To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO.

[RamsSB99]

Assuming we have an uncapped year here are the unrestricted free agents I would like to see the Rams go after.

Unrestricted Free Agents:
Leigh Bodden CB 6'1 195
Ben Watson TE 6'3 255
Julius Peppers DE 6'7 283 (If we don't trade for Umenyiora the cheaper less commitment option)

Draft:
RD 1: Ndamukong Suh 6'4 305 DT (Would help entire defense DE's, LB's & DB's)
RD 2: Sean Witherspoon 6'1 241 LB (Need another quality LB to go with J. Lau)
RD 3: Danario Alexander 6'5 216 WR (big WR slowed early in career by injury)
RD 4: Trade for Osi Umenyiora 6'3 261 DE (good at applying pressure)


Resign the following restricted free agents:
O.J. Atogwe 5'11 210 28 FS (resign)
Alex Barron 6'7 315 27 OT (value sign)
Clifton Ryan 6’3 316 26 DT (value sign)
David Vobora 6’1 238 23 (value sign)

Although I am not a big Bulger fan I would not mind keeping him one more year if we could address several other areas of concern. Bulger can be serviceable and its not like we are going from a 1 win team to the Superbowl in one year. Laurent Robinson looked like he might be our best WR prior to going down last year. If he returns healthy and we get Danario Alexander a big WR who had an outstanding college year (more then a TD per game and nearly 130 yards per game) then we might have a decent WR core to go along with Jacksons running game.

Here would be our starters with the additions mentioned:

Defense:
DE – Chris Long 6'3 265 24
DT – Ndamukong Suh 6’4 305 (Draft Round 1)
DT- Clifton Ryan 6’3 316 26 (Resign RFA)
DE – Osi Umenyora 6’3 261 29 (Trade 4th round pick) OR Julius Peppers

SLB –David Vobora 6’1 238 23(Resign RFA)
MLB – James Laurinatis 6’2 245 23
WLB – Sean Witherspoon 6’1 241 (Draft Round 2)

CB – Ron Bartell 6'1 210 27
CB – Leigh Bodden 6’1 193 28 (Sign UFA)
FS – O.J. Atogwe 5'11 210 28 (Resign RFA)
SS – James Butler 6’3 215 27

Offense:
QB – Marc Bulger
RB – Steven Jackson 6'2 235 26
FB – Mike Karney 5’11 260 28
TE – Ben Watson 6’3 255 29 (Sign UFA)
WR – Laurent Robinson 6’2 195 24, Brandon Gibson 6’1 205 22
WR – Donnie Avery 5'11 185 25, Danario Alexander 6’5 216 (Round 3)
LT – Jason Smith 6’5 305 23
LG – Jacob Bell 6'4 295 28
C – Jason Brown 6'3 320 26
RG – John Greco 6'4 315 24,Adam Goldberg 6’7 320 29
RT - Alex Barron 6'7 315 27 (Resign RFA)

Special Teams
K – Josh Brown 6’0 212 30
P – Donnie Jones 6’2 222 29

[39thebeast]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

Bodden and Peppers are probs going to be the 2 highest paid FAs

[BarronWade]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

How are we going to convince Julius Peppers to come to the Rams when he is looking for a winner? With no CBA the playoff teams will retain there players cuz they cannot do much in free agency so the Pats need bodden.

If it will take a 4th rounder to get Osi im pretty sure at least half the teams in the NFL will put up a 3rd or late 2nd to get him. Yes he id have limited playing time last year but you need to understand value.

Also you did not do anything to address the Rams biggest question mark and that is our future QB.

Also why didn't we add a single offensive playmaker?

The name is also a bit misleading you should change it to "mock off-season" or something like that.

[RamsSB99]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

Bodden and Peppers are probs going to be the 2 highest paid FAs

We do have the money to spend and I would prefer a deal for Osi instead of Peppers. Osi has been burning a lot of bridges in NY wanting to be a full time starter. Peppers price tag may get out of hand and if that becomes the case I would not want to sign him.

[Goldenfleece]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

I'd note that Peppers has expressed interest in playing 3-4 linebacker. I get the feeling that it would take a king's ransom to get him to sign in St. Louis.

Also, I think we traded a fourth round pick for James Hall. I'd say it would take a lot more than that to get Umenyiora. I think it would take at least our second rounder and probably more.

I can't argue with the Suh pick, don't like the Weatherspoon pick any more than the last dozen times I've seen it, think Watson would be a good addition but hard to sign, and have mixed feelings about the Alexander pick.

[peramoure]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

I like the Osi trade, as everyone knows I am a QB guy for the first round.

Just food for thought, CAN YOU IMAGINE how much our Defensive Line would be getting paid if we got Suh and Peppers? Chris Long, Suh, and Peppers. Holy Crap. Hah! Made me laugh.

[RamsSB99]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

I'd note that Peppers has expressed interest in playing 3-4 linebacker. I get the feeling that it would take a king's ransom to get him to sign in St. Louis.

Also, I think we traded a fourth round pick for James Hall. I'd say it would take a lot more than that to get Umenyiora. I think it would take at least our second rounder and probably more.

I can't argue with the Suh pick, don't like the Weatherspoon pick any more than the last dozen times I've seen it, think Watson would be a good addition but hard to sign, and have mixed feelings about the Alexander pick.

Good feedback. I heard Peppers wanted to play in a 3-4 and you might be right it might take a king's ransom to get him to come here in a 4-3. Although he might just like the idea of playing for a Spags D-Line of Suh, Ryan, Long, and Peppers. That front four would apply good pressure on a QB.
I don't normally like the idea of taking an OLB in the 2nd round but I think we need to get another good LB to go with J. Lau. and I believe Witherspoon could step in and start. I don't see many LB's via free agency in an uncapped year that are not past their prime. Alexander is a high risk high reward WR. He had some injuries early in his college career and prior to those he beat out Maclin for a WR position. Last year he was healthy and led the nation in receiving yards (1,781 or 137 per game) and had more then a TD per game. I really think the Rams need to take a chance on a big WR and at 6'5 216 he fits the bill.

[prof22693]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

I like the Osi trade, as everyone knows I am a QB guy for the first round.

Just food for thought, CAN YOU IMAGINE how much our Defensive Line would be getting paid if we got Suh and Peppers? Chris Long, Suh, and Peppers. Holy Crap. Hah! Made me laugh.

Haha very true, that would be ridiculous and extremely unlikely we would pay for all of them

[Goldenfleece]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

Good feedback. I heard Peppers wanted to play in a 3-4 and you might be right it might take a king's ransom to get him to come here in a 4-3. Although he might just like the idea of playing for a Spags D-Line of Suh, Ryan, Long, and Peppers. That front four would apply good pressure on a QB.
I don't normally like the idea of taking an OLB in the 2nd round but I think we need to get another good LB to go with J. Lau. and I believe Witherspoon could step in and start. I don't see many LB's via free agency in an uncapped year that are not past their prime. Alexander is a high risk high reward WR. He had some injuries early in his college career and prior to those he beat out Maclin for a WR position. Last year he was healthy and led the nation in receiving yards (1,781 or 137 per game) and had more then a TD per game. I really think the Rams need to take a chance on a big WR and at 6'5 216 he fits the bill.

In another year, I probably wouldn't bat an eye at taking an outside linebacker in the second round. This year is a little different because we have needs all over the place and since we are picking at the top of the second, we will still have access to borderline first round talent. As you mentioned, if there's no CBA, we might not be able to fill any starting positions through free agency--at least not with long-term solutions. I think our odds of finding a high quality linebacker in the mid rounds are better than some other positions, though.

If we take Suh, quarterback seems like the top priority in round two. I could also see us going wide receiver, defensive line again for an end, or even offensive line if teams decide that Iupati is a guard (teams rarely take a projected guard or center in the first round). My preference would be to either take a franchise quarterback if it's an option or build the lines, which have both been weaknesses for much of the last decade. I wouldn't be upset if we drafted a linebacker, but I'm surprised at how prevalent that option is these days given the number of problems on this team.

[peramoure]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

Peter King had this in his Monday Morning QB Article. I think it is a great point - how do you structure a deal when the likelyhood of a lockout in 2011 is very high? Guaranteed money to a guy who will be reasonably old in 2012?

"3. I think the four GM-types I talked to last week had no answer to how anyone will structure a contract that gets free-agent defensive end Julius Peppers signed. There's not only the part about paying him what he thinks he's worth -- in excess of $15-million a year, which won't happen -- but also the part about giving a 30-year-old player lots of guaranteed money and then having the 2011 season disrupted or ruined with a job action."

[peramoure]

Re: To many holes to fill. If healthy the following could give us a decent season IMO

And for you Suh lovers:

9. I think it's 66 days 'til the first round of the draft, and my money's on Ndamukong Suh wearing Ram blue and gold with the first pick.