Rams expected to ink all but 2 by Monday
The St Louis Rams have been busy this past week The re-signed S OJ Atogwe and have or are expect to have inked deals for nearly all their draft picks.
The Rams have signed many of their draft picks and as the details continue to emerge, we’ll keep you posted but this is what we are hearing as of right now.
St Louis signed CB Jerome Murphy to a 4 year deal worth slightly less than 3 million dollars.
The Rams have signed USF DE George Selvie to a 4 year contract worth 1.8 million dollars. LB Josh Hull is reportedly signed.
The two players who are not expected to be signed this weekend is the #1 pick overall, QB Sam Bradford and tackle Roger Saffold.
Rams re-sign Atogwe
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The St. Louis Rams defense got a boost Wednesday. S OJ Atogwe decided he’d resign with the team. The Rams had tendered Atogwe a shockingly low offer of 1,226,000 dollars and he skipped all voluntary workouts. Atogwe refused to sign his tender offer and became a free agent but drew a small amount of interest from other teams and was reportedly not offered a contract from any other team.
The Rams signed Atogwe to a five year deal and he’ll provide a dominate force in the Rams secondary for 2010 and beyond.
Sam Bradford starts when?
So the St. Louis Rams are going to have to get ready to write a very large check to Sam Bradford. A check which might include as much as 50 million dollars guaranteed before he ever takes his first snap in an NFL regular season game. People complain about owners and their money, but I know I’d have a hard time writing out a check like that for a player that isn’t proven yet at the NFL level.
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So when exactly will Bradford start for the Rams in 2010? Bradford himself explains even he has no idea in this interview with NFL.com.
Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo has already claimed that veteran journeyman A.J. Feeley was going to start the 2010 campaign for the Rams. So 50 million in guaranteed money was spent for ……………what exactly?
Feeley isn’t holding down the ship of a franchise getting ready for a major playoff push in 2010. Rams fans are well aware that St Louis has averaged 2 wins a season for the past 3 years. Last season, first round quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Josh Freeman struggled but they experienced different outcomes. Freeman had over 20 turnovers in 9 games with the Buccaneers and Sanchez, despite tossing twenty interceptions, advanced his team to the AFC Championship game on the back of a fantastic defensive squad.
So how long should Bradford sit? 3 games? 5 games? Ultimately it’s up to head coach Steve Spagnuolo but I’d throw him in in week 1. Let’s be honest here. The Rams need help in a lot of positions on the roster. Bradford is looking at 50 million guaranteed. Feeley is two to three years away from being out of the league completely. The Rams have a very young, unproven receiving corps. Rookie Mardy Gilyard, Laurent Robinson recovering for injury, Donnie Avery, let Bradford play with these young guys and see what develops.
Stop putting these young quarterbacks on the shelf after giving them 10′s of millions of dollars in guaranteed money. Throw them out there in week 1 and let them learn. If they can’t learn, well you just drafted another Ryan Leaf. If they do learn, you just hit a home run. After all, this isn’t someone you chose in round 5 of the draft as a developmental quarterback, this is a player who will sign a contract which he most likely could buy a third of the country of Costa Rica with that you believe will lead your team for the next decade. If I owned the franchise, you bet your happy ass, you’d be out there at every single snap Mr. Bradford.
These players have had every aspect of their lives taken care of since they were in Pop Warner and could throw further, or run faster than all the other players. The special treatment carried into high school and college and now it’s time to prove that you are worth that insane amount of money.
Coach Spagnuolo, start Bradford week 1. Let’s see what you’ve got.
Rams ink DT
The St. Louis Rams have added a veteran free agent defensive lineman today. According to Adam Schefter on Twitter, the Rams signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers DT Chris Hovan.
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The 32 year old Boston College product has spent the past 5 seasons with the Buccaneers and played for the Minnesota Vikings prior to his time with Tampa. Hovan has recorded 408 career tackles and 22 sacks in his 11 year career and is widely known as a great presence in the locker room.
Issac Bruce signed
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The St. Louis Rams signed Issac Bruce on Monday in a move which will allow the Ram great to retire as a Ram. Bruce was a member of the 49′er’s the past two seasons and saw his production drop off significantly in 2009 recording only 21 receptions for 264 yards in limited action.
The Memphis product recorded 16 seasons in the NFL and was an integral part of the Rams Super Bowl runs as part of the “Greatest Show on Turf”.
Bruce had a stellar career recording 1024 receptions for 15,208 yards and 91 touchdowns. Bruce’s best season came in his second year when he caught 119 passes for 13 touchdowns and 1781 yards.
Bruce is expected to hold his retirement on Wednesday at Rams Park.
