Ramblin' Fan » Harvey Dahl

PFT Has Rams 28th In Power Rankings

Justin Stine — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:23:14 +0000

September 20, 2009; Landover, MD, USA; St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Jason Smith (77) during the game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-US PRESSWIRE

I am a regular reader of ProFootballTalk.com, but that doesn’t mean I agree with everything they have to say. PFT is doing their annual power rankings for the upcoming season, and they slotted the Rams in at 28 of the 32 teams. I don’t know if I disagree with the ranking so much (although I would probably put them in front of a few more teams), but I do take issue with some of the explanation.

First, here is what they had to say about the offensive line. “On paper, St. Louis arguably has the worst offensive line in football. Left tackle Rodger Saffold is considered the team’s top lineman, and he’s coming off a bad season. 2011 free-agent signing Harvey Dahl didn’t spark the group’s play in his first season with the Rams. Scott Wells was signed away from Green Bay to solidify center, but there is a huge hole at left guard. And at least based on recent performance, Jason Smith can be classified among the likes of Wayne Hunter (Jets) and Jeromey Clary (Chargers) as one of the weakest right tackles in the game. Smith has been a brutal bust as the former second overall pick in the draft.”

I’m not going to sit here and say that the Rams have a great offensive line, but I think the group is better than they are being given credit. I completely disagree with the assessment of Smith, and I think the addition of Wells is going to impact the line more than expected. The hole at left guard is a worry, but it can be filled.

“The NFC West has long been considered the weakest division in football, and there is pretty much every reason to believe the Rams are its weakest team. Five or six wins would be an accomplishment for this roster.”

I’m not going to take issue with 5 or 6 wins as an accomplishment, but I don’t know if it’s a foregone conclusion that they are the weakest team in the West either. I’m not sold on Arizona or Seattle, so let’s not put the Rams in the 2012 cellar just yet.

Rams WR Austin Pettis Suspended

Justin Stine — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:44:54 +0000

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for the St. Louis Rams, the NFL announced on Wednesday that rookie WR Austin Pettis has been suspended for 4 weeks for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. According to the report, Pettis will miss the final two games this season and the first two next season, but he will be able to participate in all offseason team activities and preseason practices and games next season. Here is a statement from Pettis to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

“I apologize to the St. Louis Rams, my teammates, and our fans for making a poor decision that led to my suspension. I tried Adderall, but I failed to follow the proper procedures set forth by the NFL before using such medication. I accept full responsibility and must endure the consequences for my action. I promise to emerge on the other side of this suspension as a better person and player.”

Not that I’m giving him a free pass, but I think it is pretty obvious by looking at him that he isn’t on steroids. I’ve never personally tried Adderall, but I know people who are on it and I don’t think it would give him much of a competitive edge on the football field. I guess it would help him focus, but it’s irrelevant because everyone knows how serious the NFL is about their drug policy. If you put any substance in your body and you are a player in the league, and you don’t do your homework and go above and beyond to make sure it’s clear, then you deserve the suspension. I don’t agree with it, but the rules are pretty clear. More on next page…

Madden 12 Rams Rankings

Justin Stine — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:10:52 +0000

For those of you gamers out there, the new installation of the Madden football series was released on Tuesday. I checked out the game and it was excellent, but I was more concerned with the rankings the Rams and individual players on the team received. Overall, I have to say I was pretty happy with most of it, and I thought the developers did a pretty nice job with the team. Now, the roster I saw hadn’t been updated with the new players yet, but the main players were pretty well-ranked. Maybe most importantly, the Rams were the highest ranked team in the NFC West, checking in at 78 overall.

Starting with the quarterback position, Sam Bradford received an 85 overall ranking, which is pretty solid. Steven Jackson was a 94 overall, and Donnie Avery was the top-ranked receiver currently on the roster with a 76 overall (and 96 speed). I thought Illini Mike was rated a bit low at 67 (behind Billy Bajema (72) and Lance Kendricks (71)), and the offensive line got good marks with Jacob Bell and Jason Smith both at 87, Jason Brown at 86, and Rodger Saffold at 83. I would rank Bell a bit lower and Saffold a bit higher, but that’s pretty solid as a group, and it doesn’t even include Harvey Dahl, who might be the best player on the line. Defense and special teams are after the jump.