Well Matt Walsh finally gave the elusive spygate tapes to the NFL, but not THE tape. According to FoxSports ”The tapes sent to the NFL show the Patriots recorded signals in regular-season games against Miami, Buffalo, Cleveland and San Diego, and against Pittsburgh in the 2002 AFC championship game.” Walsh is now supposed to meet with Roger Goodell next Tuesday. What happend to that tape of the Rams walkthrough? Walsh’s lawyer stated that Walsh never said he had a tape of the St. Louis Rams Superbowl walkthrough. How convenient that the tape that started most of this investigation now does not exist. More Spygate? What are your thoughts? I for one hate the Patriots and the mad genius and the love fest that ESPN has with this team and Boston for that matter. I think it is simple we won Superbowl XXXVI, case over.

After getting cut from the Cleveland Browns, Tony Temple was invited to the Buffalo Bills mini-camp. With back to back 1000 yard seasons for the Missouri Tigers and 4.47 speed Tony has a good shot at making an NFL club in 2008. Temple was ranked 33rd on the nfldraftcountdown list of running backs in the 2008 NFL Draft.

NFLDRAFTCOUNTDOWN

Strengths:
Good athleticism…A natural runner with good patience, vision and instincts…Plays faster than he times…Tough and runs hard…Terrific balance and agility…Might be able to contribute as a return man…He will break some tackles..Pretty productive.

Zacrey Atterberry P from Lindenwood University signed with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday as a rookie free agent. Zacrey can really boom the ball and it is great to see a local player from an NAIA school get a chance in the NFL. Brad Maynard is the Chicago Bears current punter. Brad is 34 and averaged 41.8 yards per kick, with a 37.4 yard net average in 2007. Brad was 25th in the league in average and 16th in net average. Sounds like Zacrey will have a shot. Let’s wish him luck. If you have any pictures of Zacrey please send them and we will post one here.

The Bleacherreport.com reports:

So who are some of the top players from schools you’ve probably never heard of? Here’s my list of this years potential draftees:

Zacrey Atterberry, P, Lindenwood: Atterberry averaged 41.6 yards per punt with a long of 72 for the NAIA school out of Missouri. The Lions compete in the Heart of America Athletic Conference – I don’t even have a joke for that – and finished with a 10-2 record this year. If Atterberry wants to stay in the Heart of America, he’s going to have some difficulties, though – St. Louis Rams punter Donnie Jones averaged over 47 yards per kick last year.

The St. Louis Rams agreed to terms with 12 rookie free agents on April 28th. I heard the names of many of these players before the draft and during the late rounds. The Rams almost made Marc Magro Mr. Irrelevant. Once again the Rams are looking at production. These players simply made plays in college. I am a big fan of these pick ups. I believe camp is going to be very interesting. I do not think there will be many free passes given to veteran players in 2008. Are the Rams actually improving? If you are a fan of any of these college players send us your thoughts on their chances of making the Rams.  

The Players:

Name, Pos. … Ht., Wt. … College

Yvenson Bernard, RB … 5-8, 204 … Oregon State

Vernon Bryant, DT … 6-2, 285 … Hampton

Matt Caddell, WR … 6-0, 187 … Alabama

Vincent Hall, LB … 5-11, 238 … Virginia Tech

Rodney Hardeway, DE … 6-3, 230 … Louisiana-Lafayette

Joshua Hyman, WR … 5-11, 191 … Virginia Tech

Doug Jones, TE … 6-4, 275 … Cincinnati

Marc Magro, LB … 6-3, 240 … West Virginia

Brandon McAnderson, FB … 5-11, 238 … Kansas

Justin McKinney, CB … 5-10, 188 … Kansas State

Stephen Sene, OT … 6-5, 326 … Liberty

Joshua Thompson, DT … 6-0, 301 … Auburn

The 2008 ESPN franchise rankings have been released and the St Louis Rams are coming in at #111. We would also like to point out that Ramblinfan.com has been mentioned in the on-line version of the article. I don’t know what is more surprising the fact that we were able to get into the article or the fact that there are 2 coaches ranked worse than Scott Linehan! Sorry that was a cheap shot but we had to take it. We also had more issues with the Rams over the weekend. The Rams Draft Day Party was from 1PM-5PM CST. Why was it scheduled like that? The 2008 NFL Draft started at 2PM, so we were allowed to stay in the dome for 3 hours of the draft. That is nice but at 5PM the Rams still had not made their 2nd pick. So basically after the Rams took Chris Long with the #2 overall pick around 2:10PM people were leaving since you would not even see the complete 1st round coverage while at the Edward Jones Dome.

Last Year’s Rank: 81
Title Track: 32
Ownership: 109
Coaching: 120
Players: 109
Fan Relations: 109
Affordability: 111
Stadium Experience: 114
Bang for the Buck: 111

Seems like just yesterday this was the “Greatest Show on Turf.” Now fans sound as if they just want this circus to leave town. At the very least, another big top is in order: The Edward Jones Dome has awful acoustics and dim lighting and remains behind the high-tech times. “The once-state-of-the-art JumboTron is now like a 20″ TV in a hall of plasmas,” grumbles Vincent Vitale of http://ramblinfan.com. And the stadium’s proximity to both the Big Muddy and the Lumière Casino results in a dearth of tailgate real estate too. “There are little pods of tailgaters instead of one massive party,” Vitale complains. And even if the team hadn’t stumbled through a 3-13 season, those $8 stadium brews (yes, the NFL’s priciest brewski is poured in Anheuser-Busch country) would make a comfortable spot for a pregame sixer a necessity. -Andy Kamenetzky

Well I am not a big fan of NFL draft grades but since everyone seems to want to know my thoughts I thought I would just share with you a few of the many St. Louis Rams draft grades out on the internet already. I would like to point out that zero of the 252 players drafted have ever played one player in the NFL. Grades? Hmmmmmmm I don’t think it is quite time for grades yet, but some publications do, so enjoy. Overal the St. Louis Rams seem to be getting about a C average on there NFL draft grade. I sure hope we can move to the front of the class in 2008. 

 YAHOO C+

Long should be an impact player right away and boosts the grade, but the rest of the class leaves a lot to be desired. Taking smallish Avery over Devin Thomas or James Hardy was a head-scratcher. Avery put up big yardage numbers as a senior but scored “only” seven touchdowns, and rarely played against the kind of competition Thomas and Hardy faced. Greco could eventually develop into a starter. King has all the skills but can’t seem to put it together.

 USA TODAY C+

Much internal debate but they went with Chris Long, seeking some pressure from the edge, over DT Glenn Dorsey. Only got 5½ sacks from DEs last year and Leonard Little will soon be 34. Looks like not only a safe pick but a good one. WR Donnie Avery went too high but the Rams love the speed and have the positional need. CB Justin King should be the nickel back right away. They failed to address their o-line issues.

DRAFTSEASON B-

The Rams made the right call by taking Chris Long at no. 2 overall, as Adam Carriker is better suited to play inside. They reached badly when they made Donnie Avery the first receiver off the board. They rebounded nicely with two day 2 steals; Justin King in the 4th and Roy Schuening in the 5th.

CBS SPORTSLINE B

I love Long and second-round receiver Donnie Avery is a perfect slot receiver for their offense.

Best pick: Defensive end Chris Long, the second player taken in the draft, will be a star. He was my top-rated player in the draft.

Questionable move: Passing on Dorsey to take Long. Their careers are now tied together for as long as they play.

Second-day gem: Cornerback Justin King is an athletic corner who didn’t always play up to his ability. Maybe defensive coordinator Jim Haslett can get it out of him.

FREEP C+

Much internal debate but they went with Chris Long, seeking some pressure from the edge, over DT Glenn Dorsey. Only got 5½ sacks from DEs last year and Leonard Little will soon be 34. Looks like not only a safe pick but a good one. WR Donnie Avery went too high but the Rams love the speed and have the positional need. CB Justin King should be the nickel back right away. They failed to address their o-line issues.

The St. Louis Rams selected David Vobora LB - Idaho with the 252nd overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. David Vobora is now the 2008 Mr. Irrelevant. David is another great athlete and possible special teamer. David made over 330 tackles in college while at Idaho. Scott Linehan use to be a coach at Idaho so maybe he knows more about David than most? Mel Kiper said on ESPN that he thinks David will make the St. Louis Rams roster. I am not a big Mel Kiper fan but it is good to know that at least he did not see this pick as a joke as some do. Just remember Tom Brady was a 6th round draft choice, and Marques Colston was a 7th round pick.  

Watch David’s Combine Workout HERE

The St. Louis Rams selected Chris Chamberlain LB/S - Tulsa with the 228th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. NFL.com says Chamberlin was the guy who ended up wowing scouts with his incredible workout. His measurables and skills are impressive. He has a chance to compete for a roster spot and should be a good special teams player. (6-1 5/8, 226), ran the (40) in 4.75 and 4.67, had a 34.5” Vertical jump, 9’6” broad jump, 4.09 short shuttle, 6.87 (3 cone). He worked out at the safety position and looked very good. Chris is another great athlete and possible special teamer. Chris made over 350 tackles in college and may project to SS in the Pros.  

The St. Louis Rams selected Roy Schuening OG - Oregon State with the 157th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The Rams are adding more O-line depth here with Schuening. At 6′4″ and 305 pounds this is another large versitile body for the Rams to work with. John Greco and Roy Schuening have both been mentioned as being like Logan Mankins. Roy is listed as the #3 OG on nfldraftcountdown which means he could be a steal at pick number 157 in the 5th round. The Rams suddenly have about 10 bodies to choose from for their O-line. Hopefully youth and competite will help this line shape up for 08′.

See Roy in action:

The St. Louis Rams selected Keenan Burton WR - Kentucky with the 128th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The run on speed continues. Keenan can run a 4.45 40 and can also return kicks. Keenan is great after the catch, which is why Scott Linehan likes Donnie Avery. I like the fact he knows how to score. Keenan had 21 touchdowns over the last two years at Kentucky. At 6′ and 205 pounds he is more physical than Donnie Avery. This could be a player we can use to go over the middle. Injury issues have dropped him down this far in the draft. Keep that speed on special teams coming. Hopefully will compete with Avery for the #3 receiver position in 08′

See Keenan in action: