2010 Record: 7-9

Draft Position: 14

2010 Season Recap: Click Here

Offseason Needs: Click Here

Free Agents/Team Transactions: Click Here

Draft Grades: Click Here

Key Offseason Moves: None

Rams Blogger: Vince Vitale 

 

2010 Posts 

Rams Get Hammered in the Big Easy 31-13, Rams vs. Saints Game Preview, St. Louis Rams vs. Denver Broncos Game Preview, Atlanta Falcons vs. St. Louis Rams Preview, St. Louis Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Game Preview, Rams Run Over In Detroit Motor City, Rams Move Into First Place With 20-3 Victory, Rams Vs. Seahawks Game Preview, Rams Top Redskins, 30-16, Rams vs. Redskins Game Preview, Rams Lose Again, 16-14 to Raiders, Rams/Raiders Preview, St. Louis Rams @ Oakland Raiders Injury Report, Rams Sign Darcy Johnson, LB Josh Hull Out With Torn ACL, St. Louis Rams Sign Bryan Kehl, Lack of Quality Depth Will Kill Rams, Rams Drop Balls and Game: 17-13, Cardinals vs. Rams Game Preview, St. Louis Rams 2010 Season Preview, St. Louis Rams Trade For Mark Clayton, St. Louis Rams Cut Roster To 53,  St. Louis Rams Name Sam Bradford Starting QB, Bradford Leads Rams 27-21 Over Baltimore, St. Louis Rams vs. Ravens Preview, Is Sam Bradford an Elite NFL Quarterback?, Rams Beat Browns 19-17, Rams/Browns Preseason Preview, Are St. Louis Rams Getting Better, Rams O-Line Still An Issue, Rams/Vikings Season Preview, Rams Fans Will Love Mardy Gilyard, Sam Bradford Signs, Are St. Louis Rams Fans Apathetic? 

 

 

 

This is an incentive laden deal and everyone knows the 49ers need wide receiver help. So they’re not taking a huge risk by bringing him in and the reward could be great. I don’t buy that Moss will poison the 49ers locker room. Anyone who says that is underestimating Jim Harbaugh and overestimating the impact of one player on a normally sound locker room. If he becomes a headache, they can cut him easily and Moss knows that which is why I think he’ll keep quiet.

The one concern I have is that the Patriots showed absolutely no interest in Moss when he hit the open market. They would best know his abilities and best be able to keep him in check and the fact that they weren’t even interested when they too have a need at wide receiver, especially for a deep threat like Moss, makes me wonder if Moss’ has anything left in the tank. I question his abilities, but I don’t mind the risk.

Grade: B

 

 

And here’s our first WTF signing. The Redskins were set at 2 spots on their 3 man defensive line with Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield and were expecting Jarvis Jenkins to step up and take the 3^rd starting job. Jenkins was a 2^nd round pick in 2011 and impressed in training camp before tearing his ACL before the season. He probably would have been the starter in 2011 had he not gotten hurt and he was expected to start in 2012 as his recovery went well.

That would leave Adam Carriker as the odd man out. Carriker started at that 3^rd spot in 2011 and was pretty bad, ranking 30^th of 32 eligible 3-4 defensive ends on ProFootballFocus, so it would make sense that he’d be the odd man out. Apparently “odd man out” means “give him 20 million over 4 with 7 million guaranteed” to Daniel Snyder.

Grade: F

 

Harper is getting paid 7.125 million dollars per year in this new deal. Harper is a beast in run support, but a liability somewhat in coverage. I don’t think he’s well rounder enough to earn that amount. The franchise tag value for safeties for 2010 (2011 numbers not yet released) was 6.455 million, calculated by taking the average of the top 5 safety salaries in the league for the 2009 season. Let’s say the franchise tag value for 2011 is around 7.125 million (that might even be on the high side). Is Harper one of the top 5 safeties in the league? My answer to that question is no. However, with this 4 year 28.5 million dollar deal with a whooping 16 million guaranteed, that’s what they’re paying him like.

Grade: D

 

 

By Eric Karkovack 

Well, it wasn’t exactly the shootout we all expected.  But the Saints’ 14-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener proved a few points:

The Saints don’t need to score 30 points to win a game.

They can win a defensive battle against a strong opponent.

They are just as physical as any other team in the league.

Brett Favre really looked like he could have used training camp.

As the game started, the Superdome crowd was in an absolute frenzy.  Seeing that Super Bowl banner unveiled just added fuel to their fire.  And the Saints came out fired up as well, marching right down the field to take a 7-0 lead on a 29 yard Drew Brees (27/36, 237 yards, 1TD, 101.3 QB Rating) pass to Devery Henderson.

That was probably the last time all night the normally explosive Saints offense looked like themselves.  Minnesota may have had a lot of injuries in their defensive secondary, but their front seven was as good as ever.  The Saints ran the ball just 3 times in the first half.  That lack of balance gave the Vikings the opportunity to simply play the pass.

Meanwhile, the Vikings offense struggled as well.  They did manage two nice drives towards the end of the half, the first ending in a field goal, and the second ending with a Brett Favre (15/27, 171 yards, 1TD, 1INT, 71.7 QB Rating) TD pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.  The Vikings took a 9-7 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, the Saints suddenly switched their offensive philosophy and essentially ran the ball into the teeth of that Minnesota defense.  Pierre Thomas (19 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD) used a lot of patience and agility to keep the chains moving for the Saints.  His 1 yard score midway through the 3rd quarter gave the Saints a 14-9 edge, which they would keep for the rest of the game.

But, it was the Saints defense who were most impressive in the second half.  Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams made a great adjustment, taking Visanthe Shiancoe out of the game.  Shiancoe seemed to be the only target Favre had a great deal of trust in, and Williams had him covered like a blanket.

Favre didn’t look like a confident player that entire half.  And, while he didn’t take nearly the physical beating as he did in last season’s NFC title game, there was enough pressure in his face to disrupt the timing of the Vikings offense.

Although Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had 87 yards on the ground, the Saints did a much better job of corralling the Pro Bowler in the second half.  Since the Vikings had no passing game to speak of in that half, it led to a lot of 3 and out series for Minnesota.

While it wasn’t pretty, it was important for the Saints to win this kind of game early in the season.  Defending a Super Bowl title isn’t easy.  In order to have success in 2010, the Saints will most likely play in more of these slug-fests.  It’s reassuring to see that this team can win, even when the offense isn’t clicking on all cylinders.  Plus, the offense will no doubt rebound as the year goes along.  I do think that coach Sean Payton will have to keep a more balanced attack next week against San Francisco.

The only real trouble spot for the team came from kicker Garrett Hartley, who missed kicks from 46 and 32 yards.  Hopefully, that’s just the sign of one bad night and doesn’t become a trend.

Who Dat Awards:

Drew Brees – He wasn’t the fantasy stats hero last night, but he was accurate and played a very smart game.

Pierre Thomas – An outstanding second half.  He and the offensive line kept the Vikings offense off of the field.

The Offensive Line – They allowed just 1 sack and took over the game in the second half.

Jonathan Vilma – Had a key interception in the 2nd quarter.

Jo-Lonn Dunbar & Malcolm Jenkins – Both started for injured teammates and were outstanding.  Dunbar had 7 tackles and Jenkins nearly made an interception.  So much for my concerns there!

Thomas Morstead – His booming punts kept Minnesota in less-than-ideal field position.  The coverage units also played very well.

http://www.nosreview.com/ 

 

 

 

Outside linebacker/Middle Linebacker

Miami

5-11 231

Draft board overall prospect rank: #68

Draft board outside linebacker rank: #3

Overall rating: 71 (3^rd round grade)

40 time: 4.56

Games watched: Ohio State/Miami, Miami/Virginia Tech, Miami/Virginia, Miami/Florida State, Miami/Duke, Miami/South Florida

Positives

·         4 year starter

·         Great motor

·         Very productive (312 tackles in 4 years)

·         2 years of great production (2010: 111 tackles, 17 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 6 deflections, 2011: 106 tackles, 14 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 deflection)

·         Nose for the football

·         Takes great routes to the ball

·         Fundamental tackler

·         Sideline to sideline speed

·         Good 40 time (4.56)

·         Comfortable in coverage

·         Smooth hips

·         Leader on and off the field

·         Instinctive

·         Intelligent

·         Great work ethic

·         All the intangibles

·         Great on special teams

·         Gets deep in his drops in coverage

·         Solid blitzer

Negatives

·         Undersized (5-11 231)

·         Minimal strength (only 12 reps of 225)

·         Only an average athlete

·         Doesn’t shed blocks well

·         Not physical

·         Has trouble with bigger ball carriers

·         Has trouble jamming tight ends at the line of scrimmage

·         Too small to stay at middle linebacker

·         Not a good fit for a 3-4

·         Suspended in Miami scandal

NFL Comparison: Colin McCarthy

Every year there are undervalued players who become starters out of the mid rounds. Sean Spence has a very good chance to be that type of player this year. He’s undersized. There’s no getting around that. He’s 5-11 231 and only benched 12 reps of 225 reps, fewer than any running back had. Those are the guys he’s going to have to tackle at the next level.

However, lack of size aside, he’s a very complete prospect who should be a solid linebacker at the next level. He’s got great instincts, motor, intelligence, leadership, all the intangibles. He’s been very productive over the past 2 years at Miami and he’s a 4 year starter. He’s one of those players who has a nose for the football and always makes plays. You can’t ignore him if you’re watching a Miami game.

At the very least, he can become a very good special teams player. However, I think he has the ability to develop into a good starting linebacker in the NFL. He doesn’t have a lot of positional versatility, as he can only play as a 4-3 outside linebacker (maybe 4-3 middle linebacker), but I think he can become a starter at that position and maybe even in year 1. He’d be best in a cover 2 based scheme because he is above average in coverage and, of course, undersized.

He compares to another former Miami linebacker. Colin McCarthy had many of the same things said about him last season when he was coming out. However, he emerged as a starting linebacker for Tennessee as a rookie out of the 4^th round. He had 68 tackles as a rookie and has a bright future in Tennessee’s linebacker corps. Spence should go in the same range and have a similar impact.

 

 

Spotlight #1: South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery

Spotlight #2: South Carolina CB Stephon Gilmore 

1^st quarter

14:16: Jeffery with a nice block on the smaller cornerback on an outside run.

13:21: Jeffery thrown to deep, but he’s covered well by the cornerback and the ball is overthrown anyway.

12:32: Jeffery with the first down reception on 3^rd and 8. It wasn’t a great pass by quarterback Stephen Garcia, but Jeffery runs a nice route and makes a nice low catch.

11:10: Casey Hayward, a day 2 prospect at cornerback for Vandy, with the interception. Stephen Garcia is pressured and just throws it up there deep. There’s no receiver in the vicinity and Hayward makes the easy pick. A ridiculous decision by Garcia.

6:44: Devin Taylor, a potential high draft pick, is not fooled at all on the fake on an option play. He gets the ball 9 yard sack.

3:12: Alshon Jeffery gets inside position on Casey Heyward, but Stephen Garcia throws it to the outside. An inaccurate pass by Garcia, but Heyward gets his 2^nd pick on the night and returns it for 29 yards. Garcia sucks. Heyward is just taking advantage of that. I don’t blame Alshon Jeffery that much there. Garcia just threw it to the wrong spot while Jeffery had inside position and was breaking inside. There’s no way Garcia makes that decision if Jeffery’s route is to break back outside, so I don’t think Jeffery ran the wrong route.

2^nd quarter

11:59: Strip sack fumble on the Vanderbilt quarterback, it’s going the other way when the defender is stripped, and the ball rolls into the end zone where Melvin Ingram, a South Carolina defensive end/defensive tackle and a day 2 prospect falls on it for the touchdown. Ingram somehow has 3 defensive touchdowns on the year.

11:42: Gilmore hasn’t done a lot on this game yet because Vanderbilt has very rarely thrown downfield and when they have, they’ve avoided Gilmore. However, he has a nice ankle tackle on an outside run here.

10:00: The 6-7 Taylor bats down a pass at the line of scrimmage.

8:42: Melvin Ingram with a sack now. This South Carolina pass rush includes Devin Taylor and Malvin Ingram, both of whom figure to be high picks this year, and Jadeveon Clowney, who is a stud freshman who could be a very high pick in 2014 or later.

4:53: Melvin Ingram now with a batted ball at the line of scrimmage. This South Carolina defense is so good that Stephon Gilmore, who might even be their best defensive player, hasn’t had to do anything. Vanderbilt’s quarterback hasn’t had any chances to throw downfield.

4:09: The Vanderbilt quarterback finally decides to try throwing against Stephon Gilmore. Bad idea. Picked by Gilmore. He absolutely blanketed his man one on one and then muscled the ball out of his hands after a great late move.

3:59: Stephen Garcia just throws out one deep and Alshon Jeffery is able to find it and he would have made a big catch if it wasn’t for pass interference by Casey Heyward.

3:51: Jeffery with another catch, but this one is negated by a holding call on South Carolina’s offensive line. Jeffery can’t catch a break. He should have 2 more catches than he has and for big yardage too.

1:14: Melvin Ingram moves inside at defensive tackle on a nickel package and gets another sack despite an illegal formation by the offense.

 

3^rd quarter

4:41: Pass incomplete to Alshon Jeffery.

4:26: Pass incomplete to Alshon Jeffery. Stephen Garcia sucks.

0:28: Jeffery is able to reel this one in deep. Excellent play on 3^rd and 16.

4^th quarter

13:31: Garcia has another pass picked, this time by middle linebacker Chris Marve. Chris Marve is a day 2 prospect.

11:40: Garcia done. Conor Shaw is coming in. Maybe he’ll help Jeffery, who has 2 catches, but is playing a lot better than that.

11:17: Lattimore with a nice run. He’s not draft eligible as a true sophomore, but when he is, he’ll be the top running back prospect. He’s the best running back in the country. He has 72 yards on 16 carries, with 3 catches for 73 yards, and a score of each kind, rushing and receiving. The powerful 232 pound back has great explosion. He has 534 yards and 7 scores on 87 carries already through 3 games after 1197 yards and 17 touchdowns on 249 carries last year as a true freshman, winning NCAA freshman of the year.

0:00: Stephon Gilmore needed a good game tonight to reestablish himself as the 2^nd best cornerback in this draft class. He got it. I know Vanderbilt doesn’t have the best passing attack, but Gilmore was avoided almost the entire night and still managed to get a big pick. Another reason why Vanderbilt’s passing offense didn’t do anything tonight (72 yards) was their amazing defensive line. They got 6 sacks, countless other pressures, and forced two sacks. Devin Taylor had one of those sacks. Melvin Ingram had 2 and scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery. They figure to be high picks in 2011. Jadeveon Clowney, the true freshman, had another 2 sacks. He’s already at 4 on the season. Are we sure he’s a true freshman?

South Carolina’s defensive line also played well against the run, holding South Carolina to negative 1 yards rushing (6 sacks did have an impact there). Taylor, Ingram, and Clowney all did very well against the run, as did defensive tackle Travian Robertson. Robertson doesn’t have a sack this season, but he had 4 last year and he plays well against the run at 6-4 305. He’s a late round prospect who could be moving up.

As for South Carolina’s offense, that’s another story. Stephen Garcia sucks. He was 17 for 31 for 235 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 picks and that doesn’t even say how bad he was. 1 of those picks was awful. He could have had another pick if not for a great play by Alshon Jeffery. Most of those yards were on short stuff and whenever he threw downfield it was either an overthrow or a pick. 52 yards came on one play, a dump off to Marcus Lattimore that the stud back took to the house. Speaking of Lattimore, he looks like the best back in the country. I won’t spotlight him until next year because he’s a true sophomore, but he’s awesome.

Because of South Carolina’s struggles at quarterback, Alshon Jeffery only had 2 catches for the 2^nd straight game. However, Garcia is simply incapable of throwing accurately downfield. That’s not Jeffery’s fault. Jeffery actually had 2 catches negated by penalties. He should have had 4 catches for roughly 70 yards, which is very impressive considering his quarterback. He bailed out Garcia when he just threw one up downfield. Jeffery showed great instincts finding the ball. Jeffery is also a good run blocker. After watching him and Justin Blackmon today, I’d rather have Jeffery, but it’s close. Jeffery is bigger and more fundamentally sound. He also had the better sophomore season in 2010.

Jeffery was covered by Casey Heyward, the Vanderbilt cornerback who projects as a day 2 pick. Heyward played pretty well. He wasn’t targeted often and he still managed 2 picks, but that’s because Stephen Garcia sucks. He held his own against Jeffery. Another one of Garcia’s picks was by Chris Marve, the Vanderbilt middle linebacker who also projects to be a day 2 pick. He played fairly well considering how good South Carolina’s running attack is.

 

 

I don’t get this. Steve Smith can’t be Jeremy Maclin insurance because he too will probably miss the first 6 weeks of the season. He can’t be an upgrade in the slot because Jason Avant is already very good there. The only thing this signing could possibly be is a move to piss off the Giants. However, it could backfire and piss off DeSean Jackson if he doesn’t get a long term deal. Jackson is set to make 8 times less this season than the 4 million, 2 million guaranteed, the Eagles just gave Smith.

Grade: F

 

 

 

G Brandon Brooks (Miami-OH)

CB Ron Brooks (LSU)

K Randy Bullock (Texas A&M)

3-4 DE Ronnie Cameron (Old Dominion)

MLB Lavonte David (Nebraska)

S Brandon Hardin (Oregon State)

S George Iloka (Boise State)

MLB Mychal Kendricks (California)

CB Jeremy Lane (Northwestern State)

WR Mario Louis (Grambling

S Kelcie McCray (Arkansas State)

CB Lionel Smith (Texas A&M)

S Tavon Wilson (Illinois)

 

McClure isn’t that great of a center any more, but he still gets the job done at age 35 and the Falcons learned firsthand the value of continuity on the offensive line. This was a very smart move bringing him back for the veteran’s minimum, but they’ll need to find a successor soon, either internally with Joe Hawley, who might be a guard long term, or externally through the draft.

Grade: A