Bernies Ram Bytes: Forecasting the Draft

[rdw]

 

[Stranger]

That's equally as egregious as having to pay for air to put in my tires.

dude, no way. I always just ask them to turn it on, and they always do. no charge. just costs a smile.

if that doesn't work, carry a pack of gum with you. it's amazing what people will do after you've offered them a stick of gum. I can't tell u how many hotel room upgrades I've gotten just cause I offered the front desk clerk a stick of gum to break the ice.

 

[OnceARam]

Does anyone hate their life more than this guy?

 

[LesBaker]

LOL I love reading Bernie these days because it's fun to watch a guy make a mess of things, like his career.

I'm guessing he'll be on a radio station on the dial in STL within the next few years because now that the paper is going to pay site (death knell) status he will be over and out soon.

And radio is the next victim of the WWW.

 

[scifiman]

Ram Bytes: Forecasting the Draft
• Bernie Miklasz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_7403630c-e94e-5b72-8115-eead5b870c4a.html

We're less than a week from the start of the 2014 NFL Draft.

You mean, it's finally here? Why not just wait to hold the draft until the end of June so we can have 50,000 more mock drafts? Give it to the NFL: no league in the history of professional sports has been so successful in milking and manipulating media coverage in such a blatant, calculated manner.

The Rams have so many needs, options (trade?) and choices that it's hard to know what to expect when commissioner Roger Goodell opens the draft on Thursday night. But there are three safely predictable aspects of the Rams' draft:

1. No matter who the Rams draft, it will be the result of a perfectly planned strategy that only GM Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher could pull off ... and it worked out exactly as the Rams wanted it to. They got the player or players they've been dreaming of.

2. Massive amounts of food will be served to the media at Rams Park.

3. The St. Louis sports media will be ecstatic over the Rams' choices.

Book it.

Pardon my cynicism, which is admittedly a bit much. (Sorry.) This is what happens when you have an NFL team that hasn't had a winning season since 2003. This tends to jaundice a scribe.

Anyway, I will have a "serious" column on the Rams' draft in Sunday's print edition, which will also be available (FREE!) online at STLtoday.

In recent days the Rams got draftniks excited by flying all over creation to work out prospects at places such as Texas A&M, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, etc. Which is interesting to me; you'd think that by now the ol' hay would be in the barn. Apparently not. Perhaps the last-minute scouting will pay off. Or, perhaps the last-minute scouting will deliver the next Brian Quick.

For now, I've been scanning the latest mock drafts to see what the NFL-media-draft-industrial complex has been forecasting for the Rams. Their picks are based on the Rams staying at No. 2 and at No. 13 and not trading up or down.

Here's a sampling of what the pundits are thinking for No. 2 and No. 13 (in order of the respective selection):

Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN: Auburn OT Greg Robinson, and then Alabama free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Todd McShay of ESPN: Robinson and Clinton-Dix.

Rob Rang, CBS Sports: Robinson and Louisville free safety Calvin Pryor.

Walter Football: Buffalo DE/OLB Khalil Mack and LSU WR Odell Beckham.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Robinson and Ohio State CB Bradley Roby.

SB Nation: Robinson and Clinton-Dix.

Draftnek Computer: Robinson and Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert.

Pat Kirwan, CBS Sports: Clemson WR Sammy Watkins and Pryor.

Ourlad: Texas A&M OT Jake Matthews and Washington State free safety Deone Buchanan.

CBS Prediction Machine: Robinson and Clinton-Dix.

Brian Baldinger, NFL.com: Matthews and Pryor.

Charles Davis, NFL.com: Robinson and Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel.

NFL Draft Geek: Mack and Clinton-Dix.

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: Matthews and Clinton-Dix.

Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: Robinson and Clinton-Dix.

Optimum Scouting: Robinson and Beckham.

NFLMock: Watkins and Clinton-Dix.

DraftSite: Watkins and Fresno State QB Derek Carr.

MyNFLDraft: Robinson, Beckham.

Shutdown Corner (Yahoo Sports): Robinson and Pryor.

NFLsFuture: Mack and Beckham.

And so on ...

Obviously the most popular scenario would leave the Rams with the offensive tackle (Robinson) and the free safety (Clinton-Dix.)

That would work.

Thanks for reading ...

-Bernie

I am going to bookmark this so that we can all see how right or wrong they get it. Of course with a trade messes the whole thing up so to be fair this is only valid should they stay at 2 and 13. BTW, I would call it Robinson and Pryor. I would say the issue is probably more at 13 based on need and who is left. If Gilbert or Dennard is there at 13 I take them over Pryor. Hard choices to make and I would trust Fisher and Snead know more about football players and skills than I.

 

[Prime Time]

because now that the paper is going to pay site (death knell)

If someone wants to charge for reading articles on their site they have every right to do that. But from what I've heard that has been a disaster for most sites that have tried it. Anyone know if that's working out monetarily for anyone?

 

[PhxRam]

If someone wants to charge for reading articles on their site they have every right to do that. But from what I've heard that has been a disaster for most sites that have tried it. Anyone know if that's working out monetarily for anyone?

Not really, particularly sites that charged a membership fee and still flew banner ads in your face.

 

[SaneRamsFan]

I don't read bm stuff for free unlless somebody starts athread about him. What a pathetic excuse for a sports reporter. The matt painter episode was the final straw. Hilarious the Rams hate him so he acts like a jilted little schoolgirl. Starts every other sentence with " I dont really care what people think about me" Right. Friggin premadonna

 

[LesBaker]

If someone wants to charge for reading articles on their site they have every right to do that. But from what I've heard that has been a disaster for most sites that have tried it. Anyone know if that's working out monetarily for anyone?

Eventually what will win the internet.......???

Paid or Free?

The same content, the same articles, the same porn, the same news.

Paid or Free?

Nobody can control the electronic "atmosphere".

 

[Dodgersrf]

@X
It's illegal in CA.
They have pay pumps here, but all we have to do is go inside and ask them to turn on the air.
They always do. For free.

Even though it takes an 5 minutes to get a tire to 40lbs

 

[RamFan503]

Bern just begs the question.... WHY?

 

[fearsomefour]

Robinson and Haha at 2 & 13.
Praying for trade downs.

 

[Speeps]

Vintage Bernie.

 

[Thordaddy]

What irony, a fat guy criticizing people for feeding him,proof of the old saying "he'd bitch if you hung him with a new rope"? Donno, we could test the theory.

 

[RamFan503]

What irony, a fat guy criticizing people for feeding him,proof of the old saying "he'd bitch if you hung him with a new rope"? Donno, we could test the theory.

I use that one all the time. And yes... Bern would be a perfect test. Better have a strong rope though.