Offseason stress rant

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rams24/7

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I get the cuts, they make sense. Older players do large sums of money and production doesn't match their salary. I get that we're trying to get young. But the holes we have and our cap we have to fill it with, have me mildly concerned.

Holes (no order):

WR: Flanker & slot
RB: 1 A tailback (Pead & Rich are both 1 Bs)
LG: Starter
RT: Starter

OLB: Coverage linebacker for nickel situations
S: Strong & Free starters

Lesser holes:

DL: 3rd DE & 3rd DT (Hayes' & Cudjo's spots)
TE: Pass Catching TE

How do we manage to plug these? My biggest worry is how we provide Sam with better weapons than last year. Obviously Givens/Quick/Pead/Rich should improve, but we need an established player like Danny or SJ. Do we get Boldin at $5 mill per? Do we add a top TE? This also raises another question of mine. Do we pay a premium price for a luxury like TE, to a guy who will only be catching passes?

Our cap room is reported to be a hair under $15 mill. With about $7 mill set aside for the draft, we have about $8 mill to work with. That's not much, given all the holes we have.

I'd think getting a FS in FA is a top priority, as you don't want to have 2 rookies on the back end. With it being a good FS class in FA it seems logical to fill that hole via FA. Good SS class in the draft including: Elam, Swearinger, Thomas to name a few.

My issue is: I think we will have one moderately expensive FA $5 mill+ (likely a guy like Delmas). But we have such little cap that leaves us with barely enough to resign guys like Hayes, Cudjo, and/or Stewart, let alone another starter.

I think we can bank on at least 2 starters via FA, but that leaves us with about 6 more key spots to fill through the draft. I like a young team. But THAT young?

Bottom line is. We'd better have a draft as good as last, maybe better if we hope to really build a year in and year out contender in STL. May sound funny that I'm deeming this a kind of "make or break draft," but it is in my opinion.

We have our cornerstones, and they're getting theirs: Cort ($14), Long ($13.25), JL ($11), Sam ($9). They make up a healthy percentage of our cap, so the young bucks better produce. This team was built wrong in the past with too much money allocated to too many free agents over too long of a period. That's why we're in the tight cap situation this year.

I think our cap woes stem from the historic poor o-line drafting over the past 10 years (Saffold the only good one). If we can add one or even TWO keepers in the draft we can begin to move on from signing those BIG contracts to older o-lineman (think of Bell, Brown, etc. over the years). Dahl & Wells make up $10 mill of our cap next year, we should be looking to replace them. Rok has potential to take over at RG & a guy like Turner could fill in for Wells in 2014, while we look for the long term center. As for the holes at LG and RT. I hope Warmack falls to us and becomes a keeper. RTs can be found in the mid rounds.

Youngsters need to step up in 2013, but we need to add some vet leaders too. There will be bumps, although hopefully we have less rooks playing as last year (sign of progress).

Ultimately I'm just scared for Sam as there are a lot of unknowns at this time. Many key guys gone and not any answers yet. I hope we give him ample tools, better tools than last year, or his growth will be at a standstill. I'd love Warmack &/or Austin with a side of TE in the 3rd.

Sorry for the rant, thanks for reading this far.

Let me know what you guys think...
 

A55VA6

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I'm getting a little concerned too. Losing Steven, Danny and Gibby are likely gone, now Mikell.. we don't have alot of cap.. I'm concerned.. BUT Les Snead and Jeff Fisher have yet to disappoint and always seem to be very smart and have something up their sleeve. I know we'll end up okay.

But overall, the WR position is what bothered me the most, now the Safety position really has me uneasy. But we'll see how things work out. Maybe we bring in veterans for low cost? I don't know.
 

Barrison

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I honestly see the Rams trying to get the FA's that don't get what they had originally wanted and want to play at a discounted price. Instead of forking out the cash to pay 2-3 guys, imo.
 

bluecoconuts

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You could sign two S and a RT with the money we freed up over the past few days. Then draft a slot and flanker (Austin and someone else) as well as a Guard. Fills (and probably upgrades) all of those positions. Then TE/RB/OLB/Depth can be drafted or a low level one from FA. We could also draft a S and get someone else in FA.

I don't think Snead and Fisher make moves that aren't well planned out. If they released Mikell they probably have someone lined up to come in day 1.
 

shaunpinney

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Like everyone I'm concerned at all these cuts, it seems like we're creating more holes to fill, and lets be honest we had a lot to start with! I can't see us re-signing our own FAs and I can see us picking up 1 quality FA (T, TE, WR or S) this year and a couple of low-cost rotational guys. Snead and Fisher obviously have the measure of all the players and their contracts and I'm sure they know what they're doing, they are putting faith in last year's draft pick which is good - Quick / Givens / Pead & Richardson must have taken great strides especially if they could release Amendola, Gibson and SJax 3 of our key offensive weapons of 2012.

I think what my main concern is that even though Bradford isn't getting a new offensive co-ordinator, he's going to get a new set of targets and that can take a season to get flowing...

However. In the immortal words of Jon Bon Jovi "Don't let your love turn to hate, Right now we got to...Keep the faith"
 

DR RAM

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I'm totally cool. The holes to fill this year are nothing compared to....

Total faith from me. None of the guys cut are irreplaceable, most of them could be upgraded, IMO.
 

brokeu91

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DR RAM said:
I'm totally cool. The holes to fill this year are nothing compared to....

Total faith from me. None of the guys cut are irreplaceable, most of them could be upgraded, IMO.
I tend to agree...this FO seems to do things with a plan in mind and probably already have a couple of guys who want to sign...Louis Delmas is starting to make a lot of sense.

But I also see Fisher and Snead believing this team is still another year away. Next season we will have another two first round picks plus a lot of money under the cap. I believe that they are shaping the roster to take a huge step in 2014 and are willing to build up the team this coming year so that they can be perennial superbowl contenders.
 

DR RAM

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brokeu91 said:
DR RAM said:
I'm totally cool. The holes to fill this year are nothing compared to....

Total faith from me. None of the guys cut are irreplaceable, most of them could be upgraded, IMO.
I tend to agree...this FO seems to do things with a plan in mind and probably already have a couple of guys who want to sign...Louis Delmas is starting to make a lot of sense.

But I also see Fisher and Snead believing this team is still another year away. Next season we will have another two first round picks plus a lot of money under the cap. I believe that they are shaping the roster to take a huge step in 2014 and are willing to build up the team this coming year so that they can be perennial superbowl contenders.
A word that hasn't been synonymous with the Rams, but will be, is sustainability. That is what we are building. Getting rid of, or not paying too much for sub-par talent, is just part of the process.
 

jrry32

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Free agency doesn't open until tomorrow...can we wait until after FA to sound the alarms? Or even wait until after the draft? Patience young padawan.

This might bother some people but no team has a quality starter at all 22 positions. We may not fill all 22 perfectly this off-season. But it happens. I think that you need to consider that some young guys who were drafted last year or the year before might step up along with the rookies and FAs.

Yep, there's a decent amount of holes. But the majority are in positions that are typically easier to fill(HB, LG, RT) and the others are at positions that have a lot of depth in the Draft/FA.

No reason to get up in arms yet. I'm gonna wait until they pass on the first guy that I love in the draft to do that. :lol: :ww:
 

duckhunter

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Jrry,

Good call on the Mikell cut.

What do you put the odds on Dahl being cut? If they were renegotiating we would have probably heard something by now. The more I think about it you may be right and they just outright cut him.

If they sign a RT this week, I think he gets the axe then.
 

A55VA6

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I personally think we cut Dahl.... next year. Not sure about cutting him this year, but we'll see.
 

Stranger

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rams24/7 said:
I get the cuts, they make sense. Older players do large sums of money and production doesn't match their salary. I get that we're trying to get young. But the holes we have and our cap we have to fill it with, have me mildly concerned.

Holes (no order):

WR: Flanker & slot
RB: 1 A tailback (Pead & Rich are both 1 Bs)
LG: Starter
RT: Starter

OLB: Coverage linebacker for nickel situations
S: Strong & Free starters

Lesser holes:

DL: 3rd DE & 3rd DT (Hayes' & Cudjo's spots)
TE: Pass Catching TE

How do we manage to plug these?
Thanks very much for posting.... the pit in my stomach has been growing as well.

May I suggest posting a version of this OP in the KD forum, as I'd really like for Kevin to know how the fanbase feels, and for him to address both: (i) the cuts, and (ii) the impact of the cuts on fans (who a little nervous now).
 

bluecoconuts

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My guess is we'd just get a political answer, team has a plan, etc etc. I couldn't see him giving any inside information about what they're doing. Some fans are nervous, some are happy, some are excited, some are angry. You'll get the same thing no matter what you do or don't do.
 

A55VA6

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Yeah, I know a guy that is furious right now. Losing SJ, Danny probably gone, he loves Mikell. I told him things will be alright. I can't imagine Fisher and Snead creating holes and leaving them.
 

Speeps

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Let me say this...be patient. Pre season last year, Rams fans were ready to go nuts saying that it's the same ol' Rams. Season ends, and Rams fans are saying this team should be competing for the playoffs next season. Funny how things work eh?

Yes the Rams might lose Danny Amendola who played in 12 of his last 32 games. Yes the Rams are letting bruising 30 year old Steven Jackson walk out, yes we cut a 33 year old safety who is overpaid and terrible in coverage, and yes William Hayes may be out of our price range, but we have yet to give the Rams time to play out their plan. The offseason hasn't truly started yet. Hell free agency haven't even started. Lets be patient and let the plan unfold.

By my account Danny Amendola and Steven Jackson weren't lighting up the scoreboard. Patience young Rams grasshoppers. Patience :cool:

(Now, if the Rams don't make moves, please move over so I can vent with you guys)
 

rams24/7

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
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The intention of this post is not to jump the gun or suggest we don't have a good plan in place. I am willing to be patient and see how FA/draft/TC go before starting to formulate any conclusions.

All I'm saying is I am mildly stressed about how we can fill the voids we have created. Like many have stated before, 2014 is the year we can really land a key piece or two and be legitimate contenders
 

Speeps

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rams24/7 said:
The intention of this post is not to jump the gun or suggest we don't have a good plan in place. I am willing to be patient and see how FA/draft/TC go before starting to formulate any conclusions.

All I'm saying is I am mildly stressed about how we can fill the voids we have created. Like many have stated before, 2014 is the year we can really land a key piece or two and be legitimate contenders
Oh Yeah I understand frustration and why you wrote your rant (a good one at that). Just pointing some things out to make you feel a little at ease. I guess I failed :(
 

A55VA6

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rams24/7 said:
The intention of this post is not to jump the gun or suggest we don't have a good plan in place. I am willing to be patient and see how FA/draft/TC go before starting to formulate any conclusions.

All I'm saying is I am mildly stressed about how we can fill the voids we have created. Like many have stated before, 2014 is the year we can really land a key piece or two and be legitimate contenders
I agree. I'm just worried about WR. Gotta get a veteran in my opinion. Give Sam that target to work with. Sam can be a pro bowler 30+ TD guy easily if he has help.
 

Stranger

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bluecoconuts said:
My guess is we'd just get a political answer, team has a plan, etc etc. I couldn't see him giving any inside information about what they're doing. Some fans are nervous, some are happy, some are excited, some are angry. You'll get the same thing no matter what you do or don't do.
Yes, I've grown tired of the politically correct speak. But at least we'd make Kevin aware of how some serious loyal fans feel about the situation.

Just seems to me they could have handled the PR/Fan Relations part of this off-season a little better. Seems to me I've been blindsided.
 

Afro Ram

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I've been stressing a little here and there over some of the moves, but I've come to terms that Fisher/Snead are doing the right things.

I love Jackson -and I think he still has at least another two seasons where he can break that thousand yard mark, but I don't blame the F.O. for releasing him after spending a second round pick on Pead and Richardson's stellar play. To me the RB position is not a hole. I like the two guys we have as starters and will be comfortable with a mid to late round draft pick or veteran added to the group. Heck, I still really like the Calvin Middleton kid, but...

Offensive tackle is a huge concern with me. Saffold is super underrated when healthy -which is often enough. And to the best of my knowledge they're letting Barry walk who ended up devloping into a decent tackle. The line as a whole could use two to three new additions.

Then of course you have the receivers who we currently only have three of. I actually think Snead is going to chase Victor Cruise and give up a first rounder. The guy has nineteen touchdowns in two seasons, I know I would. (Maybe that's just wishful thinking.)

Anyways, all the major additions need to be made on the offense side of the ball. I believe teams can get away with two solid safeties. Especially when you have corners like the Rams. The OLB position is overrated. It would be great to have an upgrade, but I don't think that's a high impact position where you need a super star either.

IMO, if they only improve the o-line and the wr's the Rams will win more games next year. And the defense will improve from an improved offense.