Welcome to the second edition of the St. Louis Rams "Weekly Weekend Question and Answer Session." All questions were submitted within the past week to my Twitter account, the comments section of my Bleacher Report articles or my Facebook page.
If you would like to share a question for next week's edition of this article, I encourage you to do so at one of the aforementioned locations.
With that said, let us jump right into this weekend's St. Louis Rams Q and A session.
From Mark via Twitter:
Shane, what are your thoughts on this year's #2 overall draft pick? Should St. Louis give it up for more picks to create greater depth or retain it?
Mark, the Rams need to (and will certainly attempt to) make whatever decision brings optimal value to the organization in 2012 and beyond, whether that ends up equating to keeping that pick or parlaying it into multiple premium selections.
Head coach Jeff Fisher has gone on record saying that the Rams plan to be open-minded regarding the possibility of trading out of the aforementioned draft slot while also adding that:
What we do (with the number 2 pick) will define the future of this franchise moving forward. If we stay there who do we take, if we move down who do we take. What if we move down and come back up. That's going to define the future.
Fisher and new GM Les Snead will work diligently to prepare for draft day and be prepared to select the best fit for the Rams going forward if a deal does not present itself that outweighs the total value of who they would be selecting at No. 2.
If the Rams feel that said player equates to a higher value than said compensation, they retain the pick. Conversely, if they feel that said compensation trumps said player, they trade out.
Ideally, though, I believe St. Louis would absolutely love to trade out and attain extra picks to help land several potential foundational pieces going forward rather than just one (if retaining the No. 2 pick).
From Matt via Bleacher Report comments section:
Is trading out of the number 2 overall draft slot something that will not be decided until draft day, or could a trade possibly be made in the days or weeks prior to the draft?
While anything is possible, it is highly unlikely that a scenario would develop that would see the Rams trading out of the No. 2 overall pick before April 26, the opening day of the 2012 NFL Draft.
That said, I suppose if a team offered a Mike Ditka-like proposal on April 5 and the Rams front office realize there is nobody else (including whatever temporarily insane team made the theoretic offer) who is going to match that offer or go beyond it, then St. Louis would likely pounce on an early trade opportunity.
Realistically speaking, however, the above scenario is extremely unlikely to come about, obviously.
Thus, as is almost always the case, the closer the Rams get to being on the clock, the more likely pressure mounts and competition builds. It also then becomes more likely that offers from any serious potential suitors become enhanced.
Look for St. Louis to hold on to their pick until draft day in an effort to take most every minute possible to solicit the very best offer imaginable before then deciding to retain or relinquish that highly coveted draft position.
From Matthew via Facebook:
What's the feel within the organization on Sam Bradford? I know he's our QB but how long will the coaches and owners give him to develop into the MVP I believe he will be?
Matt, all indications suggest that Fisher and the Rams organization as a whole are quite fond of Bradford and collectively possess a great deal of confidence in him going forward.
According to various reports including this one, Bradford's presence here was a major reason that Fisher chose St. Louis. The same perhaps could be said of new GM Snead, who believes Bradford is "a franchise quarterback."
With the two men who will be leading the Rams' football operations solidly in Bradford's corner, Sam should have (at the very least) all of 2012 to show that he is who Fisher and Snead apparently think he is: a franchise caliber quarterback capable of helping St. Louis become a perennial playoff contender that fields a consistently productive Bradford-led offense.
From Jon via Twitter:
Hypothetically if u could take ANY active player in the NFL and put him on the Rams, who would it be?
Jon, this is a great question (and a tough one!).
Each week in the NFL, there are approximately 1700 active players putting on the pads around the league (on non-bye weeks) .
I would narrow the field by basing my answer from a standpoint of need. After doing so, I would attempt to grab the player who would be the best fit for a position that the Rams need serious help at.
For example, I could make an argument to select Jared Allen (who led the NFL in sacks in 2011) of the Minnesota Vikings. However, the Rams have a pair of productive young defensive ends themselves in Chris Long and Robert Quinn, so that need is minimized, regardless of how good Allen obviously is.
I could choose Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers (a 2011 All Pro) at middle linebacker and the choice would be legitimate on many levels, but the Rams are very solid at the position with James Laurinaitis there, so he would rightfully get nixed.
I could certainly make an even stronger argument, perhaps, for adding an Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers or a Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and most would be fine with that.
However, although it is true that Bradford has not ascended to their level, at least he has the potential to become an elite player at the quarterback position. That, though, is not necessarily the case at some other positions.
At this time, I believe the Rams' greatest needs and greatest deficiencies are at wide receiver, offensive tackle, defensive tackle and outside linebacker. Of those four major areas of need, I would rank wide receiver and offensive tackles as priority No. 1 and 1A.
Thus, if I could choose just one player right now based on 2011 production, I would select either Jason Peters, the left tackle of the Philadelphia Eagles (who Mike Mayock considered the best in the NFL last season) or game-changer Calvin Johnson, the All Pro wideout of the Detroit Lions (who caught 96 passes for nearly 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns on 17.5 yards per catch).
From Shelby via my brother's phone :):
Should we be worried about Bradford's struggles in 2011 or can we blame them on the injuries, lack of offensive weapons, playcalling, etc?
Shelby, this answer may seem like I am playing both sides of the fence but this is my honest assessment: we should not be overly worried about Bradford's 2011 struggles but we should, though, be at least mildly concerned and pay attention to how he develops in 2012.
You might ask, why should we not be overly worried on one hand but should be at least mildly concerned on the other?
That is easy.
We should not be overly worried because Bradford was banged up for much of the year behind a battered and inconsistent offensive line (especially in regards to pass protection). St. Louis saw three starters up front land on the injured reserve list (Rodger Saffold, Jacob Bell and Jason Smith).
In addition, most would agree that Bradford was yet again provided subpar target in the passing game.
As a collective unit, the Rams collection of wide receivers and tight ends lacked speed (mostly at wide receiver), consistent hands (across the board, basically) and a go-to guy (a recurring theme under the Gateway Arch in recent years).
Furthermore, Bradford had very little time to adapt to his second offensive system and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in as many seasons. This time, he will have a full offseason to work with new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Schottenheimer is a disciple of the Don Coryell offense and has often ran a system that is very similar to what Bradford was accustomed to and thrived in at the University of Oklahoma. That familiarity should benefit Sam in 2012.
Finally, Bradford has already shown that he is capable of playing solid football while winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2010.
Nevertheless, we should be mildly concerned about Bradford going forward due to two legitimate concerns:
One, Bradford consistently locked on to his receivers in 2011 and failed to progress from one read to the next on far too many instances.
Great quarterbacks are great in large part part to their consistent ability to efficiently scan the field and quickly move from option one to option two and option three whenever necessary.
Secondly, it almost appeared to some that Bradford had a neck injury similar to Peyton Manning's, as he rarely seemed to turn his head.
I say that in a tongue-in-cheek manner even though it was not uncommon to see him miss open wide receivers on far too many instances due to the fact that he never looked to a receivers area of the field.
This is something that absolutely must be improved upon if Bradford is going to develop into the franchise caliber quarterback that Snead, Fisher and most Rams fans hope he develops into.
Bradford must display better and more consistent pocket awareness. This one is not as clear cut as the first issue but it is something that can hopefully be improved upon to some degree.
This issue is largely an instinctive one but can be significantly effected by several variable factors like offensive line play, consistency of hits, sacks and hurries.
Hopefully, Sam can develop a better feel for what is going on around him and make better decisions when pressured on a more frequent basis than he did in 2011 (and better offensive line play will aid in that regard).
Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams year-round. You are encouraged to check out the rest of his work here and to follow him on Twitter.
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