Jeff Fisher

Following Tony Dungy's controversial comments about Michael Sam earlier this week, in which he explained why he would not have drafted Sam, the NFL's first openly gay player and his coach Jeff Fisher have responded to the remarks.    

Sam's comments were passed along by Nick Wagoner of ESPN:

Fisher, speaking on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike program Wednesday, via ESPN.com, was also asked to address Dungy's comments, and he said Sam has "absolutely not" caused a distraction for the team:

Let's define distraction. There were a couple extra cameras during the early OTAs, there may have been an extra camera yesterday as the rookies reported and went on the field for the first time, but no, it's not.

Sam has yet to take a snap in the NFL, but he made waves when he was taken in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Rams, becoming the league's first openly gay player. The former Missouri defensive talent was named the 2013 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, but fell in the draft.

Dungy, the former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts and current NBC analyst, previously commented on Sam, via Ira Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune:

I wouldn't have taken him. Not because I don't believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn't want to deal with all of it.

It's not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.

His remarks stirred plenty of conversation and debate, and he then clarified his comments, per a release (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk):

What I was asked about was my philosophy of drafting, a philosophy that was developed over the years, which was to minimize distractions for my teams. I do not believe Michael’s sexual orientation will be a distraction to his teammates or his organization. I do, however, believe that the media attention that comes with it will be a distraction. Unfortunately we are all seeing this play out now, and I feel badly that my remarks played a role in the distraction.

Seth Davis of CBS Sports was just a bit confused by the two opposing remarks by Dungy:

Sam has been rewarded for his bravery, winning the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2014 ESPYs. But now, he is clearly focused on making the Rams' 53-man roster out of training camp.

He still has several hurdles to overcome in that regard, as St. Louis boasts one of the deepest defensive lines in all of football. Not only is Sam a rookie, but he has plenty of competition ahead of him on the depth chart.

A lot still has to happen for Sam's story to continue onto the field in the regular season, but he is working hard and doing everything he needs to so far.      

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.

The call was worth the wait for Tre Mason.

After watching four running backs come off the board on the second night of the NFL draft, Auburn's latest Heisman Trophy finalist stood by, waiting to be selected in a draft that had the latest first running back choice in NFL history.

Then, midway through the third round, he got a call from a voice familiar to the Auburn football program—St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher.

Mason was selected with the No. 75 overall pick by the Rams, an NFL franchise with a growing connection to the Tigers.

The Rams took highly touted Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. By choosing Mason the next day with their third-round pick, the Rams reunited an important pairing in Auburn's top-ranked rushing attack from its SEC championship season.

"We came in our freshman year talking about that we wanted to be three and out, and it's like a dream come true if we played together at the next level," Mason said as he was introduced in St. Louis on Tuesday. "God blessed us with the opportunity." 

After Mason ended his call with Fisher, he immediately called his former Auburn and new St. Louis teammate.

“When I first called him, he couldn’t believe it," Mason said. "He told me, ‘Stop lying.’ But I told him, just wait a couple minutes and you’ll see that I’m not playing."

As the Rams' selection of Mason was being announced in New York City, an emotional Robinson took to Twitter to show his excitement about the reunion in St. Louis:

The early selections of Robinson and Mason gave Auburn fans a connection to the Rams, but the relationship between the NFC West franchise and the SEC West school has grown over the last several seasons.

The Auburn-St. Louis connection started several years ago at the top of the organization with Les Snead, St. Louis' general manager.

Snead grew up in Eufaula, a small Alabama town 60 miles south of Auburn. After two years of playing for former Auburn assistant coach Larry Blakeney at Troy State, Snead chose to walk on at Auburn as a blocking tight end for the 1992 and 1993 seasons. 

Later, as a graduate assistant for the Tigers, Snead was exposed to the world of pro football scouting.

Snead spent more than a dozen years as a scout for both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons. He would later become the director of player personnel for the Falcons, which led to him getting his current job in St. Louis.

The former Auburn tight end helped orchestrate the trade with Washington in the 2012 NFL draft that earned St. Louis the No. 2 pick this year. The Rams carefully scouted and researched all the available options for the highly valued draft position, and they decided to go with a player from Snead's alma mater.

"[Robinson is] who’s going to be there, he fits a big-time need, we really like this player," Snead said on The Doug Gottlieb Show. "We didn’t think that any trade that was going to come was going to outweigh Greg—no pun intended there.”

Snead and the Rams' second pick in the draft, Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald, even had an Auburn flavor to it.

Current Tiger and cancer survivor Shon Coleman announced the newest pro teammate for Robinson—whom Coleman is looking to replace on the Auburn depth chart in 2014—in New York City:

Throughout the weekend's draft, Snead stood in the St. Louis war room with head coach Jeff Fisher, who also has a personal connection to the Plains.

Trent Fisher, the son of the former Tennessee Titans' head coach, was a former walk-on safety at Auburn who earned a scholarship at the beginning of the 2012 season. Fisher recorded one of the few highlights from the Tigers' dreadful 2012 when he returned an interception 60 yards against Alabama A&M.

Jeff Fisher came down to Auburn several times to watch his son play from 2011 to 2013, and he became familiar with the pro prospects on the Tigers' roster.

"Trent and I always talked about one day I'd maybe play for the Rams," Mason said Tuesday. "He'd always joke around like that. Come today, I'm sitting here a St. Louis Ram."

But even with Auburn's personal connection to the Rams' general manager and head coach, the move to pick Mason in the third round of the draft came as a surprise to the talented running back.

Mason neither visited with the Rams nor had a personal workout with the team, but St. Louis' front office was still comfortable with selecting a player it had become familiar with over the last season.

"We did our homework," Fisher said in a post-draft press conference last week. "We felt like we knew everything we needed to know about the kid. We just couldn't pass him up."

The Rams' familiarity with the Auburn roster was evident at this time last year. Although St. Louis did not select any former Tigers in the 2013 draft, they gave three former Auburn players—linebacker Daren Bates, wide receiver Emory Blake and tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen—undrafted free-agent deals.

Bates and Blake are still on St. Louis' roster, and former teammate Barrett Trotter now works as a scout for the Rams:

With Tiger connections in the front office, the coach's office and across the playing field, the Auburn Family will have a growing branch in St. Louis for seasons to come.

And Mason is glad to see those family bonds strengthen as the Rams continue to be a popular landing spot for Auburn players after their collegiate careers.

"Greg is my brother," Mason said. "We know each other’s tendencies and techniques and how we play, so it will be great to continue on with Greg."

Justin Ferguson is Bleacher Report's lead Auburn writer. Follow him on Twitter @JFergusonAU. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. 

Michael Sam probably could not have scripted it any better.

The University of Missouri defensive end, the first-ever openly gay college football player, was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of this weekend's draft. Some projected Sam as a fourth-round talent, so his selection with the 249th pick could be seen as a disappointment.

However, a supportive head coach, a local team and a smaller market all will serve Sam well at the next level.

Sam's excitement was obvious to the millions of fans who tuned in to see the defining moment in the history of the NFL, and he has every reason to be happy.

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher is renowned for his uniquely strong relationships with his players. Fisher spent an incredible 16 seasons at the helm of the Tennessee Titans, and he has experience building a tight-knit group of players while also handling the intense scrutiny of the media.

Also, Fisher is a co-chair of the NFL Competition Committee, so he has a great understanding of the climate of the league and whether it is ready for its first openly gay player.

Sam's fight to make the team in training camp would present a challenging situation to any head coach, as cutting such a high-interest player has many consequences related to public relations. But there are few men who are more trustworthy to handle this kind of situation as gracefully and deftly as Fisher.

Fisher left most of his discussion of Sam to the football field, however, telling the NFL Network that the Rams simply "drafted a good football player."

For this, Sam should be grateful. Fisher will be able to handle the media in Sam's stead while also creating a welcoming environment in the locker room of one of the youngest teams in the league, letting Sam focus on football and making the Rams roster.

Also, the team's location just a couple hours' drive away from Sam's alma mater in Columbia, Missouri. While Sam had not yet come out to the public during his four years at Missouri, it is reasonable to conclude that the local fans and media have become used to Sam and his story over the past few months.

His arrival in St. Louis will not be a giant ordeal like it would have been if he had joined a team thousands of miles away. Instead, Sam's presence will almost be business as usual for Rams fans and local media.

It is also important to note that St. Louis is not as large of a market as cities like New York or Chicago. If Sam had been selected by the Giants, Jets, or Bears, the onslaught of media attention would have significantly dwarfed what he will experience with the Rams.

Thanks to Jeff Fisher, the local team and its smaller market, Sam will have the opportunity to devote as much of his attention as possible to football—the most important conclusion to all of this. Despite being the co-Defensive Player of the Year in the powerful SEC, racking up sacks and leading his team to an appearance in the SEC title game, Sam was exposed by the NFL combine and further film evaluation as a late-round talent.

For someone who is undersized for a 4-3 defensive end position at 6'2", Sam does not possess the explosion, quickness or top-flight speed to become a pass-rushing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive system.

Instead, Sam must settle for the opportunity to prove his worth in training camp, working his way up from the dregs of the depth chart and into the final 53-man roster. There is no place better for him to do that than in St. Louis.

The tragic news that St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford tore his ACL and will be forced to miss the remainder of the season was confirmed on Sunday by Adam Schefter of ESPN. The four-year veteran will now have to begin a long rehabilitation process, as he watches Kellen Clemens take the reins of the team for the rest of 2013.

At first, head coach Jeff Fisher remained reserved about the future of his quarterback during an interview with Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:

I'm not going to deal with hypotheticals right now until I find out what really is going on with him. It makes no sense to rush to a conclusion until we know. We'll get a medical, and then we'll go from there. He was in significant pain on the sideline.

Fisher found out the truth shortly after and delivered an interesting message on Monday through the team's Twitter account:

According to Bleacher Report's Dr. Dave Siebert, the recovery times from these types of injuries are beginning to shorten:

Nowadays, surgical techniques—and, just as importantly, physical therapy science—are advancing at blazing speeds. As such, NFL recovery times are continuing to shorten. A very unscientific survey of recent injuries comes up with an average of about nine to 10 months.

Still, Fisher is taking a serious risk if he truly does intend to keep Bradford solidified as the team's starting quarterback heading into the 2014 season. Taking everything into consideration, Fisher's comment has a strong potential to put his job with the Rams in jeopardy.

This would be the second time that Fisher has now overlooked a severe injury to the quarterback since he took over the head coaching responsibilities for the Rams.

According to KFNS in St. Louis (h/t SportsRadioInterviews.com), back in early 2012, Fisher discounted Bradford's miserable, injury-plagued 2011 campaign in which he clearly regressed from his rookie season:

Well, it was his ability—what he was able to do in college, but also his rookie year. We discounted last year. I didn’t pay much attention to that. There were a lot of difficult things to overcome and a lot of issues, and it made no sense dwelling on it. I think what Sam was able to do here his rookie year in that type of offense is an indication of the potential that he has.

There is no fault in what Fisher did back in 2012. He clearly thought that Bradford could be a better quarterback when surrounding offensive components were upgraded. That may even still be the case; however, there is no discounting a second major injury in four NFL seasons.

The following phrase comes into play here: "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Multiple significant injuries to a franchise quarterback so early in his career should raise one giant red flag for the Rams organization.

Another drawback for Bradford that comes along with these injuries is his inability to continue to progress as a quarterback. He has seen some up-and-down years since he was drafted first overall, but he will now be entering his fifth season well behind the learning curve.

NFL teams are developing young quarterbacks at an astonishing pace nowadays. The recent early success of Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson are clear indications of such. Bradford, however, is still not up to par with these three second-year quarterbacks:

	Seasons	Yards	TDs	INTs	Passer Rating
Sam Bradford	4	11,065	59	38	79.3
Andrew Luck	2	5,948	33	21	80.4
Robert Griffin III	2	4,946	28	11	95.2
Russell Wilson	2	4,607	37	14	99.1

The aforementioned stat lines are very telling. Quarterbacks are learning the position and flourishing much faster than ever before. All three second-year players have already surpassed Bradford's career quarterback rating.

An argument could be made for Bradford that he was having a career year in 2013. He was posting some of his best numbers since entering the NFL in 2010:

	Yards	TDs	INTs	Passer Rating
Sam Bradford	1,687	14	4	90.9

Bradford has put up some impressive numbers this season. But should Fisher really continue to back the injured quarterback who has only led his offense to rank just 19th in points and 18th in pass yards during his career year in 2013? After all, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Bradford has not been the epitome of efficient this season.

With a negative-0.5 grade on the year, Bradford ranks 17th out of 38 eligible NFL quarterbacks in 2013. Not quite the numbers you would like to see out of a former No. 1 overall selection.

Aside from his shaky injury history and his inability to progress at a steady pace, Bradford's expensive rookie contract must be taken into consideration as well.

Since Bradford was drafted before the rookie wage scale changed in the new collective bargaining agreement, he still holds an overpriced contract. In 2010, Bradford signed a six-year, $78 million deal which is scheduled to pay him over $17.6 million in 2014, according to Spotrac.com.

Bradford will already haunt the Rams with $7.1 million in dead money in 2014; however, if the team decided to cut the injured veteran, it would still save over $10.5 million against the cap next season. With so many needs prevalent on both sides of the ball, that kind of money could afford the Rams to build a young, talented core that could potentially sustain the success of the franchise for years to come.

With these things in mind, it could be concluded that Fisher is resting the fate of this team on the shoulders of the injured Bradford rather than building necessary components for future success. This type of gamble could quickly doom Fisher as the head coach of the Rams if one more unsuccessful year were to take place.

Despite the strong support for Bradford from the front office, there is the possibility that the Rams were only continuing to encourage their starting quarterback on the surface. ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner suggested that they may have been looking elsewhere as well:

What’s unknown about those reports is whether the Rams were doing what they should be doing and offering public support of Bradford while keeping their options open—looking at a possible way of reducing his large salary-cap number—or if they had already truly decided to keep building around Bradford.

This is always the case with this type of scenario. Was Fisher just indulging us with some "coach speak"?

Current indications point toward Fisher sticking with Bradford heading into the 2014 season—a very risky move. This team would have all of the ammo necessary to create more stability going forward if it were to part ways with the injured quarterback.

There is no telling exactly how this situation will play out just yet. However, if Fisher does stick to his guns on this matter, Bradford must show significant improvements once he recovers. If not, the Rams will be looking for a new head coach and quarterback come 2015.

Some NFL teams have a deeper hole than others to climb out of.

For the St. Louis Rams, it did not get much deeper than what coach Jeff Fisher stepped into a year ago.

From 2007-11, the Rams were just 15-65 (.188), which is the worst five-year stretch by a team in NFL history.

But after a 7-8-1 finish in 2012, some optimism has finally returned to St. Louis. Wounds from draft blunders of the past are healing as new talent was collected in an exciting offseason for the team.

Expectations are actually returning for the Rams, who have been ranked often in the top 15 in various power rankings (like ESPN) this offseason. It is not uncommon to see the Rams ranked ahead of a usual contender like the Steelers or a 2012 playoff team like Minnesota.

With the challenges present in the NFC West, it may still be too soon for the Rams to finally return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2004 season.

But you could see the evidence last year of a team that’s no longer guaranteed to lose double-digit games.

Rams Finally Won Some Close Games

With a new, veteran coach in Fisher, the Rams did demonstrate a higher level of play than in past years. This team was more competitive and it was evident from the first game of the season when they gave Detroit all they could handle.

When the Rams beat the Cardinals in Week 5 to improve to 3-2, it was the first time the team was over .500 since November 5, 2006. That’s only a span of 71 months.

The defense showed improvement, ranking 17th in points per drive, according to Football Outsiders. The offense still struggled (27th in points per drive), but quarterback Sam Bradford had his best season. Part of the offense’s struggles can be traced back to having the worst average starting field position (23.72) in the league.

What allowed the Rams to achieve their best record since the 2006 season (8-8) was the amount of close wins the team was finally able to complete.

Another dirty secret in the NFL is that no matter how bad a team is, they still are going to be competitive late into the fourth quarter with a chance to win in roughly half the games in a season. The fact that such teams, like the 2008 Lions (0-16) or 1976-77 Buccaneers (2-26) still lose nearly all of those games is why they are a terrible team.

The Rams have been awful at winning close games in the fourth quarter and overtime, but finally finished a few in 2012.

From 2006-11, the Rams had just six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. That’s an average of one per season. Andrew Luck just had seven in 2012 as a rookie.

If the Rams were trailing and needed a fourth-quarter comeback, the numbers became even more pathetic. From 2006-11, the Rams had just four comeback wins in the fourth quarter, and none were from a deficit of more than four points.

In 2012, Bradford led three game-winning drives and had three comeback wins. He also had a fourth-quarter comeback that resulted in an annoying tie against San Francisco, against whom the Rams and Bradford played very well (1-0-1).

In Week 2 the Rams trailed Washington 21-6, but came back to take the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter and hung on for a 31-28 win. It was technically the first game-winning touchdown pass of Bradford’s career, hooking up with Matthew Mulligan for a 1-yard score.

Bradford’s second game-winning touchdown pass came in the final minute to beat Buffalo. He threw a 13-yard touchdown to Brandon Gibson with 0:48 to play in a 15-12 win.

Bradford had as many game-winning drives in 2012 (three) as the Rams had in 2007-11 combined.

These weren’t exactly moments drafted from the stuff of legends, but it was an important step forward after years of losing so many of these games. This is how many teams get to have winning records year after year: By winning the close ones.

For the Rams to continue being competitive so they are in position to win more of these games, it starts with the quarterback.

Sam Bradford: Crucial Fourth Season

Why do we fall, sir? So we might learn to pick ourselves up.

That was Alfred Pennyworth talking to Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins. It could also be Jeff Fisher talking to Sam Bradford as he enters his crucial fourth season. The Rams have not given up on Bradford yet, but he must show more to keep his job.

Bradford will always be known as the last No. 1 overall pick to get the richest rookie contract ever before the new CBA. Bradford’s 2010 deal was for six years and $78 million with $50 million guaranteed, according to ESPN.

Needless to say, he has not lived up to the money or the draft status so far.

Bradford’s rookie season was vastly overrated, as Chase Stuart of Pro-Football-Reference expertly explains. It was more of a perfect storm of an improved defense, a high-volume, dink-and-dunk passing game, and hanging around in a terrible division that produced the first 7-9 playoff team in NFL history. Of course that playoff team was Seattle, as Bradford lost the Week 17 finale that would have put the Rams in the playoffs.

Bradford did suffer a sophomore slump, which is a rarity these days. But the slump actually began in Bradford’s 12th game of his rookie season. In his first 11 games, Bradford had thrown 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a very respectable 82.0 passer rating. The Rams were 5-6.

But in his next 15 starts, which ran through his injury-shortened 2011 season, Bradford threw just seven touchdowns against 12 interceptions, had a 68.2 passer rating and went 3-12.

In those 15 games, Bradford led the offense to more than 19 points once. They only exceeded 16 points just twice.

In his career, Bradford is just 2-21-1 (.104) when the Rams allow more than 17 points in a game. He is 4-11-1 (.281) at game-winning drive opportunities, which is among the league’s worst records.

Last season, Bradford turned in his best performance yet, throwing for a career-high 3,702 yards and 21 touchdowns with an 82.6 passer rating. We already mentioned the clutch wins to help get the team up to 7-8-1.

Still, it was basically a league-average season rather than a third-year leap by a No. 1 overall quarterback. The expectations have to be higher than this. Bradford was so prolific at Oklahoma, but he just continues to be so mediocre in the NFL.

I have worked on a theory that if a quarterback is going to be good in the NFL, they have to show it by their fourth season. It does not matter if the player was injured or sitting on the bench; by year four they either show it or they never arrive as a legitimate starter.

The study could use an update and some ironing out, but it generally holds up. The examples of late-blooming quarterbacks like Sonny Jurgensen, Len Dawson and Joe Theismann come from decades ago.

The game has changed. Quarterbacks often start as rookies now, and even have instant success.

Bradford has been passed over by a slew of young quarterbacks that have entered the league after him. Many of them were on losing teams, though none of course in as big of a hole as the Rams were.

But no one can argue Bradford has done enough to elevate the team. He had so much command of Oklahoma’s prolific, fast-pace offense, but in the NFL, just putting 17 points on the board is a real chore for him on a weekly basis.

At Pro-Football-Reference, there are advanced passing tables that adjust stats for the era. A value of 100 is considered average. The higher the number, the better. Bradford’s passer rating index through three seasons is below average at 91.

If you look at players with a 91 passer rating index after three seasons (minimum 500 attempts), you end up with the following eight names:

Note: Passer rating is for entire career (regular season only). “Career Rate+” is the quarterback’s passer rating index for his entire career.

That’s a poor list to be part of, as obviously none of those quarterbacks went on to have a good career. The Rams were also guilty of drafting Bill Munson (No. 7 overall in 1964) and Tony Banks (second round in 1996).

Sure, there were quarterbacks with a similar passer rating index of 92 (Warren Moon) or 90 (Dan Fouts) that figured it out eventually and finished in the Hall of Fame.

But those are more examples from an older, different league. The NFL has definitely changed, which is why the four-year rule should apply more than ever.

Look at how quickly the league’s current established quarterbacks found success:

• Tom Brady unexpectedly won a Super Bowl in his first season as a starter (2001), which was his second in the league. Colin Kaepernick just nearly did the same for San Francisco.

• Joe Flacco had a solid rookie season (2008) and made it to the AFC Championship. He lost to Ben Roethlisberger, who was a historically great rookie in 2004.

• Andy Dalton’s rookie season with 20 touchdown passes and a 9-7 record (playoff appearance and Pro Bowl alternate) already beats any of Bradford’s three years. He slightly improved last year.

• Matt Schaub played solid in his first two seasons after being traded to Houston (starting in his fourth season), but did not begin winning games or make the Pro Bowl until 2009.

• Andrew Luck just had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever, leading the Colts from 2-14 to 11-5 and the playoffs. Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson had similar rookie impacts on their teams.

• Peyton Manning was prolific as a rookie, then led the Colts to a 13-3 record and finished as a runner-up in MVP voting in 1999.

• Philip Rivers led San Diego to the best record in the league (14-2) in 2006, which was his third season and first as a starter. He lit a fire under Drew Brees, who finally broke out in his fourth season (2004) with a great playoff year.

• Eli Manning and Michael Vick were No. 1 picks that sat early, but made the playoffs in their first full seasons as starters (year two in the league).

• Tony Romo went undrafted and did not play until his fourth season in 2006, but he instantly led Dallas to the playoffs.

• Due to you know who, Aaron Rodgers did not start until his fourth season, but had great individual stats in 2008. You quickly knew you were watching someone that could play at a high level in this league.

• Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford had breakout seasons in their third year, putting up big numbers.

• Cam Newton had a prolific rookie season, but it wasn’t even the best rookie season by a NFC South quarterback, which is what Matt Ryan had in 2008.

That’s a large chunk of the league right there, and the success came quickly. Of the 20 quarterbacks listed, 15 took over for a team with a losing record in the previous season. Of the 20, 13 of them made the playoffs in their first season as a starter.

The Rams could have drafted Griffin in 2012, but instead took the bounty Washington offered in trade. St. Louis stood behind Bradford and now has more ammo to load around him.

So play it again, Sam, because these first three seasons are not good enough when stacked up against your peers. The No. 1 pick carries a lofty status and the highest expectations.

Bradford is going to have his best supporting cast yet in 2013, so he has to start proving he is a franchise quarterback and elevate the players around him. If you believe in the four-year rule, then time is not on his side.

Departures and Arrivals: The 2013 Rams

At one point this year, it appeared the Rams were emptying the cupboards for Bradford with running back Steven Jackson (Atlanta) and wide receivers Brandon Gibson (Miami) and Danny Amendola (New England) departing to new teams.

Those three players accounted for 44.4 percent of the Rams’ 2012 gross passing yardage.

But help has arrived for Bradford in considerable fashion from both free agency and the draft.

Jackson had eight consecutive seasons with 1,000 rushing yards, but it’s not like that was helping the team win games. He was a very good player, but his role can be replaced by sophomore backs Daryl Richardson (4.8 yards per carry last year) and second-round pick Isaiah Pead, who rarely played.

The big changes come with the wide receivers. The Rams doubled up on West Virginia receivers with Tavon Austin in the first round (No. 8 overall) and Stedman Bailey in the third round.

Bradford loved Amendola, but he’ll be even happier with Austin. A gifted athlete, he will work the slot and be a bigger playmaker than Amendola ever was.

Amendola averaged just 8.81 yards per reception in St. Louis. That is the lowest average in NFL history by a wide receiver with at least 100 receptions. Even after dropping the minimum to 30 receptions, Amendola would still have the second-worst average, so this is a historically bad figure.

Austin can take the short passes and make bigger gains out of them than Amendola did. He should fit in well and adapt quickly.

Bailey was a touchdown machine for Geno Smith in college. He caught 25 touchdowns in 2012 on 114 receptions. In 2011 he had 12 touchdowns on 72 receptions, so he is not a one-year wonder.

However, the Mountaineers were running more of a wide-open, spread attack than what you will see in St. Louis, but Bailey could be a third-round steal. He should at the very least be more productive than Boise State disappointment Austin Pettis, who is still on the roster.

Also returning is Chris Givens, who flashed big-play potential as a rookie with 698 yards (16.6 yards per reception) and three scores. There’s also Brian Quick, who showed little promise, catching 11-of-27 targets after being taken in the second round (33rd overall) last year.

Throw in tight end/slot receiver Jared Cook from Tennessee, and Bradford has few excuses not to produce more this season.

His protection should also see a boost. The team has fully moved on from the Jason Smith fiasco and acquired No. 1 overall pick Jake Long from Miami. This is the first time ever a tackle drafted No. 1 overall will block for a quarterback drafted No. 1 overall.

Well, actually the Kansas City Chiefs should achieve the same with Alex Smith and Eric Fisher, but the Rams locked up their guys first.

You also have to keep an eye on Alabama rookie Barrett Jones, who was drafted as a guard in the fourth round. The Alabama offensive line was well coached, so he could be a good find.

With things looking up on the offense, let’s switch gears to the defense.

The team returns cornerstones like defensive end Chris Long as the pass-rusher, linebacker James Laurinaitis as the clean-up tackler, and second-year playmaking cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Veteran Cortland Finnegan was a good signing from last year to team up with Jenkins.

Hoping to improve this core group is rookie linebacker Alec Ogletree out of Georgia. He was a polarizing figure in the draft community, but the Rams will hope he can be a steal with the No. 30 pick.

The Rams had two first-round picks this year. The good news is that history says there’s an 86.5 percent chance that at least Austin or Ogletree will be a NFL success. The draft is like a big lottery, so the more chances you purchase, the better the odds of winning something. Hitting on both picks is about 40 percent, though the level of success varies.

St. Louis will be hoping for at least one stellar career to come out of this draft. Given the problems the Rams have had offensively, maybe Austin is the one to root for if they can’t have both.

Rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein made a name for himself early in the season with his long field goals. He finished the season just 23-of-31 (74.2 percent) on field goals, but do not fret. His misses were from these mostly absurd distances: 35, 37, 51, 52, 57, 58, 58 and 66 yards. He will remain a weapon for the team.

Conclusion

The Rams should be able to turn things around eventually. The team has had some rough decades (1956-65 and 1990-98) before, but it usually never lasts more than 10 years.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the 1999 Rams nearly were. The 2013 Rams do not have those types of pieces in place for such a turnaround, but creeping up to 9-7 and a return to winning should not be out of the question.

It’s hard to make the playoffs when you are clearly the third-best team in your division. San Francisco and Seattle will continue to battle it out on top. The NFC is rather deep.

Some difficult games early in the season (at Atlanta, at Dallas, vs. San Francisco in Weeks 2-4) could start the Rams in a hole. The reconstructed offense will likely have growing pains for offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who the jury is still out on.

But if the defense continues to gel and Bradford finally takes big steps forward, then the Rams could eye 2014 as their year to get back into the playoffs.

Scott Kacsmar writes for Cold, Hard Football Facts, NBC Sports, Colts Authority, and contributes data to Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL Network. You can visit his blog for a complete writing archive, and can follow him on Twitter at @CaptainComeback.

On Wednesday, March 19th, the NFL Rules Committee made several significant rules changes. 

Most were universally lauded as improving the game. The elimination of the tuck rule, allowing the officials to review a play when a coach’s challenge is overruled and penalizing peel-back blocks near the line of scrimmage were all considered worthwhile developments. 

But one elicited an entirely different set of reactions. No longer will a player who is downfield three yards or more be allowed to deliver a blow with the top or “crown” of the helmet. Depending on who is speaking, this was either long overdue or the sky is falling. 

Those who argue for its adoption called upon one of the oldest coaching maxims. John Harbaugh, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, put it this way:

Anybody that has played the game knows that when you're going in on a higher hit you tackle with your eyes up, you see what you hit. 

In other words, keep your head up when making contact. This advice has been ignored by numerous running backs over the decades. One of the most famous instances is the tattoo Earl Campbell put on the sternum of Isaiah Robertson in 1978.

Now, this sort of blow will be rewarded with a 15-yard penalty from the spot of the foul. And the Twitterverse exploded with fear that this once mighty game just had the testosterone legislated right out of it.

#NFL #NewHelmetRule Just a matter of time before @nflcommish completes the transition to flag football. #RollsEyes #Dictatorship

— Darla Darko (@darladarko) March 20, 2013

https://twitter.com/sbohlenFSU/status/314837683635634176

https://twitter.com/Midge540/status/314430453681623042

NFL players, starting off with Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears, had to weigh in on how foolhardy it is to change the character of professional football.

Next year they'll probably be a no jumping over defenders rule... #loweringtheboomfund

— Matt Forte (@MattForte22) March 20, 2013

The intent of this rule is to remove another means by which players can scramble their brains. With 4,127 player-plaintiffs in the 214 concussion-related lawsuits, the NFL has every reason to appear proactive in dealing with this mounting crisis. Even if Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay insists this litigation had nothing to do with the passage of this rule. 

An article by Lee H. Igel on Forbes.com spelled out the long-term risk to the pipeline of talent that feeds America’s most popular sport. 

What’s worse is that if these sports don’t get the head and brain out of the game, they will eventually join boxing as a sport played only by the poor.

It could be argued what killed boxing was not the threat of dementia pugilistica but the sustained growth of the post-WWII economy. But with Paulie Malignaggi as the only non-Hispanic American of European heritage to currently hold a world boxing title, Mr. Igel may have a point. 

Don Banks of SI.com tried to calm the masses with his take, titled “Outrage over new helmet rule much ado about nothing”:

As with most of the league's player safety initiatives, there's an initial wave of fury and fearful predictions that the game has finally been rendered a shell of its once glorious self. The flag football references always start to fly. 

But in time, perspective always returns and the game goes on, with modification, but not ruination.

The reality is football has always evolved. Otherwise the flying wedge would still be legal, the entire playbook could be written on two sheets of wide-ruled paper, and the players would be wearing leather helmets running through the mud on rain-soaked fields. 

I have to admit I miss the mud.

As the NFL trade deadline was over after the official clock struck 4 p.m. on Thursday, the St. Louis Rams, like many teams, didn't make any moves. There was some hype surrounding certain teams and players, but only a handful of substantial trades actually went through.

The Rams were a part of those potential trade rumors as the deadline approached, yet there was no action. The biggest talks were those about steadily declining 29-year-old running back Steven Jackson.

Having one of the worst seasons in his career so far, the ninth-year player is averaging a measly 3.7 yards per carry having tallied only 403 yards and one touchdown on the season. His longest run? That would be only 23 yards.

With the Rams clearly headed in a completely new direction, it is a wonder why St. Louis didn't try to push him more to another team. Showing much less productivity than rookie running back Daryl Richardson, Jackson is slowly passing the torch to the younger guys in the backfield as they continue to see more touches.

But now it is set that Steven Jackson will be with the Rams for the rest of the season, and as CBS Sports first reported, will become an unrestricted free agent heading into 2013.

So why did St. Louis make a mistake?

Because now is the time to let the youngsters take over. With Jackson gone, both Daryl Richardson and Isiah Pead would get valuable playing time they need to help them truly develop and understand the way the game is played in the NFL. Now, Jackson will continue to hinder their growth as he takes up more touches per game while simultaneously not putting up the numbers Richardson has so far this year.

So now, as the 240-pound running back looks to head to a new destination next season, the Rams will gain nothing in return. If traded away, the Rams could have acquired another young piece of talent, or a draft pick at the very least. But now, they will walk away from the deal with nothing as Jackson walks right out the door.

St. Louis has made the mistake of not getting a deal done, limiting potentially valuable playing time for the younger running backs, and seemingly letting Steven Jackson go at the end of the season as opposed to gaining something in return right now.

Although he has been a dynamic part of the Rams offense for years now, the franchise made a costly mistake and now have no chance in gaining any value for Jackson before he openly leaves at the end of the year.

A monster defeat. There are no other ways to describe the painful loss the St. Louis Rams saw against the New England Patriots. A 45-7 defeat raises eyebrows on the fans of St. Louis. At 3-4 heading into the game, the Rams were having a decent season and were actually not a total underdog against the Patriots like in years past.

But they are now at 3-5, heading into a bye week with their heads hung low. Not only that, but the team must be on the verge of second-guessing their entire game plan by now. The fact of the matter is this: The Rams have been better than they have been in a very long time.

Head coach Jeff Fisher has brought the franchise back to life and is drawing plenty of excitement, to say the least. He has also whipped the youngest average team in the league into shape. He has revitalized the defense, and the offense has been improving slowly.

Going into the week off, they must address their problems and reassess where they are as a team. At three wins, they have already won more games than they did last year (2-14 in 2012). Vastly improved, they have lost two of their games by a total of seven points. Plus they faced a challenging opposition in Green Bay in which St. Louis was defeated by only 10 points.

This. This is why the Rams have no reason to give up hope on the season. In the past several years, facing a team like the Packers would be an automatic loss by multiple touchdowns. No questions asked. But this year, it's different.

The offense comes in spurts but manages to get points on the board most of the time. The defensive unit is a force and is capable of causing turnovers against anyone they may face. Whether it is is from the front four, the scrappy linebacking corps or the secondary, who can play the pass as well as the run.

Week 9 is a special time for the team. It's a point that can make or break their season. Realizing their potential and what they have already accomplished must be recognized. A loss is a loss. Nobody is expecting a Super Bowl win. But facing three NFC West rivals in three of the next four games, starting with the 49ers in Week 10, will challenge their mental toughness.

Will the St. Louis Rams give up? Will they get blown out? With the gap widening in the NFC West race, the mounting injuries affecting the team must not be enough to let their season be destroyed. They've taken on top-caliber teams and struggled, but survived. They've got to bend but not break. Otherwise, they can be the same old Rams team with the same old depressing record (minus 7-9 in 2010, but you know what I mean).

In the Week 10 game on the road in San Francisco, we'll see if the Rams can overcome their downfalls and re-establish themselves as a truly upgraded team that is hungry for wins, especially against their divisional foes.

The St. Louis Rams are now 3-3 after losing 17-14 in Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins. But what went wrong for the Rams in this one? They seemed to dominate the first half, but the offense struggled to score touchdowns after finding themselves in Miami's territory.

Rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein, who was perfect on the year going into the game, managed to connect on his first two attempts from 48 and 32 yards out. But prevailing winds and slight rain hindered his chances as attempts from 52 and 37 yards sailed wide left.

His biggest miss of the game, though the least surprising, brings questions to the decision in the final 30 seconds of play.

The Rams were driving after starting at their own 3-yard line. They made it to the Miami 45-yard line and had a 3rd-and-4, but Sam Bradford took a sack which took them back to the 48-yard line.

With roughly 30 seconds to go, facing a 4th-and-7, head coach Jeff Fisher let the clock run down to a few seconds and sent Zuerlein out for a long 66-yard field goal. This is already after he missed two in the game, and it was both windy and rainy at the time.

He misses the kick. The Rams lose. But according to NFL.com, St. Louis head coach sticks with his decision.

"The odds were much better for him to make the kick than us going for it," Fisher said. "He's got that kind of leg."

There is no doubting Zuerlein's abilities, but that wasn't the right play given the situation.

Bradford's sack that lost three yards hurt the Rams enough, but letting the clock run down hurt even more. Needing seven yards for a first down, St. Louis has to have a play in the playbook that will allow them to get that yardage, and then use the final timeout to set up for a closer field goal. Even a fourth down Hail Mary would have given the Rams a better shot for a potential win.

The fact of the matter is that this is the NFL. You have to at least give your team a chance to win. Questionable coaching, lack of offense, and less than perfect weather conditions undoubtedly hurt the Rams in this one.

Head coach Jeff Fisher has turned the St. Louis Rams into a 3-3 team with a lot of hope to begin the 2012 NFL season. Optimistic fans are thinking playoffs six games into the year, following a team that has already matched its average wins per season since 2007.

That may be a little premature, despite the fact that two of St. Louis’ losses have been by a combined seven points.

It’s probably best to wait a year. This team needs to learn how to win on the road, first—especially since it will only have seven real home games this season.

In a crowded NFC playoff picture, the Rams would already be on the outside looking in if the playoffs started today. Seven teams in the conference (Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks) have four or more wins.

The Rams defense has been impressive all season; it allowed a season-high 28 points to the Washington Redskins in Week 2 and has given up just 30 combined in its last three games.

But the offense has yet to catch up.

St. Louis has consistently been forced to rely on the big leg of its rookie kicker, Greg Zuerlein, to put points on the board because the offense has been unable to get touchdowns.

A rookie kicker can only take a team so far, as evidenced by the Rams’ Week 6 loss at Miami.

Zuerlein missed kicks from 52, 37 and what would have been an NFL-record 66 yards out. They were his final three kicks of the game and they all had the distance, but went wide left.

The Rams lost by three points.

That sort of result gives Rams fans hope of being able to get three points on any drive that stalls in the opponent’s territory. However, St. Louis is not going to win many more games without getting the ball into the end zone.

Sam Bradford scored the team’s first rushing touchdown on the season in Week 6. He’s thrown six touchdown passes.

If the defense can provide points for St. Louis on a consistent basis, the Rams will have a much more favorable chance of getting to the playoffs—but that’s a tall order.

The Rams have an army of rookies playing prominent roles for them on both sides of the ball this season. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins and defensive tackle Michael Brockers are starters for the defense.

Running back Daryl Richardson and wide receivers Chris Givens and Brian Quick are getting varying degrees of offensive playing time. Running back Isaiah Pead is entrusted with some kick-return duties; much like Jenkins runs punts back.

Even the aforementioned Zuerlein is paired with Johnny Hekker to form a St. Louis rookie kicker/punter combination.

In 2013, those guys will all be sophomores with a year of experience under their belts. They should be more readily able to be consistent producers out of the gate.

Jenkins—as touted and talented as he is—has still been absolutely torched on double-move routes (or simple streaks, in the case of the Dolphins’ Marlon Moore) on more than one occasion in this young season.

Perhaps we will be able to look back on those plays next year and definitively call them rookie mistakes.

This year’s rookie crop in St. Louis gives Rams fans optimism regarding the team’s ability to draft and utilize talent as well—the 246 rushing yards produced by the Rams’ backup running back belong to Richardson, a seventh-round draft pick.

That bodes well for the upcoming NFL Draft, during which St. Louis will have two first-round selections.

Trading away the ability to select Robert Griffin III this spring landed the Rams a first-round pick in each of the next two seasons from the Washington Redskins.

Washington is also a .500 team entering Week 7. Whether either team’s ultimate 2012 record will produce a top-10 selection for the Rams remains to be seen, but the current regime seems to be able to be trusted with picks throughout the draft.

Adding two more legitimate first-round talents to the roster in 2013 to this young squad will create a very promising future for St. Louis.

The Rams may even have something to learn from the history of the team that beat them in Week 6: the Miami Dolphins.

Adding left tackle Jake Long in the 2008 NFL draft (first overall) and returning quarterback Chad Pennington to the lineup, the Dolphins went from a 2007 record of 1-15 to an 11-5 mark in 2008.

That was with a lack of a viable No. 1 receiving threat, as the Rams have now.

St. Louis will be equipped to add a No. 1 wide receiver or turn Quick into one over his second professional offseason. It could also use those early draft picks to shore up the offensive line and keep Bradford off his back.

In a division as competitive as the NFC West, the Rams could be a very good team and still be out of the playoffs in 2012.

They’re currently in last place in their division at .500. If they end the season that way, they’ll have the luxury of playing other fourth-place NFC teams that should still be inferior to them next year.

Coupling that with the expected improvement of the team as a whole should translate to a playoff appearance for St. Louis in 2013—if the Rams can’t put it together on the road in time to make a run this season.

Follow @StatManJ