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Rams chat with Jim Thomas
2/3/15
To read the questions and comments on relocation and stadium issues click the link below.
http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/new-latest-on-kroenke-rams-and-nfl-in-stl.34352/page-57
To read the entire chat click the link below.
http://sports.live.stltoday.com/Event/Rams_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_76?Page=0
******************************************************
I brought this up before.. didn't make the "cut", so I will try again... We have good young cb's in my opinion, Janoris has trade value no matter how much we get mad at him .. How about a trade for picks? He will be overpaid soon if not. And How about Tru getting a shot at safety, he is the best ball hawk we have. Best Centerfielder.
Rams like Janoris Jenkins. I don't think they have any interest in trading him. And the Rams have never considered Johnson as a safety prospect.
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What's up with the conspiracy theories? Pete had to make Wilson the star right? Disney contract & all, most watched SB in history? Lynch may make millions of crotch grabbers & skittles eaters out of the nation? Can't say, " I only went to Disney World cause I'll get fined?"
I'm not a big believer in conspiracy theories. I just think Carroll and Bevell over-through this one. A classic case of getting to cute with a play call.
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Any chance the Rams release Sam Bradford and let the other teams set the market for him?
Nope.
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The last play of the SB was a complete dud, what were they think throwing into traffic, a fad route or rollout maybe, a stunner of a bad call
Couldn't agree more.
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Can you name the three most likely players you see getting cut and how much they would give us in cap room?
Why don't we call it three most likely to get cut OR have their salaries reduced and I'll give you Wells, J. Long, and Langford. I don't have the numbers in front of me, so in the interest of keeping the chat moving, I'll try to get that info for you in the near future.
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Hi Jim - with a lack of 1st round QB talent in this draft do you foresee the Rams trading for a QB other than Foles from Philly. Any other QBs on the radar that can compete with Bradford?
It's tough sledding in terms of trading for a QB. There's nothing to the Foles "reports" at this point.
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I went to JMU, Haley was 3 years behind me .. Loved Bettis, Rich Brooks awful offense and blaming Bettis for not running hard was a crime .. only good thing about getting rid of him was the Rams were jerks and it was better for him .. So rooted for Both, but HOW DO THEY GET IN AHEAD of KURT??? Seau check, Brown Check, Shields check. Pace wait check, No Kurt?? NO CHECK
The only thing I can tell you is that the committee felt it was time to clear the decks and get in several deserving players that had been waiting for several years to get in. I was more surprised that Pace didn't get in than Warner. But I must say, I have no problems with the 5 that did get elected. All very deserving. Pace and Warner will get in soon. I don't think either will have a long wait.
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Seeing how critical it is to have a stud quarterback, sometimes I wonder: How many potential studs never got a real chance in the NFL because of limited snaps to show their stuff. Or a pre-anointed QB. Do you think this is an issue?
I don't know what to tell you on this one. Maybe there's a few over the years that have slipped through the cracks. But with most teams bringing 4 QBs into training camp, there's a lot of guys that get looked at.
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With only one timeout, it seems like the Seahawks needed to pass on 2nd or 3rd down and chose 2nd to maybe surprise the Patriots. I didn;t have any problem with the play call, just the execution. Your thoughts?
There was 1:06 left to play after the miracle catch by Kearse to the 5 when the Seahawks used their second timeout. That's more than enough time to run three running plays _ if needed _ with a timeout. After Lynch's carry to the 1, they let 40 seconds run off the clock before the Wilson INT.
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jim, how far along are the rams with bradfords contract talks?
I don't think they're very far along at this point. Still a long way away from start of free agency/trade period March 10.
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Do you see the Rams signing any OL in free agency to take over for Wells, Joseph?
I'm sure that will be an approach taken into consideration, especially since the Rams should be in better cap shape this year than in recent offseasons.
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how well would you say Greg Robinson played this year ?
Maybe a C-plus, B-minus. But good enough that Fisher said a month ago that he's the teams starting left tackle for 2015 at this point.
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Is there a reason why other people interviewing for the O.C. suddenly pulls their name out of that job? Is it Fisher?
I think Hackett wasn't sure he'd get the OC job, and pulled out to take a sure thing.
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I heard that a football outlet says the rams are 10 players away from a superbowl what do u think
I don't know about 10. I'll say 6.
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Were you surprised that Warner and Pace did not get in this year? What's the chances of next year being a GSOT Hall of Fame year with Holt and Bruce included?
Yeah a little bit. Especially since the vibe I got was that Pace had a very good chance. As for Bruce and Holt, I think at least one could have a chance to get reach the Final 15.
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I know the Rams are looking to find a QB to compete with Sam Bradford. What do think is more likely that the Rams find that "competitor" in the draft or via free agency or trade? Given the QB's in the draft and the Rams draft position, I think they should trade or sign a free agent like Mallett or Mark Sanchez.
Do you really think Sanchez or Mallett moves the needle?
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People keep saying Fisher is going to go with an offensive coordinator that fits his style and there won't be any drastic changes to the offense no matter who they hire because that's what Fisher does. .... But if what Fisher does clearly isn't working, don't you think he'd want to try something new before he's looking for a new job? What's he got to lose? (By say going with a college OC that can bring some creativity to the offense?)
I don't think he's going to stray from his overall philosophy. He just wants to be able to do it better.
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How quickly till we some moves regarding the contracts of langford and jake long? I can't see either one being back at their current rates.. Is Iupati a possibility in free agency?
Hard to say on Langford and J. Long. Normally, these things take place before the start of free agency. Sometimes well before. But since I don't think the Rams will necessarily need to free up any money at the start of free agency/trading period March 10, they may not be in a hurry.
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Where do u think Nick Foles is at the beginning of the next nfl season?
Well first things first. The Eagles have to find a new starting QB before they can throw him overboard.
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What is the deal with Stacey? Have you heard anything about Snead looking to trade him this year? Seems we're heavy in RB position.
Stacy got beat out by Mason and Cunningham. Fisher does like to keep a lot of RBs on his roster, more than most teams. And I don't think Stacy would bring much in trade value. Saying all that, the Rams do like Trey Watts a lot.
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Seattle is expected to be a good team next year. How do you see the Cardinals and 49ers shaping up next season? Seems like everyone is expecting a drop off in San Francisco after losing Harbaugh. Do you see the NFC West as a stronger or weaker conference than it was this season?
I think it's only natural to expect a drop-off from the 49ers next season. They're much more of an aging roster than Seattle or St. Louis. Not sure about Arizona _ I've wrongly written them off before. Arians is one heckuva coach. But you do have to wonder how Carson Palmer will respond to another knee injury, especially at his age.
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Are Dominic Rhaney, Barrett Jones, Mike Person, etc. the future of our offensive line or will we be committed to using our first round pick on another "high ceiling" potential lineman.
While the Rams aren't giving up on the three you mentioned (and BTW, it's Demetrius Rhaney), the team is looking heavily in the draft at OL prospects. And I'm sure it's the same way when it comes to free agency.
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Thoughts on Orlando Pace not making the cut?
Surprised to a degree. But I'll be stunned if he doesn't get in next year. I'm told there was a pretty long discussion in the room on Pace _ something like 40 minutes.
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Could the Rams finally have a feature back in Tre Mason...for 16 games? Or will he quickly fade out like Stacy...and the Rams will have a new RB by week 5 that was inactive for a fourth of the season...??? (Thanks SJ39 for spoiling us...)
No, I think they're very happy with Mason.
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Just looking at resume's, Cig looks a lot better than Boras in the play calling aspect...What's Boras really done besides TE's in the pros?
He was OC under John Robinson at UNLV for two or three years.
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Do you anticipate the 49er's signing Iupati to a new contract. I would think he would be a highly sought after free agent.
Yeah, but he's getting up there and has had some injury issues lately.
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Jim, Actual football question. With Jake Long and Scott Wells probable cap casualties wouldn't it make sense for the Rams to at least attempt to re-sign Joe Barksdale? Almost all of the mock drafts that I have seen have the Rams taking another OT as if his departure is inevitable or he was inadequate on the field this year. I thought he performed well. Given the fact that we just drafted our third OT since 2005 wouldn't it make sense to keep Barksdale if at all possible and address other needs?
This wasn't Barksdale's best season, at least over the second half of the year. But the Rams are attempting to re-sign him.
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Are you saying that Wells, J. Long, and Langford are more likely to be cut or have their pay cut than Sam Bradford? You're suggesting they're not only going to keep Sam Bradford but they're going to pay him all 12+ million?
I didn't include Bradford in that answer because I don't think he's getting cut. Although a restructured contract (read; pay cut) is the preferred course of action, I think the Rams could keep him at $13 million if they had to.
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Hey Jim what's the chances on the Rams bringing in a marque center and drafting a guard in the 2 round and dropping down the first round too collect more picks
Is there a marquee center available in free agency? I believe the Oakland center is up, but I don't know if you'd consider him marquee.
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Any shot Rams would look at Chase Daniel as starting QB?
He's still under contract with KC so it'd have to be a trade. And we're talking about a small sample size with him. I think he's thrown only 75 regular season passes.
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Any progress on resigning Kenny Britt? What is your gut feeling on whether or not SB remains a Ram next year?
I've heard noting new since the Senior Bowl. I think Bradford's back in StL this year.
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Are you drafting Teddy Bridgewater ahead of Donald or anyone else in a draft redo?
Maybe Bridgewater. But Donald was very good, don't you agree?
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Personally I could not care less about the HOF, but making someone wait for whatever reason, IMO, is just plain stupid. You were either good enough or you were not. Time should not change that.
Yeah, but a maximum of only five modern-era players can get in each year. That's why some have to wait.
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Your opinion the Rams 2014 draft.
Well, at first blush it's a very good draft. Donald, Robinson, Mason, and Gaines all had good to very good rookie seasons. Jury still out on Lamarcus Joyner and Maurice Alexander. Rams didn't get the QB help they needed from 6th-rounder Garrett Gilbert (although Patriots seem to like him). Rams think 7th-rounder Demetrius Rhaney (on IR all year) has a chance.
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What kind of number do you think Barksdale will need to resign with the Rams? Put another way, what do you think his market value is? What do average or slightly better RT's earn?
Remember Gosder Cherilus got I believe $7 million a year in Indy. I don't think the Rams will be bidders if we're talking $6 million or $7 million range for Barksdale.
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Do NFL coaches help each other out? I would imagine New England contacting the Rams to gain insight on what they did to beat Seattle. Everyone could study tape, just seems that in the crunch time leading up to preparing for the superbowl it would be more efficient to use division opponents as a resource.
Coaches especially assistants, move around quite a bit. So I wouldn't be surprised if some of that stuff goes on. In fact, I would expect it.
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Good teams/coaches get new guys on the field quickly. Witness Matthews at Seattle and Butler at NE. Both in the BIG game. I don't think we do or can. Your view?
Butler hardly played all season. And the only reason he came in later in the game was that Arrington was getting torched. Matthews hadn't caught a pass all season and had played in only three regular season games before Super Bowl. Wouldn't call that being fast-tracked.
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I understand that both and receiver and DB have equal right to the ball but that a DB could not go through a receiver to intercept. Seemed to me that Butler knocked the Seattle receiver out of the way to get to the ball. Why no flag?
He can go through the receiver at the time the ball arrives. Butler's timing was perfect.
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I enjoyed watching Brady pick apart the Seattle defense. He was effective at getting the ball out quickly, bought time by stepping up in the pocket, and threw the ball with plenty of zip. I hope the Rams (especially Bradford) were watching.
No doubt. Brady was, however, aided by the fact that Jeremy Lane left early in the game. The Seahawks aren't as deep in the secondary as they were a year ago _ even with their frontline star power. Brady and the Pats receivers really picked on replacement Tharold Simon.
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Where would you roughly rank Fisher among HC's? Top 5? Top 10? Mid pack? Below average? At the end?
Based on what we've seen in StL I'd say somewhere in the 12 to 20 range.
2/3/15
To read the questions and comments on relocation and stadium issues click the link below.
http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/new-latest-on-kroenke-rams-and-nfl-in-stl.34352/page-57
To read the entire chat click the link below.
http://sports.live.stltoday.com/Event/Rams_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_76?Page=0
******************************************************
I brought this up before.. didn't make the "cut", so I will try again... We have good young cb's in my opinion, Janoris has trade value no matter how much we get mad at him .. How about a trade for picks? He will be overpaid soon if not. And How about Tru getting a shot at safety, he is the best ball hawk we have. Best Centerfielder.
Rams like Janoris Jenkins. I don't think they have any interest in trading him. And the Rams have never considered Johnson as a safety prospect.
-----------
What's up with the conspiracy theories? Pete had to make Wilson the star right? Disney contract & all, most watched SB in history? Lynch may make millions of crotch grabbers & skittles eaters out of the nation? Can't say, " I only went to Disney World cause I'll get fined?"
I'm not a big believer in conspiracy theories. I just think Carroll and Bevell over-through this one. A classic case of getting to cute with a play call.
-----------
Any chance the Rams release Sam Bradford and let the other teams set the market for him?
Nope.
------------
The last play of the SB was a complete dud, what were they think throwing into traffic, a fad route or rollout maybe, a stunner of a bad call
Couldn't agree more.
---------
Can you name the three most likely players you see getting cut and how much they would give us in cap room?
Why don't we call it three most likely to get cut OR have their salaries reduced and I'll give you Wells, J. Long, and Langford. I don't have the numbers in front of me, so in the interest of keeping the chat moving, I'll try to get that info for you in the near future.
-----------
Hi Jim - with a lack of 1st round QB talent in this draft do you foresee the Rams trading for a QB other than Foles from Philly. Any other QBs on the radar that can compete with Bradford?
It's tough sledding in terms of trading for a QB. There's nothing to the Foles "reports" at this point.
----------
I went to JMU, Haley was 3 years behind me .. Loved Bettis, Rich Brooks awful offense and blaming Bettis for not running hard was a crime .. only good thing about getting rid of him was the Rams were jerks and it was better for him .. So rooted for Both, but HOW DO THEY GET IN AHEAD of KURT??? Seau check, Brown Check, Shields check. Pace wait check, No Kurt?? NO CHECK
The only thing I can tell you is that the committee felt it was time to clear the decks and get in several deserving players that had been waiting for several years to get in. I was more surprised that Pace didn't get in than Warner. But I must say, I have no problems with the 5 that did get elected. All very deserving. Pace and Warner will get in soon. I don't think either will have a long wait.
----------
Seeing how critical it is to have a stud quarterback, sometimes I wonder: How many potential studs never got a real chance in the NFL because of limited snaps to show their stuff. Or a pre-anointed QB. Do you think this is an issue?
I don't know what to tell you on this one. Maybe there's a few over the years that have slipped through the cracks. But with most teams bringing 4 QBs into training camp, there's a lot of guys that get looked at.
---------
With only one timeout, it seems like the Seahawks needed to pass on 2nd or 3rd down and chose 2nd to maybe surprise the Patriots. I didn;t have any problem with the play call, just the execution. Your thoughts?
There was 1:06 left to play after the miracle catch by Kearse to the 5 when the Seahawks used their second timeout. That's more than enough time to run three running plays _ if needed _ with a timeout. After Lynch's carry to the 1, they let 40 seconds run off the clock before the Wilson INT.
-----------
jim, how far along are the rams with bradfords contract talks?
I don't think they're very far along at this point. Still a long way away from start of free agency/trade period March 10.
-----------
Do you see the Rams signing any OL in free agency to take over for Wells, Joseph?
I'm sure that will be an approach taken into consideration, especially since the Rams should be in better cap shape this year than in recent offseasons.
-----------
how well would you say Greg Robinson played this year ?
Maybe a C-plus, B-minus. But good enough that Fisher said a month ago that he's the teams starting left tackle for 2015 at this point.
----------
Is there a reason why other people interviewing for the O.C. suddenly pulls their name out of that job? Is it Fisher?
I think Hackett wasn't sure he'd get the OC job, and pulled out to take a sure thing.
-----------
I heard that a football outlet says the rams are 10 players away from a superbowl what do u think
I don't know about 10. I'll say 6.
----------
Were you surprised that Warner and Pace did not get in this year? What's the chances of next year being a GSOT Hall of Fame year with Holt and Bruce included?
Yeah a little bit. Especially since the vibe I got was that Pace had a very good chance. As for Bruce and Holt, I think at least one could have a chance to get reach the Final 15.
-----------
I know the Rams are looking to find a QB to compete with Sam Bradford. What do think is more likely that the Rams find that "competitor" in the draft or via free agency or trade? Given the QB's in the draft and the Rams draft position, I think they should trade or sign a free agent like Mallett or Mark Sanchez.
Do you really think Sanchez or Mallett moves the needle?
----------
People keep saying Fisher is going to go with an offensive coordinator that fits his style and there won't be any drastic changes to the offense no matter who they hire because that's what Fisher does. .... But if what Fisher does clearly isn't working, don't you think he'd want to try something new before he's looking for a new job? What's he got to lose? (By say going with a college OC that can bring some creativity to the offense?)
I don't think he's going to stray from his overall philosophy. He just wants to be able to do it better.
---------
How quickly till we some moves regarding the contracts of langford and jake long? I can't see either one being back at their current rates.. Is Iupati a possibility in free agency?
Hard to say on Langford and J. Long. Normally, these things take place before the start of free agency. Sometimes well before. But since I don't think the Rams will necessarily need to free up any money at the start of free agency/trading period March 10, they may not be in a hurry.
----------
Where do u think Nick Foles is at the beginning of the next nfl season?
Well first things first. The Eagles have to find a new starting QB before they can throw him overboard.
-----------
What is the deal with Stacey? Have you heard anything about Snead looking to trade him this year? Seems we're heavy in RB position.
Stacy got beat out by Mason and Cunningham. Fisher does like to keep a lot of RBs on his roster, more than most teams. And I don't think Stacy would bring much in trade value. Saying all that, the Rams do like Trey Watts a lot.
-----------
Seattle is expected to be a good team next year. How do you see the Cardinals and 49ers shaping up next season? Seems like everyone is expecting a drop off in San Francisco after losing Harbaugh. Do you see the NFC West as a stronger or weaker conference than it was this season?
I think it's only natural to expect a drop-off from the 49ers next season. They're much more of an aging roster than Seattle or St. Louis. Not sure about Arizona _ I've wrongly written them off before. Arians is one heckuva coach. But you do have to wonder how Carson Palmer will respond to another knee injury, especially at his age.
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Are Dominic Rhaney, Barrett Jones, Mike Person, etc. the future of our offensive line or will we be committed to using our first round pick on another "high ceiling" potential lineman.
While the Rams aren't giving up on the three you mentioned (and BTW, it's Demetrius Rhaney), the team is looking heavily in the draft at OL prospects. And I'm sure it's the same way when it comes to free agency.
-----------
Thoughts on Orlando Pace not making the cut?
Surprised to a degree. But I'll be stunned if he doesn't get in next year. I'm told there was a pretty long discussion in the room on Pace _ something like 40 minutes.
----------
Could the Rams finally have a feature back in Tre Mason...for 16 games? Or will he quickly fade out like Stacy...and the Rams will have a new RB by week 5 that was inactive for a fourth of the season...??? (Thanks SJ39 for spoiling us...)
No, I think they're very happy with Mason.
----------
Just looking at resume's, Cig looks a lot better than Boras in the play calling aspect...What's Boras really done besides TE's in the pros?
He was OC under John Robinson at UNLV for two or three years.
-----------
Do you anticipate the 49er's signing Iupati to a new contract. I would think he would be a highly sought after free agent.
Yeah, but he's getting up there and has had some injury issues lately.
-----------
Jim, Actual football question. With Jake Long and Scott Wells probable cap casualties wouldn't it make sense for the Rams to at least attempt to re-sign Joe Barksdale? Almost all of the mock drafts that I have seen have the Rams taking another OT as if his departure is inevitable or he was inadequate on the field this year. I thought he performed well. Given the fact that we just drafted our third OT since 2005 wouldn't it make sense to keep Barksdale if at all possible and address other needs?
This wasn't Barksdale's best season, at least over the second half of the year. But the Rams are attempting to re-sign him.
-----------
Are you saying that Wells, J. Long, and Langford are more likely to be cut or have their pay cut than Sam Bradford? You're suggesting they're not only going to keep Sam Bradford but they're going to pay him all 12+ million?
I didn't include Bradford in that answer because I don't think he's getting cut. Although a restructured contract (read; pay cut) is the preferred course of action, I think the Rams could keep him at $13 million if they had to.
-----------
Hey Jim what's the chances on the Rams bringing in a marque center and drafting a guard in the 2 round and dropping down the first round too collect more picks
Is there a marquee center available in free agency? I believe the Oakland center is up, but I don't know if you'd consider him marquee.
---------
Any shot Rams would look at Chase Daniel as starting QB?
He's still under contract with KC so it'd have to be a trade. And we're talking about a small sample size with him. I think he's thrown only 75 regular season passes.
----------
Any progress on resigning Kenny Britt? What is your gut feeling on whether or not SB remains a Ram next year?
I've heard noting new since the Senior Bowl. I think Bradford's back in StL this year.
----------
Are you drafting Teddy Bridgewater ahead of Donald or anyone else in a draft redo?
Maybe Bridgewater. But Donald was very good, don't you agree?
----------
Personally I could not care less about the HOF, but making someone wait for whatever reason, IMO, is just plain stupid. You were either good enough or you were not. Time should not change that.
Yeah, but a maximum of only five modern-era players can get in each year. That's why some have to wait.
---------
Your opinion the Rams 2014 draft.
Well, at first blush it's a very good draft. Donald, Robinson, Mason, and Gaines all had good to very good rookie seasons. Jury still out on Lamarcus Joyner and Maurice Alexander. Rams didn't get the QB help they needed from 6th-rounder Garrett Gilbert (although Patriots seem to like him). Rams think 7th-rounder Demetrius Rhaney (on IR all year) has a chance.
-----------
What kind of number do you think Barksdale will need to resign with the Rams? Put another way, what do you think his market value is? What do average or slightly better RT's earn?
Remember Gosder Cherilus got I believe $7 million a year in Indy. I don't think the Rams will be bidders if we're talking $6 million or $7 million range for Barksdale.
----------
Do NFL coaches help each other out? I would imagine New England contacting the Rams to gain insight on what they did to beat Seattle. Everyone could study tape, just seems that in the crunch time leading up to preparing for the superbowl it would be more efficient to use division opponents as a resource.
Coaches especially assistants, move around quite a bit. So I wouldn't be surprised if some of that stuff goes on. In fact, I would expect it.
----------
Good teams/coaches get new guys on the field quickly. Witness Matthews at Seattle and Butler at NE. Both in the BIG game. I don't think we do or can. Your view?
Butler hardly played all season. And the only reason he came in later in the game was that Arrington was getting torched. Matthews hadn't caught a pass all season and had played in only three regular season games before Super Bowl. Wouldn't call that being fast-tracked.
----------
I understand that both and receiver and DB have equal right to the ball but that a DB could not go through a receiver to intercept. Seemed to me that Butler knocked the Seattle receiver out of the way to get to the ball. Why no flag?
He can go through the receiver at the time the ball arrives. Butler's timing was perfect.
----------
I enjoyed watching Brady pick apart the Seattle defense. He was effective at getting the ball out quickly, bought time by stepping up in the pocket, and threw the ball with plenty of zip. I hope the Rams (especially Bradford) were watching.
No doubt. Brady was, however, aided by the fact that Jeremy Lane left early in the game. The Seahawks aren't as deep in the secondary as they were a year ago _ even with their frontline star power. Brady and the Pats receivers really picked on replacement Tharold Simon.
----------
Where would you roughly rank Fisher among HC's? Top 5? Top 10? Mid pack? Below average? At the end?
Based on what we've seen in StL I'd say somewhere in the 12 to 20 range.
