Rams News Recap: Mar. 15

[RamBill]

Scout’s Tales: What the Rams Saw in DE Eugene Sims
In Scout’s Tales, we’ll visit with members of Les Snead’s personnel department and they’ll share stories of how the process brought certain current Rams to St. Louis.

Mike Mayock Breaks Down Rams QB Nick Foles –Videos

The Rams Were Smart To Bring Back Kenny Britt –TST
It’s been confirmed the St. Louis Rams will be bringing back their leading receiver from 2014.

Fairley Embraces New Start With Rams –Simmons
It’s well known how strong the Rams have been when it comes to their defensive front over the last few years.

Now, About Fixing that Rams Offensive Line –Wagoner
The St. Louis Rams made a big splash in the opening minutes of free agency by making their bold quarterback trade and landing draft picks and cap space in the process.

Fox 2: Rams Making Moves –Video

How High Will Kevin White go in NFL Draft? –Video

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: NFL's best pass rush?
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17087/morning-ram-blings-nfls-best-pass-rush

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Soon after it became clear that former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley was going to sign with the St. Louis Rams, many immediately pointed to the fact they now have a defensive line boasting five former first-round draft picks.

A group that already included ends Robert Quinn, Chris Long, William Hayes and Eugene Sims and defensive tackles Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers was adding another potentially -- key word potential -- force on the interior. And it set off a discussion of which team now boasts the NFL's best pass rush.

Included in that discussion was this piece Insider from Pro Football Focus in which they gave the Rams' signing Fairley and 'A-minus.'

At the end of the evaluation of Fairley's addition, PFF's Nathan Jahnke added this line:

"Throw in Robert Quinn rushing from the edge, and the Rams might have the best pass rush in the NFL."

Whether the Rams do or do not have the league's best pass rush is in the eye of the beholder. Early in the 2014 season, a lot of people expected that group to dominate and sacks were hard to come by for various reasons, including some that were a product of the unit's failure to stop the run consistently. It's also a group that has at times dominated some lines while not showing up other weeks; so consistency can also be an issue.

But if Fairley can reach his potential, and the Rams can get continued growth from some of the younger pieces on the line plus a bounce back season from Long, there's no doubt the group that was near the top of the league in sacks over the final 10 or so games of the season can be the force that many project.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of the weekend's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... A busy Friday started with Fairley signing with the Rams. ... If Fairley is ever to reach his massive potential, St. Louis offers a great chance to do so. ... The Rams might not be done shuffling their quarterbacks even if they say otherwise, which is all part of the game at this time of the year. ... The Rams also brought back receiver Kenny Britt on Friday night on a two-year deal. ... Britt staying in St. Louis was pretty much a no-brainer. ... We hit on a number of topics in this week's Twitter mailbag. ... Finally, a look at how the Rams must now turn their attention to the offensive line.

Elsewhere:

Meant to get to this last week but Grantland's Bill Barnwell offers his thoughts on the Rams-Eagles trade.

Barnwell also offered his 10 worst free-agent moves, though no Rams made the list.

A staple in this space right now: Our free agency wire with updates from all over the league.

At 101sports.com, Rams quarterback Nick Foles discussed his arrival in St. Louis with "The Turn."

At stltoday.com, Bernie Miklasz writes that Akeem Ayers and Fairley are good fits for the Rams.

Jim Thomas charts the path that led the Rams to making the trade with Philadelphia.