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After our Rammies being officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, many have transitioned into offseason talk (and some started before Sunday). I still think we can learn a lot from these last 3 games about all of our players vets or rookies, big contracts or small contracts.
I've seen a lot of people reacting very emotionally to some things they see from players on the field. Some of it I agree with some I don't.
These are the names I've seen mentioned the most by the media & fanbase this year. Imo most fans go one way or the other on these people. Here's my take:
-Sam (Keep. His salary may be a bit high, which is why I say restructure/resign by lowering his salary next year and creating a more incentive laden deal with less guarantees. Financially the high ankle sprain & ACL may help in the deal.)
-Tim Walton (Fire. I agree with many that not only does Walton's scheme not fit our physical personnel, but it is imo one of the reasons we aren't sacking the QB more. Too many easy completions with predictable blitzes.)
-Schotty (Keep. I'm willing to give him a pass w/o Sam. I do like some of his plays, like the ones for Tavon. But like many, I feel he could be MORE creative & less predictable.)
-Coach Fisher (Not in trouble, but I will really judge him off of the firings/cuts this offseason or lack thereof. He needs to put his ego/loyalty aside and admit to some coaching and player mistakes he's made.)
-Cortland Finnegan (Cut. Even if he were to come back at full health, which is far from a guarantee, he's making WAY to much money to play strictly nickelback. I say we eat the dead money, and let him walk. Plus the cap usually grows $1-$2M a year which helps.)
-Kendall Langford (Keep. I'm in the minority here, but I do want him back. Liked him last year & has been even better this year. I'd agree we need a massive run stuffer, but don't knock Kendall because that's not his mo. He is great at shooting gaps by twisting his body & has underrated pass rush ability. Solid starter, not a HUGE salary.)
-Jared Cook (Not a keep/cut scenario, more that he's fallen below people's expectations. I think having Sam back will help, as well as development of young offensive weapons, & an improved OL. Several times this year he's been open down the seam but QB has no time. I agree he's overpaid and needs to work on consistency catching & blocking, but it's only year 1. I'm still optimistic.)
-Chris Givens (Not bad for a 4th rd pick, many forget that. If you want to gripe, gripe about our 2nd rd picks of 2012. CG has been stuck in neutral this year. His hands need improvement, but he's still had some solid games for us this year. Imo Chris is one of the WRs that suffered the most from Sam's early exit. With noodle arm at QB he doesn't have many downfield chances and when he does they're usually aren't easy.)
-Brian Quick (I never bought into the Fisher/Snead hype on the kid to be a big physical #1 type WR like many fans have. I was personally underwhelmed by his college tape by his inability to dominate D2 competition and use his size to his advantage. The kid has potential, but that's what people have been hanging their hats on. Lawrence Phillips had potential too. If Quick pans out & blows up, great, just one more weapon. But we can't wait around waiting for him to develop because he may never, which is why I'm voting Mike Evens 2014).
-Darryl Richardson (7th round pick who has been suffering from turf toe since week 1. Don't give up on your boy yet, because I still think he has a future here as a COP back. Imo when playing this year lacked the burst bc of his injury, but also misused. The strength of his game is speed. His most explosive plays in 2012 were outside runs: sweeps, streches, tosses, etc. Why insist on running him inside, when you know that's not his mo? The few times we did see him on outside runs this year were some his best runs. Stacy/Benny/DRich would be my depth chart in 2014.)
-Isiah Pead (Trade or cut. At this point I don't care if he's "good" on special teams. He's had his chances over 2 years time, and he's fumbled with almost every one of them. From indecisive runs, to fumblitis, to running out kicks 8 yards deep in the endzone, to taunting penalties: I'm just done. Let him find his way on another team, because that's often what happens with guys in his situation. For whatever reason they just can't get it done with the team that drafted them, but they find their way once they realize they have to work to play another down in the NFL again.)
-Janoris Jenkins & Tru Johnson (The outside duo has been getting some heat from fans this year. Imo Walton is more to blame. Do they have their rookie-like moments where they bite on a play action fake or a double move? Sure. But overall I think if they didn't concede catches by playing zone 8 yards off they'd be in a better position to succeed. The scheme is killing the whole D. And personally I believe Jenks gets flagged too much for physical breakups other established DBs can get by with. The kid has crazy closing skills when he sees the ball & the arrow is still pointing up for him. Same for Tru. Next to TMac biggest hitter in the secondary & I wish he pressed more. Imo the help for the secondary needs to come via firing Walton/new scheme, cutting Finn/adding a new young nickelback, & pairing a ballhawking FS with TMac).
-Harvey Dahl (Cut if alternatives are better. C player at this point. Limited agility, struggles in pass pro, still pretty solid in run game. BUT if we can resign Roger or a G through FA/draft I think his non-guaranteed salary is very expendable. I'd like to draft a replacement for Williams at LG, which imo is a bigger need.)
-Scott Wells (Cut. Solid vet center when healthy, but HEALTHY is the key word. Has hit IR back to back years, turns 32, and I think we have much cheaper alternatives in Tim Barnes & Barrett Jones waiting in the wings. I think his contract is only guaranteed last year & this year, which helps.)
-Chris Long (Still love him. Some say he's overrated. Some want 15 sacks a year from him because of his salary. He works as hard as anybody & constantly fights double teams/chips. I saw heat on him after the AZ game this week, went back and watched. He was getting chipped, ball was coming out in 2 sec or less on many throws, there was little push inside, and WRs were wide open. Kinda been the story of the year for him and the D. Everyone is suffering from Walton. Regardless I know people have their Clowney fantasies, but I think Chris deserves the money he makes. Overpaid, I think very few big contract guys actually make their salaries in this league minus AP, Megatron, Brady, Manning.)
-James Laurinaitis (This guy is the model of consistency. May not be as fast as Pwillis or as powerful as some MLBs, but he is one of the smartest football players I know, and he maxes out his physical abilities. His coverage ability gets knocked by some, but imo he's one of the better cover LBs in the NFL. How often do you hear "TD! Laurinaitis on the coverage." Oh and he plays EVERY down. Hate the "let's dump JL & or CLong bc they make too much money." Silly imo.)
-Roger Saffold (Resign at right price. Tissue paper healthwise, but I would love him at guard if he could stay healthy. Plus he can be the swing tackle. Generous salary with little guaranteed money & lots of per game bonuses.)
-Coach Bones (Took heat for the highly penalized ST unit. Imo though penalties are ultimately the HC's problem. Plus the average age on our ST coverage & return units is probably 22-25. So many rookies, but so much potential. That's why we are one of the lowest leaguewide in punt return yardage allowed. Not to mention GZ has been fine & Johnny has eliminated the shanks, added distance/hangtime, and improved punting to sidelines & punts inside the 20. Come to think of it, how many STs TDs have the Rams allowed since Coach Bones took over?)
What do you think??
I've seen a lot of people reacting very emotionally to some things they see from players on the field. Some of it I agree with some I don't.
These are the names I've seen mentioned the most by the media & fanbase this year. Imo most fans go one way or the other on these people. Here's my take:
-Sam (Keep. His salary may be a bit high, which is why I say restructure/resign by lowering his salary next year and creating a more incentive laden deal with less guarantees. Financially the high ankle sprain & ACL may help in the deal.)
-Tim Walton (Fire. I agree with many that not only does Walton's scheme not fit our physical personnel, but it is imo one of the reasons we aren't sacking the QB more. Too many easy completions with predictable blitzes.)
-Schotty (Keep. I'm willing to give him a pass w/o Sam. I do like some of his plays, like the ones for Tavon. But like many, I feel he could be MORE creative & less predictable.)
-Coach Fisher (Not in trouble, but I will really judge him off of the firings/cuts this offseason or lack thereof. He needs to put his ego/loyalty aside and admit to some coaching and player mistakes he's made.)
-Cortland Finnegan (Cut. Even if he were to come back at full health, which is far from a guarantee, he's making WAY to much money to play strictly nickelback. I say we eat the dead money, and let him walk. Plus the cap usually grows $1-$2M a year which helps.)
-Kendall Langford (Keep. I'm in the minority here, but I do want him back. Liked him last year & has been even better this year. I'd agree we need a massive run stuffer, but don't knock Kendall because that's not his mo. He is great at shooting gaps by twisting his body & has underrated pass rush ability. Solid starter, not a HUGE salary.)
-Jared Cook (Not a keep/cut scenario, more that he's fallen below people's expectations. I think having Sam back will help, as well as development of young offensive weapons, & an improved OL. Several times this year he's been open down the seam but QB has no time. I agree he's overpaid and needs to work on consistency catching & blocking, but it's only year 1. I'm still optimistic.)
-Chris Givens (Not bad for a 4th rd pick, many forget that. If you want to gripe, gripe about our 2nd rd picks of 2012. CG has been stuck in neutral this year. His hands need improvement, but he's still had some solid games for us this year. Imo Chris is one of the WRs that suffered the most from Sam's early exit. With noodle arm at QB he doesn't have many downfield chances and when he does they're usually aren't easy.)
-Brian Quick (I never bought into the Fisher/Snead hype on the kid to be a big physical #1 type WR like many fans have. I was personally underwhelmed by his college tape by his inability to dominate D2 competition and use his size to his advantage. The kid has potential, but that's what people have been hanging their hats on. Lawrence Phillips had potential too. If Quick pans out & blows up, great, just one more weapon. But we can't wait around waiting for him to develop because he may never, which is why I'm voting Mike Evens 2014).
-Darryl Richardson (7th round pick who has been suffering from turf toe since week 1. Don't give up on your boy yet, because I still think he has a future here as a COP back. Imo when playing this year lacked the burst bc of his injury, but also misused. The strength of his game is speed. His most explosive plays in 2012 were outside runs: sweeps, streches, tosses, etc. Why insist on running him inside, when you know that's not his mo? The few times we did see him on outside runs this year were some his best runs. Stacy/Benny/DRich would be my depth chart in 2014.)
-Isiah Pead (Trade or cut. At this point I don't care if he's "good" on special teams. He's had his chances over 2 years time, and he's fumbled with almost every one of them. From indecisive runs, to fumblitis, to running out kicks 8 yards deep in the endzone, to taunting penalties: I'm just done. Let him find his way on another team, because that's often what happens with guys in his situation. For whatever reason they just can't get it done with the team that drafted them, but they find their way once they realize they have to work to play another down in the NFL again.)
-Janoris Jenkins & Tru Johnson (The outside duo has been getting some heat from fans this year. Imo Walton is more to blame. Do they have their rookie-like moments where they bite on a play action fake or a double move? Sure. But overall I think if they didn't concede catches by playing zone 8 yards off they'd be in a better position to succeed. The scheme is killing the whole D. And personally I believe Jenks gets flagged too much for physical breakups other established DBs can get by with. The kid has crazy closing skills when he sees the ball & the arrow is still pointing up for him. Same for Tru. Next to TMac biggest hitter in the secondary & I wish he pressed more. Imo the help for the secondary needs to come via firing Walton/new scheme, cutting Finn/adding a new young nickelback, & pairing a ballhawking FS with TMac).
-Harvey Dahl (Cut if alternatives are better. C player at this point. Limited agility, struggles in pass pro, still pretty solid in run game. BUT if we can resign Roger or a G through FA/draft I think his non-guaranteed salary is very expendable. I'd like to draft a replacement for Williams at LG, which imo is a bigger need.)
-Scott Wells (Cut. Solid vet center when healthy, but HEALTHY is the key word. Has hit IR back to back years, turns 32, and I think we have much cheaper alternatives in Tim Barnes & Barrett Jones waiting in the wings. I think his contract is only guaranteed last year & this year, which helps.)
-Chris Long (Still love him. Some say he's overrated. Some want 15 sacks a year from him because of his salary. He works as hard as anybody & constantly fights double teams/chips. I saw heat on him after the AZ game this week, went back and watched. He was getting chipped, ball was coming out in 2 sec or less on many throws, there was little push inside, and WRs were wide open. Kinda been the story of the year for him and the D. Everyone is suffering from Walton. Regardless I know people have their Clowney fantasies, but I think Chris deserves the money he makes. Overpaid, I think very few big contract guys actually make their salaries in this league minus AP, Megatron, Brady, Manning.)
-James Laurinaitis (This guy is the model of consistency. May not be as fast as Pwillis or as powerful as some MLBs, but he is one of the smartest football players I know, and he maxes out his physical abilities. His coverage ability gets knocked by some, but imo he's one of the better cover LBs in the NFL. How often do you hear "TD! Laurinaitis on the coverage." Oh and he plays EVERY down. Hate the "let's dump JL & or CLong bc they make too much money." Silly imo.)
-Roger Saffold (Resign at right price. Tissue paper healthwise, but I would love him at guard if he could stay healthy. Plus he can be the swing tackle. Generous salary with little guaranteed money & lots of per game bonuses.)
-Coach Bones (Took heat for the highly penalized ST unit. Imo though penalties are ultimately the HC's problem. Plus the average age on our ST coverage & return units is probably 22-25. So many rookies, but so much potential. That's why we are one of the lowest leaguewide in punt return yardage allowed. Not to mention GZ has been fine & Johnny has eliminated the shanks, added distance/hangtime, and improved punting to sidelines & punts inside the 20. Come to think of it, how many STs TDs have the Rams allowed since Coach Bones took over?)
What do you think??
