Rams muscle up for NFC West in first round/Wagoner

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RamBill

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Rams muscle up for NFC West in first round
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/8220/rams-muscle-up-for-nfc-west-in-first-round

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- In the roughest neighborhood in the NFL, the NFC West division, you're either the bully or the one being bullied. There's no in between.

After sitting still at Nos. 2 and 13 to make their picks, it's clear the St. Louis Rams would like a change in role.

Eschewing their annual tradition of making first-round trades and the almost two-decade history of coach Jeff Fisher not taking an offensive lineman in the first round, the Rams dedicated their Thursday night to adding players who are more likely to take your lunch money than surrender it.

As widely predicted, St. Louis took Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson at No. 2 and in a move that came as a great surprise even to them, the Rams chose Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald with the 13th pick. Robinson was the first offensive tackle selected and Donald the first defensive tackle.

The explanation for the moves didn't come with much sizzle but there's plenty of steak.

"We felt like we definitely needed to address both sides of the ball upfront," Fisher said. "I really felt like this was the best thing for our football team right now."

General manager Les Snead put a finer point on it.

"Football teams, you build from the inside out," Snead said. "I always say that's when you are building your foundation. At the end of the day, when you lay your foundation for your skyscraper it's probably the least exciting thing that you do but that's the thing that holds that skyscraper up for a lot of years. But it was definitely a strategy to say 'you know what, we're going to get our foundation stronger' and I think that's going to help us."

This draft came with nobody bigger, badder or more equipped to do battle in the NFC West than Robinson. At 6-foot-5, 332 pounds, Robinson is the football version of Deebo from the movie "Friday." He takes what he wants when he wants it, especially in the running game.

While Robinson's pass protection will need some refining, he'll have plenty of time to get it right under offensive line coach Paul Boudreau as he's likely to begin his NFL career on the inside at guard. For a team that finished the season getting owned upfront by Seattle to the tune of 18 yards on 13 carries, Robinson is a much-needed hammer.

"We felt like Greg was a piece of the puzzle that's going to help us control that line of scrimmage," Snead said. "In our division, you have got to be physical. All three of those teams have really good front sevens."

Donald isn't as physically imposing as Robinson but wreaks plenty of havoc of his own. Donald uses quickness off the ball and strong hands to spend large chunks of time in the offensive backfield. Donald finished 2013 with 11 sacks and a nation-leading 28.5 tackles for loss.

Most expected Donald to go in the top 10 but the Rams had Donald in their top eight players, making him too good to pass on at No. 13.

While defensive tackle wasn't the most pressing need, the Rams did lack a three-technique capable of pushing the pocket consistently. The 6-foot, 285-pound Donald is one of the rare prospects with natural skills in that realm.

Adding a fourth first-round pick to an already strong defensive line might seem excessive but to that, Snead offered three simple words.

"Feed the beast," Snead said. "Feed the beast."

Snead was referring specifically to the defensive line but he might as well have been talking about the team at large.

The Rams still have plenty of work to do to make up ground in the rough and tumble NFC West but Thursday's picks offered proof the Rams don't plan on being pushed around anymore.
 

RamBill

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Strauss: Rams choose building blocks over circus

• Joe Strauss

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_5f8fc0ae-2bb5-5cbe-83e7-db001c4113d2.html

When the smokescreens cleared, the Rams opted Thursday for a road grader over a bandwagon. Given a second shot at booking a carnival, they shored a trench.

The adults in the organization’s second-story war room controlled the process, spending the second overall pick of a long-anticipated draft on Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson and the No. 13 selection on Pittsburgh fireplug defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The Rams took starch over sizzle. In the regime’s third draft, head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead adhered to a philosophy of building inside-out rather than turning things upside down.

“When you lay the foundation for your skyscraper, that’s the least exciting thing you do. But that’s the thing that holds the skyscraper up for a number of years,” Snead noted shortly after the club took Donald, a smallish, dogged pass rusher who amassed 28 1/2 tackles for loss last season.

The Rams sought dominance on both lines. Drafting Robinson creates the possibility of four tackles comprising 80 percent of the starting line. The 332-pound Robinson paved SEC defenses as Auburn rolled up 4,596 rushing yards. Mizzou still bears his cleat marks from the SEC championship game. Robinson was credited with 25 touchdown-resulting blocks and 172 knockdowns last season. He endorsed a reporter’s description of his blocking technique as “crushing” people.

“There are a few things I need to work on,” Robinson conceded during a brief conference call. “I look forward to working on it.”

The Rams rated Donald among the top eight players on their board. He adds another loop to a team signature that already boasts Robert Quinn, Chris Long, Michael Brockers, William Hayes, Kendall Langford and Eugene Sims.

Thursday was about big-boy football. The Rams abstained from drafting a top-tier receiver (Sammy Watkins) and potential circus act quarterback Johnny Manziel. They instead addressed an offensive line that struggled to generate push within its unforgiving division. In three of six NFC West games the Rams failed to average three yards per rush. They averaged 10.4 points and got outscored by a total 77 points in their last five division games.

For all the attention 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson command, this division still carries a reputation for primitive football. Bells and whistles are easily broken. The Rams found it impossible to impose themselves on three opponents who finished with double-digit wins.

Manziel would have at least temporarily slaked the fan base’s thirst for star quality. He would have brought unpredictability to a franchise that instead remains committed to a former No. 1 pick recovering from knee surgery. Sam Bradford remains “our guy,” Fisher famously proclaimed at Wednesday night’s tent revival for season-ticket holders. It is a line that will follow this franchise for better or worse.

The short-attention-span crowd salivated over the idea of Manziel. In a weird way, it would have represented validation to many camp followers longing for their team to regain national relevance. Never mind if the plusses warranted the chaos that would have ensued. It would have been at least a quick buzz. It would have been cool.

Reality check: To advocate drafting Manziel required a degree of intellectual inconsistency. How does one criticize offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for a fundamentally bland scheme then entrust him to overhaul his blueprint to accommodate a largely improvisational talent?

A bunch that labored for points in Bradford’s absence last season instead stood pat at skill positions. It almost assuredly will move for an apprentice quarterback today. It could also reach for a receiver and a defensive back. But Thursday was about guaranteeing this team’s personality will mesh with its unforgiving NFC West environment.

Asked how he would address those who hoped for a playmaker to jolt a mundane attack, Fisher said, “We still have an opportunity to do so, to make some choices along those lines.”

Drafting Robinson didn’t prevent the Rams from attempting to trade up for Notre Dame tackle Zack Martin immediately after selecting Donald. The cost proved prohibitive.

The Rams ranked 19th in rushing last season. Their season ended ignominiously with 13 yards on 18 carries against the Seattle Seahawks. They proved ineffective offensively against the San Francisco 49ers. Absent Bradford, they were reduced to desert road kill in Arizona three days after Thanksgiving.

Thursday revealed why an attempt to create a smokescreen of interest in Manziel proved futile.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made Central Florida’s Blake Bortles — not Manziel — the first quarterback selected. Tampa Bay, Cleveland and the New York Jets allowed Manziel to slide through the top 20 picks despite obvious need at the position. The Browns, the only team except the Rams to flex multiple first-round picks, finally stopped Johnny Football’s uncomfortable slide with the 22nd overall selection. Manziel, a ready-made marketing opportunity but a wild card on the field, became the third Texas A&M player off the board.

The Rams considered spending their second pick on Manziel but Donald muted the conversation. Fisher was absolutely giddy as he entered a conference room.

“How’d we do?” he rhetorically asked the room.

Resisting the temptation to acquire Manziel, the Rams added a flip side to how this draft will be remembered. It was a responsible decision but also one that will invite condemnation every time Cleveland wins or the Rams lose with Bradford.

Only 6-foot, Donald earned the Lombardi, Bednarik, Outland and Nagurski awards. He emerged as one of the wow stories at the Senior Bowl. Donald played in both a 3-4 and 4-3 scheme at Pitt. He becomes another explosive within the Rams’ most dangerous facet. If there is a valid criticism, it is whether the Rams reached for redundancy while bypassing obvious needs on offense.

Who expected Fisher’s on-stage endorsement of Bradford would provide one of the most memorable moments of draft week? But the coach’s theatrical moment became something of a necessity after seeds planted about organizational interest in Manziel found fallow ground.

The Rams countered with surprisingly bland tactics. For the first time in Fisher-Snead’s three years the franchise failed to trade a first-round pick. They went conventional. They went, dare we say, boring. They chose to build a football team rather than erect a circus tent.
 

jap

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Strauss: Rams choose building blocks over circus
• Joe Strauss

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_5f8fc0ae-2bb5-5cbe-83e7-db001c4113d2.html

The Rams countered with surprisingly bland tactics. For the first time in Fisher-Snead’s three years the franchise failed to trade a first-round pick. They went conventional. They went, dare we say, boring. They chose to build a football team rather than erect a circus tent.

One might choose to call the picks boring, but considering that both guys picked are freakish in their talents, we actually got the circus and the foundation.
 

brokeu91

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D - Bo Robinson...I like that!

Whatchu got on his 40, homie? Lmao...
you_got_knocked_the_fugg_out__by_xnakane-d42a5zv.png
 

Boffo97

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I would have hated the Manziel pick too... but this kind of stuff?

"The adults in the organization’s second-story war room controlled the process"

"Thursday was about big-boy football."

"The short-attention-span crowd salivated over the idea of Manziel."

I would honestly hope a poster who was posting here with this kind of tone would receive a not so gentle "Knock it off" warning. Strauss, you're better than this.