Bill McClellan: It's the Rams' turn to receive my advice ..

[MauiRam]

BILL McCLELLAN • Friday, September 24, 2010 12:00 am


A couple of days ago, I gave Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt some advice. Fire Tony La Russa. We're sick of his act. Trade Albert Pujols. The Cardinals can't afford to sign him to the kind of contract he will demand, and so he will go somewhere else. Get something while you can.

Perhaps DeWitt is mulling over the advice. I have heard nothing.

But I thought to myself: "Why should I offer free advice only to the baseball team? The football team needs help even more."

So before I return to my normal duties of writing about crime, health care and grandchildren, let me give some advice to Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Rams.

Fire general manager Billy Devaney. He's too timid.

According to published reports, the Rams were recently thinking of trading for Vincent Jackson. He is a wide receiver with the San Diego Chargers. He is big and fast and has had more than 1,000 yards worth of receptions in each of the last two years. He has been chosen for the Pro Bowl. He is only 27.

He also has "character issues." He is currently suspended because of a DUI arrest. It was his second such arrest.

If the Rams were a college team looking for student-athletes, perhaps they would be wise not to offer Jackson a scholarship. But they are not a college team. They are a professional team, and a lousy one. One reason they are lousy is they have no wide receivers who are big and fast.

Consequently, the Rams are not in a position to be overly concerned about character. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is. Somebody is always willing to give a talented athlete a third chance. Why shouldn't it be the Rams?

Actually, other teams were also interested. The Minnesota Vikings tried to trade for him, but the Vikings said they balked because the Chargers wanted a second- and third-round draft pick.

So let's assume that's what the Chargers would have wanted from the Rams.

A good general manager would have jumped at that deal.

Four reasons.

First, you never know about draft picks. Even first-round picks are often disappointing. I remember when the Rams had the second overall pick a couple of years ago and used it on defensive end Chris Long. He is a great character guy. But he is not a great defensive end. He is adequate.

So if you can get an All-Pro type guy for a couple of draft picks, do it.

Second, you need a passing game to win in the NFL. The Rams do not have one. A guy like Jackson would give them one. He would make the other receivers better.

It's kind of like a high school tennis team. Your No. 1 guy is pretty good but not quite good enough to beat the other teams' No. 1 guys. Same with your two, three and four guys. But if you suddenly get a new No. 1 guy, then your old No. 1 slides down to No. 2, and now he is able to beat the other teams' No. 2s. And so on.

It's the same thing with receivers. Suddenly, the guy who couldn't get open against the other team's best cornerback is able to get open against the second-best cornerback. A good No. 1 makes everybody else better.

Third, the NFC West is weak right now. In fact, it's pitiful. Arizona is a shell of its former self. Even with no passing game, the Rams nearly beat them. San Francisco was supposed to be good, but Seattle beat them, and Seattle is awful. This is not the time to be timid, but the time to be aggressive. Attack when your opponents are weak. Try to win now.

Fourth, running back Steven Jackson is a beast, but he won't be a beast forever. Guys who smash into the line seldom have long careers. I think of the great Earl Campbell. He played eight seasons. Jackson is now in his seventh.

Right now, it's as if the Rams are trying to shorten Jackson's career. With virtually no passing game, the other team just gangs up on Jackson, who, by the way, has no real backup. It's just him.

Apparently, the Devaney plan is to do things the safe way. That is, use a top draft pick next year to get a wide receiver. A guy with good character, I'm sure. Maybe the Chris Long of wide receivers.

In all probability, it will take him at least one season to get acclimated to the league. So he'll be ready to contribute in 2012.

By then, Jackson would be in his ninth year.

Which means the Rams might finally have a passing game with no running game.

That is the path down which Devaney is leading the Rams.

You don't need timidity in the front office. What is it Paul Simon used to sing? "Make a new plan, Stan."

[HUbison]

A couple of days ago, I gave Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt some advice. Fire Tony La Russa. We're sick of his act. Trade Albert Pujols. The Cardinals can't afford to sign him to the kind of contract he will demand, and so he will go somewhere else. Get something while you can

And you're done.

[RamsInfiniti]

And you're done.

I got to the "Bill McClellan" part and said, who the hell is this clown?

Then I quit reading ....

[C-Mob 71]

And you're done.

LOL Hub, as soon as I read, "Trade Albert Pujols", I ceased and desisted as well.

[Azul e Oro]

You gotta love sports advice from a guy who uses high school tennis as an analogy to running an NFL team.

And he clearly didn't watch the Whiners go toe2toe with the SB champ Saints the other night. I'd certainly like to see the coaches getting more out of what they have but the frustrating truth is that The Rams are still a year or two behind them in building this roster.

[BrokenWing]

Yeah uh...wow. This guy wants us to fire our GM based solely on not trading for Vincent Jackson? Also apparently Chris Long isn't a good player, judging by the tone in which his name was used. That's pretty inaccurate...

[rNemesis]

So we must be the retards who give up a second and a third, not to mention pay him a kings ransom, for a guy of his DUI nature and arrests and will only play 7 games? Then, next year, when he decides to quit because we are not going anywhere but up, then we have only one good guy to get out of college and the rest a bunch of "hit-or-miss" guys?

[r8rh8rmike]

So before I return to my normal duties of writing about crime, health care and grandchildren, let me give some advice to Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Rams.

I sure hope he writes about crime, health care and grandchildren better than he writes about football.

BTW, where did you dig up this article Maui, the AARP newsletter??

[berg8309]

I should have stopped at "Trade Albert Pujols" but I kept reading. Hope fullie it didnet cauz much brayne damagg.

[msha]

I sure hope he writes about crime, health care and grandchildren better than he writes about football.

BTW, where did you dig up this article Maui, the AARP newsletter??

He writes for the Post-Dispatch but about crime, health care and grandchilren, not sports

[NJ Ramsfan1]

Terrible. I'm usually a lot more tolerant of sportswriters than most fans, but this was just drivel- a totally ridiculous rant devoid of anything constructive. Fire a guy who won a World Series for you a few years ago. Trade the best player in baseball. And sell your soul to get a receiver who not only commands a big financial and draft package as compensation but is a jackass of the first order.

Brilliant on all counts.

[RockinRam]

I actually have to admit the high school tennis analogy is a good analogy, IF we were not talking about Vincent Jackson.


I mean, the St. Louis Rams are kind of like a high school tennis team. Like the St. Louis Rams, tennis players are usually smart, good character players with great work ethic. Hell, I would know, I play tennis.

However, if you have a transfer student that transfers onto the team, and he is the clear cut #1 player, then you obviously play him at #1. BUT, what if he is a bad student? What if he fails his classes, complains a lot, and does things that gets him into trouble?


Would he be a reliable asset to the team? Sure he may strengthen the team as a whole for maybe a couple months, until he starts failing again and he would have to sit out, and then the whole tennis ladder is once again reverted back to the same line-up, and again the losing continues. He may also mentally bring down the whole team with his attitude, poor work ethics, and lousy behavior. What if some of the players on the team are influenced by him and start acting like him since they are amazed at his #1 skills?



Vincent Jackson is not the answer.

The answer might and probably will be a rookie in the upcoming draft.

[sjacksonrules]

The words trade and albert pujols should never be used together. Let alone the words fire and tony la russa. Both of the guys will most likely retire cardinals..

[fliptalianstallion]

Trade Pujols? Fire LaRussa? The only reason the Cards are struggling because they have a terrible bullpen they yield free points to so many average players and that they've traded Ludwick.

And fire Devaney because he didn't trade for V-Jax who can only play for 12 games while having to be paid a ridiculous contract, draft picks, and have to deal with the possibility of carrying some of his personal baggage? Devaney had to trim the roster with some of the young meat we have right now and with a no-cap period this year, we had to get rid of some of our washed up veterans. This writer reeks of weak in-depth logic.