Mike Sando: What Scott Wells offers Rams' Bradford

[MauiRam]

By Mike Sando
ESPN.com

The St. Louis Rams are getting one of the better centers in the NFL. They're also getting a veteran with the ability to assist Sam Bradford's development as a quarterback.

That is the immediate takeaway from news the Rams have agreed to terms with veteran center Scott Wells, who earned a Pro Bowl berth with the Green Bay Packers last season.

The Rams loaded up Bradford with additional responsibilities last season, including making protection calls at the line of scrimmage. Wells, the Packers' starting center since 2006, has worked closely with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers over the years.

Rodgers has recently credited Wells for helping take pressure off him mentally. The Rams are looking to help Bradford with a strong running game. Having a veteran center known for his attention to detail also looks like a Bradford-friendly move.

"Scott knows the offense as well as anybody in the building," Rodgers told Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee. "I'd say, if you look at guys who really are the smartest players on the team -- and I'm not going to include myself in that mix -- Scott Wells and (fullback) John Kuhn know the offense as well as anybody and they're able to make checks without me even saying anything."

That should be a huge asset for Bradford.

"It takes a ton of stress and pressure off of me and my film study and my preparation when I know that if I guess wrong, or if I'm unsure about a look, that I know Scotty is going to be right there next to me, a step ahead of me at times, knowing what the call needs to be," Rodgers said. "Scotty and his smarts take a ton of pressure off me."

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc., speaking to Paul Kuharsky of the AFC South blog when Wells and Chris Myers were under consideration for Tennessee, had this to say about the 31-year-old center: "Myers is the better player -- and in his prime -- but Wells is a top-seven or eight center, too. ... Wells is a tough guy that Mike Munchak will love."

Jason Brown was the Rams' starting center last season. The previous coaching staff benched him for Tony Wragge. The Rams released Brown, 28. Wragge, 32, is an unrestricted free agent.

Brown was already the starter when the Rams drafted quarterback Sam Bradford in 2010.

[GROUND DOG 39]

I cant begin to tell you how important this signing is for the Rams.

[sb2sb2sb]

Yeah, screw Finnegan. So far THIS is my FAVORITE signing. Guy seems to have a great head for his position and will only help in developing Bradford and his heir to the Center throne, whoever that might be!

[mh-i]

The Rams finally have a Pro Bowler on the team!

[Truth]

This is a great signing!!!

[Rambos]

He should help Bradford a lot from what I'm reading.

[HUbison]

I'm a big Wells fan, and have been for a few years. But I got excited about the Jason Brown signing too.

[RAMFANRAIDERHATER]

Exactly. This signing is one of those that many will yawn at because he's not a high-profile guy in a high profile position, but let me tell you, one of Sam's biggest reasons (besides injuries) for his decline in numbers last year was the added burden of making adjustments at the LOS. This will take a lot of that away from him and he can concentrate on getting the ball to his receivers. When I first heard last year that Sam was making the reads and calls at the line, I knew it was big mistake. As good as I think Sam can be, he's still a rook and it was way too much to lay on him, especially in a year with no camp.

This one move alone will make the Rams offense better. An extra second, a blitz pickup (provided Jackson can actually start blocking someone) and Sam will find his target and make an accurate throw. I love this signing.

[MauiRam]

I don't know how much money the Rams have left to spend on FA, but after the Finnegan signing, my hope was that they'd spend whatever was left on the O-line, and the D-line. So far I couldn't be happier. Sure we need a receiver, but I don't see any of the free agent receivers that have signed for zillions would be as valuable as Wells will be for Sam. RFRH hit the nail on the head.

[NJ Ramsfan1]

A huge signing- every bit as important as Finnegan or anyone else we get in the future. To mpluck a pro-bowler away from a team two years removed from winning the Super Bowl can't be underestimated.