is help at receiver that necessary?

[tomahawk247]

The Rams have traditionally run out of at least a 3WR set, but the times are changing. Al Saunders has come in, as had Linehan years previously, and they are much more fans of the TE position than Martz ever was.

We have Holt and Bennett starting at WR, which isnt a bad combo at all if they are healthy. McMicheal is clearly the starting TE, and Becht and Klop will be competing for the second TE spot. We now have a decent guy to be a pass catching/running FB in Brian Leonard, and of course we have Steven Jackson.

I think, at the current time, that although it is tempting to take a WR in the draft now that Bruce is gone, that we should probably wait until after the first two rounds to do so. I think DE and OT are bigger priorities.

We need to be keeping Bulger upright, its the number one priority on this offense. He has been running for his life and taking hits all the time behind our weak OL, but if we can keep him healthy then the offence will be fine. Especially since i see us going to more of a Kansas City style run offence, and utilising Jackson a lot on runs and passes. I think we will also be using the TE a lot more than over recent years, especially after what Saunders has done with Tony Gonzalez and Chris Cooley. Saunders' previous offences have not been heavy on WRs, and he managed to get by in Kansas with only minimal talent at the position.

For that reason, i see us grabbing an OT in the first two rounds of the draft, with the other pick being a DE. We need to get someone in at OT in case Pace gets injured again and as competition for Barron. I think with some competition Barron might improve, but all the time he has been in STL, Barron hasnt been pushed by anyone for his RT spot, so he hasnt been working as hard. Whoever doesnt win the RT job could slide across to RG, and id like to see Incognito given a go playing C.

My ideal draft situation would be to trade down a few spots with a team seeking McFadden, maybe the Jets, and pick up an extra second rounder in the deal. Then we would take Gholston with our first rounder, and then grab an OT and WR in the second. The draft is fairly deep at OT and WR, so there is still a lot of value to be had in the second round.

your thoughts?

[Fat Pang]

Very pertinent comment tomhawk and I'll agree with the premise for it.

Makes the knee-jerk "omgwthhavewesignedanotherTEIbethe'sanotherFOSLletsridiculehimrepeatedlyusingthesameoldjokesuntiltheFOgetthehintandstartlisteningtous" comments look a little less understandable then they do in this post.



Hey, I'm venting..............

[tomahawk247]

i just think people arent used to the idea of the Rams having more of a base 2TE offence instead of a base 3WR offence

but with Jackson's power running game, two TEs might be the best way to go about it

[laram0]

Yes Saunders has had some success with his KC style of offense but I ask how many Playoff games did they win with Saunders running the offense?

The KC offense if you will is nice and all but we still need more speed at the WR position. To me the ultimate offense can run the ball inside and outside and stretch the field via the air. Wow that sounds familiar "GREATEST SHOW ON TURF"?:r

[tomahawk247]

Yes Saunders has had some success with his KC style of offense but I ask how many Playoff games did they win with Saunders running the offense?

The KC offense if you will is nice and all but we still need more speed at the WR position. To me the ultimate offense can run the ball inside and outside and stretch the field via the air. Wow that sounds familiar "GREATEST SHOW ON TURF"?:r

i do agree we need some speed at WR, but Stanley is pretty quick and you can grab speed at WR without picking one in the first two rounds. We got Curtis in the third round and he was a burner

[Goldenfleece]

That's a valid point about the importance of the no. 3 receiver in the current offense. If Holt was a little younger and didn't have the knee problem, I'd agree. As is, I think it's still a high priority because we don't know how long Holt is going to be around, and we don't want to get caught flat-footed when he retires. Even the staunchest Bennett apologists probably don't want to see him become the number one option in the near future.

[txramsfan]

OMG, definately need another WR. With Holt's knees? With the historical perspective of Bennett's production? In my opinion, right now, we go into the season with just 1 and 1/4 WR. Hagans? What has he ever done?

Geez, some of you think just because they are on the Rams roster that they are some kind of offensive stud.

[AvengerRam]

Right now, opposing defenses have no reason to keep a FS in deep coverage. Why? Because, as good as Holt still is, he is not a threat to burn guys deep anymore.

The Rams need a guy who has the speed to get behind the defense and burn you for a TD. That will keep opposing defenses "honest," rather than allowing them to crowd the short to mid-range routes.

[TekeRam]

The Rams need a WR in the early part of the draft(round 2-3) not because of the immediate need, I think that between Hall, Stanley and Hagans, one can turn out to be a good enough third WR. The issue is that in three years, the time it usually takes wide receivers to get accustomed to the league, Holt will be in serious decline, Bennett will be in decline and Hall will probably be out of the league.

We need a highly regarded wideout so that they can step into the starting position right when they're ready to. Sure, there are the Marques Colston's out there that come out as rookies ready to play, but that's hardly the norm, especially from a round 7 guy.

[Rambos]

We have to add a WR that can get deep and take a slant to the house as well. We are very slow at WR, we might have to draft a couple. If we could get two guys like Curtis and McDonald the would be great.

[tomahawk247]

im not saying that we are great at WR

i just think that in the grand scheme of things a OT or a DE would be far better picks. We have two starters at WR, we dont have two starters at DE. We have two starters at OT, but one has been injured the last two seasons and the other is in danger of losing his position because of penalties

[serkicker32]

I would like to see Hagens and Stanley get a chance as third receivers, they both have the moves to break a short catch into a longer gain, and hopefully they have been useing their time burried on the depth chart to learn from two of the best out there at running routes

[BIG-BLUE]

tomahawk, couldn't agree with you more. Our lines are not ones that put fear into the opposition & you need to build a team thru your lines in my opinion. You HAVE to have a strong foundation to carry you to the next level. With out it your just setting yourself up for maybe a short run @ the playoffs. I would love to see us develop into a power house running team with a nasty hard hitting defense that puts fear into our opposition.

[txramsfan]

I would like to see Hagens and Stanley get a chance as third receivers, they both have the moves to break a short catch into a longer gain, and hopefully they have been useing their time burried on the depth chart to learn from two of the best out there at running routes

I'm sorry, but I have to ask this question. How have you seen Hagans/Stanley enough to know they have the moves to do what you said? Is there a YouTube video of them or something?

[Mooselini]

I would still like to get a receiver in this draft. Maybe not a priority, but definately a need. I'm sorry, Bennett isn't good enough. Even with a beat up QB, crap OL, Torry Holt still had a probowl season, even with his knee. That means the excuse for Bennett being injured can be used. Torry is injured, yet still performs better than most WR's in the league.

I do believe we need a new WR. Third round atleast.