Rams' Offseason Checklist

[AvengerRam]

Here's how I see it:

1. Hire new Head Coach. Obviously the top priority. The Rams have interviewed some good candidates. My preference among them is Rivera, though I think they all could potentially do a good job.

2. Hire Coordinators. Could be as important at the Head Coach hiring. The one thing I'd avoid is hiring coordinators that are likely to be on next year's HC candidate lists (though, to an extent, that may be unavoidable).

3. Re-sign Ryan Pickett. DTs of his ability are hard to come by, and I think it would be a huge mistake to let him go. The Rams need to lock him up before he hits the market, because he'd be a very hot commodity if other teams get to bid.

4. Sign some top FAs. I think the Rams Front Office will want to make a bit of a splash in this year's FA market, if for no other reason than to ensure that the team will improve following their decision to fire Martz. Nate Clements is at the top of my list... that is, if unless the Seahawks are dumb enough to let Steve Hutchinson hit the market.

5. Restructure Isaac Bruce. Bruce still has some good years left in him, but he needs to be more cap friendly. I suspect Bruce will be amenable to this, and this should free up some room for FA signings (arguably, this may need to be done before items 3 and 4, though not necessarily).

6. Take a hard line on marginal FAs. Adam Archuleta, Travis Fisher... if willing to sign extremely cap friendly deals, might be worth bringing back. If other teams see them as desirable FAs... thanks for the memories.

7. Draft a LB. The Rams really need an impact LB. The kind of guy that offensive coordinators have to account for on every play. The kind of guy who plays every down. The kind of play that will open things up for Leonard Little, Tony Hargrove and Pisa Tinoismoa. Will that guy be there at pick 11? Who knows? I think the Rams should take two shots at finding that guy, in Rounds 1 and 2 (particularly if they are able to bolster the DBs in FA).

8. Draft a TE. When you think of it, the Rams have pretty much never had a top line TE. I think that Marc Bulger would benefit immensely by having a big reliable target at the TE position, particularly in the Red Zone. While there may not be a future Pro Bowl TE in the 3rd or 4th Round of the draft (this is where I think the Rams should look for a TE), I find it hard to believe there won't be a better option than Brandon Manumaleuna.

9. Find a "change of pace/KR" type RB. On day 2 of the draft the Rams need to find a guy (and there's ususally one or two in each draft) who isn't an every down kind of RB, but can be valuable as a KR and as a "change of pace" guy who can break a big run every now and again. Hey Nick... any suggestions?

10. Post-June FA - fill in the blanks. If things go well this Spring, I think the Rams have enough talent to be a factor next year. They shouldn't be shy about filling in any remaining holes with bargain-priced, post-June cuts FA signings.

[OldRamsfan]

Well "AR" thats very well stated and I really have to agree ... We need to hard nose about our future ... good job

[Douggy]

Excellent post AvengerRam! Steve Hutchinson has to be the first priority in free agency. I'd even over pay 1 or 2 million just to steal him away from the Hawks. It's pretty clear after watching the Hawks/Skins playoff game that Alexander is NOT the key to the Hawks offense, and that their dominant O-line is what makes them run smoothly. The Rams NEED a great O-line like they had from 99-01, and 03'. Seattle has stolen guys from the Rams (Wistrom and Fisher), it's time for some PAYBACK! Sign Hutchinson PLEEEEEEEEASE!

[STLRAMSFAN]

8. Draft a TE. When you think of it, the Rams have pretty much never had a top line TE. I think that Marc Bulger would benefit immensely by having a big reliable target at the TE position, particularly in the Red Zone. While there may not be a future Pro Bowl TE in the 3rd or 4th Round of the draft (this is where I think the Rams should look for a TE), I find it hard to believe there won't be a better option than Brandon Manumaleuna.

I think a TE would help a great deal in blocking and receiving. I want to see us upgrade as well. What would you think of moving Hedgecock to TE if we could find a top notch FB either in the draft or via free agency? I think he could handle the blocking of a TE and he caught what few balls I saw thrown his way given time he could improve in that area as well.

[AvengerRam]

So, how are the Rams doing so far?

Here's how I see it:

1. Hire new Head Coach. Obviously the top priority. The Rams have interviewed some good candidates. My preference among them is Rivera, though I think they all could potentially do a good job.

After what seemed a protracted search, the Rams chose Linehan. Clearly, I was in favor of a "defensive minded" head coach, but I Linehan seems to be the proverbial "man with a plan."

2. Hire Coordinators. Could be as important at the Head Coach hiring. The one thing I'd avoid is hiring coordinators that are likely to be on next year's HC candidate lists (though, to an extent, that may be unavoidable).

Jim Haslett was, in my mind, a great choice for DC. Of course, he is exactly the type of coach who could be lured away to a head coaching job w/in a year or two.

3. Re-sign Ryan Pickett. DTs of his ability are hard to come by, and I think it would be a huge mistake to let him go. The Rams need to lock him up before he hits the market, because he'd be a very hot commodity if other teams get to bid.

The Rams clearly did not see Pickett's value the way I did. He was pursued by other teams, but he didn't end up getting a monster contract. The Rams made what they felt was a fair offer, and left it at that. His departure leaves a gap to be filled though, likely in the draft.

4. Sign some top FAs. I think the Rams Front Office will want to make a bit of a splash in this year's FA market, if for no other reason than to ensure that the team will improve following their decision to fire Martz. Nate Clements is at the top of my list... that is, if unless the Seahawks are dumb enough to let Steve Hutchinson hit the market.

Nate Clements was franchised, and we all know the Hutch story. The Rams did make some FA waves, though, in signing Witherspoon, Glover and Chavous.

5. Restructure Isaac Bruce. Bruce still has some good years left in him, but he needs to be more cap friendly. I suspect Bruce will be amenable to this, and this should free up some room for FA signings (arguably, this may need to be done before items 3 and 4, though not necessarily).

While there were some very tense moments there for a week, this got done. Whew!

6. Take a hard line on marginal FAs. Adam Archuleta, Travis Fisher... if willing to sign extremely cap friendly deals, might be worth bringing back. If other teams see them as desirable FAs... thanks for the memories.

Buh-bye Archuleta and Damione Lewis.

7. Draft a LB. The Rams really need an impact LB. The kind of guy that offensive coordinators have to account for on every play. The kind of guy who plays every down. The kind of play that will open things up for Leonard Little, Tony Hargrove and Pisa Tinoismoa. Will that guy be there at pick 11? Who knows? I think the Rams should take two shots at finding that guy, in Rounds 1 and 2 (particularly if they are able to bolster the DBs in FA).

Still on the to-do list.

8. Draft a TE. When you think of it, the Rams have pretty much never had a top line TE. I think that Marc Bulger would benefit immensely by having a big reliable target at the TE position, particularly in the Red Zone. While there may not be a future Pro Bowl TE in the 3rd or 4th Round of the draft (this is where I think the Rams should look for a TE), I find it hard to believe there won't be a better option than Brandon Manumaleuna.

Ditto.

9. Find a "change of pace/KR" type RB. On day 2 of the draft the Rams need to find a guy (and there's ususally one or two in each draft) who isn't an every down kind of RB, but can be valuable as a KR and as a "change of pace" guy who can break a big run every now and again. Hey Nick... any suggestions?

Well, the Rams signed Tony Fisher (change of pace back?) and Brad Pyatt (KR?), but I still think this could be a consideration for Day 2 of the draft.

10. Post-June FA - fill in the blanks. If things go well this Spring, I think the Rams have enough talent to be a factor next year. They shouldn't be shy about filling in any remaining holes with bargain-priced, post-June cuts FA signings.

Stay tuned!


Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way the offseason has gone so far.

[RAM-BO]

I feel that by the time preseason rolls around, the Rams will have accomplished at least 8 out of the 10 things to do.

[RamsFan16]

I think 10 out of 11. The one thing missing. WIN THE SUPERBOWL!

[evil disco man]

I think 10 out of 11. The one thing missing. WIN THE SUPERBOWL!

If there was an "offseason" Super Bowl [note the title of the thread], the Redskins would win it every year.

[RamsFan16]

I know its not the offseason. But not to early to add a Offseason Nextseason Goals list