One has to ask the question.... Westbrooks?

[dieterbrock]

I'm not sure how one could come to that conclusion. The Rams invited Ferguson high schools to training camp and gave them preseason tickets. The Buccaneers signed a paralyzed kid to their team. There are numerous examples of teams, including the Seahawks, that have kept players on their roster or injured reserve despite the player having a career ending injury so the player would receive his pension and benefits.

There are plenty of token gestures. And I'm not even calling this one an empty token gesture since Sam can play and the Rams likely rated him as draftable. I'm only saying that it's very possible that they opted to draft Sam over Westbrooks as a gesture and because of what it meant rather than because he was the better player.



Again, I'd say they chose Rhaney because they felt he addressed a greater need and wanted to secure that need before UDFA.

You may want to look up definition of "Token gesture" because the examples of Ferguson HS and paralyzed player signing for benefits are hardly "token", they are both gestures made from genuine concern, not looking to do the minimum or meet some sort of "requirement"
To insinuate that the Rams treatment of Ferguson was a token act is pretty low, again I'm thinking its due to lack of understanding of the term


I'll move along here.....

 

[jrry32]

You may want to look up definition of "Token gesture" because the examples of Ferguson HS and paralyzed player signing for benefits are hardly "token", they are both gestures made from genuine concern, not looking to do the minimum or meet some sort of "requirement"
To insinuate that the Rams treatment of Ferguson was a token act is pretty low, again I'm thinking its due to lack of understanding of the term


I'll move along here.....

Rather than argue semantics (and over the magnitude of the gesture), I'll remove token. The Rams picking Michael Sam was a gesture to the cause as much as it was for talent reasons. I think they take Westbrooks over him had Sam not been gay or not have been openly gay. That all said, Sam might have gone sooner if that were also true.

I don't think it was a pick for pure talent reasons. The Rams wanted to make a statement.

 

[Akrasian]

Rather than argue semantics (and over the magnitude of the gesture), I'll remove token. The Rams picking Michael Sam was a gesture to the cause as much as it was for talent reasons. I think they take Westbrooks over him had Sam not been gay or not have been openly gay. That all said, Sam might have gone sooner if that were also true.

I don't think it was a pick for pure talent reasons. The Rams wanted to make a statement.

While I do think that Fisher liked the gesture - I also think that Fisher believed Sam had dropped from where he would normally have been valued as a highly productive tweener - 5th round or so - because of an off field issue that Fisher didn't think would affect football play. So in some sense he was a bargain where he was taken.

Westbrooks fell out of the draft because as talented as he sometimes looked, he did have multiple red flags that might affect his play on the field - the low level competition, the inconsistent motor, and the literally large number of penalty flags. Westbrooks likely has the higher top end if everything worked out to the best, while Sam is more likely to be solid for years, given his work ethic and history against top level competition.

 

[jrry32]

I gotta be honest, I've loved his valuations thus far. They haven't picked my guy every time. But, then again, I am not right nearly 100% of the time so that's fine. They've almost always picked guys that I liked and guys that I felt were picked in the proper area. Brian Quick is one of the few that isn't true of but I didn't have much opportunity to evaluate him due to him being from a small school and they may end up being right about him. We should see this year.

That all said, I can't complain about the guys they've picked in the first 3 rounds over the last 3 years. All have seemed like appropriate picks where they were picked except maybe Quick...and again, I didn't have the info on Quick to make that sort of call.

 

[Alan]

flv with his drafting strategy:
Shouldn't we be taking some risks later on? Is this also saying you don't take BPA early on?

It has been suggested Sam was selected for non-football reasons. I wouldn't rule that out either.

When you start out with the knowledge that it's a crap shoot no matter how good you are at talent evaluation, how can anyone say that someone's draft strategy isn't valid? Your draft strategy seems to be one that is based on sound reasoning and so I like it. Doesn't mean I'd use it though. There are many paths that will lead you to success. Let me just make some comments on the things you said that I quoted.

Taking risks later on? To me, that's an oxymoron. As the chances of success are so small in the lower rounds, where is the risk with any strategy? For me, taking a risk would be using a high pick on a player with red flags or drafting a player from a small school with a high pick. That's a risk because high round picks have a much bigger chance of being successful and so if you fail on one of them you've lost a starter / impact player. You have very little chance of success no matter what strategy you use in the 7th round.

How can you counter low percentages? If you draft a LT who has only a 10% chance of even making the team you're not likely to be successful. What happens to your chances of drafting a LT who can make your team if you draft 2 of them in the 7th round? An unlikely scenario but it's just an example to illustrate my point. We had that opportunity in this draft. If I was as enthralled with Westbrooks as RFIP seems to think the Rams were, I would have drafted him and Westbrooks in the 7th so as to greatly improve my chances that one of them would turn out well.

I'm not buying that. I was very surprised that he lasted as long as he did. When you look at the other players drafted in the later rounds and compare them to Sam, wouldn't you agree that he should have gone before them? That's not just hindsight thinking either considering he was the SEC Co-defensive player of the year. Why would anyone draft Rhaney?

 

[RamzFanz]

Why would anyone click on inappropriate? How is this not a fair and acceptable question?

My answer would be simple, if no one had drafted him, the Rams still would have pursued him as a UDFA. He's an award winning player that any team would look at for potential.

Was he overdrafted? LOL.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I firmly believe they drafted Sam as a favor to the league for sure, and maybe to silent Stan as well.

The confusing thing to me is why with so many late picks, that they did NOT draft Westbrooks.

They landed Westbrooks after all, right? Drafting is a chess match. In this case, late in the draft, calculating who will be drafted and who won't.

The Rams guessed right.

It might have come down to character. MSam passed the test. Westbrooks needs to prove his.

 

[Alan]

CGI_Ram adding something pertinent:
It might have come down to character. MSam passed the test. Westbrooks needs to prove his.

Good point CGI.

 

[OldRock]

The Rams didn't let this become a circus, they kept it football. Let's show the same class.

 

[RFIP]

They landed Westbrooks after all, right? Drafting is a chess match. In this case, late in the draft, calculating who will be drafted and who won't.

The Rams guessed right.

It might have come down to character. MSam passed the test. Westbrooks needs to prove his.

Umm they were two picks from the end, neither were getting drafted so there goes that theory.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Umm they were two picks from the end, neither were getting drafted so there goes that theory.

Not exactly.

They had a plan to land him in UDFA, perhaps. And it worked.

 

[12intheBox]

I think if the Rams had known that Westbrooks would play like he had, they would have taken him in the 3rd round.

At the time of the draft, you just don't know. You never do until you get them all on the field competing against each other. And even then, sometimes it takes a while for everyone to figure out who they are and what they can do.

Having said that - I do think Fisher wanted Sam to get drafted as opposed to picking him up as an UDFA - I think he recognized that there is some significance in the difference - and he was right.

 

[bskrilla]

Umm they were two picks from the end, neither were getting drafted so there goes that theory.

I'm still not sure what point you're trying to make with this whole thing. Even if the reason the Rams took him was so that the first openly gay player would get drafted then what's the problem? That's a perfectly good reason to take him. And again the dude was not some scrub. He was Co-SEC DPotY. I still don't see why the FO would even have to defend their reasoning behind that pick.

 

[LosAngelesRams]

The Rams didn't let this become a circus, they kept it football. Let's show the same class.

Hey hey hey... that's taking it a little too far there mister.

 

[OldRock]

Hey hey hey... that's taking it a little too far there mister.

My mistake! I'm in trouble again. I know. alm:

 

[LosAngelesRams]

My mistake! I'm in trouble again. I know. alm:

Sir, take a seat please. *psssh radio* we got a 415, repeat offender, Disturbing the peace.

 

[PhxRam]

Umm they were two picks from the end, neither were getting drafted so there goes that theory.

I am genuinely curious what made you come up with this question. Did this thought come to you in the middle of a X-Files marathon?

 

[Dick84]

To the OP... you asked a question and most of the responses seem to contradict your stated opinion on why the Rams drafted Sam and signed UDFA Westbrooks.

Have you read anything that made you think twice about your perspective?

 

[PhxRam]

To the OP... you asked a question and most of the responses seem to contradict your stated opinion on why the Rams drafted Sam and signed UDFA Westbrooks.

Have you read anything that made you think twice about your perspective?

Sometimes I wonder if he has a ulterior motive to some of the questions he asks.