best receiver in Rams’ history.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Rams safety Atogwe becomes a free agent

      June 2, 2010 /

      The Rams just lost one of their leading defensive playmakers, as safety O.J. Atogwe is now set to become a free agent. The team neglected to upgrade his tender offer to $6.976 million and now he’s free to sign with any team he wants.

      From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

      In a surprise move just before the start of free agency in March, the Rams tendered Atogwe, then a restricted free agent, at the lowest possible level — $1,226,000. At that level, they would have had the right of first refusal had Atogwe received an offer from another club but would not have received draft-pick compensation if the Rams chose to not match that offer.

      The deadline for outside offers was April 15, and Atogwe received none. After that date, the Rams were obligated to pay Atogwe the higher tender amount to retain him for another season or work out a new contract, presumably a long-team deal.

      Negotiations on such an agreement continued Tuesday until the deadline arrived. Landphere did not return phone messages Tuesday, and Atogwe could not be reached to comment.

      Coming off surgery for a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the last four games of the 2009 season, Atogwe did not participate in the team’s offseason conditioning program. He also has not been present during the organized team activities under way at Rams Park.

      The Lions, Vikings, Dolphins, Jaguars and even Cowboys might show interest in Atogwe now that he’s a free agent. The Bears were once rumored to be interested, but after drafting Major Wright in the third round and trading for Chris Harris (Panthers), Chicago is no longer in the market for a safety.

      Atogwe could still return to the Rams, but it’s clear they didn’t want to pay him close to $7 million and why would they? He’s coming off a major injury and was an average player when he was healthy. That’s not to say he’s a bad player, but teams have to weigh the risk versus the reward when signing a free agent. That’s just common practice.

      It’ll be interesting to see where he winds up because more than likely, he’ll upgrade whatever secondary he goes to.

      External Sports, NFL

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