Tidbits of the Week: Free Agency Moves, Gregg Williams, and More

Hey guys sorry for the long break from the blog. Here's a rundown of a few things that transpired over the last week in Rams Nation.

The Rams continued to stay quiet on the free agency front, nabbing only a few players that were, in all honesty, only veteran backups. Steve Smith is the headliner of the group. The former Giant/Eagle made a big impact with the Giants back during their Super Bowl XLII run and the years that followed, but staggered and declined following the 2009 season. He'll probably immediately start at number 1 or 2, depending on the moves the Rams make later in the offseason and in the draft. Fullback Brit Miller was re-signed to the team, a move that was undoubtedly necessary to continuity in the backfield (fullbacks Madison Hedgecock and Mike Karney can certainly attest to that). Former Colt O-lineman Quinn Ojinnaka is suitable to perform in many roles on the O-line, perhaps as a starter if necessary (but hopefully not). Finally, former Jets tight end Matt Mulligan is an excellent utility player (ie. blocker) but not necessarily a great pass-catcher. Look for the Rams to go back to more pro-style sets as opposed to the spread formations they tried to run last year.

Also of note was Gregg Williams receiving an indefinite suspension by the NFL for his participation with the Saints bounty program. The fact that his suspension is indefinite may be a ploy used to ensure that the NFL can still use Williams to gain more facts about the bounty scandal, specifically regarding player participation and discipline. For the Rams, this means that Williams will be unavailable to coach the defense this year, if ever. The Rams will need to look for replacements quickly (some say in-house assistant coach Dave McGinnis will fill the role), as it's safe to say that Williams (and the tenacious attacking defensive style of his) is long gone.

Here's some other news and notes:

• Stan Kroenke failed to win the bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers, which in a way could be viewed as an attempt to move the Rams back to Los Angeles. For now, however, Kroenke isn't saying anything about a possible move.
• Torry Holt signed a "one-day contract" to officially retire as a member of the St. Louis Rams. Holt, who last played for the Patriots, helped the Rams to their two Super Bowl appearances a decade ago, winning Super Bowl XXXIV as a rookie with "The Greatest Show on Turf". Holt will be adored by Rams fans for years, but his numbers will probably not be enough to put him in the Hall, unfortunately.
• After some mumblings from Mike Holmgren about the Rams not wanting to trade with the Browns, the Browns could be back in the mix as a trading partner. Even more surprising (but not unheard of) was talk that the Browns inquired about potentially trading for Sam Bradford. The talk was squandered by Jeff Fisher, who once again committed to Bradford. If the Rams are indeed willing to trade Bradford to the Browns in exchange for the Browns' number four overall pick, that would be incredibly stupid, considering they just traded out of getting Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III. It's not going to happen. But the Rams may still trade up/down.

That's it for now. Hopefully I can post some more new draft analysis in the coming weeks.

Rams fail to make impact in first week of Free Agency

Rams GM Les Snead promised to be active and aggressive during free agency. The Rams got off to a fast start by signing coveted cornerback Cortland Finnegan (previously of the Titans). But that's where the aggressiveness ended. The Rams have fared poorly thus far in free agency apart from the Finnegan signing.
They signed former Packers center Scott Wells to fill in for the departed Jason Brown. Wells is a formidable player; not too good but not too terrible. He is a good addition. The Rams also made a slightly odd signing in former Dolphins defensive end Kendall Langford. Langford is a good defensive end, but as of now the Rams require no defensive ends in their scheme (Chris Long and Robert Quinn will presumably be the starters). Defensive tackle is a more immediate need, and Langford may be asked to play such a position. After releasing Fred Robbins (along with a slew of other players) last week, the Rams have failed to address this need thus far.

On the other end of the spectrum, the players the Rams failed to sign is just as damning. The Rams failed to pull in defensive end/tackle Jason Jones (previously of the Titans), who instead signed with the rival Seahawks. The Rams failed to grab a top tier o-lineman like former Texan Eric Winston, who signed with the crosstown rival Kansas City Chiefs. The Rams failed to sign a reliable backup quarterback in Shaun Hill, who returned to the Lions. The Rams failed to grab a receiver like Pierre Garcon (signed with Redskins) or Mario Manningham (signed with 49ers), and failed to retain their top receiver from last year in Brandon Lloyd (signed with Patriots). The Rams almost lost Danny Amendola to New England as well, but Amendola figures to stay in St. Louis after the Pats signed both Lloyd and ex-Colt Anthony Gonzalez. If all these failed signings are no consolation, the hated 49ers are also in the running for top free agent quarterback Peyton Manning. With Manning, the 49ers will easily rule the NFC West for the next half-decade. The Rams must focus on being able to defeat other teams out of their division if they wish to at least get a wild-card berth.

The Rams still have a chance to sign a few notable players that are still in the free agency pool. If the Rams do not plan to draft Justin Blackmon, they must focus their efforts on grabbing a wide receiver. Mike Wallace would make a lot of sense if that's the case, considering the first round picks the Rams have stockpiled from the Redskins trade, which is required to grab the restricted free agent Wallace. Otherwise, the Rams have a lot to do in the draft. They have only addressed two areas of need thus far, and need to improve their team rapidly to compete with the steadily improving NFC West foes.
Rams Free Agency Grade thus far: C+

Implications of Rams-Redskins Trade

As you may know by now, the Washington Redskins and the St. Louis Rams pulled off a pre-draft blockbuster trade sending the Rams' second overall pick in the draft to the Redskins. In return, the Rams receive the Redskins' first round pick (number 6 overall), the Redskins' second round pick (number 39 overall), and the Redskins' first rounder in 2013 and 2014. It is without question that the Rams received the better end of this trade. They managed to secure 3 first rounders (with the potential of adding another), as well securing a Top 10 player in this year's draft. A big win for Les Snead in his first year.

The only problem I see with this trade is that the Rams may have traded down a bit too far. To me, this draft has only six "really elite" players. That is, none of these players should fall past pick six: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Matt Kalil, and Trent Richardson. Unfortunately, the Rams may be stuck picking the last person of the group in Richardson. Richardson (along with Luck and RGIII) play positions that the Rams have no need for. Don't get me wrong, the Rams could use talent behind Steven Jackson in the backfield, but spending it on a player this high is just too much. Richardson could become a great back, but he's going to be no use to the Rams if our O-line continues to struggle and our defense doesn't allow us to run time off the clock. The Rams could be in the thick of another draft trade, either slightly up or down. They have all the tools to do it, and with the Vikings and Browns (who, coincidentally, tried to trade with the Rams before the Redskins deal was announced) wanting to trade down, the Rams could still be in the middle of the top 5 selections. What will really count, though, are those future first rounders. Depending on how Robert Griffin III does for the 'Skins, the Rams could be on the road to recovery in the years to come.

Rams Player Needs: Quarterbacks and Runningbacks

The Rams have many need leading into the upcoming NFL Draft, so I'll be taking a look at each one and seeing what could use improvement. First off are quarterbacks and runningbacks.


QUARTERBACKS
The Rams seem pretty much set at starting quarterback. With no inclination to use the second overall pick to draft the highly coveted Robert Griffin III (or alternatively the less coveted but possibly overvalued Ryan Tannehill), the Rams will once again go with Sam Bradford as their man. This was the right decision. Griffin may be an intriguing prospect, but then again there seems to be one every year. Bradford only has two years under his belt, with two different offensive systems. He deserves at least two more years to prove himself. Behind Bradford, though, the situation isn't as clear. Both backups A.J. Feeley and Kellen Clemens will be unrestricted free agents, which could hamper plans for the team to bring both back. Both are important, as evidenced by last season's Week 17 game against the 49ers when the team was forced to go with their last string quarterback in Tom Brandstater after an injury to Clemens (Feeley and Bradford were also injured). Clemens figures to be the more likely of the two to come back, considering his familiarity with new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's system while with the Jets for 4 years. The Rams could also pull a flier on some veteran.

OUTLOOK: The Rams will probably find a way to sign some veteran or re-sign Clemens and/or Feeley. Don't look for them to draft a QB.


RUNNING BACKS
Steven Jackson returns as the undisputed top back, but the Rams will soon need to figure out a contingency plan once Jackson starts to slow down. Jackson, at 28, is still as good as ever, recording his 7th straight season of 1,000 yards rushing. Clearly, however, the Rams backups have been less than spectacular. As of now, the Rams only have Quinn Porter and Chase Reynolds locked up. Porter has shown his value mostly on special teams, and Reynolds is a practice squad guy. Unrestricted free agents Cadillac Williams and Jerious Norwood were only so-so in cleanup duty last season, and it is very possible the Rams will not bring one or both of them back. Considering the beating that Jackson takes every season, it would be wise to invest some sort of tailback this season.

OUTLOOK: Look for the Rams to possibly sign back Norwood or Williams, but not both. The Rams would be wise to take a mid round flier on a running back that can be Jackson's understudy/change-of-pace back.

Should the Rams fire Gregg Williams?

It has been a busy week for the Rams, with many debating who they will trade the second overall pick in the upcoming draft to. The Rams were involved in the news once again on Friday, but not so much in a good way. Details are sketchy right now, but all indications are that a previous Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is in deep trouble right now for allegedly operating a continuous "bounty" scheme in New Orleans. The bounty scheme rewarded players for injuring opposing players with cash or other incentives. Williams supposedly also ran this type of scheme in Tennessee and Washington, although details are not clear on that just yet. Williams, who is now the current defensive coordinator for the Rams, has already admitted to and apologized for his actions. However, commissioner Roger Goodell is sure to come down hard on Williams, as well as the "22 to 27 players" who participated in the scheme. Among others, general manager Mickey Loomis may also be in trouble for lying to owner Tom Benson about the bounties. All in all, the Saints are in a real mess right now.

But then again this blog is about the St. Louis Rams. So, despite the fact that Gregg Williams is currently the Rams DC, what does this whole controversy have to do with his new team? Well for starters Williams is sure to face some sort of suspension from the league offense, so the Rams' short term loss will include not having their DC for a couple of games (or more). Added to the fact is that Williams is now Public Enemy #1 in most of the NFL, and even moreso in the NFC West. The 49ers just played Williams' Saints defense in the NFC Divisional last year and are sure to be looking to exact some revenge on Williams and the hapless Rams defense. The Cardinals are involved in this controversy due to the fact that Williams and the Saints may have had the bounty in place when they met Kurt Warner and the Cards in the 2009 playoffs. Warner was knocked out of the game by a nasty hit, but at the time it was viewed as a clean, hard hit. Now their are questions regarding whether the Saints' championship run was compromised by so-called bounties. Either way, the Cards will not be pleased with Williams, and the Rams must suffer from that extra motivation because of it. This begs the question: should the Rams fire Williams before he even has the chance to work with the team? This seems unlikely for two reasons: the first is obvious given the fact that Williams was just hired and thus has no past history with the team. He should be given the same chance that everyone else gets. The second is that Williams is actually very good friends with new Rams head coach Jeff Fisher. It would be unlikely for Fisher to fire Williams given the relationship and the fact that Fisher is running the show. However, it is possible that Fisher could eventually be dragged into this entire mess, given that he oversaw Williams in Tennessee during several of these bounty schemes. Personally for me, it would be somewhat gratifying to see Williams given the boot considering the allegations against him. Then again, it seems unlikely that he will be let go, so at the moment I've got to reluctantly back him up until the punishments are handed out.