November 17, 2012; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receivers Tavon Austin (1) and Stedman Bailey (3) gesture as they await a kick-off from the Oklahoma Sooners during the first quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Oklahoma Sooners won 50-49. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

In 2012, there was much debate on whether or not the St. Louis Rams should hit the “reset” button, drop  Sam Bradford, and start fresh by taking Robert Griffin III with the 2nd overall pick in the draft. Instead, the Rams opted to trade down from the pick, marking one of the biggest hauls in the history of the NFL. Specifically, the Rams moved down from the 2nd overall selection to 6th overll in the 2012 draft. In return, they received an addition 2nd rounder in the 2012 draft, a 1st round pick in the 2013 draft, and a 1st rounder in the 2014 draft.

Now, to the untrained eye, that might seem like a decent trade, essentially gaining four starting-caliber players in exchange for the services of Robert Griffin III. However, the St. Louis Rams were not satified with that…

In the 2012 NFL Draft, St. Louis was rumored to be targeting Justin Blackmon with the 6th overall pick in the draft; a prospect rumored to be the best receiver out of college since A.J. Green. However, in a last second trade, the Jacksonville Jaguars leapfrogged the Rams, snagging Blackmon with the 5th overall pick, one spot ahead of St. Louis. In response, the Rams immediated traded down from 6th overall to 14th overall, eventually taking Michael Brockers, who would turn out to be one of the best interior defensive lineman in the league after coming from from a preseason injury. However, the Rams got more than just their anchor in the middle of the defense by trading down; they also obtained the Cowboys’ 2nd rounder in the 2012 Draft, leaving them with three more picks in the Top 50.

With the 39th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, courtesy of the Washington Redskins, the St. Louis Rams selected Janoris Jenkins, the troubled corner out of North Alabama/Florida. Jenkins, in exchange for the Rams’ faith, finished the season with 64 tackles (1st among rookie corners) and 18 pass deflections (T-14th overall in the NFL). However, his most impressive numbers came in the “turnover” battle, finishing the season with 4 interception, returning 3 of those for touchdown, and tying him with Charles Tillman for most pick-6s in 2012. Jenkins also had a crucial fumble recovery against the San Francisco 49ers, scooping and rolling his way into the endzone. That play handed Jenkins the Defensive Scoring title for 2012, with a league-leading 4 defensive touchdowns.

Les Snead and Jeff Fisher continued to wheel and deal in the mid-2nd round, trading away the 45th overall pick (courtesy of Dallas) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the 50th overall pick, as well as their 5th rounder, the 150th overall selection. They would go on to take Isaiah Pead, who played only sparingly in the 2012 season, but figures to be a major factor in the 2013 season with a full year of experience and a full offseason to digust the playbook and get first-team reps on the field. With the 150th pick, the St. Louis Rams took Rokevious Watkins. Watkins showed up to camp out of shape, but would still work his way into the starting lineup after an injury plague swept through the Rams’ offensive line in the first game of the season. However, the Rams’ rookie was not immune to the injury-bug, and would eventually get throw in IR, ending his rookie campaign. Much like Pead, Watkins should get a shot at competing for the start job at left guard in 2013. With Jake Long on his left and a healthy Scott Wells on his right, the left side of the St. Louis Rams offensive line might transform from the worst in the NFL to one the best in the NFL over the course of a single offseason.

So, in case you haven’t been keep track, the St. Louis Rams now have Michael Brockers, Janoris Jenkins, Isaiah Pead, and Rok Watkins all courtesy of the trade for the 2nd overall pick in the draft.

Fast forward to this weekend and we can pick up Part 2 of the trade, the Redskins’ 2013 1st rounder; the 22nd overall pick. The options were nearly unlimited at this spot, with nearly all of the top rated safeties, wide receivers, and outside linebackers projected to be available at this point in the draft. However, after jumping up to grab Tavon Austin with the 8th overall pick, Les Snead and Co. chose to trade back from the 22nd pick. In exchange, the Rams received the Atlanta Falcons 30th overall pick, as well as their 3rd rounder (92nd overall) and 6th rounder (198th overall).

With their second 1st round pick in the 2013 Draft, the Rams’ took a chance on Alec Ogletree, the top rated inside linebacker prospect in the class. Ogletree will come in and immediately start as the weakside linebacker in the  Rams’ defense, filling arguable the biggest hole on the St. Louis Rams’ roster. His freakish athleticism, chase-down ability, and coverage experience as a former safety should send the Rams’ already-dominate defense to the next level.

With the 92th overall pick, the Rams made a surprising move, drafting another wide receiver… with a twist. St. Louis selected Stedman Bailey, the other half of the West Viriginia receiving corps, reuniting him with the Rams’ 8th overall pick, Tavon Austin. The two combine for 228 receptions, 2,911 yards, and 37 touchdowns in 2012 alone… enough said. Scouts have compared Bailey to the likes of Greg Jennings and Reggie Wayne, and some of him marked as having the “best hands” in the 2013 wide receiver class.

The Rams continued to shuffle picks late in the draft, trading both of their 6th rounders to move up into the 5th round and select Zac Stacy, a running back out of Vanderbilt University. Stacy is a north-south, powerback that amassed more than 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career. He figures to join the running back-by-committee in St. Louis, being the last piece of the 3-headed monster with Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson.

So, now the count includes seven players: Michael Brockers, Janoris Jenkins, Isaiah Pead, Rok Watkins, Alec Ogletree, Stedman Bailey, and Zac Stacy. Within that list are, at least, 3 starters (Brockers, Jenkins, and Ogletree) and 2 others that have a legitimate shot at a starting spot at the beginning of the 2013 season (Pead and Watkins). The remaining two players (Bailey and Stacy) will undoubtly see time on the field in 2013, and will likely both, at a minimum, contribute on special teams in some capacity.

It would be hard to argue that the St. Louis Rams have not “won” in their trade with the Washington Redskins. The Rams have gained five potential starters in the last two drafts, two of which have already made a significant impact on the defensive.

Oh yea… and the St. Louis Rams still have a 1st rounder in the 2014 NFL Draft!

March 14, 2013; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker talks to the media during a press conference held at the teams training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The release of the 2013 regular season schedule has taken over the sports world this morning. Most will over-analyze team’s strength-of-schedule, map out a “path to the playoffs,” or attempt to predict wins and losses for the regular season, despite the fact that teams have yet to make their first selection in the 2013 NFL Draft.

However, instead of focusing on wins and losses, lets look at the best “storylines” and “must watch” games of the 2013 season…

Week 2: Denver Broncos @ New York Giants

It can’t get much more high profile for the Broncos in the first two weeks of the season. They go from a matchup against the defending champions to the latest incarnation of the Manning Bowl. Peyton is 2-0 against his younger brother so far. Eli might need a win here to avoid going 0-2 after a tough opener in Dallas. -via NFL.com

There nothing else that need to be said about this matchup. Two “elite” quarterbacks, with powerful, dynamic offenses squaring off at the beginning of the season. Oh yea.. and the starting quarterbacks are brothers!

Week 4: New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcons

If I was a betting man, and I am, my early money would be on this game being a preview of  Super Bowl XLVIII. Assuming New England can get Gronk back, their offense should be nothing short of unstoppable in a weak AFC, where only the Broncos appear to be a legitimate threat for the conference title. Atlanta appears to have one of the best rosters in the NFL, making several key re-signings, convincing Tony Gonzalez to come back for another year, and picking up Steven Jackson to replace Michael Turner, who appeared to be running on “E” during the final stretch of the 2012 season and into the playoffs.

Week 7: Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts

No team has a more delicious schedule than the Broncos. Denver plays in perhaps the worst division in the league, so they can fatten up on wins there. But so many of the team’s out-of-division matchups include capital lettered subplots. This one is obvious: Peyton’s Return. Manning vs. Luck. Can’t wait. -via NFL.com

After last season, most expected that the NFL would attempt to milk Peyton Manning for all he is worth this season… and they are doing just that. After starting off the season against the Ravens, who knocked them out of the playoffs in 2012, and heading for a brotherly matchup in the “Big Apple” in Week 4, Manning will finally return home for the first time to face the Indianapolis crowd and go head-to-head with his replacement.

Week 9:  Tennessee Titans @ St. Louis Rams

The Jeff Fisher Bowl! The rematch of one of the weirdest Super Bowls with the best endings! St. Louis is getting overlooked in the NFC West, but their defense absolutely can compete with Seattle and San Francisco for a playoff spot. As Titans fans know, Fisher’s team almost always contend. -via NFL.com

This game is intriguing for a number of reasons: rematch of “the Tackle,” the return of Fisher to his long-time city and organization, and the presence of the “discarded” Jared Cook within the St. Louis Rams offense. While the Fisher subplot will garner the most attention, how Jared Cook is playing within the offense should be a major point of interest. If there is any game were Rams’ fans could see Cook “go off,” Week 9 might be it…

Week 11: Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks

Assuming that Percy Harvin has not gone off the deep-end with “migraines” or some other injury concern, this should be a good matchup between “Harvin and the ‘Hawks” and his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. On top of that subplot, the two actual teams should be an interesting matchup. The Seattle Seahawks have trouble with teams that play a similar “style” of game; ground and pound on the offensive side of the ball, stout against the run on defense. Last season, the Seahawks handed the Vikings a 30-20 loss. However, Peterson trampled Seattle’s defense for 182 yards on the ground, including a 74 yard touchdown. Lynch vs. Peterson… Harvin vs. Vikings… Should be a good game!

Week 17: Washington Redskins @ New York Giants

According to NFL.com, the “biggest” game of the final week of the regular season is the Green Bay Packers versus the Chicago Bears. However, after a bit of fish-tailing by the New York Giants in 2012, the national media appears to be ignoring them (like usual), outside of the Manning-on-Manning matchup. If there is any division in the league that has shown to be a “question mark” season after season it is the NFC East, not the NFC North. It is hard to image that the Philadelphia Eagles are going to make a complete turn around, so naturally that points to the Giants and the Redskins being the last marque game in the NFC. Last season, the ‘Skins stole the division in the last couple of weeks, this game could very well be the determining factor again.

Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) reacts after getting injured during the fourth quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Sadly, the St. Louis Rams were not playing this weekend, but at least there were some good games on to occupy a thirsty football fan’s needs. Oh wait, no there weren’t… Aside from the first ugly, ugly game of the weekend between the Texans and Bengals, every matchup this weekend was won by at least 10 points, and none of them were “close.” Still, the Sunday night game may have made up for it, at least for Rams Nation, as two of our “rivals” battled for a chance to travel to Atlanta and play to #1 seed in the NFC. Although the games were pretty grotesque, there were some eventful things that happened. With that, here are Ramblin’ Fans’ quick thought on the weekend…

1. If you did not tear up during the defensive introduction of the Baltimore Ravens game, you either hate football or you have no heart… or both. Watching the pure passion of Ray Lewis, his teammates, and the crowd is what the game of football is all about, boys and girls. There will never be another player like Ray Lewis, and it is sad to be watching the final games of a true legend. Hopefully, Lewis watched how well Brett Favre handled retirement, and will continue to battle against hanging up the cleats for another couple of seasons.

2. When Clay Matthews jokingly mentioned holding Adrian Peterson under 200 yards, some questioned whether even that was possible. Well it was, helped by the fact that Christian Ponder’s elbow forced Joe Webb into the lineup. So, you work hard in the trenched, struggling week in and week out for the last five or six game to claim the final spot in the NFC? You are playing the team you beat, just one week earlier? Oh, your starting quarterback only played 3 total snaps this entire season, none of which were passing attempts? Nice! Looks like holding Peterson to 99 yards on the ground was more than enough push the Pack into the second round. Still not disappointed in missing breaking Dickerson’s record, AP?

3. Andy, Andy, Andy! The Bengals offense looked more stagnant than the St. Louis Rams in mid-season of ’11. A.J. Green was a complete non-factor until the very end of the game, being outplayed by the only other “Green” on the field, Benjarvus Green-Ellis. The Bengals finished the day converting 0% of their nine 3rd down attempts. In fact, the offense put no points on the board, relying on ex-Rams’ kicker, Josh Brown, and an interception return by Leon Hall to tally their 13 losing points. Maybe that is too harsh, but this is the playoffs, and Cincinnati looked out of their element in this game.

4. On the flip side, Houston looked to be firing no all cylinders on Saturday, both offensively and defensively. Foster got going on the ground, taking 32 carries for 140 yards, which opened up the skies for Schaub in the passing game. He took full advantage, completing 76.3% of his 38 attempts for 262 yards. Cincinnati played well in the red zone, but allowed the Texans to drive deep enough for four Shayne Graham field goals. The Texans look much more like the team that started off a red-hot 11-1, and no where near the team that finished 1-3 this season.

5. Andrew Luck looked very much like a rookie in this post season debute against the Baltimore Ravens. The high emotion and ear blistering roar of the Baltimore crowd seemed to effect the young signal caller, not helped by the fact that Bruce Arians was not on the sideline calling the plays. Vick Ballard played well out of the backfield, but outside of his 91 yard performance, there was little for the Colts to hang their hats on offensively. Donnie Avery looked, well like Donnie Avery, dropping a number of Luck’s passes and essentially disappearing from the game after the opening reverse. The defense was worse, making Joe Flacco look nearly competent, as an upper tier quarterback in the NFL.

6. The Ravens, looked good on both sides of the football, but more so on the offense. The controversial firing of their offensive coordinator looked brilliant in this game, as Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce dominated on the ground, racking up 173 yards on 28 carries. Flacco averaged over 12 yards per attempt, including some beautifully thrown deep balls to Anquan Boldin. Torrey Smith, who only caught two passes in the game, played his heart out blocking on the outside, leading to some huge plays in the game, including the 47 yard catch-and-run by Ray Rice early on. If Rice can hold onto the football, the Ravens may have jumped back into relevancy in the AFC playoff picture…

7. Now to the only respectable game of the weekend, the battle of the rookie quarterbacks. For anyone that follows me on Twitter at @nkearns12, you know that I have never been on the Robert Griffin III bandwagon, and have been pushing for Andrew Luck for Offensive Rookie of the Year since the Colts locked in a playoff spot. As poor as Luck was yesterday, Griffin was worse on the field, capped off by, what looked to be, a severe re-injuring of his right knee. Granted his play on the field was drastically effected by the injury, but, as Trent Dilfer, Ron Jaworski, and numerous other quarterback-lovers pointed out, if you are on the field you need to produce for your team. The ‘Skins did look unstoppable in their opening two drives, but after that, nothing! They converted under 50% of 3rd down tries, none of their 4th downs, and ended with barely over 200 yards of total offense on the day.

8. Even in my distain for the Washington rookie, no one ever wants to see an NFL player get injured on the field, especially one as young and talented at Griffin. We all understand that in this league, the name of the game is winning, but at the same time, as a head coach, the best interest of the player should be kept in mind. Griffin should not have been in the game once it was clearly obvious he was not able to accelerate on runs, move around in the pocket, or plant to throw the football. Cousins has shown to be more than capable of running that offense, and should have been given the reins. As a result, the franchise  player for the organization, one that they have bet on with their first rounders in the next two drafts, has, what appears to be, a severe knee injury. Luckily, it is the end of the season, so it will have plenty of time to heal. At the same time, Griffin has a history of knee issues, tearing his ACL in 2009 when he was still at Baylor. Knees are tricky, and can be a lingering issue, especially if they continue to get beaten on throughout a season. All the best to him and his recovery.

9. Finally, we can talk about the Seahawks, and the player that should be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, at least over RG3. Again, I am much more impressed by Luck taking a 1-15 team to 10+ wins in the AFC, but at the same time, Russell Wilson has been nothing short of phenomenal since throwing three interception against the St. Louis Rams earlier in the season. Aside from taking a surprising number or sacks in the last two games, the offense has ran very smoothly with Wilson manning the head. He is the only rookie left in the playoffs, and is the offensive leader on, what appears to be, the hottest team heading into the second round. On that note, all of Rams Nation thanks you for knocking off the Washington Redskins, but we hope that you get knocked out of the playoffs very, very soon.