Haslett Hatchet?

I am as sick and tired of this buch of gutless, heartless players as everyone else, and it looks as though they are going to insure that Haslett is not there next year with their soft, wimpy play. If I didnt have to endure the results, I'd say this bunch deserves a ' Mike Keenan' type person to pit them through hell next year. Devaney should search for the meanest, orneriest drill sergeant who ever walked the face of the earth and turn him loose on this bunch. They are absolutely gutless - too bad we cant deep six the whole bunch and just start over!

OJ Atogwe

Seems to me OJ Atogwe is quietly going about his business doing a good job this year. Oshiomogho is a ball hawk who has played well in the midst of some depressing football by our Rams as a whole. Future looks good for him, Chris Long, and Adam Carriker. Give Billy Devaney the authority to proceed to building the rest of the team around these excellent young players. This has been one of the longest fottball seasons in my memory, but if Chip does show Shaw and Zygmunt the door and set in place an actual football heirarchy, we know better days are ahead. Go Rams!

Professional Pride

Professional pride just isn't there for the highly paid athletes on the Ram's roster. I do agree (wholeheartedly. actually) with the premise that this group just isnt as talented as most of the teams they face on Sunday. That being said there appears to me to be an absolute lack of effort the past several games. If this level of play continues, they'll have to move out of the dome to a neighborhood park and pay people to sit and watch them. The first time I heard someone suggest cuttting Incognito, I thought it was a stupid remark - the more I see him do one stupid stunt after another, I realize he's the stupid one. Tear it apart, Chip, and start over from the ground up with Devaney!

Leadership Lesson

We are reaping the benefits of an ongoing seminar on Strong Leadership by Professor Jim Haslett. Seems like many times changing a coach or manager ends up not making a difference or making a very marginal difference in a team's performance. I was expecting some difference from the Rams just from being aware of Haslett's Saints' teams performances, but I'd be a liar if I tried to tell you I saw this big of a change coming. I'm already repeating myself, but once again, Hats off to Haslett for turning the situation around so quickly and completely! I know there's a lot of season left, and some top notch opponents still on the schedule, but I feel we have a fighting chance to give anyone of those teams all the tussle they can handle, if not more than they can handle. I'm for getting Haslett on board with a long-term contract and Soon! Go Rams!

Haslett

Here's A big Thank you to Skip Rosenbloom and Coach Haslett. In a way it galls me that Linehan had to be fired, because he dealt with people much like I do, but its apparent that most times, being a nice guy doesnt get it done as a NFL coach, with Tony Dungy being a notable exception. At any rate, I feel like the Rams have a chance on most Sundays now, and we all know that if those players arent giving their all on every play, Haslett will be kicking their butts. Apparently he's been getting his message across. What a statement to win todays game on a last minute drive, when they have been rolling over and giving up in the 4th quarter!

New Head coach

Just was reading on the post dispatch website that Linehan has been fired and Haslett has been promoted to take his place. Some folks wont like that because the defense has been 'unimpressive' to say the least, but I think this team needs a fireball to give them a good swift kick in the butt, and Haslett is OOOOO so qualified to administer that. Article also mentions that he doesnt get along with Zygmunt particularly well - I think there probably should be some tension there, Jay's wanting to watch spending, and the coach is wanting the best talent as bottom line. Hope Al Saunders stays the course, and I hope we are ushering Zygmunt and Shaw back to California for good after the season. Good Luck Coach Haslett! Rams players better enjoy their bye week, I think some long overdue butt-chewings are on the horizon when you return to practice next week. I hope Haslett and Devaney, along with Saunders, has the opportunity to tell Chip what they think of the lousy setup of the organization as it stands, and how it should be reconstructed to more closely mirror other successful organizations.

Looker and Little

Leonard Little and Dane Looker are apparently the only veterans who really give a darn on this football team. Todays Post Dispatch said they both lit into their teammates in the locker room, and its about time somebody did. Clear out the roster and start over with those two. Looker may not be the most talented WR but he's got heart, and Leonard's got talent and heart. If the team cant give an effort for 4 quarters on a Sunday, I cant stand to watch much more of this pathetic bunch!

A Stinkeroo

Well, now, that was a waste of a nice afternoon! I have been hesitant to jump on the fire Linehan bandwagon, but I think I'm there. Just seemed like folks going through the motions to me, or did I miss something? It appears we need someone to fire these folks up, and it sure isnt happening right now. I think Haslett could get that accomplished as the HC, and I'd be mulling that over and soon if I were John Shaw. Unfortunately a reasonable and mild mannered approach seldom works with being the head coach of pro athletes, and reasonable and mild mannered appears to be Scott's base personality. There surely is more and better coming from the offense, hopefully as they acclimate to Saunders offense, that will take off. Its now time for my nap - after that snoozer of a game I cant help myself!

Way to go Jay !

I have been a fairly harsh critic of Jay Zygmunt over the years, and I think justifiably so in a number of instances. When I see he has done something the right way, I believe that should be acknowledged also. The recent holdout by Stephen Jackson could not have been handled better at the Rams end, in my opinion. There were negotiations going on until Jackson refused to report for training camp, and I agreed 100% with the Rams stance at that point - no negotiations until he does report. There appeared to be 'talks' of some sort going on at least late in the holdout time period, and the fact that these were done privately with the agent minus any posturing by either side was something that should occur more often than it does. I think the holdout option is not something a player or agent should be doing, but I will have to give Jackson's agent credit for keeping the negotiations or talks out of the media also. I dont guess Drew Rosenhaus or Scott Boras will take the cue to change their ways, but all the same, thank God its over, and thanks to Jay for some excellent work!
draft
11:22:00 AM
by Geezer Ram

Rams-Titans

Some things never change through the years, and it looks as though 'edgy' Rams-Titan encounters are among those standards that remain 'set'. Alot of the faces have changed - actually Al Saunders has had 3 job moves since this first happened, but the tempers still get dialed up when these teams get together. Maybe part of the reason is these organizations know how hard it is to get to the super bowl, let alone win it, when you abide by the rules. Fisher was a hard-nosed competitor as a player and a coach, and his team reflects his personality. I think Coach Linehan could use some of that 'fire' himself, but thats another article. Lets carry some of that 'fire' on through the regular season!

Jackson's Holdout

I'm most definitely with Patti on objecting to Jackson's (or any professional athlete's holdout). These people sign contracts and should expect to have to abide by them. In Stephen's case, my understanding is that the Rams did not have the new agents name provided to them until very recently. How can you negotiate an agreement if you don't know who is doing the negotiation? Professional athletes' astronomical pay scale makes it very hard to find any sympathy for their 'plight' in contract negotiations. Here we are looking at millionaires negotiationg with billionaires again. The only difference for a football player is that NFL owners do seem to be able to slide out of contracts easier, with 'guaranteed money' being much less prevalent than in baseball. Nonetheless Stephen, please get yourself into camp, and make it quick!!

LaRoi Glover

There was very nice article on LaRoi in the St Louis Post Dispatch on July 1. He had not completed requirements for his college degree when he left for the NFL in 1996, and recently completed the full two semesters of courses he was lacking and finally received his degree.

One of the reasons he cited was to be an example for his 3 children, that this was an important thing to complete.

We have many examples of selfish, grandstanding, and even criminal behavior by professional athletes, and its refreshing to read about a good example being set by someone.

There are far more stories like this, and more inspirational ones where athletes use their name and fame to promote charitable causes in ways not possible if they hadn't gained recognition through their athletic talent.

These stories are often not publicized because the media and we the public don't pay as much attention to that type of story. Thanks to the Post Dispatch for running this story.

Training Camp

Rams will be tucked away up in Wisconsin for training camp this year. I beelieve this can be a positive move, though it means I won't be seeing any of the camp. Made it every year they held it in Macomb, but Wisconsin's a pretty fair drive when weather and last minute coaching staff changes can cancel what you went all that way to see.

I think its a good move because I think the heat will be noticeably less brutal up there, and they will have other teams nearby to scrimmage/practice with. They'll have to deal with the heat early in the season, but I think the sauna like conditions in St Louis and Macomb actually took too much out of players in most years instead of preparing them for those conditions. Having other teams training nearby is a huge plus in my opinion, and will benefit far more than any heat conditioning could do.

Al Saunders

I agree with some posts and articles I've seen saying that this is one of our key off-season acquisitions. He is an excellent 'X's and 'O's guy and is a very enthusiastic person who communicates well with players.

I'd never heard of the guy when I saw him at training camp in Macomb in '99. He caught my attention as a receivers coach when I saw him running down the field alongside a receiver running a route in drills yelling encouragement along the lines of "That's the way we want to see routes ran! Way to go!" I'm thinking (who is this guy), and of course have heard a lot about him since in St Louis and KC.

Linehan should leave him alone with the offense and do some head coach overseeing.

I see a powerful offense coming in 08.

Ownership

Quite a buzz recently about whether or not Georgia's son and daughter will sell the team, and if they do, to whom. I believe they really want to keep the team and also think they will be excellent owners. That being said, what is causing the speculation is the apparent fact that, if they do keep the team, they will be faced with an enormous inheritance tax. This may back them into a corner where they would reluctantly sell the team, and is totally understandable to any of us with much less money. Whether the team is sold, and whether it eventually moves to another city if they are sold, are hot topics around St Louis presently. Realistically, provisions in the contract for the dome will provide the team an 'out' if they want to take it in 2015. I confess that I have never liked the dome atmosphere even in the 'Greatest show' days (seems like they are playing in a huge garage). I'd much prefer an outdoor stadium even if I have to bundle up against the cold. Whether they continue in the future to play in the dome, a new St Louis outdoor stadium, or move to another city, I intend to continue to follow the Rams wherever they are.

Stay the course

Well, here we are. For the most part, personnel who will be forming the 2008 Rams from are on board and have been put through their paces at the minicamp just completed. All of us are hoping for an uneventful May, June, and July as far as contract signings for free agents and draft picks. I like what's been put together, and I include the new owners (actually especially include) the new owners in the upbeat appraisal! Everything I've read about them indicates a couple of savvy people have taken over ownership. Also I read where Linehan deferred to DeVaney on personnel decisions, which is as it should be(somewhere in the back of my head a voice said (pay attention, Zygmunt and Shaw, you do the same). The 2007 disaster was unequivocally just that, but I'm still hoping a long-term result is that the money folks will let the football folks do their job without getting in the way. If that happens, a long term plus will ultimately come out of it for the organization.

Draft Sleepers

In my opinion the 'sleepers' in the draft are #1 The offensive linemen, and #2, the Wide receivers. Hats off to Chris Long and the Rams, I think he will be an immediate impact player and a very good one.

The offensive linemen taken are important because we all learned last year that depth can be a critical consideration in dealing with injuries. I'm not sure anyone can plan for the number of injuries we had on on the OL last year, but at least we know the Rams are making the correct moves to address that as much as possible, given roster space limitations. (Let's go easy on 'Holy Toledo' references when it comes to Greco).

Our wide receivers need some reinforcement, too,(wouldn't it be nice if Kevin Curtis was still here) - Torry's all world in my book but he's not getting any younger,and the rest of that group have some promise, but limited production on the field. These WR draft picks, particularly Avery, can be the prime receivers in a few years.

All in all, I believe the Rams drafted well. Chris Long will be a tremendous help at DE, and in all cases the organization drafted with the teams most pressing needs in mind. That sounds to me like a job well done. Now its up to the players they placed their trust in to do their part, and please, no holdouts!!!

Waiting Game

Pretty frustrating time of year right now for NFL fans-at least thats my opinion. We have to wait for draft day to see whether the Rams go in the direction WE think they should, and then generally there's a cat-and-mouse game to see if we get our picks signed in time for training camp. One dubious advantage this year is that we have needs on both lines, so if the first pick takes away the 'fill' for one need, we can still make a giant leap to fill the other. Here's hoping this is the only draft day that will be true for a long time to come, though. I'm fervently hoping Billy Devaney is earning his money as I write this by exploring all the possible (And impossible ones, too, for that matter) scenarios. for draft day. Guess in some ways you could compare draft day to a poker game. We all should realize though, that that Parcells guy with the first move is a top notch A-ONE player, but he only gets 1 share of the pot, and there will be plenty left on the table no matter what he does.

We're no April Fools

Though I'm from Illinois, I think the Rams organization can understand if we all make the Rams understand they reside in the 'Show Me' state during this offseason. This is really a time which can make or break a teams hopes of rebuilding. I have alot of confidence in Billy Devaney, and the statement the Rams organization made by hiring a experienced personnel 'football' guy. It remains to be seen of course, how draft day will go, but I feel they have prepared better for the draft than they have since the earlier Charley Armey days. I feel he lost power after Martz became head coach, and we ended up with Trung Candidate's and Jimmy Kennedy's mixed in with some decent picks. Likely we will we never pick all winners and no wienies, but I think the organization has all the management pieces in place to give us the best shot at doing very well.
I believe that means there should be zero chance that McFadden would be a Rams pick. I dont know if the Fans wanting that done are Arkansas fans or what, but that makes zero sense to me when the lines are a DIRE need. I poke fun at the Candidate pick, but this would be worse, because there wasnt a dire need screaming at them in that draft! Go Rams with your current horse at running back!!

Fellow Geezer

Seeing as how my 'handle' on this site is GeezerRam, I 'have' to comment on the Rams signing Trent Green recently. Now the team has its own GeezerRam, and I think its an excellent move. He knows the system, goes back a good ways with Al Saunders, and has very good leadership qualities. I think that last attribute may be a key one. Marc has provided leadership, but I dont think he's really comfortable in that role.

I remember the few preseason games I saw Trent play in '99, one of the first things that jumped out at me was how after an offensive series, he was touching base with all the offensive players on the bench. It was a 180 degree change from 'I'll go sit by myself' Tony Banks, and because Banks was the previous QB, it really made that quality stand out. Marc is somewhere in between Tony and Trent, but I think Trent makes a difference, even as a backup. If I was Marc, I'd be getting ready to pick his brain on all areas, and applying what makes sense for me. I only hope Linehan stays out of Saunders way on the offense - I'm thinking we are going to see some high powered offense again folks - not quite the GSOT, but a great offense nonetheless!

Moves to be made

Here and there, there seems to be a 'murmur' starting up among Rams fans something along the lines of "WHY HAVENT WE SIGNED ANY FREE AGENTS BESIDES JOSH BROWN YET?' I think we'll be seing some moves made, maybe just not as fast as we'd like to see. I believe Jacob Bell (formerly of the Titans) is due to visit Rams Park today, which means they are looking to fill an obvious need in the Oline. I heard Devaney in an interview recently state that they have charted 'wish list boards' on free agents, just as they do on draft day. Guess that was already assumed or known by some fans, and it makes sense, but it was something I had not heard directly, and found it interesting.

I do have a confidence this year with a experienced, proven personnel guru on board in the person of Billy Devaney, that we will fare well in the free agent/draft process over the next 2 months, and will be pleased with the results come the '08 season. Go Rams!

Time for the Front office to step up!

With combine week here, and draft day a couple of months away, its time for the ‘new’ front office to begin showing us they have a handle on this process and on free agent evaluation, I personally think Billy Devaney ‘s hiring and the signal it seems to give from Jay Zygmunt as to the Rams actually having a full-power personnel department, means better results in the future, starting with the present year.

To be fair some of the past first round ‘whiffs’ would have also been made by other organizations also, Damione Lewis, Jimmy Kennedy, and Adam Archuleta come to mind, (ranked in the order of my disappointment with their end results). I would venture to say we wont have a Trung Candidate on our draft board under Devaney, even if the head coach likes him.

I am curious like everyone else as to how our draft picks pan out from Round 1 Though round 7. Contacts cultivated over the years by Devaney, and the rest of the Rams staff involved will hopefully help them accomplish some dynamite draft picks and free agent acquisitions. Billy’s years of experience in a front office role HAS to be a big plus for the Rams front office, along with an understanding by Zygmunt and others that they better get it right this time. That atrocious season past may have been the only wakeup call that got through to them. Here’s hoping so, anyway, it sure was a bear to watch (No Chicago pun intended)

Memory of an elephant

I guess I'm admitting to being a sore loser, but one of my main thoughts the day after Eli and his band slew Goliath, is "Hows that tough loss feel, you smug, preening Patriots/Patriot fans?". One difference between that game and the Rams-Patriots superbowl was that the Giants did not appear to mug the Patrriot receivers. They did beat up on the Patriots but within the rules. I assume they also did not have an employee taping the Patriots final walkthrough, either .Sometimes it takes a while but eventually there is justice in the NFL world, on and off the field! Thank You Giants!!

New Owner(s)

Bernie Miklasz had pretty positive comments about Chip Rosenbloom in the Post Dispatch today. Since Bernie's tendency is to be overly critical in addition to playing to the crowd's mood, I think this is very good news.

He doesnt think Chip will stay the owner over the long haul, but will absolutely do what is in the best interest of the organization while he has the team.

My interpretation is that if Chip thinks it's in the best interest of the team to politely tell John Shaw to step aside, he will do so. Bernie speculates that Stan Kroenke may eventually end up being the majority owner, which is also good news.

Chip Rosenbloom is apparently more knowledgeable about the organization than we in the general public would have realized, and he can 'hit the ground running' as far as speaking to and dealing with issues. These next few years may be very interesting for Ram fans.

Lets all stay tuned!!

The direction is 'UP'

We just went through the worst season in Rams' history, so there is only one direction to go, and that is UP.

We just got handed a new challenge when the whiners hired Martz as their OC, but let's dwell on the Rams instead of their opponents.

The next few weeks are key, I believe, and I'm counting on the right decisions being made to turn this organization around and get back to being a solid, competitive team. I sincerely believe Shaw and Zygmunt want to do what is in the best interest of the team, and I hope they carry through with that in mind even if it means reduced roles for both of them.

If Cam Cameron is to be the OC, so be it. He, like Martz, is a good coordinator who isn't cut out to be a head coach, and he will be a good addition in that role.

I believe Coach Linehan when he says he is going to take a long hard look at things, beginning with himself. That should apply to him and to his bosses, also.

The defense is in extremely capable hands, in my opinion, and I would like for Haslett to be around for a good long period of time.

Everyone rest up your vocal cords, and patch up all the dents and marks in your living room walls where your various missiles/objects hit while you were watching the Rams during this past season!!

Wait till Next Year

Some of the Rams will be much better for the force-fed(by injury) unexpected playing time they were thrown into this year.

One area of concern I see is the offensive line, many of those players were strictly stop-gaps who are unlikely to return in 08. Think Barron may be one who someone needs to light a fire under, if he only would sprout a work ethic, I think he has a ton of potential. Romberg is a free agent, and I would like to see him back.

If there isnt an emphasis on both offensive and defensive linemen in the draft, I'll blow a gasket. Zygmunt and Shaw need to back away from any final say on personnel decisions and let a football person be the decision maker.

As far as I am concerned, if Softli is fired, Zygmunt and Shaw can hit the road ahead of him. They are roughly 995% more at fault than Softli is. Makes me wonder if he's quietly told them to butt out of football decisions, and they chose to let him go rather than take some excellent advice.