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Rams' rebuilding strategy frustrates fans
Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/07/2010
Rams executives didn't lose any sleep Friday when the NFL's free-agent expedition got underway after the stroke of midnight.
The Rams didn't make any surprise late-night recruiting trips to sign a pass-rushing defensive end. That's how the Detroit Lions landed Kyle Vanden Bosch; coach Jim Schwartz personally showed up on his doorstep to make the free-agent pitch. Using that Schwartz charm and a four-year, $26 million deal, the Lions got their man.
The Rams also declined to gain free agents' immediate attention by waving giant fistfuls of green paper at them. The Lions had no such reservations, bestowing $25 million (over five years) on aging wideout Nate Burleson. The Lions believe they found another target for young franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The Rams didn't ring in the opening of the market by swinging a trade. The Lions opted for that route, sending a fifth-round draft choice to Cleveland for defensive tackle Corey Williams and a No. 7 pick. Williams is no star, but he's a 4-3 alignment tackle. And the Lions, at No. 2 overall, are in position to draft Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh.
Did the Lions overpay and overreach?
That's entirely possible. Vanden Bosch, 31, has only 7 1/2 sacks over the last two seasons and may be wearing down. Burleson has been nothing special lately. These deals could drag them down later. But after going 2-14 last season and losing to the 1-15 Rams Detroit's second-year regime decided to rush into the fray in a bold attempt to improve a chronic loser.
Fans in Detroit were buzzing Friday, energized by seeing their franchise take such an aggressive approach.
It's interesting to note the two strategies. The Lions appear to be going all in. The Rams appear to be saving their chips.
The Rams do have a plan which we'll try to explain later but it won't be an easy sell to a fan base that's increasingly ambivalent.
The Rams did sign a backup quarterback, A.J. Feeley, and gave him $3 million a year. He hasn't thrown a regular-season pass since 2007. And this was hardly a definitive move. What this means for sure, no one knows not even the Rams. Is Feeley the starting quarterback for 2010? Is this a sign that the Rams plan to take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick or perhaps the first pick in the second round and hired a less-scarred veteran to fill the role until the kid is ready?
The Feeley move prompted more head-scratches than yawns.
And there's no indication that the Rams are plotting any substantial moves in this free-agent season.
Heck, the Rams may not even retain safety O.J. Atogwe, one of their better and more-promising players, and one of their few playmakers. He's being allowed to shop for a free-agent deal. The Rams have the right to match any offer and keep Atogwe.
It's almost as if the Rams, having gone 6-42 over the last three seasons, are operating on a subterranean level. They're below the rest of the NFL in record; now they've gone underground in other ways. If the Rams go any lower, they'll be dropping out of the NFL.
The Rams are stuck in a strange and unenviable spot right now.
The franchise doesn't have an owner. Oh, Chip Rosenbloom and sister Lucia Rodriguez technically maintain ownership, but they're on the way out after having sold majority control to Shahid Khan. But Khan still must gain league approval before taking over and the process might take two months or more. So the team is in transition, in between bosses. And it's awkward.
Because of the necessary dumping of old and overpaid players last year, the Rams have plenty of money to spend. But do chief operating officer Kevin Demoff, general manager Billy Devaney and head coach Steve Spagnuolo really want to toss a lot of cash around when they're stuck between the outgoing owner and the incoming owner?
And the free-agent pool was reduced by about 200 players because of changes that automatically kicked in when the NFL owners and players couldn't reach a new labor agreement for 2010. There isn't a lot out there, and we've already seen a few NFL teams go crazy in handing out ridiculous contracts.
From my conversations with Rams officials, this seems obvious: the Rams are taking a strong position here and will not waver.
The Rams insist on primarily building through the draft, because that's the way the best teams do it. One problem with that: the good NFL teams also consistently draft terrific players. The Rams have had way too many strikeouts on draft days.
The Rams will not overpay mediocre free agents just for the sake of appearance. Well, what about Feeley, then? The Rams' defense is this: Feeley's deal wasn't out of line with some of the free-agent contracts dished to backup quarterbacks last season most notably Dan Orlovsky and Chris Simms.
The Rams are banking on a new labor deal in time for 2011 and expect that free agents will flood the market. As one team official put it: why give big money to Nate Burleson when the team can pursue younger and more appealing wide receivers a year or so from now?
On the surface, the plan such as it is makes sense. On principle, it makes sense. The draft is the best way to go. And we've seen this franchise waste a lot of free-agent money on the likes of Drew Bennett, Chris Claiborne, Jamie Duncan, etc.
This methodical approach also requires a remarkable amount of patience from Rams fans. And the customers have been treated to six wins in the last 48 games. This strategy also requires a remarkable amount of skill from those making the decisions in the draft room. And we know how that's been going. Of the 11 players chosen by the Rams in the first three rounds from 2006 through 2008, seven are gone already. But the people currently running the show at Rams Park weren't in charge then.
The Rams are asking for their fans to have faith.
The fans are looking for solid evidence that their faith will be rewarded.
The NFL draft begins April 22, and the Rams won't be able to sit that one out. It will be a defining moment for the second-year regime at Rams Park. Let's hope the boys are ready for their close-up.
Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/07/2010
Rams executives didn't lose any sleep Friday when the NFL's free-agent expedition got underway after the stroke of midnight.
The Rams didn't make any surprise late-night recruiting trips to sign a pass-rushing defensive end. That's how the Detroit Lions landed Kyle Vanden Bosch; coach Jim Schwartz personally showed up on his doorstep to make the free-agent pitch. Using that Schwartz charm and a four-year, $26 million deal, the Lions got their man.
The Rams also declined to gain free agents' immediate attention by waving giant fistfuls of green paper at them. The Lions had no such reservations, bestowing $25 million (over five years) on aging wideout Nate Burleson. The Lions believe they found another target for young franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The Rams didn't ring in the opening of the market by swinging a trade. The Lions opted for that route, sending a fifth-round draft choice to Cleveland for defensive tackle Corey Williams and a No. 7 pick. Williams is no star, but he's a 4-3 alignment tackle. And the Lions, at No. 2 overall, are in position to draft Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh.
Did the Lions overpay and overreach?
That's entirely possible. Vanden Bosch, 31, has only 7 1/2 sacks over the last two seasons and may be wearing down. Burleson has been nothing special lately. These deals could drag them down later. But after going 2-14 last season and losing to the 1-15 Rams Detroit's second-year regime decided to rush into the fray in a bold attempt to improve a chronic loser.
Fans in Detroit were buzzing Friday, energized by seeing their franchise take such an aggressive approach.
It's interesting to note the two strategies. The Lions appear to be going all in. The Rams appear to be saving their chips.
The Rams do have a plan which we'll try to explain later but it won't be an easy sell to a fan base that's increasingly ambivalent.
The Rams did sign a backup quarterback, A.J. Feeley, and gave him $3 million a year. He hasn't thrown a regular-season pass since 2007. And this was hardly a definitive move. What this means for sure, no one knows not even the Rams. Is Feeley the starting quarterback for 2010? Is this a sign that the Rams plan to take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick or perhaps the first pick in the second round and hired a less-scarred veteran to fill the role until the kid is ready?
The Feeley move prompted more head-scratches than yawns.
And there's no indication that the Rams are plotting any substantial moves in this free-agent season.
Heck, the Rams may not even retain safety O.J. Atogwe, one of their better and more-promising players, and one of their few playmakers. He's being allowed to shop for a free-agent deal. The Rams have the right to match any offer and keep Atogwe.
It's almost as if the Rams, having gone 6-42 over the last three seasons, are operating on a subterranean level. They're below the rest of the NFL in record; now they've gone underground in other ways. If the Rams go any lower, they'll be dropping out of the NFL.
The Rams are stuck in a strange and unenviable spot right now.
The franchise doesn't have an owner. Oh, Chip Rosenbloom and sister Lucia Rodriguez technically maintain ownership, but they're on the way out after having sold majority control to Shahid Khan. But Khan still must gain league approval before taking over and the process might take two months or more. So the team is in transition, in between bosses. And it's awkward.
Because of the necessary dumping of old and overpaid players last year, the Rams have plenty of money to spend. But do chief operating officer Kevin Demoff, general manager Billy Devaney and head coach Steve Spagnuolo really want to toss a lot of cash around when they're stuck between the outgoing owner and the incoming owner?
And the free-agent pool was reduced by about 200 players because of changes that automatically kicked in when the NFL owners and players couldn't reach a new labor agreement for 2010. There isn't a lot out there, and we've already seen a few NFL teams go crazy in handing out ridiculous contracts.
From my conversations with Rams officials, this seems obvious: the Rams are taking a strong position here and will not waver.
The Rams insist on primarily building through the draft, because that's the way the best teams do it. One problem with that: the good NFL teams also consistently draft terrific players. The Rams have had way too many strikeouts on draft days.
The Rams will not overpay mediocre free agents just for the sake of appearance. Well, what about Feeley, then? The Rams' defense is this: Feeley's deal wasn't out of line with some of the free-agent contracts dished to backup quarterbacks last season most notably Dan Orlovsky and Chris Simms.
The Rams are banking on a new labor deal in time for 2011 and expect that free agents will flood the market. As one team official put it: why give big money to Nate Burleson when the team can pursue younger and more appealing wide receivers a year or so from now?
On the surface, the plan such as it is makes sense. On principle, it makes sense. The draft is the best way to go. And we've seen this franchise waste a lot of free-agent money on the likes of Drew Bennett, Chris Claiborne, Jamie Duncan, etc.
This methodical approach also requires a remarkable amount of patience from Rams fans. And the customers have been treated to six wins in the last 48 games. This strategy also requires a remarkable amount of skill from those making the decisions in the draft room. And we know how that's been going. Of the 11 players chosen by the Rams in the first three rounds from 2006 through 2008, seven are gone already. But the people currently running the show at Rams Park weren't in charge then.
The Rams are asking for their fans to have faith.
The fans are looking for solid evidence that their faith will be rewarded.
The NFL draft begins April 22, and the Rams won't be able to sit that one out. It will be a defining moment for the second-year regime at Rams Park. Let's hope the boys are ready for their close-up.
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