So Who's Staying After the Purge?
I'm about done with thinking and feeling too much about this season, the losses get less painful every week, which is definitely a bad thinking, but this is what this franchise has become. It's kind of surreal, it feels like this team is just drifting through week after week of bad football.
Anyways, after the highly anticipated off-season comes to a close, who do you think will still be here?
Well, here's my list.
QB: Sam Bradford
We drafted him to be our franchise QB. I believe we will finally give him new legit weapons to work with next year, which means Justin Blackmon.
RB: Steven Jackson
He's getting older and slower, but can still carry most of the load. Although we need to look for his replacement, preferably a speed back, Jackson can still hold his ground. He won't break any long runs, but he can pound it still with some success. He isn't the power back he once was.
FB: None
Not a fan of Britt Miller. When your FB is smaller than your RB, you've got a problem. And also, he just isn't that good.
WR: Brandon Lloyd, Austin Pettis, Greg Salas, Danny Amendola, Danario Alexander.
Brandon Lloyd is a legit #1/2 WR. He will form an explosive duo with Blackmon, making our receiving corp one of the best in the league. Pettis is developing pretty decently, and Salas showed that he had some playmaking ability before he got injured. Amendola should/will always be here, as he is underrated, and is Sam's go to guy, although that might change once Blackmon comes here and Lloyd gets less double teams and Salas continues on improving. Alexander gives us some big size at receiver, and he can jump and leap with the best of them. Better than any of our TEs.
TE: Lance Kendricks, Michael Hoomanawanui
Steven Spach is terrible, I can make better plays than him. Bajema will be gone, he has done nothing. Lance Kendricks will be here because we just drafted him, and cutting him is very illogical, even if I'm not a huge fan of him. I'm a big fan of Hoomanawanui, and if he was not injured all the time, could be used as a dangerous pass catcher. He has fantastic hands, and the optimal size you want in a TE unlike Kendricks.
OT: Rodger Saffold, Adam Goldberg
Cutting Renardo Foster was a big mistake. At least he held his own as a back-up, and probably performed better than Jason Smith. Saffold will be back, and probably stay at LT (although I still do not want this). Saffold is just too undersized and too weak to play LT. Goldberg will be here as our swing tackle, because he brings veteran presence, and is a decent RT, but a very mediocre LT.
OG: Jason Smith, Jacob Bell, Harvey Dahl
Yup, that's right. Jason Smith is most likely being moved to guard. One of these guys will be gone by 2013. If Jason Smith outplays Bell at LG, then Bell is gone. If Smith outplays Dahl at RG, Dahl might be gone, or moved to RT. If Smith gets outplayed everywhere, then move him to FB (LOL). But seriously, Smith will be gone. Guard is his last chance.
C: Tony Wragge
He isn't the best center, but he provides a hard-nosed, Harvey Dahl-like demeanor to the middle. And importantly, he's better than Jason Brown.
DE: Chris Long, Robert Quinn, James Hall, Eugene Sims
Chris Long will be here, so will Quinn. I believe Quinn will become the permanent starter next year, with Hall rotating in as the swing end. Eugene Sims is a force on special teams. I personally do not know if CJ Ah You will be back. He's a decent role player, but definitely expendable.
DT: Justin Bannan, Gary Gibson, Jermelle Cudjo, Darell Scott
I think Big Fred is most likely gone. Last year he gave it his all, and now he's slowing down. I think he's done. Bannan is decent, but can be replaced. He might be a back-up next year. Gibson IMO has played the best out of our DTs. Cudjo and Scott are young improving players that could make an impact.
OLB: Chris Chamberlain, Bryan Kehl
Poppinga and Leber are probably gone. Leber has done nothing, and Poppinga, although I like his Spartan-like attitude, is not that great. Kehl is a special teams player, playing a down occasionally. Chamberlain has done a good job at WLB, but can definitely improve. We do however, need a new OLB to pair up with Laurinaitis.
ILB: James Laurinaitis, Josh Hull
Can we even question Laurinaitis? I do think he still has some room to improve, like shedding some blocks, and plugging the gaps better when teams pound the middle. However, this guy is the man on our defense, and will continue to be the man. He is warrior out there, who loves what he does. Although he doesn't hit as hard as Urlacher or Lewis, he is probably one of the better technicians/instinctual linebackers in the league. Hull is a good back-up.
CB: Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Jerome Murphy, Josh Gordy, Al Harris, Rod Hood
Our secondary will be much improved when our top 3 guys come back. Bartell and Fletcher make a nice duo, and with Murphy, Harris and Gordy backing them, our secondary doesn't look too bad. Gordy, Harris and Hood have played nicely as fill-ins this season, and once they get moved back to their more comfortable back-up positions, I think our secondary will be alright, although we need to look for Bartell's replacement. This guy is getting banged up every year.
S: Darian Stewart, Quinton Mikell
Darian Stewart has emerged as one of those diamond in the rough players. He will be a solid safety in the upcoming years. Mikell has shown some nice flashes this season, especially early during games. However, he sort of disappears after a while, which can be attributed to Spags not having balls, and stopping Mikell from blitzing after the first quarter. Craig Dahl is probably gone, he isn't good, and James Butler is gone too.
K/P/LS: Donnie Jones
Donnie Jones has made some bad decisions (punting to Peterson, AGAIN), but he has a strong leg and should be here for a while. We're paying Josh Brown good money, and he hasn't been a difference maker. Jake McQuade will be gone, I want Chris Massey back.
KR/PR: Nick Miller(?)
I absolutely beg this franchise not to bring back Quinn Porter. He is effing terrible. Even I can cut, juke, spin and have better ball vision than him. Seriously. All he does is run as fast as he can (which is not fast at all, I've seen defensive ends run faster) into a pile of defenders, usually around the 20 yard line. Just kneel the damn ball, geez. Nick Miller showed some nice vision today, let's see if he can carry it over to the next game.
Off-season needs:
1. Big-play speedy WR
Notice how I say big-play speedy WR? I don't want just any WR. I want a WR that can make plays with his speed and quickness.
2. Gladiator-like OLB
We have our instinctive all-around LB in Laurinaitis. I want a guy that will just punish people on the field, making them think twice about running it through his gap. Now I don't want an un-discplined, two-down player. This guy has to hold his own at coverage too. But I want his attitude to be like an animal.
3. Penetrating DT
We have big-body run stuffers that don't move, or be moved. Now, I want a guy that can penetrate the middle, making QBs unable to step up, forcing them into the arms of Robert Quinn or Chris Long. Our DTs right now get no penetration, making Quinn and Long have less production. If we upgrade the middle of our line, expect their sack counts to sky-rocket.
4. Mammoth OT
We have an undersized, weak finesse tackle in Saffold. He gets bullied and pushed around. I don't want to see someone like that protect Bradford's blindside. Where are the days of the Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Pace? Bring me a big guy that engulfs defensive ends, and then moves up and pounds the linebackers.
5. Ball-hawking CB
Our secondary doesn't really make many big plays. I'd love to see us get a CB that has a knack for the ball and instincts on when to jump routes.
Re: So Who's Staying After the Purge?
I haven't given this nearly enough thought, but your list is well-conceived, as are the main needs of the team. I will take issue with Danario Alexander, who for all his ability has come to symbolize the Rams' injury woes. While upgrades in multiple areas and further talent infusion is needed, I sincerely believe there are enough pieces on the current roster where we do not need 3-5 years to rebuild provided the right coach is hired and the right personnel is added.
Re: So Who's Staying After the Purge?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NJ Ramsfan1
I haven't given this nearly enough thought, but your list is well-conceived, as are the main needs of the team. I will take issue with Danario Alexander, who for all his ability has come to symbolize the Rams' injury woes. While upgrades in multiple areas and further talent infusion is needed, I sincerely believe there are enough pieces on the current roster where we do not need 3-5 years to rebuild provided the right coach is hired and the right personnel is added.
Thanks for the Danario insight. And I believe we truly do not need 3-5 years of more rebuild. IMO, our rebuild is more mental than physical. We need to chance the attitude and the mentality at Rams Park. At max, we only need to upgrade a few positions. It all starts with the attitude at Rams Park, and that has faltered and gone to crap this season.
Re: So Who's Staying After the Purge?
Nice post. Our defensive tackle situation is a debacle. We are just absolutely awfully right up the middle and need major help in that area. I love laurianitis, but he needs guys to keep blockers off him. We are old and slow at that spot and i dont see any reason to believe that the younger guys have any real chance to be impact players.
ramming speed to all
general counsel
Re: So Who's Staying After the Purge?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
general counsel
Nice post. Our defensive tackle situation is a debacle. We are just absolutely awfully right up the middle and need major help in that area. I love laurianitis, but he needs guys to keep blockers off him. We are old and slow at that spot and i dont see any reason to believe that the younger guys have any real chance to be impact players.
ramming speed to all
general counsel
We definitely need to upgrade the middle. With Bannan out today, they crushed us down the middle. Their o-line went unblocked and just engulfed our linebackers.
From what I've seen out of Cudjo and Scott, they have some potential. They aren't Donkey Kong Suh-like, but they have some potential. They might never pan out, but I do agree that we need to get younger and better at DT.
Re: So Who's Staying After the Purge?
I think DX is gone, and in his place Curry may remain.
