Roger Saffold is a Ram

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kurtfaulk

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I can't tell you how happy I was when I saw this thread title. At first I thought someone had bumped a Draft thread from a few years ago then I saw the other thread title saying Raiders had voided the Saffold contract. This couldn't have worked out better for the Rams.

Lucky they missed out on schwartz. Aye.

.
 

RamBill

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Rams get Saffold back in wild fashion
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/6716/rams-get-saffold-back-in-wild-fashion

There hasn't been much in the way of news for the St. Louis Rams this offseason. But when there has, it's taken something completely out of the ordinary for it to come to fruition.

It will be hard to top what happened in a span of about 15 minutes Wednesday night when offensive lineman Rodger Saffold failed a physical with the Oakland Raiders and quickly agreed to re-sign with the Rams. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter characterized the failed physical as a "strong disagreement" about the status of Saffold's shoulder.

That disagreement led to Oakland pulling the plug on a contract believed by many, including myself, to be one of the riskier contracts handed out on the first day of free agency, a five-year, $42.5 million with $21 million guaranteed. It was a contract that was beyond reasonable for a player who had missed 17 games and parts of others in the past three years. The Rams agreed, opting to pass on paying such a high price for Saffold even though he was their top offseason priority.

Terms of Saffold's deal to return to St. Louis are not yet available but before he accepted Oakland's offer, the team was believed to be offering something closer to $6 million in average annual value with incentives for playing time (read: staying healthy).

Determining whether a player has passed or failed a physical is at the discretion of team doctors. According to Schefter's report, the Raiders were concerned by something they saw in the shoulder but the Rams, who obviously know Saffold well, had no such concerns.

For the record, Saffold injured his shoulder in the 2013 preseason opener against Cleveland but returned late in the exhibition season and started the opener against Arizona at right tackle. From there, Saffold suffered a knee injury in Week 2 against Atlanta and took a blow to the head in the season finale against Seattle but never had recurring issues with the shoulder.

At last month's NFL combine, Rams coach Jeff Fisher made it clear keeping Saffold was at the top of the to-do list with the idea that Saffold would be a starter at guard and provide insurance at tackle.

"Obviously it's important for us to get that done," Fisher said then. "He's expressed serious interest in coming back as well. So it does give us flexibility. But I think ultimately he's going to be an outstanding guard in this league. Now that doesn't mean you say he could not play either tackle, because this year he stepped in when Jake [Long] went down and stepped in and played some really good football at tackle."

Presuming Saffold's departure, the Rams had already begun exploring contingencies. They lost out on Geoff Schwartz to the New York Giants and a group was hosting Tampa Bay guard Davin Joseph at dinner when news of the failed physical arrived Wednesday night. That news clearly was cause for surprise but given how things have played out for the Rams so far this year, maybe it shouldn't have.

If taking a long and winding path to get what they wanted all along sounds familiar, it's because that's something the Rams have already done this offseason. After a period of relative quiet to begin the offseason, the Rams suddenly fired defensive coordinator Tim Walton. Before anyone could even begin to speculate on who his replacement might be, the Rams had a deal in place with Gregg Williams to take over.

That was the same Gregg Williams whom the team had hired to take over in 2012 but was suspended for his role in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal and not retained by the team after. The same Gregg Williams whose relationship with Fisher seemed too frayed to repair. Sure enough, the Rams brought Williams back on a day that served as a reminder that anything can happen in the NFL.

Wednesday night provided yet another, perhaps stranger reminder of that. Once again, the Rams were involved in something wild. Once again, they ended up with the person who was their first choice all along. Once again, it all worked out.
 

LumberTubs

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My 9 month old just forced me to get up at 5am (British time). It's almost like she knew there was something I needed to see.

This is crazy. I'm glad cus I'm guessing it'll be a team friendly deal but I had no idea a team could cancel a contract so easily
 

lockdnram21

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theres nothing wrong with his shoulder jim thomas said rodger just was lifting 400 the other day
 

RamBill

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Rodger Saffold fails physical with Raiders, returns to Rams on five-year deal

By Chris Burke

http://nfl.si.com/2014/03/12/rodger-saffold-fails-physical-with-raiders-returns-to-rams/

On Tuesday, offensive lineman Rodger Saffold agreed to a five-year, $42.5 million deal with the Oakland Raiders. A little more than 24 hours later, he was back with the St. Louis Rams on a separate five-year contract after failing his physical in Oakland.

In what has been a frantic and often bizarre open to the NFL’s free-agent period, Saffold’s story may take the cake. The Raiders initially handed him $21 million guaranteed, only to bail after a medical check revealed a shoulder issue, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. Schefter called the failed physical a “disagreement” — Saffold and his camp arguing that he was healthy; the Raiders obviously pushing back. But the Rams did not hesitate at all to lock Saffold back up once Oakland put the kibosh on its deal.

Saffold has missed a total of 17 games over the past three seasons while dealing with myriad injuries — head, shoulder and knee ailments among them. Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie still chased him hard in free agency at the expense of former Oakland tackle Jared Veldheer, who signed with Arizona on Tuesday after McKenzie opted not to use the franchise tag on him earlier.

The failed physical meant that Saffold was a free agent again for the briefest of moments. More importantly for the Raiders, it means that McKenzie has now lost out on his big, early free-agency splash. Oakland added Saffold and RT Austin Howard in hopes of bolstering a line that has underachieved for multiple seasons. Howard remains ticketed for the right side of the line, though 2013 rookie Menelik Watson may now claim left tackle by default, pending another move by McKenzie.

The Raiders’ decision not to tag either Veldheer or defensive end Lamarr Houston was met with scrutiny, mainly because Oakland carried more available cash into the offseason than any other team. Their quick move to agree to terms with Saffold — for more money than Veldheer received from the Cardinals, both overall and in the guaranteed amount — seemed to make it evident that the front office preferred the versatile guard/tackle over Veldheer, a hulking left tackle coming off an injury-hampered season of his own.

This may turn out to be a blessing in disguise from Oakland, depending on where McKenzie goes from here. Saffold’s contract appeared generous for a player who had struggled to stay on the field. Even with a huge cushion under the salary cap, the Raiders’ $21 million guaranteed-money commitment stood out as questionable.

Of course, Oakland’s also now left scrambling to somehow replace Saffold. They had not yet made clear whether they planned play Saffold at left tackle with Watson as a reverse or to slide Saffold to guard with Watson starting, but they may have little choice now but to see what they have in Watson.

Drafting a tackle (Oakland holds the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft) could be in the cards. A few possibilities also remain on the market, though the top left-tackle choices have been snatched up. Anthony Collins, Michael Oher and Bryant McKinnie may be the best options remaining in terms of linemen with experience at LT. Oher was chased from that position last year by Eugene Monroe; McKinnie endured a very disappointing season.

This news will do the Raiders no favors in the court of public opinion either. Already labeled as a franchise struggling to get the ship pointed in the right direction, the loss of Saffold in such an unusual manner will add another mark to Oakland’s reputation.

There was no immediate word on what Saffold’s compensation looks like back in St. Louis. Presumably, both the financial terms — and mainly that amount of guaranteed money — will come in below what the Raiders offered. Saffold’s position in St. Louis may again depend on the health status of Jake Long. If Long is ready to go for Week 1, he would pencil in as the left tackle, likely with Saffold playing guard; if Long misses time, Saffold could take over on Sam Bradford’s blindside.
 

jrry32

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I am still surprised that the Rams left their final offer proposal on the table.

Probably a combination of not wanting to have to risk having another team swoop in and force them into a contest to keep and making Rodger happy by keeping their word on the offer.
 

RamBill

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Believe it or not: Saffold heading back to Rams
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_ff06ffb1-57f7-5654-8e30-e507b6c71846.html

If the guard situation gets any crazier in St. Louis, it will have the makings of a must-see reality series. Roughly 30 hours after Rodger Saffold officially agreed to terms with the Oakland Raiders, he’s now headed back to the Rams.

In a frantic couple of hours Wednesday evening, the Raiders announced that Saffold had failed his physical, meaning there was no deal in Oakland. The Rams, with no concerns over Saffold’s health — the condition of his shoulder is what bothered the Raiders — immediately went about the task of re-signing Saffold and bringing him back to St. Louis.

After all is said, the Rams’ oft-stated No. 1 free-agent priority is coming back to the Rams. The parties reached an agreement in principle late Wednesday evening, with some language on incentives remaining to be finalized.

Saffold and his agents headed back to St. Louis and the contract should be signed by this afternoon. Saffold will return to St. Louis with a deal similar to the last offer by the team before he opted for Oakland.

That deal was five years at just under $6 million a year, with playing-time incentives that could add substantially to the total. So Saffold should be making in excess of $30 million with the Rams.

Not exactly the $42.5 million he was going to make with Oakland, but still pretty good money. For Saffold, it will be like falling out of a 10-story building and landing on a plump, soft mattress. A mattress stuffed with crisp dollars.

Adding to the insanity, all of this unfolded as some Rams officials were dining with former Tampa Bay guard Davin Joseph in Clayton. Joseph was in town on a free-agent visit following his release late last week from the Buccaneers.

Another free-agent guard, former Arizona Cardinal Daryn College, was scheduled to arrive late Wednesday for a Rams visit.

Saffold almost certainly will be plugged back in at the right guard spot he had manned so well for most of the second half of the 2013 season following Harvey Dahl’s knee injury.

As for Joseph, who knows?

Shortly after newly hired coach Lovie Smith arrived in Tampa, he said some of the Buccaneers’ offensive linemen weren’t earning their money. One of the players Smith was talking about was Joseph, who was released March 8.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Joseph was considered one of the NFL’s most dominant guards not long ago. But that all changed the night of Aug. 24, 2012, against New England, when teammate Donald Penn blocked a Patriots defender (Chandler Jones) into Joseph’s legs during a preseason game.

He suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right knee and missed the entire 2012 season. Joseph, named a team captain in 2013, started all 16 games this past season but admittedly played below expectations. Besides the recovery from knee surgery, Joseph was slowed by a staph infection last offseason.

The Buccaneers slipped to 22nd in rushing offense and yielded 47 sacks; Joseph didn’t play with his usual power and movement skills. After trying to trade Joseph, the Bucs decided to release him. He was three years into a seven-year, $53 million contract when released, and had been scheduled to make $6 million this season for Tampa.

Even with Saffold back, the Rams did lose another starting guard — Chris Williams — on Wednesday. He signed with Buffalo. Yet another Rams free agent guard, Shelley Smith, visited with the New York Giants on Wednesday but left without a contract. He arrived in the Boston area Wednesday evening to meet with the New England Patriots and also has a visit scheduled with Miami.

Williams started all 16 games at left guard last season — in fact, he was the only Rams offensive lineman to start every game. Coach Jeff Fisher said at the NFL scouting combine last month that the team wanted to re-sign Williams. But it was clear it wasn’t a big priority, not even after (temporarily) losing Saffold.

Williams’ best moments with the Ram were as a run-blocker. Sometimes he had trouble getting leverage, playing too high on his 6-6 frame. He received a healthy amount of attention at the start of free agency, with at least three teams interested. Obviously, it turned out to be sincere interest since he was off the market early on Day 2.

“The Rams were interested,” Williams told reporters in Buffalo. “We had some other teams interested as well, but this seemed like the best fit for me and the opportunity that I was the most excited about. So I didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger to come to Buffalo.

His four-year contract with the Bills was worth a reported $13.5 million with $5.5 million guaranteed.

Williams praised Rams offensive line coach Paul Boudreau, saying, “I think it helped a lot working with Coach Boudreau down there (in St. Louis). He helped me develop my game as a guard.”

Williams arrived in Buffalo just in time for a blizzard, but said wintry weather doesn’t bother him, having begun his NFL career in Chicago.

“I would go to Antarctica to play for an opportunity,” Williams said. “Buffalo is a lot better than Antarctica, and I’m just excited to be here.”
 

laramsoriginal

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Probably a combination of not wanting to have to risk having another team swoop in and force them into a contest to keep and making Rodger happy by keeping their word on the offer.

Jrry you shouldn't speculate. I remember you harshly telling me that in a thread.
 

LumberTubs

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“I would go to Antarctica to play for an opportunity,” Williams said. “Buffalo is a lot better than Antarctica, and I’m just excited to be here.”

Buffalo may be better in terms of climate but Williams would have more chance of winning if he'd chosen Antarctica
 

RamzFanz

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The entire world laughed at what they paid so they failed him. Seems pretty obvious.

However, I don't feel relieved... do you? That's great he's back because, when healthy, he's great, but that's 1/2 a problem solved for a lot of cap.
 
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jjab360

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Probably a combination of not wanting to have to risk having another team swoop in and force them into a contest to keep and making Rodger happy by keeping their word on the offer.
Yup, taking the offer back now would just be disrespectful.
 

jrry32

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Jrry you shouldn't speculate. I remember you harshly telling me that in a thread.

Actually, I said no such thing. I said what you were saying was baseless speculation. Feel free to say the same to me if you believe it.

But, at least I said "possibly" to make it clear I was speculating. You claimed what you were saying was being "honest" as if it were the truth...good to see you're still bitter over something said days ago.
 

laramsoriginal

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Actually, I said no such thing. I said what you were saying was baseless speculation. Feel free to say the same to me if you believe it.

But, at least I said "possibly" to make it clear I was speculating. You claimed what you were saying was being "honest" as if it were the truth...good to see you're still bitter over something said days ago.

Lol you're the bitter one. Just busting your balls man. Relax. This is a message board where 99.9% of posters are speculating in every post.