Rams News Recap: Feb. 24

[RamBill]

No Team Has Contacted Rams Regarding Sam Bradford –NFL.com
Despite recent reports of interest from the Buffalo Bills or Cleveland Browns, a Sam Bradford trade remains highly unlikely.

Sources: Bills Eyeing QB Sam Bradford
The Buffalo Bills are pursuing a trade for St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, multiple league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Rams ‘Skeptics’ When It Comes to Analytics –Wagoner
In an extensive project appearing both on ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine on Monday afternoon, 122 teams from all four of the major professional sports leagues were rated on “the strength of each franchise’s analytics staff, its buy-in from execs and coaches, its investment in biometric data and how much its approach is predicated on analytics.”

Rams Free-Agent Preview: Running Back –Wagoner
The free-agent market is scheduled to open March 10, and teams can begin negotiations with those poised to hit the market beginning March 7.

Jake Long Return to Rams Remains Possible –Wagoner
Like quarterback Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams left tackle Jake Long is currently in the process of coming back from a second torn anterior cruciate ligament in as many seasons.

Morning Ram-blings: Catching up with Michael Sam –Wagoner
A year ago at this time, then-Missouri defensive end Michael Sam was one of the biggest stories in the country, not just in the NFL but the country at large.

Sam Bradford Refusing Pay Cut –Video

Gray: Latest on the Rams’, Raiders’ and Chargers’ Futures
Late last week, in the latest twist in the NFL’s long and winding road back to L.A., the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders announced a joint proposal to privately construct a new stadium in Carson, California — a location that has been considered on multiple occasions as an NFL site since the middle 1990s.

Leigh Steinberg details the high stakes game of “stadium roulette” playing out in LA –Audio

Rob Rang’s NFL Draft Fallers –Video

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: St. Louis surveys
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16525/morning-ram-blings-st-louis-surveys

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- As the Inglewood City Council spend Tuesday night discussing the approval of the proposed Hollywood Park stadium plan and the development around it, the people of St. Louis are getting their chance to weigh in on some of the possibilities here.

According to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the NFL has sent market surveys to 185,000 local football fans discussing the possibilities of a new stadium in St. Louis.

The surveys are intended to get a sense of what fans want but those that have received them have made it clear that many of the questions center on what fans would be willing to spend on PSL's and season tickets in a new stadium. There are many layers to this but it's not a bad development for football fans in St. Louis.

The NFL previously sent out a similar survey to fans in Los Angeles, though that survey wasn't tied to any one potential stadium site and it went to fewer fans than in St. Louis.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, the Inglewood City Council had the option Tuesday night to approve the Hollywood Park stadium plan outright or put it to a June 2 vote. The Los Angeles Times had this story explaining the benefits of what the City of Champions Project would bring to the city.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Tuesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... In the Ram-blings, we began with an update on Michael Sam. ... The Rams are at least considering options for offensive tackle Jake Long moving forward. ... In the free-agent preview, we examined the Rams' situation at running back. ... Finally, we offered a little more insight into the Rams' commitment (or lack of) to analytics.

Elsewhere:

Speaking of Sam, he has accepted a spot as a competitor on Dancing with the Stars.

The NFL Nation TV guys wrapped up the scouting combine.

At 101sports.com, Sam Bradford's situation is discussed.

At stltoday.com, Bernie Miklasz tries to guess Stan Kroenke's next move.

Jim Thomas participated in his weekly chat.

 

[fearsomefour]

The use of analytical data is always resisted by sports. Baseball, obviously because it is a game with a higher failure rate in performance, leads the way. Usually, established FO types and scouts hate this stuff because it requires them to admit they don't know all and that their way of the "eye test" is usually severely flawed. Data analysis will come to the NFL.