Rams News Recap: April 2

[RamBill]

Robinson & Mason: Auburn Duo Sticks Together –Simmons
From their time as Auburn Tigers to members of the St. Louis Rams, Tre Mason and Greg Robinson’s careers are unmistakably linked.

Rams Set Offseason Program Dates –Wagoner
Once again, the St. Louis Rams will be the only team in the NFL not to have a mandatory minicamp this offseason.

Rams Draft preview: 3 players St. Louis Could Draft at No. 10 –FoxSports
The St. Louis Rams hold the No. 10 overall pick in the NFL Draft. In our 32-team preview series, FOXSports.com takes a look at their roster post-free agency and delivers a plan of attack for the last day in April.

Fisher Hopes Rams Fans Still Come out in 2015 –PD
One of the most-asked questions for Jeff Fisher at last week’s NFC coaches breakfast concerned the possible relocation of the Rams to Los Angeles.

Fisher Won’t Let Relocation Talk Become a Distraction –NFL.com
With owner Stan Kroenke planning to build a football stadium in California, speculation that the St. Louis Rams will once again become the Los Angeles Rams isn’t going away anytime soon.

Jeff Fisher Expects More From Kenny Britt –Wagoner
There’s not a coach in the NFL who has a better understanding of what St. Louis Rams receiver Kenny Britt is capable of and what he needs to get there than Jeff Fisher.

Quarterback Could Still be in Rams’ Draft Plans –Wagoner
On the day that the St. Louis Rams introduced Nick Foles to the St. Louis media, Rams coach Jeff Fisher declared Foles his starter for 2015.

NFL Focus Group Shows STL Supports Rams, Dislikes Kroenke

Greg Cosell Breaks Down the Offensive Line for the Draft –Audio

Mel Kiper Jr.’s Latest Big Board –Video

NFL Draft Prospects: Safeties –Video

Ty Burrell of Modern Family with Hekker and Quinn (Extended Cut) –Video

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: St. Louis fans weigh in
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17497/morning-ram-blings-st-louis-fans-weigh-in

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- One of the key components of the ongoing relocation process involving the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles is what the NFL calls "market studies."

Essentially, the studies are intended to reveal a market's appetite for football. That's the nice way of putting it. The more direct way might be to gauge how much money a community is willing to invest in a team. That means fans but also, perhaps more important to the league's bottom line, local businesses. It's the business community that spend the big dollars on things like club seats and suites, the premium level seating that really lines the pocket of a franchise.

Those market studies have already begun with the league sending out surveys this year. But now there is more work to be done, including the use of focus groups in which fans are brought in to discuss all things pertaining to their local team.

Here in St. Louis, those focus groups are underway, according to stltoday.com.

As you'd expect, there is plenty of frustration coming from football fans in St. Louis right now. Frustration about a lack of communication from the owner, a lack of performance on the field, and the general uncertainty of the team's future in the city. Of course, that's also a feeling fans in Los Angeles once experienced, and they have been dealing without a team of their own for two decades.

Similar market studies have taken place in recent years in stadium-needy cities like Minneapolis.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Thursday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... The Ram-blings opened the day with a look at the various mock drafts around the internet. ... Despite making plenty of moves at quarterback already this offseason, there might be more in the offing for the Rams in this year's draft. ... Rams coach Jeff Fisher and receiver Kenny Britt both expect more from Britt in his second year with the team.

Elsewhere:

On ESPN Insider, Field Yates has a list of teams Insider that still have big needs at quarterback, including one that won't surprise you.

Also on Insider, Mel Kiper Jr. has his latest big board Insider.

The San Diego Union-Tribune has a breakdown of projected income from the new proposed stadium.

Also at stltoday.com, Jim Thomas writes that Fisher is getting plenty of practice answering relocation questions.

David Hunn has a quick comment from Missouri Governor Jay Nixon on the county's role in funding the new stadium.