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As QB-needy teams sort through options, Rams look on with interest
By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_513fc366-07e4-5916-8158-0c7b1401be9f.html
ORLANDO, FLA. • A month removed from the NFL scouting combine, but still 1½ months before the draft, Houston’s Bill O’Brien is taking his time.
“What fun would it be if you already knew who you were going to pick?” O’Brien joked Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings. “What fun would that be? You should go on vacation then if you already knew.”
It will be no fun for O’Brien if his Texans whiff on the No. 1 overall pick as he enters his first year as an NFL head coach.
As expected, O’Brien and Texans general manager Rick Smith are playing it close to the vest. At this point, O’Brien isn’t ready to say that the Texans will take a quarterback, much less which quarterback it might be. He’s not even dropping hints.
Houston at No. 1, Jacksonville at No. 3 overall, and Cleveland at No. 4 all are quarterback needy, but all remain in the fact-finding phase of the process. In the middle of all this are the Rams at No. 2 overall, wondering what the Texans, Jaguars and Browns will do — among other teams.
And wondering if anyone is willing to trade up to the No. 2 spot for a quarterback. (Or in the case of Atlanta, for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.)
There have been nibbles but nothing close to concrete trade talks so far for the Rams.
Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff told reporters at the scouting combine that the Falcons would be interested in trading up.
Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley wouldn’t rule out a trade Tuesday at the AFC coaches’ breakfast.
“I don’t think that’s ever out of the realm (of possibility),” Bradley said. “Just like we wouldn’t have any qualms about trading back.”
So how will this game of musical chairs shake out at quarterback? Do Houston, Jacksonville and Cleveland value Central Florida’s Blake Bortles, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater or Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel enough to take them that high in the draft?
And in the case of Jacksonville and Cleveland, do they value one of those QBs enough to trade up with the Rams to grab one — no matter what Houston does at No. 1 overall?
Within the past week, Houston traded longtime starter Matt Schaub to Oakland and added Ryan Fitzpatrick after his release from the Tennessee Titans.
The Jaguars re-signed Chad Henne in early March before he could reach the free-agent market. Last week, they traded St. Louisan and former first-round draft pick Blaine Gabbert to San Francisco.
Fitzpatrick and Henne have the look and feel of “bridge” quarterbacks, more than capable backups, but more important, veterans who could open 2014 as starters while a rookie quarterback gets his feet on the ground.
As for the Browns, it’s debatable if they even have a bridge quarterback at this time. Two weeks ago, they released both 2012 first-rounder Brandon Weeden and journeyman Jason Campbell.
That left Brian Hoyer and Alex Tanney on the roster. Hoyer has four starts in five NFL seasons and is coming off knee surgery. Tanney’s next NFL pass will be his first.
“It’s a position that’s important for us, and we are putting a lot of work into it,” Browns coach Mike Pettine said. “The fourth pick, I think there’s going to be some outstanding players available. ... If that best player is a quarterback, we’re in a position to take him. And if it’s not, I think it’s a deep enough class that we could pursue that option later in the draft.”
The Browns have done things differently — very differently — in their quarterback evaluation process. For one, they didn’t engage in formal, or “suite” interviews, with any of the top QBs at the combine, preferring to hold informal interviews there.
In addition, the Browns didn’t attend the pro days of Bridgewater and Bortles, nor will they be at Manziel’s on Thursday.
“We’ve always felt that you get a lot more out of a private workout when it’s a little less scripted,” Pettine said. “Or it’s scripted the way you want it scripted, where you can kind of throw some curveballs at a player and see how they react to it.
“I think it’s important you get that concentrated view of a player instead of something that’s borderline artificial. We certainly get the video of the pro days and see them, so you kind of get the best of both worlds.”
Jacksonville’s Bradley calls the 2014 quarterback class intriguing.
“You could have four, five guys going in the first round, or it could be like last year when guys dropped,” he said. “Teams are still trying to get a feel for how things will fall into place.”
Cleveland’s Pettine said he’s looking for a QB with the “it” factor.
“You see a lot of guys that have the physical talent to play, and there’s just something missing,” he said. “I think you’ve seen a lot of guys that have overcome not having a huge arm, not being the fastest — they’ve overcome it with the intangibles.”
But it all starts with Houston on May 8, the first day of the draft. O’Brien says he’s still in the fact-finding mode, which will include face-to-face interviews with the top prospects and more film work.
“All options are open, no question,” O’Brien said. “It’s the end of March. You still have a lot of time.”
And as the process winds down, the Rams are more than interested observers.
By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_513fc366-07e4-5916-8158-0c7b1401be9f.html
ORLANDO, FLA. • A month removed from the NFL scouting combine, but still 1½ months before the draft, Houston’s Bill O’Brien is taking his time.
“What fun would it be if you already knew who you were going to pick?” O’Brien joked Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings. “What fun would that be? You should go on vacation then if you already knew.”
It will be no fun for O’Brien if his Texans whiff on the No. 1 overall pick as he enters his first year as an NFL head coach.
As expected, O’Brien and Texans general manager Rick Smith are playing it close to the vest. At this point, O’Brien isn’t ready to say that the Texans will take a quarterback, much less which quarterback it might be. He’s not even dropping hints.
Houston at No. 1, Jacksonville at No. 3 overall, and Cleveland at No. 4 all are quarterback needy, but all remain in the fact-finding phase of the process. In the middle of all this are the Rams at No. 2 overall, wondering what the Texans, Jaguars and Browns will do — among other teams.
And wondering if anyone is willing to trade up to the No. 2 spot for a quarterback. (Or in the case of Atlanta, for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.)
There have been nibbles but nothing close to concrete trade talks so far for the Rams.
Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff told reporters at the scouting combine that the Falcons would be interested in trading up.
Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley wouldn’t rule out a trade Tuesday at the AFC coaches’ breakfast.
“I don’t think that’s ever out of the realm (of possibility),” Bradley said. “Just like we wouldn’t have any qualms about trading back.”
So how will this game of musical chairs shake out at quarterback? Do Houston, Jacksonville and Cleveland value Central Florida’s Blake Bortles, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater or Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel enough to take them that high in the draft?
And in the case of Jacksonville and Cleveland, do they value one of those QBs enough to trade up with the Rams to grab one — no matter what Houston does at No. 1 overall?
Within the past week, Houston traded longtime starter Matt Schaub to Oakland and added Ryan Fitzpatrick after his release from the Tennessee Titans.
The Jaguars re-signed Chad Henne in early March before he could reach the free-agent market. Last week, they traded St. Louisan and former first-round draft pick Blaine Gabbert to San Francisco.
Fitzpatrick and Henne have the look and feel of “bridge” quarterbacks, more than capable backups, but more important, veterans who could open 2014 as starters while a rookie quarterback gets his feet on the ground.
As for the Browns, it’s debatable if they even have a bridge quarterback at this time. Two weeks ago, they released both 2012 first-rounder Brandon Weeden and journeyman Jason Campbell.
That left Brian Hoyer and Alex Tanney on the roster. Hoyer has four starts in five NFL seasons and is coming off knee surgery. Tanney’s next NFL pass will be his first.
“It’s a position that’s important for us, and we are putting a lot of work into it,” Browns coach Mike Pettine said. “The fourth pick, I think there’s going to be some outstanding players available. ... If that best player is a quarterback, we’re in a position to take him. And if it’s not, I think it’s a deep enough class that we could pursue that option later in the draft.”
The Browns have done things differently — very differently — in their quarterback evaluation process. For one, they didn’t engage in formal, or “suite” interviews, with any of the top QBs at the combine, preferring to hold informal interviews there.
In addition, the Browns didn’t attend the pro days of Bridgewater and Bortles, nor will they be at Manziel’s on Thursday.
“We’ve always felt that you get a lot more out of a private workout when it’s a little less scripted,” Pettine said. “Or it’s scripted the way you want it scripted, where you can kind of throw some curveballs at a player and see how they react to it.
“I think it’s important you get that concentrated view of a player instead of something that’s borderline artificial. We certainly get the video of the pro days and see them, so you kind of get the best of both worlds.”
Jacksonville’s Bradley calls the 2014 quarterback class intriguing.
“You could have four, five guys going in the first round, or it could be like last year when guys dropped,” he said. “Teams are still trying to get a feel for how things will fall into place.”
Cleveland’s Pettine said he’s looking for a QB with the “it” factor.
“You see a lot of guys that have the physical talent to play, and there’s just something missing,” he said. “I think you’ve seen a lot of guys that have overcome not having a huge arm, not being the fastest — they’ve overcome it with the intangibles.”
But it all starts with Houston on May 8, the first day of the draft. O’Brien says he’s still in the fact-finding mode, which will include face-to-face interviews with the top prospects and more film work.
“All options are open, no question,” O’Brien said. “It’s the end of March. You still have a lot of time.”
And as the process winds down, the Rams are more than interested observers.
