Best guess on how we would fill these positions?

[RamsSB99]

We have several positions that could use new starters next year. If we release Holt and resign both Bartell and Atogwe (costly to do so) then how would you fill the other starter needs? I could see one possibly two coming via free agency. Where would you get the rest of these starters or who would they be?

Offense
FB - Need a good lead blocker for Jackson
C - Need some one to solidify this spot
OT - Need a guy that can start either in place of Barron or if Pace goes down or is not resigned.

Defense
NT - Need a big DT to anchor this line
MLB - Need some one
CB - Hill and King have not proved anything more then any of the people we could draft this year
SS - Need some one


This dont even address these positions:
LB - Pisa (smaller then they like) needs to be healthy and step it up.
DE - Little needs to be healthy and will need replaced the following year
WR - Bennett needs to come back from injury and be the answer or the unproven kids need to step it up.
OG - Needs Bell to play bigger and increased production from other G position. Many options with lots of potential but no good proven veterans.


We have several positions that we need filled and we have several players with potential but most of them dont project success any better then a rookie IMO.

[RamsSB99]

Offense
FB - Draft - We should be able to find a starter in the later rounds. It would not take much for an upgrade here. (preference: Quinn Johnson 6'1 265)
C - Free Agency - Jason Brown 6'3 320 would be great
OT - Draft - OT is deep this year a guy like Tupou 6'6 325 in the third might push for Barrons job and we should restructurer Pace. Keeping both Barron and Pace one more year and brining along a guy like Tupou would be ideal.

Defense
NT - Draft/FA? - If draft Brace in the 2nd he could push Ryan and possibly win that spot.
MLB - Draft - Curry
CB - Draft/FA? - If draft Johnson at 6'2 200 with a 4.4 40 in the 4th would be nice and could possibly beat both Hill and King who have little expierence as well.
SS - Draft/FA? - If draft Taylor at 6'3 205 with a 4.5 40 in the 6th would be nice and should be better then Chavous which is not saying much.

I would be all for bringing in more free agent starters. At any of these positions. I just dont see us getting more then two starters via free agency after resigining Bartell, Atogwe, and restructuring Pace instead of cutting.

[djdeeznutz]

Offense
FB - Well honestly i think since we are running the WCO we should get more of a reciver type of FB. SO Leonard will be fine. But if there is no one in the 7th round when we pick just take Quinn Johnson

C - Matt Birk (short term) then draft a C in the high rounds of the 2010 or 2011 draft.

OT - Get William Beatty in the 2nd (curry or crabtree in 1st) then in get another one int he middle rounds my opinion is Boone in the 5th

Defense
NT - Ron Brace is the guy i predict will drop down. so he will be right there for us to take in the 3rd round

MLB - My opinion is see if we got the money to bid for Vilma if we dont take Channing Crowder. (right now for me Crabtree > Curry)

CB - I think we should keep Craft cop Fakir Brown. Cuz i think either Hill, King, or Wade will have a breakthrought season.

SS - Lol this i kinda already a lock. We go get a cheap James Butler who has a connection with Spags

[RamsSB99]

C - Matt Birk (short term) then draft a C in the high rounds of the 2010 or 2011 draft.

Why would you want to spend big time dollars on Birk and then waste a high pick the next year trying to replace him? My first choice would be to get Jason Brown 6'3 320 25yrs old and he would fill the position for years to come.

OT - Get William Beatty in the 2nd (curry or crabtree in 1st) then in get another one int he middle rounds my opinion is Boone in the 5th

If we restructured Pace and kept Barron you would still draft two OT's this year with Greco also possibly getting a shot. Why not draft just one that would give us 4 OT's for two positions this year. We have more holes to fill. If you really want to take Brace in this draft you will most likely have to take him in the second round IMO.

NT - Ron Brace is the guy i predict will drop down. so he will be right there for us to take in the 3rd round

I like Brace as well but IMO he is not dropping out of the second round. He is the second best NT in the draft and there are a lot of teams that need a true NT. Raji is the number 1 and he will go high in the first round.

MLB - My opinion is see if we got the money to bid for Vilma if we dont take Channing Crowder. (right now for me Crabtree > Curry)

I am not sure if you signed Birk you would have the money left over. But assuming you did and took Crabtree round 1 then I could see your logic.

CB - I think we should keep Craft cop Fakir Brown. Cuz i think either Hill, King, or Wade will have a breakthrought season.

You would use your 2nd round pick and a late round pick on an OT and still have Pace, Barron, and Greco. Why not just use your 4th round pick on Domonique Johnson a 6'2 200 CB with 4.4 speed. He might be better then any of those guys you don't know. Hill, King, and Wade have done nothing so far and Craft is below average.

SS - Lol this i kinda already a lock. We go get a cheap James Butler who has a connection with Spags

I would not assume he will come to us cheap just because of Spags. He will seek his market value in his first year of unrestricted free agency. He would probably be a good fit if we are still able to sign him, Bartell, Atogwe, Birk, Vilma, restructurer Pace and still have money to sign our draft picks. I am not so sure we will be able to sign more then two after signing Bartel, Atogwe, and restructuring Pace.

[39thebeast]

Offense
FB - Late round draft pick, Tony Fiametta, Quinn Johnson, Branan Sutherland
C - Draft Unger or Mack in Round 2
OT - Restructure Pace, move Barron to RG or the bench. Draft Eugene Monroe

Defense
NT - Sign C.J. Mosely good fit for the system, can stuff the run and rush the passer. Nice D.T. rotation with Carriker and Ryan
MLB - Channing Crowder. I don't think he will be expensive as some think, he has knee problems and other people will probably pay Vilma, Scott, Dansby, and Lewis more.
CB - Resign Bartell, Rams have 3 young corners already who could play better under spags. Add or resign a Vet CB and draft a guy like Keenan Lewis in the fourth or late
SS - sign James Butler

[C-Mob 71]

FB- Draft- 6th or 7th or stick with leonard
C- Free Agency- Matt Birk (he still has three or four years left)
OT- Draft- 1st - Monroe

NT- Draft- 2nd- Brace
MLB- Draft- 3rd- McKillop
CB- Resign are own guys
SS- Free Agency- Giants SS James Butler

DE- Long, Little, Hall, and Ayendeju will work for now
SOLB- Free Agency- Bart Scott
WR- 4th rounder
OG- 5th rounder or play the odd man out between Monroe, Barron, or Pace.

[RamsSB99]

Duplicated post below

[RamsSB99]

FB- Draft- 6th or 7th or stick with leonard
C- Free Agency- Matt Birk (he still has three or four years left)
OT- Draft- 1st - Monroe

NT- Draft- 2nd- Brace
MLB- Draft- 3rd- McKillop
CB- Resign are own guys
SS- Free Agency- Giants SS James Butler

DE- Long, Little, Hall, and Ayendeju will work for now
SOLB- Free Agency- Bart Scott
WR- 4th rounder
OG- 5th rounder or play the odd man out between Monroe, Barron, or Pace.

Nice post IMO our OL would be solved as well as several other positions. I would still be a little concerned at CB and I think we should go with your first option for FB which is draft one in the 6th or 7th. IMO we need a lead blocker for Jackson and Leonard 6'1 229 is not that good at opening holes. I would prefer to draft a late rounder and 39theBeast had three good options with my preference being Johnson. I hope we can sign three players like Birk, Scott, and Butler I am just concerned with Bartel, Atogwe and a restructurer of Pace we might not be able to. Good post.

[RamsSB99]

Offense
FB - Late round draft pick, Tony Fiametta, Quinn Johnson, Branan Sutherland
C - Draft Unger or Mack in Round 2
OT - Restructure Pace, move Barron to RG or the bench. Draft Eugene Monroe

Defense
NT - Sign C.J. Mosely good fit for the system, can stuff the run and rush the passer. Nice D.T. rotation with Carriker and Ryan
MLB - Channing Crowder. I don't think he will be expensive as some think, he has knee problems and other people will probably pay Vilma, Scott, Dansby, and Lewis more.
CB - Resign Bartell, Rams have 3 young corners already who could play better under spags. Add or resign a Vet CB and draft a guy like Keenan Lewis in the fourth or late
SS - sign James Butler

Nice post IMO its realistic being able to get Mosley, Crowder, and Butler money wise. But I am not as sold on Mosley as I am the other two. I would prefer to get a bigger NT. Good post.

[djdeeznutz]

Why would you want to spend big time dollars on Birk and then waste a high pick the next year trying to replace him? My first choice would be to get Jason Brown 6'3 320 25yrs old and he would fill the position for years to come.

Jason Brown is great and young. That is why we will have to enter a bidding war with like 5 teams. But if we could afford him then get him.

I said Matt Birk cuz i see Grecco more of a RG than RT. So maybe if we have a good Center our Guards will play wel and better. I know we are trying to get younger but Birk could be a leader on that line. He has plenty of experience to.

Honestly any of them would be fine. But i just feel like the Raven will keep him, Franchise Ray Lewis and re-sign dark Sizzle.

If we restructured Pace and kept Barron you would still draft two OT's this year with Greco also possibly getting a shot. Why not draft just one that would give us 4 OT's for two positions this year. We have more holes to fill. If you really want to take Brace in this draft you will most likely have to take him in the second round IMO.

Dont put words into my mouth! I am not for keeping Barron or keeping Greco at OT. His size makes him a better Guard.

What does restructuring have anything to do with drafting 2 guards? It wouldn't hurt to build some depth begind Pace and Barron cuz with all the injuries we had on our line the past few season we need depth.

I like Brace as well but IMO he is not dropping out of the second round. He is the second best NT in the draft and there are a lot of teams that need a true NT. Raji is the number 1 and he will go high in the first round.

even if we cannot get Brace in round 3 we will be fine with Cliff Ryan. Cuz remember Brace had Raji in college and thats probably why his numbers are high. cuz Raji took on the double teams and the better guards.

I am not sure if you signed Birk you would have the money left over. But assuming you did and took Crabtree round 1 then I could see your logic.


You would use your 2nd round pick and a late round pick on an OT and still have Pace, Barron, and Greco. Why not just use your 4th round pick on Domonique Johnson a 6'2 200 CB with 4.4 speed. He might be better then any of those guys you don't know. Hill, King, and Wade have done nothing so far and Craft is below average.

wierd u say Hill, King, Wade havent proven anything and since Johnson doesnt play the great WRs (FCS school) how has he proven anythng.

another thing that is wierd is that u said Craft is bellow average and u failed to mention Johnson is below average at covering and getting involed in th run. He has the size but just doesnt tackle well.

I would not assume he will come to us cheap just because of Spags. He will seek his market value in his first year of unrestricted free agency. He would probably be a good fit if we are still able to sign him, Bartell, Atogwe, Birk, Vilma, restructurer Pace and still have money to sign our draft picks. I am not so sure we will be able to sign more then two after signing Bartel, Atogwe, and restructuring Pace.

Which other team will be serious contenders in the Butler market?

I have never said restructure Pace's contract. my opinion is to drop or trade him cuz he will save way more money. Maybe VIlma's out of the picture. But i just don t want us to take Curry over Crabtree.

[AvengerRam]

FB - Need a good lead blocker for Jackson

6th or 7th round of the draft.

C - Need some one to solidify this spot

I can see the Rams possibly making a run at Matt Birk or another FA. Otherwise, there should be some good prospects in the 2nd and 3rd round of the draft.

OT - Need a guy that can start either in place of Barron or if Pace goes down or is not resigned.

Most likely the 2nd pick in the draft (E.Monroe, A.Smith, J.Smith)

NT - Need a big DT to anchor this line

I'd go with B.J. Raji in Round 1. Probably more likely that the Rams would go after someone like Ron Brace in Round 2. Another possibility would be to try to sign Gabe Watson away from the Cardinals.

MLB - Need some one

If James Laurinaitis falls out of first round, he could be a good pick at #35. May be some decent prospects later in the draft. I'd also take a look at James Farrior.

CB - Hill and King have not proved anything more then any of the people we could draft this year

If the Rams re-sign Bartell, I don't see this as a primary need. They could also re-sign Ricky Manning or Fakhir Brown. I think King will contribute this year, and Hill might benefit from a new defensive scheme if he can stay healthy.

SS - Need some one

Day 2 of the draft or low-priced FA (James Butler, for example).

[Nick]

Where would you get the rest of these starters or who would they be?

Offense
FB - Free agent (Weaver, T. Smith) or late-round pick/undrafted free agent (Q. Johnson, D. Johnson)
C - Birk or Brown (preferred) in free agency or mid-round pick (Caldwell, Wood, Shipley)
OT - First or second round rookie (Monroe or the Smiths in the 1st, Beatty or perhaps Kropog/Watkins in the second depending on value)

Defense
NT - Free agent to rotate with Ryan (Mosley, Cole, Watson) or mid-round draft pick (Brace, T. Taylor)
MLB - Free agent (Scott, Andra Davis, maybe A. Crowell), possibly Curry, or mid-round pick (McKillop, Frantz Joseph, Worrell Williams)
CB - Resign Bartell, possible free agent (Bodden, Hayden, Buchanon), or second or third round draft choice (Smith, Butler, V. Harris)
SS - James Butler or mid to late round draft choice (Hamlin, Vaughn, Greene)

Other positions:
LB - Pisa can still contribute, needs to be more consistent
DE - Value might be there in the second round but this may have to wait, I agree
WR - I like the potential value in the second round here... Nicks, Britt, for instance. Crabtree in the first is still an option.
OG - I think we're fine here. Bell needs to regain his weight, but I like Greco and Setterstrom's long term potential.

[rammiser]

6th or 7th round of the draft.



I can see the Rams possibly making a run at Matt Birk or another FA. Otherwise, there should be some good prospects in the 2nd and 3rd round of the draft.



Most likely the 2nd pick in the draft (E.Monroe, A.Smith, J.Smith)



I'd go with B.J. Raji in Round 1. Probably more likely that the Rams would go after someone like Ron Brace in Round 2. Another possibility would be to try to sign Gabe Watson away from the Cardinals.



If James Laurinaitis falls out of first round, he could be a good pick at #35. May be some decent prospects later in the draft. I'd also take a look at James Farrior.



If the Rams re-sign Bartell, I don't see this as a primary need. They could also re-sign Ricky Manning or Fakhir Brown. I think King will contribute this year, and Hill might benefit from a new defensive scheme if he can stay healthy.



Day 2 of the draft or low-priced FA (James Butler, for example).

Finally someone remembered Ricky Manning. Who I thought played really well before getting hurt. I really think the Rams should wait on drafting a tackle. Pace and Barron are good for another year. People don't like Barron and his penalties but he is a pretty decent blocker. We need interior offensive lineman. Especially a center, so if we can get Birk that's ok with me. I'm still not against Cogs playing center just not sure he is smart enough.

I would like to beef up the linebacking core so we have guys that can actually take on blocker and not get lost in the shuffle.

A FB can be had in the latter rounds. We need to re-structure Bennett and Pace's contract. If Pace wont re-structure then OT does become an immediate need.

We need to find a wr somewhere because I just feel Holt is done. I didnt see his fire and watching Bruce play for the Whiners I witnessed a guy who still had a fire burning in him, Holt didnt show me that this year. I'm ok with drafting Crabtree in the 1st if we take care of the o-line in free agency and make a concerted effort the rest of the draft to fix the defense.

We also either need Ryan to beef up some more to clog the middle or need to go get another DT in the draft.

Hopefully we don't have to shell out franchise money for Bartell or Atogwe but you never know about free agency. We must repair the o-line for Bulger if we don't 5 wins would be a stretch.