Rams release chris long jared cook and jl55

[KA210927]

I really hope this means we will be aggressive with our moves this offseason and make a big splash moving into LA:

Land a QB by any means necessary (trading up or somehow landing whoever we think can lead us to the playoffs)
sign all of our big young FAs (we can't let our talent get away)
sign a few big FAs (maybe we cleared up space enough to make a splash at a big name player? cordy glenn? alshon??)

I hope they try to be BOLD because Fisher has been all too conservative at times and I think this can be the year.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I really hope this means we will be aggressive with our moves this offseason and make a big splash moving into LA:

Land a QB by any means necessary (trading up or somehow landing whoever we think can lead us to the playoffs)
sign all of our big young FAs (we can't let our talent get away)
sign a few big FAs (maybe we cleared up space enough to make a splash at a big name player? cordy glenn? alshon??)

I hope they try to be BOLD because Fisher has been all too conservative at times and I think this can be the year.

Big time free agents don't always pan out. You need to get them in their prime, or it has to be an elite talent. Their aren't too many like that each year and they end up over paying for them. Alston or a QB are the only positios I would spend big on.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

So now I guess the Rams are once again the youngest team in the league?

 

[LumberTubs]

I was shocked by this at first. Not so much by Cook obviously but I was expecting Long to be restructured and I wasn't expecting to hear anything about JL55 at all.

However now that it's sunk in, I think I like it. If this team is going to compete and if we want this defense (in particular) to be truly great then we can't settle. We have to move on from players whose cost outweighs their production no matter the emotional attachment to those individuals.

Of course if the Rams now don't go onto re-sign all of McLeod, JJ, Johnson and Barron then that would completely undermine what I've said above and I won't be very impressed.

 

[nighttrain]

there is one decent thing out of all this, we now can afford to cut/release Foles
train

 

[RamBill]

The St. Louis Rams have decided to release Chris Long, James Laurinatis and Jared Cook. Mike Florio and Chris Canty explain why the Rams decided to cut ties with the three veterans.

Watch Florio Talk Rams Cuts

 

[Bradmac41]

Rams Release Laurinaitis, Long and Cook

http://www.therams.com/news-and-eve...and-Cook/1ef7af37-d973-4748-82f8-70c1df7baeaa

By TheRams.com

The Los Angeles Rams released LB James Laurinaitis, DE Chris Long and TE Jared Cook, the team announced today.

“This is the time of year when all NFL teams are faced with difficult decisions regarding their veteran players,” Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher said. “Chris and James are the epitome of what it means to be a pro in this league and it’s been an honor to coach them both. They’ve been the pillars of our defense for many years and not enough can be said of their love for the game and for their teammates. Beyond the field, they took pride in mentoring the younger players and doing their part to make a real difference in the St. Louis community. We will always be grateful for James and Chris’ unselfish commitment to the Rams and wish them the best moving forward.

“Jared made an immediate impact when he joined the team in 2013. It’s been a pleasure watching him grow from the time I drafted him in Tennessee to seeing him set franchise records in St. Louis. Like Chris and James, he’s been a mainstay in the community and his contributions are commendable. We hope for the best for Jared and his family as he embarks on the next steps of his career.”

Laurinaitis was drafted in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He led the team in tackles in his first four seasons and reached the 100 tackle mark in each of his seven seasons in the league. Last season, he passed Hall of Famer and 14-time Pro Bowler Merlin Olsen to become the all-time leading tackler in franchise history.

Long, an eight-year veteran, was drafted second overall by the Rams in 2008 out of the University of Virginia. He started 95 of 114 games over his career, and notched more than 300 tackles and 54.5 sacks. He led the team in sacks in 2011 and 2012, and recorded double-digit totals in both seasons. Additionally, he has forced eight fumbles and recovered five, one of which went for his first NFL touchdown (11/10/13 vs. Indianapolis).

Cook joined the Rams as a free agent during the 2013 offseason after spending the previous four seasons with the Tennessee Titans. In his first season with the Rams, he set franchise records for most receiving yards by a tight end both in a single season (671, 2013) and in a single game (141, 9/8/13 vs. Arizona). As a Ram, he recorded 142 receptions for 1,786 yards and eight touchdowns.

 

[Bradmac41]

How does anyone know what Cook can do? With garbage qb after garbage qb no pass catcher on this team can look good.

 

[JackDRams]

How does anyone know what Cook can do? With garbage qb after garbage qb no pass catcher on this team can look good.

Do you even watch games? Bad QB play or not. He still didn't take advantage of the opportunities he did get. Way too many dropped passes. Terrible blocker. He was a good red zone threat. Not. Any Ram fan that actually watches each and every game, can tell you he's shit. He's had two solid games in the years that he has been here.

 

[Warner4Prez]

I think these moves will put us at or near 70 million in cap space. I'd bank on seeing a Mario Williams or JPP in horns, certainly all those DBs, hopefully Alshon if he's available or Marvin Jones if not.

I'm no fan of the cuts, but in trying to keep an objective view of the team, it could be a big turning point.

I know for myself and I'm sure many other posters here, Long and JL55 have been the embodiment of the Rams for a long time now. Years of under achieving, but still giving it 110% despite the record or scoreboard. Business move, eye to the future, yada yada...these guys are not easy to replace, regardless of their statistical output.

 

[Prime Time]

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2016/2...lease-chris-long-james-laurinaitis-jared-cook

Los Angeles Rams Release DE Chris Long, MLB James Laurinaitis, TE Jared Cook
By 3k @3k_ on Feb 19, 2016

This changes things.

There's more to come obviously, but this is a key move to free up cap space heading into free agency with three potentially large looming payouts coming in the secondary for CB Janoris Jenkins, CB Trumaine Johnson and FS Rodney McLeod among others.

[URL='https://twitter.com/RapSheet']Ian Rapoport ✔ @RapSheet [/URL]
#Rams save $23M in cap space by cutting Cook, Long & Laurinaitis. They have pending FAs like Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson & need a QB

It's a bit of a blunt ending to two long careers with the Rams for Long and Laurinaitis. Chris Long was drafted by the Rams with the #2 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft while JL55 came a year later in the second round. Cook was signed as a free agent in 2013 to much avail.
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Releasing Foles
only saves the team $750,000. It’s early to be cutting a guy that won’t save you much at all.
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I bet they are going to draft Jaylon Smith if he is still there at #15 to play MLB
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Fisher realizes....
This is his last chance. Probably to ever be a head coach again.
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Why do people keep on suggesting that we ignore the offense?
The past three drafts we have used a first round pick on an offensive player. Hell, we traded up to get Tavon Austin.
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I think people are confusing "ignore" and "fail".
The offense has been an abject failure in almost every way. But they’ve thrown a lot of resources at it. Just in the past four years Wells, Cook, Jake Long, and Britt have been brought in. A receiver has been drafted in almost every round. Ditto for offensive linemen, including number 2 overall.

A top 10 RB, second round RB, third round RB and fifth round RB. They re-signed Kendricks and Saffold. They’ve traded for two QBs. And signed two others. They’ve drafted two(?) QBs. One in the third round. You’re absolutely right. And that’s probably even more infuriating.
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This is kind of why I'm a little bit leery of drafting a QB with the No. 1 pick (though all said and done I'm for it)
I think our defense is flat out ready to ball and will be entering its prime years next year. Running backs are best when young and Gurley will be entering year two. Our young offensive line will have a year more experience and hopefully have the hole at Center plugged. I think the rest of the team is ready to win now, I don’t want them to be held back by a rookie QB who needs three years to be good enough to win a Super Bowl.

Then when the rookie is ready our defense will be broken up for salary cap reasons. This team needs a veteran QB to win now – but besides taking a chance on RG3 or hoping Frisco parts ways with Kaep, I just don’t see one out there, hence we have to draft one. I think Peyton will hang up his spurs
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And I bet letting go of Long was a negotiating tactic , do him a solid and let him hit the market early, same with JL ( all though not a big market for him ). let Long find his worth in stead of insulting him right out the gate , They were not going to tell him 3 Years 15 Million , when he was set to make close to that this year . When he finds out the market is 4 years 20 million he will be back at a 1/3 rd of the price. This is a very classy move from the RAMS and a chance for Long to see what he is worth currently.
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these are the kinda moves good franchises make. sooooooooo.......

 

[RamBill]

Laurinaitis on release: 'I didn't see this one coming'

By Dan Hanzus
Around the NFL Writer

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...idnt-see-this-one-coming?campaign=Twitter_atn

When the Rams announced they were moving to Los Angeles, the team asked longtime linebacker James Laurinaitis if he could make some appearances in the market on behalf of the franchise. He complied, and took it as a sign that he was in the organization's plans for 2016.

Then came Friday. Laurinaitis, along with defensive end Chris Long and tight end Jared Cook, were released in moves made by a franchise in transition. For the first time in his career, Laurinaitis is unemployed -- at least for now.

"I didn't see this one coming," Laurinaitis told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday night.

"(I) was like, if they're gonna call and ask me to (make appearances in L.A.), I must be all right," he said. "I thought maybe at worst, a pay cut. I still felt like I was producing."

Laurinaitis knows he can still play, even if he was limited by foot and elbow injuries in each of the past two seasons. He became the franchise's all-time leading tackler last season, quite an achievement for a player yet to turn 30.

Laurinaitis got the career-changing news Friday morning. He was working out at the Rams' facility when coach Jeff Fisher called him to his office.

"He said it was one of the toughest (cuts) he's had to do in his career -- up there with (Steve) McNair and (Eddie) George," Laurinaitis said.

We imagine there is only so much solace Laurinaitis can take from that, but perhaps this will end up a blessing. He hits free agency as a known entity in an offseason with plenty of money to be spent. Laurinaitis shouldn't be out of work long, and he'll likely be paid handsomely for his services.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Great... now this means that the rams will draft more defensive players and continue to ignore the offense! I hope there are free agents that will be worth signing and are upgrades because they are screwed if there aren't any.

I think, with all the cap space we just opened-up, it pretty obvious the Rams are planning on being really active this off-Season in the FA market, the Draft, and in making post-Draft moves!
We now need, in no special order, a QB, #1 WR, MLB, OC, OG and above all we need to re-sign " ALL " of our FA's!! JMO

 

[Shoman01]

Past good performances do not guaranty current or future employment. Long got it right with stating his performance has been shit the last 2 years. I read where JL was ranked 93rd out of 95 linebackers this year, don't know if that is true. But I bet he was in the bottom 20%. Cook has been crap since he got here. He has the tight end record because the Rams have never used one before. Now need to release Zuerlein for performance reasons also, he is the worst kicker in the NFL.

 

[thirteen28]

Laurinaitis got the career-changing news Friday morning. He was working out at the Rams' facility when coach Jeff Fisher called him to his office.

This is what really kills you emotionally about releasing a guy like JL. Working out at the Rams facility when he got the news ... giving it all right up to the very end. Damn.

I realize he had declined physically and had a particularly rough last year, so I can understand it on that basis. Still, I really hope they can find a guy that can run the defense on field the way he did.

Good luck, JL and CL, you'll be seriously missed.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Maybe the plan is to put Aaron Donald at MLB

 

[Mojo Ram]

there is one decent thing out of all this, we now can afford to cut/release Foles
train

I was thinking the same thing last night.

 

[-X-]

Maybe the plan is to put Aaron Donald at MLB

Ha. I'd be lying if I said I didn't conjure up an image of that too.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Ha. I'd be lying if I said I didn't conjure up an image of that too.

It's as intriguing as it is crazy. But ultimately we're both just...

 

[BatteringRambo]

@Mojo Ram and @-X-, ," what if dog really spelled cat? "[GALLERY=media, 38]Hqdefault by BatteringRambo posted Feb 20, 2016 at 3:17 PM[/GALLERY]