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No obvious solution for Rams' quarterback quandary
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...bvious-solution-for-rams-quarterback-quandary
INDIANAPOLIS -- In a perfect world, the Los Angeles Rams will be able to find a short- and long-term quarterback solution in one tidy package this offseason, thus putting them in position to contend right away and well into the future.
Alas, things in the NFL are rarely perfect, particularly when it comes to identifying and developing a franchise signal-caller.
"I think that’s an ideal world," Rams general manager Les Snead said Thursday at the NFL combine. "The NFL is probably less ideal and more realistic. There are some good QBs in this draft, and more than one or two are probably going to be successful. And a lot of them are going to find roles in this league, whether they’re starting or backups, and backups that go in to win some games. Let’s take the draft guys, and college football players. You’re going to see a lot of movement because of the offenses they’re playing and the style of play they play. There’s going to probably have to be a level of patience. You go to the realistic scenario and you find a guy who can bridge you and win games while maybe a young player is developing. That’s a realistic scenario, but yes, it’s nice to live in the ideal world sometimes. But it doesn’t happen."
So goes the Rams' conundrum as they draw close to the start of the 2016 league year. Coming off a 7-9 season in which they finished at the bottom of the league in every major passing category, the Rams remain in quarterback purgatory. They hoped they had an answer last offseason when they traded Sam Bradford for Nick Foles. It didn't work as Foles was benched in favor of Case Keenum.
The Rams enter this offseason with Keenum as the presumptive starter. Behind Keenum, the Rams have Foles and Sean Mannion, last year's third-round pick. It's the same group that started and finished the 2015 season. But it seems unlikely it will be the same group that begins 2016.
"When the season was over, I made the statement that Case is our starter," coach Jeff Fisher said. "Nick and Sean are going to have a chance to come in and compete. So that’s where we are. With respect to the quarterback position, there’s probably a good chance there’s going to be another one at camp, if not two. I can’t say whether that comes through the draft, through free agency or through trade."
Under Fisher, the Rams haven't been bad enough to have a draft pick that could land a franchise quarterback. That's the case again as they hold the No. 15 overall pick in this year's draft. Although it's not out of the question to find one picking there, the middle of the first round is traditionally a dead zone for quarterbacks.
Since 2000, only eight quarterbacks have been drafted between picks 11 and 20 of the first round. Only two of those -- EJ Manuel in 2013 and Christian Ponder in 2011 -- have been taken in that range in the past six drafts. That's because the value of quarterbacks is such that even players who might not be considered top prospects are often pushed into the top 10. Those that aren't good enough to go that high generally slide to the bottom part of the first round or early in the second.
In the draft, the Rams could theoretically roll the dice on a quarterback such as Memphis' Paxton Lynch, who probably won't be able to help them in his first year, or could get help at, say, receiver, to make life easier for whoever does play quarterback.
"I think there’s definitely merit there," Snead said. "Yes, obviously we all know QB is very important. But hey, the people up front are important, the protection they give is important. The people catching the balls are important. The people calling the plays and developing them are important. It’s definitely a team sport. It’s not just on the QB, and I think to get better offensively, if we’ve been where we’ve been in terms of scoring points, every single position -- and that doesn’t mean we are going to change the person playing it -- but that person needs to get better at what he does as well."
If the Rams don't use their first-round choice on a quarterback, the free-agent or trade markets could be avenues to explore again. As it stands, names such as Bradford, Brock Osweiler, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Robert Griffin III and Chase Daniel could be available. It's a good bet (though not guaranteed) that Cousins, Fitzpatrick, Osweiler and Bradford will stay where they are.
Which leaves the Rams with little in the way of options, because even if they bring in a veteran, there's no guarantee that player would be an upgrade over Keenum, who will be in his fifth NFL season at age 28.
"I think with that, let’s say if the goal was to upgrade at QB, you probably should take if they are a veteran or whether they’re a draftee out of it and try to get who you think is going to be the long-term solution, and that can come in a lot of different shapes and sizes," Snead said. "I don’t think you should start with 'Let’s get a veteran and not a draftee,' because I think you should start with [the best guy]."
More than anything, the Rams would like to find some stability. Since 2012, the team has had more than one starter in every season. Perhaps they can strike gold and land the quarterback to put them over the top in 2016 and take them to greater heights in the future.
But in the harsh reality that is NFL quarterback procurement, status quo seems more likely.
"Looking at Case’s body of work, I thought Case finished strong," Fisher said. "Case has won some games. He’s an overtime blocked kick in San Francisco and an incomplete pass away from maybe winning all five [starts]. So Case is excited about the opportunity to come in and hang on to that job, but there’s going to be competition."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...bvious-solution-for-rams-quarterback-quandary
INDIANAPOLIS -- In a perfect world, the Los Angeles Rams will be able to find a short- and long-term quarterback solution in one tidy package this offseason, thus putting them in position to contend right away and well into the future.
Alas, things in the NFL are rarely perfect, particularly when it comes to identifying and developing a franchise signal-caller.
"I think that’s an ideal world," Rams general manager Les Snead said Thursday at the NFL combine. "The NFL is probably less ideal and more realistic. There are some good QBs in this draft, and more than one or two are probably going to be successful. And a lot of them are going to find roles in this league, whether they’re starting or backups, and backups that go in to win some games. Let’s take the draft guys, and college football players. You’re going to see a lot of movement because of the offenses they’re playing and the style of play they play. There’s going to probably have to be a level of patience. You go to the realistic scenario and you find a guy who can bridge you and win games while maybe a young player is developing. That’s a realistic scenario, but yes, it’s nice to live in the ideal world sometimes. But it doesn’t happen."
So goes the Rams' conundrum as they draw close to the start of the 2016 league year. Coming off a 7-9 season in which they finished at the bottom of the league in every major passing category, the Rams remain in quarterback purgatory. They hoped they had an answer last offseason when they traded Sam Bradford for Nick Foles. It didn't work as Foles was benched in favor of Case Keenum.
The Rams enter this offseason with Keenum as the presumptive starter. Behind Keenum, the Rams have Foles and Sean Mannion, last year's third-round pick. It's the same group that started and finished the 2015 season. But it seems unlikely it will be the same group that begins 2016.
"When the season was over, I made the statement that Case is our starter," coach Jeff Fisher said. "Nick and Sean are going to have a chance to come in and compete. So that’s where we are. With respect to the quarterback position, there’s probably a good chance there’s going to be another one at camp, if not two. I can’t say whether that comes through the draft, through free agency or through trade."
Under Fisher, the Rams haven't been bad enough to have a draft pick that could land a franchise quarterback. That's the case again as they hold the No. 15 overall pick in this year's draft. Although it's not out of the question to find one picking there, the middle of the first round is traditionally a dead zone for quarterbacks.
Since 2000, only eight quarterbacks have been drafted between picks 11 and 20 of the first round. Only two of those -- EJ Manuel in 2013 and Christian Ponder in 2011 -- have been taken in that range in the past six drafts. That's because the value of quarterbacks is such that even players who might not be considered top prospects are often pushed into the top 10. Those that aren't good enough to go that high generally slide to the bottom part of the first round or early in the second.
In the draft, the Rams could theoretically roll the dice on a quarterback such as Memphis' Paxton Lynch, who probably won't be able to help them in his first year, or could get help at, say, receiver, to make life easier for whoever does play quarterback.
"I think there’s definitely merit there," Snead said. "Yes, obviously we all know QB is very important. But hey, the people up front are important, the protection they give is important. The people catching the balls are important. The people calling the plays and developing them are important. It’s definitely a team sport. It’s not just on the QB, and I think to get better offensively, if we’ve been where we’ve been in terms of scoring points, every single position -- and that doesn’t mean we are going to change the person playing it -- but that person needs to get better at what he does as well."
If the Rams don't use their first-round choice on a quarterback, the free-agent or trade markets could be avenues to explore again. As it stands, names such as Bradford, Brock Osweiler, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Robert Griffin III and Chase Daniel could be available. It's a good bet (though not guaranteed) that Cousins, Fitzpatrick, Osweiler and Bradford will stay where they are.
Which leaves the Rams with little in the way of options, because even if they bring in a veteran, there's no guarantee that player would be an upgrade over Keenum, who will be in his fifth NFL season at age 28.
"I think with that, let’s say if the goal was to upgrade at QB, you probably should take if they are a veteran or whether they’re a draftee out of it and try to get who you think is going to be the long-term solution, and that can come in a lot of different shapes and sizes," Snead said. "I don’t think you should start with 'Let’s get a veteran and not a draftee,' because I think you should start with [the best guy]."
More than anything, the Rams would like to find some stability. Since 2012, the team has had more than one starter in every season. Perhaps they can strike gold and land the quarterback to put them over the top in 2016 and take them to greater heights in the future.
But in the harsh reality that is NFL quarterback procurement, status quo seems more likely.
"Looking at Case’s body of work, I thought Case finished strong," Fisher said. "Case has won some games. He’s an overtime blocked kick in San Francisco and an incomplete pass away from maybe winning all five [starts]. So Case is excited about the opportunity to come in and hang on to that job, but there’s going to be competition."
