September 1, 2011; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams during the first quarter of a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans at the Louisiana Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

I wanted to address this issue last night, but the server was down and I was unable to get anything posted. By now pretty much everyone has heard about the New Orleans Saints “bounty” saga, and everyone knows that new Rams defensive coordinator is at the center of this entire scandal. First of all, I know I’m probably going to take some heat for my position on this, so let me preface my opinion by saying that I in no way condone intentionally injuring another human being in any walk of life, especially in football. To target another man’s health and livelihood is never the right answer.

With that being said, I have to say that I’m not going to hammer Williams for this whole deal. First of all, there’s no way the Saints and Williams are the only ones in the league who have this kind of “pay for play” policy within the organization. It seems to me that this is a situation where everyone is doing it, but someone always has to take the fall. The Saints are that team in this instance. Also, I want to give Williams credit for releasing a statement through the Rams right away when the news broke taking responsibility for his actions and apologizing. It doesn’t clear him of wrongdoing or anything, but he manned up and owned his role in the situation instead of hiding behind someone else.

Now, on to the real reason I don’t want to kill Williams over this. The Rams have been a notoriously “soft” team over the last several years, and I think that reputation is deserved. I’m not going to put all the blame on former coach Steve Spagnuolo, but his four pillars didn’t exactly allow for the team to bring in many guys who have that nasty streak in them. I like that we have a defensive coordinator who is serious about his unit being tough and being feared by the opposition. Did he take it too far with the “bounty” and “killshot” bonuses? You bet he did. But this also proves that he demands a certain level of play from his players. I want the Rams’ defense to be a unit that makes other teams scared to come play. I want quarterbacks on other teams to be intimidated because they know they are going to get hit hard and hit often when they play the Rams. I want receivers to be afraid to come across the middle when they play the Rams. Williams might have gone about this thing the wrong way, but at least we know we have a coach who is going to bring an edge to this group that hasn’t been there recently. If Hall of Famers Brett Favre and Kurt Warner, two guys who had bounties put on their heads, don’t have a hug problem with this, then I don’t think I do either.

The Combine Report will be back in the coming days, as we still have the entire defensive side of the ball to look at. Make sure you check back for the updates.

Feb 26, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Lamichael James does running drills during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

The running backs are up here at the Combine Report, and I have to say that I was impressed with this group. With top back Trent Richardson not working out, I still saw some nice talent from those who were on the field. I don’t know how many top guys there are in this group, but there are some very solid players that can be had in the middle rounds. The Rams are going to need to get in the market for a back at some point, so I was very focused on this group during workouts.

Guys Who Impressed Me: LaMichael James, Chris Rainey, David Wilson, Doug Martin, Chris Polk.

There are some interesting guys in this group. James is a guy I have seen a ton of in college while he was at Oregon, and I thought he looked outstanding. He’s small and fast, and he’s going to be a Darren Sproles-type player in the NFL. The Rams could certainly use his game-breaking skills, and he will likely be available late second or early third. Rainey is another fast player who has a ton a highlight-reel tape from his time at Florida. Wilson, Martin and Polk all looked like they could be every-down backs at the next level, and Wilson was probably the most impressive back overall at the workouts. Polk is a guy I liked a lot heading into this thing, and he didn’t do anything to change my mind. Lamar Miller from Miami ran a 4.40 40 which was the fastest time in the group as well.

Guys Who Disappointed Me: Davin Meggett, Darrell Scott, Marc Tyler

Meggett ran a pretty solid 40, but I thought he really struggled with some of the workouts. I thought he might be a sleeper, but I don’t think he helped his cause. Scott and Tyler did not look good catching the ball at all, and I didn’t see a great burst out of him. Scott is a big back who also struggled catching the ball, but he is probably just going to be a power running if he gets to the league. Some of these route-running drills aren’t really fair to the big guys, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are the workouts and Scott and Tyler struggled.

Feb 26, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck jumps to loosen his legs before running the 40 yard dash during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Before I get started here, I just want to say something. I in no way want the Rams to draft Robert Griffin III, and I firmly believe in Sam Bradford as the future at the quarterback position here in St. Louis. With that being said, I am absolutely in love with RG3 after seeing him at the combine. Not only is he a freak athlete, but he has touch on deep balls and he can make all the throws (which was evident on tape since he didn’t throw at the combine). What really got me was when he was on set with the NFL Network crew after his group’s workout on Sunday. He is well-spoken, intelligent, and he said all the right things during the interview. The guys asked him some tough questions, and he answered them all and did it quite impressively. He is going to be special, and the Rams are going to have teams beating down the door to trade up to number two to get him.

Now, on to the second group of quarterbacks and receivers. This group was a little tougher to break down since the NFL Network was talking about other things while they were on the field, so this assessment is going to be a little shorter than the other one.

Guys Who Impressed Me: QB – Andrew Luck, Ryan Lindley, Russell Wilson, B.J. Coleman. WR – Reuben Randle, Brian Quick, Devon Wylie, AJ Jenkins

On the quarterbacks, Luck didn’t throw but his athleticism really shocked me. He ran a much faster 40 than I expected, and his vert and broad jump were also outstanding. He is still going to be the top pick, and he might be better than I expected. Lindley is a guy I had my eye on heading into the combine, and I thought he really put on a nice show throwing the ball. Wilson might be short, but he was probably the most impressive member of this group in the drills. His athleticism was excellent, and I loved him throwing the ball and I loved his attitude. This guy is going to succeed if he gets a chance in the NFL. Coleman is a small-school guy, but he looked like the real deal. I didn’t really know what to make of him going into this thing, but he looked like a legit NFL prospect.

Randle is a guy that is rising up boards, and I really liked what he did catching the ball. He is big and long, and he showed he can make tough catches. Quick looked outstanding from start to finish, and although he is from a smaller school, I think he really helped his stock. Wylie was my favorite player from this group. He is fast, he worked hard and gave effort throughout the workout. He is a return guy as well, and I really think someone is going to get a steal when they draft him. Jenkins had some nice moments, and I think he’s going to be a very good NFL player.

Guys Who Disappointed Me: QB – Brandon Weeden, Ryan Tannehill WR – Dwight Jones, Gerrell Robinson.

Weeden will probably be a pretty nice NFL QB, but I thought he really struggled early on in the throwing portion of the workout. He got better as the session went on, but at age 28 he has very little room for error going into this draft. Tannehill couldn’t work out as he recovers from injury, but he did measure in with very small hands. I don’t think it will hurt him too badly, but that is a little bit of a concern.

There is always at least one guy who really hurts himself with his attitude/effort at the combine, and Jones was that guy this season. He looked lost at times, and he really just looked like he didn’t want to be there. The coaches on the field were on him hard, and I think he could have seriously hurt his stock. Robinson really struggled to catch the ball, which surprised me. I didn’t have him that high on my board  to begin with, but I don’t think he helped his cause much.

The running backs are up next, so make sure to keep checking back.