Tag: Steve Spagnuolo (Page 4 of 6)

      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

      Rams leaning towards Gerald McCoy at No. 1?

      March 2, 2010 /

      John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com writes that Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo would take Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with the No. 1 overall pick if the draft were today.

      If the draft was today, the Rams would select Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy because he is the player that head coach Steve Spagnuolo likes better. Fortunately for Rams fans who want a quarterback after passing on Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez the past two Aprils, the team has seven weeks to change Spags’ mind. McCoy’s OU teammate, quarterback Sam Bradford, plans to throw and show off his surgically repaired right shoulder on March 25. A year ago, Bradford was the consensus top quarterback, ahead of Matthew Stafford, but he opted to return to play college football.

      Right, and last week the Rams were all set on Sam Bradford. Next week, someone will report that the Rams are desperate to trade out of the top spot and the week after that they’ll be set on Dez Bryant.

      I’m not ragging on Czarnecki’s report, but it is that time of year (i.e. the time of year in which all information must be taken with a grain of salt). There’s a very good chance that the Rams don’t know who they’re going to take and why should they? The draft is still roughly two months away and I’m sure Spagnuolo and GM Billy Devaney are pondering all of their options – as they should.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL, NFL Draft

      St. Louis Rams 2010 Team Needs

      February 15, 2010 /

      As part of our 2010 NFL Draft coverage, I will be breaking down positional needs for all 32 teams, starting in reverse alphabetical order. Next up is the St. Louis Rams. Check out other team needs by clicking here.

      1. Quarterback
      A team doesn’t land the first overall pick in the draft without having a ton of holes that need to be addressed before the start of a new season. But even with all the areas of need that the Rams have, it all starts with the quarterback, which should be the Rams’ top priority this offseason. Marc Bulger turns 33 in July and ever since he signed a six-year, $65 million contract extension in 2007 he’s been worthless. Whether it comes in free agency or the draft, the Rams must upgrade the quarterback position this offseason and close the book on the Bulger era in St. Louis. They can’t possibly head into 2010 with Bulger at the top of the quarterback depth chart, especially considering they select at the top of each round in April and seeing as how Michael Vick could probably be had via trade. Rams GM Billy Devaney is familiar with Vick from their time together in Atlanta and Steve Spagnuolo has had nothing but positive things to say about the troubled quarterback so far this offseason. Vick could be acquired for cheap and while he certainly wouldn’t be a long-term answer, he would bring some excitement to the position and give the Rams more playmakers on offense. If not, the Rams could look at drafting a signal caller in one of the first two rounds.

      Continue reading »

      NFL, NFL Draft

      NFL Week 7 ROY Power Rankings

      October 25, 2009 /

      A tougher award to measure, as no one has really stepped up to be among the NFL’s stat leaders. Well, unless you consider LB James Laurinaitis from Ohio State.

      1. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—45 tackles to date and had another interception against the Jaguars last Sunday. This kid is playing lights out and you have to believe he’s been invited to Steve Spagnuolo’s house for Thanksgiving.

      2. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—He didn’t do much against the Chargers, but he didn’t really have to with the Eddie Royal kick return show.

      3. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—It was in garbage time mostly, but Nicks racked up 114 yards and a TD against the Saints, fitting in like a veteran on a team that desperately needed receiver help going into 2009.

      4. Michael Oher, Baltimore Ravens—It’s hard to measure O-linemen, but after a nice job against Antwan Odom, Oher got into a pissing match with Jared Allen last Sunday. He gets props just for that.

      5. Ryan Succop, Kansas City Chiefs—Even if he hasn’t had many chances, Succop has only missed one field goal, that from beyond 50.

      Honorable mention: Matthew Stafford, Lions

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, NFL

      Is the end near for Bulger in St. Louis?

      September 27, 2009 /

      The Packers got a free win on Sunday compliments of the Rams, or better known as the worst team in the NFL.

      But that’s not really a shock. The Packers should have won, they did – end of story.

      The question I have surrounding this game is whether or not Marc Bulger should remain the Rams’ starting quarterback after suffering a right shoulder injury in the first quarter of the Packers’ 36-17 win. Kyle Boller replaced Bulger and threw for 164 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

      While Boller’s performance was hardly earth shattering, he moved the offense more efficiently than Bulger did the past two games and might have earned the right to start next week. (Even if Bulger’s shoulder is healthy enough for him to play.)

      Since signing a six-year, $65 million contract extension in 2007, Bulger has been highly ineffective. While he deserves an opportunity to learn the team’s new offense under coordinator Pat Shurmur, the bottom line is that St. Louis had just seven points in two games under Bulger, while Boller came off the bench and managed to throw for two touchdown passes.

      I realize that no matter who starts for the Rams, this is still going to be a bad football team. But considering Bulger was supposed to be St. Louis’s quarterback for at least another 3-4 years, it’s interesting that he might have played himself out of a job since signing his big extension.

      Steve Spagnuolo’s squad is 0-3 to start the season and a change might be in order. Usually the quarterback is the first person to lose his job when the head coach wants to mix things up. Will Bulger soon be replaced?

      NFL

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