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.