Ram nuggets from Pro Football Weekly

[txramsfan]

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/The+Way+We+Hear+It/Whispers/2004/whispers1929.htm


Don’t be shocked if the Rams spend one of their first-day draft picks on a running back because of concerns about 2004 first-round draft pick Steven Jackson’s durability.


We keep hearing the names of Tom Condon and St. Louis-based Rocky Arceneaux as the top candidates to become Rams OLT Orlando Pace’s new agent.


And this nugget is one I have been screaming about......

According to our St. Louis sources, if you ask Mike Martz what his biggest regret is as the team’s head coach, near the top of the list would be his decision to let MLB London Fletcher escape to Buffalo as a free agent. We hear Martz couldn’t be more frustrated with former first-round pick Robert Thomas’ inability to replace Fletcher, and that Thomas could be sent packing after seeming to regress this season.

[AvengerRam]

I don't buy the blurb about Jackson. He was very durable during his college career, and I doubt anyone is ready to replace him with a first round draft choice.

[ZigZagRam]

They said first-day. If they take a RB with any of their first 3 picks I will be livid. If they're gonna do that then it better be our 2nd pick in the 3rd round. I don't buy it either though.

[txramsfan]

the bold quote is the one I'm most interested in, but seeing how the offense has never really interested me it isn't shocking that a defensive quote piques my interest. LOL

From the sound of this, I bet he won't let Bryce Fisher go anywhere. However, the way Martz talked about the secondary this year I doubt if Travis Fisher is with the Rams.

[tanus]

I doubt Travis Fisher is going anywhere just because he has a pretty low cap number.

[txramsfan]

He's an UFA this year.

[Tailgage-Mayor]

Please don’t draft another running back. We have around 40 million tied up in cap room with Bulger, Marshall, Ike, Tory, and Pace. Without a good offensive line these guys can’t excel, their talent is wasted

Heck, with a great offensive line even Aveion Cason could rack up yardage (stretched things a bit to make my point, but you get the idea).

We need to draft with more of an emphasis on filling our needs, as opposed to trying to simply draft the best athlete. No more drafting a QB as a WR, or a QB as a SS.

Fill the needs, let Uncle Charlie run the draft.

[AvengerRam]

Travis Fisher is not a UFA. Bryce Fisher is.

[txramsfan]

I see said the blind man to the deaf mute......

I'd still get rid of him. The whole, entire secondary. All of it.

[AvengerRam]

Interesting...


You think the Rams should run a 6-5-0 formation on defense. Hmmm....

Something like:

DE: Little
DE: Hargrove
DT: Kennedy
DT: Pickett
DT: B.Fisher
DT: Lewis
OLB: Tinoismoa
OLB: Polley
ILB: Thomas
ILB: T.Faulk
ILB: ????
No CBs, SS or FS.

Well, that would be pretty good against the run, but might be burned on the pass.

[tanus]

I for one am not ready to give up on Travis Fisher.

[txramsfan]

No Avenger, I'm not a flunky.

I just.....

awww nevermind. Let's just keep all the defense personnel we have. I mean, they are soooooooo good. Let's just fire the coach.

Yea, that'll do it.

[AvengerRam]

I think you are a little hard on the DBs.


My opinion:

Jeremetrius Butler - Decent player. Too timid against the run. Ideal as nickel back and spot starter.

Travis Fisher - Much more upside than Butler. Good enough to be #2 CB now, could develop to #1. Showed impressive toughness fighting through injuries this year.

Adam Archuleta - Back injury clearly hurt his play this year. His durability can be questioned. When healthy, is very good against the run; adequate (barely) against pass. I'd give him another year.

Antuan Edwards - Played fairly well after coming to Rams. Not great at any aspect of the game, but solid accross the board.

Given these assessments (and assuming Edwards is re-signed), I don't see DB as the priority you do, Tx. I think that LB is much more of a need, and I'd probably hold off on looking for DBs until the 3rd round at the earliest.

[tanus]

I wouldn't be opposed to using our first rounder on a CB, but thats only if we pick up an impact MLB in FA. I think we would have a good CB corps with Fisher, Butler, and a 1st rounder. If we don't resign Edwards then I would hope we would target an impact FS with one of our first two picks.

[txramsfan]

We had 6 INT's all year. 6. All by Butler. Wait, that's coaching though. Can't be the secondary. We were last in the league. Gotta be coaching.

There was only 492 attempts against the Rams, which means two things. Either we were great against the pass or weak against the run. Guess which one is the answer?