We have to draft Winston

[jrry32]

Sorry, but drafting a knucklehead like JW is one of the worst ideas I've heard for improving this franchise. How about the best outside linebacker we can get instead?

An outside linebacker? Give me the knucklehead.

 

[moklerman]

I don't get the drooling over those videos. In the first two, Winston had no pressure and threw behind his receivers who made really good catches. It's not like he fit it into impossible windows either, IMO the receivers just found soft spots against zone coverage. The one where he bails out early and throws down the sideline was an accurate pass but the receiver was matched up against a LB and had a good 2-3 yards of separation.

I just haven't seen anything amazing about this guy to where I'd draft him #1 overall or in the first round.

 

[Dodgersrf]

An outside linebacker? Give me the knucklehead.

Politely disagree.
Your both incorrect.
We need 2 or 3 dominant o linemen before any QB becomes relevant.
I'd take an average qb with a great o line any day and 10 times on Sunday

 

[jrry32]

I don't get the drooling over those videos. In the first two, Winston had no pressure and threw behind his receivers who made really good catches. It's not like he fit it into impossible windows either, IMO the receivers just found soft spots against zone coverage. The one where he bails out early and throws down the sideline was an accurate pass but the receiver was matched up against a LB and had a good 2-3 yards of separation.

I just haven't seen anything amazing about this guy to where I'd draft him #1 overall or in the first round.

Yea, he did. He threw behind them because there was a LB underneath in both instances. Only place to throw was behind them. Those aren't even remotely close to the best plays he's made in terms of flash. But they're substance plays. Throwing the ball between levels and defenders in the only area where you can put it to get it to the WR.

 

[jrry32]

Politely disagree.
Your both incorrect.
We need 2 or 3 dominant o linemen before any QB becomes relevant.
I'd take an average qb with a great o line any day and 10 times on Sunday

Nah. We need a LG and a Center(maybe). Plus, a good backup for behind Saffold.

 

[Boffo97]

Politely disagree.
Your both incorrect.
We need 2 or 3 dominant o linemen before any QB becomes relevant.
I'd take an average qb with a great o line any day and 10 times on Sunday

Agreed. Even a bad QB with a great line looks better than a great QB with a bad line. (Not that I'm saying the line as a whole is bad, though there are a couple of bad pieces right now.)

 

[Dodgersrf]

Nah. We need a LG and a Center(maybe). Plus, a good backup for behind Saffold.

I'm still crossing my fingers on Jones as well. Until we see it, we are in need of a center, guard and G/T for depth.

 

[V3]

Politely disagree.
Your both incorrect.
We need 2 or 3 dominant o linemen before any QB becomes relevant.
I'd take an average qb with a great o line any day and 10 times on Sunday

I'd take an elite QB over an elite O-line any day. Elite QB's make bad O-lines, WR's, TE's, and RB's look good. Elite O-lines can make other positions look better but not to the same extent(they can make RB's look elite, though), IMO.

The problem is, elite QB's are harder to come by. Both methods can work, though.

 

[RamFan503]

I'd take an elite QB over an elite O-line any day. Elite QB's make bad O-lines, WR's, TE's, and RB's look good. Elite O-lines can make other positions look better but not to the same extent(they can make RB's look elite, though), IMO.

The problem is, elite QB's are harder to come by. Both methods can work, though.

You mean like Manning last year and Brady against the Giants? Wouldn't a better O-line have changed those Superbowls?

 

[moklerman]

Yea, he did. He threw behind them because there was a LB underneath in both instances. Only place to throw was behind them. Those aren't even remotely close to the best plays he's made in terms of flash. But they're substance plays. Throwing the ball between levels and defenders in the only area where you can put it to get it to the WR.

I really don't see it that way. You seem to be dramatizing and/or romanticizing what he's doing. If anything, he was late with those throws forcing the receivers to have to stop and catch the ball awkwardly. The videos illustrate the ability of the WR's but not really anything substantive or remarkable about Winston. You see him fitting it into tight windows in between levels of the defense and I see passes that are late and inaccurate to wide open receivers against zone coverage.

I'm just never going to be enamored with a guy in college who plays too much schoolyard ball. Great athletes can run around and buy time and create big plays like that in college but I haven't seen from Winston what you're seeing in terms of his passing.

 

[Mackeyser]

See, here's the thing.

Some Rams fans feel strongly about Winston.

If I was to wager, I'd wager that Fisher still believes in Sam Bradford. Strongly. Very strongly.

Now, that doesn't obviate a high pick for a QB seeing as the lower pick didn't work out for Gilbert. That said, I'm pretty sure that they like the development of Davis.

I very much expect that the Rams will bolster the OL, LB and Secondary while looking for another QB in there.

Will they burn a first rounder on a QB? I am dubious based on how Fisher has behaved so far and the fact that he's been adamant that he came here in large part because of Sam Bradford.

So, if Hundley is there at 10 or wherever we draft, is there a chance we go after him? Sure there is. But I don't think there will be any doubt that Winston will be magnetic... attractive to some teams, repulsive to others. How that affects the top of the draft, I'm not exactly sure, but I still think enough teams will want him that he'll go at or around the top. And this Rams teams is likely toward the end of the season to win a few games and be drafting around that 10-13 slot... where moving up to Oakland's spot (where a team would have to go to get above Tampa who has a find in Derek Carr, though Oakland will consider him as well, I'm sure) will be prohibitive. Not expensive....prohibitive.

Mariotta will be right up there as well. Now, Hundley should also be up there, but depends how many teams can use QBs up there and what our final record is...

So, we may...may have a chance at Hundley, but again... I have no idea if the Snisher will be remotely interested in a 1st round QB when they can trade down, get a C/OG later in the round, and have multiple picks in the 2nd or 3rd rounds to bolster the LB corp and Secondary.

So, all of our personal takes on ANY player are just that. If we want to really look ahead, we can peak through the murky glass of past behaviors and what we see is that Fisher still believes in Sam Bradford. I won't pretend to know how they get there with the contract situation and all that, but come draft day, I think the Rams will NOT be looking to draft a QB in the 1st.

And it won't matter if that makes every Winston, Mariotta, Hundley, Cook or <insert QB here> fan upset.

Fisher has beaten Seattle and SF with Austin Davis and would have gone 5-2 with him if the D hadn't had really bad breakdowns...which I think we all underestimated the "install time" for a Williams D (and let's be honest, we all know a Perkins-Earhardt Offense is a 3 year install... West Coast? 2 years... so for a multiple look, exotic blitz, complicated assignment D like Williams runs... one off-season was never gonna cut it. The good news is that we've seen some spectacular moments that we've never seen from this D, so if this crew really gets this D, they have the potential to really BE that D we've been hoping for).

Bottom line for me is that I just want to see the season play out. Davis is really impressing me each week. He's improving. I'm watching him as a rookie and what I like is that he's tough. The shots he takes routinely take out bigger QBs and without that, we'd be starting a guy who was taking tickets in the parking lot by now... If we end up with a stud OG in the 1st, a QB and a LB in the 2nd and a DB in the 3rd... I'd be tickled with that. That would give us Bradford, Davis and a rookie QB to go forward with unless they get news that Bradford's knee isn't good to go. That, of course, would change things... But, short of that, that's how I expect it to go...

Well, either that or we take another stud DT... ya know... because, you can't have enough of those...

 

[mr.stlouis]

I agree, but for what price? Let's say pretend we're drafting at 17 because I know we're drafting at 32. (Pretend?)

RG3 2.0??? Is he worth that? Let's just give a third rounder for Eli and call it a day..

 

[Mackeyser]

If Eli wouldn't play for San Diego because they were too run happy in the Manning family opinion... you think he'll come play for Fisher? I can't see it.

That said, he's never been an accurate QB and without his OL really stepping up, he's been as much a part of the problem as the solution.

 

[Mackeyser]

Someone mentioned about Roethlisberger.

Pittsburgh offered Big Ben to the Rams straight up for a 3rd rounder the year we drafted Bradford. That was the year he had the Sexual Assault problems and the Rooney family outright tried to dump him. The asking price was a 3rd straight up.

Won't even go there, but for those who don't remember... the Rams obviously said no.

 

[V3]

You mean like Manning last year and Brady against the Giants? Wouldn't a better O-line have changed those Superbowls?

Well, the Giants had an amazing D-line and Brady would have won without that amazing helmet catch or if Welker makes that catch. Also, Manning won a SB with a mediocre O-line against Chicago. Last year, Seattle had an all around amazing defense. Their defense was one of the best in NFL history. Oh, and the Broncos' O-line was very good last year to go along with a great QB so that just shows that the whole team just got beat in that SB.

 

[RamFan503]

Well, the Giants had an amazing D-line and Brady would have won without that amazing helmet catch or if Welker makes that catch. Also, Manning won a SB with a mediocre O-line against Chicago. Last year, Seattle had an all around amazing defense. Their defense was one of the best in NFL history. Oh, and the Broncos' O-line was very good last year to go along with a great QB so that just shows that the whole team just got beat in that SB.

Yeah - I agree to an extent. I don't think you always need an elite QB. Personally, I don't think Brady is elite without the O-line he has enjoyed most of his career. And Eli without that running game and protection wouldn't have QB'd two SB winning teams either. Peyton on the other hand came up against a buzz saw of a defense truly hitting on all cylinders. Not sure anyone looks good in that situation - QB or O-line. But Eli IMO is a very good example of not needing an elite QB. And let's not even talk about Dilfer. No really. Please don't talk about him.

 

[DR RAM]

Yeah - I agree to an extent. I don't think you always need an elite QB. Personally, I don't think Brady is elite without the O-line he has enjoyed most of his career. And Eli without that running game and protection wouldn't have QB'd two SB winning teams either. Peyton on the other hand came up against a buzz saw of a defense truly hitting on all cylinders. Not sure anyone looks good in that situation - QB or O-line. But Eli IMO is a very good example of not needing an elite QB. And let's not even talk about Dilfer. No really. Please don't talk about him.

We don't need an elite QB, but we need a decisive, tough, smart, accurate one, who can make all the throws, and the team can get behind.

Regarding Winston, the kid scares me. I think he has all the tools, but he has no common sense. I know that his team loves him, and he's a strong leader of young men. I just don't know if he's a leader of a community.

 

[RamFan503]

We don't need an elite QB, but we need a decisive, tough, smart, accurate one, who can make all the throws, and the team can get behind.

I'd love one. Put me down for that.

 

[Athos]

Oh, and the Broncos' O-line was very good last year to go along with a great QB so that just shows that the whole team just got beat in that SB.

Except the Super Bowl, which didn't feature Ryan Clady.

 

[V3]

Yeah - I agree to an extent. I don't think you always need an elite QB. Personally, I don't think Brady is elite without the O-line he has enjoyed most of his career. And Eli without that running game and protection wouldn't have QB'd two SB winning teams either. Peyton on the other hand came up against a buzz saw of a defense truly hitting on all cylinders. Not sure anyone looks good in that situation - QB or O-line. But Eli IMO is a very good example of not needing an elite QB. And let's not even talk about Dilfer. No really. Please don't talk about him.

I agree you don't always need an elite QB. In my original post, I even said both ways work. I just think the elite QB's make more people look much better than they are. I wouldn't say NE's O-line is good this year yet Brady is still doing well with horrible WR's to boot- and yes, it makes me sick to say that.