Ramblin' Fan » rookie wage scale

Rams Getting Ready To Sign Rookies

Justin Stine — Mon, 28 May 2012 10:27:11 +0000

May 23, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers (90) looks on during an OTA at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

There has been some concern within Rams Nation about the delay in the signing of this year’s crop of rookies. Never fear, however, because that issue will soon be taken care of. According to GM Les Snead, the Rams will start negotiations this week after the holiday has passed, and Snead also said that the entire group will be signed by the end of the minicamp that runs from June 12-14.

Apparently, the decision to delay contract negotiations is to allow the players to better acclimate themselves to the NFL so the transition from college is seamless. I don’t know if that’s going to make a big difference in the transition, but it doesn’t really matter. The guys aren’t going to miss any time, and negotiations should be short and easy thanks to the rookie wage scale.

All of you out there who have been voicing concern on this issue can rest easy. These guys are all going to be members of this team soon, and everything is all good.

New Momentum On Deal

Justin Stine — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:12:13 +0000

First of all, let me say that I will be heading out of town to Cincinnati for Cardinals-Reds this weekend for a bachelor party, but I will try my best to post while I’m gone, especially considering the news to come from lockout negotiations today. According to pretty much every source I can find, the players and owners shocked the world on Thursday as the two sides apparently agreed on a rookie wage scale and are now as close as they have ever been to a deal. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen thinks we could have a deal in the next 24-48 hours, and Sal Paolantonio thinks the deal in now on a fast track.

Well, where did this come from? You got me. Every report before today pretty much said that things were not going well, so it’s amazing to me that all of a sudden the two sides are on the same page. It’s hard not to believe what all of these insiders are saying, but as I said in a previous post, I’m back in cynical mode so I’m not buying in just yet. My hopes have been raised too many times during this thing, so I’m not going to feel better until a deal is actually in place. I would advise the less pessimistic of you to be very excited about today’s developments, but I just can’t handle another heartbreak.

Talks Starting Back Up Wednesday

Justin Stine — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 04:32:15 +0000

I keep hearing about how the two sides are expecting a deal to get done in the next 7-10 days, but considering it took until Wednesday this week before Roger Goodell and De Smith were in the same room, you can color me skeptical. The rookie wage scale continues to be the main sticking point of talks according to insiders, but it sounds to me like the players are not going to be willing to budge on that issue or especially on the right of first refusal. As much hope as we have had over the last week or so, I’m starting to fall back into eternal pessimism when it comes to this lockout. Every time we hear the thing is about done, it blows up and a new set of problems is in the news. I have decided that I’m now shifting into “I’ll believe it when I see it” mode when it comes to the lockout being “close” to over.

For what it’s worth, it sounds like the Hall of Fame game is in some serious jeopardy, and it’s to the point where many people I have talked to said the two sides are looking at the July 22 date as the target as opposed to July 15, which is what it would likely take for the HOF game to still take place. If the deal is in place by July 22, the season will happen in full minus the HOF game, and it looks like that’s where we are heading. Of course, every time we think something is a sure thing, the opposite happens, so I guess you shouldn’t give up on the Rams and Bears just yet.