i guess picket wasnt tagged

[general counsel]

given that i havent read anything and its after 4pm eastern, i assume pickett wasnt tagged.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

rams are making a huge mistake by not locking him up

[RamsFan16]

I know. We'll probrably let him go hit the Market.

[Nick]

I wasn't expecting him to be franchised. Transition, maybe. I see this one of three ways...

1) The Rams feel they're close to a contract with him
2) The Rams don't feel like he'll get much attention on the market and thus they can resign him later
3) The Rams have no interest in resigning him

Hopefully it's one or two.

[general counsel]

It cant be #2. They know that there will be interest in him. I think 3 is highly unlikely. #1 is what we should all hope for, ie that they are close and based on the relationship, they feel that even if he hits the market, they will get an unofficial shot to match without the ill will that comes with the tag.
The tag is always challenging. in picketts case, if we tagged him, he could conceivably weigh 500 pounds by the time he ultimately signed the tender.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[Fat Pang]

I don't think we'll be making that huge a mistake by not locking him up and seeing him go elsewhere.

If you look at the headlines that have accompanied the decisions regarding Woodson, Peterson, Plummer,Law, Fabini, Backus, Williams recently you'll notice the deafening silence of the media regarding Pickett.

He's just not in that kind of bracket and won't be until he strings together 3-4 seasons of strong play and better numbers. He had a great contract year on a bad D and teams around the league know that.

He's worth something to us because of the parlous state of our defence, but let's not hang our hats and our cash on him just yet.

I think Nick's right and the more likely options are 1 and 2. The FO knows that he won't attract the kind of attention around the league that will put them under pressure contract wise and if they do then it's goodbye Ryan.

It could also indicate that Haslett wants to move to a 3-4 and sees the inconsistent Kennedy as his nose man.

[general counsel]

The reason pickett doesnt get media attention is that our defense was beyond terrible last year. media attention is irrelevant in this context. the player personnel guys and the gms are going to be all over pickett like white on rice if we dont reach a deal with him by the time he hits the market. He led the nfl in tackles by a defensive tackle last year. let me say that again, HE LED THE NFL IN TACKLES AT HIS POSITION. The real experts know how good he is and how tough it is to replace the position. The media doesnt know how to take a crap on its own.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[Fat Pang]

Sorry GC, I know the media is sometimes more than fallible, but I'd want a DT who leads the unit and his position in tackles to influence the run D to the extent where it's at least respectable.

His peers also didn't think highly enough of his tackling feats to vote him into the Bowl.

I'm not saying we should ship him out with Marmie's baggage, I'm saying that if he's gone I don't see how it will set the franchise back as badly as some think it will.

I'm ambivalent about him that's all.

The media doesn't work in a vacuum GC and it's attention is often directed or influenced by performance worthy of it, or the opinion of those who are the main actors in the piece i.e our own and opposing team's FO's. Either he's worthy of attention or he's not.

Maybe, just maybe ,he's the best kept secret in the NFL.........................................

[general counsel]

Michael Vick gets the most media attention of any player in the nfl. he is also the most overated player in the history of team sports. Pro bowl voting is a notorious popularity contest. Pickett was terrific last year, that is a statistical fact, not an opinion.

If you want to make the point, as many on this board have, that pickett hasnt done it long enough, has had some injuries and may have weight issues, those are all legitimate points of debate, especially in the context of paying him top dollar.

However, in my opinion, using pro bowl voting or attention from the media as criteria for determining who a dominating player is does not make any sense.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[txramsfan]

The Collective Bargaining agreement being in such a holding pattern causes havoc on the FA market. Hate to lock up a player that really isn't that big of an impact player, i.e. Pickett, that could be had for maybe cheaper later.

Pickett is a good player for the Rams, but if he was on another team that had a much better defense would he have had as good of a season? Don't know. However, I believe we are about to find out.

[psycho9985]

Gotta remember the year Isaac Bruce had 1800+ yards in 95 I think.Jerry rice had 1900+ the same year,but Isaac didnt get to the pro bowl that year.

Tell me why he didnt get there if its not a popularity contest.

[Fat Pang]

Originally Posted by general counsel

Michael Vick gets the most media attention of any player in the nfl. he is also the most overated player in the history of team sports. Pro bowl voting is a notorious popularity contest. Pickett was terrific last year, that is a statistical fact, not an opinion.

If you want to make the point, as many on this board have, that pickett hasnt done it long enough, has had some injuries and may have weight issues, those are all legitimate points of debate, especially in the context of paying him top dollar.

However, in my opinion, using pro bowl voting or attention from the media as criteria for determining who a dominating player is does not make any sense.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

In the context of my post GC it makes all the sense necessary to me, otherwise I wouldn't have posted it and thereby incurred your ire.

You have also noticed of course that competition for a playes services also has a bearing on his contract value. Competition that is generated by people being of the same opinion regarding his performance. Opinion which is influenced by report,tape and film that then attracts the written and spoken word and in turn then influences those members of the media, public and playing staff that are exposed to it. That maybe then influences their Pro Bowl voting choices.

Never once did I claim that a players dominance could be measured purely by opinion, but I think it interesting that across the league Pickett isn't seen as worthy of the same kind of attention as some other players, not least of which by our own FO which has declined to tag him.

I stated he had a great year on a bad D and I also stated I wouldn't be opposed to bringing him back as he has value to our franchise with it's well known defensive problems.

I just don't attch the same emphasis to him as you do regarding our defensive resurgence next year or the price we may have to pay him to retain his services.

This, to me at least makes sense and are legitimate points of debate.

If they are not, then I'm obviously in the wrong place...................

[general counsel]

No offense intended mr. pang, you are certainly entitled to your view and i was not trying to belitle that view. We can agree to disagree, i absolutely respect your opinion and will defend to the death your right to express it. Part of what makes the board great is our ability to disagree with each other. I didnt have any intention of expressing any "ire" only disagreement. i apologize if you took it that way.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[psycho9985]

Because our drafting defensive lineman hasnt panned out very well,I say we gotta keep the greese.

If Haslett has something in mind I hope its good.

I would say Pickett is good but he is not great. There are many other DL who are just as good IMO. Would Pickett have had as many tackles if anyone on the team other then him was playing tackle football? He had a lot of chances for tackles because no body else was tackling the guy with the ball. That said I would like to sign Pickett but I do not want to over pay for him. I think they did the right thing by not tagging him.

Side note: I would like to know how many plays from scrimmage we allowed per possession last year compared to the rest of the league I would bet that we rank near the bottom in most plays from scrimmage allowed per possession which leads to more chances for tackles.