Long Injury Redefines our Offseason?

[mr.stlouis]

In the end I think this offseason will be formulated for improving the offense and getting some depth guys on defense. Just to get the defensive discussion out of the way, I wouldn't really have a problem with yesterday's starters starting week 1 next year. Maybe pick up a better 3rd string CB and, maybe a true FS, and some depth here and there and we're good.

The offense!!! This is where we have some question marks. So let's start with the OL...

Our OL is pretty solid overall, but we need to get out tackle situation sorted out. I must address the impact of the JL injury. If he coulda finished all 16 games then we would have some leverage in keeping Saffold or letting him walk. Bottom line is I think we have very little and he's gonna get a bigger contract than Jake. Can we afford him at 9 million a year with all the dead money on the team? Ugh! So let's say Saffold is gone and Long isn't ready. That means we have Barksdale at RT and no one at LT. I use to role my eyes on the Jake Matthews pick but now it's making more sense all the time. If nothing else Saffold and Long are both injury prone even if we keep them both. So there it is. Trade down, Matthews, and hope Barrette Jones is ready. At C and G, Barnes has played well, we'll have Jones ready, and Smith/Williams has been OK. I don't think H. Dahl or Scott Wells are on the team next year.

WR- I STILL am on the fence on our WR's. Givens has some moments, Bailey emerging as a very good player, and We still have Tavon. I'm good with whatever direction we go, I guess. I will say this, though. Pick a WR in the first round or don't pick one at all.

RB's- Stacy and Cunningham are golden in my book. I'm not giving up on Rich, either. I just don't consider it a "need." Maybe another late round guy just like them two.


So with that being said, I really don't have many solutions. I will say this, though, we really need to keep Saffold. It would be a huge blow. It hinders our team greatly if we don't.

 

[Ramhusker]

I agree an OT in the 1st is starting to look like a smart move but I also like taking OLB Barr or CB Darqueze Dennard in the 1st and maybe even FS Ha Ha Clinton Dix. I'd draft WR Kelvin Benjamin in the 2nd or 3rd, RB Hyde or Seastrunk in the 3rd or 4th, RB Grice in the 5th or 6th. It's nice to have less needs and more wants these days as a Rams' fan.

 

[Alan]

I won't know what I like until after FA.

 

[BonifayRam]

Rams will go with its sixth different starting OL this season against the Seahawks. Not as bad as we have seen in our recent past but not good either. Rams have dealt with injuries to four of our initial starting OL...ORTSaffold- ORG Dahl- OC Wells & now OLT Long...not good. So not so solid to me mr.stlouis. I agreed with you fully on your defense assessment.

Jake Long will now have a Reconstruction of his knee MCL & ACL.... looks like a mushy future. Our best OL'er starting ORT/Swing OT/ORG now OLT Rodger Saffold is a UFA in March & its a very very high chance its his last game as a Ram...once again far from solid. Our starting 33 yr old starting center Scott Wells has ended up his Ram two seasons on the IR with four major injuries since his signing, with a good size cap hit in 2014 if retained, once again I do not feel real solid on that.

Our starting (soon to be 33 yr old) ORG Harvey Dahl who ended up on the IR last season & never returned to past form in the run game this season...and was injured again the last of October with a MCL sprain of his knee. Dahl returned the first of December but was NOT effective & the Rams started Shelley Smith before turning to Rodger Saffold a week later thus replacing Dahl as starter. On top of that reserve OG Shelley Smith has been active the last three weeks over Dahl thus replacing Dahl as top reserve OG. Dahl if retained will have a 4 mil cap hit in 2014. Do you pay 4 mil for a old aging back up ORG? far from solid. That's four Not Solids thus far...Current starting ORG Shelley Smith is a RFA & current starting OC Tim Barnes is a ERFA...not all that bad but once again not so sure you can call that solid. Starting OLG Chris Williams is a UFA in March...ummm not solid again. Ok I have one solid out of the eight main Ram OL'ers .What I know is solid for one more season is our starting ORT Joe Barksdale who is under contract in 2014..Solid!

To summarize my UN solid mushy rating on the early Ram 2014 OL ....would signal to me that major changes to this OL will occur over the next 6 to 7 months...this OL will need some serious attention to protect a tender often injured pocket passer! I wonder who the Rams reserve OT will be Sunday? Rams do not have a reserve OT who has started or played in the regular NFL on offensive series. Rams will go with either UDFA's Brandon Washington or Mike Persons. Might be better to break out the 6-5 308 rookie Barrett Jones for some OT action. My guess is starting OLG Chris Williams will see action @ OLT in practice this Christmas week!

If you were Snead in 2014 you would have to be looking for a starting OLT, ORG, OLG & OC in this off season. Hopefully he can retain the youthful now starting Tim Barnes & Shelley Smith in free agency to compete for a starting posts. Ram will need major low cost upgrade in OL talent from the draft!

 

[Alan]

BonifayRam seeing the problems:
"OLT Rodger Saffold is a UFA in March & its a very very high chance its his last game as a Ram"

"If you were Snead in 2014 you would have to be looking for a starting OLT, ORG, OLG & OC in this off season."

I'm with you on everything except the Saffold thing. I think the second quote is why the first quote isn't as cut and dried as you think. I believe that we will seriously be trying to re-sign Saffold. I'll be surprised if he's not a Ram next season. I don't think you can find good replacements for all those positions in one offseason. I think the Rams will be thinking they need to keep some continuity in the line otherwise they're almost starting from scratch next year.

We'll see my friend.

 

[BonifayRam]

I understand what you are thinking here Alan but the cost is very so very high in these dealings now! The Rams threw veteran Jake Long $16 million guaranteed & a $5 million signing bonus, Long's first-year 3 mil base salary, and $4 million of his second-year 2014 $8 million salary on a player who may never play a down in 2014.

The Rams threw & invested major cap $$ @ another injury plagued vet Scott Wells $13 million guaranteed & a $4 million signing bonus and all of Wells' 2012 5.5 mil. & 2013 5.5 mil. base salaries. Another $1.5 million is available through escalators in just two Ram Ol'ers. Rams paid 4 mil for the poor showing by the declining veteran Dahl this season. All of the three vets now have or had injuries to deal with. Snead/Fisher & Boudreau desires to sign veteran Ol'er instead of drafting youth & health has not worked out so well for us this yr or last!

After saying that now we bring up the Rams best OL'er who injuries are as long as the above. While many, none are anything close what Long & Wells have undergone or that serious the last few seasons. With the bitter knowledge of the above would it make it that much harder to place the needed relief of Snead/Fisher/Boudreau 2012/2013 OL injury problems by throwing a ton of cap $$$ onto another well known injury problem? Now that will be interesting indeed.

 

[mr.stlouis]

I understand what you are thinking here Alan but the cost is very so very high in these dealings now! The Rams threw veteran Jake Long $16 million guaranteed & a $5 million signing bonus, Long's first-year 3 mil base salary, and $4 million of his second-year 2014 $8 million salary on a player who may never play a down in 2014.

The Rams threw & invested major cap $$ @ another injury plagued vet Scott Wells $13 million guaranteed & a $4 million signing bonus and all of Wells' 2012 5.5 mil. & 2013 5.5 mil. base salaries. Another $1.5 million is available through escalators in just two Ram Ol'ers. Rams paid 4 mil for the poor showing by the declining veteran Dahl this season. All of the three vets now have or had injuries to deal with. Snead/Fisher & Boudreau desires to sign veteran Ol'er instead of drafting youth & health has not worked out so well for us this yr or last!

After saying that now we bring up the Rams best OL'er who injuries are as long as the above. While many, none are anything close what Long & Wells have undergone or that serious the last few seasons. With the bitter knowledge of the above would it make it that much harder to place the needed relief of Snead/Fisher/Boudreau 2012/2013 OL injury problems by throwing a ton of cap $$$ onto another well known injury problem? Now that will be interesting indeed.

I have a lot of respect for your posts and agree with much of them. You do not agree that the OL is solid and based it with several facts which was great. But the OL has been solid as of late. Clemens has been kept fairly clean despite some blitz pick up miscues. Stacy is awesome at making the most of plays but our OL has done a really solid job of giving him some creases to blow through. I just hope to keep it that way and watch them continue to grow as a unit. However, Long and Saffold not on the field changes everything. We could use a guard, sure, but Barnes and Saffold on the inside has worked out really which leaves LG. Has Barnes not proved his worth? I do agree Smith and Williams are questionable but I don't feel I know all the details on them just yet. We need Jones on the field to see what he can do, too. Guy was a stud for Alabama.

 

[BonifayRam]

I have a lot of respect for your posts and agree with much of them. You do not agree that the OL is solid and based it with several facts which was great. But the OL has been solid as of late. Clemens has been kept fairly clean despite some blitz pick up miscues. Stacy is awesome at making the most of plays but our OL has done a really solid job of giving him some creases to blow through. I just hope to keep it that way and watch them continue to grow as a unit. However, Long and Saffold not on the field changes everything. We could use a guard, sure, but Barnes and Saffold on the inside has worked out really which leaves LG. Has Barnes not proved his worth? I do agree Smith and Williams are questionable but I don't feel I know all the details on them just yet. We need Jones on the field to see what he can do, too. Guy was a stud for Alabama.

Yes I agree that the OL has been the best that I have seen in well over a decade....good point! Yes Clemens has been protected much better than when Sam was in the line up another good point! But I would say that Clemens has something to do with that. His mobility & awareness in the pocket is better than Sams ever will be. I would like to add that its been four 25 year olds of youth in this OL (Saffold- Barksdale- Smith & Barnes) that have filled in well for injured veteran starters! Think you can get my point here.

Your mentioning Tim Barnes ....& his element does bring me some hope...that he has show'd enough after the Wells IR to give the Org. some serious thought of a NEW...stronger healthier bigger Rams center another. I would not say he is better than Wells but Barnes is many things..... Wells is not..... and that's good! Yes! Barnes has proved his worth & then some. Maybe its because he has remained healthy for three yrs.

I would not call Shelley Smith questionable I would say he is a excellent wavier wire pick up reserve OLG/ORG who has gotten stronger as the years go by, now well on his way to 315 pounds & has remained healthy for two years! Sure hope they can get him to resign with us. Shelley has proven to be available for two straight seasons to fill in & start many games for us @ both OG posts. If I were to have a say so on what post he is best at it would be OLG post.

Chris Williams was a early weak link in the OL....but I would say that since the Rams OT situation is bad that the 29 yr old will be asked to return in 2014 just for the fact that Chris has started in the NFL @ both OT posts. I do not consider this to be all that positive but thankful Chris has remained healthy the last two yrs.

Now to your last sentence....yes & yes. If this Ram OT position remains muddy & weaken.... Barrett may end up being inserted @ OT. Barrett was not ready to play this season after his very late 2012 season foot injury. However I bet Barrett will play a major role in the Rams 2014 OL. I watched him start @ ORG then as a jr. he started @ ORT then OLT & then as a Sr. he played center...I though Barrett played his best when he played OT!

Thanks for your very good quick post response & I hope you have a wonderful Merry Christmas! Go Rams

 

[Alan]

BonifayRam looking at only half the problem:
I understand what you are thinking here Alan but the cost is very so very high in these dealings now! The Rams threw veteran Jake Long $16 million guaranteed & a $5 million signing bonus, Long's first-year 3 mil base salary, and $4 million of his second-year 2014 $8 million salary on a player who may never play a down in 2014.

The Rams threw & invested major cap $$ @ another injury plagued vet Scott Wells $13 million guaranteed & a $4 million signing bonus and all of Wells' 2012 5.5 mil. & 2013 5.5 mil. base salaries. Another $1.5 million is available through escalators in just two Ram Ol'ers. Rams paid 4 mil for the poor showing by the declining veteran Dahl this season. All of the three vets now have or had injuries to deal with. Snead/Fisher & Boudreau desires to sign veteran Ol'er instead of drafting youth & health has not worked out so well for us this yr or last!

After saying that now we bring up the Rams best OL'er who injuries are as long as the above. While many, none are anything close what Long & Wells have undergone or that serious the last few seasons. With the bitter knowledge of the above would it make it that much harder to place the needed relief of Snead/Fisher/Boudreau 2012/2013 OL injury problems by throwing a ton of cap $$$ onto another well known injury problem? Now that will be interesting indeed.

It's not that I really disagree with any of your points here but when you don't have viable alternatives what choice do you have? Sure the costs are high but the costs are just as high for us to get a replacement in FA as it is to outbid other teams for your own potential FAs except you actually know how good your own players are and you don't when you bid on the Bells of the league. That last point of mine is a partial answer to one of your points.

Signing Wells was a mistake because for one thing, no matter how well he played in the past for another team he still remained somewhat of an unknown to the Rams. The other reason why Wells was a mistake was his age. I keep harping about the effect PEDs have had on all the huge people in the NFL today and injuries, especially when you reach 30, are a direct result of that. That's why I would almost never advocate signing an older vet. You may remember that I was against signing every older vet we have brought in and I haven't been wrong about many (if any) of them.

As for injuries to younger players, injuries are gonna happen all the time because the huge players of today can put so much torque on a players knees when they tackle him. There have been more than 50 MCL/ACL season ending injures this year and they haven't been just older players.

It's just won't be possible to replace all the starters that you yourself said we need with draft picks and replacing them with FAs is the same pricey crapshoot you're talking about with Saffold. Which one of the old guys, who probably wouldn't last the whole 2014 season, do you want to keep? Dahl? Wells? Even the younger (not all that good) players will be expensive to retain.

The draft is the only way to keep your costs down it's one of the prime reasons I was against giving up our second round pick to draft Austin. had we waited and picked a different WR and filled another hole with that lost 2nd round pick how would the rams look today? Still, you can't do everything with the draft.

I remain so convinced that we'll make a serious attempt to keep Saffold that I'll bet yo a ROD buck on it.:sly: