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Rams mailbag: Rookies arrive in St. Louis
By Nick Wagoner,
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams began their rookie "orientation" on Friday as the offseason conditioning program rolls on.
But it's not just the rookies that have your attentions, so let's open up this week's mailbag and see what's on your mind.
Graham Hone @2A4T3T
What do you see mannions future to be? Will he take reigns after this season and they let foles walk?
@nwagoner: If that's Sean Mannion's future, it probably doesn't bode well for the 2015 Rams. Nick Foles is the starter for this team and it's hard to see a circumstance in which Mannion would be able to do enough to win the job from Foles after the season. I'm also not sold that Mannion will ever be a starter. Not ruling it out, but making such a proclamation now would be way over the top. In the Rams' ideal world, Foles plays very well in 2015, earns an extension and the team can keep bringing Mannion along as a solid backup.
Ram Jam @RamsFansUnite
With another owners meeting coming up, what should we be looking for this time re: Rams stadium/relocation situation?
@nwagoner: I will be in attendance at these owners meetings as well out in San Francisco next week. And I think the Los Angeles/stadium conversation will be far more prominent than the ones in March. If nothing else, I'm expecting a determination to be made on whether there will be a vote at the end of this year to alllow teams to file for relocation. Mind you, that's not the same as a vote for allowing a team to relocate but just to bump the timeline up on when they can file. It still remains to be seen whether the various projects will be presented at length to the owners this time around or if they simply get just another update. We'll try to nail that down before wheels go up to San Francisco. Either way, Los Angeles, relocation and current stadium situations will be a major topic this time around.
Adam Gingrich @adam_gingrich
Would you have liked to see the Rams use their extra 7th on La'el Collins?
@nwagoner: I tend to understand both sides in this situation. With so many unknowns, it's risky to take a chance until you have all the information. On the other hand, you could have possibly landed a first-round talent with a seventh-round pick by drafting La'el Collins and forcing his hand a bit. He threatened to sit out if drafted on day three. There was plenty of confusion over whether he could even do that or not, but it's beside the point. If the Rams wanted to, they could have made him come to the conclusion that he wanted to sit out a year. I don't feel strongly one way or the other but I certainly understand why fans would have liked the team to do that.
Peter George @MalibuRams
What are your expectations for lemarcus Joyner this year?
@nwagoner: Lamarcus Joyner was a guy who started to show signs that he was coming on toward the end of last season. With the emergence of E.J. Gaines, his role was reduced, but I think long-term the team still believes strongly in him as a nickel corner. I tend to agree with them. I was high on Joyner coming out of Florida State and my opinion on that hasn't changed. He still has plenty to prove, but he's too intelligent and too tough not to become an effective contributor. It was also interesting to note that linebacker James Laurinaitis named Joyner as a player he's expecting big things from in 2015. That comment was unprovoked.
-Bro @helabucket
Any news on the practice session with the Cowboys after or before their first preseason game?
@nwagoner: Nothing set in stone yet but it's a safe bet that it's going to happen and will almost certainly be after the Rams play Oakland in the first preseason game. Play the Raiders, travel to Oxnard, California, train with the Cowboys, fly to Tennessee. If I was a betting man, that'd be my play.
Garrett Catalana @GarrettCatalana
Now that it has been 3 years since Snisher's first draft class, how would you evaluate the selections that they made?
@nwagoner: It's been a mixed bag. They missed completely on Isaiah Pead in the second round and Rokevious Watkins in the fifth round, though fifth-round misses are more understandable than those in the second. The Pead pick is more head scratching because the Rams had linebacker Bobby Wagner in their crosshairs before making that move. Add Wagner to that class and we're speaking of it in much better terms. Michael Brockers might not be a superstar but he's a very solid player, and while there's some hiccups with cornerback Janoris Jenkins, he's made his share of big plays as well. Receiver Brian Quick was finally on his way to a productive season before injury struck last season, and kicker Greg Zuerlein has mostly been solid as well. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson and receiver Chris Givens have flashed potential but never really seen it through on a consistent basis. All in all, it's been an OK class but probably not the cornerstone group you'd hope it would be with so many valuable picks in the first three rounds. What the Rams think of it will be more telling. We'll get those answers when they have to make decisions on re-signing members of the class. The guess here is that Brockers and Jenkins will be the priorities and much of the rest of the group will depend on how they perform in 2015.
By Nick Wagoner,
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams began their rookie "orientation" on Friday as the offseason conditioning program rolls on.
But it's not just the rookies that have your attentions, so let's open up this week's mailbag and see what's on your mind.
Graham Hone @2A4T3T
What do you see mannions future to be? Will he take reigns after this season and they let foles walk?
@nwagoner: If that's Sean Mannion's future, it probably doesn't bode well for the 2015 Rams. Nick Foles is the starter for this team and it's hard to see a circumstance in which Mannion would be able to do enough to win the job from Foles after the season. I'm also not sold that Mannion will ever be a starter. Not ruling it out, but making such a proclamation now would be way over the top. In the Rams' ideal world, Foles plays very well in 2015, earns an extension and the team can keep bringing Mannion along as a solid backup.
Ram Jam @RamsFansUnite
With another owners meeting coming up, what should we be looking for this time re: Rams stadium/relocation situation?
@nwagoner: I will be in attendance at these owners meetings as well out in San Francisco next week. And I think the Los Angeles/stadium conversation will be far more prominent than the ones in March. If nothing else, I'm expecting a determination to be made on whether there will be a vote at the end of this year to alllow teams to file for relocation. Mind you, that's not the same as a vote for allowing a team to relocate but just to bump the timeline up on when they can file. It still remains to be seen whether the various projects will be presented at length to the owners this time around or if they simply get just another update. We'll try to nail that down before wheels go up to San Francisco. Either way, Los Angeles, relocation and current stadium situations will be a major topic this time around.
Adam Gingrich @adam_gingrich
Would you have liked to see the Rams use their extra 7th on La'el Collins?
@nwagoner: I tend to understand both sides in this situation. With so many unknowns, it's risky to take a chance until you have all the information. On the other hand, you could have possibly landed a first-round talent with a seventh-round pick by drafting La'el Collins and forcing his hand a bit. He threatened to sit out if drafted on day three. There was plenty of confusion over whether he could even do that or not, but it's beside the point. If the Rams wanted to, they could have made him come to the conclusion that he wanted to sit out a year. I don't feel strongly one way or the other but I certainly understand why fans would have liked the team to do that.
Peter George @MalibuRams
What are your expectations for lemarcus Joyner this year?
@nwagoner: Lamarcus Joyner was a guy who started to show signs that he was coming on toward the end of last season. With the emergence of E.J. Gaines, his role was reduced, but I think long-term the team still believes strongly in him as a nickel corner. I tend to agree with them. I was high on Joyner coming out of Florida State and my opinion on that hasn't changed. He still has plenty to prove, but he's too intelligent and too tough not to become an effective contributor. It was also interesting to note that linebacker James Laurinaitis named Joyner as a player he's expecting big things from in 2015. That comment was unprovoked.
-Bro @helabucket
Any news on the practice session with the Cowboys after or before their first preseason game?
@nwagoner: Nothing set in stone yet but it's a safe bet that it's going to happen and will almost certainly be after the Rams play Oakland in the first preseason game. Play the Raiders, travel to Oxnard, California, train with the Cowboys, fly to Tennessee. If I was a betting man, that'd be my play.
Garrett Catalana @GarrettCatalana
Now that it has been 3 years since Snisher's first draft class, how would you evaluate the selections that they made?
@nwagoner: It's been a mixed bag. They missed completely on Isaiah Pead in the second round and Rokevious Watkins in the fifth round, though fifth-round misses are more understandable than those in the second. The Pead pick is more head scratching because the Rams had linebacker Bobby Wagner in their crosshairs before making that move. Add Wagner to that class and we're speaking of it in much better terms. Michael Brockers might not be a superstar but he's a very solid player, and while there's some hiccups with cornerback Janoris Jenkins, he's made his share of big plays as well. Receiver Brian Quick was finally on his way to a productive season before injury struck last season, and kicker Greg Zuerlein has mostly been solid as well. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson and receiver Chris Givens have flashed potential but never really seen it through on a consistent basis. All in all, it's been an OK class but probably not the cornerstone group you'd hope it would be with so many valuable picks in the first three rounds. What the Rams think of it will be more telling. We'll get those answers when they have to make decisions on re-signing members of the class. The guess here is that Brockers and Jenkins will be the priorities and much of the rest of the group will depend on how they perform in 2015.
