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Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

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  • #1

    Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

    Here are my random thoughts following Day 1 of the draft:
    • I have no regrets about not waiting for Clausen. First, I think Bradford will be a much better QB. Second, had the Rams taken Suh, I think there is a very good chance that the Vikings would have taken Clausen in round 1, rather than trading down to pick #34. If Clausen goes to Minnesota with that pick, I'll be fairly certain I'm right.
    • So Denver has Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow? Well, if you could chop them up and surgically combine all their best parts I guess you'd have something close to John Elway, but I think doing so would violate league rules.
    • If the Rams don't trade down, I'm torn between four players. If the Rams want an offensive playmaker, it has to be Golden Tate. If they want a defensive playmaker (and they think he could fit in a 4-3, it has to be Sergio Kindle. If they want a guy who can come in and immediately fill a significant hole, they should consider Everson Griffen. If they want someone to help protect Bradford, I'd go with Vladimir Ducasse. I'd be fine with any of those picks.
    • I don't know if it will happen, but a trade of Osi Umenyiora to the Rams makes a lot of sense now that the Giants have Jason Pierre-Paul.
    • One of the happiest moments for me in the first round was when C.J. Spiller went to the Bills instead of one of the Rams' divisional foes.
    • An Eagles fan at my draft party, along with my brother (who was texting me from Arkansas during the draft), were miffed, to say the least, when the Eagles traded up, not for Earl Thomas, but for Brandon Graham. Quote from my brother "Next they're going to trade their second round pick for Kate Gossilen and three of her daughters."
    • Brian Bulaga went to the right team. He looks like a Packer. In fact, his nickname should be "meat."
    • At the start of the night, I announced at my party that I thought Demaryius Thomas would be selected before Dez Bryant. One of my better predictions (and I had some bad ones too).
    • While I have no beef whatsoever with those who wish the Rams selected Suh, I hope this won't become a lingering issue. Rams fans should, of course, get firmly behind Sam Bradford. The "fans" that irk me the most are those who - before Bradford has played a single down in the NFL - are saying he's a horrible pick, he's going to be a bust, and this is just more of the same from a bad franchise. If I was that down on the team,and so devoid of hope, I'd probably just stop following football. After all... this is supposed to be fun, right?
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

    Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
    Here are my random thoughts following Day 1 of the draft:
    • I have no regrets about not waiting for Clausen. First, I think Bradford will be a much better QB. Second, had the Rams taken Suh, I think there is a very good chance that the Vikings would have taken Clausen in round 1, rather than trading down to pick #34. If Clausen goes to Minnesota with that pick, I'll be fairly certain I'm right.

    He probably wouldn't have lasted, but would you have given our 4th rounder to move up to 29, if it meant we would get him and Suh? I'm not saying that would have been what it cost, but looking at the other trades, I think it makes sense. I would have.

    If the Rams don't trade down, I'm torn between four players. If the Rams want an offensive playmaker, it has to be Golden Tate. If they want a defensive playmaker (and they think he could fit in a 4-3, it has to be Sergio Kindle. If they want a guy who can come in and immediately fill a significant hole, they should consider Everson Griffen. If they want someone to help protect Bradford, I'd go with Vladimir Ducasse. I'd be fine with any of those picks.
    I agree that Tate makes sense if we go offense, and I reallly like Kindle as a possible pick for the defense as well. I think we can play him as a SAM and situational DE like the Giants did with Kiwanuka... which leads to...
    I don't know if it will happen, but a trade of Osi Umenyiora to the Rams makes a lot of sense now that the Giants have Jason Pierre-Paul.
    I'd give our 4th easily for Osi. Assuming that we're confident in his health.
    • While I have no beef whatsoever with those who wish the Rams selected Suh, I hope this won't become a lingering issue. Rams fans should, of course, get firmly behind Sam Bradford. The "fans" that irk me the most are those who - before Bradford has played a single down in the NFL - are saying he's a horrible pick, he's going to be a bust, and this is just more of the same from a bad franchise. If I was that down on the team,and so devoid of hope, I'd probably just stop following football. After all... this is supposed to be fun, right?
    I very much wish that we'd picked Suh, and especially now that it looks like we could have fairly easily grabbed Clausen or McCoy with a slight trade up, or just by sitting there. That said, I am fully behind Bradford for being happy to be a Ram, think he's a good face of the franchise, and hope to death that he becomes a pro bowl player, because otherwise, I think the pick will be questioned. If he leads us to the playoffs, it's a solid pick. Let's go make sure that it's a solid pick!
    I believe!:ram:

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

      One other interesting thought...

      On opening day in 2011 (assuming there is no lockout), these could very well be the starting QBs in the NFC West:

      Seahawks: Charlie Whitehurst
      Niners: Alex Smith
      Cardinals: Matt Leinart
      Rams: Sam Bradford

      I don't know about you, but I like the looks of that.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

        Hell, that could be the starting lineup in 2010, depending on Hasselbeck.
        I believe!:ram:

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

          You know, before the draft started, my logic was this: Suh was the best player available in this draft, with Bradford close behind. But who cares?! It means absolutely nothing now. Our front office isn't clinging to the past (clearly) and neither should we. Be a Rams fan people. Support your team. Be excited for the pick that's going to put a shot of energy into this franchise.

          There's going to be a completely different attitude in St. Louis this year, and it's because of Sam Bradford. He represents more than just a quarterback. Suh would have been a very justifiable pick, easily. But in picking Suh, we would be essentially admitting that we don't think this team can be turned around this year. It would almost be like admitting defeat before the season started, at least offensively.

          I'll stop here, as I could go on for a while, but Av's last point sums it up. The Rams are excited about Sam Bradford, and so should you. It's no fun to be a fan of anything if instead of supporting your team, you're questioning everything about them. Have some fun!

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

            On the St. Louis radio broadcast they made a very good point about the Bradford versus Suh argument. The Rams are in a position where they need to sell tickets and get fans excited about the team again. An interior D-lineman makes 40 plays per season. Bradford will have fans 3 deep at the fence come training camp and he'll sell tickets. He's instantly the face of the organization on the field just as Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk were at one time. You can't discount the importance of selling this team to the public again after all the losing they have done.

            Fans will quickly forget about Suh, I'm confident in that. We don't get many fans reminding us how they should have drafted Glenn Dorsey anymore.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

              If our front offices, coaches and scouts all are behind Bradford who are we to argue?

              I am fully behind him, and I think we need to pick up some weapons for him now and ensure that he gets some time to throw the ball.

              GO RAMS!

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

                Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
                I have no regrets about not waiting for Clausen. First, I think Bradford will be a much better QB. Second, had the Rams taken Suh, I think there is a very good chance that the Vikings would have taken Clausen in round 1, rather than trading down to pick #34. If Clausen goes to Minnesota with that pick, I'll be fairly certain I'm right.
                We'll never know how the draft would have played out had the Rams taken Suh, but based on what we saw, I think it's fairly reasonable to think that at least one if not both of the two quarterbacks (Clausen/McCoy) would have been there.

                But it's a moot point, because Bradford was their guy and they took him. Assuming they took him because they were convinced he was their quarterback of the future, then other quarterbacks being available later probably doesn't matter.

                Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
                So Denver has Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow? Well, if you could chop them up and surgically combine all their best parts I guess you'd have something close to John Elway, but I think doing so would violate league rules.
                Tebow is a very interesting pick for the Broncos. I don't like what they had to give up to go get him, but he's entering a situation where he can sit and develop, and he'll be playing under a coach that worked with Tom Brady for years and made Matt Cassel look good. It's a good situation for him, assuming McDaniels still has the job by the time Tebow's ready to take over.

                Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
                If the Rams don't trade down, I'm torn between four players. If the Rams want an offensive playmaker, it has to be Golden Tate. If they want a defensive playmaker (and they think he could fit in a 4-3, it has to be Sergio Kindle. If they want a guy who can come in and immediately fill a significant hole, they should consider Everson Griffen. If they want someone to help protect Bradford, I'd go with Vladimir Ducasse. I'd be fine with any of those picks.
                Griffen and Tate aren't #1 and #2 on my big board, but they're probably my top two targets given their positions and our needs, with TCU's Washington a bit of a dark horse. But I'm not so absolutely in love with any of these guys that I would be opposed to a trade down.

                Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
                I don't know if it will happen, but a trade of Osi Umenyiora to the Rams makes a lot of sense now that the Giants have Jason Pierre-Paul.
                Agreed completely. Let's call New York and see if they want the first pick in the third round.

                Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
                One of the happiest moments for me in the first round was when C.J. Spiller went to the Bills instead of one of the Rams' divisional foes.
                Good point. I thought the Buffalo selection was a bit of a head scratcher, but I'm glad they pulled the trigger over Seattle or San Francisco. Though I do believe all four NFC West teams had good first rounds.

                Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
                An Eagles fan at my draft party, along with my brother (who was texting me from Arkansas during the draft), were miffed, to say the least, when the Eagles traded up, not for Earl Thomas, but for Brandon Graham. Quote from my brother "Next they're going to trade their second round pick for Kate Gossilen and three of her daughters."
                That's funny, as I know some Eagles fans around the 'net who were hoping Graham would be there for them @ 24. Trading up 11 spots to make sure they got him? An interesting move, but I think they got a very good player.

                Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
                Brian Bulaga went to the right team. He looks like a Packer. In fact, his nickname should be "meat."
                Agreed 100%. Great combination of value meeting need for the Packers, and he just looks like a tough, hard nosed brute you'd expect to see on those old Green Bay teams.

                Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
                At the start of the night, I announced at my party that I thought Demaryius Thomas would be selected before Dez Bryant. One of my better predictions (and I had some bad ones too).
                Well done!

                Originally posted by AvengerRam View Post
                While I have no beef whatsoever with those who wish the Rams selected Suh, I hope this won't become a lingering issue. Rams fans should, of course, get firmly behind Sam Bradford. The "fans" that irk me the most are those who - before Bradford has played a single down in the NFL - are saying he's a horrible pick, he's going to be a bust, and this is just more of the same from a bad franchise. If I was that down on the team,and so devoid of hope, I'd probably just stop following football. After all... this is supposed to be fun, right?
                Agreed, and that's part of the reason why I posted this thread.

                I was about as big of a Suh supporter as one could be on this board, but he wasn't the pick. Bradford was, and it's time to cheer him on.

                Sam has a lot of talent and a great work ethic. If he can put to bed the concerns that some of us had leading up to the draft, I think he has all the potential in the world, and I'd love to see him lead this team back to contention.

                I've been on a jersey drought for a couple of seasons now. I think the last first round pick whose jersey I bought was Tye Hill. Didn't buy a Carriker, didn't buy a Long (should have), and didn't buy a Smith. Might be time to invest in the Bradford jersey this summer! :helmet:

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Clausen probably wouldn't have fallen to the Rams, and other random thoughts

                  I agree with your sentiments Av, and i was a Suh guy. Meanwhile, i wish we had traded up at the end of the first round for Dan Williams. I think he was the steal of the first round.

                  ramming speed to all

                  general counsel

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                  • DistantRam
                    If we draft Clausen....
                    by DistantRam
                    How many people on this site are going to say that it's simply due to Bradford's agents demanding too much money?

                    While Sam Bradford is almost certainly still our number one target, Kevin Demoff stated on Sunday that preliminary talks have been held with all of the four top prospects, as well as Okung and Berry. Given that we really need a quarterback, will any decision to select Clausen at number one (assuming that no trades are made) be attributed by the pro-Bradford majority to his over-rapacious representatives? Will Clausen be regarded as the "cheap" alternative?
                    -04-19-2010, 01:39 AM
                  • Bralidore(RAMMODE)
                    Making the Case for Clausen
                    by Bralidore(RAMMODE)
                    Personally, ill probably lose popularity for this, but i wanna grab Clausen over Suh at this point. I want us to trade down a few spots and pick up another 2nd round pick (or first round if humanly possible) and grab him. I love Suh just as much as the next guy but he wont get us a passing offense....and we still don't know what we have in Carriker, Ryan has been solid as well. Long has definitely come along and will hold down the LE spot, and hopefully we can pick up another DE in the second round or through FA.

                    The rams will quite simply continue to fail utterly without a quarterback and this was as plain as day in our most recent failure against the *****. Shut the ***** out of the game for 3 quarters!!! Then let them poor it on in the last quarter because no doubt our defense got gassed, and the ***** were able to pull it out because they have an offense and we don't..

                    Give us a quarterback that can make all the throws (love him or not: Clausen can make all the throws) and we have a chance to win that ball game. I'm not knocking Null because i understand his situation, but you put a Warner (who Clausen reminds me of sort of, with a bigger arm) and you convert those field goals in the points. Broad assumption but i think its at least reasonable to say, despite our horrible o-line woes, Clausen with his quick release could have converted a lot more of those third downs with less arid throws and accidents.

                    Making the Case for ClausenStrengths: Solid size and adequate bulk
                    Very good arm strength; can fit balls into tight windows
                    Extremely quick, snappy release
                    Great accuracy
                    Nice hip torque on throws
                    Gets rid of ball quickly
                    Very decisive with the football
                    Takes what defense gives him; doesn't force ball/will throw away
                    Elite football IQ
                    Great touch
                    Well versed in NFL offense
                    Good sense of timing
                    Will step up/out of pocket
                    Knows how to read coverage
                    Sees the entire field; great vision
                    Very polished for a true junior
                    Shown outstanding development from freshman to junior season
                    Extremely intelligent
                    Ice in his veins; great poise
                    Mentally tough; plays through pain
                    Big leader
                    Confident
                    Film room rat
                    Elite intangibles
                    Good genetics and very well coached
                    Spent 3.5 years in a West Coast offense


                    Weaknesses:
                    Does a poor job of selling play action
                    Footwork used to be a bit shoddy, has improved
                    Not a fluid athlete
                    Personality might come off as abrasive
                    Sometimes gets too much air under fade route
                    Lacks a little pocket awareness


                    We want less rookie down time because we need wins NAO; this guy is the most pro ready quarterback in this years draft EASY.

                    Interesting tid bit on Clausen's stats Ive found.

                    ...
                    -01-04-2010, 07:31 AM
                  • sakl18
                    Suh or Clausen/Bradford?
                    by sakl18
                    The main debate for the upcoming draft is if the Rams will take Suh or a QB, with Clausen currently having the edge over Bradford. Although Suh would improve the defense, you can't win in this league without a solid or elite QB. Here are the top teams from 2009 and their QB's.

                    1) Indianapolis - Peyton Manning
                    2) New Orleans - Drew Brees
                    3) San Diego - Phillip Rivers
                    4) Minnesota - Brett Favre
                    5) Dallas - Tony Romo
                    6) Green Bay - Aaron Rodgers
                    7) Philadelphia - Donovan McNabb
                    8) Arizona - Kurt Warner
                    9) Cincinnati - Carson Palmer
                    10) New England - Tom Brady

                    As you can see, the top 10 teams have arguably the top 10 Quarterback's in the league. As it has been posted before, our defense can compete in this league. However, our offense can't. If we take Suh, we will be looking at another top 5 pick again next year. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see the Rams have a player like Suh. But if we grab him, we would lose a shot at a franchise QB like Clausen. Having Clausen would take a lot of pressure off of Jackson as teams wouldn't be able to consistantly stack the box against him. Not only that, but Clausen spent three years in a pro-style offense under Charlie Weiss, who has been a successful OC in the NFL.

                    If you look at the numbers that Clausen put up, they are spectacular. He finished the year with a 68% completion percentage, 3722 yards, 28 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He did all of that with a terrible offensive line (he's already starting to fit in!) and virtually no running game (which he will have with the Rams).

                    The two biggest flaws that people seem to pick out in him are his attitude and his carrer record (13-18). when you look at the win loss record, it is no fault of his own. During his time in Notre Dame, he was playing with no defense. With the points he put up and the level he played at, the losses were not his fault. His character is the other issue. Although he is cocky and abrassive, can't the same be said in Phillip Rivers?

                    IMO, Spags and Devaney need to take Clausen to move this team forward. In the NFL you can't win without a QB, and I guarantee you that the front office is aware of it (they did spend a year with Bulger, Boller and Null* starting at QB).

                    *This isn't a shot at Null, I realize that he was a rookie, and I have high hopes for him as the future backup of the Rams.
                    -01-21-2010, 09:38 AM
                  • richtree
                    Bradford statement
                    by richtree
                    I think all Rams fans should be extremly happy today. Many Ram fans are saying, "Clausen and McCoy are both available and we should have taken Suh or traded out of the #1 slot."


                    I personal think that is not the right way to look at this.

                    I think all Rams fans should be even happier with their selection of Bradford. If no team wanted to trade up to get Clausen or McCoy at the end of round 1, it just greater confirmed the disparity between Bradford and the rest of the QB's.

                    I myself wanted Suh and Vick, Pike, or even McCoy but after seeing Clausen and McCoy not present in round 1 and that a team would actually take Teabow over the aforementioned just greater confirmed the franchise's selection in SAM BRADFORD.

                    I know if we took Clausen #1 overall there is no way he would have made it out of the first round or even past the top 12 picks. And definately Teabow wouldn't be selected over Bradford.

                    So, after greater analysis, I hope the Ram Nation can see that this is the best pick for our franchise.

                    Don't be the gambler that roots against his selections because he couldn't get his bets in to his bookie/vegas. You should want to win and we won with our selection and the #1 pick.

                    I myself understand this being a Suh fan, Vick promoter, and Tony Pike hyper....

                    But yet I know we made the best pick at #1 and hopefully go :

                    G. Tate / A. Benn Round #2 <---this is the pick we can fight over ..offensive, denfensive, trade....

                    but NOT Sam Bradford !!

                    thx

                    -rt
                    -04-23-2010, 08:14 AM
                  • eldfan
                    Considering Clausen for the Rams next QB
                    by eldfan
                    Considering Clausen for the Rams next QB
                    by VanRam on Nov 24, 2009 3:58 PM CST in 2010 NFL Draft 35 comments

                    Ok, with Bulger's tibia fracture barely days old and the (likely) end of his career with the St. Louis Rams, it's time to start talking QB of the future. Not that we haven't been talking about that since the last draft, but such chatter earned a new lease on life with Bulger's injury.

                    Carneros got it started yesterday with this post, and I'm going to feed the fire some more today. First, a quick review of the Rams QB options moving forward. Boil it down to the essence, and the Rams have three options at QB for 2010: 1) sign a free agent (personally, I like Jason Campbell if they go this route), 2) draft a QB or 3) keep one of the in-house options, Bulger (if he can return) or Boller. Note that 2 and 3 are not mutually exclusive.

                    And now, I submit for your consideration Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen.

                    With Sam Bradford on the mend, Clausen is racing to the top of draft boards, at least among QBs. I think he'll be the first QB taken in the draft. I guess we'll have to see how much fan damage he incurred on a punch to the face this weekend. Will the Rams take him? Should the Rams take him?

                    Why Clausen?

                    Let's start with the stats, more specifically, the stats that can tell us something about success at the next level. According to the Lewin Career Forecast, the two most important things to look at when trying to gauge NFL success are a QBs career starts and completion percentage.

                    Clausen's a junior this year. He took over starting duties early in his freshman year, true freshman year, and ended up starting in nine games, and started every game in two seasons since then. For his college career, he has a 62.2 percent completion rate, a stunning 67.3 percent this season.

                    His TD to INT ratio of 23-4 speaks to his accuracy as a QB.

                    One thing I like about him is his ability to find receivers and create plays where others cannot. That's something the Rams have really been missing. Yes, St. Louis lacks the established talent at WR, but after watching this season of west coast offense move forward in fits and starts, it would be wise to have a QB that could find receivers or even go through the reads.

                    I'm not qualified to judge much about college players, especially the "intangibles". Talk of Clausen's acumen for the game, ability to read defenses and assuredness resonate for a long suffering fan of this team. Here are a couple of scouting reports from FFToolbox and Walter Football.

                    As a junior, there's still no gaurantee that Clausen will declare for the draft this year. I'd be pretty shocked if he didn't given the fact that his stock is skyrocketing. In fact, with Bradford unlikely to be ready for the Combine, I wonder if Clausen does separate himself from the rest of the...
                    -11-25-2009, 08:31 AM
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