Worst Rams Draft ever

[Flipper_336]

I'd have traded down in 09. If that hadn't been a possibility, I'd have taken Crabtree, too. I'd prefer a reach to a bust any day of the week.

 

[leoram]

The new director of player personnel that year? Tony Softli. And we're supposed to listen to his reporting? Bwahahaha

 

[fearsomefour]

My last mock
Those drafts are brutal. Taking a TE with average athleticism with the 46th overall pick? Sweet Mother of God.
There is no explanation for that.

 

[Boffo97]

I'd have traded down in 09. If that hadn't been a possibility, I'd have taken Crabtree, too. I'd prefer a reach to a bust any day of the week.

Was that your pick then?

Most of the people who criticized the Smith pick wanted Curry. He busted off the team that picked him faster than Smith did.

 

[DR RAM]

We had a combination of bad, scouting, drafting, bad F.O., and bad coaching, which is what Demoff, Snead, and Fisher inherited. It was the trifecta of incompetence, which led to exponential failure on every front of the organization...and almost led to total global nuclear devastation.

 

[Boffo97]

We had a combination of bad, scouting, drafting, bad F.O., and bad coaching, which is what Demoff, Snead, and Fisher inherited. It was the trifecta of incompetence, which led to exponential failure on every front of the organization...and almost led to total global nuclear devastation.

I'd personally say that's what Devaney/Snead inherited.

2009: They inherited not much besides Jackson and a battered Bulger. The draft class was horrible. 1 win.

2010: They had a +6 game improvement, which not many "bad" coaches/GMs have on their resume.

2011: They declined 5 games because massive injuries happened, particularly on the OL and CB.

I know some disagree, particularly with the 2011 analysis, and it's a battle that's been long since played out with no one changing their minds. But I just don't think anyone would have fired them after 2010, and 2011 had so many injuries that the best coach and GM in the world wouldn't have been able to do much better.

 

[Flipper_336]

Was that your pick then?

My pick was a trade down with a team desperate for Curry and then take either Oher or Andre Smith. Shows how much I know.

 

[Boffo97]

My pick was a trade down with a team desperate for Curry and then take either Oher or Andre Smith. Shows how much I know.

Of course, it's a lot easier to expect trade downs now that the top picks don't get insane contracts. I think that's what really stuck Devaney in a no win scenario that year.

 

[Flipper_336]

Of course, it's a lot easier to expect trade downs now that the top picks don't get insane contracts. I think that's what really stuck Devaney in a no win scenario that year.

Definitely. With the possible exception of Curry, there wasn't anyone after Stafford for whom teams would have been willing to break the bank. Still, it's all in the past now.

 

[Boffo97]

Definitely. With the possible exception of Curry, there wasn't anyone after Stafford for whom teams would have been willing to break the bank. Still, it's all in the past now.

Agreed.

But man, was rookie salary slotting WAY overdue. Glad it's here now. It makes the draft a ton more exciting to boot.

 

[DR RAM]

I'd personally say that's what Devaney/Snead inherited.

2009: They inherited not much besides Jackson and a battered Bulger. The draft class was horrible. 1 win.

2010: They had a +6 game improvement, which not many "bad" coaches/GMs have on their resume.

2011: They declined 5 games because massive injuries happened, particularly on the OL and CB.

I know some disagree, particularly with the 2011 analysis, and it's a battle that's been long since played out with no one changing their minds. But I just don't think anyone would have fired them after 2010, and 2011 had so many injuries that the best coach and GM in the world wouldn't have been able to do much better.

I agree with almost everything that you said, but I don't think we had a high ceiling for improving, or a plan in place for sustainability, if you look at the turnover of players/coaches, and where they are now, or how they are performing now--small list, I just don't think we'd have improved, or sustained any consistent culture for winning football.

 

[DR RAM]

Of course, it's a lot easier to expect trade downs now that the top picks don't get insane contracts. I think that's what really stuck Devaney in a no win scenario that year.

It was not only not win territory, but my theory was that Devaney and Spagnuolo were not working together the last two years, which is another recipe for mega disaster. Spagnuolo's culture turned out to be more toxic than we thought., when we examine what has happened since he was here.

 

[-X-]

It was not only not win territory, but my theory was that Devaney and Spagnuolo were not working together the last two years, which is another recipe for mega disaster. Spagnuolo's culture turned out to be more toxic than we thought., when we examine what has happened since he was here.

Yeah, that's the consensus speculation. Devaney had one vision, Spagnuolo another.
Which caused their mission statement to appear contradictory.

 

[Angry Ram]

The new director of player personnel that year? Tony Softli. And we're supposed to listen to his reporting? Bwahahaha

Wow really? That dude always seemed awfully...smug to me.

 

[Boffo97]

It was not only not win territory, but my theory was that Devaney and Spagnuolo were not working together the last two years, which is another recipe for mega disaster. Spagnuolo's culture turned out to be more toxic than we thought., when we examine what has happened since he was here.

This I've actually never heard before.

The closest I've heard is Hewitt and Internet detractors saying Spags was a control freak... which I think all NFL coaches have to be to a certain degree.

 

[DR RAM]

This I've actually never heard before.

The closest I've heard is Hewitt and Internet detractors saying Spags was a control freak... which I think all NFL coaches have to be to a certain degree.

I remember Spags last year, and the last preseason game vividly, and Billy was in the booth raving about the UDFA's, and some of the draft picks, who had performed real well during OTA's and preseason, and there were a couple guys in particular that were playing well, and within the next couple of days Spags cut them.

I really don't want to hash all of this out again, but it was really strange to me. And I'm not saying that the cut players, or players we tried to stash on the PS turned out to be All Pro players, but the coach kept all of the old players, that, IMO at the time, were being outplayed by the youth, and had upside. He kept a lot of players that I would have cut. Now, this is just my opinion. The control thing became even more apparent after he left the Saints, and a lot of players spoke out against him. Some of our defensive vets spoke out against him too about how he wouldn't be open to any adjustments, or advice from them.

 

[Thordaddy]

I remember Spags last year, and the last preseason game vividly, and Billy was in the booth raving about the UDFA's, and some of the draft picks, who had performed real well during OTA's and preseason, and there were a couple guys in particular that were playing well, and within the next couple of days Spags cut them.

I really don't want to hash all of this out again, but it was really strange to me. And I'm not saying that the cut players, or players we tried to stash on the PS turned out to be All Pro players, but the coach kept all of the old players, that, IMO at the time, were being outplayed by the youth, and had upside. He kept a lot of players that I would have cut. Now, this is just my opinion. The control thing became even more apparent after he left the Saints, and a lot of players spoke out against him. Some of our defensive vets spoke out against him too about how he wouldn't be open to any adjustments, or advice from them.

I watched Spags on the sideline closely as his demeanor changed he became isolated looked like a whipped dog ,I had been of a mind to give him a pass on the year because of the injuries but was dissatisfied with how he handled the pressure of losing and seemed to be holding a pity party for himself. I really think he cracked and it continued into his fabulous year in Nawlins.

One of the things I hated about Fisher when he was at Tenn and love now ,he's cocky defiant lil bastidge who just never looks beaten, players feed off that .

 

[Boffo97]

I remember Spags last year, and the last preseason game vividly, and Billy was in the booth raving about the UDFA's, and some of the draft picks, who had performed real well during OTA's and preseason, and there were a couple guys in particular that were playing well, and within the next couple of days Spags cut them.

I really don't want to hash all of this out again, but it was really strange to me. And I'm not saying that the cut players, or players we tried to stash on the PS turned out to be All Pro players, but the coach kept all of the old players, that, IMO at the time, were being outplayed by the youth, and had upside. He kept a lot of players that I would have cut. Now, this is just my opinion. The control thing became even more apparent after he left the Saints, and a lot of players spoke out against him. Some of our defensive vets spoke out against him too about how he wouldn't be open to any adjustments, or advice from them.

I've generally backed Spags, but that last year he was with us, I was not in favor of ditching (or exposing by trying to sneak them onto the PS) players with upside to sign one year vets. I can see why he did it, since in the penultimate year of his contract, he thought we were close enough to go to "Win Now" mode, but it was still a mistake.

 

[DR RAM]

I've generally backed Spags, but that last year he was with us, I was not in favor of ditching (or exposing by trying to sneak them onto the PS) players with upside to sign one year vets. I can see why he did it, since in the penultimate year of his contract, he thought we were close enough to go to "Win Now" mode, but it was still a mistake.

I generally felt the same way, but I kept noticing a lot of red flags before and during his last couple of seasons. I liked the guy, and I wanted him to succeed, but, IMO, you can't coach for "you", you always have to coach for the organization. His "win now" mode hurt the team in the future, unfortunately.

 

[Boffo97]

I generally felt the same way, but I kept noticing a lot of red flags before and during his last couple of seasons. I liked the guy, and I wanted him to succeed, but, IMO, you can't coach for "you", you always have to coach for the organization. His "win now" mode hurt the team in the future, unfortunately.

I think all coaches though, to some extent, are cognizant of when their contract ends, and how they're not generally not going to be coaching in that last year without a renewal, so they'll try to win in that penultimate year.

In 2010, he was great. I'm not going to get mad over that final game because if it wasn't for the fact that the Rams were playing way beyond themselves to get to that point (and the rest of the division being crap), it wouldn't have been anything but just another game. You go down the path of getting mad about missing the playoffs despite the rest of the improvement, and eventually every season that doesn't result in a Super Bowl win is termed utter failure. Then you start thinking if you just keep hitting the reset button enough, you're going to get a "good" management team.

In 2011, some of the fault goes to the "win now" 1 year wonder veterans since I don't think any of them worked out. Most of the problem though was just a slew of injuries (including our 2nd year QB getting his brains smashed in behind a quickly makeshift OL, which I still wonder how much that hurt his development).

So I agree with you it hurt the team, but wasn't the main cause of what happened that year.