I hope you guys like what the Rams are doing in Free agency...

[RamWraith]

You know I still love you man!! Some of us have to have something to look forward to ;-)

2008--playoffs baby!!

Originally Posted by txramsfan

Ahh....maybe it's just a combination of tax season, a grumpy little woman, and a 3-13 season. However, Memphis in the Sweet 16 makes things alot better.

I don't like our WR corp, I'm adamant on that. However, I will give Hill a break by the fact we haven't had a pass rush. The WR position will be addressed in Round 2 and if Limas Sweed happens to be there I'll feel better about that.

I'm feeling "better" about the Rams...I've been saying for awhile we are in rebuilding mode and I think with this years and next years draft....2009 is the time to shine,

[CanadianRamsFan]

I may be wrong on this, but didn't we offer Bruce the EXACT same thing that the ***** did? Its not like we cut him and said "up yours" we gave him a chance to re-up and he chose not to. Don't get me wrong I'm a big Bruce fan but at the end of the day the NFL is a business and you have to make these kind of decisions

[TheBritishRam]

I like the optimism from B4LIFE and Wraith. It's enough to win me over...........PLAYOFFS BABY

[tomahawk247]

Originally Posted by CanadianRamsFan

I may be wrong on this, but didn't we offer Bruce the EXACT same thing that the ***** did? Its not like we cut him and said "up yours" we gave him a chance to re-up and he chose not to. Don't get me wrong I'm a big Bruce fan but at the end of the day the NFL is a business and you have to make these kind of decisions

no we offered him less money than the niners did. the niners offered bruce the same money that our original contract was, the one we asked bruce to restructure or get cut for

[moloch41]

Originally Posted by tomahawk247

no we offered him less money than the niners did. the niners offered bruce the same money that our original contract was, the one we asked bruce to restructure or get cut for

Their contract was longer.

[HUbison]

Originally Posted by varg

Sorry, I do think he's better right now than Caldwell right now.

But as Teke asked, is he 7.75 times better? And that's in production. Would Bruce have produced for us 7.75 times more than Caldwell will?

He was the showcase of the franchise, its what fans yelled in the stands when he caught a pass.

The fans yelled before Bruce, they will yell after Bruce.

its not like he was with us for 14 years and better than what we got playing his position or anything.....

And that means exactly zilch in the NFL. For fans like us, loyalty to team players like Bruce make the world go 'round. However, outside of fandom, it don't mean a thing.

Just a cold reality. I hate it too, but that doesn't make it any less real.

[Dominating D]

I'm not too worried about the WR unit with Saunders. At least we have Holt what did KC have in the WR department in all those seasons the O was around the top in the NFL....

I have to say I am very happy with the Rams selection and spending in the off season. I believe with a little more health and experience and combine it with some free agent depth and a good draft the Rams "NOW" can contend in the NFC.....

[rams4life88]

Originally Posted by bruce4life

Because I sure do guys and I will now tell you why.

In 07' our defense up till about the steelers game in week 15 played well in every game until the 4th quarter because our offense was so porous and could not even score on notre dames defense last season.

The rams we're in every game in the season except for the last year yet again.

-In week 1, we lost to SJ fumbles in the 4th quarter when we were about to score.
- Week 2 don't quote me on this but did we not have over 430 yards of offense and only scored 16 points that game? 3 turnovers and 2 missed field goals killed us.
-Week 3- the game was only 3-0 at half. SJ got hurt. Bulger threw a duck to phillip buchanon, Money missed a 28 yards enough said
- Week 8 against the Browns we were up the whole game until the last 2 mins.
- Against Seattle we were up too!!!!

WHAT I'M TRYING TO POINT OUT IS THAT OUR 3-13 WAS NOT HOW WE PLAYED LAST YEAR. iF WERE HEALTHY WE WIN THOSE GAMES. oUR OFFENSE IS NOT THAT BAD AND THE [DEFENSE WAS BETTER THAN THE STATS SAY.

On that note, our free agency thus far had been solid, not good, not bad.
Josh Brown- solid kicker should help us win at least 2 more games
Jacob Bell- hopefully he can be the reincarnation of a donut bro we love
Adam Goldberg- Depth
Brandon Gorin- depth but has playoff experience
travis- solid backup
jerome carter- dpeth
James Hall- could of had 51/2- 8 sacks if healthy last year
David MAcklin- depth who has playoff exp.
Reche Caldwell- see macklin

WHAT I'M TRYING TO SHINE SOME LIGHT IS THE FACT THAT WE HAVE BUILT SOME DEPTH THIS YEAR KIND OF LIKE HOW THE PATS USED TO DO IT ( 2001-2004). i'I'M NOT SAYING WE ARE GOING TO PLAYOFFS OR ANYTHING, BUT WE WILL DEF. NOT HAVE THE TYPE OF SEASON WE HAD LAST YEAR.

Totally agree with you. Alot of people want to talk about the d the d the d. Well with our offense last season, it would make any D look bad. People seem to forget that for a long stretch last year we didn't allow a 100 yard rusher, I think like bruce4life said till the Steelers game. Now where in recent memory can you remember that happening? Like he said, "The defense was better than the stats say"

[rams4life88]

Originally Posted by CanadianRamsFan

I may be wrong on this, but didn't we offer Bruce the EXACT same thing that the ***** did? Its not like we cut him and said "up yours" we gave him a chance to re-up and he chose not to. Don't get me wrong I'm a big Bruce fan but at the end of the day the NFL is a business and you have to make these kind of decisions

Bruce actually wanted about 5 million per year. The rams although not offering 5 offered him 3 million which for his age and decreased production is pretty generous. Bruce decided to go for the money so it's not the Rams' fault. That was a big disappointment for me, Bruce lost some points in my book. But like they say, it IS a business no matter which way you like at it.

[CanadianRamsFan]

Originally Posted by rams4life88

Bruce actually wanted about 5 million per year. The rams although not offering 5 offered him 3 million which for his age and decreased production is pretty generous. Bruce decided to go for the money so it's not the Rams' fault. That was a big disappointment for me, Bruce lost some points in my book. But like they say, it IS a business no matter which way you like at it.

I agree, but some fans here seem to make him the victim, Bruce is not a #1 receiver anymore 3 million would have been more then fair. I'm sad to see him go of course, but in the end this will allow us to see what our young guns can do.

[RAMFANRAIDERHATER]

Just thought I'd add my two-cents, if I may...

Personally, I'm pretty satisfied with the off-season direction and new acquisitions of the Rams. I think they've addressed problems fairly well without giving up the bank. I'd much rather see the Rams cautiously spend for FA's then do what a team like the Raiders are doing. Sure, the Raiders are giving their fans the appearance of trying to fix things, but in reality, how many more games will they win next year after the spending spree they've been on? One? Two? ...maybe. The harsh reality is, that kind of thinking and spending is going to set them back another 3-4 seasons. Giving away draft picks and overpaying mediocre players is just plain stupid. There's only one or two impact players a year in free agency, and thinking the Rams are going to attract any of them is foolish.

A single FA or two will not turn a team around, but the Rams have managed to fill openings and provide much needed depth in certain areas. They lost a great kicker in Wilkins (throwing out last year) and replaced him with a player of equal, or better talent. The Rams suffered through injuries to the O-line last season. so they brought in a talented guard in Bell and resigned some guys for added depth. They lost a 35 year-old Bruce because he demanded more money then his current worth. The Rams answered with a 29 year-old Caldwell, who should be every bit as productive as Ike would have been, and probably more, given his age. Was it a blockbuster acquisition? Absolutely not. But it's at least an insurance policy for the upcoming draft. I'd be surprised if the Rams didn't draft a WR next month, and although Championships are built on good drafts, they're never a sure thing. With the change in coaching, and with the new acquisitions and healthy return of last years injured starters, the Rams should be much improved without ANY help from the draft. How many wins that translates to, is anybody's guess.

So, I'm satisfied with the offseason, to date. I'll hold final judgment until the draft is over and all the pieces are in place. ...and I'm looking forward to this draft more than any draft I can remember. But as far as I'm concerned, Free Agency is a way to add depth and plug up holes, and the Rams have done that.

[rams4life88]

Originally Posted by RAMFANRAIDERHATER

Just thought I'd add my two-cents, if I may...

Personally, I'm pretty satisfied with the off-season direction and new acquisitions of the Rams. I think they've addressed problems fairly well without giving up the bank. I'd much rather see the Rams cautiously spend for FA's then do what a team like the Raiders are doing. Sure, the Raiders are giving their fans the appearance of trying to fix things, but in reality, how many more games will they win next year after the spending spree they've been on? One? Two? ...maybe. The harsh reality is, that kind of thinking and spending is going to set them back another 3-4 seasons. Giving away draft picks and overpaying mediocre players is just plain stupid. There's only one or two impact players a year in free agency, and thinking the Rams are going to attract any of them is foolish.

A single FA or two will not turn a team around, but the Rams have managed to fill openings and provide much needed depth in certain areas. They lost a great kicker in Wilkins (throwing out last year) and replaced him with a player of equal, or better talent. The Rams suffered through injuries to the O-line last season. so they brought in a talented guard in Bell and resigned some guys for added depth. They lost a 35 year-old Bruce because he demanded more money then his current worth. The Rams answered with a 29 year-old Caldwell, who should be every bit as productive as Ike would have been, and probably more, given his age. Was it a blockbuster acquisition? Absolutely not. But it's at least an insurance policy for the upcoming draft. I'd be surprised if the Rams didn't draft a WR next month, and although Championships are built on good drafts, they're never a sure thing. With the change in coaching, and with the new acquisitions and healthy return of last years injured starters, the Rams should be much improved without ANY help from the draft. How many wins that translates to, is anybody's guess.

So, I'm satisfied with the offseason, to date. I'll hold final judgment until the draft is over and all the pieces are in place. ...and I'm looking forward to this draft more than any draft I can remember. But as far as I'm concerned, Free Agency is a way to add depth and plug up holes, and the Rams have done that.

My point exactly.

[thoey]

Nicely put RFRH. Not sure I agree that Caldwell will replace Ike, but the rest is a fair summation.

[mde8352gorams]

Very well stated, RFRH. As we are the same age, we have seen many transitions over the years by the Rams and this is one of those periods. The Rams have always had some standout players whom they had to part ways with at some point. Either via retirement or trade or simply waivers. Despite all the suffering cries about Isaac Bruce, we will survive this too. Examples of what I'm talking about include, Jackie Slater to Orlando Pace, Henry Ellard to Isaac Bruce, Isaiah Robertson to Kevin Greene, and more recently Kurt Warner to Mark Bulger. I know there may have been some gaps in time between these players and other transitions, but the simple fact is we will again find the right players to fill our slots and regain our standing.

I'm optimistic about 2008 because our #2 pick in each round of the draft will enable us to add quality players and our deficits are not as bad as that of say the Dolphins. My key concern is with the Coaching staff and their ability to install the right system and get the most out of our players and bring the younger ones along so they become All-Pros one day. All said, we have an exciting draft to look forward to and an equally exciting season.

Go Rams!

[smitheRAM]

The D stats sucked last year. They were not good.You cannot blame the O. "IF" a few things had gone different it might have changed but guess what it didn't. No excuses. We don't know how good they will be this yr because we they weren't good last and people usually don't have breakout yrs following injuries. Has the team brought in some game breaker that I might not know about? We "HOPE" there is improvement where there should be from the people who have showed some promise but I don't think the team has done anything great to improve anything. Just hope for some improvement.
Does anyone know what our D gave up in third down conversions rate as compared to other teams? It seemed very high last yr.