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- Dec 20, 2012
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Hope you guys enjoy it...
By Shane Gray
The annual NFL draft and free agency period affords every fan base hope that springs eternal, the chance to hit the proverbial lottery, the possibility for a rapid worst to first turnaround (a la the 1999 St. Louis Rams) or the opportunity to retain a royal resume for at least another season (a la those darned New England Patriots).
The Rams three-headed brain trust — Jeff Fisher, General Manager Les Snead and Vice President of Football Operations Kevin Demoff — constantly emphasize the regime’s overriding, foundational philosophy: build strongly through the draft while consistently maintaining cap flexibility to be in position to retain the most pivotal pieces long-term.
Even with the organization holding the draft as their mecca of focus, roster supplementation via free agency will always have its’ place, just as does in every NFL city. Last offseason, St. Louis utilized the open market to secure the rights to at least four probable 2013 starters: Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Kendall Langford, Scott Wells and Cortland Finnegan.
This year, as per last offseason, St. Louis expects to have approximately $10 million in cap space available. However, with more of the foundation in place and money tied into pieces the front office desires to build with, one should expect the Rams to be more conservative in free agency. With all that said, a contract restructure or two —like the one we saw with former first round pick Jason Smith last spring —could alter the approach slightly by freeing up additional money.
As for the draft, the Rams will have four premium picks (first through third round selections) to work with, including two first round choices (No. 16 and 22). That considered, St. Louis is in prime position to further bolster a promising roster that was the league’s youngest in 2012.
With the above in mind, the following is part one of my assessment of the positions most needing draft and/or free agency fortification during the offseason, beginning with wide receiver and outside linebacker.
Wide Receiver
Full article is here:
http://101sports.com/category/misc-blog ... -Part-One/
By Shane Gray
The annual NFL draft and free agency period affords every fan base hope that springs eternal, the chance to hit the proverbial lottery, the possibility for a rapid worst to first turnaround (a la the 1999 St. Louis Rams) or the opportunity to retain a royal resume for at least another season (a la those darned New England Patriots).
The Rams three-headed brain trust — Jeff Fisher, General Manager Les Snead and Vice President of Football Operations Kevin Demoff — constantly emphasize the regime’s overriding, foundational philosophy: build strongly through the draft while consistently maintaining cap flexibility to be in position to retain the most pivotal pieces long-term.
Even with the organization holding the draft as their mecca of focus, roster supplementation via free agency will always have its’ place, just as does in every NFL city. Last offseason, St. Louis utilized the open market to secure the rights to at least four probable 2013 starters: Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Kendall Langford, Scott Wells and Cortland Finnegan.
This year, as per last offseason, St. Louis expects to have approximately $10 million in cap space available. However, with more of the foundation in place and money tied into pieces the front office desires to build with, one should expect the Rams to be more conservative in free agency. With all that said, a contract restructure or two —like the one we saw with former first round pick Jason Smith last spring —could alter the approach slightly by freeing up additional money.
As for the draft, the Rams will have four premium picks (first through third round selections) to work with, including two first round choices (No. 16 and 22). That considered, St. Louis is in prime position to further bolster a promising roster that was the league’s youngest in 2012.
With the above in mind, the following is part one of my assessment of the positions most needing draft and/or free agency fortification during the offseason, beginning with wide receiver and outside linebacker.
Wide Receiver
Full article is here:
http://101sports.com/category/misc-blog ... -Part-One/