Rams News Recap: June 11

[RamBill]

Bernie: Rams Need to Improve on Defense
For years now, offense has been the primary obsession with Rams football. From Air Coryell to the Greatest Show on Turf, we loved daring and accurate quarterbacks, big-play receivers, elusive running backs and sudden flurries of points.

Jake Long Pleased With Progress of Knee –Wagoner
This week, we covered the St. Louis Rams’ confidence in the pending return of left tackle Jake Long. The team has believed Long capable of being ready for the regular-season opener for most of the offseason.

Jim Thomas Rams Chat Highlights: June 10

Ten Questions for Rams Rookie Tre Mason –101ESPN
As Rams third round draft pick Tre Mason gets accustomed to St. Louis, we thought it’d be nice to get to know the off-the-field side of the SEC offensive player of the year.

Tavon Austin: Rookie Season ‘Pretty Big Adjustment’ –NFL.com
The St. Louis Rams raised eyebrows last month when not one of their 11 draft picks was used on a wide receiver.

Davin Joseph Took Long Road to Rams –Wagoner
With Rodger Saffold all but signed to a lucrative free-agent contract with the Oakland Raiders, the St. Louis Rams had already begun working on contingency plans.

Jake Long Expects to Be Ready by Week One –Softli
Rams quarterback Sam Bradford made his presence felt late last week by participating in the team’s first round of OTAs. Yesterday, it was his rehab partner and blindside protector who turned heads.

Recovery of Bradford, Long Key to Rams Success
While much attention regarding the Rams’ offensive has been directed toward a running game following the re-signing of guard Rodger Saffold and the use of a second overall pick on offensive lineman Greg Robinson,

Morning Ram-blings: Back in Time –Wagoner
It seems almost hard to believe, but it’s been 20 years since an NFL team last hosted a game in Los Angeles.

$62 Million Hole in Jones Dome Future? –PD
The Edward Jones Dome is running out of money. The $24 million annual payments that cover stadium upkeep and pay off construction debt are scheduled to end over the next decade

Mike Sando Talks Greg Williams and Kenny Britt –Radio Interview

Wagoner’s Rams Buzz: The Britt Impact –Video

Rams RB Zac Stacy OTA Press Conference –Video

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: Broken dome?
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/9191/morning-ram-blings-broken-dome

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- It's no secret that the St. Louis Rams are looking for a new place to play. Their lease with the Edward Jones Dome is up after the 2014 season and what happens after that is knowledge seemingly limited only to owner Stan Kroenke.

But one thing appears to be more clear with each passing day: the Rams' long-term home almost certainly won't be the Edward Jones Dome. In fact, according to a Wednesday report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the future of the dome's existence appears to be questionable in its own right.

Per the report, with each passing year, the cost of maintenance of the dome is only going to increase and the public funding for those fees are going to dry up. The report projects that within 15 years, the gap between money available and money required for upkeep will grow to around $62 million.

The issue has a direct impact on the Rams in the short term but it actually extends well beyond the boundaries of the local football franchise. The dome is used as part of a strong convention business that takes place when the Rams aren't in season. After the Rams and the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission failed to reach an agreement on improvements on the dome last year, it became obvious that the team's stay in the dome will likely come to an end at some point.

In the meantime, the Rams can and likely will go forward on a year-to-year lease in the dome but it's also clear that the dome is going to require plenty of dollars for upkeep. Which then begs the question of why the Rams would either want to stay in the building on a year-to-year lease knowing it might not get the dollars to keep it in good condition or why they'd want to help pay some of the freight to keep it in decent shape knowing those dollars could be better used on a new facility?

This issue goes beyond what needs to be discussed here but the bottom line is that while this looks like yet another impetus for the team to build a new home, either in St. Louis or elsewhere, that already seems like a foregone conclusion. The only way that Wednesday's report might really matter in conjunction with the Rams is if it serves as a method of speeding up the decision making for what comes next.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Wednesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... In the Ram-blings, we began the day with a look back in time at the Rams' final game in Los Angeles. ... In this week's NFL Nation Buzz video, I discussed the Rams' need for receiver Kenny Britt to become an asset in the passing game. ... Next, we looked at the long road that took Davin Joseph from Tampa Bay to St. Louis. ... Finally, we closed the day with a look at tackle Jake Long's thoughts on his rehabilitation from offseason knee surgery.

Elsewhere:

On ESPN Insider, Mike Sando has a list of the quarterbacks next in line for a paydayInsider.

Also at stltoday.com, Jim Thomas offers his thoughts on Long's recovery.

Columnist Joe Strauss takes a look at the team's gamble by not adding another weapon to the receiver corps.

Joe Lyons examines running back Zac Stacy's goals for Year 2.

FoxSportsMidwest.com's Nate Latsch writes that backup quarterback Shaun Hill is already at home in St. Louis.