Klopfenstein probably leaving St. Louis...before the Rams
Turf Show Times — ... Because of injuries and general crappy play thanks to lack of depth the last couple seasons, the Rams signed lots of street free agents and guys off of other teams' practice squads. Since Devaney's arrival, though, the Rams have managed to find the occasional gem. TE ...

How much of a distraction will the sale talk be for the Rams?
Turf Show Times — ... There's a couple layers to it. First, it's reasonable to assume that Devaney and Spagnuolo, as the twin faces of the Rams' day-to-day leadership, will make every effort to minimize the distraction and put building a winning team atop their priorities list. Nevertheless, this is the kind of thing that seeps into places you don't expect it to. The Rams could surprise everyone with a major upset win over a leading contender, but the post-game presser would still feature questions about the potential sale of the franchise. ...

Football Economics: Why the NFL's blackout policy is outdated
Big Cat Country — ... at , however, is it's intended affect and what really happens due to the blackout policy. Intended affect The blackout policy that has been in place since the 1970's is supposed to act as that extra "nudge" to get fans to buy tickets. If the general bowl isn't sold out, no game on TV. The idea is that if ticket sales are lagging, the blackout will hopefully shock enough people into buying tickets that the next home game will be sold out.   Why the Rams and Raiders left Los Angeles A case study of the NFL's ...

Finding the Winning Factors - 3rd/4th Down Conversions
Stampede Blue — ... Packers 712 1724 51 105 41.7% 605 1695 66 140 36.6% Rams 668 1697 78 137 40.7% 616 ...

Titans 80 man roster predictions?
Music City Miracles — ... are definately 1 and 2. In all likelyhood Ramsey is 3rd string if the Titans decide to go into the season with 3 QBs on the depth chart, otherwise he'll be cut before season. That'll leaves Mort's kid on the practice squad until he gets picked up later. ...

Horse Tracks 6/2/09
The Mile High Report — ... Packers in early stages of transition to 3-4 - NFL - Yahoo! Sports Charles Robinson looks at how the 3-4 transition is affecting the Packers' defensive holdovers. The National Football Post | Harvin Will Be Dynamic In 2009 Matt Bowen sees big results out of Percy Harvin this season. The National Football Post | Diner Morning News: Vick & The Rams Mike Lombardi thinks signing Mike Vick would make football sense for the Rams. June 1: Kroenke is Best Hope for St. Louis Rams | ...

Vick to the Rams rumors? Don't buy it.
Turf Show Times — ... Let's see, what could we throw on top of the 'for sale' talk to give Rams fans even more of a distraction? I know, start talking about ...

LA-area stadium developer not looking at the Rams...yet
Turf Show Times — First off, I want to give big thanks to Roger and Moses at KFNS 590 The Fan for having me on Morning Call this morning. It was a great chance to talk Rams. I found this article in the Pasadena, CA newspaper that's been covering the NFL stadium development project in City of Industry. Anyway, the headline reads: Developers of Industry NFL stadium say they're not interested in buying Rams That's a little misleading, though. Nobody from the Roski/Majestic Reality project ever says ...

Unanswered questions in the Rams ownership saga
Turf Show Times — ... So Checketts is in the mix to buy the Rams. That much we know. But I still have some important questions that we really don't have answers for...and may never have answers for. ...

Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 47: WR James Lofton
Buffalo Rumblings — ... .  Lofton would spend the 1994 season splitting time between the Rams and Eagles before retiring following the season. ...

Cowboys cut OLB Greg Ellis
Turf Show Times — ... It's not a stretch to think the guy can still play, especially as a specialist in part of a rotation. Could he be of interest to the Rams? Without a doubt, the Rams could always use another pass rusher, but signing Ellis would give them another DE who will be 34-years-old to start the season, the other being ...

Gonzo Reads Magazines: Yahoo! Sports/Pro Football Weekly 2009 NFL Preview Issue
Daily Norseman — ... the second day of June, and I'm already sitting here holding the first NFL Preview magazine of the year in my hands. Seriously, this is getting out of control. In any event, this preview issue is brought to you by Yahoo! Sports and Pro Football Weekly.  I'm sure that many of the covers will have players specific to a particular part of the country.  Here in Mississippi, however, the version the local Books-a-Million was carrying has Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs' WR Dwayne Bowe, and ...

Horse Tracks 6/3/09
The Mile High Report — ... Dave Checketts, principal owner of the NHL's St. Louis Blues, is heading a group that wants to buy the NFL's Rams and keep the team in the city. ...

Wednesday morning Rams ownership update and thoughts from OTAs
Turf Show Times — ... Buying an NFL team ain't easy, even for rich folks. There are debt limits for team, which hamstring efforts to buy a team or interest in a team since borrowing that money would count against the franchise's debt load. So that means whoever buys the Rams needs to have somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 million for the non-Kroenke share of the team. The PD has  ...

What if the 49ers were to move...?
Niners Nation — ... This is something not unfamiliar to the NFC West. Remember back in 1995 when our, what I believe, most hated rivals (historically at least) the Los Angeles Rams were moved to St. Louis because of a poor stadium, and poor stadium attendance. Unthinkable once upon a time. Imagine telling Eric Dickerson that one day, the LA Rams would play in a dome, under the gateway arch, not on the West Coast. Ludicrous! ...

Saddle Sage: Blitzing in a Tampa 2 scheme
Stampede Blue — ... snatched 22 INTs, but that stat is left nearly meaningless when you see the high amount of TDs allowed and the alarming number of big plays permitted. They surrendered 43 pass plays of 20 yards or more. So, while the Bears clearly felt compelled to blitz in 2008, it seemed to do very little to help their overall pass defense. Maybe that is why Lovie Smith removed the defensive play-calling duties from coordinator Bruce Babich. When Smith was the DC in St. Louis several years ago, the Rams rarely blitzed and had some formidable defenses under his tenure. ...

No love for LA?
Turf Show Times — ... Since learning that the Rams were for sale, it's been widely assumed that if a buyer were to relocate the team, Los Angeles would be the most likely landing spot. After all, it's the second largest media market in the country and has no NFL team and there's a legitimate effort to get a new stadium built there. ...

The Arrowhead Pride Power Rankings; OTA Edition
Arrowhead Pride — ... Although the Lions look to finally be heading in the right direction, it's going to take a lot of time and hard work to climb up from the bottom.   31. Oakland Raiders After that draft it is amazing these guys aren’t ranked dead last. However, the Raiders did win more games than the Chiefs last year…but that won’t happen this year. Next off season the Raiders will be searching for a QB.   32. St. Louis Rams The St Louis (for now) Rams are ...

SI's Banks: Giants No. 5 team in last decade
Big Blue View — ... since the Eagles have not won a Super Bowl this decade. The Eagles, though, have 10 playoff victories -- topped only by the 14 amassed by the Patriots. So, I can understand the choice. Your thoughts? Now let's Tour SB Nation quickly and see what else the fine football bloggers around here are talking about. Windy City Gridiron wonders what Tony Dungy has against Jay Cutler. Turf Show Times wonders if the St. Louis Rams will end up in LA if the team is sold. ...

Putting the attack back in the Rams defense
Turf Show Times — ... There's been plenty of talk about the change in approach on the offensive side of the ball, as you might expect for a team where offense became the brand for awhile. However, the Rams are set for a real sea change on defense, where a new philosophy and a new playbook are being installed. The Rams new head coach, Steve Spagnuolo, made a name for himself as an aggressive defensive coordinator. Now, as head coach he's hired his former co-worker and ...

Our Buc Heroes Are Still On TV
Buc 'Em — ... I'm too young to know what it was like to see Joe Namath in a Rams Uniform, or Johnny Unitas as a Charger. So I can only equate it to recent history, as I'm sure Packer fans throw up seeing ...

2009 is either the end or a new beginning for Bulger
Turf Show Times — ... over the ESPN web site. It's worth a read, but Rams fans won't find any revelations that haven't been covered here and throughout the news and talk radio scene. The piece does do a nice job of recapping the debate that has swirled around Bulger for the last couple seasons. ...

Yes we picked up Beanie Wells, what about the free agent market at RB?
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... Now we all know Edge left and wasn't happy with his situation here. Now this leaves us with Hightower who had 1 100 yard rushing game "against the Rams" and averaged just under 3 yards per carry and a rookie that everyone is falling in love with Chris "Beanie" Wells. Besides these 2 we have Larod Stephens-Howling, ...

How many sacks will the Rams have in 2009?
Turf Show Times — ... Sacks. The Rams will run a more aggressive defense this season that will be attacking opposing quarterbacks, similar to what Spagnuolo did with the ...

Horse Tracks 6/5/09
The Mile High Report — ... NFP - Summertime In The NFL Robert Boland offers his take on the potential Rams sale and the dead of summer in the land of NFL news. ...

Steven Jackson the WR and the backup RB situation
Turf Show Times — ... For June, there's actually a ton of Rams stuff to talk about, so let's jump right in with some thoughts on Steven Jackson. ...

Urlacher is a Rockstar and Pisa is His Screaming Groupie
Windy City Gridiron — ... and the Rams have played a few times in the last few years, I'm sure Urlacher is familiar with the linebackers on the the other teams.  Maybe Pisa is just overdoing it a bit to get on his good side. ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Tight Ends
Niners Nation — ... and follow that up with an absolute bonehead decision. We decided to go with tight end for today's discussion and came up with the rankings below.  A healthy Randy McMichael could possibly move the Rams to second, but for now I think the 49ers are at least second best in the division.  Maybe better?  Guess it depends on your thoughts on second year Seahawks TE John Carlson. 1. Seattle Seahawks 2. San Francisco 49ers 3. St. Louis Rams 4. Arizona Cardinals Seattle ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Tight Ends
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... the replacement for Bajema, I'd imagine his primary task this year will be in the run game. However, he might turn into an upgrade over Bajema in the receiving game. Bajema had two receptions last season, which was two more than the previous two seasons combined. When Bajema was on the field, it was safe to cheat off him as a defender. Bear appeared to be a solid receiver at Fresno State, so hopefully he can keep defenders a little more honest. Grade C St. Louis Rams - Turf Show Times With the ...

49ers Year-by-Year: 1988
Niners Nation — ... Denver Broncos L: 16-13 4-2 3-3 Oct, 16 @ Los Angeles Rams W: 24-21 5-2 5-2 ...

NFC West Roundtable: Tight End
Field Gulls — ... With the coaching situation and the offense finally looking like they'll have some much needed stability, the Rams are counting on ...

Tim Carter surprises; notes from practice
Turf Show Times — And a good Saturday morning to you. Just wanted to pass along a couple links you may have missed. Sando puts down a few observations on the Rams Friday practice. Among the highlights: Keep an eye on WR Tim Carter, interesting. He calls Jason Smith "physically impressive" and notes that he might add more weight. I'm anxious to see Smith work with pads on. Laurinaitis is starting to make some defensive calls. He'll quarterback the defense, along with SS James Butler, so that he's into the playbook enough to ...

Valentine's Views: Twitter is changing the world
Big Blue View — ... Twitter lets athletes speak on their own terms. "It's going to be useful during the season, because after a game, I'll be able to say my piece instead of just allowing different media outlets to portray me how they want to portray me," said St. Louis Rams running back ...

Rams wrap minicamp; TST shuts down Marvez
Turf Show Times — ... The Rams finished up their final minicamp yesterday. They'll pickup with OTAs this week until the middle of the month and then it's silence, oh that long silence, until camp starts at the end of July. One thing to remember about minicamp and OTAs, no pads. This is all about learning the playbook and getting some conditioning work; the players are going through the motions without pads, so judge results accordingly.  ...

Polian-Era Colts Draft History: First Round Picks
Stampede Blue — ... One interesting thing about his college career is that he completed his degree after 3 years but returned for his senior season.  If Peyton made the choice that almost every other athlete would make, he would be playing for the Rams. ...

Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 44: K Steve Christie
Buffalo Rumblings — ... After his solid two-year stint in Tampa, including being named an All-Pro in 1990, Christie came to the Bills as an immediate upgrade over the solid Scott Norwood.  He nailed a pair of field goals in the opener against the Rams on his way to a very good season.  He finished the year 24 of 30 on FG attempts - an 80% success rate, which was a major improvement over Norwood's 62% the previous year.  His biggest moment of the season came in his first career playoff game, when he kicked the game-winner in overtime against the Oilers in the ...

Atogwe angling for a long-term deal, keeping the nuclear option on the table
Turf Show Times — ... Does anyone besides Rams FS OJ Atogwe understand why he hasn't signed his franchise tender...worth a cool $6.342 million? ...

When good predictions go bad: Random Ramsdom, 6/9/09
Turf Show Times — ... This year marks the 10th anniversary of the St. Louis Rams expectations defying run to the Super Bowl...what predictions won't work out this year? I'm hoping the doom and gloom forecast for the Rams receivers is on this list. ...

Abram Elam: A Solid Investment at Safety for the Cleveland Browns
Dawgs By Nature — ... returned for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams. Finally in Week 15 against the Bills again, Elam forced a fumble with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. Defensive lineman ...

Will the next generation of Rams receivers emerge this season?
Turf Show Times — The Rams are getting critical eyes from all sides fixed on their wide receiver situation. Questions about the lack of veteran presence have recently dominated talk about the Rams rebuilding efforts. The concern is certainly understandable; whenever you have that many unproven names at a skill position like that, you can't just assume success. There's no precedent. Personally, I'm taking a wait and see approach, and I offer you this post merely as conversation fodder. Comparing the great Isaac Bruce to another, younger player is a touchy ...

Predicting the NFC South, It is never too early to start
Sports Page Atlanta — ... I actually envy the Saints for getting this easy of a schedule.  The Rams aren't going to get their upset.  Another W for the Saints. ...

Predicting the future of Marc Bulger
Turf Show Times — ... We get all kinds of inquiries about the Rams, especially when it comes to fantasy football stuff. So, the other day when I got an email from a fantasy "expert" asking me what I thought ...

Wednesday Notes: Jim Schwartz to Head to MIS on Sunday
Pride Of Detroit — ... and FanShots coming and we'll get to training camp in no time. Jim Schwartz, fresh off his honorary first pitch at a Tigers game this past Sunday, is going to be at Michigan International Speedway this coming Sunday to wave the green flag to start NASCAR's Lifelock 400.  He also will get to ride in the pace car and attend the drivers' meeting.   The Lions are the worst-rated team in Madden NFL 10, coming in at 65, one point lower than the Rams. Some NFL Network analysts talked about the Lions' ...

NightLink: Top 10 Single-Season Performances in Chicago Bears History
Windy City Gridiron — ... , or his sack and forced fumble (that Wilbur Marshall returned for a TD) as the snow started to fall against the L.A. Rams. ...

Rookie contract guessing game: Random Ramsdom, 6/11
Turf Show Times — ... first round draft pick, and 5th overall, signed a five-year deal worth up to $60 million with $28 million guaranteed. That's a lot of money - repeat the mantra after me - "for a guy who has yet to see a single NFL snap." Well, it's true. Still, that's hardly Matt Stafford's six-year, $72 million ($41 million guaranteed). deal. What's this tell us about how the contracts will look for the players picked between Stafford and Sanchez, such as the Rams second overall pick OT ...

Bills' Maybin, Schobel must rejuvenate historically bad pass rush
Buffalo Rumblings — ... to resuscitate a historically awful Bills pass rush along with now-healthy veteran Schobel, himself the recipient of many questions surrounding his possibly-declining skill set.  While a much-improved pass rush is critical to the Bills' on-field fortunes in 2009 - particularly in the AFC East - Maybin and his cohorts won't have to do much to top last season's terrible statistical output. 2008: Buffalo's worst sacking season? The "sack", a term coined by Rams Hall of Fame DL Deacon Jones, was not an official NFL statistic ...

Small receivers, the next big thing?
Turf Show Times — ... Ok, now here's an interesting add-on to what's been a constant discussion of the Rams wide receiver situation: it's not the size, it's how you use it...when it comes to receivers that is, according ...

Michael Vick to the Rams rumors surface again
Turf Show Times — ... Truth is such a malleable thing, hence "truthiness." Anyway, the natural extension of that thought goes directly into the evolution of a rumor, and the Rams are still in the middle of a doozy of an offseason rumor...you know, the one that has the team hot on the trail of recently released, from jail and the ...

Former Chiefs Quarterback Trent Green Retires
Arrowhead Pride — Trent Green receives the Governor's Cup for beating the St. Louis Rams One of the best quarterbacks to ever wear a Kansas City Chiefs uniform has decided to call it quits.  Trent Green was the leader of one of not just the best Chiefs offenses, but one of the best the entire NFL has ever seen.  Green tells Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com that the time has come. "I feel this is finally the right time," Green said while on vacation with his family. "I've talked about ...

NFC West Roundtable: Center
Field Gulls — ... Turf Show Times Blogger: VanRam The Rams have struggled to find a center since age caught up to Andy McCollum during the 2006 season, and the team parted ways with the then-37-year-old center after an injury riddled 2007 campaign. Heading into 2008, Mark Setterstrom looked like an odds on favorite for the job, but injuries got to him early in camp. The undersized, overmatched duo of Nick Leckey and Brett Romberg started at center for the Rams last season, making the middle of the offensive ...

Centered: NFC West position review of centers
Turf Show Times — ... St. Louis Rams The Rams have struggled to find a center since age caught up to Andy McCollum during the 2006 season, and the team parted ways with the then-37-year-old center after an injury riddled 2007 ...

Mike Martz weighs in on the 2009 Rams
Turf Show Times — ... a few things to say about the Rams this season. Turning it over to Mad Mike... Can Bulger bounce back: Absolutely he can. What will affect him more than anything, as it does all QBs, is the status of the offensive line. If you have an acceptional offensive line, and average WRs a QB can still excel. The other way around is difficult. Everything begins and ends in the offensive line. And the Rams in 2009? I think the St. Louis Rams will be the surprise team in the NFL this year. ...

Top 10 Chicago Bear Individual Game Performances This Decade
Windy City Gridiron — ... In 2006 Devin Hester ran 2 punts back against he Rams, so taking 2 to the house wasn’t anything new, but in 2007 teams started flat out refusing to even kick to him.  For some reason the ...

Best available free agent list offers little help for the Rams
Turf Show Times — Ok, armchair general managers, here's your chance to round out the Rams roster with this handy dandy list of best available free agents. Since this is a list of offensive players, direct your attention to the names at running back and wide receiver. Well? Not many names on that list that would be of much use to the Rams. The backup running backs are a particularly older lot. The injury-riddled Selvin Young is the youngest of the bunch and he's out until September (maybe) with back issues. The rest of the list would have a hard time ...

The Rooney Rule? Worthwhile, or Cumbersome and Unnecessary?
Cat Scratch Reader — ... In an interesting case, Rooney Rule procedures could have cost Jim Haslett the Rams' head coaching job this past year.  When he was named interim coach, a clause was inserted into his contract where he was to be granted the permanent position if the team were to have won six games under his direction.  However, because this would have bypassed an interview process which would have included a minority, the NFL nullfied this clause.  As we now know, the Rams won only two games under Haslett and ultimately decided to go a different direction, ...

If The Rams Suck This Year...
Turf Show Times — ... If the Rams suck this year, at least there will be other entertainment on the field to watch. The Rams recently names their 2009 Cheerleaders. Here is a link to the pictures. ( ...

Defensive free agent list doesn't offer much either
Turf Show Times — ... , it's slim pickens on this list too. As you can see, many of the players left out there are spare parts, cogs for existing machines rather than those being rebuilt. Few players fit the "ascending" label the Rams are looking for in acquiring free agents. ...

Rams quietly eye a WR...from the WFL
Turf Show Times — What the heck is the WFL? What in the world are the Rams doing scouting a player in WFL? To answer the first question, you need to recall a bit of history. The time: the mid-70s. The war in Vietnam was drawing to a close, the sixties were long passed and a national malaise was setting in. The World Football League was a short lived experiment to compete with the NFL...it didn't. Maybe it was that whole national malaise thing. Anyway, it's baaaaaack. This time as an (another) indoor football league, drawing on ...

Brandon Marshall anyone?
Turf Show Times — ... is requesting a trade.This would bring in the veteran presence the Rams need.Now some of you would probably that Spags wouldn't like him because of The four pillars stuff but hes coming offa 6 TD season and both of our starters combined for 6.  He also has a big frame which we need. ...

Donte Stallworth Sentenced to Just 30 Days in Jail
Dawgs By Nature — ... after all this season. UPDATE (1:31 PM): According to Maria Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal... An NFL source said commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to discipline Browns receiver Donte' Stallworth before the start of training camp after he pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter Tuesday. Hopefully that league source wasn't me (see earlier in post). Only kidding. Ridenour also cites a case from 1998: Rams defensive end Leonard Little pleaded guilty to voluntary ...

2008 Season Retrospective: Julius Jones
Field Gulls — ... pass blocker. Something Seattle has not had in a running back since John L. Williams. And Williams was a fullback. He was a competent receiver though rarely targeted. In his good weeks he showed decent moves and more power than expected. Jones was an undemanding running back that took his assigned hole and did with it what could reasonably be expected. He has good vision, accelerates smoothly and is quick enough to take advantage of cutback lanes. Quintessential Game: Rams at Seahawks Last non-special teams play of ...

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Pour One Out For Winkler Edition
Music City Miracles — ... fans.  It's science.) in the Music City Miracle, and being one yard too short to keep our championship dreams afloat against the Rams.  ...

By the numbers: First and second down shortcomings
Turf Show Times — ... does on first and second down might be more important, in terms of consistency and setting up more frequent opportunities for third downs and/or an extra set of downs, the things that move a team down the field and get them closer to the scoring. First and second down performance, in fact, is a better predictor of a team's consistency and future success than the less frequent, more volatile third down situations. (More on this notion at Football Outsiders). So what about the Rams offense on first and second downs? First of all, let's start ...

Finding the Winning Factors - 3 & Outs
Stampede Blue — ... 31.0% 488 1419 34.4% Chiefs 449 1444 31.1% 449 1441 31.2% Rams 459 1473 31.2% 490 ...

On the aisle with TST
Turf Show Times — ... so I jumped on the internet (source of ADHD?) and started looking for a good list of football movies.  And this is what I found...Mostly, it's a way for Spike TV to pimp the Michael Irvin show and some of the flicks they run to fill air space.  Anyway, I thought "to hell with this." I can get a better list from my peeps at TST. So I submit the question to you: what's your favorite football movie(s)?  Bonus points if you can relate the plot to the Rams. Also, we'll carry this discussion over on our twitter ...

On Bills middle linebackers and fan expectations
Buffalo Rumblings — ... Fletcher has two statistical categories here: one for his early years (this is the bottom row, and includes data from his time with the St. Louis Rams), and one from his first two seasons in Buffalo (the middle row; Fletcher was a four-year vet by that point in his career).  You can see that in terms of our favorite category - "big plays" - Fletcher holds a distinct advantage at both points in his career.  However, just like when ...

Why a long-term deal matters for Atogwe
Turf Show Times — ... . This year, we're keeping an eye on the contract situation of Rams FS OJ Atogwe. For the ballhawking safety, the situation is a little different. The Rams used the franchise tag to retain Atogwe's services, with the intention of negotiating a long term contract in the very near future. OJ, however, has yet to sign the franchise offer - though he is practicing, not holding out - waiting to see what the Rams commitment to him is. For more on Atogwe's situation, see ...

Of pillars and paucity, part 1 of 2
Turf Show Times — ...     For those of you who may not be familiar with the "four pillars" of Spagnuolo's approach to heading up the Rams, ...

Former Rams populate the UFL
Turf Show Times — ... and Damon Suggs. But the rosters of the UFL's four teams have a some names Rams fans will recognize. Leading that list is none other than ...

FedEx's Fred Smith interested in buying the Rams?
Turf Show Times — ... The St. Louis Business Journal is reporting that FedEx founder and CEO Fred Smith has emerged as a potential buyer for the St. Louis Rams. Smith does meet one huge qualification for buying Chip Rosenbloom and his sister Lucia Rodriguez's share of the Rams: he has Scrooge McDuck-swimming-pool-of-cash levels of money. He also has an interest in owning a football team, and currently owns a 10% stake in the Redskins, which he'd have to sell in order to purchase the Rams. From the story: "Fred Smith would be an ...

NFC West Roundtable: Offensive Tackle
Field Gulls — ... The Rams enter new territory this season with long time fixture on the offensive line Orlando Pace gone, released and later signed by the Bears. It would be hard for many Rams fans to imagine life without Pace on the offensive line if they hadn't already had a taste of that since Pace has played in less than half of the team's games over the last three seasons. Moving Alex Barron from the right to the left side was the first move of the post-Pace era. Barron has always been a solid blocker in both facets of the offense, but many ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Offensive Tackle
Niners Nation — ... but the real question is what we'll get from Marvel Smith.  There's also of course Adam Snyder and Alex Boone to create some depth, so who knows what'll happen. I'd say it's probably easier to compare offensive tackles than centers.  Given that Kurt Warner stayed on his feet most of last season, the Cardinals might be grading on a tough curve.  We came up with the following rankings: 1. Seattle Seahawks 2. San Francisco 49ers 3. St. Louis Rams 4. Arizona Cardinals ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Offensive Tackles
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... the same time, Joe Staley did struggle at times and will need to show continued improvement (which I am confident we'll see). And of course, Marvel Smith has to prove he can stay healthy. If he goes down, Snyder is a capable backup, but in the end that's all he is for now. If we had minuses or pluses I'd probably go B-/C+, but I'll round down for now and expect to be proven wrong. Grade: C St. Louis Rams - Turf Show Times The Rams enter new territory this season with long time fixture on the ...

J.P. Losman, two other ex-Bills moving on to UFL
Buffalo Rumblings — ... Joining Tripplett at UFL Orlando is DE Eric Powell, who played exactly one game in Bills career - the 2007 season-opening loss to the Denver Broncos, a game known in Bills lore as the final game of TE Kevin Everett's career.  Powell has not played in any NFL games since.  The Orlando native will play for his hometown UFL franchise, coached by another man with ties to the Bills organization - former linebacker and Saints and Rams head coach Jim Haslett. Poll Are ...

Fred Smith & the Rams: interested buyer or bargaining chip?
Turf Show Times — ... Yesterday, the name Fred Smith, FedEx founder and CEO, floated to the surface as a potential buyer for the Rams, but there's something in this story worth pointing out. Smith has yet to actually throw his hat in the ring and state publicly that he's interested in owning Chip Rosenbloom and his sister's share of the Rams. Others have brought Smith's name to the fore in the Rams-for-sale saga. ...

History of the Bills: 1974-1978
Buffalo Rumblings — ... in the tenth, and linebacker Jerry Blanton in the eleventh.  The Bills also parted ways head coach Jim Ringo and signed away Chuck Knox from the St. Louis Rams.  ...

Ranking the OTs in the NFC West
Turf Show Times — ... For deep depth there's Na'Shan Goddard, who's more size than athlete, and William Robinson, who's more athlete than size. (He's built like basketball player.) The grade flexes on Jones. Without him it's an average unit that could collapse. Greater exposure may prove Locklear incapable of playing left tackle. Neither Locklear nor Willis are consistently healthy. There's "A" potential and there's "F" potential. I'll put my faith in Walter and call it a "B". St. Louis Rams The Rams enter new territory this season with ...

Is the running back depth already set; USC linebacker tandem; Walker's weekend observations
Cincy Jungle — ... "Fullback/tailback Brian Leonard, who was recently acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Rams, is getting a lot of carries at tailback..." ...

Fearless TST predictions for the NFC West
Turf Show Times — ... Optimism abounds this time of year. Even for long-suffering Rams fans there's always plenty of hope to go around in the early dog days of summer. That holds especially true this year now that the Jay Zygmunt statue in front of Rams Park has been torn down and beaten with shoes. But will these changes translate immediately to success on the field for the Rams? ...

I feel so betrayed... Tim Rattay's Twitter Account is a Fake
Niners Nation — ... , November 2nd, 2003 vs. the St. Louis Rams. Back in the day where He-Who-Shal-Not-Be-Named was head coach of the ...

Chiefs One of Ten Teams That Haven't Signed a Draft Pick
Arrowhead Pride — ... teams that haven't signed a draft pick along with a(nother) look at when the Chiefs might sign their draft picks. The Chiefs aren't alone.  Nine other teams have not signed a draft pick either (Number of draft picks in parentheses):  Buffalo Bills (8), Carolina Panthers (7), Cleveland Browns (8), Dallas Cowboys (12), Indianapolis Colts (8), Jacksonville Jaguars(9), New Orleans Saints (4), Oakland Raiders (7), St. Louis Rams (7) (H/T to the always resourceful Mac's ...

NFL History 1941-1969 (Part 2)
Windy City Gridiron — ... 1946 was the integration year for the NFL, after the LA Rams signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode. Side Note: Baseball integrated in 1947. Just thought you might like to know. ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #10
Arrowhead Pride — ... and Rams before making his way back to Kansas City in 1973. Over his five year career in KC, Beathard completed 43.3% of his passes; passed for 1,649 yards; and had an 8:13 TD to INT ratio. ...

Smith not interested in buying the Rams
Turf Show Times — ... Last Friday the Rams-for-sale saga took an interesting, hopeful (for those who'd like to see the team stay in STL anyway) turn when a report surfaced that FedEx founder and CEO Fred Smith ...

How Many Wins?
Field Gulls — ... Completely ignoring games outside of the division, it's fair to expect some better competition within the West. The Rams, ...

A look at past Jim Johnson proteges
Bleeding Green Nation — ... 8 years with the Eagles coaching botht he secondary and linebackers. He was hired away by the New York Giants in 2007 and using Jim Johnson's system and attacking philosophy, completely transformed the Giants defense into one of the best NFL. That defense carried New York to a super bowl victory in Spag's first year. Spagnuolo turned down an offer to coach the Redskins' that summer and one year later ended up accepting an offer to become the head coach of the St Louis Rams. Spags wasn't the only former Jim Johnson assistant to coach ...

Position Battles: Who is the greatest Rams RB?
Turf Show Times — ... Now that there is virtually nothing going on in the world of football, I thought it would be a good time to dedicate a few posts to the history of the team. It seems especially pertinent as we wait out a the start of a couple new chapters in the team's history thanks to the front office/coaching changes and the "for sale" sign hanging out front. With a couple of long-time Rams nearing a special place in the team record book, I thought it would be a good time to go back and take a look at players at key positions, and start a conversation about which player ...

Position battles: Finding the Rams all-time QB
Turf Show Times — ... Let's continue the all-time team debate with quarterback. Unlike running back, where you had two cut and dry viable candidates in Dickerson and Faulk that could easily claim the title, the franchise history at QB is a little less clear. And the debate definitely requires a look back into the Rams' team history. ...

49ers Year-by-Year: 1989
Niners Nation — ... @ Philadelphia Eagles W: 38-28 3-0 2-1 Oct. 1 Los Angeles Rams L: 13-12 3-1 4-0 ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Offensive Guards
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... talent than you'll find on many rosters, and that alone keeps this from being an "F". I'll grade them "D" knowing they could gel and be better, or they could flunk in shifts, giving Seattle a revolving door of failure the holiday season through. The rankings were relatively easy with the only contention being the middle two slots. In the end we practically flipped a coin so consider the second and third teams in the rankings nearly interchangeable. St. Louis Rams Arizona Cardinals San Francisco ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Guards
Niners Nation — ... on the 49ers guards, I think the 49ers are in an excellent position for 2009.  If they let Dave Baas go after this season as a free agent things may change going forward.  However, these posts are about the team's status at each position in 2009.  And in 2009, the potential and production at guard is looking good.  The rankings list the 49ers third, but I think the top three teams in the division are actually bunched fairly close together. 1. St. Louis Rams 2. Arizona Cardinals 3. San Francisco 49ers 4. Seattle ...

NFC West Roundtable: Offensive Guard
Field Gulls — ... Starting at left guard for the Rams is 2008's big free agent acquisition, Jacob Bell. Signed away from the Titans, Bell dealt with a hamstring injury and watched his play fade down the stretch, to the point where when combined with the Rams' undersized centers Nick Leckey and Brett Romberg the middle of the line became a real liability. Part of the problem was that Bell played at 280 lbs last season, well below his listed weight of 296 lbs. Whether that was due to the hamstring injury or poor choices in an offseason ...

NFC West position review: Guarded optimism for Rams guards
Turf Show Times — ... raw, raw, raw. It's a less than the sum of its parts bunch, because there's very little stability and each has some fatal flaw that could prove their professional doom. Still, it's a talented bunch, with better, deeper talent than you'll find on many rosters, and that alone keeps this from being an "F". I'll grade them "D" knowing they could gel and be better, or they could flunk in shifts, giving Seattle a revolving door of failure the holiday season through. St. Louis Rams, represented by, well, us Starting at left ...

Ten Patriots for 2009: No. 10, K Stephen Gostkowski
Pats Pulpit — ... .  NE won that game 24-17 and later defeated the "Greatest Show on Turf" St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI by...wait for it...a field goal.  Vinatieri would go on to be one of the most clutch kickers in the game, helping the Patriots win two subsequent Super Bowls, both by three points.  The importance of his field goals can't be denied.  Adam would later move to the ...

Know you Rams...Sunday morning trivia round up
Turf Show Times — ... Happy Sunday morning everyone. As you may have heard, there's not much new in the way of football to talk about. That's okay, we'll need a little breather before camp starts and things get really crazy...in a good way. Since this has kind of been history week on the site, I thought for a lazy Sunday it might be fun to have some trivia. The prize? You get the satisfaction of being a walking, talking textbook of Rams knowledge. Impress your friends! I'm going to throw out a few questions this morning, take a stab at them in the comments. Hint, all this ...

Rams trivia answers
Turf Show Times — ... That's true. No Rams returner has ever scored a kick return and a punt return TD in the same season. Much of that has to do with different players splitting those duties. ...

Patriots Links 6/29/09 - Wes Welker a Giver, Not Just a Receiver
Pats Pulpit — ... online chat. Mike Reiss Trent Dilfer on managing Brady, Patriots offense. Jeff Howe Brady and Moss ready to rock 'n' roll again in 2009. Dale and Holley Recap The Tradition event on WEEI. (18 min. audio) Kristin Merrill Boston-sized personalities. Mike Reiss follows the career of New England native Steve Spagnuolo up through the coaching ranks to head coach of the St. Louis Rams, plus more NFL news and notes. LONG ...

New looks on the Rams defensive line
Turf Show Times — ... One of the things I'm really looking forward to is the new look Spagnuolo and coordinator Ken Flajole are giving the Rams defense. Their re-interpretation will have the defense constantly on the attack, as opposed to running set plays and relying on sideways movement and specific gap assignments. ...

Hogs Haven chats with Redskins LB Robert Henson
Hogs Haven — ... out?   Robert: I told myself I'm not going to look at the schedule until I make the 53. Sugar: What about some other guys you played in college with the last year or two. Robert: Our safety last year Stephen Hodge got drafted by the Cowboys. We were playing up the rivalry. Jason Phillips went to Baltimore. The last few years we haven't got much respect in the draft. Two guys made it last year. David Roach the Safety (Rams) and David Hawthorne to Seattle. We'll see each other ...

Successful offensive drives rare for the Rams in '08; will '09 be any better?
Turf Show Times — ... That's the Rams offense's drive success rate, which measures the percentage of the team's offensive drives that result in another first down or a touch down. Clearly in the "F" territory were a teacher assigning grades based on that percentage, and deservedly so. That's the  ...

Chiefs Paying $14 Million Per Win
Arrowhead Pride — ... 21  $24 0 16. Jets   $502.53 37  $13.6 1 17. Rams   $502.08 27  $18.6 1 ...

Rams giving WFL WR Prentiss Elliott a tryout?
Turf Show Times — ... Is it going to be the Rams that give him a chance in the big leagues? An assistant coach with the Thunder, Thom Roundtree, ...

49ers Power Rankings: The 10 most important players for 2009
Niners Nation — ... : The young receiver was blowing things up in training camp before a staph infection started an injury plagued rookie regular season.  When healthy (in pre AND regular season), Morgan showed some serious play-making skills, most notably on that game winning touchdown against the Rams.  If one receiver is going to step up this season, I think Moran will be that guy. ...

Informal: ‘09 NFC West Division Predictions
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... Cards lose on the road to SF and Seattle; Niners lose to Cards and 'Hawks on road; Seattle loses to everyone on the road; Rams sneak one out against the 'Hawks at home.  More importantly I have the Cards going 6-4 against the rest of the schedule which is a three-game improvement over last year and the kind of "progress" I expect to see out of this year's squad.  As long as the Cards have one home playoff game I like their chances of making another long playoff run. ...

Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 37: TE Pete Metzelaars
Buffalo Rumblings — ... With the rise of the K-Gun offense, McKeller was more crucial to the success of the passing game, putting up 98 receptions for 1,239 yards and 10 touchdowns from 1989 to 1991.  In contrast, Metzelaars' role as a blocker limited him to just 33 receptions for 293 yards and 5 touchdowns during the three year stretch.  However, his blocking was a crucial part of Thurman Thomas' ascension to elite running back status.  With an injury to McKeller in week 1 against the Rams, Metzelaars would become a receiving weapon against as McKeller would miss ...

Lions Announce Creation of New Season-Ticket Packages
Pride Of Detroit — ... to other season ticket plans and individual game tickets. Priority to purchase existing seat locations for any playoff game. Half-Season Plans Half-Season Plan A: Atlanta Falcons (8/15), Minnesota Vikings (9/20), Pittsburgh Steelers (10/11), Cleveland Browns (11/22), Arizona Cardinals (12/20). Half-Season Plan B: Indianapolis Colts (8/29), Washington Redskins (9/27), St. Louis Rams (11/1), Green Bay Packers (11/26), Chicago Bears ...

NightLink: Hester in Wildcat, and Dvoracek's Job Safe?
Windy City Gridiron — ... Given Devin Hester’s rare athletic ability, I’d say the possibilities are endless in terms of how he could be utilized on offense. I know that last season he lined up inside and outside and also ran one play out of the Wildcat formation, taking a direct snap and running for 12 yards in a win over the St. Louis Rams. I’m sure we can expect more of the same this year. ...

Revelations! John and I track the trajectory of the NFL
Big Cat Country — ... I sipped the tea, relaxed, my eyes closed and I began to drift away into time and space. Whatever thought came to me I was to follow it, and the first thought was NFL October, 1958. Why? I don't know, but off I went. The thought image took me to every NFL stadium during game time. Some stadiums were packed with excitement. The LA Rams had 83,600 people, San Francisco had 52,500, the ...

The Rams 10 most important players for 2009
Turf Show Times — ... It's the first of July, and that means we are officially less than one month from the start of training camp. You can kind of start to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. For the Rams, this year's training camp is more important than ever, as the team starts to answer big questions as the players suit up and physical play starts. We'll get into those questions and the position battles lots more as camp plays out. ...

Know Thy Enemy 2009: Atlanta Falcons - Sunday, October 11
Niners Nation — ... Equally important, it will be a huge measuring stick.  If the team is playing well the 49ers should be 2-2 at this point, and even then 3-2 is just so much better than 2-3.  And, of course, heading into the bye week, the team has an opportunity at a 2-game winning streak given that they play the Rams at home the week before.  Either way, this is a huge game early in the season. ...

BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack- Lockout Edition
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... , Buster Ramsey.  The thing that makes it relevant to Steeler nation is one of the letters from the Bills is addressed to the then commisoner, Joe Foss.  In the letter the Bills accuse St. Lious Rams assistant coach Chuck Noll of conspiring to steal a player from the Bills.  I wonder what this Chuck Noll fella went on to do in the NFL? ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Third Running Back
Stampede Blue — ... Analysis: I like Mike Hart and I have a ton of respect for him. However, there is just something about Lance Ball that makes you root for him. An undrafted kid out of Maryland, Ball landed with the St. Louis Rams early in 2008 only to eventually get picked up by the Colts. Not long after signing Ball, the Colts had him playing in the running back rotation. His biggest controbution came in Week 17 against the ...

Finding the Winning Factors - Drive Success Rate
Stampede Blue — ... Chargers 2458 190 158 1425 72.3% 2489 189 101 1481 70.0% Rams 2504 184 100 1473 70.1% 2391 ...

Spagnuolo will have a 'Ram tough' camp to mold the team
Turf Show Times — ... Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo sat down for an interview with the Sporting News. Mostly, he covered the points that have already been covered, but there were a few things that grabbed my attention.  Obviously, he reiterated the Steven Jackson-as-center-of-the-offense theme...people are really going to be surprised when the Rams end up passing on 50% of their plays.  Which of the four pillars has really been seen on the field? Team first, of course. "The 'team first' is always going to be ...

My new favorite Ram: Mike Karney
Turf Show Times — ... Like so many of you here, I'm a life long, die hard Ram's fan, so that makes this story that much better.  It's a great story even if you are not a Rams fan. ...

Caption this...
Turf Show Times — ... If Atogwe doesn't sign his franchise tender by July 15, he cannot sign a long-term deal with the team during the season, which is what both he and the Rams are after. He can sign a one-year deal, but he'll then have to go through restricted free agency again, thanks to the voided CBA, missing out on the kind of pay day he wants. So, keep an eye out for news on that front.  ...

49ers' Year-by-Year: 1990
Niners Nation — ... Tampa Bay Buccaneers W: 7-31 10-0 4-7 Nov. 25 Los Angeles Rams L: 28-17 10-1 4-7 ...

Broncos Dreams and Musings July 3, 2009
The Mile High Report — ... When Parcells won the Super Bowl against the LA Rams in January of 1991, he leaned over to Will McDonough for the Boston Globe who had also been a long time friend, and while waiting for the post game press conference to begin he loudly whispered two words: "Power Football!" During the days following conference, he noted the same thing twice more: ...

Historical Perspective VI - 1973
The Phinsider — ... and the Los Angeles Rams for the top record in the league .  Dick Anderson, Safety, had a team high 8 interceptions, with 163 return yards and two touchdowns and was named AP Defensive PLayer of the Year.  Safety ...

Looking back on a Season: 2001
Acme Packing Company — ... It was never really a game. We lost 45-17. I'd like to think that the Rams ran the score up on us but I honestly believe we were really just that bad that day.  ...

Did the Rams overpay C Jason Brown? Maybe, but it should be worth it.
Turf Show Times — Just how important is Jason Brown to the Rams plans? Enough that the team will pay him enough to make him one of the 50 richest professional athletes in the US, according to Sports Illustrated's "Fortunate 50." Ok, so he's not making Tiger Woods money or anything like that, but Brown, an offensive lineman, made the list, tied at #48 with 36-year-old MLB pitcher Derek Lowe.  Now, let's put this in perspective. Jason Brown, did we mention this, is an offensive lineman...not one of those precious left tackles either. The ...

Former Kansas City Chiefs Coordinator Talks Matt Cassel, Larry Johnson
Arrowhead Pride — ... Saunders coached and later came back to coach again with two teams - the Chiefs and Rams.  Boy, I wouldn't mind one bit of Saunders came back to Kansas City as a coordinator.  No knock against Chan Gailey, who's done a fine job in his own right, but Saunders is the class of offensive coordinators. ...

Wildcat-ing: Random Ramsdom, 4th of July edition
Turf Show Times — ... Happy 4th of July Rams fans...and everyone else too. I hope you get a chance to enjoy the day and celebrate our great country by blowing up a small piece of it in your backyard this weekend. Be careful though; it'll be hard to taunt the  ...

Steve McNair found shot to death
Turf Show Times — ... This is really sad news on the 4th of July. I remember McNair well from fantasy leagues...a double threat. And, of course, Rams fans will remember him from the '99 Super Bowl championship when the Rams beat the ...

History of the Bills: 1984-1988
Buffalo Rumblings — ... The Bills started former Rams quarterback and free agent signee Vince Ferragamo at quarterback in the season opener and he was joined by rookies Andre Reed and Bruce Smith in the starting lineup.  He was the first quarterback not named Joe Ferguson to start the opening game for the Bills since 1972.  After Buffalo's 0-4 start coach Kay Stephenson was fired.  Three of the losses were by one score or less but it was not enough to save Stephenson's job after his dismal 10-26 record as head coach.  Defensive coordinator Hank ...

Rams done adding wide receivers
Turf Show Times — ... The Rams may in fact be done adding receivers to their roster, barring injury. This news will come as a disappointment to many who feel that the Rams lack of proven commodities behind WR ...

Grading offense in the NFC West
Turf Show Times — ... This week, I reconvened with the NFC West bloggers for a look at the big picture of each offense. The only team in the division, right now, with an offense that is ready to charge out of the gate is the Cardinals. The rest of the teams, including our own Rams, have big question marks that won't be answered fully until the season starts. San Fran dramatically overvalues their QBs and Vernon Davis, and I wouldn't put too much faith in Housh, Branch and Hasselbeck in Seattle. I gave the Rams a D, which I think is a bit under the mark, but until we ...

Top Ten Regular Season Games of Ben Roethlisberger's Career: #9 - Week 16, 2007 - Pittsburgh 41, St. Louis 24
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... . The Steelers were 9-5 heading in to the Thursday night road contest against the punchless Rams.  The Steelers could not clinch a playoff berth that evening, but only because they were playing on Thursday and the rest of the league would not be taking the field until the following weekend (or Monday). Nevertheless, the game was extremely important for Big Ben and the team collectively. ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Offense
Niners Nation — ... discussed quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, centers, offensive tackles and guards.  Today we combine all the positions together to provide an overview of the offense.  I remain convinced that the 49ers do not need an overpowering offense to be successful in 2009.  A middle of the road offense would be sufficient. 1. Arizona Cardinals 2. Seattle Seahawks 3. San Francisco 49ers 4. St. Louis Rams Arizona Cardinals ...

When will the Rams start signing draft picks?
Turf Show Times — ... some of the reasons behind the accelerated work to get rookies under contract. Whatever the reasons for speed this offseason, the Rams are one of six teams yet to sign any of their draft picks. Why? ...

Rams rumor watch
Turf Show Times — Uh oh, we've got a rumor sighting...two rumors actually. Let's evaluate. Both came in the form of a question posed to ESPN's Mike Sando in his mailbag post from today. The first one stinks to high heaven: Rams looking to trade Alex Barron for a draft pick. No way. The team legitimately thinks Barron can be a good LT, and if he can cut down on the penalties he will be. And, as Sando points out, this team can't afford to trade working offensive linemen. The second rumor has the Rams swapping TE Joe Klopfenstein to the ...

Of pillars and paucity, part 2 of 2
Turf Show Times — ...   I've gone on record saying the characters the Rams add over the next few years as we rebuild ourselves into playoff contention needn't be squeaky clean.  No, we cannot afford to bring in guys who exhibit consistent off-the-field problems that interrupt their lives to the degree that it affects their performance on the field as well as the franchise's health.  We can, and should, bring in players who are talented whose quirks, misgivings and vices can be controlled to the point where they do not affect their professional outputs. ...

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Remembering Our Quarterback Edition
Music City Miracles — ...  against the Rams, McNair's quiet leadership and how he transcended labels of the day to be recognized as the franchise QB of the Titans. ...

Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 35: TE Ernie Warlick
Buffalo Rumblings — ... (Warlick info starting on page 26).  He had signed a contract with the Rams for $3,500, but had to join the Air Force.  He spent some time on his Air Force base playing football with 13 other future pros on the team, including future Bills teammates Tommy O'Connell and Don Chelf.  Upon his discharge, an executive from the Canadian Football League went to him and offered him $8,000 to play up in Canada, which he happily accepted over the Rams deal.  An NFL rule didn't allow him to sign with any other team, so after proving himself in ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Entire Offense
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... Like everything else in the dawn of this rebuilding era, the Rams offense is marked by...question marks, what else. The Greatest Show on Turf era died a slow and torturous death over the last few seasons as players got old and injured, coaches came and went, and past drafts failed to restock the talent pool. The front office tried a "win-now" strategy with those rusty parts, and now they're enjoying a forced retirement in the team's original sunny SoCal home. ...

The Bennett, McNair, Rams connection
Turf Show Times — ... has brought back lots  of memories of the 2000 Super Bowl, a highpoint for the Rams, and more importantly, a game for football fans won't forget. Something else this news got me thinking about was the bitter memories of the Rams free agent dalliance with former ...

Predicting the St. Louis Rams final roster: offense
Turf Show Times — ... Slowly but surely, camp inches closer. It's one of the more memorable starts to the Rams season in a long, long time. Obviously, camp and the promise of football that counts right around the corner is always exciting. Anyone else remember they felt in August the last time we started a new era of Rams football, when Linehan took the reigns? Without being a total homer, I feel much different this time, not only has the coaching staff turned over, but the entire front office has turned over too, a much needed development as the stench of rot was starting to ...

Predicting the St. Louis Rams final roster: defense & special teams
Turf Show Times — ... Here's the question, do the Rams keep seven LBs and just 8 total DLs, or switch which unit has teh extra player? Grant and Vobora have both had spring's that pleased the coaches, but they'll have to battle it out in camp to earn spots on the roster. Much of the decision will come down to what Spagnuolo and Flajole want out of their linebackers and who fits that profiles. It's likely to be much different than what previous administrations wanted. ...

Finding the Winning Factors - Net Punting Average
Stampede Blue — ... 2899 38.327 Jaguars 593 25195 2549 38.189 608 25451 2800 37.255 Rams 552 24237 3214 38.085 ...

Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2009: Tight End Preview
Dawgs By Nature — ... in 2003. Over two seasons, he had 18 receptions for them. He played with the St. Louis Rams the next three years in limited duty, seeing similar-to-less playing time than Dinkins saw with the Browns. ...

NFC West Roundtable: Defensive Tackle
Field Gulls — ... The Rams are doing things a little different at DT this season, with Steve Spagnuolo at the helm. Rather than the traditional roles of NT and UT in the 4-3 defense, Spags and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole will use a left and right DT, making things thoroughly confusing for those of you keeping score at home, but hopefully allowing the DTs to better utilize their strengths. ...

Rams sign third round pick CB Bradley Fletcher
Turf Show Times — ... The Rams have struck a deal with third round pick, Iowa CB Bradley Fletcher. The news arrived via his agent's Twitter feed. Word is that Fletcher will receive a $892,298 bonus on a four-year deal that can pay him as much as $1.2 million this year.  Fletcher was somewhat of a surprise pick in the third round, but the Rams coaches and scouts like his physical style of play, a perfect fit for head coach Steve Spagnuolo (a former DB coach) and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole's system.  Reports from spring ...

Rams player updates and predictions: Random Ramsdom, 7/11
Turf Show Times — ... The Rams have yet to announce their training camp schedule, the only team in the division that has not done so. Look for it to come soon. Now, it's a random Saturday morning, so how about some linkage? ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Nose/Defensive Tackles
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... The Rams are doing things a little different at DT this season, with Steve Spagnuolo at the helm. Rather than the traditional roles of NT and UT in the 4-3 defense, Spags and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole will use a left and right DT, making things thoroughly confusing for those of you keeping score at home, but hopefully allowing the DTs to better utilize their strengths. ...

Turf Show Radio, today, 5 p.m. Central
Turf Show Times — Don't worry, we've got your Rams fix for you today. It's a mid-Summer episode of Turf Show Radio!! Something on you mind? Questions? Complaints? Leave it in the comments below and we'll get to it tonight on the radio. Joining us tonight is Will, aka Taiko, from Rams Herd. We'll talk pillars, power rankings, roster and more. Give us a call. Here's the link.

Rams Overview & Detail on Offense (5 pages)
Turf Show Times — ... Hope you Ram fans enjoy a little detail (this article will take 15 minutes to read!). Don’t give me any slack, give me tough feedback….especially you 13-25 year old geniuses who know almost everything about football, and have emotional maturity to boot! For me, it all starts in the trenches, which is why I have hope this year. Last year, I knew by the end of exhibition that we didn’t have the horses up front. That has changed. Over view on the Rams season, and their offense. (Defense coming later). ...

Football Outsiders gives us predictions about 2009
Stampede Blue — ... The number munchers and crunchers at Football Outsiders (specifically, Mike Tanier guest blogging at The Fifth Down), are now giving us predictions for the 2009 season. Some are not so bold (the Chargers winning the AFC) and some are pretty ballsy (the Rams winning 9 games). It turns out that Spagnuolo isn’t the only reason for optimism in St. Louis. Many statistical indicators suggest that the Rams are close to rising again. One is their fumble recovery percentage: the Rams forced 17 fumbles last year ...

NFC Position Review: Defensive tackle
Turf Show Times — ... be a force on first and second down with Robinson coming in on passing downs. Both guys should stay reasonably fresh the middle of the Cardinals defense should be tough to run against, but this position takes a major hit if Watson is sidelined for any or all of the regular season. I tend to think a best case scenerio would grade out as a B and the worst case scenerio would fall somewhere in the D range. With that in mind, I'll take the easy way out and say C.   St. Louis Rams The Rams are doing things a little different at DT this ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #17
Arrowhead Pride — ... Muphy's football career is interesting relative to a lot a of these guys because he spent significant time in the CFL before he came to the NFL. Murphy played in the CFL for seven seasons; then came to the NFL for a couple; then the XFL in 2001; then back to the NFL with the Rams and Chiefs in 2001-2002; and finally back to the CFL until 2007. ...

It's a winner: Can the Rams surprise the league this year?
Turf Show Times — ... 2009 Almanac was like Christmas in July, but cracking open the Rams section and reading that they have a legitimate shot at a winning season, even a playoff run, was like Christmas and the first time - the first time I saw the Rams win the Super Bowl that is - all rolled into one. A prediction like this, from a recognized legitimate source (i.e. this ain't no Peter King prediction) merits its own discussion. ...

Raiders Release Sixth Round Pick, Former Missouri Tiger Stryker Sulak
Arrowhead Pride — ... (save the minimal signing bonus) until the start of the season. PFT's source said, "I've never seen that happen before."  It's not that unusual for a late round pick like Sulak to not make the team.  But to be cut before training camp even starts?  To be cut in the dead of July?  Something tells me there's more to this story. Sulak will hit the waiver wire which means the Chiefs will have a crack at him if the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams pass. Sulak is a 6'3", 251 pound defensive end who ...

Tuesday Morning Bills Trivia
Buffalo Rumblings — ... I just need some of my fellow admins to get in gear. (You know who you are.) With that in mind, I decided to take a different route today as well. Instead of players, this week we are doing coaches - not necessarily head coaches, but if a guy EVER coached a position for the Bills, he is eligible. So you are looking for coaches, not players, this week. Mystery Coach 1 I attended Philander Smith college. I played for the Packers, Rams, and Saints during my playing days. I am a member of the ...

Some Rain on the Parade: The Falcons Post-Playoff History
Sports Page Atlanta — ... Vick, after shaking off his Madden curse, brought the team back into the playoffs in 2004 by reversing the previous year's record. With the third best franchise season record (11-5) in their pockets, the Falcons steamrolled the Rams before running head first into a wall of Philly cheesesteak. The resulting concussion lasted into the next year, helping the Birds post its first dead even record since 1977. Not good, not bad, and not winning. ...

Grading the Rams fantasy impact for 2009
Turf Show Times — ... I know lots of people are gearing up for fantasy football, and even though it's a bit early in my opinion (why draft now when there's a month full of training camp injuries and position battles still to come?) I thought it was as good a time as any to take a look at the Rams roster and fantasy implications. Sort of a public service announcement from TST. ...

The Falcons and their expectations
Sports Page Atlanta — ... re of the Burner?" I think to find our answer we have to look towards to back end of our past season. Take particular not of the Rams game. Now I know they are the Rams and not the best of teams out there. But Norwood's involvement sparked the Falcons to come out with an important win heading into the playoffs. ...

Jason Brown Scouting Report: one game
Turf Show Times — ... line. Brown wasn’t one on one with him much. In fact the Ravens didn’t even double Haynesworth most plays. Haynesworth would have destroyed the Rams line last year because of a weak center and Bell doesn’t have enough ‘sand in the bucket’, as they say. ...

Jets Sign Richard Owens
Gang Green Nation — ... as an undrafted free agent in 2004. The former Louisville product played 39 games in Minnesota from 2004-06. Owens, 28, played 14 games with the Rams in 2007 before getting his walking papers. ...

Deadline day for Atogwe
Turf Show Times — ... Howdy partners. Today is the 15th of July, and you know what that means? The day after Bastille Day? Technically yes, but it's also the last day for Rams FS ...

Atogwe will sign franchise tender
Turf Show Times — Good news...St. Louis Rams FS Oshiomogho Atogwe will indeed sign his franchise tender, setting him up with a one year deal worth $6.342 million. It also buys Atogwe and the team more time to hammer out a long-term deal, something both parties have been quite clear about their desire to achieve.

Franchise Tag Deadline - Antonio Bryant
Buc 'Em — ... (Rams safety) is rumored to have a deal in the works.  So as it stands, 2 of the 12 tagged players signed deals, and one had the tag rescinded, but eventually signed (Leroy Hill - Seattle).  Players typically don't want to be tagged, as it only gives them that one year guarantee.  Any significant injury, or down year will deflate their value and not bring in as much money.  ...

2009 Rams, meet the 2008 Redskins
Turf Show Times — ... Zorn's a Holmgren guy, one of the fruits (so to speak) of that oft-discussed Andy Ried branch of the coaching tree that sprouted forth under Bill Walsh that's gone around the NFL with an upside down sauce pan on their heads sowing the seeds of the West Coast offense. So is new Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, as may have heard. ...

Playoffs?!? You Want To Talk About Playoffs?!? - Part Two: NFC
Hogs Haven — ... . You may argue that in the entire NFC, only one team scored less points than the Redskins last season (St. Louis Rams.) Our offense was a little anemic, especially as the season wore on. But on defense, only one team allowed less points than the Redskins (New York Giants.) The lack of attention this defensive unit gets baffles me. I sort of get it...I mean we have been rather irrelevant on the NFL landscape for a while now, but this defense is nasty. The season will hinge on the year-over-year improvement the offense can make. Jim Zorn has to prove he can ...

Grade the Rams DEs
Turf Show Times — ... I'm getting together again with the NFC West bloggers from SBN for a look at the Rams defensive ends. Since this is a community deal here at TST, I wanted to get everyone's input on our DEs. ...

5 Best and Worst Redskins Moments of the 2008 Season (Video)
Hogs Haven — ... (That walk out of Fedex losing to the Rams went from pure shock to anger pretty quick. It didn't help I had a Rams fan with me pointing and laughing the entire walk down the Fedex catwalk). ...

Greco vs Bell (2nd SF game review)
Turf Show Times — ... making a comeback, than JB being a good guard for the Rams….of course Bell says he is 15-20 pounds heavier…hmmm, sounds easy...just gain weight.... ...

Potential Rams QB options beyond 2009
Turf Show Times — ... If you clicked through and read the entire page of the link I posted yesterday, in the post comparing the Rams of '09 to the Redskins of '08, there was another interesting tidbit, sure to feed plenty of rumors and angry message boarding (like water boarding, but it hurts your brain). It involves some baseless trade speculation, the kind of thing that could start getting out of control if the NFL down time runs any longer. Here's the tidbit in question: With Marc Bulger facing a do-or-die season, the ...

49ers Year-by-Year: 1992
Niners Nation — ... @ New Orleans Saints W: 16-10 3-1 2-2 Oct. 4 Los Angeles Rams W: 24-27 4-1 2-3 ...

Former Chiefs QB Trent Green Gets a Job in TV
Arrowhead Pride — ... will work two of the St. Louis Rams preseason games.  Both will be televised by the local FOX affiliate, KTVI. ...

St. Louis Rams sign seventh round pick RB Chris Ogbonnaya
Turf Show Times — ... The Rams have another rookie from their 2009 draft class under contract. Texas RB Chris Ogbonnaya agreed to a four-year deal with a signing bonus of $66,000.  Last week the Rams signed 3rd round pick CB Bradley Fletcher last weekend, and are expected to sign 4th round pick DT Darell Scott and 5th round pick WR Brooks Foster soon too.  Ogbonnaya was a third down threat for Texas in the Big 12 last season. His pedigree as a converted wide receiver makes him a ...

Rookie signings continue: Random Ramsdom, 7/20
Turf Show Times — ... More contract news to pass along today, as Rams VP Kevin Demoff and GM Billy Devaney make moves to get players to camp, which starts next week. ...

NFC West position review: defensive end
Turf Show Times — ... Armed with the community feedback from last week, I went toe-to-toe reviewing the defensive end situations in the division with the other SBNation NFC West bloggers. The Rams have a real boom or bust roster at DE. If older players like ...

Can TE Randy McMichael rekindle past glory in the Rams new offense?
Turf Show Times — ... My fantasy credentials aren't going to get me invited to any champions league with a six figure kitty or anything like that, but working with a community of Rams everyday, I think we have a pretty good idea about our team. For that reason, I'm pretty high on TE ...

St. Louis Rams top cap values have uncertain future with the team beyond 2009
Turf Show Times — ... . Plenty of fans would have liked to see 2008 as Bulger's last year with the Rams, but the cap hit was just too high to absorb and still carry out the beginning of the rebuilding project. Besides the cap hit, dumping Bulger for 2009 might have been a little premature. There's reason to believe that with an improved offensive line and an offensive system designed to play to his strengths, it's likely that he can rebound. Mike Martz ...

St. Louis Rams training camp schedule: Random Ramsdom, 7/21
Turf Show Times — ... The Rams have announced their camp schedule, and it's quite clear they aim to win back the fans this year. Thirty-two practice sessions and an August 7 scrimmage will be open to the public, and the Rams will have plenty of practices since Spagnuolo is sticking by the time-honored two-a-days, a perfect match for the swampy St. Louis summer. There will also players signing autographs after some of the morning practices. Here's ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Defensive Ends
Fanster.com — ... tackle. Curry has Peterson+ speed and is a chiseled 254, but he lacks Peteron's agility. He's close. And if he can get there, he would be a ransacking nightmare with no clear counter. If he can get there. With two B's and two C's is pretty clear who the top two and bottom two teams would be, but setting the order from there got a bit more tricky. Arizona Cardinals Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers St. Louis Rams ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Defensive Ends
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... tackle. Curry has Peterson+ speed and is a chiseled 254, but he lacks Peteron's agility. He's close. And if he can get there, he would be a ransacking nightmare with no clear counter. If he can get there. With two B's and two C's is pretty clear who the top two and bottom two teams would be, but setting the order from there got a bit more tricky. Arizona Cardinals Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers St. Louis Rams ...

The St. Louis Rams' likely cost for keeping Atogwe
Turf Show Times — ... Having signed his franchise tender by the July 15 deadline, the St. Louis Rams have agreed to pay Oshiomogho Atogwe $6.342 million to keep him in a Rams uniform for the 2009 season. They also bought themselves some more time to negotiate a long-term deal with the ballhawking free safety. Though they can't actually sign anything until after the season, they can still at least work on a deal. We've mentioned before Atogwe's reasons for wanting a long-term deal, not the least of which is the fact that he'd be a Restricted ...

Why physical play from Rams defensive backs matters
Turf Show Times — ... Since the Rams hired Spagnuolo we've talked ad nauseum about the defense's new, more aggressive playbook. Besides the pass rush that made Spags famous, one group of players whose duties will be a little different this year are the defensive backs. Under Spag and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole, the cornerbacks will play more physical, jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage along with more press coverage and a tougher interpretation of man-to-man.  ...

Priest Holmes Gets a Nice Job Recommendation from Dick Vermeil
Arrowhead Pride — ... good job. He has a great understanding of the game, and he sees the game. He sees the real unique little things in the game people ignore or don’t take time to evaluate. If they give him the right opportunity, he will be able to come across in a positive way over the air." Click here to read the story by Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star.  Covitz also reported last week that another former Chief, Trent Green, will work two St. Louis Rams preseason games. ...

Latest Rams Rookie Draft Pick Signings
Turf Show Times — ... With training camp to start on July 30th the Rams still have a week to get the remained of their rookies under contract if that's to be accomplished by Training Camp - Day 1. ...

Dialing down the details on the remaining Rams rookie contracts
Turf Show Times — ... The Rams made official announcements yesterday that the team had agreed to terms with seventh round pick RB Chris Ogbonnaya and fifth round pick WR Brooks Foster. We reported both signings over the weekend, via other sources. On that news, it's worth while to take a look at which of the 2009 Rams draft picks have signed. Check out Nbr1RamFan's post for the list of who is signed and who has not. As for the guys not signed, here's a round up of what we know and expectations. 1st round - OT Jason Smith: Both ...

Adjustment period: Random Ramsdom, 7/22
Turf Show Times — ... The water on the stove is starting to get those bubbles on the bottom of the pan, ready to boil any minute now. That's kind of the way it's going right now with football news. The dead part of the offseason is bubbling away, and into a full boil next week as camp gets underway for the Rams and almost every other team in the league. Some news and links for your Wednesday morning: ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #22
Arrowhead Pride — ... A second round pick by the Rams in 1997, McCleon had a very solid career in St. Louis for six seasons before winding down in Kansas City. McCleon played in 40 games, starting 27 of them. He snatched 10 INTs in that time as well. ...

St. Louis Rams make a trade for WR Ronald Curry
Turf Show Times — The Rams have made a move to address their relative lack of experience at wide receiver, acquiring Ronald Curry from the Lions in exchange for DT Orien Harris. Essentially, the Rams traded Brian Leonard for Curry, since Harris was the guy they got in the Leonard swap. Curry is a good get for the Rams, and instantly becomes one of the top three receivers. Given his route running ability, but lack of sheer downfield speed, I suspect we'll see him in the slot often, where the Lions had been planning to use him.  

Lions Acquire Orien Harris from Rams for Ronald Curry
Pride Of Detroit — ... , the only team he played for last season.  Harris was traded back in May to the Rams, the team that dealt him to the Lions today. ...

Patriots Links 7/23/09 - Jarvis Green Wants To Retire as a Patriot
Pats Pulpit — ... "We're so focused as quarterbacks down on the field, ignoring everything that's going on in very close proximity to you," [Former St. Louis Rams quarterback Trent] Green said. "When you're coming back from an injury, especially where someone hit him low, you need to feel that pocket presence, need to feel it closing. It will be good for him the first few times to get hit. He'll realize, ‘I can stand in the pocket, take the hit and everything will be OK. This is just work as usual.' " ...

Which receivers will make the St. Louis Rams final roster?
Turf Show Times — Trading ruled the day in River City...St. Louis, that is, for the diaspora of Rams fans. (If you really want to add a literary note the trades made by STL's pro teams yesterday, it looks like one team is overcoming the hobbles of dysfunction as another, one long considered to be above the fray, slides further and further in that direction.) The addition of Curry prompted the St. Louis Rams to make an ancillary move with the release of WR Chad Lucas.  Lucas was signed in March to round ...

St. Louis Rams to try out AFL kick returner: Random Ramsdom, 7/23
Turf Show Times — ...  - Sanders, an Eastern Illinois product and current member of the AFL's Boise Burn, will tryout with the St. Louis Rams for a kick returning job this week, which will determine whether or not he gets an invite to camp next week. The cornerback leads his AFL team with 80.5 tackles.  ...

Arizona Cardinals Pre-Training Camp Roster Projections: Tight End
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... Dominique Byrd: The signing of Byrd seemingly came out of the blue. The front office and scouting department went to USC's pro day and Byrd just happen to be there working out in hopes of resurrecting his defunct NFL career. The former third round pick, also in 2006, lasted just two seasons with the St. Louis Rams before they grew tired of his lack of desire or work ethic. Apparently a year outside of the league has Byrd looking like a changed man though and he's spent the off season working out with ...

Rams will not invite AFL return man to camp
Turf Show Times — ... Earlier today we reported that the St. Louis Rams tried out AFL cornerback and return man Terrance Sanders for potential invite to training camp and a shot at competing for return duties with the Rams. And the results are in... ...

Getting ready for St. Louis Rams training camp
Turf Show Times — ...  posted today. Needless to say this is an important camp for the St. Louis Rams and several of their top players. From Sando: ...

Drew Bennett Apparent Winner In Wide Receiver Tryout
Baltimore Beatdown — ... Training Complex in Owings Mills, Maryland. Bennett, who last played for the St. Louis Rams in 2008, was one of reportedlyu four wideouts that were brought in to see if they still had what it takes to play in the NFL. The possibilitiy of ...

NFC West Roundtable: Inside Linebacker
Field Gulls — ... In a division trademarked for its linebackers, the St. Louis Rams were embarrassingly substandard last year, thanks to poor decision making that left ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Inside Linebackers
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... In a division trademarked for its linebackers, the St. Louis Rams were embarrassingly substandard last year, thanks to poor decision making that left ...

Tales of (past) front office intrigue at Rams Park
Turf Show Times — ... Politics, revolutions, general managers and coaches...the behind-the-scenes tales of intrigue that come out of regime changes are always fascinating. Why would things be any different for the St. Louis Rams? We start our Saturday with some  ...

History of the Bills: 1999-2003
Buffalo Rumblings — ... retired and the Bills cut some dead weight from the roster by releasing injury-prone QB Rob Johnson and former top pick DE Erik Flowers.  LB Sam Cowart also did not re-sign after missing 2001 with an Achilles injury.  Now that they had some salary cap space, the team also brought in some free agents signing Rams linebacker ...

NFC West position review: middle linebacker
Turf Show Times — ... In a division trademarked for its linebackers, the St. Louis Rams were embarrassingly substandard last year, thanks to poor decision making that left  ...

Bengals Training Camp: Pressure on the quarterback has to be the focus for the defense
Cincy Jungle — ... Detroit Lions 33.5 5.1 Kansas City Chiefs 31.8 5.0 St. Louis Rams 31.3 4.9 ...

Camp week is here: Random Ramsdom, 7/27
Turf Show Times — ... I missed this little tidbit last week, but it's worth coming back to since we've been talking about St. Louis Rams FS ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #25
Arrowhead Pride — ... A runningback in Miami before coming to KC, Stradford was used almost exclusively as a return man while a Chief. He returned 22 punts and 14 kickoffs before finishing his career with the Rams and ...

Michael Crabtree Contract/Camp Craziness Countdown
Niners Nation — ... skipped 43 days and missed the season opener. Rams running back Steven Jackson held out for 27 days before signing a new contract. ...

Rams interested in DT Hollis Thomas
Turf Show Times — Reading ESPN Insider this morning, and the Rams' name was listed as potential destination for Hollis Thomas. If you do not have an ESPN Insider account, I will copy article below:   ...

Best & worst case scenarios from the St. Louis Rams training camp: The Receivers
Turf Show Times — ... Training camp is all but here. The pads will be on, the hitting starts, and we'll really and truly start to get a feel for what the first season of a new era of St. Louis Rams football will look like. We're jumping into a week of training camp previews here at TST will a variety of posts, FanPosts, and commentary sure to get you even more excited than usual for the Rams season.  ...

Would DT Hollis Thomas be a fit for the St. Louis Rams?
Turf Show Times — ... If indeed the St. Louis Rams are interested in adding the former Philly and New Orleans DT, he would give them a run-stopping option to play in the DT rotation. Of course, that's going to have a lot to do with whether or not he's healthy. When the ...

NFL conditionally reinstates Michael Vick
Turf Show Times — ... Despite being immediately shot down by Rams officials, the media speculated on Vick landing with the St. Louis Rams over and over again. ...

St. Louis Rams agree to terms with draft picks Scott & Null
Turf Show Times — ... The St. Louis Rams have agreed to terms with 4th round draft pick DT Darell Scott and 6th round pick QB Keith Null. Details are not immediately available. RB Chris Ogbonnaya, the team's 7th round pick, made it official today by signing the deal he agreed to earlier in the month. That leaves two biggies unsigned, first rounder OT Jason Smith and second round pick LB James Laurinaitis. Rams VP of Football Operations and cap guru Kevin Demoff reiterated his confidence that both picks will be signed and ...

Will Crabtree's holdout impact negotiations between the Jason Smith and the St. Louis Rams?
Turf Show Times — ... The St. Louis Rams now have all of their second day picks under contract or at least having agreed to terms, enough to get them into camp on-time when rookies report Thursday. When the news broke yesterday that the team had agreed to terms with the last two second day picks who had yet to sign, Rams VP Kevin Demoff again expressed confidence that the team's first and second round picks would also be in camp this week, having reached a deal on their rookie contracts. The prognostication still looks good for second round pick LB ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #26
Arrowhead Pride — ... Allen was an average safety with the St. Louis Rams before finishing his NFL career in Kansas City. He played in 22 games for the ...

Best & worst case scenarios for the Rams: The offensive line
Turf Show Times — ... Yesterday, we started looking at the burning issues facing the St. Louis Rams as the begin training camp this week. Our lens  ...

The NFL remembers Jim Johnson
Bleeding Green Nation — ... Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo: "My wife Maria and I are deeply saddened to hear of Jim’s passing.  He was a dear friend and a special person.  Our prayers and thoughts go out to his wife Vicki and their family. Jim meant the world to me, both personally and professionally.  I am very blessed to have had the privilege to work for him and with him.  The NFL has lost a good man." ...

St. Louis Rams look to add a DT: Random Ramsdom, 7/29
Turf Show Times — ... There's a lot of stuff to talk about today, so I'll skip the snappy introduction and jump right in. For the St. Louis Rams, quarterbacks, rookies and selected others start reporting for camp today, with practices starting tomorrow. That also means we should, hopefully, be hearing some contract news with the Rams top two picks very soon. The sun has lifted the veil of this long night we call the offseason. ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #27
Arrowhead Pride — ... and Rams before finishing his career in Kansas City. He was more of a fullback, short yardage back in KC. If you search ...

Don't forget Mike Karney
Turf Show Times — ... You'd be hard pressed to find a post that doesn't mention the St. Louis Rams offensive line lately. There's a good reason for that: the Rams success this year and beyond depends largely on a tougher, younger offensive line. Of course, those five players aren't the only ones being counted on to beef up the running game. Fullback ...

St. Louis Rams sign DT Hollis Thomas
Turf Show Times — The St. Louis Rams added some heft to their defensive front today, signing 35-year-old DT Hollis Thomas. Thomas, weighing a reported 340 lbs, gives the Rams a run stuffer to use as part of their rotation up font.  Thomas and Spagnuolo got back to their days in Philly together, so he's a known commodity. He's supposedly in good physical condition, for a 340 lbs man anyway. He's still got to stay healthy to have an impact, even on just a dozen or so snaps per game.  I know this news doesn't exactly excite lots of ...

MLB James Laurinaitis agrees to deal with the St. Louis Rams
Turf Show Times — ... Ask and ye shall receive. The St. Louis Rams and their second round draft pick, MLB James Laurinaitis have agreed to a four-year deal. No financial terms have been disclosed yet. This is great news, and leaves the Rams with just one pick left to sign, first rounder OT Jason Smith, and  they're reportedly working on it as we speak. Laurinaitis figures heavily in the team's plans this season, where they expect him to be an every down contributor to the defense. He was considered one of the top middle ...

Who was the Best Rookie QB to Start a Playoff Game (Since 1970)?
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... Jim Everett: In Jim's rookie season with the then LA Rams, he led the team in every statistical passing category. Although I was not able to find any defining moments from his first year, looking at the ...

Rams start camp
Turf Show Times — ... As I type this (yes, I'm running a little behind this a.m.), the St. Louis Rams are just underway with their first practice of training camp; it's only rookies, QBs and selected others practicing today. ...

A look at ALL of the St. Louis Rams rookies
Turf Show Times — ... With rookies in the mix for training camp today, I started thinking about just how many rookies are on the current St. Louis Rams roster. Sure, we know the big name guys from the draft, but there's a lot of other guys in camp this month with every intention of working their tails off in an effort to make the team, even though most of them won't find spots on the 53-man or even the practice squad roster.  ...

Bengals sell practice jersey space in a deal with SpongeTech Delivery Systems
Cincy Jungle — ... SpongeTech Delivery Systems "is a company which designs, produces, and markets unique lines of reusable cleaning products for Car Care, Child Care, Home Care and Pet Care usages." The Bengals are far from the only team signing sponsorship deals on practice jerseys. This year, the NFL started allowing teams to sell sponsorship patches, which can't be larger than 3 1/2 by 4 1/2. Teams like the Colts, Jets, Bears, Giants, Rams and Texans have already signed deals to have sponsors on a small ...

Rams Sign Jason Smith; Ceiling Set for Chiefs' Jackson
Arrowhead Pride — ... 's agent Eugene Parker should be heating up.  The St. Louis Rams have officially announced the signing of second overall pick ...

What Can Bill Kollar Do For You?
Battle Red Blog — ... from 1990 to 1999.  After Atlanta, Kollar was brought to the St. Louis Rams organization from 2000 to 2005.  Following the Rams, Kollar went to Buffalo for three seasons until he was released so he could be subsequently hired by the Texans on January 20th. ...

Best & worst case scenarios for the St. Louis Rams: Marc Bulger
Turf Show Times — ... Is there a member of the St. Louis Rams likely to be more scrutinized than QB Marc Bulger? Probably not. Now in the third year of a hefty contract, Bulger is looking make good on his end of the deal after two seasons that mostly helped fans pine for the days of Kurt Warner. If he doesn't put it together this season, he certainly won't be a member of the Rams beyond 2009 and the best he can hope for is a job as a backup somewhere.  Deciding whether or not Bulger fared worse in 2007 or 2008 is purely academic. He was sacked 75 ...

Around The AFC East: Ranking the quarterbacks
The Phinsider — ... Behind Edwards is former Rams backup Ryan Fitzpatrick.  The Harvard grad hasn't been terrible in his career.  I still think back to his first game back in 2005 with the Rams when he threw for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns in a win over Houston.  But that's basically been his major highlight.  He did fill in admirably last year in Cincinnati - completing just under 60% of his passes and throwing for eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.  At least you can say their backup has some real NFL experience. ...

NFC West Position-by-Position: Outside Linebackers
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... a division trademarked for its linebackers, the St. Louis Rams were embarrassingly substandard last year, thanks to poor decision making that left Will Witherspoon in the middle and arrogantly allowed an emerging Brandon Chillar to flee for greener, more frozen pastures. Addressing the situation at linebacker has been a top off season priority for the defensive-minded new regime led by head coach Steve Spagnuolo and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole. The Rams made their first big move of the off season when they announced that ...

NFC West Roundtable: Outside Linebacker
Field Gulls — ... In a division trademarked for its linebackers, the St. Louis Rams were embarrassingly substandard last year, thanks to poor decision making that left ...

A Look at the Bengals Running Backs
Cincy Jungle — ... starter and Kenny Watson backing him up.  But there was a small surprise with third year player Brian Leonard being listed over four year veteran DeDe Dorsey.  But will this hold up though the preseason?  And did Brian deserve to be listed over Dorsey?   This could be the battle to watch during preseason amongst the running backs since the top two look to be pretty much settled.  Leonard came to the Bengals in a trade with the St. Louis Rams for defensive end Orien Harris earlier this year. ...

The first line of the new chapter has been written
Turf Show Times — ... it also disrupts the team when you're missing players who are expected to contribute.  Check out this quote from fellow Niner Vernon Davis: "He's missing experience, knowledge of the game. He's got to get in here," said Davis, an '06 first-rounder who was in camp on time. "We don't have the time to mess around and wait. He needs to be here." Doesn't sound like a great vibe going down over there.   But let's focus on the Rams.  The biggest note I took was that Larry Grant started ...

Cardinals All-Time Team: Cornerbacks
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... Another Hall of Famer that played in the back field for the Cardinals was Dick "Night Train" Lane. Lane was originally undrafted and started his career with the Rams. He began at defensive end, but once the switch was made to corner, it was all over. Lane became one of the hardest hitting cornerbacks for that time, and was also a notable ball hawk. He set a record that still stands to this day, with 14 interceptions in his rookie season. Lane played with the Cardinals from '54 -'59, and recorded 30 interceptions while he was with the team. He was ...

Eagles sign DT Willie Williams
Bleeding Green Nation — ... The 6-4, 305 lb Williams is a 2nd year player out of Louisville who spent time on the Rams' practice squad last year. ...

History of the Bills: 2004-2008
Buffalo Rumblings — ... punt return touchdown.  The Bills were outgained 428 yards to 125 and trailed in time of possession 41:22 to 18:38.  The Bills sat at 3-6 and a longshot for a winning record let alone a playoff birth.  But that's when Buffalo turned it on winning six straight games to get to 9-6 and on the verge of the playoffs.  A 37-7 win against the Rams (thanks to ...

Random Ramsdom - Aug 2., 2009: The hits keep coming
Turf Show Times — ...   The Rams training camp has been an overwhelming success so far.  Why?  No injuries, and no holdouts.  Just look around the NFC West: ...

The PBP; gaps, techniques and the Hollis Thomas effect
Turf Show Times — ...   So now that we've established the concept of gaps and techniques, let's look at how the Rams' D-line might line up: ...

Michael Crabtree Contract: The never-ending story
Niners Nation — ... Parker is trying to get Crabtree top 5 money, or better than Heyward-Bey money, then the 49ers likely could have offered $37.75 million, just under DHB, and it wouldn't make a difference.  Again, all assumptions.  But if Parker is trying to score more, what's going to end this holdout if the 49ers don't go out of slot? And that is what worries me.  Last year, two Parker clients held out through most of the preseason.  Steven Jackson held out from Rams camp for 27 days before returning August 20 and signing a long term deal ...

Notes from Sirius Radio Camp Visit
Turf Show Times — ... This morning from 9-12 CST, Howard Balzer and Jim Miller were live from Rams training camp on the Sirius NFL Blitz radio program. I cleared my calendar at work this morning so that I could listen to everything and I got to hear some great interviews and commentary. I just wrote down some things that I found interesting from each of the interviews for those of you who didn't have the opportunity to listen to this. I wanted to give some quotes and some of the stuff I caught that I found interesting. I know it is a lot, but I hope you enjoy. ...

Chiefs Claim OLB Vince Redd Off Waivers from the Patriots
Arrowhead Pride — ... sent to Kansas City in a trade. Here's the deal with the roster number.  This makes 82 players on the official roster.  80 is the maximum for training camp.  One, Tyson Jackson hasn't signed so his spot doesn't count. Two, players on the PUP list do not count towards the 80 man roster (for now). I'm still keenly watching the roster list to determine if anyone has or will be cut. The Chiefs are third in the waiver wire so the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams passed on him. Redd went to Liberty and hails from ...

Rams defensive line looking good early
Turf Show Times — ... There are TONS of photos from the St. Louis Rams training camp. Just scroll over the photo here and click to view more of them. ...

Jacksonville Jaguars Past and Future: Football Outsiders breaks it down
Big Cat Country — ... in the following season – to the tune of an average of 15 percentage points of DVOA. 15 percentage points would have taken the 2008 Jacksonville team from 11th (12.6%) to first in Offensive DVOA. The only teams on that list (which you can find in the St. Louis chapter of the book) not to see at least a 10 percent increase in Offensive DVOA were the 2001 Lions and 2007 Cardinals. The Jags were one of three teams to draft over 1,200 points in o-line draft value, the Rams and Bengals being the others, and that is reflected on our ...

Does Mason's Return Actually Make Us Better?
Baltimore Beatdown — ... at WR as the 2008 season began. Marshall was good in 2007, but only had 20 receptions in 2006, his rookie season. Royal was a rookie from Virginia Tech, where he was a teammate of Justin Harper's, and perhaps not even the best receiver on the Hokie's. Also, look at the St. Louis Rams, where they drafted a guy named ...

Community Projections : 2009 Season Record
Music City Miracles — ... Arizona Sun 11/29 12:00 PM CST @ Indianapolis Sun 12/06 12:00 PM CST St. Louis Sun 12/13 12:00 PM CST Miami ...

It's only a flesh wound: Minor injuries can't derail the Rams day at camp
Turf Show Times — ... The St. Louis Rams' afternoon practice is just underway, and there is already some exciting news trickling in from the morning practice. First, let's talk about injuries.  ...

Weekly Raider Issue #9
Silver And Black Pride — ... 4. Rams (5-11)- St. Louis is definitely getting much better. A once weak O-Line is now possibly one of the better in the league. The defense is young but talented. Plus they still have Steven Jackson who's still a top-10 running back despite very bad O-Line play in years past. I can guarantee Jackson will have a great year this year. The receiving corps lost it's two legends in Holt and Bruce, and is now young and thin on depth. Not good for an ever-struggling ...

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Titans To Announce Twitter Restrictions Via Rotary Phone Edition
Music City Miracles — ...  and comes up with some good stories, including the time Bud handed over his wife's cadillac to star RB Billy Cannon so that he'd sign with the team rather than with the LA Rams. ...

Is Donnie Avery in the mix to return kicks for the Rams?
Turf Show Times — ... I like that head coach Steve Spagnuolo is not holding anything back for the St. Louis Rams training camp. It's rough and tumble and exactly what this team needs to forge a new identity. If all this tough stuff works out, they may have to play outdoors eventually; a dome just somehow unbefitting of a gut-eating football team. Well, a new stadium is a long way off, but a new season is practically here. Let's round up and discuss the reports from yesterday's practice.  ...

Help Tye Hill...by captioning this photo
Turf Show Times — ... Somehow, Wednesday has become unofficial Tye Hill day around the internet, or at least the very small corner of the web dedicated to the St. Louis Rams.  In the spirit of cornerbacks fighting for jobs, I open it up to you Rams faithful to fight for the best photo caption. Our favorite captions will be prominently displayed here on the site...just the kind of pub you were looking for. You can also Tweet us your caption at twitter.com/TurfShowTimes.  One more bit of housekeeping...anyone out there interested in ...

Rams to retire Deacon Jones' #75
Turf Show Times — The St. Louis Rams (formerly of LA) will retire the number of one of football's best known defensive players, Deacon Jones.  Jones was a member of one hell of a defensive line, a unit that the current group is no doubt watching tapes of for inspiration. 

Uh oh, St. Louis Rams FB Mike Karney out with ankle injury
Turf Show Times — ... St. Louis Rams FB Mike Karney, an important part of the plan to make RB Steven Jackson the centerpiece of the offense, sat out practice again today with a ankle injury.  An x-ray confirmed that the injury is similar to one he's dealt with before. Spagnuolo was optimistic that Karney will be back on the field soon enough. Let's hope the coach is right. Last season, Karney missed 4 games because of his ankle.  G John Greco twisted his ankle today and sat out. A couple other notes of interest from practice ...

Best & worst case scenarios for the Rams: Cornerbacks
Turf Show Times — ... The St. Louis Rams have started training camp. With less than a week, the big issues, position battles, etc. remain. Today, we're continuing our preseason look at the Rams most glaring issues with our best and worst case scenarios. Since this became unofficial ...

Camp report roundup, 8/6: Inside view of the Rams receivers
Turf Show Times — ... Today is the one week point for the St. Louis Rams training camp, sort of, since last Thursday it was just rookies, QBs and assorted others practicing. We'll call it a week anyway. Afternoon practice yesterday was a special teams affair, and by all accounts the Rams kickers and punters are still among the finest in the league. Couple other things of note to pass along... ...

Would Crabtree be a holdout even if he had been a top three pick?
Turf Show Times — ... Back in April, as the draft debate heated up, St. Louis Rams fan batted around three names they would have liked to see the team take with the second overall pick in the draft. Most of the debate was between LB ...

Camp report roundup 8/6: Offensive line's time to shine
Turf Show Times — ... Let's dive into the day's news & observations from Thursday a.m. at the St. Louis Rams training camp. First, an injury update.  FB Mike Karney is still out; however, he is rehabbing his ankle and riding a stationary bike on the sidelines today. He's expected back soon. I won't breathe easy until I see him smash a few defenders in a preseason game. He's a key player in the shift to a run-first offense and making Steven Jackson the centerpiece of the game plan, and if he misses any regular season time, it ...