[AvengerRam]

Something new for this offseason. This thread will track the significant changes impacting the teams in the NFC West (i.e. signings, cuts, pre-draft private workouts, coaching changes, surgeries, draft choices, etc.). This will allow those who don't follow NFL news on a daily basis to get caught up on the news, and to read commentary on each move.

St. Louis Rams

1/13 Torry Holt to have knee scoped; drops out of Pro Bowl
Av's take: This is an overdue "clean-up" procedure for Holt, who clearly slowed down at the end of the season due to knee soreness. Will be ready by mini-camp.

1/29 Rams Hire Al Roberts to replace Ligashesky as ST Coach
Av's take: Roberts was the Bengals ST coach until 2002. He has coached High School since. Previously, he coached with Linehan at University of Washington. While I know nothing about Roberts' abilities, I can't help but see some of the old Martz "cronyism" in this move.

2/26 Rams make contract offers to Brandon Chillar, Aaron Walker and Adam Goldberg
Av's take: Good moves by the Rams. While I don't expect any of the three will be starters, they are good, experienced, players who can provide depth.

2/26 Rams release Adam Timmerman and Dexter Coakley
Av's take: Sorry to see Timmerman, who was a vital cog in the GSOT, come to the end of his tenure with the Rams, but now is the time to go with the youth movement on the interior line. Coakley was largely a disappointment over the past two years.

3/2 Rams trade for DE James Hall
Av's take: A good pick-up for a 5th round choice. Has been injured much of past two years, but previously demonstrated pass rushing ability.

3/3 Rams sign WR Drew Bennett
Nick's take: Adding Bennett gives the Rams a replacement in the slot for Kevin Curtis, who is basically moving on. At 6'5", Bennett also gives the Rams they size they've been looking for in a receiver, specifically in the red zone.

3/5 Rams sign punter B.J. Sander
Av's take: Sander was a good college punter, but never really made it in the NFL, and was out of football last year. Not sure if this is merely an insurance policy in the event that Turk can't be re-signed, or an actual replacement.

3/6 Rams re-sign Todd Steussie
Av's take: Good move. Steussie provides quality depth at the OT and OG spots.

3/7 Rams sign RB Travis Minor
Av's take: Will compete for 3rd down RB and KR jobs. Former Dolphin played under Linehan.

3/8 Rams sign TE Randy McMichael
Av's take: Mixed bag. McMichael is talented and can be productive, and he's played for Linehan before. However, he's had off the field issues and his signing means that the Rams wasted a pick on Byrd, who is likely gone.

3/8 Rams sign S Todd Johnson
Av's take: Former Bear is a good tackler and special teams contributer.

3/12 WR Shaun McDonald signs with Detroit
Av's take: No surprise that the Rams allowed him to leave, or that the Lions signed him. Rams must find a new Page Ranking.

3/13 CB Travis Fisher signs with Detroit
Av's take: In other news, the Lions have changed their name to the Ex-Rams.

3/15 WR Kevin Curtis signs with Philadelphia
Av's take: It took a while, but Curtis finally lands a job with a team that needs a guy like him. His deal is for a bit more than the Rams paid Bennett, by the way.

3/19 Rams sign LB Chris Draft
Av's take: Rams aquire a versitile, experienced and productive player who can play all three LB spots and might start on the stong side. Could be a strong indication that the Rams will select a DL in Round 1 of the draft.

3/19 Rams sign CB Mike Rumph
Av's take: Coming out of college, Rumph was projected as a guy who could excel at either CB or FS. instead, he seemed to be a tweener suited for neither spot. Worth a shot, but I don't expect much from him.

3/23 Marshall Faulk set to announce retirement
Av's take: No big surprise here. Faulk's knees just won't let him play at anything close to his former MVP level. Next stop, Canton.

3/25 Rams sign DB Lenny Walls
Av's take: Primarily a depth and ST player, but his height (6'4) could be useful in certain situations (i.e. covering tall WRs in Red Zone).

3/26 Rams Awarded Two 7th Round Compensatory Selections
Av's take: There are too many examples of picks in the late rounds (and even UFAs) having success to fully discount the value of these picks (Note: PD originally announced that the Rams had not been given any comp picks.)

4/12 Rams sign P Donnie Jones to offer sheet.
Av's take: The Dolphins have seven days to match the offer, as Jones is a RFA. If they do, I hope the Rams select Daniel Sepulveda in the draft.

4/18 Dolphins delcine to match Rams' offer on Jones
Av's take: I'm fine with this signing. As Forrest Gump said "that's good... one less thing."

4/20 Rams retain LB Chillar, OG Goldberg, TE Walker and LB R.Smith
Av's take: These are players who provide depth, know the system, and are being paid at bargain prices. Not a big deal, but you need players like these on the roster.

4/25 Rams trade fifth round pick for WR/Page Ranking Dante Hall
Av's take: I like this move. Hall is still a major threat in the return game, and can be used on offense as well. Certainly worth a fifth round pick in my opinion.

4/28 Rams select A.Carriker, B.Leonard and J.Wade on Day 1 of Draft
Av's take: Love the Carriker pick. Lenard a surprise, but I like his potential. Wade fills a need and has good physical talent and upside. All in all, a good first day.

4/29 Rams focus on interior lines on Day 2 of Draft
Av's take: The Rams added some good prospects, most notably Ryan and Fry, to their interior lines. A good draft weekend, in my opinion.

5/17 Rams sign QB Brock Berlin
Av's take: Camp arm.

6/5 Rams release Jeremetrius Butler
Av's take: Not surprising at all. Butler has some talent, but injuries and poor attitude derailed his career. Perhaps he'll catch on somewhere else, but in St. Louis, he was expendable.

6/9 Rams trade Jimmy Kennedy to Broncos
Av's take: Clearly, this was not about what they obtained (6th round pick) as much as it was a purge of the old in favor of the youth movement on defense.

Seattle Seahawks

1/20 Matt Hasselbeck has surgery on non-throwing shoulder.
Av's take: This injury will not impact Hasselbeck's ability to workout, and certainly does not impact his status for next season. However, given Hass' recent injuries, the Hawks may be in the market (FA or draft) for a backup.

3/5 Seahawks sign DE Patrick Kerney
Av's take: Hawks make their first splash of the offseason with this signing. If he's over his injury from last year, Kerney should enhance the Hawks' pass rush. Of course, like other big name FAs, he didn't come cheap.

3/8 Seahawks release DE Grant Wistrom
Av's take: Wistrom's productivity has dipped in the past two years and, given the signing of Kerney, this is not a surprising move.

3/9 Seahawks sign safety Deon Grant
Av's take: Grant has been a good player, and will fill the role vacated by Ken Hamlin. Not a major upgrade, though.

3/10 Seahawks sign safety Brian Russell
Av's take: Clearly, the Hawks were not happy with their safeties last year, as they sign another FA at this position. Russell solid, though not much of a playmaker.

3/12 Seahawks re-sign OG Floyd Womack
Av' take: Not a big signing, but a good utility player. Hawks are still looking to upgrade their interior line.

3/14 Seahawks sign TE Marcus Pollard
Av's take: Pollard, who is 35 and had only 12 receptions last year, doesn't add much to the Hawks' offense.

3/26 FS Ken Hamlin signs with Dallas
Av's take: This was a foregone conclusion when the Hawks signed Grant and Russell.

3/26 Seahawks re-sign WR Bobby Engram
Av's take: A good veteran signing that could become more important if the Hawk, as has been rumored, trade Darrell Jackson.

4/13 DE Joe Tafoya signs with Arizona
Av's take: Not a major loss. However, coupled with release/retirement of Grant Wistrom, this leaves the Hawks a bit thin at DE.

4/18 Seahawks re-sign OG Chris Gray
Av's take: Unable to sign a FA interior lineman to add youth to their squad, the Hawks are bringing back Gray. Time will tell how much the 37 year old has left in the tank.

4/25 Seahawks sign DE Brandon Green
Av's take: A depth pickup to make up for loss of Tafoya. What is it with the Hawks and former Rams DEs?

4/28 Seahawks select J.Wilson and B.Mebane on Day 1 of Draft
Av's take: Hope they really like Deion Branch, because this wasn't much of a draft day. Wilson has potential, but will probably be only a nickel back. Mebane also a good prospect, but also doesn't figure to be an immediate starter. Surprised they didn't take an OL.

4/29 Seahawks trade D.Jackson, try to replace him with Day 2 picks
Av's take: The Hawks will look to Courtney Taylor and Kent Jordan to help fill the void left by Darryl jackson's departure. Still shocked they would trade him to a Division rival. Best Day 2 pick: Baraka Atkins.

6/4 Seahawks release Kelly Herndon
Av's take: Not a huge surprise, as the Hawks are going with younger CBs.

Arizona Cardinals

1/15 Cardinals hire Ken Whisenhunt as Head Coach
Av's take: Whisenhunt did a good job as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh. Questionable, however, whether his running philosophy will work with a team built to throw the ball (Leinert, Fitzgerald, Boldin, etc.). Russ Grimm later hired after failing to get Steelers HC job.

3/4 Cardinals lose Leonard Davis to Cowboys
Av's take: Davis never lived up to his draft day potential, and the price for him was high, but the loss of Davis adds another hole to an already thin Cardinals' O line.

3/5 Cardinals sign center Al Johnson
Av's take: One day after losing an offensive lineman to Dallas, the Cardinals sign the former Cowboy center. Johnson lost his starting job last year, but has game experience and should help the Cardinals.

3/8 Cardinals sign FS Terrence Holt
Av's take: Its reunion day for Terrence, who will be paired with college teammate Adrian Wilson and will get to face brother Torry twice each year. A good pickup for the Cardinals.

3/10 Cardinals sign CB Roderick Hood
Av's take: Hood showed some potential as a nickel back and a KR in 2005 before being slowed by injuries in 2006. Another FA DB in the NFC West (with the Rams adding more firepower to their receiving corps, they'll need them).

4/2 Cardinals sign OL Mike Gandy
Av's take: Cards still very thin on the O line and Gandy, an experienced player, will help.

4/6 CB David Macklin signed by Washington
Av's take: Signing of Hood made Macklin expendible.

4/13 Cardinals sign DE Joe Tafoya
Av's take: Decent depth signing.

4/28 Cardinals select L.Brown, A.Branch and B.Davis on Day 1 of Draft
Av's take: Brown fills a major need, though I don't know that he'll be worth a top 5 choice. Branch is either going to make 31 teams look dumb for passing on him, or be a complete bust. Davis a good choice. Depending on how Branch pans out, could be anywhere from fair to great as a Day 1.

4/29 Cardinals add to receiving corps on Day 2 of Draft
Av's take: They are deep at WR, and drafted a TE (Pope) on Day 1 last year, so their two Day 2 picks this year are a bit curious.

San Francisco Niners

2/2 Greg Manusky hired as Defensive Coordinator
Av's take: Seems like a good fit, as he coached LBs in the Chargers' 3-4 scheme. He won't, of course, have the same front 7 talent in SF.

2/8 Norv Turner, Mike Singletary will remain with team
Av's take: The Niners dodged a bullet when Dallas elected to hire Wade Phillips as its Head Coach. Turner, in particular, would have been a big loss if he had been hired by the Cowboys.

2/19 Not so fast... Norv Turner hired as Chargers' Head Coach
Av's take: This is bad news for Niner fans. Alex Smith will now have to adjust to a new offensive coordinator, which is never easy for a young, developing QB. If Turner brings some assistants with him, they will have to scramble to assemble an offensive coaching staff.

2/28 Niners re-sign Bryant Young to one year deal
Av's take: Young isn't the player he once was, but he can stil play. A one-year deal makes sense.

2/28 Jim Hostler named Offensive Coordinator
Av's take: The Niners, in promoting QB coach Hostler, clearly want continuity for Alex Smith.

3/1 Niners release Antonio Bryant
Av's take: Somewhat strange, given that Bryant lead the team in receiving yards, but he has had off the field and attitude issues. Could be a sign that the Niners intend to spend FA money on defenders and dig into the deep WR pool in the draft.

3/2 Niners sign Nate Clements
Av's take: A big splash signing a guy who many (including me) had as the #1 ranked free agent. Still, the price tag (8 years, $80M) makes this a risky move.

3/3 Niners sign Michael Lewis
Av's take: Another good signing, though it seems the Niners are putting a lot of free agent dollars into their defensive backfield basket.

3/3 Niners sign NT Aubrayo Franklin
Nick's take: They needed to find a nose tackle if they planned on making the permanent move to the 3-4. Franklin lacks starting experience but could contribute at the position.

3/3 Niners extend CB Walt Harris
Nick's take: Harris received a two-year contract extension, which is a solid move by San Francisco to secure a guy who was playing at a Pro Bowl level in 2006.

3/3 Niners resign WR Bryan Gilmore
Nick's take: Probably an important move considering Antonio Bryant was released. Even with Gilmore the receiving core could be upgraded though.

3/3 Niners sign WR Ashley Lelie
Nick's take: Solid signing, but Lelie has never been able to break out as more than a marginal #2 thus far. Is he going to be the go-to guy in the Bay Area?
Av's take: With this signing, the Niners are starting to look like the Snyder Redskins West. Lelie has the name, but not the game. Has anyone told them they don't have to spend their cap dollars?

3/6 Niners sign Tully Banta-Cain
Av's take: Niners continue their shopping spree with this signing. While Banta-Cain showed some promise in New England, and should be a decent fit as a situational pass rusher in the Niners' 3-4 defense, I have to wonder if the Niners are a little too eager to spend their cap money.

3/8 TE Eric Johnson signs with New Orleans
Av's take: Not a big surprise, given that the Niners are looking to Vernon Davis as their starting TE, but still, how happy can Alex Smith be over losing 2 of his top 4 receivers from last year, along with his offensive coordinator?

3/8 Niners match offer sheet, retain punter Andy Lee
Av's take: Lee was 7th in the NFL in gross punting average, but a mediocre net average. Now, he's one of the NFL's highest paid punters.

3/9 DT Anthony Adams signs with Chicago
Av's take: The signing of Franklin sealed the fate of Adams, who is a better fit in Chicago's 4-3 than SF's 3-4.

3/27 Niners sign Frank Gore to long term deal
Av's take: An important move for the Niners, who will continue to build their offense around Gore.

4/28 Niners select P.Willis, J.Staley, J.Hill and R.McDonald on Day 1
Av's take: Willis a great pick who will be an immediate impact player. Staley a good prospect, but worth giving up next year's #1? Hill fills a need and has good potential. McDonald a risk given injury history, and doesn't seem to be a 3-4 type. Overall, solid, but if Staley flops, next year they'll be cursing this draft.

4/28 Niners overshadow unremarkable Day 2 by acquiring Darryl Jackson
Av's take: Nobody on their Day 2 list wows me. Dashon Goldson probably the most interesting prospect. The big move was acquiring D.Jackson, who may have durability issues, but is certainly worth a 4th round pick.

6/7 Niners lose Melvin Oliver to torn ACL
Av's take: A tough loss for the Niners. Oliver was slated to be a starter.