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- Jul 30, 2010
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- Jemma
Well, Staley's gone to the fucking Chargers, which is unfortunate. Here's what I would do:
Fire: John Bonamego.
(He has to be gone yesterday. He's one of the worst special teams coaches I've seen on the Rams, and his one supposed good thing in finding Matt Gay was mainly done by Hekker and McVay. He's hurt this team far more than he's helped it, and thus, he must be gone.)
Hire: Aubrey Pleasant (DC).
(Pleasant's long overdue for a defensive coordinator job, and I think he'll likely keep Staley's scheme. And if he does get hired next year, he'll garner us compensatory picks. Just makes sense. As for special teams, I'm not sure whom to hire. Justin Lustig out of Syracuse was my first choice, but he just got hired by Vanderbilt, and I'm not sure of many other special teams coordinators to hire who would innovate the unit like Staley did for our defense.)
Cut:
Kenny Young
Justin Lawler
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Nick Scott
(Both Lawler and Okoronkwo have injury issues, and neither of them has made much of an impact. I like what Young and Scott have done, but they save valuable cap, Scott is replaceable, and I have a plan for inside linebacker that doesn't involve Kenny Young - who also saves cap.)
Re-sign:
Derek Rivers - (one year, 1.5 million.)
Darious Williams - RFA (first round tender).
Johnny Mundt - RFA (original round tender)
Coleman Shelton - ERFA
Travin Howard - ERFA
Raymond Calais - ERFA
JuJu Hughes - ERFA
(Darious Williams deserves the first round tender, and we'll see if a team wants to pay it. Rivers provides depth at outside linebacker. Other than that, there are mainly RFAs and ERFAs.)
Release:
John Johnson III
Leonard Floyd
Troy Hill
Gerald Everett
Malcolm Brown
Josh Reynolds
Samson Ebukam
Austin Blythe
Morgan Fox
Jake McQuaide
Kai Forbath
(I hate to let JJ3 and Floyd leave, but both of them could return a third round compensatory pick each - picks that can be used as ammunition to trade up. Hill has been a solid player, but I could see him going for a number 2 cornerback job. Brown should be replaced by Akers, Henderson, and a draft pick. Ebukam hasn't been effective this year and can be replaced by the combination of Hollins, Lewis, Rivers, and two draft picks. Fox will go for a starting role. Blythe, Everett, and Reynolds can all fuck off. McQuaide has been great, but I can't see us paying huge money for an aging long snapper. As for Forbath, I'd rather forget he was ever on the team.)
Restructure:
Aaron Donald
(Not sure whom else to restructure. I'm not a cap expert, after all.)
Trades:
A'Shawn Robinson to the Tennessee Titans for 2021 fourth round pick.
(Tennessee needs good players on the defensive line; both DaQuan Jones and Jack Crawford are unrestricted free agents. Robinson could easily fit in the middle of that defense, and we could get much needed salary relief and a pick, to boot. And that's not even mentioning the amount of depth we have on our defensive line; even without Robinson, we have Joseph-Day and Gaines in the middle, Donald and Brockers as other starters, and Michael Hoecht and Jonah Williams ready for large roles - hell, even Marquise Copeland and Eric Banks could find potential roles on the D-line. We can afford to lose Robinson and Fox.)
Rob Havenstein and 2022 seventh round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for 2021 fourth round pick and 2021 sixth round pick.
(Cincinnati's offensive line is horrible. Jonah Williams is a good player at left tackle, but their right tackle signing has been an enormous bust. We give Zac Taylor a lineman he knows for a pick. In addition, the Bengals likely lost their chance at Sewell, so this trade is necessary for them.)
Joseph Noteboom to the San Diego Chargers for 2021 fifth round pick.
(@jrry32 mentioned this trade. I think it makes sense as well. Noteboom can help a struggling Chargers offensive line, and we get a valuable pick.)
Draft:
2nd - Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson. (6'6", 345 lbs.)
(Carman is a dancing bear at left tackle. He's so big, carries his weight well, and is surprisingly-athletic for his size. If you're asking for a current replacement for Havenstein and an eventual replacement for Whitworth, you can't do much better.)
3rd - Nick Bolton, ILB, Missouri. (5'11", 232 lbs.)
(Bolton is a physical, punishing inside linebacker who should be able to give us quality snaps on all three downs. He's likely shorter than his listed 6'0" height, he's maxed out weight-wise, his coverage doesn't look smooth, and he's had targeting penalties in the past. But he simply gets the job done, and he's an Energizer bunny for the defense.)
3rd (Dante Fowler compensatory pick) - Hamilcar Rashed Jr., OLB, Oregon State. (6'4", 238 lbs.)
(Rashed is a demon as a player who makes splash plays behind the line. As his weight suggests, he's not built for the rigors of starting yet; he'll be best off in designated-pass-rush situations, and his technique obviously needs plenty of work. But Rashed led the NCAA in tackles-for-a-loss in 2019 and was just as good in 2020. Only reason he falls is because of his weight.)
3rd (Brad Holmes compensatory pick) - Jordan Smith, OLB, UAB. (6'6", 250 lbs.)
(Smith was suspended for a credit card scheme at Florida and transferred to UAB. He was absolutely dominant at UAB, has excellent athleticism and length, and is able to drop into coverage and stack-and-shed against the run. He'll need to work on his technique as a pass-rusher, but he's unbelievably skilled, a potential first round pick without the suspension.)
4th (Bengals) - Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina. (6'3", 205 lbs.)
(Mukuamu is a tall and lengthy cornerback with great ball skills. He's had questions about his athleticism after being torched by Florida. I think he can stick at cornerback, and he thrives on man-to-man coverage.)
4th (Cory Littleton compensatory pick) - Drake Jackson, OC, Kentucky. (6'2", 310 lbs.)
Jackson is a center-only prospect, but don't mistake him for Brian Allen; he can move people in the running game, and his pass-protection is solid. As his height suggests, he doesn't have length, and he'll occasionally get stacked up. But he's a powerful center who should be a starter.)
5th (Chargers) - Jaelon Darden, WR/Return specialist, North Texas. (5'9", 170 lbs.)
(I'll be honest: Darden is probably one of the two players I want in this draft, even over Nick Bolton. His ability to start, stop, and start again is almost Faulk-like. He's amazing at returns; despite stopping and starting, he'll always net you positive yards. He's explosive, has solid hands, and runs routes well. Yeah, he may be small, but I don't think he's ever missed a game. Count me as wanting him.)
6th (Bengals) - Divine Deablo, SS, Virginia Tech. (6'3", 212
(Deablo is someone who caught my eye (since Talanoa Hufanga is likely going to be picked higher than I expected; why the fuck do I always have players picked higher than expected? First Horn, Ossai and Myers, now Hufanga? What gives?), but he's far from a consolation prize. Deablo has good ball skills, is instinctive, and is physical. He may not have the athleticism to stick at safety; he could end up being a nickel linebacker. But he'll be solid for special teams, and he should be a solid addition.)
6th - Tre' McKitty, TE, Georiga. (6'5", 241 lbs.)
(McKitty is a solid prospect. He was severely underused at Florida State, and he had a knee injury after he transferred to Georgia. He has good athleticism and has shown a willingness to block. Obviously, the knee injury is a concern, along with production, but he might turn out to be a Cam Akers type of player in that he has a better pro career than college.)
7th - Michael Strachan, WR, Charleston. (6'5", 225 lbs.)
(Strachan is the player I want in this draft above anyone. He's huge, physical, a former track star, has solid hands and a my-ball mentality, and reminds me so much of Kenny Golladay when he came out. Yes, he has issues with routes and is raw, but he's got oodles of potential, and I want that potential on the Rams.)
UDFAs:
Josh Ball, OT, Marshall. (6'8", 350 lbs.)
(Ball is a massive man who can actually get bigger without losing athleticism. Main issue is that he got kicked out of Florida State, and despite being the left tackle for Marshall, will be limited to right tackle only. But he understands how to use his power and length to bury opponents, and he'll be a steal in the undrafted ranks.)
Larry Rountree III, RB, Missouri. (5'10", 210 lbs.)
(Rountree is a do-it-all back who does everything well. He's not explosive, powerful or shifty, but he manages to get positive yardage, is a legit three-down back, and plays physical.)
Thomas Fletcher, LS, Alabama.
(Won the Patrick Mannelly award for best long snapper. I don't think I need to say anything else.)
Roster:
(Bold = starters, italics = rookies)
QB - Jared Goff, John Wolford.
RB - Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Larry Rountree III, Xavier Jones.
WR - Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Jaelon Darden, Mike Strachan.
TE - Tyler Higbee, Brycen Hopkins, Tre' McKitty, Kendall Blanton.
OL - Andrew Whitworth, Bobby Evans, Austin Corbett, David Edwards, Jackson Carman, Chandler Brewer, Tremayne Anchrum, Drake Jackson, Josh Ball.
DL - Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Greg Gaines, Jonah Williams, Michael Hoecht.
LB - Justin Hollins, Troy Reeder, Nick Bolton, Terrell Lewis, Derek Rivers, Hamilcar Rashed, Jordan Smith, Micah Kiser, Travin Howard, Christian Rozeboom.
DB - Jalen Ramsey, Darious Willaims, Jordan Fuller, Taylor Rapp, Terrell Burgess, David Long, Israel Mukuamu, J.R. Reed, Divine Deablo.
ST - Matt Gay, Johnny Hekker, Thomas Fletcher.
Thoughts and critiques are welcome.
Fire: John Bonamego.
(He has to be gone yesterday. He's one of the worst special teams coaches I've seen on the Rams, and his one supposed good thing in finding Matt Gay was mainly done by Hekker and McVay. He's hurt this team far more than he's helped it, and thus, he must be gone.)
Hire: Aubrey Pleasant (DC).
(Pleasant's long overdue for a defensive coordinator job, and I think he'll likely keep Staley's scheme. And if he does get hired next year, he'll garner us compensatory picks. Just makes sense. As for special teams, I'm not sure whom to hire. Justin Lustig out of Syracuse was my first choice, but he just got hired by Vanderbilt, and I'm not sure of many other special teams coordinators to hire who would innovate the unit like Staley did for our defense.)
Cut:
Kenny Young
Justin Lawler
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Nick Scott
(Both Lawler and Okoronkwo have injury issues, and neither of them has made much of an impact. I like what Young and Scott have done, but they save valuable cap, Scott is replaceable, and I have a plan for inside linebacker that doesn't involve Kenny Young - who also saves cap.)
Re-sign:
Derek Rivers - (one year, 1.5 million.)
Darious Williams - RFA (first round tender).
Johnny Mundt - RFA (original round tender)
Coleman Shelton - ERFA
Travin Howard - ERFA
Raymond Calais - ERFA
JuJu Hughes - ERFA
(Darious Williams deserves the first round tender, and we'll see if a team wants to pay it. Rivers provides depth at outside linebacker. Other than that, there are mainly RFAs and ERFAs.)
Release:
John Johnson III
Leonard Floyd
Troy Hill
Gerald Everett
Malcolm Brown
Josh Reynolds
Samson Ebukam
Austin Blythe
Morgan Fox
Jake McQuaide
Kai Forbath
(I hate to let JJ3 and Floyd leave, but both of them could return a third round compensatory pick each - picks that can be used as ammunition to trade up. Hill has been a solid player, but I could see him going for a number 2 cornerback job. Brown should be replaced by Akers, Henderson, and a draft pick. Ebukam hasn't been effective this year and can be replaced by the combination of Hollins, Lewis, Rivers, and two draft picks. Fox will go for a starting role. Blythe, Everett, and Reynolds can all fuck off. McQuaide has been great, but I can't see us paying huge money for an aging long snapper. As for Forbath, I'd rather forget he was ever on the team.)
Restructure:
Aaron Donald
(Not sure whom else to restructure. I'm not a cap expert, after all.)
Trades:
A'Shawn Robinson to the Tennessee Titans for 2021 fourth round pick.
(Tennessee needs good players on the defensive line; both DaQuan Jones and Jack Crawford are unrestricted free agents. Robinson could easily fit in the middle of that defense, and we could get much needed salary relief and a pick, to boot. And that's not even mentioning the amount of depth we have on our defensive line; even without Robinson, we have Joseph-Day and Gaines in the middle, Donald and Brockers as other starters, and Michael Hoecht and Jonah Williams ready for large roles - hell, even Marquise Copeland and Eric Banks could find potential roles on the D-line. We can afford to lose Robinson and Fox.)
Rob Havenstein and 2022 seventh round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for 2021 fourth round pick and 2021 sixth round pick.
(Cincinnati's offensive line is horrible. Jonah Williams is a good player at left tackle, but their right tackle signing has been an enormous bust. We give Zac Taylor a lineman he knows for a pick. In addition, the Bengals likely lost their chance at Sewell, so this trade is necessary for them.)
Joseph Noteboom to the San Diego Chargers for 2021 fifth round pick.
(@jrry32 mentioned this trade. I think it makes sense as well. Noteboom can help a struggling Chargers offensive line, and we get a valuable pick.)
Draft:
2nd - Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson. (6'6", 345 lbs.)
(Carman is a dancing bear at left tackle. He's so big, carries his weight well, and is surprisingly-athletic for his size. If you're asking for a current replacement for Havenstein and an eventual replacement for Whitworth, you can't do much better.)
3rd - Nick Bolton, ILB, Missouri. (5'11", 232 lbs.)
(Bolton is a physical, punishing inside linebacker who should be able to give us quality snaps on all three downs. He's likely shorter than his listed 6'0" height, he's maxed out weight-wise, his coverage doesn't look smooth, and he's had targeting penalties in the past. But he simply gets the job done, and he's an Energizer bunny for the defense.)
3rd (Dante Fowler compensatory pick) - Hamilcar Rashed Jr., OLB, Oregon State. (6'4", 238 lbs.)
(Rashed is a demon as a player who makes splash plays behind the line. As his weight suggests, he's not built for the rigors of starting yet; he'll be best off in designated-pass-rush situations, and his technique obviously needs plenty of work. But Rashed led the NCAA in tackles-for-a-loss in 2019 and was just as good in 2020. Only reason he falls is because of his weight.)
3rd (Brad Holmes compensatory pick) - Jordan Smith, OLB, UAB. (6'6", 250 lbs.)
(Smith was suspended for a credit card scheme at Florida and transferred to UAB. He was absolutely dominant at UAB, has excellent athleticism and length, and is able to drop into coverage and stack-and-shed against the run. He'll need to work on his technique as a pass-rusher, but he's unbelievably skilled, a potential first round pick without the suspension.)
4th (Bengals) - Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina. (6'3", 205 lbs.)
(Mukuamu is a tall and lengthy cornerback with great ball skills. He's had questions about his athleticism after being torched by Florida. I think he can stick at cornerback, and he thrives on man-to-man coverage.)
4th (Cory Littleton compensatory pick) - Drake Jackson, OC, Kentucky. (6'2", 310 lbs.)
Jackson is a center-only prospect, but don't mistake him for Brian Allen; he can move people in the running game, and his pass-protection is solid. As his height suggests, he doesn't have length, and he'll occasionally get stacked up. But he's a powerful center who should be a starter.)
5th (Chargers) - Jaelon Darden, WR/Return specialist, North Texas. (5'9", 170 lbs.)
(I'll be honest: Darden is probably one of the two players I want in this draft, even over Nick Bolton. His ability to start, stop, and start again is almost Faulk-like. He's amazing at returns; despite stopping and starting, he'll always net you positive yards. He's explosive, has solid hands, and runs routes well. Yeah, he may be small, but I don't think he's ever missed a game. Count me as wanting him.)
6th (Bengals) - Divine Deablo, SS, Virginia Tech. (6'3", 212
(Deablo is someone who caught my eye (since Talanoa Hufanga is likely going to be picked higher than I expected; why the fuck do I always have players picked higher than expected? First Horn, Ossai and Myers, now Hufanga? What gives?), but he's far from a consolation prize. Deablo has good ball skills, is instinctive, and is physical. He may not have the athleticism to stick at safety; he could end up being a nickel linebacker. But he'll be solid for special teams, and he should be a solid addition.)
6th - Tre' McKitty, TE, Georiga. (6'5", 241 lbs.)
(McKitty is a solid prospect. He was severely underused at Florida State, and he had a knee injury after he transferred to Georgia. He has good athleticism and has shown a willingness to block. Obviously, the knee injury is a concern, along with production, but he might turn out to be a Cam Akers type of player in that he has a better pro career than college.)
7th - Michael Strachan, WR, Charleston. (6'5", 225 lbs.)
(Strachan is the player I want in this draft above anyone. He's huge, physical, a former track star, has solid hands and a my-ball mentality, and reminds me so much of Kenny Golladay when he came out. Yes, he has issues with routes and is raw, but he's got oodles of potential, and I want that potential on the Rams.)
UDFAs:
Josh Ball, OT, Marshall. (6'8", 350 lbs.)
(Ball is a massive man who can actually get bigger without losing athleticism. Main issue is that he got kicked out of Florida State, and despite being the left tackle for Marshall, will be limited to right tackle only. But he understands how to use his power and length to bury opponents, and he'll be a steal in the undrafted ranks.)
Larry Rountree III, RB, Missouri. (5'10", 210 lbs.)
(Rountree is a do-it-all back who does everything well. He's not explosive, powerful or shifty, but he manages to get positive yardage, is a legit three-down back, and plays physical.)
Thomas Fletcher, LS, Alabama.
(Won the Patrick Mannelly award for best long snapper. I don't think I need to say anything else.)
Roster:
(Bold = starters, italics = rookies)
QB - Jared Goff, John Wolford.
RB - Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Larry Rountree III, Xavier Jones.
WR - Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Jaelon Darden, Mike Strachan.
TE - Tyler Higbee, Brycen Hopkins, Tre' McKitty, Kendall Blanton.
OL - Andrew Whitworth, Bobby Evans, Austin Corbett, David Edwards, Jackson Carman, Chandler Brewer, Tremayne Anchrum, Drake Jackson, Josh Ball.
DL - Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Greg Gaines, Jonah Williams, Michael Hoecht.
LB - Justin Hollins, Troy Reeder, Nick Bolton, Terrell Lewis, Derek Rivers, Hamilcar Rashed, Jordan Smith, Micah Kiser, Travin Howard, Christian Rozeboom.
DB - Jalen Ramsey, Darious Willaims, Jordan Fuller, Taylor Rapp, Terrell Burgess, David Long, Israel Mukuamu, J.R. Reed, Divine Deablo.
ST - Matt Gay, Johnny Hekker, Thomas Fletcher.
Thoughts and critiques are welcome.
