A Pace Solution (This is so crazy it just might work)

[AvengerRam]

Here's an idea of how to resolve the Orlando Pace situation. Its a bit "out there," but who knows, maybe its not too far-fetched...

Step 1: Offer Pace a lucrative, but reasonable, long-term deal before the deadline for franchising players. Hopefully, he'll accept. If not, go to Step 2.

Step 2: Franchise Pace.

Step 3: Assuming that the Seahawks franchise Walter Jones, determine whether he would accept the contract offered to Pace. If so, trade the Rams 2005 and 2006 first round choices for Jones, and sign him long-term.

Step 4: Trade Pace to a weaker team for their 2005 and 2006 first round draft choices.

End Result: Rams would still have first round picks in 2005 and 2006, but presumably would have picks earlier in the draft. They would also have Walter Jones, who is about as good as Pace, signed long-term.

Now that, would be a great solution.

[NOTE: If no team would give the Rams their next two first rounders for Pace, the Rams would still have Pace and Jones as their tackles, with Pace playing for the franchise tender again.]

[MOM]

Do we have any other Bingo's?

Seriously, that sounds like it could be best case scenario. I'd almost skip step one, but that's just me.

[Nick]

Originally Posted by AvengerRam

[NOTE: If no team would give the Rams their next two first rounders for Pace, the Rams would still have Pace and Jones as their tackles, with Pace playing for the franchise tender again.]

I'm tempted to believe that no team would trade two first rounders for Pace since Cleveland wouldn't last year. The Browns are in need of a franchise left tackle more than anyone, IMO, and if they won't bite, I doubt anyone will.

So then basically, we'd be left with over $8 million on the books from Pace's tag, taking half of our cap space away for 2005, and then we'd have Jones on the books for a Pace-like contract that would also cut into our cap for this year. While that would probably solve our problem at right tackle, I think it would be too much money. We wouldn't be able to do much else in free agency.

[AvengerRam]

But they'd still have a lot of options. They wouldn't have to demand 2 #1s for Pace. They could get a player and a #1, or a #1 and a #2.


Also, the fact that nobody offered to trade for Pace last year may have had more to do with the fact that he was represented by the Postons than it did with the price.

[ZigZagRam]

Worst case scenario: we're left with quite possibly the best offensive tackle combo ever.

But then again, that doesn't help the defense much.

[HUbison]

[NOTE: If no team would give the Rams their next two first rounders for Pace, the Rams would still have Pace and Jones as their tackles, with Pace playing for the franchise tender again.]

Somewhere in St.Louis right now, Marc Bulger is ordering a "Thank You" bouquet for Avenger.

[AugustaRamFan]

You said Crazy.... I agree....

OP has been Great, but if he won't help the team and sign a long term deal, then he must be dealt. He is simply taking up too much cap space. I won't dream about the player or the picks today.

Why must the Ram's have All Pro OTs? I would take solid guys that bring their lunch pales to work. I did not enjoy OPs performance in the Divisonal Game. Brady Smith (I think) made Pace look pedestrian.

Did OP's stock go down after the Falcon's game? I think it may have slipped...

[Nick]

I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice, but we have more pressing needs that need to be addressed than spending Pace-like numbers on another tackle while still franchising Pace. That's going to really hurt the room we have to work with in improving other areas of this team.

[psycho9985]

That works for me,as long as we dont have anothe pace problem from him in the near future.