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Rams notes: Fisher, Snead say Ray’s arrest might be draft factor
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_19834813-9df8-5baa-bdeb-ff87e0395dbb.html
Without speaking to the Shane Ray situation specifically, Rams general manager Les Snead and coach Jeff Fisher said that off-field issues, especially in the days leading up to the NFL draft, must be and will be factored in evaluations.
Ray, a standout defensive end/outside linebacker from the University of Missouri and a projected first-round selection in the NFL draft to be held Thursday through Saturday in Chicago, was cited early Monday morning for marijuana possession. That came during a search of his car on Interstate 70 after the 21-year-old was pulled over for speeding.
“You don’t move him on the board, (but) you may put a cautionary sticker on him,” Snead said. “He is where he is. You do have to go back and follow up and do a little work on the character to see kind of the who, what, when, where. ...
“With him, whether he was a first-round pick or this causes him to fall, he was going to face adversity in life (and) this is the first adversity that he’s facing maybe as a draftee or NFL player. Like any of us, and I think he said it in his quote, he’s going to have to make better decisions and time will tell. ... It’s in his hands, how he handles it.’’
In a statement to NFL.com, Ray said he was apologizing to his mother, fans and prospective NFL teams for his poor judgment.
“I am embarrassed and realize there are consequences for my actions,” he said. “I was not under the influence nor impaired, therefore I was not detained. Fortunately, Monday’s incident only resulted in a citation. I will make better choices in the future. ... There are no excuses here and I will take the necessary steps to ensure this will not happen again.”
Fisher added: “I completely agree with Les. We have a short amount of time to get as much information as we can and then we’ll discuss the information that we have and then we’ll adjust it accordingly.’’
PRIVATE QB WORKOUTS
None of the 22 players who made pre-draft visits to Rams Park were quarterbacks.
As was the case last year, the team prefers working out its prospective QBs in private. This year, over a period of four or so days, the Rams visited Jameis Winston (Florida State), Marcus Mariota (Oregon), Brett Hundley (UCLA), Garrett Grayson (Colorado State), Bryce Petty (Baylor) and Sean Mannion (Oregon State).
“The perception is, you fly into town, you work the player out and you leave, and that’s not necessarily the case,” Fisher said. “We spend quality time with the player in the classroom. ... We actually spend at least the same amount of time in the classroom as we do on the field. It’s extremely valuable.”
What Snead likes about the private workouts is how they challenge players to adapt.
“You can see them in their offense, whatever style that is,” he said. “They do their pro day — it’s scripted. But, I’ve enjoyed being able to see our coaches come in and let them throw the routes we’re going to be running. But the nice thing is to see those guys because they haven’t been practicing those routes, to see them adjust. Because they may flutter the first ball and then if they can go, ‘Wait a minute, I got this now’ and get the timing down — it’s pretty neat to see.”
RAMS’ PICKS
The Rams enter the 2015 draft with six picks:
• First round : No. 10
• Second round: No. 41
• Third round: No. 72
• Fourth round: No. 119
• Sixth round: No. 215
• Seventh round: No. 227
In October, the Rams traded this year’s fourth- and sixth-round selections to Tampa Bay for safety Mark Barron. In the Nick Foles/Sam Bradford trade with Philadelphia, the Rams gave up a fifth-round choice and acquired the Eagles’ fourth-rounder.
This year’s sixth-round selection is a compensatory pick.
Teams will have 10 minutes per selection in Thursday’s first round, seven minutes in Round 2 and five minutes to make selections in Rounds 3-7. A total of 256 players will be picked.
DRAFT DAY PARTY
The Rams’ official draft party will run from 5:30-9 p.m. Thursday at Ballpark Village. The event, with no admission charge, will feature televised coverage of the opening round.
Quarterbacks Nick Foles and Case Keenum are to be on hand from 6-7:30 p.m., tackle Greg Robinson and punter Johnny Hekker from 6:45-8:15 p.m. and defensive backs E.J. Gaines and Rodney McLeod from 7:30-9 p.m.
Fans will have an opportunity to win season tickets, memorabilia and other prizes.
FISHER ON BROCKERS, BARRON
Fisher said the recent decision to exercise the fifth-year option on defensive tackle Michael Brockers was based on his age, production and potential.
“We feel like he’s got a lot of years left and we want to keep him in this program, so we’re very excited about that,” the coach said when asked about Brockers, 24, who had 73 tackles and a pair of sacks last season.
Brockers, who was mentioned in Tuesday trade rumors involving the Bears and a swap of first-round draft picks, was the 14th choice in the 2012 draft. He will make $6.146 million in 2016.
The Rams elected not to exercise the fifth-year option on safety Mark Barron, who was acquired in October for a pair of 2015 draft choices.
As the seventh overall selection by Tampa Bay in 2012, Barron’s fifth-year salary for 2016— $8.263 million — was a bit too steep for the Rams. But that doesn’t mean Barron is not part of their plans.
“That wasn’t our option — just for the record, that was Tampa’s option and we traded for it,’’ Fisher stressed. “Mark’s important to us. We felt from a big-picture standpoint we would be better suited to try and re-do and extend his contract prior.
“... We have every intention of getting him done,” Fisher added.
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_19834813-9df8-5baa-bdeb-ff87e0395dbb.html
Without speaking to the Shane Ray situation specifically, Rams general manager Les Snead and coach Jeff Fisher said that off-field issues, especially in the days leading up to the NFL draft, must be and will be factored in evaluations.
Ray, a standout defensive end/outside linebacker from the University of Missouri and a projected first-round selection in the NFL draft to be held Thursday through Saturday in Chicago, was cited early Monday morning for marijuana possession. That came during a search of his car on Interstate 70 after the 21-year-old was pulled over for speeding.
“You don’t move him on the board, (but) you may put a cautionary sticker on him,” Snead said. “He is where he is. You do have to go back and follow up and do a little work on the character to see kind of the who, what, when, where. ...
“With him, whether he was a first-round pick or this causes him to fall, he was going to face adversity in life (and) this is the first adversity that he’s facing maybe as a draftee or NFL player. Like any of us, and I think he said it in his quote, he’s going to have to make better decisions and time will tell. ... It’s in his hands, how he handles it.’’
In a statement to NFL.com, Ray said he was apologizing to his mother, fans and prospective NFL teams for his poor judgment.
“I am embarrassed and realize there are consequences for my actions,” he said. “I was not under the influence nor impaired, therefore I was not detained. Fortunately, Monday’s incident only resulted in a citation. I will make better choices in the future. ... There are no excuses here and I will take the necessary steps to ensure this will not happen again.”
Fisher added: “I completely agree with Les. We have a short amount of time to get as much information as we can and then we’ll discuss the information that we have and then we’ll adjust it accordingly.’’
PRIVATE QB WORKOUTS
None of the 22 players who made pre-draft visits to Rams Park were quarterbacks.
As was the case last year, the team prefers working out its prospective QBs in private. This year, over a period of four or so days, the Rams visited Jameis Winston (Florida State), Marcus Mariota (Oregon), Brett Hundley (UCLA), Garrett Grayson (Colorado State), Bryce Petty (Baylor) and Sean Mannion (Oregon State).
“The perception is, you fly into town, you work the player out and you leave, and that’s not necessarily the case,” Fisher said. “We spend quality time with the player in the classroom. ... We actually spend at least the same amount of time in the classroom as we do on the field. It’s extremely valuable.”
What Snead likes about the private workouts is how they challenge players to adapt.
“You can see them in their offense, whatever style that is,” he said. “They do their pro day — it’s scripted. But, I’ve enjoyed being able to see our coaches come in and let them throw the routes we’re going to be running. But the nice thing is to see those guys because they haven’t been practicing those routes, to see them adjust. Because they may flutter the first ball and then if they can go, ‘Wait a minute, I got this now’ and get the timing down — it’s pretty neat to see.”
RAMS’ PICKS
The Rams enter the 2015 draft with six picks:
• First round : No. 10
• Second round: No. 41
• Third round: No. 72
• Fourth round: No. 119
• Sixth round: No. 215
• Seventh round: No. 227
In October, the Rams traded this year’s fourth- and sixth-round selections to Tampa Bay for safety Mark Barron. In the Nick Foles/Sam Bradford trade with Philadelphia, the Rams gave up a fifth-round choice and acquired the Eagles’ fourth-rounder.
This year’s sixth-round selection is a compensatory pick.
Teams will have 10 minutes per selection in Thursday’s first round, seven minutes in Round 2 and five minutes to make selections in Rounds 3-7. A total of 256 players will be picked.
DRAFT DAY PARTY
The Rams’ official draft party will run from 5:30-9 p.m. Thursday at Ballpark Village. The event, with no admission charge, will feature televised coverage of the opening round.
Quarterbacks Nick Foles and Case Keenum are to be on hand from 6-7:30 p.m., tackle Greg Robinson and punter Johnny Hekker from 6:45-8:15 p.m. and defensive backs E.J. Gaines and Rodney McLeod from 7:30-9 p.m.
Fans will have an opportunity to win season tickets, memorabilia and other prizes.
FISHER ON BROCKERS, BARRON
Fisher said the recent decision to exercise the fifth-year option on defensive tackle Michael Brockers was based on his age, production and potential.
“We feel like he’s got a lot of years left and we want to keep him in this program, so we’re very excited about that,” the coach said when asked about Brockers, 24, who had 73 tackles and a pair of sacks last season.
Brockers, who was mentioned in Tuesday trade rumors involving the Bears and a swap of first-round draft picks, was the 14th choice in the 2012 draft. He will make $6.146 million in 2016.
The Rams elected not to exercise the fifth-year option on safety Mark Barron, who was acquired in October for a pair of 2015 draft choices.
As the seventh overall selection by Tampa Bay in 2012, Barron’s fifth-year salary for 2016— $8.263 million — was a bit too steep for the Rams. But that doesn’t mean Barron is not part of their plans.
“That wasn’t our option — just for the record, that was Tampa’s option and we traded for it,’’ Fisher stressed. “Mark’s important to us. We felt from a big-picture standpoint we would be better suited to try and re-do and extend his contract prior.
“... We have every intention of getting him done,” Fisher added.