- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
JT’s Chat Highlights
—Other than watch some Alabama games, I really didn’t watch any tape of Jones in college. It’s hard to predict what kind of future he will have in the NFL, even though he was one of the most highly-decorated offensive linemen in college football in recent memory. This is a here-and-now league, so Jones must prove himself all over again.
—There are a lot of the UDFA’s that I’m interested in seeing over the course of training camp. Among them are Austin Franklin the WR from New Mexico State, Marcus Roberson, the CB from Florida, Trey Watts, the RB from Tulsa, Ethan Westbrooks, who’s listed as a DT from West Texas A&M, and Tavarius Wilson the LB from Northern Alabama. The lack of depth at LB could help Wilson. Same goes for Roberson at cornerback. And the Rams did pay $50K in guaranteed money to Westbrooks, which means he will at least get a long look from the staff.
—I remember all the buzz about the WRs in OTAs and training camp last year. Austin looked so quick. And Quick made plenty of highlight-reel catches. In the regular-season, not so much.
—Shaun Hill certainly looks more accurate than Kellen Clemens, and looks to have a little more arm strength. But Clemens was an excellent leader.
—The Secondary doesn’t have much experience at all. By my count, just 71 games of starting experience among the entire group in the secondary _ that has to be a low for the league. I’m sure they’ll look around as the final cuts are made in late August.
—Right now, Pead is living off his draft status.
—Wells has played pretty well when he’s been in there. Thus a lesser salary but still a roster spot. I think both Barnes and Jones make the final roster, but it could be a tight squeeze. You also have Brandon Washington, Davin Joseph, Sean Hooey, and Mike Person in the mix behind the starters. Plus draft picks Van Dyk and Rhaney. That’s 13 names for what could be nine, maybe just eight, spots.
—This is only the third practice open to the media (and I believe just the fourth overall). So hard to make sweeping generalizations. But it looks like it has better team speed and better depth. It may be the most talented team at least since Scott Linehan’s first year as head coach in 2006. (Granted, the bar’s not very high in recent years.) I like the competitive nature of practices so far.
—I think Bradford would be a very good fit in a Turner-run offense. But again, it comes down to the supporting cast as well.
—Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce spent a lot of time in training camp last year working with the receivers. Aeneas Williams has worked with the defensive backs in the past.
—Why Can’t A Stadium Deal Get Done? Easier said then done. You’re talking about $1 billion for a stadium. I believe the maximum the league can kick in is $200 million. That’s one-fifth of the $1 billions price tag. Then, if you split the difference, you’d be asking Kroenke for $400 million and the city/county/state for $400 million. The city doesn’t have the money. The county and state are hesitant to do so at this time: they’re all still paying off the first stadium (the Edwards Jones Dome). From Kroenke’s vantage point, he has it in writing in the stadium lease _ and agreed upon by the CVC at the time (1995) )_ that the stadium must be a “first tier” facility. As you may recall, an arbitrator ruled in favor of Kroenke in terms of what it would take to make the dome a first tier building during Super Bowl week 2 Super Bowls ago: an estimated $700 million. (Which if you’re going to put that much into refurbishing, I think both parties agree you might as well build a new stadium.) Kroenke eventually will have to put in some of his own money. But given the arbitration ruling, he’s not going to roll over easily.
—I share your overall concern about the Safety position although T.J. McDonald played much better once he returned from the broken leg. My biggest concern on McLeod is his lack of range. He’s a pretty sure tackler, although not a thumper as you say. He did improve over the course of the 2013 season, but I really thought the Rams would upgrade the position in he offseason.
—How Has Tre Mason Looked? One example: During a red zone period last week, he made a very nifty mini-jump cut, to score a touchdown. That’s the kind of footwork that turns minimal gains into effective plays. I’m eager to see more.
Read All Chat Highlights
—Other than watch some Alabama games, I really didn’t watch any tape of Jones in college. It’s hard to predict what kind of future he will have in the NFL, even though he was one of the most highly-decorated offensive linemen in college football in recent memory. This is a here-and-now league, so Jones must prove himself all over again.
—There are a lot of the UDFA’s that I’m interested in seeing over the course of training camp. Among them are Austin Franklin the WR from New Mexico State, Marcus Roberson, the CB from Florida, Trey Watts, the RB from Tulsa, Ethan Westbrooks, who’s listed as a DT from West Texas A&M, and Tavarius Wilson the LB from Northern Alabama. The lack of depth at LB could help Wilson. Same goes for Roberson at cornerback. And the Rams did pay $50K in guaranteed money to Westbrooks, which means he will at least get a long look from the staff.
—I remember all the buzz about the WRs in OTAs and training camp last year. Austin looked so quick. And Quick made plenty of highlight-reel catches. In the regular-season, not so much.
—Shaun Hill certainly looks more accurate than Kellen Clemens, and looks to have a little more arm strength. But Clemens was an excellent leader.
—The Secondary doesn’t have much experience at all. By my count, just 71 games of starting experience among the entire group in the secondary _ that has to be a low for the league. I’m sure they’ll look around as the final cuts are made in late August.
—Right now, Pead is living off his draft status.
—Wells has played pretty well when he’s been in there. Thus a lesser salary but still a roster spot. I think both Barnes and Jones make the final roster, but it could be a tight squeeze. You also have Brandon Washington, Davin Joseph, Sean Hooey, and Mike Person in the mix behind the starters. Plus draft picks Van Dyk and Rhaney. That’s 13 names for what could be nine, maybe just eight, spots.
—This is only the third practice open to the media (and I believe just the fourth overall). So hard to make sweeping generalizations. But it looks like it has better team speed and better depth. It may be the most talented team at least since Scott Linehan’s first year as head coach in 2006. (Granted, the bar’s not very high in recent years.) I like the competitive nature of practices so far.
—I think Bradford would be a very good fit in a Turner-run offense. But again, it comes down to the supporting cast as well.
—Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce spent a lot of time in training camp last year working with the receivers. Aeneas Williams has worked with the defensive backs in the past.
—Why Can’t A Stadium Deal Get Done? Easier said then done. You’re talking about $1 billion for a stadium. I believe the maximum the league can kick in is $200 million. That’s one-fifth of the $1 billions price tag. Then, if you split the difference, you’d be asking Kroenke for $400 million and the city/county/state for $400 million. The city doesn’t have the money. The county and state are hesitant to do so at this time: they’re all still paying off the first stadium (the Edwards Jones Dome). From Kroenke’s vantage point, he has it in writing in the stadium lease _ and agreed upon by the CVC at the time (1995) )_ that the stadium must be a “first tier” facility. As you may recall, an arbitrator ruled in favor of Kroenke in terms of what it would take to make the dome a first tier building during Super Bowl week 2 Super Bowls ago: an estimated $700 million. (Which if you’re going to put that much into refurbishing, I think both parties agree you might as well build a new stadium.) Kroenke eventually will have to put in some of his own money. But given the arbitration ruling, he’s not going to roll over easily.
—I share your overall concern about the Safety position although T.J. McDonald played much better once he returned from the broken leg. My biggest concern on McLeod is his lack of range. He’s a pretty sure tackler, although not a thumper as you say. He did improve over the course of the 2013 season, but I really thought the Rams would upgrade the position in he offseason.
—How Has Tre Mason Looked? One example: During a red zone period last week, he made a very nifty mini-jump cut, to score a touchdown. That’s the kind of footwork that turns minimal gains into effective plays. I’m eager to see more.
Read All Chat Highlights
