Why the Rams Must Reverse Their Past

[Faceplant]

I wonder if they are counting players on IR when they calculate the roster age average. Can't imagine we went from top 10 youngest to 3rd oldest in 2 years, but if that is true, then yikes. I personally think Spags and Devaney need another year, but this had got to get turned around, and in a BIG way for them to survive....

 

[-X-]

I wonder if they are counting players on IR when they calculate the roster age average. Can't imagine we went from top 10 youngest to 3rd oldest in 2 years, but if that is true, then yikes. I personally think Spags and Devaney need another year, but this had got to get turned around, and in a BIG way for them to survive....

Probably. But it's not that disparaging (the age difference). I think the average age is like 27, and the average age on the Rams is 28. Considering Al Harris is 56, I'd like to think that factors in a little.

 

[RamFan503]

The Rams need to reverse their past? Hey... someone get on the phone to Billy and Spags. Drats! If they had only thought of that.

Just teasin' man.

 

[Ram Quixote]

On the roster front, according to Mike Sando of ESPN.com, the Rams have the third-oldest roster in the NFL, and have just 12 players that they drafted on their 53 man roster. This is a football administration that talked about drafting and developing players when they came in, but it hasn't happened. Even if we add in the drafted players on injured reserve, and there are eight of them, the 20 players drafted in the Rams employ put them in the bottom 10 of NFL franchises.

This is opposed to division leaders Pittsburgh and San Francisco having 33 players they drafted on their rosters, and Green Bay having 32. When Dick Vermeil coached the Rams, young players were developed. In 1999, London Fletcher was ready, in his second year, to take over for Eric Hill. Billy Jenkins Jr. was ready to step in at strong safety, Robert Holcombe at fullback and Roland Williams at tight end. When Vermeil left, Ryan Tucker had been groomed to replace Fred Miller at right tackle, and James Hodgins was ready to step in at fullback.

Why are there only 20 drafted players on the Rams (including IR)? Because the previous regime allowed rookie HCs to handle the Draft, and the result is zero players from 2006 & 07, and just 2 others from before that. That means Devaney had to be perfect over the last 3 years just to build depth, let alone finding bonafide starters. No one is perfect, and Devaney has had some misses, while the roster choices this season did deplete quite a bit of our youth.

I'm tired of the media pointing out the Rams deficiencies without realizing the cause, and the foul luck that has defined Devaney and Spags tenure.

Karraker brings up the Rams record for the last 5 years, and it's pathetic. But why pile it on the current GM and HC, in an article that barely reflects upon the incompetence that led to the need for such a rebuild?

 

[RamFan503]

Karraker brings up the Rams record for the last 5 years, and it's pathetic. But why pile it on the current GM and HC, in an article that barely reflects upon the incompetence that led to the need for such a rebuild?

Cuz it's easier and reporters are lazy. But then you knew that - didn't you.

 

[Anonymous]

Karraker brings up the Rams record for the last 5 years, and it's pathetic. But why pile it on the current GM and HC, in an article that barely reflects upon the incompetence that led to the need for such a rebuild?

Cuz it's easier and reporters are lazy. But then you knew that - didn't you.

Because fans are getting tired of the EXCUSES.

 

[Ramhusker]

What a "slap you in the face, wake the hell up, take your rose colored glasses the fug off , the truth hurts, we truly are stinking it up" kinda article. And I'm still gonna watch the game today and pull hard for the rams!

 

[-X-]

The Rams need to reverse their past? Hey... someone get on the phone to Billy and Spags. Drats! If they had only thought of that.

Just teasin' man.

Teasin'? Why? That's exactly what I thought. But my thoughts had the word "duh" in it.

 

[brokeu91]

What a "slap you in the face, wake the hell up, take your rose colored glasses the fug off , the truth hurts, we truly are stinking it up" kinda article. And I'm still gonna watch the game today and pull hard for the rams!

There was some truth in that article, but some misrepresentations as well. I'm not entirely sure this is all Billy's fault. He drafted players that found spots on other teams. When this happens, it's either a failure of our position coaches to teach them the position or our coordinators for not using them to their strengths. When I look at a team that's playing hard but losing I'm not entirely sure that's the head coaches fault. Some of this blame does need to go to the position coaches. In fact the only position coach on this team that I think should be safe is Croom, and we definitely need to find a QB coach. I put some of the blame for Sams regression on the lack of a QB coach.

Yes we have the third oldest roster, but most of the players that are filling the most important positions are young players. Most of the 30 year old players are "just a guy" type players. Now that doesn't exactly make me happy, because those "just a guy" players aren't really contributing and they could have been filled by younger players who may get experience and become useful players.

After this season is over, I think Spags and Devaney need to go through the roster and basically gut it of anyone 30 years or older (with only a few exceptions). We should then have young players backing up every position in order for this team to progress. In fact if I'm Spags and Devaney I would probably start this now and begin plucking players off other teams practice squads. At this point, what can it hurt?

 

[ramsince62]

Karraker brings up the Rams record for the last 5 years, and it's pathetic. But why pile it on the current GM and HC, in an article that barely reflects upon the incompetence that led to the need for such a rebuild?

Cuz it's easier and reporters are lazy. But then you knew that - didn't you.

Because fans are getting tired of the EXCUSES.

+1

 

[-X-]

Karraker brings up the Rams record for the last 5 years, and it's pathetic. But why pile it on the current GM and HC, in an article that barely reflects upon the incompetence that led to the need for such a rebuild?

Cuz it's easier and reporters are lazy. But then you knew that - didn't you.

Because fans are getting tired of the EXCUSES.

+1

Which is perfectly understandable. I don't like giving them, and I don't like hearing them. But they're there nonetheless. I mean, if there were no excuses, nobody would offer any. Right? Look at it like this.

"Why the hell do I have a flat tire?"
"You ran over a nail."
"That's just an excuse. I need new tires."
"Makes sense. Buy new tires then."
"WTF? New tires and I get ANOTHER flat?!?"
"You ran over another nail."
"Bullshit. I need a new car."
"Makes sense. Buy a new car then."
"WTF!?!!!!!!?!?!?! Come on!!!!!! THREE FLATS?"
"You know, you should probably try to avoid running over nails."
"How? How are you supposed to avoid nails?"
"Exactly. Maybe you just have really shitty luck while driving."
"Bullshit. I'm buying a different car. This time from Italy."
"Makes sense. Ferrari makes a nice tire."

 

[Stranger]

On the roster front, according to Mike Sando of ESPN.com, the Rams have the third-oldest roster in the NFL, and have just 12 players that they drafted on their 53 man roster. This is a football administration that talked about drafting and developing players when they came in, but it hasn't happened. Even if we add in the drafted players on injured reserve, and there are eight of them, the 20 players drafted in the Rams employ put them in the bottom 10 of NFL franchises.

This is opposed to division leaders Pittsburgh and San Francisco having 33 players they drafted on their rosters, and Green Bay having 32. When Dick Vermeil coached the Rams, young players were developed. In 1999, London Fletcher was ready, in his second year, to take over for Eric Hill. Billy Jenkins Jr. was ready to step in at strong safety, Robert Holcombe at fullback and Roland Williams at tight end. When Vermeil left, Ryan Tucker had been groomed to replace Fred Miller at right tackle, and James Hodgins was ready to step in at fullback.

With all due respect, why is James Butler on the Rams roster and Jermale Hines not being developed? Why is Ben Leber here but not dressing, and Jabara Williams in Chicago? Why was John Greco never given a chance, yet the Rams had to go out and sign Harvey Dahl, and renegotiate Jacob Bell's contract? Why is Stephen Spach on the roster and Fendi Onobun not being readied to step in? What required the signing and cutting of Mike Sims-Walker, and why weren't Mardy Gilyard and Donnie Avery nurtured more? Why C.J. Ah You and not George Selvie?

Roster development is what infuriates me the most. While I'm trying to remain open about Spags/Devaney future, I have not yet heard an argument that supports their roster choices.

 

[-X-]

and why weren't Mardy Gilyard and Donnie Avery nurtured more? Why C.J. Ah You and not George Selvie?

Roster development is what infuriates me the most. While I'm trying to remain open about Spags/Devaney future, I have not yet heard an argument that supports their roster choices.[/quote]
At least you're trying to keep an open mind about it. I don't like their decisions either, but at the same time, I'm not trying to claim to know more than Spagnuolo does about evaluating defensive talent. Seems to me that they were in win-now mode and tried to rely more on veterans than 7th round draft choices. I mean, objectively, you have a guy who was drafted in the 7th round and played for Stephen F Austin (doubled as a RB); and then you have a guy who has 9 years experience, almost 400 tackles and 24 sacks while going to the playoffs twice.

Should they have kept Jabara Williams and kept him safe on the roster behind Chamberlain? In hindsight, yes. Who knows what could have happened. London Fletcher went undrafted, so there's always going to be that little nugget in the back of people's minds when talking about 7th rounders. Exceptions are blurring the lines of "rule" lately. But for all the moaning Karraker does about Gilyard, Avery, Williams, Greco, etc. None of those guys are doing anything right now for anybody. The argument, I guess, is that we should have just kept carrying them along until they actually became good? Well, that's too convenient. It's based on the assumption that they would actually become good (or healthy). Sometimes guys don't pan out, and sometimes you just make a mistake drafting or signing them to begin with.

So, essentially, I don't know what to think about it. There isn't really a right or wrong here. There's just "didn't work out the way we planned", and that happens to every team in the league, with every FA period, and every draft. And the point RQ was making is that Karraker doesn't do more than give lip service to the fact that the entire 2006 and 2007 drafts (Pre-Devaney) yielded zero return for this regime. We should have at least 6 starters from those drafts (total). Good, solid starters. If we did, then we could bury someone like Jabara Williams on the depth chart.

 

[Anonymous]

Karraker brings up the Rams record for the last 5 years, and it's pathetic. But why pile it on the current GM and HC, in an article that barely reflects upon the incompetence that led to the need for such a rebuild?

Cuz it's easier and reporters are lazy. But then you knew that - didn't you.

Because fans are getting tired of the EXCUSES.

+1

Which is perfectly understandable. I don't like giving them, and I don't like hearing them. But they're there nonetheless. I mean, if there were no excuses, nobody would offer any. Right? Look at it like this.

"Why the hell do I have a flat tire?"
"You ran over a nail."
"That's just an excuse. I need new tires."
"Makes sense. Buy new tires then."
"WTF? New tires and I get ANOTHER flat?!?"
"You ran over another nail."
"BS. I need a new car."
"Makes sense. Buy a new car then."
"WTF!?!!!!!!?!?!?! Come on!!!!!! THREE FLATS?"
"You know, you should probably try to avoid running over nails."
"How? How are you supposed to avoid nails?"
"Exactly. Maybe you just have really shitty luck while driving."
"BS. I'm buying a different car. This time from Italy."
"Makes sense. Ferrari makes a nice tire."

Get a new driver. :razzed:

 

[Warner4Prez]

They went all in on this season and I can't really blame them. Looking at the results I suppose it's easy to find fault now, but seriously this division was theirs for the taking in week one. Another glut of injuries derailed that for sure.

Every team in this division looked to be taking a step backwards going into the season. Seattle lost their QB and had a pretty piss-poor draft, accompanied by more goofy personnel moves by Carrol, Arizona lost starters on the O-Line and brought in a new 'paper champ' QB and lost personnel on the defensive side and San Fran started with a new HC and stuck with their lame-duck QB for another year.

I didn't enjoy seeing guys like Leber, Harris or Poppinga brought in over guys like Williams, Hines or Foster. It was justifiable though when I saw deficiencies around the division and thought that veteran leadership would be a good thing for what looked like a definite playoff run.

Everything just crumbled though. Probably can't blame it on veteran players, might be able to put some of it on coaches/front office. It's mostly due to a shortened off season and camp. I blame that damn Sasquatch myself.