In a little over 48 hours, the new league year (and Free Agency) begins. The Rams will have plenty of work ahead of them, as they attempt to re-sign many of their 27 pending Free Agents, while at the same time looking at other players to possibly fill holes on the roster. Should be quite the week for excitement and intrigue in RamsWorld.
Twitter Talk
Not a great way to start off the new league year:
Rams RB Tre Mason arrested on suspicion of reckless driving, pot possession, police say: https://t.co/3CDK7qxSXN pic.twitter.com/JPk2pykduf
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) March 6, 2016
A great player and a great career. Many thanks to Mr. Manning for all the memories!!
#Broncos QB Peyton Manning will announce his retirement Monday, source close to him confirmed (as @mortreport said). Riding into the sunset
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 6, 2016
Todd Gurley is the only RB I can see breaking ED's record in the foreseeable future:
First reaction when @EricDickerson asked @TG3II if he thinks he could ever run for 2,105 yds in one season. @RamsNFL pic.twitter.com/x0qajYIdGb
— Kyle Eversgerd (@SGERD5) March 4, 2016
Funny, but that's the kind of job security Sam Bradford thought HE had at this time last year:
Case Keenum on Jeff Fisher: 'It's the first time I've had a coach believe in me through the offseason like this' https://t.co/Jv67Z7HBXF
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) March 4, 2016
Some things in life are just a little more important than football. Congrats to Chris Long and his family!:
So I've had a good week pic.twitter.com/Af203UqZVO
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) March 4, 2016
2016 NFL Mock Draft: Walter Football
Walt updates his mock draft and adds a 5th round. The Rams select QB Paxton Lynch in the first round, TE Hunter Henry and DE Noah Spence in the second round, DT Maliek Collins in the third round and CB Kevon Seymour in the fourth round. Aside from the lack of a WR, a pretty decent draft for the Rams.
More details emerge on Tre Mason arrest: The NFL in L.A.
Vincent Bonsignore shares more details of Tre Mason's arrest on Saturday.
Peyton Manning to retire after Super Bowl finish to 18-year NFL career: denverbroncos.com
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. The two greatest QB's of this generation.
Rams re-establishing L.A. foothold: NFL.com
Rams players and coaches gathered in Manhattan Beach on Friday for a two-hour orientation meeting regarding the logistics of the move to Los Angeles. They also met with the media for the first time officially as the Los Angeles Rams.
Planned Inglewood stadium is in the running for the Super Bowl in 2020/2021: Los Angeles Times
The Rams hosting (and participating) in the Super Bowl on their home turf in 2020? One can dream.
Rams' free agent focus should be on keeping their own: ESPN NFL Nation
With 27 pending Free Agents (11 UFA's, 6 RFA's and 10 ERFA's) the Rams will be hard-pressed to re-sign all of the players they may desire to retain, irrespective of the salary cap space available to them.
"He Set The Standard": Sports Illustrated - MMQB
Peter king takes us through the week that was in the NFL.
Draft Prospect Highlight Reel: DE - Shaq Lawson - Clemson
Case Keenum happy with the vote of confidence, even if just for now: The NFL In L.A.
As Sam Bradford learned last year, a vote of confidence from the Rams' brass may not mean a whole hell of a lot. As Vincent Bonsignore notes:
"But with the calendar having just turned to March and training camp still four months away and the Rams not exactly acting shy about the possibility of adding a quarterback or two, who knows how much longer "for now" lasts."
Rams make plans for putting down roots in Los Angeles area: Orange County Register
The Rams are doubtless the busiest team in the NFL. Aside from preparing for the opening of the new league year and free agency, they are in the midst of moving the franchise to Los Angeles. Looks like it's all being done in a careful, methodical manner.
Rams have free-agent work to do on DL: ESPN NFL Nation
They sure do. Eugene Sims, William Hayes and Nick Fairly are all eligible for Free Agency in a couple of days. The Rams already released Chris Long. The team has some work to do if it wants to once again have one of the best DL's in the league.
2016 NFL Draft Big Board: Bleacher Report
Matt Miller presents his port-combine rankings both by position and by means of a top 300 board.
The end is near for flawed QB's Griffin and Kaepernick: Sports Illustrated
Should the Rams kick the proverbial tires on RG3 and Colin Kaepernick? This analysis will make you think twice.
On This Day In Sports History
1996 - Magic Johnson becomes the 2nd NBA player to reach 10,000 career assists.
1857 - Major League Baseball decides nine innings constitutes an official game, not nine runs.
Stat Facts Of The Week: 2015 Failed Completions
Rk
Quarterback
Passes
Comp.
Failed
FC%
FC %ATT
Rk
ALEX
Rk
1
Cam Newton
494
296
44
14.9%
8.9%
1
1.4
3
2
Carson Palmer
532
342
52
15.2%
9.8%
2
2.1
1
3
Jameis Winston
533
312
60
19.2%
11.3%
3
0.5
6
4
Blake Bortles
603
355
69
19.4%
11.4%
4
0.3
8
5
Brian Hoyer
369
224
45
20.1%
12.2%
5
0.5
7
6
Andy Dalton
386
255
52
20.4%
13.5%
9
-0.2
13
7
Brock Osweiler
275
170
35
20.6%
12.7%
7
0.0
12
8
Marcus Mariota
368
230
49
21.3%
13.3%
8
0.1
11
9
Russell Wilson
481
329
71
21.6%
14.8%
12
-0.5
17
10
Ben Roethlisberger
469
320
70
21.9%
14.9%
14
1.5
2
11
Matt Ryan
614
407
90
22.1%
14.7%
11
-1.2
24
12
Andrew Luck
291
162
36
22.2%
12.4%
6
0.6
5
13
Matthew Stafford
592
398
90
22.6%
15.2%
15
-2.4
35
14
Tom Brady
621
402
96
23.9%
15.5%
18
-1.2
27
15
Philip Rivers
661
438
105
24.0%
15.9%
21
-2.0
33
16
Jay Cutler
482
311
75
24.1%
15.6%
19
-0.3
15
17
Ryan Fitzpatrick
562
335
81
24.2%
14.4%
10
0.3
9
18
Matt Hasselbeck
257
157
38
24.2%
14.8%
13
-1.2
26
19
Eli Manning
617
387
98
25.3%
15.9%
20
-0.8
18
Rk
Quarterback
Passes
Comp.
Failed
FC%
FC %ATT
Rk
ALEX
Rk
20
Derek Carr
572
350
91
26.0%
15.9%
22
-1.1
22
21
Drew Brees
626
429
113
26.3%
18.1%
27
-1.3
28
22
Johnny Manziel
222
129
34
26.4%
15.3%
17
-1.1
23
23
Kirk Cousins
543
379
100
26.4%
18.4%
29
-0.8
20
24
Ryan Mallett
242
136
37
27.2%
15.3%
16
-0.2
14
25
Aaron Rodgers
571
347
96
27.7%
16.8%
23
-0.8
19
26
Alex Smith
471
308
86
27.9%
18.3%
28
-2.4
36
27
Joe Flacco
409
266
76
28.6%
18.6%
30
-1.4
30
28
Ryan Tannehill
585
364
105
28.8%
17.9%
26
-0.5
16
29
Sam Bradford
531
346
100
28.9%
18.8%
31
-2.0
34
30
Josh McCown
292
186
55
29.6%
18.8%
32
-1.4
29
31
Tyrod Taylor
380
242
72
29.8%
18.9%
33
1.0
4
32
Peyton Manning
330
198
59
29.8%
17.9%
25
0.3
10
33
Colin Kaepernick
244
144
43
29.9%
17.6%
24
-0.8
21
34
Teddy Bridgewater
447
292
95
32.5%
21.3%
35
-1.6
32
35
Matt Cassel
202
119
39
32.8%
19.3%
34
-1.2
25
36
Blaine Gabbert
282
178
63
35.4%
22.3%
36
-2.6
37
37
Nick Foles
335
190
78
41.1%
23.3%
37
-1.5
31
-
2015 NFL Totals
18258
11534
2893
25.1%
15.8%
-
-0.6
-
From the February 18 Football Outsiders article "Failed Completions 2015" (with Nick Foles ranked 37th):
"The Super Bowl is over, which means it is time to start cranking out stat studies from the previous season. One of the quickest categories we can analyze from the play-by-play data is failed completions. These are any complete passes that fail to gain 45 percent of needed yards on first down; 60 percent on second down; or 100 percent on third or fourth down."
The Pressers
Jeff Fisher's First LA Press Conference: Los Angeles Rams Official Website
One-On-One with Jackie Slater: Los Angeles Rams Official Website
Case Keenum Press Conference: Los Angeles Rams Official Website
One-On-One with Kevin Demoff: Los Angeles Rams Official Website
One-On-One with Aaron Donald: Los Angeles Rams Official Website
One-On-One with John Hekker: Los Angeles Rams Official Website
Jeff Fisher Interview: therams.com
NFL Media's Steve Wyche talks with Coach Jeff Fisher after Friday's player meetings.
Lakers or Clippers?: TMZ
Well Mr. Gurley, welcome to TMZ and Hollywood!
2016 Free Agency: Top 99 Available Players: NFL.com
The Rams main focus should be on re-signing its own Free Agents. Nonetheless, there are some intriguing names on this list that could cheaply fill holes at center, tight end and wide receiver.
Fox 11 Report from the Rams Players Meetings: Rams News Now
Liz Habib reports from the Rams players meeting held on Friday in Manhattan Beach.
Plenty of work to be done for Rams in secondary: ESPN NFL Nation
Although the Rams did lock up Trumaine Johnson (at least for a year), there are still plenty of question marks left, as Janoris Jenkins, Cody Davis and Rodney McLeod all appear to be headed for Free Agency on Wednesday.
Should the Rams trade QB Nick Foles?: Ramblin' Fan
Easier said than done. Foles' base salary ($1.75M) and roster bonus ($6M) are both guaranteed. Which team (especially the cash strapped ones mentioned in the article) would take on that liability, especially given Foles' poor 2015 season (and 2014 season for that matter). Not likely to happen.
League softens its stance on the legal tampering period: Pro Football Talk
The pre-Free Agency tampering period has never made any sense to me. Why not just move up Free Agency a couple of days? Or better yet, how about making the rules clear and enforcing them?
Los Angeles Rams Weekly Salary "Re-Cap"
I will be publishing a complete salary cap update in the next day, reflecting the Rams' exact financial position heading into the opening day of Free Agency. Stay tuned!
Please visit Rams In Perspective for my regular updates on the Rams' salary cap position throughout the year.
Los Angeles Rams Current Roster, Depth Chart & Pending Free Agents
On March 9, 4pm ET, the Rams' roster will not look anywhere near the same as the accompanying roster/depth chart presents it. 27 players will become Free Agents on the 9th, as all 2015 contracts expire at that time. Who will the Rams attempt to re-sign? The Free Agent chart lists the 27 pending Free Agents and what they can expect to receive on average in their next contract.
C
Tim Barnes
Demetrius Rhaney
Eric Kush
RG
Jamon Brown
Cody Wichmann
Brian Folkerts
LG
Rodger Saffold
Garrett Reynolds
David Arkin
RT
Rob Havenstein
Andrew Donnal
LT
Greg Robinson
Darrell Williams
Isaiah Battle
TE
Lance Kendricks
Cory Harkey
Justice Cunningham
WR
Tavon Austin
Stedman Bailey
Isiah Ferguson
Kain Colter
WR
Kenny Britt
Brian Quick
Nick Toon
WR
Wes Welker
Bradley Marquez
Deon Long
RB
Tre Mason
Benny Cunningham
Malcolm Brown
Zach Laskey
RB
Todd Gurley
Chase Reynolds
Trey Watts
QB
Case Keenum
Nick Foles
Sean Mannion
PK
Greg Zuerlein
P
John Hekker
LS
Jake McQuaide
DT
Aaron Donald
Nick Fairley
Louis Trinca-Pasat
DT
Michael Brockers
Ethan Westbrooks
Doug Worthington
DE
William Hayes
Eugene Sims
DE
Robert Quinn
Matt Longacre
MLB
Alec Ogletree
Daren Bates
Bryce Hager
OLB
Mark Barron
Zack Hodges
OLB
Akeem Ayers
Cameron Lynch
Matthew Wells
CB
Janoris Jenkins
Marcus Roberson
Eric Patterson
Troy Hill
CB
Trumaine Johnson
E.J. Gaines
Lamarcus Joyner
SS
Tim McDonald Jr.
Maurice Alexander
FS
Rodney McLeod
Cody Davis
Christian Bryant
70 Players Total
Position
Player
FA Status
Avg. Per Year
QB
Case Keenum
RFA
3,635,000
RB
Benny Cunningham
RFA
1,670,000
RB
Chase Reynolds
RFA
1,000,000
RB
Malcolm Brown
ERFA
450,000
TE
Cory Harkey
UFA
2,000,000
WR
Brian Quick
UFA
1,400,000
WR
Wes Welker
UFA
800,000
WR
Nick Toon
ERFA
600,000
C
Tim Barnes
UFA
800,000
OT
Isaiah Battle
ERFA
525,000
OL
Eric Kush
ERFA
675,000
OL
Brian Folkerts
RFA
700,000
K
Greg Zuerlein
UFA
2,750,000
DT
Nick Fairley
UFA
4,750,000
DT
Doug Worthington
ERFA
600,000
DT
Louis Trinca-Pasat
ERFA
525,000
DE
Eugene Sims
UFA
2,000,000
DE
William Hayes
UFA
6,000,000
DE
Matt Longacre
ERFA
525,000
OLB
Daren Bates
RFA
850,000
CB
Janoris Jenkins
UFA
10,000,000
CB
Eric Patterson
ERFA
525,000
CB
Troy Hill
ERFA
525,000
SS
Mark Barron
UFA
4,500,000
FS
Rodney McLeod
UFA
3,635,000
FS
Christian Bryant
ERFA
525,000
FS
Cody Davis
RFA
875,000
27 Players
Projected Total
52,840,000
Blast From The Past: Classic Rock Monday: Guns 'N Roses - Rocket Queen
Please have a great Monday and a Ramtastic week!
Poll
Of the four players listed, which one is the most important for the Rams to re-sign?
Rodney McLeod
Mark Barron
William Hayes
Case Keenum
2 votes | Results