Rams News Recap: June 18

[RamBill]

Rams are Bullish About Special Teams –PD
Mainly because of inexperience and penalties, Rams special teams play started slowly and came on strong a year ago. The key now is to build on that late-season progress.

Jim Thomas Talks Rams –Radio Interview

Aaron Donald Impressing Coaches During OTAs –St.LouisRams.com
For Aaron Donald, there was no question that his first weeks in St. Louis would be a significant transition. Known as the most dominant defensive tackle in the NCAA, Donald acknowledged the adjustment to his position group in the NFL has been drastic.

Rams’ Kick Return Duties Up for Grabs –Wagoner
With no obvious solution in place last season, the St. Louis Rams turned their kick returner job over to rookie Tavon Austin in week 6 against Houston.

12 Questions for Rams Rookie Lamarcus Joyner –101ESPN

Jared Cook Hopes to Serve up Better Numbers in 2nd Season as a Ram –FSMW
The St. Louis Rams tight end’s first game with his new team last season — when he snagged seven passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Arizona — earned him plenty of attention, none more than from opposing defenses.

Zac Stacy Not Guaranteed St. Louis Rams’ Starting Job –NFL.com
The St. Louis Rams have changed their tune since prescribing more carries to second-year running back Zac Stacy in February and March.

Brian Schottenheimer Pushing Competition at RB –Wagoner
When asked about the St. Louis Rams’ collection of running backs Tuesday, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer offered an interesting response.

Morning Ram-blings: Fantasy Forecast –Wagoner
Fantasy football drafts are still a ways away, but it’s never too early to begin preparations for them.

Wired Up: Rams Safety T.J. McDonald at OTAs –Video

Jim Thomas Rams Chat Highlights: June 17

Rams OC Brian Schottenheimer’s OTA Press Conference –Video

Rams STC John Fassel OTA Press Conference –Video

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: A receiver mirage?
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/9489/morning-ram-blings-a-receiver-mirage

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams mostly stayed out of the free-agent frenzy this offseason, choosing to add players exclusively on one-year 'prove it' type deals.

That was a change in direction from the previous two seasons when they spent big on the open market and, frankly, an understandable one. Still, many clamored for the Rams to be more active and make a splashy addition. It remains to be seen how this season will play out and it will likely determine which approach the Rams take in the 2015 free-agent class but there is one position that promises intrigue should some of the team's young players not develop as expected in 2014.

Almost a year out, there appears to be a potential monster free-agent class of wide receivers that could hit the open market. At it stands, names like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Michael Crabtree, Torrey Smith and Jordy Nelson are due for new contracts.

Of course, the reality is that a lot can change in a year and many of the possible names will never see the light of day on the open market. But with so many of them available, it stands to reason that a few could slip through the cracks.

The Rams are betting on the development of their young receivers and would obviously prefer that group gets the job done and young players like Chris Givens take a big step forward. If it doesn't happen, could the Rams be in the market for help? Perhaps but as NFL Nation columnist Kevin Seifert writes, receiver is generally not a good spot to spend big money on free agents.

I'm sure if the Rams get their way, the only free-agent receivers they'll be signing next year will be their own. Kenny Britt and Austin Pettis are scheduled to hit the market as well. Bringing them back would mean they produced in 2014.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Wednesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... In the Ram-blings, we began the day with a look at Eric Karabell's early summer fantasy forecast for the Rams. ... In this week's Buzz video, I discussed where the roster stands as we head toward the summer months. ... From there, we investigated just how serious the competition at running back figures to be for the Rams in training camp. ... We closed the day with a look at the pending competition for kick return duties.

Elsewhere:

Our Josh Weinfuss reports that the Arizona Cardinals plan to put former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner in their ring of honor.

Elsewhere in the NFC West, columnist Jeffri Chadiha writes that the Seahawks don't owe anything to running back Marshawn Lynch.

Also from Seifert, a look at teams dealing with dead money, a list the Rams do not make.

At stltoday.com, Jim Thomas discusses the addition of Gregg Williams to the defense.

Joe Lyons examines the life of a camp leg, punter Bobby Cowan.