more free agents needed for a shot at the big show!!

[Drew4EverRams]

QB & WR-set in stone

offensive tackle-barron or pace go down please no more guard playing tackle projects!

guard-gap between ageing stars and promising rookies!

centre-prefer the cog to play guard,mc collum getting on,not too sure larry turner is the answer!

tight end- brandon butter hands-scares me when they throw to him where as with his size he should be scaring opposing linebackers and DB`s!

outside line backer-need a "tweener"!
defensive tackle-what if the hoped kennedy breakout doesnt happen?
middle line backer-if we gonna switch to a 3-4 in the future we need one more,if we arent then what happens if the spoon goes down? either way we need insurance at the position!

defensive end-little and hargrove could have a great year if fit to play 16 plus games but what if they arent?

safety- atogwe and chavous,im optomistic about these two and also think carter could become a good SS but maybe need one more FS

corner back-if no veteren leadership available id settle for what we got!

by my calculations we 9 players short-in the draft i think the best we can hope for is 4-5 starters that pan out!

your views please

[general counsel]

In the cap era, there is no team without holes. You raise some good points about where we could use help and upgrades, but i continue to believe that our ability to compete will depend on many of the same factors that affect every other team (ie luck, specifically injuries to key players), along with the improvement of our young guys.

If kennedy, bartell, groce, curtis, terrell, barron, chillar, hargrove, oj, steven jackson etc all improve, and butler and travis fischer return from injury, we are going to be a lot better football team. All of them dont need to be starts, but improvement would help an awful lot.

In the nfl, you can surely go from bad to champions very quickly and vice versa. We are not as far away as some people think, and part of it is going to relate to improvement in the fundementals of the game, especially our ability to convert in the red zone and have some capacity to play defense against the run.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[Drew4EverRams]

well im more optimistic than i was in the spring/summer of `99-some of the positions i think we just need blue collar cover,only about 3 stars(TE,Linebacker,Guard/centre and 6 blue collars from something big methinks-maybe next season too soon but we can live in hope!


go rams!!!

[txramsfan]

What is it that is missing from the piece that we had from 99? We have a great QB, an RB with talent, building the O line, the WR's are in place, and we've made some bold moves on defense.

Answer: ANOTHER TONY HORNE. Those are like hitting the lottery but wow, if we could only find that piece.

[sbramfan]

In the cap era, there is no team without holes

Well, the seahawks don't have many, and the draft is still to come.

If kennedy, bartell, groce, curtis, terrell, barron, chillar, hargrove, oj, steven jackson etc all improve, and butler and travis fischer return from injury, we are going to be a lot better football team.

The thing the Rams have in common with the Cards, Texans, Niiners, etc.... a lot of IF's.

In the nfl, you can surely go from bad to champions very quickly and vice versa.

I've recently started to accept that we are on the way down. Just too many holes to fill because of draft picks that didn't work out and FA's that were busts. That has put us behind much of the competition. And next year we will need to fill more holes. Every year we only get so many fingers to plug the holes in the damn, and every year there are more holes than we have fingers. It's a losing battle. A few teams are on top of it, but not us.

Answer: ANOTHER TONY HORNE

Yeah, that would be nice. As you stated, we would need some luck to grab someone in the draft that could end up being anywhere near as good.

[general counsel]

How strong do you think the seahawks are in the secondary. do you see anything that remotely resembles a backup qb on their roster? What about depth at wide receiver? They are the defending champs and have a terrific team, but an injury or two and they look a lot like everyone else. They also just lost the best guard in the nfl.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[Scidog68]

Ashworth=Hutch? Uh, no.....

Burleson=Jurevicius? As a clutch and/or possession receiver? Not IMO. Or for that kind of money.

Depth at DB? Or much of anywhere else? C'mon, let's be realistic, shall we? They were a VERY talented team last season, going all the way. Maintaining that level of talent is harder than acquiring new players. This season we look to have more parity with them, talent-wise. (For the love of a Caramel-Dipped-God-on-a-Stick, puh-leeeze let our new boys pan out this year!)

The difference this season may very well boil down to coaching. Linny vs. The Walrus. What a thought, eh?

[RAMMAN68]

I've recently started to accept that we are on the way down. Just too many holes to fill because of draft picks that didn't work out and FA's that were busts. That has put us behind much of the competition. And next year we will need to fill more holes. Every year we only get so many fingers to plug the holes in the damn, and every year there are more holes than we have fingers. It's a losing battle. A few teams are on top of it, but not us.

:tut

So you think we will tank this year?
And you call yourself a fan?:tongue:

If the D can actually tackle this season then we have solved half our problems.
The hawks had a lot of luck on their side last season. For a team that was dominant during the regular season, they were exposed during the Super Bowl. To think that they have the upper hand on us talent wise is ridiculous. :clanram:

[Fargo Ram Fan]

Originally Posted by sbramfan

Just too many holes to fill because of draft picks that didn't work out and FA's that were busts.

Which FA signings over the last few years did you actually have HIGH expectations for? The Rams have never gone after a real high profile FA...its pretty much been bargain basement all the way. Theyve essentially gotten what they paid for...cast offs. As for the draft picks...several wasted picks/projects with Rain Mans 'genius' fingerprints all over em.

[Goldenfleece]

What I'd point out is that in recent years it hasn't taken that much for teams to rise and fall from obscurity. On paper it always looked like New England had holes. Remember when they had Antowain Smith at RB, no one receiver that was all that outstanding, no big name linemen, Fauria and someone else splitting time at TE, and so on...but they won. Indy hasn't made it to the big game yet, but they have been very successful relying on very young players all over the defense. Every team has ifs attached to its success, and every team has holes.

I don't think we can make it without acquiring someone to fill the hole at OLB, and I feel like we are woefully thin at DT--on the depth chart at least. Improvement at tight end is important but not mandatory for success. Likewise, I think we could get by with what we have in the secondary if the players stay healthy. But really, it is going to be hard to tell how well our defense will play because of the new coordinator and system. That alone could be the spark we need, or the players could struggle to adapt and the defense could continue to be a major liability.

I don't really think we're particularly further off from a playoff run than Seattle looked to be at this point last year.

[Varg6]

Well guys, we'll see if losing Martz was worth it soon enough. But honestly, I think ever since he's been gone we've been making excellent decisions. But that's just my opinion....

[mh-i]

Originally Posted by txramsfan

ANOTHER TONY HORNE. Those are like hitting the lottery but wow, if we could only find that piece.

Does anybody know where Maurice Drew from UCLA is projected to go in the draft? He'd be a great punt/kick returner.

[bigredman]

Hey there boys and gals...don't get too caught up in the "on paper" analysis of a team. How many times do you pick up those preseason mags that break down a team by position and predict the outcome, and at the end of the season there are ALWAYS surprises. Hell, do any of you remember the 1999 season when the Rams were predicted to place third in the division, but ended up winning it all?

The Rams are just as talented across the board (after adding up all the plus and minuses) as any other team. Could we go to the Super Bowl? Sure. Anything is possible in todays NFL. That's what makes this league so great.

[Drew4EverRams]

true ,on paper the pats wouldnt have won one SB let alone 3!

mind my first point really was that we need cover at certain positions-not necessarily big name players just a blue collar player or two!

the better the players the more likelihood of success obviously!