Will the Rams Still Be in St. Louis after 2015?

from the Bleacher Report

Will the Rams still be in St. Louis past 2015?

It's a sports subject that couldn't interest me more yet is something I couldn't be any more tired of discussing. However, whether it be messages from Rams fans or message-board chatter, it continues to be the dominating subject.

St. Louisans have a difficult time investing in a team or focusing on football until they have reassurance their continued dedication will pay off. We want to talk football, but the thought (no matter how small it is) of losing football again consumes most of us.

But fret not. There are rays of hope shining down on St. Louis Rams Nation brighter than the ones that will shine through the future glass roof panels in the Edward Jones Dome.

The most reassuring sign of the Rams remaining in St. Louis continues to be team president Kevin Demoff, who has spoken openly on more than one occasion about the desire to stay.

In a chat on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website, Demoff said:

Stan has been emphatic on more than one occasion that he was part of the charge to bring a team to St. Louis, and that he did not do that to lead the charge out of St. Louis.

Public relations talk? Maybe.

However, it reaffirms the multiple interviews the Rams' president has done on local radio stations in recent months, stating the ultimate goal in recent business decisions and hires is to build a long-term winner in the city of St. Louis.

And that further reaffirms what owner Stan Kroenke said when coach Jeff Fisher was hired, that he has put a lot of "jack" into the city, and hopefully people realize what he has done here.

Will the Rams stay in St. Louis?

Yes

65.3%

No

34.7%

Total votes: 519

The Rams' owner doesn't give away his plans much, but he told fans to judge him on what he has already done for the area as this negotiating process plays out.

And don't rattle on about Demoff making these statements because he doesn't want to hurt attendance in St. Louis. If Los Angeles is really the cash cow that those wanting a return out west claim it to be, then two seasons of poor attendance in St. Louis mean squat.

The Rams are speaking publicly about their desire to stay in St. Louis when they could simply decline comment, and that's a good thing.

Also, the arbitrator between the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC) and Rams will likely drop his or her ruling significantly below the Rams' $700 million proposal in my opinion, but it could go either way. It is not unreasonable to assume the Rams shot high in their proposal as is typical in negotiations.

Demoff has also hinted recently in radio interviews that the Rams would be willing to pay for a portion of the upgrades. So if you have Kroenke paying a chunk of the improvements, coupled with the NFL contributing through its G4 financing—the public's absorption of the improvements through taxes becomes much more manageable.

And that's not counting creative ways to finance the deal, including municipal bonds and a taxes on hotels and rental cars being redirected.

It is also reassuring that the arbitrator's ruling becomes binding for the Rams if the CVC accepts it. Kroenke may have the leverage, but having the final decision in St. Louis' hands is valuable.

And let's not forget, LA developers wanting to draw an NFL team don't have everything figured out yet. The NFL is not happy that AEG wants to purchase a large chunk of ownership from whatever team plays in its stadium at a discounted price.

It's tough to see how AEG alters their plans in a dramatic way because they have to recoup their funds in a manner in which maybe they would be better suited for a franchise team.

Does anyone think Kroenke, the cold hard business man, would sell at least 30 percent of the Rams, nonetheless at a discounted price? It's been Kroenke's goal to be the majority owner of a team.

Or does anyone really think Kroenke would spend $450 million just years ago to buy the remaining 60 percent of the team, just so he could in return get rid of it—probably at a lesser price?

Come on.

Still, there is a long way to go. This process has about 10 minutes left in the second quarter. We are hardly approaching the two-minute warning.

Patience needs to be exercised, and cooler heads will prevail.

St. Louis Rams: Initial Thoughts on the 2012 NFL Draft

by the Bleacher Report

The St. Louis Rams came into the 2012 NFL draft with a combined 15-65 record over the past five seasons and without a playoff appearance since 2004. New head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead didn't create the woes of brutal football in St. Louis, but they sure did inherit it from the likes of Steve Spagnuolo, Billy Devaney, Scott Linehan and Jay Zygmunt.

Levelheaded fans and pundits knew it would take Fisher and Snead some time to rebuild the Rams franchise back into a winner. This was not a overnight fix. This wasn't a one-draft solution. Calling it a challenge would be an understatement.

However, the process has potential to be sped up much quicker than could of been expected.

In one draft, the Rams just may have gone from a joke of the NFL, a team with a 2-14 record last season, to a borderline playoff contender. Fisher and Snead were able to trade down and accumulate much-needed extra picks while still nabbing guys they claimed to have their eyes on.

14. Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

My first thought when the St. Louis Rams drafted LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers at No. 14? Poor Sam Bradford. My rethought after seeing how the second and third rounds played out? Wow, the Rams have an amazing defense now.

St. Louis selecting Brockers sets him up to join a young defensive line with Chris Long, Robert Quinn and Kendall Langford. That's a pretty nasty line after the Rams ranked 31st in run defense, allowing 152.1 rushing yards per game in 2011.

The addition of Brockers makes the Rams young and talented on the defensive line. Brockers and Langford are run-stuffers that will allow Long and Quinn to attack the opposing quarterback, and Brockers specifically ran open the interior to allow linebacker James Lauranitis to more effectively engage the ball carrier.

When you have the defensive line the Rams now possess, coupled with the talented playmakers in the secondary on the team, good things happen.

33. Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian State

Personally, I really like the Appalachian State wide receiver Brian Quick. But not at No. 33. If the Rams want a guy and reach a little to go up and get that player, there should be no problem with it. However, this was a big reach. Quick probably would have been there when the Rams picked at No. 39 or No. 50.

He's a raw, young receiver that may not translate to a big-time NFL impact player right away, but he could develop into one. If the Rams played their hand correctly, Quick will develop as a deep threat for Sam Bradford sooner rather than later. Yahoo! Sports'Michael Silver compared Quick to NFL great Terrell Owens.

The development of Quick is of great importance to the development of Bradford and the Rams organization. He has tremendous upside with a high ceiling.

39. Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

This is probably my favorite pick of the draft for the Rams. Draft ratings are essentially useless at this stage of the game, but if I was forced to give this pick one it would be a solid "A."

Jenkins would have been in the debate with Morris Claiborne of which cornerback should go first in the draft, if not for his off-the-field issues. The Rams need to hit on their draft picks, but a player with his skill set is simply too tough to pass up in the second round when a team has three early picks. He will also be an effective punt returner, allowing Danny Amendola to focus on just being a receiver.

The North Alabama corner has been compared to troubled NFL star Adam "Pacman" Jones and has even been questioned about the comparisons in interviews. Fisher failed in keeping Jones out of trouble, but Jenkins is not Jones. Pacman was a violent offender. Jenkins likes marijuana.

Fisher and Snead have stated they have a plan to keep Jenkins out of trouble. If they succeed, this could be the steal of the draft.

50. Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati

One of the major goals of the 2012 offseason and draft for the Rams was upgrading the lowly offensive play we've come to expect. Getting a change-of-pace running back, who could be the heir apparent to Steven Jackson, does just that.

The change-of-pace running back is important to any dynamic offense and is something the Rams haven't had for quite some time. However, running back isn't an essential need with Jackson still on the team and so many other needs still needing to to addressed here.

Getting a quality outside linebacker should have been the priority late in the second round. Zach Brown and Lavonte David were still on the board and would have been better picks given that the Rams only had four linebackers (one quality) at that time.

If the Rams were set on running back here, though, why not LaMichael James or Lamar Miller?

The Rams already had some talented cornerbacks at this pick in Cortland Finnegan, Jerome Murphy, Darian Stewart and Jenkins. Yet Johnson proved too difficult to pass up.

Johnson was another first-round talent player who the Rams snagged later in the draft. He has great size and is a very physical player—the kind of DB Fisher likes. He will stay at corner, according to the head coach, but his skill set may force the Rams to switch him to safety to get him more playing time in an already talented group.

Final Thoughts

The Rams had a great draft. In addition to the picks above, St. Louis found a talented, quick receiver in Chris Givens later in the draft than he was projected to go and a kicker to replace Josh Brown's large salary.

Am I saying the Rams had a perfect draft? No.

Did it play out how I wanted it or expected it too? Absolutely not.

Are the Rams ready to battle it out all season with the San Francisco 49ers for first place in the NFC West? Probably not.

Yet, the Rams are closer to being a serious threat in the NFL than they have been in quite some time. Not a 2010 fluke that battled for a playoff spot till the end with a 7-9 record, but a consistent contender to make the playoffs year after year.

With offseason moves and the 2012 NFL draft, Jeff Fisher is already heading towards what he promised when he joined the Rams.

"The Rams won't be picking at No. 2 again next year."

Jackson Wants a WR Drafted

In a Friday appearance on ESPN’s NFL Live, veteran Rams running back Steven Jacksonmade clear his preferences for the team on draft day, if he were in the team’s war room.

“I’m standing on the table for a receiver,” Jackson said.  “Arguably it might be [Justin] Blackmon out of Oklahoma State.  Big target, a guy that has a lot of good body control, he can make the big play happen.  We have a good receiver in the slot in Danny Amendola, so we just need a complement to Danny, give Sam [Bradford] some options as well, and open some room for me in the running game.”

It’s no surprise that Jackson wouldn’t lobby for his replacement, even though coach Jeff Fisher has been singing the praises of Trent Richardson.  Coincidentally, the Rams used a first-round pick on Jackson while the Rams still had Marshall Faulk, and it wasn’t long before Faulk was gone.

We’ll find out in 13 days whether Jackson gets his wish for the team to take a receiver with the sixth overall pick in round one, instead of Jackson’s eventual successor.