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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_9f924fe5-749e-5978-bd83-19e123ed1db1.html
SEATTLE • The Rams' regular season is over.
An intriguing offseason begins … now.
Five immediate questions:
1. How can the Rams possibly overtake Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona in the NFC West? This a ruthless division, and there's no reason to think that any of the three will be noticeably weaker in 2014. The Rams have improved under coach Jeff Fisher. They are progressing. They'd be a dangerous team in a softer division. But it's going to be hard for the Rams to figure out a way to crack that three-team NFC West blockade. There's no way to get around it. They're just going to have to find a way to break through. That's up to the owner, the GM, the coaches, the players.
The Rams don't have a good salary-cap situation, so I'm not sure what they can afford to buy in free agency. Their 2014 schedule appears to be tough ... again. There's no easy opening here. No clear path. No shortcuts. But the Rams will have to crash the gates. I'm fine with what they've done in two years under Fisher. But the Rams have to take the next step and avoid getting knocked down by the 'Niners, Seahawks and Cardinals.
This organization cannot afford to make personnel mistakes. As they play catch-up with their three rivals, the Rams need to be almost perfect this offseason. To use the familiar expression: there's virtually no margin for error.
Defensive end Chris Long had this to say in reviewing 2013 and looking ahead to 2014:
“We already new that we have a tough head coach, and he brings tough players in. We're a tough football team. We're a physical football team. We're a young football team. We won't be young next year. That's not going to be an excuse anymore. Not that it was a valid excuse this year.
“We fought. I'm proud of these guys but we're going to have to turn this into something a little more than 'I'm proud of our team' and the season's over before the New Year. We want to play into the New Year. That's something we're going to work on next year.”
As for getting past the gauntlet in the NFC West, Long said:
“We figure if we can win this division, it would be a helluva accomplishment... we're going to have a chance to compete for this division in the future. I just trust Coach and the players in this locker room wholeheartedly.”
2. What should the Rams do with the second overall pick in the 2014 draft? Options: (1) Trade down; (2) draft the best offensive tackle, Jake Matthews; (3) add another impact player to the defense – perhaps the notorious rush man Jadeveon Clowney; (4) go for the best receiver; (5) fall in love with a quarterback — say, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater — which might mean trying to move up in the draft. I'll vote for the trade-down option, but reserve the right to change my view based on future developments.
3. What are the greatest areas of roster need?Opinion: cornerback, safety, offensive tackle, wide receiver, outside linebacker and a young developmental quarterback.
4. Will Fisher change his staff of assistants? My opinion:I would not be opposed to a change at offensive coordinator, but honestly I waffle on this.Brian Schottenheimer has proven he can put together a strong running game, which is compatible with the overriding Fisher philosophy. But I just don't know if the creativity will ever be there in the passing game. I would be surprised if Fisher boots Schotty. I wonder if Fisher will make any “adjustments” to his staff. If Detroit fires head coach Jim Schwartz, would he come to STL and work for Fisher, as he did in Tennessee? I don't have a good read on the situation.
5. Will Sam Bradford be the Rams' starting quarterback in 2014? Opinion: Yes.
VIDEO: BERNIE ON BRADFORD'S FUTURE
5a. Is Bradford worth what the Rams are paying him? Statement: that's a different premise. If you want to argue that the Rams haven't gotten their money's worth out of Bradford, it would be hard for me to counter that. I'm not looking to counter it, either. The value for the dollar hasn't been there. But it's important to note the context. Obviously the Rams were maligned by bad timing. Because Bradford was the last No. 1 overall pick in the former NFL system for paying draft picks, the Rams had to hand Bradford a Brinks truck — and then some. He has a salary-cap figure of $17.6 million for 2014, and a cap figure of $16.6 million in '15.
I'm probably going to explore this in greater depth later in the week. But it would also be bullheaded to ignore the Rams' tight salary-cap situation and the cost of going forward with Bradford on the roster. Perhaps they can work out a deal, with Sam giving the Rams some cap relief. That would help; there's a huge gap in what the Rams pay their quarterback compared to what Seattle and San Francisco are paying their starting QBs. But I do believe the Rams will continue with Bradford. And I have no problem with that.
In conclusion...
To a man, the young Rams believe they are close, on the verge of that leap that will end their streak of seven consecutive losing seasons and their nine-season skid of failing to make the playoffs.
“No doubt about it," Pro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker said. "We're the youngest team in the NFL. Our guys are hungry, hungry, hungry. And we want success so bad. I think we're just learning how to achieve that day in and day out. I think that will come with experience. No doubt that we're going to be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.”
As for me, I'm going to be a force to be reckoned with as I head to the airport to make my way home.
Thanks for reading ...
— Bernie
SEATTLE • The Rams' regular season is over.
An intriguing offseason begins … now.
Five immediate questions:
1. How can the Rams possibly overtake Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona in the NFC West? This a ruthless division, and there's no reason to think that any of the three will be noticeably weaker in 2014. The Rams have improved under coach Jeff Fisher. They are progressing. They'd be a dangerous team in a softer division. But it's going to be hard for the Rams to figure out a way to crack that three-team NFC West blockade. There's no way to get around it. They're just going to have to find a way to break through. That's up to the owner, the GM, the coaches, the players.
The Rams don't have a good salary-cap situation, so I'm not sure what they can afford to buy in free agency. Their 2014 schedule appears to be tough ... again. There's no easy opening here. No clear path. No shortcuts. But the Rams will have to crash the gates. I'm fine with what they've done in two years under Fisher. But the Rams have to take the next step and avoid getting knocked down by the 'Niners, Seahawks and Cardinals.
This organization cannot afford to make personnel mistakes. As they play catch-up with their three rivals, the Rams need to be almost perfect this offseason. To use the familiar expression: there's virtually no margin for error.
Defensive end Chris Long had this to say in reviewing 2013 and looking ahead to 2014:
“We already new that we have a tough head coach, and he brings tough players in. We're a tough football team. We're a physical football team. We're a young football team. We won't be young next year. That's not going to be an excuse anymore. Not that it was a valid excuse this year.
“We fought. I'm proud of these guys but we're going to have to turn this into something a little more than 'I'm proud of our team' and the season's over before the New Year. We want to play into the New Year. That's something we're going to work on next year.”
As for getting past the gauntlet in the NFC West, Long said:
“We figure if we can win this division, it would be a helluva accomplishment... we're going to have a chance to compete for this division in the future. I just trust Coach and the players in this locker room wholeheartedly.”
2. What should the Rams do with the second overall pick in the 2014 draft? Options: (1) Trade down; (2) draft the best offensive tackle, Jake Matthews; (3) add another impact player to the defense – perhaps the notorious rush man Jadeveon Clowney; (4) go for the best receiver; (5) fall in love with a quarterback — say, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater — which might mean trying to move up in the draft. I'll vote for the trade-down option, but reserve the right to change my view based on future developments.
3. What are the greatest areas of roster need?Opinion: cornerback, safety, offensive tackle, wide receiver, outside linebacker and a young developmental quarterback.
4. Will Fisher change his staff of assistants? My opinion:I would not be opposed to a change at offensive coordinator, but honestly I waffle on this.Brian Schottenheimer has proven he can put together a strong running game, which is compatible with the overriding Fisher philosophy. But I just don't know if the creativity will ever be there in the passing game. I would be surprised if Fisher boots Schotty. I wonder if Fisher will make any “adjustments” to his staff. If Detroit fires head coach Jim Schwartz, would he come to STL and work for Fisher, as he did in Tennessee? I don't have a good read on the situation.
5. Will Sam Bradford be the Rams' starting quarterback in 2014? Opinion: Yes.
VIDEO: BERNIE ON BRADFORD'S FUTURE
5a. Is Bradford worth what the Rams are paying him? Statement: that's a different premise. If you want to argue that the Rams haven't gotten their money's worth out of Bradford, it would be hard for me to counter that. I'm not looking to counter it, either. The value for the dollar hasn't been there. But it's important to note the context. Obviously the Rams were maligned by bad timing. Because Bradford was the last No. 1 overall pick in the former NFL system for paying draft picks, the Rams had to hand Bradford a Brinks truck — and then some. He has a salary-cap figure of $17.6 million for 2014, and a cap figure of $16.6 million in '15.
I'm probably going to explore this in greater depth later in the week. But it would also be bullheaded to ignore the Rams' tight salary-cap situation and the cost of going forward with Bradford on the roster. Perhaps they can work out a deal, with Sam giving the Rams some cap relief. That would help; there's a huge gap in what the Rams pay their quarterback compared to what Seattle and San Francisco are paying their starting QBs. But I do believe the Rams will continue with Bradford. And I have no problem with that.
In conclusion...
To a man, the young Rams believe they are close, on the verge of that leap that will end their streak of seven consecutive losing seasons and their nine-season skid of failing to make the playoffs.
“No doubt about it," Pro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker said. "We're the youngest team in the NFL. Our guys are hungry, hungry, hungry. And we want success so bad. I think we're just learning how to achieve that day in and day out. I think that will come with experience. No doubt that we're going to be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.”
As for me, I'm going to be a force to be reckoned with as I head to the airport to make my way home.
Thanks for reading ...
— Bernie
