Tavon Austin and the Rams blow out the Colt 38-8

For the passed 9 games leading into the Colts game, Tavon Austin, the Rams 8th overall pick has not been a significant factor in the offense and in the punt return game due to drop passes and penalties. 

Today was Austin's time to shine as he scored 3 touchdowns (two as a touchdown pass from Kellen Clemens) and a spectacular 98 punt return for a touchdown.

Aside from Austin breakout performance, the defense also got involve in the scoring salvo as Chris Long scoop up a Robert Quinn force fumble for a quick score early in the game. The defense limited the Coltsground gain to about 18 yards on 1.3 yards per rush and intercepted Andrew Luck 3 times.

Zac Stacy continue to poind the rock on 26 carries for 62 yards and a score while fellow rookie Benny Cunningham contributed 7 carries for 72 yard and 1 screen pass reception for 18 yards.

The win help keep them stay in contention as they enter the bye week before facing the Chicago Bears at home on November 24,2013 

Keys on How the Rams can beat The Colts

The St. Louis Rams will get their hands full as they will be on the road to battle Andrew Luck and the AFC South division leader Indianapolis Colts. Personally I believe the Rams can beat the Colts as they have a weak offensive line and injuries has plagued their skills position players.


Run the ball with Zac Stacy and control the time of possession.
If I'm Coach Fisher, I'd watch some of the Chargers vs. Colts tapes on which the Chargers ran the ball more against a porous Colts run defense. With Zac Stacy running the ball, the Rams can keep Andrew Luck on the sidelines for a long time and keep the defense well rested.

Pressure Andrew Luck and Play Better Pass Defense: 
With Reggie Wayne injured, There's a bigger chance of Andrew Luck will rely on T.Y. Hilton and on Coby Fleener. And with a subpar offensive line, I won't be surprise if the Rams D-Line will have a good day similar to the Seahawks game. The Rams might have a much better day on stopping the run this week as Trent Richardson has yet to breakout as the Colt's best running but still the Rams will need treat Richardson like they treat Marshawn Lynch and not be complaicent (They should have learned from the CJ2k/Shonn Greene incident last week).

Avoid Turnovers and minimize play-killing penalties: 
Rams should, at all cost, avoid committing turnovers in order for them to win the game. The Rams so far were able to minimize penalties that negates good plays and hope they can continues to do so.

Keys to Victory: Titans vs. Rams

In a short week, the Rams will be facing a well rested Tennessee Titans who Jeff Fisher coached for over 10 seasons before coming to the Rams. This game will be the first time for Cortland Finnegan, William Hayes, Will Witherspoon and Jared Cook to face their former team and I'm sure they will "play hard for coach Fisher".

1.) Continue to Stop the Run: The Rams where very dominant last week when they hold Marshawn Lynch to only 2+ yards a carry. This time they will be facing a much swiftier opponent in Chris Johnson who is currently struggling to gain some ground yards. If they contain Chris Johnson the Rams chances of winning are very high.

2.) Play much better pass defense: Rams got burned twice by Russell Wilson twice despite sacking him 7 times. They will need to continue pressuring the quarterback using the front four.

3.) Feed the Juggernaut: Zac Stacy has been the consistent factor in the Rams offense averaging 5+ yards per carry. Continue to run the ball effective will keep the defense honest and help open up the pass.

4.) Just catch the ball: The Rams receivers MUST catch the balls pass to them as much as possible if they want to win.

5.) Limit penalties: The Rams will also need minimize penalties inorder to win.

Rams fell short despite good running game and defense

The St. Louis Rams defense has shown up and limit Marshawn Lynch to about 30 yards while sacking Russell Wilson 7 times but was able to score enough to win 14-9 on a final defensive stop. 

The rookie Running back Zac Stacy rack up over 130 yards but several drop passes and penalties have prevented the Rams from scoring touchdowns.

Keys On How The Rams can beat the the Seahawks on Monday Night

With Sam Bradford gone for the season, the Rams will be lead by backup quarterback Kellen Clemens but I don't expect Clemens to duplicate what Sam does but rather play smart football. Based on the last three games,  Jeff Fisher and Brian Schottenheimer's  offensive philosophy right now is to run the football to open up the passing game AND play tough defense. Here are the keys on the Rams can beat the Seahawks.

1.) Force Turn Overs and Play Smart Defense: The Rams real strength are their defensive line with Robert Quinn leading the league with 4 forced fumbles and has 6 sacks. Since the Seahawks offensive line right now is subpar at best because of injuries to key players, I'd expect the D-Line to have a great day going after Russell Wilson and hopefully the front seven can slow down Marshawn Lynch like they did with DeAngelo Williams last week. We only hope the Rams secondary can hold off the Seahawks receivers.

2.) Zac Stacy leads the offense. The Rams for several weeks has reverted to the smash-mouth type of play by running the ball between the tackles and open up the passing game. So far it has been effective and Stacy has been racking up the ground yards consistently.  

3.) And Finally.. Cut Down Stupid Penalties: The Rams Achilles Heel for sometime now is their penchant for committing penalties that negate good plays. Once they can eliminate these stupid penalties Rams have a chance to win the game.

Rams Lose to Panthers and Bradford got injured

Since the game was not broadcasted in our local cable provider, I resorted to follow the game via Twitter. It's rather unfortunate that the Rams lost this game to the following factors: drop passes, bad play calls or bad coaching, and the ugliest factor: bad officiating (and no I'm not crediting the Panthers for the win). Things turned to for the worse when QB Sam Bradford was injured late in the game to a apparent knee injury.

My take: This is another game that got away because of over-all inconsistencies and I expect that the Rams would do some careful planning ahead since they will be facing the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night. Rams will surely sign a free agent QB to act as a backup to Kellen Clemons or possibly a stop-gap game manager. one article has mentioned that they might consider Vince Young, who has played with Jeff Fisher in Tennessee.

  

Keys on How to Beat the Carolina Panthers

The St. Louis Rams are now at 3-3 after impressive wins against Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans. This upcoming weekend, the Rams are gonna face on of the leagues top defensive team and an offensive that features Cam Newton and DeAngelo Williams. 

Stop the Run: 

the Rams have been burn by feature backs like Maurice Jones-Drew and Arian Foster because of their inability to stop the run. the Panthers will feature a zone read offense with Cam Newton running the show and DeAngelo leading the way so it's a MUST that the Rams should be able to "slow down" the run to force Cam to pass the ball on which he is inconsistent.

Continue to Run the ball and Challenge the Panthers defense:

The formula is very simple: running the ball with Zac Stacy would open up the passing game. 

Surprise the opponents, Use your other tools:

The Rams won against the Texans by running the ball AND using the other Tight Ends which surprises the Texans (and everyone). If I'm Schotty, I'd explore the idea of using other tools in the roster: like handing the ball to Tavon Austin OR getting Stedman Bailey involve.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly: Rams vs. Texans

After several days I was able to watch the Rams vs. Texans game in full and I was able to
understand some of the critic's comments and praises about the game.


The Good:

• Rams where able to establish the run game with Zac Stacy leading the charge (no pun intended). 
• The Rams were able to produce defensive stops on key situation particulary in the red zone and force turnovers on defense and special teams
• There are almost no stupid penalties particularly in special teams.

The Bad:

• The Rams receivers need to catch the ball better specially play action plays. The one play with Sam Bradford passes to Chris Givens on a deep pass should have been a catch. 

The Ugly:  

Arian Foster still racks up 100+ yard running the ball on 7.1 yards per carry which mean the run defense still needs fixing with the Rams facing a Carolina Panthers teams that likes to run the ball more with DeAngelo Williams and Cam Newton.

Keys on how the Rams can beat the Texans

After an unimpressive win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Rams are gonna face one of the league's top defense lead by the league's top sacker last season in the person of J.J. Watt. On the otherside of the ball, the Rams will also face one of the leagues best running back in Arian Foster. Basically this is the real test for the Rams.

Here are several keys so that the Rams can beat the Texans:

Establish the run to open up the pass:
The Rams are slowly establishing their running game by starting Zac Stacy for the 2nd straight week. The Texans got gashed by 49ers last week by running the ball effectively.

Stop the Texans running game:
With Matt Schaub struggling in the passing game, the Texans will have to run the ball using the one-two punch of Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Rams will have to be disciplined in their gap assignments and force the Texans to become one dimensional and force them to pass the ball more.

Avoid penalties at all cost:
For five straight weeks the Rams' Achilles heal is the penalties particularly in the special teams. The Rams should be disciplined enough to avoid these penalties in order for them to win the field position.

Rams Win Over the Jaguars: The Breakdown

Even though this post is a day late, I had watch the video again so that I can make a much better review of the game as I break down the game on each phase of the game. Bottom line is: "a win is a win is a win" and as critics will use the excuse that this win came off "the Jaguars", it's still a win.

Offense: 
The Rams where able to establish the running game as the Rams started Zac Stacy instead of Daryl Richardson. The offensive line where able to create running lanes and it evident on Stacy's stats (14 rushes on 78 yards). The passing game was average at best as Sam Bradford misses some of his passes to some of the open receivers and some of those incompletions are drops.

Defense:
Overall, I would rate the defense as average as the same problems are present as with the last game. Pass defense is still spotty (as seen on the Justin Blackmon Touchdown) and the defensive line only produced 2 sacks against a Jaguars "sub-standard" offensive line. Rams however where able to limit Maurice Jones-Drew to a total 70 yards.

Special Teams:
The only problem that I see on this unit is the persistent and recurring "stupid" penalties that kills the punt return plays by Tavon Austin. And the violators are the same people who commit the penalties for the past weeks. Personally if I'm Jeff Fisher, I'd start cutting players and put John Fassel's job on the line. I think Alan Lowry (of the Music City Miracle fame) is available, Les Snead should keep that in mind.

Keys on how the St. Louis Rams will win over the Jacksonville Jaguars

With extra days off, the St. Louis Rams are gonna face the Jacksonville Jaguars who are considered the "worst team" in the National Football League right now. But with the Rams' recent performance, there a bit of a doubt. Personally as long as Jeff Fisher is the coach, I believe the Rams can win this game as long as the following happens:

Establish the Running game - This has been Jeff Fisher's mantra for weeks right. Establishing the running game can keep the offense balance and keep the defense honest. With the Jaguars having the the worst defense in the league, the Rams should give the other running backs a chance to play. Personally I wanna see  Zac Stacy run against this "porous" defense.

Better defense: The Jaguars will exploit the notion they the Rams too has a porous defense based on the last two matches but with the recently signing of Jo-Lonn Dunbar, the Rams should get some boost on their run defense. Injuries to the secondary are a concern too as there's a possibility that Cortland Finnegan will not play this game and will relegate Rodney McLeod to the nickel corner and have Darian Stewart and Matt Giordano play the safeties (which is a scary proposition).  As long as the Rams cover Justin Blackmon and stop Maurice Jones-Drew, the win is assured.

Play Smart Football and get better field position:  As always, penalties has been the bane for the Rams in past weeks specially on special teams. I also expect Tavon Austin would have a break out game here. 

Rams Should Tailor their Offense around Sam Bradford

After Week 4 in the 2013 NFL Season, the St. Louis Rams are currently 1-3 and loosing the last three games on average of 18+ points and as a Rams fan it's very disappointing. I have re-watch all four games to check what went wrong and I come into conclusion: The offensive scheme doesn't bode will with Sam Bradford's skills sets. 

Skillset-wise Sam Bradford is a product of a no-huddle spread offense in Oklahoma and running the no-huddle practically WON the game for the Rams. 

Personnel-wise, Isaiah Pead, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey all thrive into a similar type of no-huddle spread offense. Even Daryl Richardson fits as a scatback in a spread offense who is better in space. 

The only runningback that fits Brian Schottenheimer's offensive scheme is Zac Stacy yet they didn't gave him opportunities in the last game. 

The Rams are about to face a then mediocre team in Jacksonville Jaguars yet their past performance would make it more of a grudge match rather than a clear cut win unless the Rams gave in to the facts that the no-huddle would give them a much better chance to win games. 

If I were to quote STLToday.com's Bryan Burwell: "The Rams need to unchain Sam Bradford".

Coaching Revamps that the Rams can explore

After a quarter of a season the Rams just manage to post a 1-3 record with the last two games losing in a blow out.

As of now the Rams are in recovery mode for 10 days to fix their problematic offense and defense and here are some of the suggestions that MIGHT help

Hire Mike Martz: One of the most successful offensive coordinators in the Rams history is Mike Martz and it won't hurt to hire him as a consultant for now. With the personnel the Rams have I'm sure coach Martz would love to create some plays off of them.

Demote Tim Walton to DB Coach and promote Chuck Cecil as DC: The Rams have a bevy of experienced Defensive Coordinators in the current coaching and I'm scratching my head why up to know they promote any of them, in this case Chuck Cecil gets my vote to be promoted as DC and Tim Walton taking his place as secondary coach.

These are only my personal opinion but if the Rams wants to win their remaining games these suggestions are by far the best moves they can do.

49ers trampled the Rams 35-11

As if the Week 3 beat down by the Cowboys was not enough, the Rams got their butt kicked by a 49ers squad that has no Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith on defense and Vernon Davis at 85% at best.

As usual the reasons the Rams list is the same: failure to establish the running game, the defense can stop the run and pass, penalties on key plays, etc.

The good side after the loss is that they will have at 10 days before they face the next opponent which are the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. 

the 10 days off should give the Rams time to view the tapes of the last two games. It's also a good time for the Rams to add help at the secondary because of the injuries to TJ McDonald and Cortland Finnegan. 

Keys on How the Rams can beat the 49ers on their Week 4 match

Week 4 match is the is big one for the St. Louis Rams as they battle a division rival in San Francisco 49ers at the Edward Jones Dome. Both team are coming of a similar blow out losses and this match is considered a turning point for both teams. Here are some keys on how the Rams can beat the 49ers:

Score early and fast: 
For the last three games, the Rams have not scored in the first quarter and the win against Arizona was come from behind victory. If the Rams can score early and fast that would help them control the clock more in the later part of the game.

Establish the running game:
Regardless of not having an establish/talented runningback in the roster, the Rams should always establish the running game to keep it balanced. If they are to run a "running back by committee" approach then it's high time they do so by giving Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead and Zac Stacy some reps. That way they can exploit mismatches. They can even include Tavon Austin on this if needed.

Offensive line should step up
The offensive line has been good in pass protection but they have problems opening running lanes for the runningbacks. Giving the Richardson and Stacy some good running lanes would help the play action plays.

Go Vertical:
The Rams have three of the fastest receivers in the roster in Wide receivers Chris Givens, Tavon Austin and Tight End Jared Cook. Sam Bradford should take advantage of his weapons and not always to resort in check down passes.

Reduce Penalties: 
As always one factor that the Rams lost in the last three games is penalties. If the Rams can plays smart football for 60 minutes the chances of winning are high.

Time to Use Zac Stacy

Since Steven Jackson left for free agency and subsiquently signing with the Atlanta Falcons, We expect that the Rams running game would suffer because of the inexperience in the runningback unit.

Before the regular season started Daryl Richardson was name starter with Isaiah Pead as the main backup with Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham and Chase Reynolds rounding up the group. After three games the running game is still very subpar to the point they become one dimensional. The Rams usually dresses 4 runningbacks every week and Stacy is usually the one in the inactive list.  

As I recall during the offseason, Les Snead and Jeff Fisher was very high on Zac Stacy to the point they traded up and pick him in the fifth round because he's a 2,000 yard runner against a touch SEC conference in college. Zac Stacy is effective runner specially in between the tackles and since Daryl Richardson is currently ineffective due to his foot injury why not Coach Fisher make good in his "runningback by committee" approach and de-activate Daryl Richardson so that he can recover from his injury and dress Zac Stacy to backup Isaiah Pead who has finally shows his skills against the Cowboys.

Rams killed themselves (again) lose to the Cowboys 31-7

After a near win against the Atlanta Falcons on Week 2, the St. Louis Rams got blown out by the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Dallas Texas. Inconsistency, porous defense and penalties are the usual culprit why the Rams fall to 1-2 on a short week as they will face an NFC West division rival in San Francisco 49er who also got blown out by the Indianapolis Colts. 

Rams sign Max Starks for OL depth

Today the St. Louis Rams signed Max Starks to a one year deal. The signing of Starks shows that the Rodger Saffold will be out for several weeks due to a sprained MCL. Joe Barksdale will start at right tackle vs. the Dallas Cowboys. 

Keys On How to the Rams can beat the Cowboys

I apologize for my lack of update on this blog due to my hectic workload and family obligation but this doesn't prevent me in watching my favorite NFL team, the St. Louis Rams. As the season goes on the Rams were able to win a game against a division rival (Arizona Cardinals) but fell short on their first game on the road (Atlanta Falcons). This week the Rams are to face the Dallas Cowboys at Dallas, Texas. And here are the keys for the Rams to win the game:

Training Camp Outlook: Offense

Training has just started for several days but the Rams are  installing a no-huddle offense which is almost similar to the current New Orleans Saints offense or the 1999-2003 Rams.

The no-huddle offense will utilize the speed of the receivers as well as the ability of Sam Bradford to do pre-snap adjustment. Offensive Specialist Tavon Austin will be the key for this offense as he can play both as a runningback or as a receiver to create mismatches.

Despite the upgrades that the front office has made, there are some areas that needed to be addressed.

Position Watch: Running Backs:
Of all the position units, the running back unit will be the most scrutinized unit in the offense. Since Steven Jackson left to join the Atlanta Falcons, the unit is very young and unproven that Coach Fisher might adapt the running back by committee approach. On paper, Daryl Richardson would be the starter because of his performance in relief of Jackson but he still raw. Isaiah Pead was last year's 2nd round pick but he has not live up to his draft status and to make matters worse he is suspended for the season opener because of substance abuse. Zac Stacy is power runner who has the potential to become an 3rd down back because he lead the SEC in rushing for 2 straight year. The remaining runningback spots are being contested by Terrence Ganaway and Benny Cunningham. 

Position Watch: Offensive Line:
Out of the Five Offensive line position, only the Left Guard position is still open with Chris Williams leading the competition. Shelley Smith is the other candidate to contest the position. Football experts are still skeptical of this unit because most of the starters are back from injuries AND the depth is a bit thin in terms of value.

Rams are gonna adapt some "Air Raid" concepts on their offense

With Rams drafting Tavon Austin and his fellow college mate Stedman Bailey, the Rams are rumored to incorporate some of the plays of  the West Virginia's Air Raid offense. It made sense since those plays utilizes the skills of both players. As of this writing, it is reported that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer are working Austin also as a runningback since he has played the position in college. 

Having Austin as Running back specially in spread offense would give the sense of confusion how they will defend Austin. The Rams are very effective in running the no-huddle offense least season since Bradford has done that during his Oklahoma days and couple this with his new receivers who thrive also in a no-huddle type of offense, I can presume that they can become a prolific offense maybe rival the Air Martz offense of the Greatest Show in Turf days.

Undrafted Free Agent Watch

It's been a week or so after the NFL draft and each teams are scrambling to sign undrafted free agents to fill the training camp roster. Among UDFA's the Rams signed here are some the notables that I believe has the potential to make the 53 player roster limit.

Jonathan Stewart
Linebacker
Texas A & M

Even though the Rams drafted Alec Ogletree to fill one of the outside linebacker spot, the unit is quite thin in terms of depth. Stewart is a big linebacker (6'4") but lacks the athleticism compared to the other SEC linebackers but he is great against the run and has the straight line speed to be effective on blitz plays. Stewart can backup the middle or the strong side spots and is great in special teams.

Ray Ray Armstrong
Strong Safety
Miami

Cody Davis

Free Safety

Texas Tech

The Rams are very thin at the safety positions that they drafted T.J. McDonald to fill the free safety position while Darian Stewart is penciled in at Strong Safety but has been injured last season. Jeff Fisher preferred his safeties big so they sign two big ones in Cody Davis (6'2" 205 lbs.) and Ray Ray Armstrong (6'3"  216 lbs.) Davis was one of Texas Tech's team captains and he is good in coverage while Armstrong has been out of football since 2011 due to character issues but has been projected to be a top 5 Strong Safety prospect prior to his ejection from the team.

With virtually three defensive back coaches in the Rams staff (Head Coach Jeff Fisher, Defensive Coordinator Tim Walton and DB Coach Chuck Cecil), I won't be surprise that these two supplants Rodney McCleod and Matt Daniels.

Robert Steeples
Cornerback
Memphis

Steeples is one of the those big cornerbacks who know Tim Walton because he played for him in Memphis in 2008. The only problem with Steeples is that he needs to bulk up (he's current reported weight is 190 lbs). once he does that he can challenge Quinton Porter for the 5th cornerback spot.

Rams 2013 Post Draft Review

The NFL draft is in the books and St. Louis Rams management was able to fill the needs with high value picks. As a long time Rams fan I would like to share my opinion about each pick and grade them accordingly.  Take note that this review is based on my personal research of each prospects' scouting reports online.

Round 1 - Pick #8
Tavon Austin
Wide Receiver/Return specialist
West Virginia

Grade: A

It very clear that Rams management are in love with Tavon Austin since they held the private workout in Morgantown, WV. They are very impressed with Austin to the point that they trade up and draft him ahead of the Jets (who are rumored to be very interested with Austin too). Austin is practically an upgrade to Danny Amendola and will surely create mismatches against opposing teams. Aside from filling the slot receiver spot, Austin is penciled in as the team's kick and punt returner taking over for the ineffective Janoris Jenkins and Isaiah Pead.

Round 1 - Pick #30
Alec Ogletree
Outside Linebacker
Georgia

Grade: A-

If at first the Rams traded up to grab Austin, the Rams traded down from #22 to #30 and was still able to get their man. I suspect that the Rams where waiting to see if Kenny Vaccaro would drop to them but unfortunately the Saints pick him up by pick #15. So the Rams traded down and was able to fill the next area of need which the OLB spot. Alec Ogletree is the best cover linebacker in this class and should probably fill the other linebacker spot.

Round 3 pick#71
T.J. McDonald
Free Safety
USC

Grade: B+

The Rams finally addressed one glaring need by pick USC's T.J. McDonald. The son of former Pro Bowl safety Tim McDonald, this big, hard hitting safety is what Jeff Fisher likes in his safeties. Most draft experts question his coverage skills and viewed as a 4th or 5th rounder but Jeff Fisher viewed otherwise. I personally grade this a B+ as it will be determine by training camp.

Round 3 pick#92
Stedman Bailey
Wide Receiver
West Virginia

Grade: A-

It's now clear why the Rams QB's where smiling too much during the private workouts at West Virginia. Not only they where impressed by Tavon Austin but also with his fellow wide receiver buddy Stedman Bailey.  Bailey will be the possession receiver that Rams needed since the departure of Brandon Gibson. Even at 5'10" Bailey is also explosive and can play outside or at the slot. With him and Austin, the Rams can exploit some mismatches in opposing defenses.

Round 4 pick#113

Barrett Jones
Guard/Center
Alabama
Grade:A
I considered this as a steal for the Rams as Jones is very versatile that he can play ALL five positions very well that he has won Awards as the nations top offensive lineman. He is also very intelligent and a team player. I would assume Jones drop this low because of their concerns with his history of injuries. Jones will likely start at LG if not a backup to all five spots.

Round 5 pick#149 
Brandon McGee Cornerback Miami Grade:B McGee not only fills the need for a cornerback depth left by Bradley Fletcher but also a good special teams player because of speed and is very physical his specialty is the "gunner" during punts and kick offs.








Round 5 pick#160 
Zac Stacy
Running back
Vanderbilt
Grade:B
The Rams traded all 6th round pick to trade up in the 5th round and pick Zac Stacy. Stacy is not the typical "Big running back" in the Steven Jackson sense but he is.more of a compact "between the tackles" running back in the Ray Rice sense. .

How the Rams will utilize Tavon Austin

The reason why the Rams trade up to take Tavon Austin as the 8th overall pick is because of the unlimited potential of playing him anywhere in the offense may it be as a slot receiver or as a receiver out of the backfield. He is also a good kick and punt returner (similar to Darren Sproles).

Despite his stature, he is virtually durable and a sure handed receiver with blinding quickness.

Final Rams Mock Draft

With only two days before the annual NFL draft, I just want to share my final Rams mock draft based on my personal research and reading some scouting reports online. The mock draft will be based on the current number of picks.

Round 1 pick #16
Kenny Vaccaro
Safety - Texas
The Rams are fairly thin at both safety positions and they need playmakers on that position. Kenny Vaccaro is a hybrid safety that can play either strong or free safety to which Jeff Fisher likes.

Round 1 pick #22
DeAndre Hopkins
Wide Receiver - Clemson
Rams needs an upgrade on their outside receiver position with the loss of Brandon Gibson.  "Nuke" Hopkins is by far the most NFL ready wide receiver with the possibility of becoming one the top receiver since Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.

Round 2 pick #16
Kyle Long
Guard/Tackle - Oregon
I picked Long because he's versatile, athletic and has the pedigree. Long can practically fill the LG spot or the RT spot if encase Saffold doesn't pan out.

Round 3 pick#16
Khaseem Greene
Outside Linebacker - Rutgers
Rams urgently need to upgrade their SLB and Greene would be their best cover linebacker.

Round 4 pick #16
Le'Veon Bell
Running Back -Michigan State
Le'Veon Bell has been my choice as the big running back that Jeff Fisher likes.

Round 5 pick#16
Brian Schwenke
Guard/Center
Rams need add depth at interior of the offensive line specially at the center position because of Scott Wells' health concerns.

Round 6 pick #16
Terry Hawthorne
Cornerback - Illinois
I like Hawthorne because he a physical corner which I compared to Courtland Finnegan.  He'll be the Dime Corner back which can cover the slot receivers or big Tight Ends.

Round 7 pick#16
Ace Sanders
Wide Receiver/Return specialist
South Carolina
Sanders will be upgrade over Janoris Jenkins or Chris Givens as the teams return specialist while adding depth at wide receiver.

My Updated Rams Mock Draft

With the latest news that most draft experts expect that Tavon Austin will be off the boards before the Rams pick at #16 so I updated my latest mock draft.

Round 1a - Kenny Vaccaro, FS
Round 1b (trade down) - Kyle Long OT/OG
Round 2- Terrence Williams, WR
Round 3a- Marcus Lattimore, RB
Round 3b- Barrett Jones OG/C
Round 4- Zaviar Gooden, OLB
Round 5- T.J. Moe, WR/PR
Round 6- David Bass, DE
Round 7- Best CB available

Mock Draft Game 2013

I played as a virtual GM for the Rams on this virtual NFL draft game

http://first-pick.com/NFL/DraftGame.aspx and here are my picks and the grade
given per pick:


My Picks:
Round 1 Pick 16: Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia (A)
Round 1 Pick 22: Alec Ogletree, OLB, Georgia (A)
Round 2 Pick 17 (NYG): Jonathan Cyprien, SS, Florida International (A)
Round 3 Pick 19 (NYG): Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State (B-)
Round 3 Pick 20 (MIA): Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State (B)
Round 4 Pick 14 (MIA): D.J. Swearinger, FS, South Carolina (B+)
Round 4 Pick 22 (WASH): Justin Pugh, OG, Syracuse (A)
Round 5 Pick 21 (WASH): Khaled Holmes, C, Southern California (A)
Round 5 Pick 29 (WASH): Adrian Bushell, CB, Louisville (A)
Round 6 Pick 16: David Bass, DE, Missouri Western State (A-)
Round 7 Pick 16: Michael Williams, TE, Alabama (A)

Had I traded down on the 1st round I could at least get another WR somewhere. By the end of the draft I should assume the Rams sign T.J. Moe who goes undrafted at the end of this virtual draft.

Missing out on Kenny Vaccarro resulted on me picking both Cyprien and Swearinger.

My 2013 Rams Mock Draft

This is another offseason on which I considered a "work in progress" as the Rams where able upgrade key areas of the offense by signing Pro Bowl LT Jake Long and TE Jared Cook. With these signings the upcoming draft will at least focus on area left void by the loss of Danny Amendola and All-Pro Steven Jackson.

Round 1A: FS Kenny Vaccaro (Texas)
The Rams needed some serious upgrade at FS as Craig Dahl has been targeted many times by opposing QB. Vaccaro can cover slot receivers and TE's and he is also good in run support.

Round 1B:  WR DeAndre Hopkins (Clemson)
The Rams needs to replace the loss of Brandon Gibson and Hopkins is one of those late 1st round WR's available.

Round 2: OT/OG Kyle Long (Oregon)
The Rams needed some depth at OT spot as well as possible starter at LG. Kyle Long is physical freak and is good in both run and pass blocking.

Round 3: Zaviar Gooden SLB (Missouri)
The Rocky MacIntosh experiment is a failure and Mario Haggans is 32. Gooden is considered the best LB in terms of pass coverage.

Round 4: Le'Von Bell RB (Michigan State)
With the loss of Steve Jackson, the Rams needed a big back to compliment Daryl Richardson

Round 5: Barrett Jones OG/C (Alabama)
Jones is one most versatile lineman in this draft and can play all five positions but his strength is at either at guard or a center. Jones can be the solution to the loss of Rob Turner.

Round 6: David Bass DE (Missouri Western)
Bass is one of those potential gems coming from the small school is Missouri Western which Greg Zuerlein attended too.

Round 7: T.J. Moe WR (Missouri)
Another Missouri product which I view as a member much tougher version of Danny Amendola.