St. Louis Rams Post-Draft Analysis

Here's my immediate post-draft reactions and grades for the Rams 2012 draft class:

Rd. 1, Pick 14: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

As agonizing as the first round seemed to most Rams fans after losing both Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd by one pick, it turns out that Fisher and company were very high on Brockers the whole time. After losing out on Blackmon, Brockers was the next person on the draft board. The Rams certainly needed help at the position, and Brockers has a lot of raw talent with plenty of upside. It is definitely a risky pick, but it's much better than the conservative picks of the Devaney-Spagnuolo era. Overall, it was a good pick.

GRADE: B+

Rd. 2, Pick 33: Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian State

With Stephen Hill, Rueben Randle, and Alshon Jeffery still on the board, the Rams opted to take Quick, who was regarded as a late second round receiver. Quick was apparently on the Rams' radar, but no one else can say they saw this coming. Quick has good size and speed, but perhaps nothing is more important than his ball skills. Ultimately, we'll have to see how he handles himself against top-caliber corners/safeties, but the fact that he's a former basketball player hopefully translates to good hands, something the Rams desperately need.

GRADE: B

Rd. 2, Pick 39: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

Jenkins has tremendous skills, but serious off-the-field concerns. Fisher has never been shy about taking trouble children, so hopefully he can manage Jenkins. If so, Jenkins could be the steal of the draft. If not, Pacman Jones part II is breeding in St. Louis. Hopefully Jenkins can perform and has truly left his past behind, but I have a nervous feeling about this one.

GRADE: B-

Rd. 2, Pick 50: Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati

Pead is a good runner and quality person, but they Rams made a mistake on this one. Pead could have easily been taken in the 3rd round, and considering the talent still available (LaMichael James and Lamar Miller, to name a few), Pead was definitely overdrafted. The Rams definitely need a runningback to back up Steven Jackson, so at least it filled a need.

GRADE: C

Rd. 3, Pick 65: Trumaine Johnson, DB, Montana

Johnson has been really good and has great value for where he was picked. He definitely shores up a shaky Rams secondary, and can have an immediate impact. There are some minor character concerns, but nothing I have heard of that was incredibly damning. Good pick.

GRADE: A-

Rd. 4, Pick 96: Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest

Another good pick. Givens was a third round talent, so to get him in the fourth is a steal. Plus, he fills a need. He can certainly stretch the field and provide another weapon for Bradford to toy with. It's good to see the Rams made up for missing out on Blackmon and Floyd with 2 starting-caliber receivers in Givens and Quick.

GRADE: A

Rd. 5, Pick 150: Rokevious Watkins, G, South Carolina

The Rams certainly needed help up front, but failed to address that early and had to settle on Watkins in the 5th. Watkins may have a chance to start, but he was picked in the 5th round for a reason.

GRADE: C

Rd. 6, Pick 171: Greg Zuerlein, K, Missouri Western

What's with all these indie picks the Rams are making? Never heard of Zuerlein, but the fact that he's a kicker doesn't help either. The Rams have a greater need at punter, where Tom Malone currently holds his spot. Are the Rams trying to send Josh Brown a message?

GRADE: C-

Rd. 7, Pick 209: Aaron Brown, OLB, Hawai'i

The Rams needed an outside 'backer and Brown certainly fits the bill. While he may have to fight for a spot, the Rams are thin at that area and Brown can certainly step in right away. He brings a tenacious Pisa Tinoisamoa-like vibe to the field.

GRADE: B

Rd. 7, Pick 252: Daryl Richardson, RB, Abilene Christian

The Rams are hoping that Richardson provides backup runningback duty if necessary, but he will probably stick to special teams or the practice squad. It was really just a toss-up one pick before Mr. Irrelevant.

GRADE: B

The Rams addressed many issues in the draft, including DT, WR, RB, OG, and OLB. With the team thin at so many positions, look for many of these guys to get reps like they're starters. The team still has a lot of question marks and depth issues, but they're certainly on the right track.

OVERALL DRAFT GRADE: B-

Analyzing the Rams' 2012 schedule

The 2012 NFL schedule is finally out, and I'm still trying to soak it all in. First of all, let's take a look at the Rams' 2012 schedule, game by game:

SEPT 9 @ DETROIT
This is obviously not what the Rams envisioned as they try to ease their way into this season. Hopefully Jeff Fisher will have everyone up to speed by then, because the Rams will need a miracle to beat a completely healthy Detroit squad.

SEPT 16  WASHINGTON
The Redskins will presumably throw RGIII into the fire, and this will be his first start against the team that "could have" drafted him. Fortunately for St. Louis, this is a very winnable game, if not for being at home against a still adjusting Washington team.

SEPT 23 @ CHICAGO
The Bears have become much better with the addition of Brandon Marshall over the offseason. Luckily the wintry weather of Chicago won't be present just yet, so the Rams may have a chance to take this one. But if Cutler and Marshall can connect as often as they did in Denver, the Rams may be in trouble.

SEPT 30  SEATTLE
This game could be a toss-up. The Rams could certainly take this one depending on who is playing for Seattle (for example, does the Matt Flynn experiment work?). I can see the Rams stealing this one too.

OCT 4  ARIZONA
Another home game has the Rams in their only "prime-time" game of the season (even though it's a Thursday night game that only the bar-goers will see). The Rams should certainly take this one as well, since they were oh so close to beating a similar looking Cardinals squad last year. Just watch out for that Patrick Peterson guy.

OCT 14 @ MIAMI
In their first "away" game of the season (that is, outside the Midwest), the Rams travel to Miami in a very winnable game against the disjointed Dolphins. The Rams must view this game as a must-win, not a gimme.

OCT 21  GREEN BAY
The Rams return home just in time for the final stretch before their bye. The Packers didn't play well last year against St. Louis in Green Bay, but still won anyway. If the Rams can play the game close, they may have a chance.

OCT 28  PATRIOTS (in London)
The Rams have their second home game in as many weeks, except it's a bit outside of St. Louis. The Rams travel to London for the first of several games that they will host there over the coming years. Unfortunately, this game will be like playing an away game, much more so for the Rams than the Pats. Chock this one down as a loss.

BYE WEEK
The Rams get a much-needed bye right in the middle of the season, and by that I really mean much needed. The second half is a brutal stretch of mostly away games, so the Rams need to square away any problems this week.

NOV 11 @ SAN FRANCISCO
The tough road games start with a trip to the Bay, where the stalwart Niners will try to defend their NFC West crown. Frankly, I don't think the Niners will be as good as last year, but they will still be able to defeat the Rams, unfortunately.

NOV 18  NEW YORK JETS
The Jets come to town in a game that will possibly feature Tim Tebow as the starting quarterback. The Jets have no reason to believe they can't win this game, and will probably look at it as a "gimme-game". The Rams have to take advantage of this mentality in order to shut down New York.

NOV 25 @ARIZONA
This should be the first "easy" game of the second half of the season, but the Rams shouldn't take this one lightly. We all remember what happened last year when they played too conservatively.

DEC 2  SAN FRANCISCO
Surprisingly, this game could be a win if the Rams play it right. They fought hard last year on reserves, and almost came close to tying the game. They will have to fight hard to win this one.

DEC 9 @ BUFFALO
This could be a cold-weather game against a formidable opponent in the Bills. I can't see the Rams having an easy time with this one. There's always a chance against the up-and-down Bills, though.

DEC 16  MINNESOTA
The Vikings could be a whole new-look team next year, for better or worse. I can see the Rams winning this one at home. The Vikes will either be too injured or too dysfunctional.

DEC 23 @ TAMPA BAY
The Bucs weren't so hot last year, but call that a down year. With several new acquisitions from free agency, they could create a buzz in the NFC South. This one could be tough if the Bucs are vying for a wild-card spot. I think they will come back strong this year.

DEC 30 @ SEATTLE
It seems the Rams are always destined to play one of their last games against division rival Seattle. Although the Rams haven't had much success in Seattle over the last few years, they will try to shed that label and end their season on a high note. I'm assuming that neither of these teams will be in playoff contention, so it'll be a physical game of pride and glory.

So there it is. Overall, according to an ESPN report, the Rams have the fourth toughest overall schedule. My guess is that they'll finish somewhere around 7-9 or 8-8 if everything works out, a dramatic improvement from last year. Maybe even over .500 if they can pull a New Orleans style win from last year. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Grading the Rams' new Nike Uniforms

After several days of digesting and analyzing the new NFL Nike uniforms (which were unveiled on Tuesday), I've been able to formulate some opinions on the new Rams duds. So here's my two cents (or so) on the new unis:

HELMET

The helmet is the same; not sure if Nike had any jurisdiction in this department. The Rams horns do look a little more menacing with the jersey, however.

JERSEY

The Rams jersey looks basically the same as before. The jersey is a little tighter, the shoulder stripes are a little sleeker, and the numbers seem a bit more compact (that is, not as "rounded"). However, the most noticeable change seems to be the collar. The Rams went ahead with Nike's new Flywire collar, designed to perform a fit and snug look around the neckline (so as to avoid this). The Flywire design unfortunately creates a two tone collar effect, with the Rams no longer having a single gold neckline. At first, this seems fine to me, but looking at it more I wonder whether it will have an aesthetically displeasing affect during games. Only time will tell.

PANTS

Pants are a bit different, with a more form fitting shape and possibly slightly different pockets for padding as well. The belt is now protected by side panels, while the striping down the side is now a mesh look. Overall the pants are fine, EXCEPT for the fact that the white pants are now the home pants. The gold pants are gone. This is a shame, as the Rams continue to move farther away from their classic blue and gold (*yellow) look, to their older blue and white look. Although I'm not complaining too much, I think the blue and gold look should be reserved for the past (just looking at the Colts retro unis gives and idea how similar/bland the Rams would look). But we'll get to that in a bit.

SOCKS/SHOES/GLOVES

The new socks look mostly the same, except for a strangely placed Achilles heel padding. At least there's no swooshes on the socks. The shoes look good, but I'd rather go with the white look...matches the bottom of the socks better. The gloves, however, are a complete sham on corporate advertisement. How many touchdowns will it take for fans to get over the fact that the player is simple holding up a version of their logo that, in most cases, is on the field, jerseys, and/or helmet? It's not original, to put it simply. Stick to the college traditions of old, using fingers to represent the U of Miami or the O of Oregon. Plus, exactly how often are Rams fans gonna be able to see this thing demonstrated (sorry, just had to put that in there).

ALTERNATE UNIFORMS

Strangely, the Nike premiere on Tuesday only displayed home uniforms. Away uniforms tend to be similar to home jerseys, besides the fact that they're white (or in Dallas'/Washington's/Miami's case, color). But the biggest attention grabber should come from the team's alternate jerseys. Although no date is set to when teams will show off these new unis, some info has been leaked in some cases. A report by Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams may just use the throwbacks from last year (royal blue and yellow). However, multiple reports (including profootballtalk.com) have stated that the Rams may vie to change it up and go with the blue and white look of yesteryear. This is in part due to the fact that new head coach Jeff Fisher lost to the royal blue and yellow Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV, so such a tribute year in and year out may get him a little agitated on lost dreams. In any case, we'll just have to wait and see on this one.

Overall, I really like the new look. It's very modern and gives the old Rams uniform a slightly updated look that makes for more intimidation. New Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan has said himself that he likes the new duds, so that's always a good sign. Also, considering other new looks from certain division rivals, keeping the same look from the past 10 years (and, in general, the same look from the past half-century) is always a good thing.

GRADE: A-