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Reggie Wayne is probably one of the most recognizable names in free agency, but hasn’t been mentioned much here at Turf Show Times. Besides being a pass catcher for the seeming guided missiles of Peyton Manning for the past decade plus, Reggie Wayne has been the measure of consistency for the Indianapolis Colts.
The 33 year old New Orleans Louisiana native is 6’ 0" and 198 lbs of pigskin snagging flesh and bone. Reggie Wayne is not the biggest receiver you will ever see, but he runs good routes and has those ever desired soft hands. (Insert joke of choice here.) So what has he done besides be the envy of every undersized receiver in the league?
During his 11 years in the league he has:
173 games played (If you are playing at home that is only 3 games missed due to injury) 862 receptions, 11, 708 yards, a 13.6 yard per catch average, 67.7 yards per game caught, 73 touchdowns, 156 catches of 20 or more yards, 30 catches of 40 or more yards, 618 catches that resulted in a 1st down, and only 8 fumbles. Like I said before, he is the measure of consistency. Even in a year where the Colts had two of the worst quarterbacks under center, Reggie Wayne had 76 catches for 960 yards.
As much as the Colts organization would love to have him back next year, he most likely will end up somewhere else before draft day. Why St. Louis? There is much chatter of Blackmon being the Rams number one pick, and if that is the case, why not bring in one of the most experienced and technically sound wide receivers in the NFL to mentor and counsel him? Even if the Rams go another direction in the draft, Sam Bradford needs a go to receiver opposite the hopefully re-signed Brandon Lloyd.
At the age of 33, Wayne will not command as much in the way of salary as Vincent Jackson. Granted Jackson has more upside by being 3 years younger, but this team’s rebuilding is not all about youth movement, as free agents like Tulloch, Finnegan, and others are names being bounced around at Rams headquarters.
What I’m about to do, is discuss the possibility of our new head coach - Jeff Fisher - bringing back his once-dominant - now dormant - defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth. The remedy for your madness? I’m sure that you’ll find expletives and ridicule will work just fine. See the ‘Post a New Comment’ section below for immediate relief. So find your mental happy place, hit the break aaaaand away we go!
At 5’ 11" and 240 lbs, Stephen Tulloch is the "Pocket Hercules" of NFL linebackers. He was drafted by Jeff Fisher and the Titans in 2006, placing obvious connections to the Rams, and has enjoyed a steady incline in playing time ever since. In 2010, Fisher’s last year with the Titans, Tulloch became a full-time starter, amassing 160 total tackles on the year.
Last offseason Tulloch signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions, rejoining former defensive coach, Jim Schwartz. Once again, he was a 16 game starter at middle linebacker. His stats on the year were nothing short of impressive, totaling 111 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. Against New Orleans in the playoffs, he made 15 tackles, batted 2 passes and forced a pivotal Marques Colston fumble.
The Lions will likely do everything in their power to get Tulloch under contract long-term, but there is sure to be a bidding war for his services. Having just turned 27, he is only entering the prime of his career. The only concern about Tulloch and the Rams is fan-favorite, James Laurinaitis, who already has the middle of the field locked down. If Fisher believes that he has the ability to play on either the weak or strong side, then I expect the Rams to show interest. The Rams will begin 2012 with at least one new starting linebacker, and Stephen Tulloch may fit the bill.
The Rams have a lot of holes and in my mind they are at the following positions: WR, OT, OG, C, DT, OLB, and CB. Obviously the draft will address most of these but you can't get these many things fixed in one draft and some positional needs are going to be valued by the coaching staff and front office higher then others, so here are free agents at all positions that I would like that the Rams will have a some what reasonable chance at. So lets start with some help for arguably our best defensive star. Lets look at Outside Linebackers.
I want to make myself perfectly clear, this is an observation on my part and strictly my own opinion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I have been a Rams fan a very long time, the ups and the more often downs of this team have me taken it all with a grain of salt and just move slowly on hoping to be a winning team again. At first, finding this site full of incite and perspective was to me and other fans here, who have had little to fill their little empty Ram's heart full of hope. In the short time I have been on here, there has been a large, ever growing group of writers. With that as I guess as in everything in life, most of the regulars here, have belittled others for their views. While seemingly all for fun, those who do that forget that this is a forum to express what YOUR OPINIONS ARE!
Is this what happens on other sites like this? We have all been wrong with our guesses here. Let me say it again, everyone who opens this site is guilty. Let those who express their views in a manner out of norm, feel as you who happily agree with someone else views. Didn't your parents tell you growing up if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything. Is this statement so outdated now?!
This medium is no long that. Some of the TST writers have gone beyond thanking those who post here.
To any that read this far, there are other Fan sites out there. While the presentation on this site is the best, alienation of some here has me no longer interested.
Wide Receiver has been a team need for years here in St Louis. However, the St. Louis Rams front office has had trouble finding the right guy. It’s one of the reasons the Rams have struggled. Not having a top receiver also has cost Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney their jobs. I don't believe Brandon Lloyd is going to re-sign with the Rams. I think Deion Branch will retire, and the Patriots will make a hard push for Lloyd.
That's where we Stevie Johnson enters in. Johnson would be a great addition for the Rams. He has great size at 6'2'" 210 pounds, and has shown great productivity. Stevie is young at only 25 years old, with all the tools to bring this offense to the top. His size is enough to make him a red-zone target, and his speed is very under-rated.
Out of all the Wide Receivers Derelle Revis has faced in the past 2 years, Stevie Johnson has been the hardest guy for him to cover.
He does have some pass-drop issues though. Like the famous drop against the Steelers in 2010 in over time. He is very emotional too, as evidenced by the post game press conference after the famous drop. Stevie will probably be $4-$6 million against the cap if the Rams acquire him. We can totally afford this if we cut Jason Smith. If we want to improve, we need another Wide Receiver too, with or without Brandon Lloyd.
If we draft Justin Blackmon in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Rams group of receivers, that includes Stevie Johnson and Danny Amendola, would be deadly.
I know a lot of things must fall in place perfectly for any of this to happen, but it all starts with a trade in the draft. If we acquired the picks below, I believe each of these draft prospects should be available at the given pick, and that each player is the best at their position or overall according to the times we're on the clock. I would love to see these picks as well as our first successful draft in all rounds.
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NFL DRAFT
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Trade back with Washington for much needed picks and depth.
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Early Round Must Haves (positions at least)
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1.6 : Riley Reiff OT, Iowa
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2.1 : Lavonte David SLB, Nebraska
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2.7 : Brandon Thompson DT, Clemson
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3.2 : Cyrus Gray RB, Texas A&M (Great change of pace back for SJAX, really possesses Balance, Speed, High-Motor, nearly always falls forward for that extra yard or two. Always keeps legs thrusting, perfect size with thickness that won't allow you to arm-tackle or tackle up high.)
Coach Sherman referred to Gray as a "guy you want to marry your daughter" because of his attitude and work ethic on and off the field. Accepts whatever role he is given on the team, supports teammates who may get more touches. "We" player, deflects praise to teammates.
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-Talent in Later Rounds-
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4.1 : Joe Adams WR/KR/PR, Arkansas (Total package as a mid-round receiver, and fastest receiver overall. Can't see what would go wrong if he was put into the mix with Lloyd, Amendola, Salas and maybe Alexander etc...)
I know yall remember these:
#1 Top Plays: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6guAgMRP_c
Cotton Bowl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M8sU8f_Aes
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4.7 : Jerry Franklin SLB, Arkansas (Best looking NFL prospect from the Hogs since McFadden and most under appreciated LB in college and this draft IMO. Built at 6-1, 245 lb, Franklin was born into fire freshman year where he thrived and later became leading tackler at Arkansas all 4 of his years, he's expected to play 4-3 Sam LB in the league. Known for never allowing broken tackles, Jerry (4.60 forty) is the fastest of all linebackers going in the first 6 rounds. I think its only fair I show this dudes numbers...)
Vs. Ranked Teams - Tackles
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Freshman- 81 total tackles
#1 Florida- 9 (Nat'l Champs, Tebow)
#2 Texas- 6 (beat Sam's OU, got screwed out of title game)
#6 Alabama- 6
#14 Ole Miss- 8
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Sophomore- 94 tackles
#1 Florida- 5 (5 solo tackles)
#3 Alabama- 10 (Nat'l Champs, Ingram, Richardson)
#15 LSU- 13
#20 Ole Miss- 8
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Junior- 100 tackles
#1 Alabama- 11
#5 LSU- 3
#5 Ohio St- 7 (Sugar Bowl)
#7 Auburn- 10 & 2 sacks on Cam (Nat'l Champs, Newton)
#15 Miss St- 20
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Senior- 101 tackles
#1 LSU- 6
#2 Alabama- 2..meh (Nat'l Champs)
#8 Kansas St- 8 (Cotton Bowl)
#14 Texas A&M- 11
#15 Auburn- 15
I think its safe to say i like Jerry and his consistency a whole lot.
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6.1 : Brad Smelley FB/TE, Alabama (Have only heard and seen good things especially from the Shrine game. I think most would agree with drafting someone in the 6th that plays two positions while actually staying past training camp plus as a potential starter.)
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7.2 : Charles Mitchell SS, Mississippi St (What a steal this could be. Another greatly under appreciated SEC defender with rich history. As captain of the defense he lead Miss St to hold Alabama and LSU to their lowest outputs of the season in scoring besides the two times playing each other. Charles had 16 tackles against #1 LSU earlier this year. Mitchell has consistently been a top overall safety in the SEC in the last 2 years; only behind Max Barron and maybe last year's Ahmad Black (Florida) and this year's Brandon Taylor (LSU) who has bust written all over him IMO.
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Free Agency & Signings
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Definitely Re-Sign these boys:
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I think these guys are absolute musts: (6/7)
Ben Grubbs OG
Manny Lawson SLB
Jason Jones DT
And address atleast some of these:
Solid backup OC
Solid backup FS
Solid backup DE
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Longshot options, hopefully we could snatch up one:
Rocky McIntosh WLB
Michael Griffin FS
Jo-Lunn Dunbar SLB
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Rams 53-Man Roster - Depth Chart
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QB
Kellen Clemens
RB
Steven Jackson
*Cyrus Gray
WR
Brandon Lloyd...(Pierre Garcon?)
Danny Amendola
*Joe Adams...Brandon Gibson $
FB
*Brad Smelley (FB/TE)
TE
Mike Hoomanawanui
Stephen Spach
OT
*Riley Reiff
Rodger Saffold...Jason Smith $
Mark LeVoir
*Jovan Olafioye (newly acquired)
OG
*Ben Grubbs
Adam Goldberg
OC
Tony Wragge
*Backup Free Agent*...Jason Brown $
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DE
*Backup Free Agent*...Eugene Sims or C.J. Ah You??
DT
*Jason Jones...Fred Robbins? $
*Brandon Thompson
Gary Gibson
WLB
*Lavonte David
Chris Chamberlain
MLB
SLB
*Manny Lawson
*Jerry Franklin (SLB/MLB)
CB
*Cortland Finnegan…Ron Bartell? $
Rod Hood
Justin King??? (Nickel)
SS
*Charles Mitchell...Craig Dahl??
FS
Quentin Mikell
*Backup Free Agent*
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May seem a bit hopeful getting the likes of Finnegan, Grubbs, Lawson, Jones and either Lloyd or Garcon. But I see a possibility if we were to release/ cut Jason Smith, Jason Brown, Bartell, Jacob Bell, Josh Brown, Robbins, C Dahl, B Gibson, Clayton, Butler and Feeley. What do you guys think
Cliff Avril, a defensive end with the Detroit Lions is perhaps one of the most underrated Free Agents out there. As a standout for the Lions for the past four years, Cliff has recorded 30 sacks. His 6’3" 252 lbs frame is certainly stout enough to handle the role of a rushing or coverage linebacker. The Purdue product had a great college career, starting in 35 contests out of 49, 12 of those starts coming in at strong-side linebacker
One could make the case, and Avril has said himself, that he would be willing to play outside linebacker. He was the top performer at the combine in the 3-cone drill, which measures a player’s burst and ability to switch directions quickly. He also was a top performer in the vertical leap. Can anyone say batted passes? Cliff Avril entered the league the same year our own Chris Long came aboard, and he out performed him. In Cliff’s rookie year he tied for the rookie lead of 5 sacks, following on with 5.5, 8.5, and 11 sacks in 2009, 2010, and 2011 respectively. He has also been a solid tackler on a defense dominated by Suh, with 23, 41, 33, and 36 tackle from 2008-2011.
His health is another high point having only missed 6 games over 4 years. Avril comes from a team who plays indoors, and he excels there, with 26 of his 36 tackles coming under a dome in 2011. Another awesome stat is that Avril has managed to lock up offenses where it counts, on 3rd and 4th down. In 2011 Avril had 26 tackles on 3rd and 4th downs, 12 of them solo, along with 4 of his sacks on those downs.
As much as I hate to say it, much less see it, Peyton Manning choosing to retire will definitely work to the Rams (or Vikings) favor. If his arm is really as weak as they are saying, I hope he chooses to retire, but not for the selfish reasons of the draft. Peyton is one of the greatest QB's I have ever seen play (I'm in my 40's, so I have seen a few.) I would rather remember him at the top of his game than see him try to continue his career without his full set of skills. The Other factor that can help the Rams is the mediocre success of the last two back-up QB's who were traded for, given nice contracts, and haven't produced (Arizona and K.C anyone?) After the jump, I will try to take these factors as well as Jeff Fisher's historical philosophy on the draft and make a prediction. This is not my dream draft, or even what I personally think is best for the Rams, but how I predict it may play out.
There are more big name free agent wide receivers available this year than I can every remember being available. It would make a lot of sense to sign one of these guys since most of them won't get the payday they deserve with all the competition out there. Some of the second tier guys could easily be great steals and still upgrades for the Rams. Personally I feel we'd be much better off signing one or two of these guys and letting WR wait til next year in the draft.
Here's a list of free agents with a few personal thoughts on them:
Wes Welker – Everyone says there is no way he doesn't end up with the Pats again, but the Pats have a history of letting big money players not named Tom Brady walk. Turns 31 in June.
Mike Wallace – Restricted - Before coaching changes I'd of said no way he moves. With a more conservative offense coach and two more young emerging receivers in Pittsburgh who knows though. One could easily make the case for him being the best WR free agent this year, restricted or not.
Dwayne Bowe - In my opinion the second best player up for free agency in KC this offseason after Brandon Carr. They may be hard pressed to sign both.
Vincent Jackson - Probably the most talented, but a DUI history and the competition may keep him from the payday he would get in another year.
Marques Colston – He wants to be the man somewhere. New Orleans has to pay Drew Brees and Carl Nicks and possibly Robert Meachem. They probalby won't pay him the money he wants and deserves given the way they spread around the ball.
Steve Johnson – Only 26, for stretches in the last two years he's been one of the best. Could end up with a franchise tag but if he doesn't he should get paid somewhere.
Reggie Wayne – At 34 how many more years can he get it done? May move on from Indy with the turnover there, as they clean house for a new beginning.
Desean Jackson – Another 26 year old. Another likely candidate for the franchise tag. Will get big bucks despite his diva meltdown this year.
Brandon Lloyd – Our best chance at signing a great receiver. Already shown some chemistry with Bradford. Would be a mistake to let him walk without our best effort to keep him here.
Mario Manningham - Probably be overpayed after his clutch role in the superbowl, wherever he ends up.
Laurent Robinson – Already did one stint here in St. Louis, wants to stay in Dallas where he clicked with Romo, but can Dallas afford to pay him as a number three?
Robert Meachem – Young receiver that can stretch the field and find the end zone. Not sure how he will fair without a Marques Colston across the way though.
Jerome Simpson – Everyone knows who he is since the flip. A young athletic receiver that's yet to be consistent but always puts together 2-3 big games a year.
Pierre Garcon – Twenty five and has quietly improved every year, even this year with no Manning. I've been very surprised not to hear his name out there in the free agent talk. Stick a guy like this with Lloyd and Amendola and we could sneak up on some people.
Mark Clayton and Danny Amendola (Restricted) - Danny should end up here again, but will Mark? He has shown great chemistry with Bradford when he had the chance and was healthy. It's doubtful Mark would get a big payday anywhere.
Ted Ginn – Worth mentioning just because he's a dynamic return man (which we always lack) that we could steal from a division rival.
The Rest:
Early Doucet (ARZ)
Harry Douglas (ATL)
Eric Weems (ATL)
Ruvell Martin (BUF)
Roscoe Parrish (BUF)
Legedu Naanee (CAR)
Roy Williams (CHI)
Andre Caldwell (CIN)
Eddie Royal (DEN)
Rashied Davis (DET)
Maurice Stovall (DET)
Braylon Edwards (FA)
Bryant Johnson (HOU)
Anthony Gonzalez (IND)
Jerheme Urban (KC)
Devin Aromashodu (MIN)
Bernard Berrian (MIN)
Greg Camarillo (MIN)
Deion Branch (NE)
Matt Slater (NE)
Courtney Roby (NO)
Domenik Hixon (NYG)
Devin Thomas (NYG)
Plaxico Burress (NYJ)
TJ Houshmandzadeh (OAK)
Derek Hagan (OAK)
Chaz Schilens (OAK)
Steve Smith (PHI)
Jerricho Cotchery (PIT)
Patrick Crayton (SD)
Josh Morgan (SF)
Mike Sims-Walker (STL)
Micheal Spurlock (TB)
Donnie Avery (TEN)
Kevin Curtis (TEN)
Lavelle Hawkins (TEN)
David Anderson (WAS)
Donte' Stallworth (WAS)
Stephen Williams (ARZ) - Exclusive Rights
Jordan Norwood (CLE) - Exclusive Rights
Jesse Holley (DAL) - Exclusive Rights
Kevin Ogletree (DAL) - Restricted
Stefan Logan (DET) - Restricted
Matt Willis (DEN) - Restricted
Dominique Curry (STL) - Exclusive Rights
Preston Parker (TB) - Exclusive Rights
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