Five things we learned at Combine: Rams/Wagoner

[RamBill]

Five things we learned at Combine: Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16219/three-things-we-learned-at-combine-rams

INDIANAPOLIS -- General manager Les Snead met with the media Wednesday at the NFL combine. Here's what we learned about the St. Louis Rams:

1. In support of Bradford: As is often the case at Lucas Oil Stadium at this time of year, rumors begun churning about the Rams and quarterback Sam Bradford. One report indicated the Rams have given Bradford's agent Tom Condon permission to seek a trade. While that has to happen for those discussions to take place, things aren't always what they seem. In other words, the Rams aren't shopping Bradford. The bottom line is the Rams want to reduce Bradford's scheduled $16.58 million cap number and the easiest way for both parties to get a feel for Bradford's market is for his agent to have conversations with other teams.

Snead made it clear the team has no intention of getting rid of Bradford and conversations about how best to keep him have started.

"We've had dialogue with Sam and his people," Snead said. "Deleting him is not the answer."

2. Barksdale likely to test the market: Free agency is less than a month away, which means that if you aren't a player receiving the franchise tag, then you're probably going to see what the market bears when the new league year starts March 10. All signs point to Rams right tackle Joe Barksdale being one of those players, even though he's one potential free agent the Rams would like to keep.

"With Joe, that one, he was a starter, we've had some pretty serious dialogue with those guys," Snead said. "A lot of times players once they get through, they get close, it's good to test the market. And it's not the worst thing for the team, either, because now no one is guessing. Hey, here's the options. I think it makes the club, the player especially because he now knows reality versus make believe. And it helps the agent make the best decision."

3. Keeping the other quarterbacks: The Rams also have two quarterbacks who technically aren't under contract at the moment in Austin Davis and Shaun Hill. It seems unlikely both will be on the roster next season so long as all options are healthy, but Snead indicated it's possible both could return.

"Austin is really technically not under contract but it's not like he can go seek another job," Snead said. "He's the easy part of the equation. We are definitely chatting with Shaun's people. We have been chatting with them."

4. Long progressing, also under discussion: Like Bradford, offensive tackle Jake Long is coming off two ACL surgeries and carries a heavy price tag for 2015. His cap number is $10.5 million and the Rams could save $8 million by releasing him.

Snead said retaining Long wouldn't be a bad thing for the Rams but, like with Bradford, dialogue is open between the Rams and Long's representative, who happens to also be Condon.

"I do think as he rehabs if he can get back to Jake Long previous knee, he can help the team win," Snead said.

5. Where Barron fits: In a question that was a bit out of left field, Snead was asked where he sees safety Mark Barron fitting in moving forward. Snead said that's an ongoing process but the offseason should allow the team more time to figure out how best to deploy Barron.

Don't be surprised if the Rams use the "big nickel" they used near the end of the season as more of their base defense in 2015. The alignment puts Barron on the field as a de facto but versatile linebacker while also keeping safeties Rodney McLeod and T.J. McDonald on the field.

 

[TheDYVKX]

Long's agent is Condon too?

Maybe Condon is the one tearing their ACLs

 

[RamBill]

Les Snead offers more support for Sam Bradford
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16331/les-snead-offers-more-support-for-sam-bradford

INDIANAPOLIS -- St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher offered strong support for quarterback Sam Bradford last Friday as he introduced Frank Cignetti as the team's offensive coordinator. On Wednesday, general manager Les Snead did the same at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Amidst reports that the Rams gave Bradford permission to seek a trade, Snead was asked repeatedly where he sees Bradford in the team's future. And each time, his answer was clear.

"I did say deleting him is not our answer," Snead said. "I don't know that that (trading him) solves our riddle. ... He's a good player. If some team was interested I certainly don't blame them. But I'll stick to what I said earlier, deleting him is not the answer."

If indeed the Rams believe that to be true -- and everything they've said and done this offseason would indicate it is -- then reports of a trade have little to do with actually trying to trade Bradford and everything to do with helping to gauge what his price tag will be for 2015.

As it stands, Bradford is scheduled to count $16.58 million against the cap. The Rams have made it clear that's a number they would like to reduce. And though in-person discussions with agent Tom Condon might not happen this week, the line of communication between the two sides is open.

"We’ve had dialogue with Sam and his people so you might need to talk to his people about that," Snead said.

So, what then, does either side have to gain by allowing Condon to see Bradford's value in potential trades? Well, the Rams wouldn't say no if a team came and blew them away with an offer but the more likely outcome is that Condon's side can use the time to figure out what a realistic price for Bradford would be if he were to hit the open market.

Once that's established, the two sides could then use that number to come to a fair agreement to keep Bradford in St. Louis. In short, there's still some work to be done in terms of bringing Bradford back at an agreeable price but the fact remains that barring a major upset, he'll remain in St. Louis with plenty of other options behind him.

"So let's don't delete him," Snead said. "I don't think that's the answer. I think the answer is providing insurance in case we do go through more bad luck. Let's rehab (Bradford). Let's see if he can reach his potential. But let's do insure the position."

 

[RamBill]

Snead says he's not ready to 'delete' Sam Bradford
By Howard Balzer

http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/st...-he-s-not-ready-to-delete-sam-bradford-021815

INDIANAPOLIS -- Rams general manager Les Snead was nearly through his 15-minute session with the media Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine when he was asked about a report from cbssports.com that the team had given quarterback Sam Bradford permission to seek a trade.

Never mind that another team trading for a player coming off his second torn ACL as a pro and entering the final season of a contract that pays him just under $13 million makes little sense. It was left to Snead to react sarcastically to the NFL's never-ending, 24/7 reporting cycle by saying, "That's breaking news is what that is. You know what I mean?"

Earlier in comments about Bradford, Snead had said: "Let's don't delete him; that's not the answer. I think the answer is providing insurance in case you go through more bad luck."

Then, after his "breaking news" comment, Snead reiterated: "I did say deleting him is not the answer. I don't know if that solves our riddle. He's a good quarterback. If some team was interested, I don't blame them, but I'll stick to what I said earlier: Deleting him is not the answer."

The quarterback conundrum is the most pressing issue the Rams' hierarchy faces this offseason. Bradford is the only quarterback under contract on the St. Louis roster. Shaun Hill is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, while Austin Davis will be restricted. But it's entirely possible both will be back with the Rams this fall -- as backups to Bradford.

Snead said the dialogue has begun regarding a contract restructuring that would lower Bradford's salary. He also said talks are ongoing with Hill and that the club is close to deciding the tender Davis will receive. The lowest tender would be about $1.6 million, which would net the Rams no compensation if Davis were to receive an offer from another team -- an offer the Rams assuredly would elect not to match because he entered the league as an undrafted free agent.

A tender of about $2.4 million would result in a second-round pick as compensation. "We haven't totally decided yet, but we have a good feel for it," Snead said.

The Bradford situation could be sensitive depending on how much of a cut the Rams want him to take and what the level of performance bonuses would be to earn some, if not all, of the money back. It's certainly plausible that agent Tom Condon has been given the go-ahead to gauge the level of interest around the league.

Still, it's noteworthy that the source of the report, Jason La Canfora, interviewed Snead on a cbssports.com podcast just minutes before the report was tweeted, and that Snead told La Canfora the team wants Bradford back.

That's clearly what the Rams want, but Bradford has a certain amount of leverage because the reality is that the pool of veteran quarterbacks and rookies might not provide the team with an upgrade over Hill and Davis.

"Deleting them is not the answer, either," Snead said. "The pool of (available) quarterbacks is usually the slimmest of any of the pools of players, and that definitely comes into play. But let's get Sam healthy and when he's healthy let's let him go compete because he has the chance to be a heck of a starting quarterback."

Perhaps Snead's most eye-opening comment was that keeping Hill and Davis wouldn't rule out other options.

"Let those guys evolve and you bring in some more," he said. "Let's have a starting pitching lineup of QBs. There's some reasoning behind it. You may keep more quarterbacks on your roster so if you draft one, you go with one you need to develop and have the time to develop him."

Yet, Snead acknowledged again that more might not mean better. "Quarterbacks are hard to find," he said. "You have to turn over every stone. There are a lot of avenues where you can add options. There are a lot of stones to turn over, but people don't want to give you good quarterbacks."

When it was noted that there don't appear to be many stones out there, Snead laughed. "Oh, there's stones out there," he said, "but when you turn them over, there's nothing under them."

 

[RamBill]

Five things we learned at combine: Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16221/five-things-we-learned-at-combine-rams

INDIANAPOLIS -- Observed and heard at the NFL combine on Thursday:

1. Weinke headed to St. Louis: The St. Louis Rams are hiring former NFL quarterback Chris Weinke as their quarterbacks coach. Weinke will replace Frank Cignetti, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator last week.

Weinke is an intriguing addition for the Rams. While he hasn't been an NFL quarterbacks coach before, he brings extensive experience working with NFL quarterbacks from his time at IMG Academy. He's worked with top signal-callers such as Russell Wilson and Cam Newton and has earned respect from many corners of the football world for his record.

This is a good, calculated hire by Rams coach Jeff Fisher. Weinke is an outside the box, creative hire who should inject some new life into the quarterbacks room and the offense. It's needed on both counts as the Rams attempt to get the offense rolling in 2015.

2. Hundley has plenty to prove: UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley has been widely regarded as the third-best quarterback prospect in this year's class behind Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston. But that's a description he doesn't take too kindly to.

Hundley told assembled media Thursday his goal is to be the No. 1 overall pick and believes the quarterback class as a whole is underrated. Winston and Mariota are probably out of the Rams' range (barring a trade up), leaving them to sort through the other prospects. Scouts have told me that Hundley is going to be a major work in progress but Weinke might be the type of coach who can get the most out of him.

After his time on the dais, Hundley told me that he has a formal 15-minute interview set up with the Rams this week. That doesn't guarantee anything in terms of his draft status but it does show there's at least some level of interest on the Rams' end.

3. Snead praises Kroenke: Not that you'd expect anything different but when Rams general manager Les Snead was asked about owner Stan Kroenke not engaging his fans, Snead offered praise for his boss.


"I give him unbelievable thumbs up," Snead said. "[He's] competitive. ...The guy wants to win. Even in St. Louis, you're a lower revenue team. Never once has there been a problem with not being able to stay in and compete. And hey, the guy knows sports. He's got a lot of sports teams. There's a rational patience to him, where you can tell him your process, and he'll let you evolve and see if it works."

4. Chargers aren't worried about relocation: There has been plenty of discussion about relocation to Los Angeles and the San Diego Chargers this week. Obviously, it's a situation that everyone in St. Louis is also monitoring closely because of similar conversations involving the Rams.

Despite the growing tension between the Chargers and San Diego, general manager Tom Telesco said the football side isn't allowing it to seep into their work.

"I don't think so," Telesco said. "I know what our job is. Our job is to put the best football team on the field that we can and stay focused with that. I let the politicians and lawyers work on everything else. We'll work on the football. I don't see it as a distraction at all as of right now. So we're just focused on doing our job."

5. Neither are the Raiders: Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio is new to his team but before accepting the job, he asked Raiders owner Mark Davis about Oakland's version of relocation rumors.

"I asked point blank what Mark Davis, what his thoughts were on the potential of relocation and he indicated to me that it was his desire to keep the team in Oakland and that they're working hard to do that," Del Rio said. "That's his commitment to look at it that way. I'm from the area. I can coach anywhere but I'm from there and it would be great to keep it right there. Hopefully we can get that done."

In the meantime, like the Chargers, Del Rio will keep his focus on the football.

 

[RamBill]

Combine Recap: Day 2
By Myles Simmons

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Combine-Recap-Day-2/3535a1f6-1e39-4fee-b4e8-96f4fe8e243b


INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The second day of media availability at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine has come to a close, with quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers taking to the various podiums. Here are some of the biggest takeaways form Day 2.


1) Mr. Popular

As you might expect on a day where quarterbacks speak, there were a lot of media members waiting for the chance to speak to Oregon QB Marcus Mariota. You can see from the picture just how many people and cameras surrounded the young signal-caller when he spoke this afternoon.


Also as you’d probably expect, Mariota was calm, cool, and collected at the podium, answering questions with ease. Many of the questions focused on his ability to adjust from Oregon’s quick-hitting, no-huddle offense to an NFL system. Though he said he’s confident in his abilities, he did say that huddling would be an adjustment for him.


“It’s new -- I haven’t done it since high school, so it’s been a while,” Mariota said.

“I think for any rookie quarterback it’s going to be an adjustment, stepping up, playing at this new level,” Mariota added. “For me, I’m going to continue to absorb as much as I can, learn from all the people that I can, and do my best in any situation I get into.”

One way he’s been working on that was with his private quarterback instructor, Kevin O’Connell. The coach has been hired by the Browns to fill their open QBs coach position.

“While working with Kevin O’Connell, he’s given me a play sheet and at night he tells me to just read the play-calls out loud,” Mariota said. “That’s something little, but the way this process goes, it’s going to help me in terms of just speaking in the huddle and articulating the plays.”

Florida State’s Jameis Winston will likely be just as popular when he speaks tomorrow. He did not have his media session on Thursday because his standard medical testing went long, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.

2) More quarterback chat

As Rams general manager Les Snead put it yesterday, when it comes to the quarterbacks in the 2015 draft, “If we’re going to, let’s call it, put two on the pedestal and tell everybody else that they’re not worthy, I think human nature is going to say that one of the guys are going to prove us all wrong.”


Bryce Petty, Brett Hundley, and Sean Mannion are three such young men, each of whom spoke at the podium on Thursday.

For his part, Hundley said that despite the perception of his skills, he wants to be ahead of them all.

“My goal is to be No. 1,” he said.

That’s No. 1 overall, which he clarified at a reporter’s request. Still, Hundley said that it’s not the only thing he’s focused on than just trying to elevate his status to the perceived top echelon of incoming QBs.

“There are a lot of things that I am going for right now,” Hundley said. “That, and plenty of other things that I’m working hard to get done.”

One hurdle spread offense quarterbacks have to clear is just getting used to making the calls in an NFL offense. That’s goes especially for Petty, who said he had not called a play until the Senior Bowl in January. At Baylor, all the plays were signal-based from the sideline.

“It’s was great for me in experiencing exactly what it was,” Petty said. “Before that I had no idea what to expect even as far as what a play call was. So that was as great experience for me to get into it, really see what a day-in, day-out practice was like, because that’s what we’ve got to do.”

“It’s a learning curve a little bit, going from what we were doing at Baylor to where we are now, but it’s all part of the process,” he added.

As for Mannion, while he played more of a pro style in college, the quarterback didn’t concede that it would make him the most prepared to be a Day-1 starter for an NFL team.


“That’s not for me to really decide,” he said. “I feel great in a pro style system. It’s something I’ve run my whole life, and I really feel comfortable in that. I feel really confident in my ability to execute that very well. But I’m not in a position to say what that means for the other guys.”


3) Quick hits

…In a great Day 2 tidbit, Iowa offensive tackle Brandon Scherff said that he was a 290-pound quarterback in high school with a 190-pound center.

“That probably should be flip-flopped,” Scherff joked, saying the team would quarterback sneak on 2nd-and-5 because no one could tackle him

“Why not?” he said.

Scherff is quite the athlete, as he played football, baseball, tennis, and threw discus and shot put, in the course of his high school career. He’s also a tough guy, playing in a game a week after tearing his meniscus during the 2014 season.

We’ll have more on him as combine week continues.

…There hasn’t been a running back drafted in the first round for a few years, but that’s not deterring Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon from thinking the 2015 class could break the streak.

“There are a lot of running backs here, including myself, who are trying to reverse that trend,” Gordon said. “I think we have the talent to go in the first round this year.”

Gordon rushed for 2,587 yards in 2014, second only to Barry Sanders’ FBS record 2,628 yards set in 1988.

…La’el Collins spoke yesterday, but this one is worth sharing regardless. Coming out of LSU, he overlapped a bit with current Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers.

“When I was young, I went up against Michael Brockers a lot in practice,” Collins said. “I think it was a pretty good matchup. He definitely prepared me for the future. … He taught me a few things, but the young pup was there, too.”

St. Louis selected Brockers with the 14th overall pick in the 2012 draft.

 

[RamBill]

Five things we learned at combine: Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16223/five-things-we-learned-at-combine-rams-2

INDIANAPOLIS -- Coach Jeff Fisher met with the media Friday at the NFL combine. Here's what we learned about the St. Louis Rams:

1. Bradford is staying. Seriously: As if it weren't already clear from Fisher's comments last week and the words of general manager Les Snead on Wednesday, Fisher again reiterated that Sam Bradford is going to be his quarterback in 2015. Much like with the hiring of Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator, Fisher turned to Bradford for his opinion on hiring Chris Weinke as the quarterbacks coach. Bradford and Weinke dined together last week and Bradford's positive review helped pave the way for his hire.

Fisher called reports that Bradford was free to seek a trade "inaccurate." It's hard to imagine that Fisher would continue asking for Bradford's input on the hiring of staff members if he wasn't going to be in place in 2015.

2. Options for Jake Long: Offensive tackle Jake Long is also coming back from a second consecutive ACL surgery and also in line for a potential pay cut. In Long's case, a reduction from his $10.5-million salary cap number is all but a certainty but it's also not out of the question that he, too, could be brought back.

The Rams have already committed to Greg Robinson as the left tackle moving forward, which means Long would have to change positions. Those are discussions the Rams are already having. It's possible that could involve guard, but keep an eye on right tackle. If Joe Barksdale departs in free agency, Long might represent a cheaper, veteran option.

"I don't know what it looks like," Fisher said. "If he comes back and he's 100 percent, then he'll have a chance to be a part and contribute to what we're doing. There are possibilities that we've discussed."

3. Why Weinke fits: Fisher officially acknowledged Weinke's hiring Friday and appeared to be pretty excited about it. He said he spoke to three candidates: Weinke, Jeff Garcia and Steve Walsh. See a pattern there? All three were former NFL quarterbacks, something Fisher valued in whoever was going to take over the job.

In the end, Fisher said he wanted to have a quarterbacks coach who had played the game but also had some experience developing quarterbacks. Weinke had the most experience in his time at IMG Academy, where he worked with players such as Russell Wilson and Cam Newton.

"His experience at IMG was a huge factor, what he's done over the last four or five years," Fisher said. "Not only preparing guys for the draft but also a lot of guys have gone back. The veterans have gone back down to work with him. There's going to be a time whether it's two or three months from now where we're going to have a young quarterback. ... It's a good fit."

4. Plan B for Bradford?: As Fisher alluded to, the Rams plan to add at the quarterback position, probably in the form of a drafted rookie but the specific plan for the options that come in behind him has yet to reveal itself. Fisher made it clear that is a fluid situation.

"We don't know what that looks like right now, but I'll let you know," Fisher said. "That could be a veteran, it could be a draft choice, it could be a combination, it could be Austin [Davis], it could be Shaun [Hill]."

Also worth filing away, Weinke has worked with a pair of free-agent veteran quarterbacks in Josh Freeman and Christian Ponder. And the Rams have made it clear they're going to add at the position.

5. Robinson's surgery: Fisher revealed that Robinson had toe surgery earlier in the offseason but doesn't expect it to be much of an issue moving forward.

"He had some offseason surgery, so he's in the building every day," Fisher said. "And he comes to the building every day not worrying about going on the practice field and making a mistake. He comes in the building every day learning how to be a pro.

"He's had to take a deep breath, rehab and learn. I think you'll see significant improvement."

 

[SierraRam]

I learned that as the GM of the KC Chiefs in
Mojo's Monster-Mock Draft, I got the best
receiver in the draft at #10 in Kevin White!
................ You're welcome.....................