Rams News Recap: Dec. 16

[RamBill]

Barrett Jones hoping for brighter days ahead with Rams –PD
There was a time, however fleeting, at the start of Rams training camp when it looked like Barrett Jones might compete for a staring job at either center or guard.

Rams TE Cook Says he Misspoke –PD
In the heat of the moment, after last week’s frustrating 12-6 loss to the visiting Arizona Cardinals, Rams tight end Jared Cook says he misspoke.

QB Snapshot: Shaun Hill –Wagoner
A quick observation of quarterback Shaun Hill and how he played in the St. Louis Rams’ 12-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15:

Rams Hold at No. 20 in Power Rankings –Wagoner
The St. Louis Rams sat still in this week’s ESPN NFL Power Rankings, checking in at No. 20 for the second consecutive week after losing 12-6 to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night.

P Johnny Hekker is Rams’ nominee for Walter Payton Award –Wagoner
The NFL announced the 32 nominees (one from each team) for the 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award on Tuesday. The St. Louis Rams will be represented by punter Johnny Hekker.

Comparing Aaron Donald to Other Top Rookies –Wagoner
Last week, we took a cursory look at St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s case to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year, with strong words of support from coach Jeff Fisher.

Gordon’s Tipsheet: Beckham Shows Rams what Could Have Been
The Rams are thrilled to have defensive tackle Aaron Donald. His disruptive play inside — quite unusual for a first-year player at this level — has made a very good defensive line great.

Morning Ram-blings: Staying Put in 2015? –Wagoner
As the speculation about the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers moving to Los Angeles in the offseason builds to a crescendo, nothing concrete has materialized yet.

One-On-One with Rams RB Tre Mason –Video

Wagoner’s Rams Report –Audio

Bernie: “There’s other teams in line” for Los Angeles –Audio

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: Ranking the rookies
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14719/morning-ram-blings-ranking-the-rookies

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. updated his rankings of the top rookies in the NFL last week and it contains a strong St. Louis Rams presence.

In his latest edition of the rankings Insider, he puts Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald at No. 2 and cornerback E.J. Gaines at No. 14.

Donald sits only behind Dallas offensive lineman Zack Martin, who the Rams actually would have drafted at No. 13 had Donald been off the board. The Rams even explored trade up options for Martin but those were quelled when Dallas selected Martin.

Gaines is Kiper's highest-rated defensive back and sixth-highest ranked defensive player. Considering he was a sixth-round pick, it's fair to say that based on the small sample size, Gaines has proved to be one of the best bargains of this year's draft based on his production.

And while we're at it, looking ahead to next year, here's Kiper's latest Big Board Insider.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Tuesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... The Ram-blings examined a story that says football might not return to Los Angeles as soon as 2015. ... We then looked at Donald's numbers compared to the other contenders for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. ... QB snapshot offered a closer look at Shaun Hill's most recent performance. ... The Rams held steady at No. 20 in this week's ESPN NFL Power Rankings. ... Punter Johnny Hekker is the Rams' Walter Payton Man of the Year award nominee.

Elsewhere:

Here's the full breakdown of this week's ESPN NFL Power Rankings.

Grantland's Bill Barnwell breaks down how the Rams can alter the NFC playoff picture.

Here's this week's NFL Nation TV.

At 101sports.com, Bernie Miklasz discusses the Los Angeles situation.

At stltoday.com, Jeff Gordon wonders what could have been with the Rams and receiver Odell Beckham Jr.