(Man this guy gets old as he bows at the alters of SF & Sea)
Bernie: Rams need much more than they will admit
• Bernie Miklasz
[www.stltoday.com]
At season’s end, Rams coach Jeff Fisher declared that his team was closing the gap in the NFC West. I suppose that’s a matter of interpretation.
If Fisher means that the Rams are no longer a disgrace and an abject failure — why, yes, they’re closing in on Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona.
If Fisher would have us believe that the Rams are nearing parity status with their division rivals, especially Seattle and San Francisco … well, I hope they keep the Kool-Aid tap flowing out there at Rams Park.
Watching the 49ers and Seahawks slug it out for the NFC championship served as a helpful reminder. First, the Rams’ rivals are the NFL’s two best teams. Second, the Rams’ season ended Dec. 29. And being on the couch at home is a long way from being in the NFC title bout.
I realize that it’s a general manager’s job to run misdirection plays and create subterfuge heading into free agency and the draft. But Les Snead has been taking this strategy to another level in his postseason media tour.
We all know that the Rams need to score more points and strike more frequently for big plays. One would assume that the Rams would feel some urgency to spruce up the offense again; over the past two regular seasons combined the St. Louis offense scored 182 fewer points than Seattle, and 156 points fewer than San Francisco.
Progress was made in 2013, but the Rams can’t be content to stay with what they have. They have to get some recruits to make their offense more dangerous.
Except that during his interview rounds, Snead says …
Sam Bradford is still the Rams’ dream quarterback, the Rams do not need to upgrade at wide receiver, and the offensive line will be fine.
Even though Bradford has been healthy for only 45 of his teams’ (Oklahoma and Rams) last 77 games. ...
Even though Chris Givens led their wideouts with only 569 receiving yards in 2013. ...
Even though the Rams are looking at the potential loss off free-agent guard and tackle Roger Saffold, may not have left tackle Jake Long (knee) ready for the start of the season and will probably have to revamp the interior line.
They have no major needs on offense?
Really?
Or as Ryan Van Bibber joked over at the Turf Show Times blog: “Rams not planning to draft anyone.”
Obviously the Rams require more explosiveness on offense and a plan to fill openings on the O-line. On defense the STL secondary needs restocking, and there’s a space for a starting outside linebacker opposite Alec Ogletree.
But the primary challenge still remains the same as it ever was: getting the offense up to speed.
“All three (NFC West) teams play really good defense, and we’ve got to play better offense and score more points to compete with them,” Fisher said at the end of the season.
Fisher gets it. I just don’t know what he plans to do about it.
Here are a few fun facts from the 2013 regular season ...
1. The average NFL offense scored 346 points. (This does not include points scored by the defense or via special teams.) The 12 playoff teams averaged 401 points. The Rams scored 304. Yes, Bradford missed the final nine games with a knee injury, but let’s not get carried away. The Rams dragged near the bottom of points-scored tallies when Bradford was healthy in 2012.
2. NFL teams averaged 62 big plays from scrimmage — namely, plays that gained 20-plus yards. The playoff teams averaged 67 big plays. And the Rams had 52, ranking 27th in the league.
3. NFL teams averaged 51 pass plays of 20+ yards. Playoff teams averaged 56. The Rams had 41, which ranked 29th.
4. NFL teams averaged eight big-play touchdown passes. The playoff teams averaged 10. The Rams had four.
An obvious factor was the switch to Kellen Clemens at quarterback after Bradford went down, and I do believe Tavon Austin will provide more impact as second-year wideout in 2014.
The Rams’ top need is a physically imposing wide receiver.
You know, the profile that Brian Quick was supposed to fill but hasn’t.
This is an extremely physical division, with punishing hitters roaming at linebacker and safety. The Rams need that tough third-down presence to muscle defenders and win the physical confrontations. (Think of Anquan Boldin and the 49ers.) The Rams’ current receivers are easily shoved out of their routes.
If the Rams can establish a stronger wideout to go with tight end Jared Cook in the middle of the field, it would open things up outside for the deep speed of Givens, Austin and perhaps Stedman Bailey.
Snead says the Rams don’t need a No. 1 receiver.
“I think our receivers right now, I truly believe as they progress … we cannot have another receiver around here,” he said. “And we’re going to be a good football team.”
Now there’s some optimism for you.
Another humongous Rams problem is the payroll — specifically the major disparity in quarterback salaries.
It’s not Bradford’s fault that he benefited from the old rookie-wage system that made him a very rich young man. By drafting Bradford No. 1 overall in 2010, the Rams had no choice but to pay up. The general terms of Bradford’s rookie deal were essentially locked in.
That changed in 2011, when the NFL instituted a rookie salary cap that terminated the monster contracts for drafted quarterbacks. The 49ers and Seahawks took advantage of the new wage scale and are funding the QB position at a considerably lower rate than the Rams.
The 2013 salary-cap hit for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was $1.4 million. Seattle’s Russell Wilson’s cap hit was $681,000. Arizona’s Carson Palmer had a cap hit of $4 million.
And Bradford? His 2013 cap hit of $12.6 million accounted for nearly 12 percent of the Rams’ 2013 salary cap.
Wait, it gets worse.
Here are the scheduled cap figures for the four starting quarterbacks in 2014:
Kaepernick, $1.6 million.
Wilson, $817,000.
Palmer $10 million.
Bradford, $17.6 million.
In case you’re wondering: In 2015, Bradford’s cap hit is set for $16.58 million.
Payroll flexibility is a huge edge for San Francisco and Seattle, which have notable players eligible for unrestricted free agency after the season.
In San Francisco, the list of potential free agents includes Boldin, safety Donte Whitner, center Jonathan Goodwin, cornerback Tarrell Brown.
Seattle’s potential free-agent list includes wideout Golden Taint, defensive end Michael Bennett, defensive tackles Tony McDaniel and Clinton McDonald, offensive tackle Breno Giacomini and guard Paul McQuistan.
Arizona’s list includes linebacker Karlos Dansby, safety Yeremiah Bell and offensive tackle Eric Winston.
If the Seahawks and 49ers were on the hook to pay their quarterbacks $17.6 million in 2014, they wouldn’t stand a chance of retaining their prime free agents — or shopping for premium free agents. But given the modest Wilson-Kaepernick salary levels, their teams have money to play with this offseason.
Again, that puts the Rams at clear financial disadvantage. The substantial payroll gap at the quarterback position makes it that much more difficult for the the Rams to close the standings gap in the NFC West.
Bernie: Rams need much more than they will admit
• Bernie Miklasz
[www.stltoday.com]
At season’s end, Rams coach Jeff Fisher declared that his team was closing the gap in the NFC West. I suppose that’s a matter of interpretation.
If Fisher means that the Rams are no longer a disgrace and an abject failure — why, yes, they’re closing in on Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona.
If Fisher would have us believe that the Rams are nearing parity status with their division rivals, especially Seattle and San Francisco … well, I hope they keep the Kool-Aid tap flowing out there at Rams Park.
Watching the 49ers and Seahawks slug it out for the NFC championship served as a helpful reminder. First, the Rams’ rivals are the NFL’s two best teams. Second, the Rams’ season ended Dec. 29. And being on the couch at home is a long way from being in the NFC title bout.
I realize that it’s a general manager’s job to run misdirection plays and create subterfuge heading into free agency and the draft. But Les Snead has been taking this strategy to another level in his postseason media tour.
We all know that the Rams need to score more points and strike more frequently for big plays. One would assume that the Rams would feel some urgency to spruce up the offense again; over the past two regular seasons combined the St. Louis offense scored 182 fewer points than Seattle, and 156 points fewer than San Francisco.
Progress was made in 2013, but the Rams can’t be content to stay with what they have. They have to get some recruits to make their offense more dangerous.
Except that during his interview rounds, Snead says …
Sam Bradford is still the Rams’ dream quarterback, the Rams do not need to upgrade at wide receiver, and the offensive line will be fine.
Even though Bradford has been healthy for only 45 of his teams’ (Oklahoma and Rams) last 77 games. ...
Even though Chris Givens led their wideouts with only 569 receiving yards in 2013. ...
Even though the Rams are looking at the potential loss off free-agent guard and tackle Roger Saffold, may not have left tackle Jake Long (knee) ready for the start of the season and will probably have to revamp the interior line.
They have no major needs on offense?
Really?
Or as Ryan Van Bibber joked over at the Turf Show Times blog: “Rams not planning to draft anyone.”
Obviously the Rams require more explosiveness on offense and a plan to fill openings on the O-line. On defense the STL secondary needs restocking, and there’s a space for a starting outside linebacker opposite Alec Ogletree.
But the primary challenge still remains the same as it ever was: getting the offense up to speed.
“All three (NFC West) teams play really good defense, and we’ve got to play better offense and score more points to compete with them,” Fisher said at the end of the season.
Fisher gets it. I just don’t know what he plans to do about it.
Here are a few fun facts from the 2013 regular season ...
1. The average NFL offense scored 346 points. (This does not include points scored by the defense or via special teams.) The 12 playoff teams averaged 401 points. The Rams scored 304. Yes, Bradford missed the final nine games with a knee injury, but let’s not get carried away. The Rams dragged near the bottom of points-scored tallies when Bradford was healthy in 2012.
2. NFL teams averaged 62 big plays from scrimmage — namely, plays that gained 20-plus yards. The playoff teams averaged 67 big plays. And the Rams had 52, ranking 27th in the league.
3. NFL teams averaged 51 pass plays of 20+ yards. Playoff teams averaged 56. The Rams had 41, which ranked 29th.
4. NFL teams averaged eight big-play touchdown passes. The playoff teams averaged 10. The Rams had four.
An obvious factor was the switch to Kellen Clemens at quarterback after Bradford went down, and I do believe Tavon Austin will provide more impact as second-year wideout in 2014.
The Rams’ top need is a physically imposing wide receiver.
You know, the profile that Brian Quick was supposed to fill but hasn’t.
This is an extremely physical division, with punishing hitters roaming at linebacker and safety. The Rams need that tough third-down presence to muscle defenders and win the physical confrontations. (Think of Anquan Boldin and the 49ers.) The Rams’ current receivers are easily shoved out of their routes.
If the Rams can establish a stronger wideout to go with tight end Jared Cook in the middle of the field, it would open things up outside for the deep speed of Givens, Austin and perhaps Stedman Bailey.
Snead says the Rams don’t need a No. 1 receiver.
“I think our receivers right now, I truly believe as they progress … we cannot have another receiver around here,” he said. “And we’re going to be a good football team.”
Now there’s some optimism for you.
Another humongous Rams problem is the payroll — specifically the major disparity in quarterback salaries.
It’s not Bradford’s fault that he benefited from the old rookie-wage system that made him a very rich young man. By drafting Bradford No. 1 overall in 2010, the Rams had no choice but to pay up. The general terms of Bradford’s rookie deal were essentially locked in.
That changed in 2011, when the NFL instituted a rookie salary cap that terminated the monster contracts for drafted quarterbacks. The 49ers and Seahawks took advantage of the new wage scale and are funding the QB position at a considerably lower rate than the Rams.
The 2013 salary-cap hit for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was $1.4 million. Seattle’s Russell Wilson’s cap hit was $681,000. Arizona’s Carson Palmer had a cap hit of $4 million.
And Bradford? His 2013 cap hit of $12.6 million accounted for nearly 12 percent of the Rams’ 2013 salary cap.
Wait, it gets worse.
Here are the scheduled cap figures for the four starting quarterbacks in 2014:
Kaepernick, $1.6 million.
Wilson, $817,000.
Palmer $10 million.
Bradford, $17.6 million.
In case you’re wondering: In 2015, Bradford’s cap hit is set for $16.58 million.
Payroll flexibility is a huge edge for San Francisco and Seattle, which have notable players eligible for unrestricted free agency after the season.
In San Francisco, the list of potential free agents includes Boldin, safety Donte Whitner, center Jonathan Goodwin, cornerback Tarrell Brown.
Seattle’s potential free-agent list includes wideout Golden Taint, defensive end Michael Bennett, defensive tackles Tony McDaniel and Clinton McDonald, offensive tackle Breno Giacomini and guard Paul McQuistan.
Arizona’s list includes linebacker Karlos Dansby, safety Yeremiah Bell and offensive tackle Eric Winston.
If the Seahawks and 49ers were on the hook to pay their quarterbacks $17.6 million in 2014, they wouldn’t stand a chance of retaining their prime free agents — or shopping for premium free agents. But given the modest Wilson-Kaepernick salary levels, their teams have money to play with this offseason.
Again, that puts the Rams at clear financial disadvantage. The substantial payroll gap at the quarterback position makes it that much more difficult for the the Rams to close the standings gap in the NFC West.
