June 12, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) talks with wide receivers during minicamp at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

I got an email from Zac Snyder, our editor over at Sidelion Report, asking me to answer some questions about the Rams for a preview he is doing for the Lions. After I originally didn’t see the email for about a week, Zac emailed me again on Wednesday and I answered his questions. After thinking about it, I thought I’d share my answers with everyone here and offer the opportunity for you to agree or disagree with whatever I had to say.

1. What is your opinion of the Rams’ 2012 draft?

It’s hard to judge a draft until you see the players in action, but on paper I think the Rams did an outstanding job in the 2012 NFL Draft. Michael Brockers is exactly what we needed in the middle of the defensive line, and I think one of the best picks of the entire draft by any team was getting Janoris Jenkins in the second round. Brian Quick looks like he can be a very good NFL WR, but he might need some time to adjust to the league after coming from Appalachian St. I also really like the upside of Chris Givens and Roke Watkins, two guys the Rams got later in the draft. They didn’t address every hole on this roster, but they got a heck of a start.

2. Matthew Stafford had to prove doubters wrong after two injury filled seasons to start his NFL career, are any Rams fans having doubts about Sam Bradford?

Sam Bradford is probably the biggest question mark on this Rams team right now. I think most fans here in St. Louis believe that Bradford has the ability to be an elite QB, but recently there has been a growing concern that he suffered from “Cabin Fever” in the pocket last season and that me might struggle to recover. If the offensive line gives him time, I believe Bradford could take the league by storm just like Stafford did last year. I would say that there are a good number of Rams fans who aren’t as confident as I am, but overall I think Rams fans are willing to give him at least this season to prove himself.

3. What is the general feel around the fanbase regarding Jeff Fisher taking over as head coach?

The Jeff Fisher hiring has completely rejuvenated the fanbase here in St. Louis. I think the fans recognize that bringing in a guy who is proven as an NFL head coach is exactly what the Rams needed after striking out with Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo. Fisher brought a fantastic staff with him to St. Louis, and St. Louis fans truly believe that Fisher is going to get this thing turned around much like Dick Vermeil did when he came to town years ago.

4. How real of a possibility is it that the Rams don’t work out a resolution to their stadium situation and leave for another city?

I know plenty of people here in St. Louis who are highly concerned about the possibility of the team moving to LA. Personally, I feel like the chances are significantly lower than most people think, but there is a chance. Stan Kroenke hasn’t done anything to lead me to believe he wants to move the team out of St. Louis. He helped bring the team here in the first place, and he has opened the checkbook to make this team better ever since he took over as owner. If i were a betting man, I’d have no problem putting my money on the line in favor of the Rams staying put, but this is still an issue that could escalate if it doesn’t get resolved soon.

5. What are your expectations for the Rams this season?

It’s so hard for me to put expectations for the upcoming season on this team right now. We have made so many changes, both in the coaching staff and in player personnel, that I don’t know what’s realistic. I certainly think the team will be greatly improved from last year, but it’s hard to be much worse. I think this organization is a few years away from being a legit threat to make any kind of postseason noise, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the 2012 version of the Rams won anywhere from 4 at the low end to 9 or 10 if everything fell perfectly in place. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, so if I had to predict a record I would say 6-10.

Aug 13, 2011; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams general manager Billy Devaney before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

We haven’t heard much from former GM Billy Devaney since he was let go by the Rams following last season’s debacle, but Billy D made up for that in a big way when he joined Doug Farrar and Rob Rang on Chalk Talk Saturday. Devaney had plenty to say about what happened during last year’s 2-14 season, so let’s get into some of his quotes. I can’t get everything he said in here, but here are some of the highlights.

“I still ask myself that, almost every day,” Devaney said, in response to that question. “The short version is when I was named general manager, we were looking for a head coach. And went through the hiring process, had great candidates, and knew (Steve) Spagnuolo from way back when I worked at the Redskins, he was an intern, so they hired Spags. As soon as Spags gets hired, the team is for sale. Chip and Lucia (Rosenbloom) inherit the team from Georgia Frontiere. Through a whole mess of legalese and tax issues, they tried everything they could to keep the team and they weren’t going to be able to.

“So the team went up for sale. It was an old roster. Really old roster. There were some guaranteed contracts on there that we had to live with. Spags and I could got together with Chip and we said ‘Listen, this is going to be a complete overhaul, let’s just bite the bullet and, rather than do it piece meal, let’s blow the whole damn thing up.’”

“We lose Pat Shurmur to the Cleveland Browns, he’s our offensive coordinator. And the decision was made to bring in Josh McDaniels and change the whole offense. And it kind of completely blew up on us,” Devaney said. “It was the perfect storm. When you look at it, we had a ton of injuries, no offseason. It was just one thing after another. I could tell in training camp — I mean early on, I don’t even know if we started playing a preseason game — things just, especially on offense, things just looked really … nobody looked comfortable.

“And our (2011) schedule was ridiculous. I mean, we were hoping, and this is — we’re trying to be optimistic — we were hoping at the halfway point, we may have had two wins. We thought if we could scratch out two wins, the back end of the schedule, we could win a couple of more games. Well, I don’t know if we won any. We may have won one, but by that time, the roster was decimated. We were working corners out on Tuesday and they were lining up and starting for us on Sunday. … Five or six of those guys, I couldn’t even tell you who they were.

January 17, 2012; St, Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams executive vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff talks with the media during a press conference to announce Jeff Fischer as the new head coach at the Russell Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

We have already talked at length about former equipment manager Todd Hewitt and his suit against the Rams claiming age discrimination in his firing. Well, that’s not the only problem for the organization anymore. Former executive assistant Lory Fabian is suing the Rams and executive Vice President of sales and marketing Bob Reif for age discrimination and sexual harassment.

According to the suit, Fabian claims the Rams targeted middle-aged women and replaced them with younger employees. She also claims that Reif touched her in an unwanted fashion and that when she complained about it, the organization punished her for it.

If any of this is true, the Rams could be in big trouble. These are serious allegations, and considering there is already an age discrimination claim out there, it’s hard to dismiss what she is saying. Fabian names former coach Steve Spagnuolo and current COO Kevin Demoff specifically in the claim, saying Demoff told her that no one liked her and she was too old for her job. This thing isn’t going away any time soon.