Ramblin’ Fan’s Monday Morning Links: Building A Contender, Rams Fan Fest, And A “Big Thank You”

With the St. Louis Rams Fan Fest and Sunday Night Football this weekend, there are clear signs that we are quickly approaching the start of the season. The “real” action starts this Thursday, when the St. Louis Rams visit the Cleveland Browns for their first preseason matchup of 2013. After that, we should only be a stone’s throw away from the regular season! Anyways, the weekend was clearly packed full of amazing St. Louis Rams content. Here is some of  the best stuff…

St. Louis Rams are building a contender in the tough NFC West

“Young” and “on the rise” are fairly typical words and phrases thrown next to the St. Louis Rams in everyday sports jargon. However, “contender” is certainly not, which is what makes this piece by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport so intriguing. Here, he breaks down five key notes about the team, none of which, surprisingly, are negative.

 Photo Gallery: Rams Fan Fest

If you did not have the chance to make it to Fan Fest, we have just what the doctor ordered. Daniel Doelling, of Turf Show Times, has been lighting it up with his camera for the past week, producing top quality photography of Training Camp from a fan’s perspective. If you want to “feel” like you were at a practice or at the Dome on Saturday, just scroll through his pictures. You will not be disappointed…

5 Things We’ve Learned from Training Camp So Far

The Rams may only be a couple of weeks into camp, but that doesn’t mean some of the “questions” have not already been answerd. Bleacher Report takes a look a the five things we have learned thus far at Rams Camp, highlighted several key factors that will be paramount to the team’s success this coming season. However, one of those five things is “question marks” in the backfield. My personal stance on that topic is that there are no longer any question marks in the backfield, but rather, “exclamation points.” We may not know who will be starting at running back, how the rotation will be managed, or if there will be a “feature” player. What we do know is that all three running backs have had their fair share of “WOW” moments at camp thus far. And, while it still may be early in camp, the idea of some “exclamation points” in the backfield certainly sounds more appropriate than “question marks.”

What we learned from the Hall of Fame Game

At skin level, this article has nothing to do with the St. Louis Rams. In fact, the entire Hall of Fame weekend was essentially void of any St. Louis related news. However, if you watched the game closely, you likely noticed that the one topic that continued to be brought up was the Miami Dolphins left tackle position. The ‘Phins are hurting right now, and there does not appear to be any medication in sight that will make it go away. This position has been a luxury for the team for the past five seasons. And, while Miami may have been unappreciative of  Jake Long in his time there, the St. Louis Rams will certainly not be taking him for granted this season. Sorry Miami…

A Big Thank You

If you frequent the official St. Louis Rams homepage, you should know the name Nick Wagoner. He has been the Senior Writer for the team for nearly a decade, providing Rams’ fans with the valuable insight, exclusive video content, and in-depth analysis that no one else could have possibly offered. Now, Wagoner will be moving on, getting named the official St. Louis Rams correspondent for ESPN. Congrats!