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Matt Williamson
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/ ... ed-improve
Although I question the manner in which Washington has spent its money in free agency, I commend the Redskins and consider them an offseason winner-to-date for one simple reason: They landed the No. 2 pick and the chance to draft Robert Griffin III.
That is a tremendous accomplishment -- no matter the price. Because that was such a splashy move by the Redskins, few are talking about St. Louis. With the first big wave of free agency more or less over, the Rams have been huge winners this offseason and haven't gotten the media recognition for how well they are now set up.
Unlike the Redskins, the Rams had their franchise quarterback in place in Sam Bradford. But Bradford's supporting cast is among the very worst in the league. It isn't going to happen overnight, but I expect that times are about to get much brighter for St. Louis.
The trade with Washington is the first thing that absolutely must be addressed in this capacity. This was the perfect year to own the second overall pick in the draft. In exchange for said pick, St. Louis moved to the sixth overall selection and picked up a bevy of early picks that new coach Jeff Fisher can use to build the Rams in his image. This trade was a win-win for St. Louis and Washington.
Before we get to free agency, let's discuss where the Rams sit for the draft. Again, they need just about everything outside of quarterback, middle linebacker and defensive end. Picking sixth overall is a great spot for a team with so many needs. Andrew Luck and Griffin will be the first two selections. Matt Kalil -- who would look fantastic protecting Bradford's blindside -- should certainly go third to Minnesota. Assuming those three are gone, St. Louis will have their choice of CB Morris Claiborne, WR Justin Blackmon and RB Trent Richardson.
[wrapimg=right]http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/1201/nfl_g_bradford_bl_300.jpg[/wrapimg]I love any of these three for the Rams and here is why. Claiborne would be match up perfectly opposite the recently signed Cortland Finnegan, and new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams demands an awful lot from his cover man, as he blitzes as much as any other defensive playcaller in football. I don't see Blackmon as a Calvin Johnson or A.J. Green type of wide receiver coming out of college, but I do foresee him as a true No. 1 wideout at this level -- an excellent value at No. 6. A No. 1 wide receiver is exactly what Bradford needs.
As for Richardson, Fisher has to absolutely love this guy. Steven Jackson still has some good football left and, generally speaking, I am not fond of using such a high draft choice on a running back, but with a plethora of other high picks over the next few years, the Rams can afford to make such a selection. And with Jackson already in place, Richardson could split carries, which might extend Jackson's career while also reducing some of Richardson's wear and tear.
The Rams can't lose at No. 6. St. Louis is also in great position to add more quality talent with two early second-round picks. And they can be very aggressive, whether it is this draft or the next, to trade picks to move up for a player they fall in love with. The Rams have a ton of great cards in their hand.
Free agency also has gone very well for St. Louis. Finnegan was a tremendous signing. Again, Williams puts a lot of stress on his corners. Finnegan proved he is still a very able cover man -- either in man coverage or zone -- with an excellent 2011 season with Tennessee. Finnegan also can align all over the defensive formation and is a very good run defender and blitzer. Of course, Fisher and Finnegan are also extremely familiar with each other. His brash-but-physical play can rub some people wrong, but that is exactly the style of play Fisher wants from his team.
Scott Wells is a massive upgrade at center over Jason Brown, who was a major disappointment. Wells immediately becomes the leader of this young and beleaguered offensive line. He is among the top half-dozen or so players at his position right now in the league. Although I thought former Fisher player Jason Jones was a better fit, Kendall Langford is a very good all-around player who will certainly bolster St. Louis' defensive front. I see Langford as more of a 3-4 defensive end than a 4-3 player, but with the Rams, I expect him to take more of a penetrating role aligned on the outside shoulder of a guard, while also playing end in short-yardage situations and contributing inside on throwing downs as a pass-rusher.
More should happen for the Rams with signings. Some starting-caliber young targets whom St. Louis should aggressively pursue and are in a great position to fit under their salary cap include Brodrick Bunkley, Erin Henderson and Demetrius Bell at offensive tackle. A few lesser-priced targets should include Anthony Collins, Philip Wheeler, Joel Dreessen, Derek Landri, Amobi Okoye and William Gay. All these names should be very enticing to a rebuilding Rams squad.
One thing that can't be overlooked -- but often is -- during free agency is getting rid of dead weight and overvalued players. The Rams did just that be releasing Brown, Fred Robbins, Ron Bartell, James Hall and Justin Bannan. Several of these players might have some quality football left in them, but as a whole, the money St. Louis saved by releasing them should pay off handsomely, and what are the chances this group of aged veterans will still be contributors if/when the Rams eventually become contenders?
St. Louis' offseason is all about the future. The Rams are not going to win the Super Bowl this coming season, but they might before long if they play the great cards they have in their hand correctly. The best is yet to come. I would love to be the top personnel decision-maker in St. Louis' organization right now.
Without going into as much detail, I also want to mention a few other winners thus far:
• San Francisco: The reason San Francisco is mentioned here is that it has done a simply outstanding job of bringing the league's best defense back for 2012 more or less intact. That, within itself, makes the 49ers very tough to beat on any given Sunday.
The 49ers are set up very well for the draft. They can really can attack two spots on offense, wide receiver and the right side of their offensive line, early in the draft. Their wide receiver need was certainly lessened with the signing of Randy Moss and especially Mario Manningham to complement Michael Crabtree. But this is a deep wideout draft and San Francisco might be able to find quality at that position through the first three rounds.
• The league's best franchises: What I mean by this is that with all the huge contracts being thrown around the NFL, I look at some of the stalwart teams in the league -- namely Green Bay, Baltimore, New England, Pittsburgh and the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
Salary-cap issues have prevented several of these squads from spending a lot of money, but these franchises build through the draft and don't overspend on other teams' castaways. They keep their own. Sometimes not striking a deal is the right move and from how it sits right now, these teams are not going to have any free-agent regrets from overspending.
Even the Patriots, a team that has money to spend and has been recently active, have made calculated high reward/low risk decisions -- and that includes the addition of Brandon Lloyd, considering what they paid. More moves will be coming, but they will not be hasty or reactionary decisions. And by the way, these teams are not going away in 2012 and should remain very difficult to beat on the field. They do it right.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/ ... ed-improve
Although I question the manner in which Washington has spent its money in free agency, I commend the Redskins and consider them an offseason winner-to-date for one simple reason: They landed the No. 2 pick and the chance to draft Robert Griffin III.
That is a tremendous accomplishment -- no matter the price. Because that was such a splashy move by the Redskins, few are talking about St. Louis. With the first big wave of free agency more or less over, the Rams have been huge winners this offseason and haven't gotten the media recognition for how well they are now set up.
Unlike the Redskins, the Rams had their franchise quarterback in place in Sam Bradford. But Bradford's supporting cast is among the very worst in the league. It isn't going to happen overnight, but I expect that times are about to get much brighter for St. Louis.
The trade with Washington is the first thing that absolutely must be addressed in this capacity. This was the perfect year to own the second overall pick in the draft. In exchange for said pick, St. Louis moved to the sixth overall selection and picked up a bevy of early picks that new coach Jeff Fisher can use to build the Rams in his image. This trade was a win-win for St. Louis and Washington.
Before we get to free agency, let's discuss where the Rams sit for the draft. Again, they need just about everything outside of quarterback, middle linebacker and defensive end. Picking sixth overall is a great spot for a team with so many needs. Andrew Luck and Griffin will be the first two selections. Matt Kalil -- who would look fantastic protecting Bradford's blindside -- should certainly go third to Minnesota. Assuming those three are gone, St. Louis will have their choice of CB Morris Claiborne, WR Justin Blackmon and RB Trent Richardson.
[wrapimg=right]http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/1201/nfl_g_bradford_bl_300.jpg[/wrapimg]I love any of these three for the Rams and here is why. Claiborne would be match up perfectly opposite the recently signed Cortland Finnegan, and new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams demands an awful lot from his cover man, as he blitzes as much as any other defensive playcaller in football. I don't see Blackmon as a Calvin Johnson or A.J. Green type of wide receiver coming out of college, but I do foresee him as a true No. 1 wideout at this level -- an excellent value at No. 6. A No. 1 wide receiver is exactly what Bradford needs.
As for Richardson, Fisher has to absolutely love this guy. Steven Jackson still has some good football left and, generally speaking, I am not fond of using such a high draft choice on a running back, but with a plethora of other high picks over the next few years, the Rams can afford to make such a selection. And with Jackson already in place, Richardson could split carries, which might extend Jackson's career while also reducing some of Richardson's wear and tear.
The Rams can't lose at No. 6. St. Louis is also in great position to add more quality talent with two early second-round picks. And they can be very aggressive, whether it is this draft or the next, to trade picks to move up for a player they fall in love with. The Rams have a ton of great cards in their hand.
Free agency also has gone very well for St. Louis. Finnegan was a tremendous signing. Again, Williams puts a lot of stress on his corners. Finnegan proved he is still a very able cover man -- either in man coverage or zone -- with an excellent 2011 season with Tennessee. Finnegan also can align all over the defensive formation and is a very good run defender and blitzer. Of course, Fisher and Finnegan are also extremely familiar with each other. His brash-but-physical play can rub some people wrong, but that is exactly the style of play Fisher wants from his team.
Scott Wells is a massive upgrade at center over Jason Brown, who was a major disappointment. Wells immediately becomes the leader of this young and beleaguered offensive line. He is among the top half-dozen or so players at his position right now in the league. Although I thought former Fisher player Jason Jones was a better fit, Kendall Langford is a very good all-around player who will certainly bolster St. Louis' defensive front. I see Langford as more of a 3-4 defensive end than a 4-3 player, but with the Rams, I expect him to take more of a penetrating role aligned on the outside shoulder of a guard, while also playing end in short-yardage situations and contributing inside on throwing downs as a pass-rusher.
More should happen for the Rams with signings. Some starting-caliber young targets whom St. Louis should aggressively pursue and are in a great position to fit under their salary cap include Brodrick Bunkley, Erin Henderson and Demetrius Bell at offensive tackle. A few lesser-priced targets should include Anthony Collins, Philip Wheeler, Joel Dreessen, Derek Landri, Amobi Okoye and William Gay. All these names should be very enticing to a rebuilding Rams squad.
One thing that can't be overlooked -- but often is -- during free agency is getting rid of dead weight and overvalued players. The Rams did just that be releasing Brown, Fred Robbins, Ron Bartell, James Hall and Justin Bannan. Several of these players might have some quality football left in them, but as a whole, the money St. Louis saved by releasing them should pay off handsomely, and what are the chances this group of aged veterans will still be contributors if/when the Rams eventually become contenders?
St. Louis' offseason is all about the future. The Rams are not going to win the Super Bowl this coming season, but they might before long if they play the great cards they have in their hand correctly. The best is yet to come. I would love to be the top personnel decision-maker in St. Louis' organization right now.
Without going into as much detail, I also want to mention a few other winners thus far:
• San Francisco: The reason San Francisco is mentioned here is that it has done a simply outstanding job of bringing the league's best defense back for 2012 more or less intact. That, within itself, makes the 49ers very tough to beat on any given Sunday.
The 49ers are set up very well for the draft. They can really can attack two spots on offense, wide receiver and the right side of their offensive line, early in the draft. Their wide receiver need was certainly lessened with the signing of Randy Moss and especially Mario Manningham to complement Michael Crabtree. But this is a deep wideout draft and San Francisco might be able to find quality at that position through the first three rounds.
• The league's best franchises: What I mean by this is that with all the huge contracts being thrown around the NFL, I look at some of the stalwart teams in the league -- namely Green Bay, Baltimore, New England, Pittsburgh and the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
Salary-cap issues have prevented several of these squads from spending a lot of money, but these franchises build through the draft and don't overspend on other teams' castaways. They keep their own. Sometimes not striking a deal is the right move and from how it sits right now, these teams are not going to have any free-agent regrets from overspending.
Even the Patriots, a team that has money to spend and has been recently active, have made calculated high reward/low risk decisions -- and that includes the addition of Brandon Lloyd, considering what they paid. More moves will be coming, but they will not be hasty or reactionary decisions. And by the way, these teams are not going away in 2012 and should remain very difficult to beat on the field. They do it right.