Has anyone else picked up on the ESPN..

[AugustaRamFan]

Evaluations for each team?

Seems that the ESPN brain trust of...Salisbury, Sclereath (sp?) and Golic have been doing positional evaluations for each NFL team and putting them in rank order.

So far, the Rams graded out at #10 for the QB position (Manning - Colts) was # 1 as I recall. I think 10th is respectable, but with Frerotte the new tandem should have been higher imho. It was no surprise that they questioned Bulger's durability.

For the receiving corp, the Rams graded out at #8 and they had the AZ Cardinals and the Colts as the top 2... Again, OK I guess, but the brian trust did not mention Curtis or McDonald as back ups. Imho, Rams could be top 5 or top 3. They also did not mention the Tight end Position for the Rams. I suppose that since the Rams have no proven TE that was a negative factor. That again, is OK for me. The young TEs have potential talent, but they remain unproven.

I am pretty sure that some of y'all may have seen this, so delete this thread if it is redundant.

Go Rams!!!!!:clanram:

[HUbison]

brain trust of...Salisbury, Sclereath (sp?) and Golic

that's the equivalent to getting fitness advice from Rosie O'donnell, Keith Richards, and Michael Moore.

[AugustaRamFan]

As you know, the reference was 100% sarcasm...

[txramsfan]

They did say that Curtis was an up and comer but without one proven TE they fell to 8. However, they did say that of all the WR's this team could move up quick.

The RB's were graded out at 21 I think which to me was a proper selection. That's the only two I saw.

[HUbison]

As you know, the reference was 100% sarcasm...

Oh, yea, the sarcasm was duly noted. Anytime Salisbury and "brain trust" are in the same sentence, it's a safe assumption that sarcasm has been utilized.

[AugustaRamFan]

The RBs at #21....That is a reflection of Jackson's need to put his game where his mouth is. He has the talent, but his desire remains an issue for me.

After that, with Marshall's future in doubt, a bottom-half ranking is justified.

Lastly, the triumverate did have some positive things to say about the Rams. Having some positive things come out of Salisbury's mouth was a curious change for him.

[evil disco man]

Oh, yea, the sarcasm was duly noted. Anytime Salisbury and "brain trust" are in the same sentence, it's a safe assumption that sarcasm has been utilized.

Exactly what I was thinking after reading that line. LOL

Just bought my annual Lindy's magazine, thought I'd share some Ram mentions in their 'NFL's top ten' positional rankings:

QUARTERBACKS
Best Medical Returnees: Marc Bulger
Best Backup:: Gus Frerotte

WIDE RECEIVERS
Best No. 1: Torry Holt (#2)
Best No. 3: Kevin Curtis (#2)
Best Trio, NFC: Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Kevin Curtis

RANKING BY TEAM: PASSING GAME
4. St. Louis Don't count out quarterback Marc Bulger. Yes, Mike Martz has departed, Isaac Bruce is a year older and Marshall Faulk is no longer a game-breaker after the catch ... but Bulger is a top-drawer passer. Torry Holt is a premier talent. Kevin Curtis is on the verge of becoming a consistent vertical threat and just as important, the offensive line should provide significantly better protection. Throw in a few talented young tight ends and expect the Rams to still light up the scoreboard.

RUNNING BACKS
Breakout Season: Steven Jackson

FULLBACKS
Future Star: Madison Hedgecock
Breakout Season: Madison Hedgecock

OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Left Side: Orlando Pace (#1)
Next in Line, NFC: Alex Barron
Best Tandem, NFC: Orlando Pace, Alex Barron

OFFENSIVE GUARDS
Comeback Season: Adam Timmerman

DEFENSIVE ENDS
Left Side: Leonard Little (#6)

LINEBACKERS
Next in Line, NFC: Will Witherspoon

CORNERBACKS
Last Chance, NFC: Jerametrius Butler

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kickers: Jeff Wilkins (#3)
Long Snappers: Chris Massey (#4)

[HUbison]

Wow, that's some pretty serious lovin' from Lindy's. Although, how can they rank Massey #4? The guy's been nothing short of perfect.

[evil disco man]

Wow, that's some pretty serious lovin' from Lindy's.

Take into consideration that Howard Balzer is the editor and John Hadley contributes. I started buying this magazine in 1998 and didn't even realize that back then. Really though - Holt, Curtis (#3 WRs), Pace, Little (LDEs), Wilkins and Massey (longsnappers) were the only players to make it into a top ten list, which is fair. The rest of the categories I mentioned have a couple other guys around the league listed along with 'em.

Although, how can they rank Massey #4? The guy's been nothing short of perfect.

I've got no clue. I don't know who any of these guys are:

1. Patrick Mannelly, Chicago
2. Kendall Gammon, Kansas City
3. Brian Jennings, San Francisco

I'm not gonna bother looking it up, but I'm guessing the only edge they've got on Massey is experience.

[HUbison]

1. Patrick Mannelly, Chicago
2. Kendall Gammon, Kansas City
3. Brian Jennings, San Francisco

Ok, Gammon I could see. That guy's a freakin' machine. He's the skinniest OL you'll see this side of high school ball.....6'4", 250 lbs. All he's done for the past 16 years (he's 38) is long snap, and he does it well. I saw a Chiefs report on TV one time that focused on Gammon. They showed him long snapping ball after ball after ball.......after ball into a net with a small opening that wasn't much bigger than the ball itself. And this was from about 10 yards.

Gammon's pretty remarkable, I'll give him that.

Having said that, if he's ranked over Massey, it's only because he's been around longer.

[Nick]

If I recall, the pass-catcher depth ranking turned out something like:

1. Colts
2. Cardinals
3. Redskins
4. Bengals
5. Cowboys
6. Giants
7. Panthers
8. Rams

Obviously the Colts are the Colts, and are the #1 receiving corps in the business. Arizona has no business being ranked #2, because after Fitz and Boldin they really don't have much of anything (Bryant Johnson? LeRon McCoy?) with no one at tight end except the rookie Pope. The Redskins at 3 I can at least understand, because they made it a point to add Brandon Llyod and Randle El while already having Santana Moss and a returning David Patten as well as Cooley at TE/H-back. The Bengals remind me of the Cardinals in that they don't have a lot after Johnson and Housh, what with Chris Henry's trouble with the law. The Cowboys have a fairly strong group, and what depth they dont have at WR is made up for with a fairly good tight end. The Giants have a good group - Burress, Toomer, Moss, Shockey - so I can't argue with them that much, but the Panthers beating us out is ridiculous. Steve Smith and Meshawn, with what behind them and what at tight end? It's not like I think the Rams deserve the number two spot or anything, because we'll have to see how well Bruce returns from injury and how well our tight ends establish themselves. But I certainly don't think they should be any worse than 5, and I personally would put us around the number four slot behind Indy, NY, and Washington. Again, Indy is Indy, and what the Giants lack in elite top tier talent they make up for in depth. As for Washington, like it or not, Santana Moss is a top receiver in this league, Lloyd is a competent though slightly overrated starter, but Randle El is one of the best #3's in the business, and they have good depth behind that with a good TE.

Keep in mind their rankings, for the most part, were pretty horrible though. They had the Bears ranked 17th in RB depth, despite having Thomas Jones, Ced Benson, and Adrian Peterson along with some good talent at FB. The Panthers were ranked 9th in RB depth despite their starter (DeShaun Foster) having never even gained 1,000 yards rushing on top of his own injury problems, with DeAngelo Williams and Nick Goings behind him. How that's significantly better than Chicago's unit, I have no idea. Their QB rankings obviously didn't take any significant close look at depth (despite the show being called the Ultimate Depth Chart) because some of the teams they rated high based on their star QB despite little depth behind him. Yes, Tom Brady has talent, but when he has Matt Cassel and Corey Bramlet behind him on the depth chart, you're not going to convince me the Pats have some of the best QB depth in the league. The same with Kansas City. Trent Green is probably underrated in this league, but he has nothing behind him unless you count rookie Brodie Croyle, and since our rookie TEs didn't help us in the pass catcher ranking, it's hard to believe a rookie QB is going to help the Chiefs in the QB rankings. The Chiefs ranking as the second best RB depth team is also ridiculous. Larry Johnson is a hog, but Priest Holmes hasn't been cleared to return, and they have virtually nothing in the backfield after LJ.

In general it was like most of the stuff you see on an ESPN NFL show featuring Salisbury, Schlereth, and Golic - not very insightful.

[RAMMAN68]

Lastly, the triumverate did have some positive things to say about the Rams. Having some positive things come out of Salisbury's mouth was a curious change for him.

It's very early; buy the time the season starts, he'll be back to form.

I'm growing to dislike ESPN as a network. They are so east coast bias it is a joke. They currently are the Yankee/Red Socks network. Their so called analysts flip flop more than John Kerry.

[evil disco man]

They are so east coast bias it is a joke. They currently are the Yankee/Red Socks network. Their so called analysts flip flop more than John Kerry.

Well, at least they're not as bad as Fox News and try to twist/control their words and "news" towards their own agenda just to please their "trailer trash pie" crowd (as one of their 'reporters' is quoted as saying, with his buddies laughing along to it) while attempting to calling themselves 'fair & balanced.' Wait, this isn't a political thread, is it? Maybe I shouldn't go there.

[HUbison]

Allright, let's get back to how bad ESPN sucks, before this gets ugly, or uglier.

[AugustaRamFan]

This just in, the Rams Rushing Defense was ranked #28....Ouch!! The top two included the Bolts and Ravens. The Steelers and and Panthers were also in the top 8 (as I recall).

If they were # 30+/- last year, most of the changes made so far have gone on with little notice. I mean we dumped Marmie...that has to be addtion by subraction.

I know this is off-season babble, but #28 - that is just hard to take.