2014 NFL Draft

[Red2111]

 

what i'm saying, is that the rams drafting him is less about their team needs, and more about the PR that goes with drafting the first openly black gay guy. 

 

Fixed.

 

 

are you saying that he's not black Sut?    i'm confused by this.

[SinisterDeath]

 

 

what i'm saying, is that the rams drafting him is less about their team needs, and more about the PR that goes with drafting the first openly black gay guy. 

 

Fixed.

 

 

are you saying that he's not black Sut?    i'm confused by this.

 

He's saying that he's the first out gay player. Being black has nothing to do with it. (now if there was an out white gay guy, that be a different story.... so umm Semantics basically)

[Tyler Glembo]

 

 

well i question whether its more of a publicity stunt for the Rams rather than picking a high caliber player (out of a wealthy draft, seeing how many were in it this year) because he was their 7th round pick and was so close to being Mr. Irrelevant if you look at his pick #.

 

 

if he was such a high caliber player, i think he would have went higher in the draft, regardless of his sexual preference.

 

 

that said, i wouldn't be surprised, if he doesn't get cut, that he'll be the player Madden features on their cover this upcoming year.

 

 

also, Bubba's not too happy with the picks the Saints did this year *smh*

 

Are you saying that you can't get high value players in the later rounds?  Which player, specifically, would you rather the Rams had drafted at that point and why do you think that player would be better for the Rams over the course of the next 5 years?

 

 

 

 

 

bold - no, i'm saying that generally spekaing, the round 7 picks are of players that teams expect to cut after boot camp, that the round 7 picks are throw aways.  and that historically you have very few people picked in round 7, let alone that far down in round 7  (i mean he was like 3rd to last or near to that) that go on to do anything in the NFL.

 

as for who the Rams should have picked.  i'm not a Rams fan, so i dont know their teams needs versus who was left in the draft; though by all accounts from what i've heard they soerly need to beef up the WR and didn't relaly need any LB's.  i will say that who ever they would have drafted in place of Sam will be picked up in free agency by them if there is another player they had their eye on.

 

 

what i'm saying, is that the rams drafting him is less about their team needs, and more about the PR that goes with drafting the first openly black gay guy.  nothing against Sam and his life choices, i just hate seeing him used as a pawn for a team that has been lack luster the past few years to boost their PR with fans and non-fans and get their name in the head lines.

 

 

Okay, so let's say you draft in the 7th round not based on team needs but just based on the best player left on the board.  Which player left at that point is better than Sam?  Actually, you need to name at least 5 players (any position) left at that point who were better than Sam in order to say he shouldn't have been drafted.

[Suttree]

He's saying that he's the first out gay player. Being black has nothing to do with it.

 

Pretty much...

[Red2111]

@ Sut - from a social and PR stand point, it makes a bigger splahs that he's not only gay but also a minority.  the only thing that could make a bigger splash now PR wise is to draft a female (and i'd bet you if a chick made it into the draft the Rams would draft her as well, and for the same reasons) 

 

 

 

 

 

well i question whether its more of a publicity stunt for the Rams rather than picking a high caliber player (out of a wealthy draft, seeing how many were in it this year) because he was their 7th round pick and was so close to being Mr. Irrelevant if you look at his pick #.

 

 

if he was such a high caliber player, i think he would have went higher in the draft, regardless of his sexual preference.

 

 

that said, i wouldn't be surprised, if he doesn't get cut, that he'll be the player Madden features on their cover this upcoming year.

 

 

also, Bubba's not too happy with the picks the Saints did this year *smh*

 

Are you saying that you can't get high value players in the later rounds?  Which player, specifically, would you rather the Rams had drafted at that point and why do you think that player would be better for the Rams over the course of the next 5 years?

 

 

 

 

 

bold - no, i'm saying that generally spekaing, the round 7 picks are of players that teams expect to cut after boot camp, that the round 7 picks are throw aways.  and that historically you have very few people picked in round 7, let alone that far down in round 7  (i mean he was like 3rd to last or near to that) that go on to do anything in the NFL.

 

as for who the Rams should have picked.  i'm not a Rams fan, so i dont know their teams needs versus who was left in the draft; though by all accounts from what i've heard they soerly need to beef up the WR and didn't relaly need any LB's.  i will say that who ever they would have drafted in place of Sam will be picked up in free agency by them if there is another player they had their eye on.

 

 

what i'm saying, is that the rams drafting him is less about their team needs, and more about the PR that goes with drafting the first openly black gay guy.  nothing against Sam and his life choices, i just hate seeing him used as a pawn for a team that has been lack luster the past few years to boost their PR with fans and non-fans and get their name in the head lines.

 

 

Okay, so let's say you draft in the 7th round not based on team needs but just based on the best player left on the board.  Which player left at that point is better than Sam?  Actually, you need to name at least 5 players (any position) left at that point who were better than Sam in order to say he shouldn't have been drafted.

 

 

 

any WR still in free angency, given that the Rams need to fill that spot in a bad way. Brandon Coleman, Kain Colter, Solomon Patton, Mike Davis, Bennie Fowler for starters since you want 5 players.  theres about 40 WR's in free agency now that they could have drafted instead of a player that was controversial and would do less for their team's needs and more for their teams PR.

 

unless you're arguing the Rams are set in the WR department. :eyeroll:

 

again, they didn't need a DE (or even an LB, which is where they're planning on putting him now);  they needed to beef up their offense.  if you look at their other draft picks in the 7th round, thats where they focused, excluding the Saftey (which they also needed, though not as much as a WR).  you want to win games (especially agaisnt the 49ers defense) you need a passing game you can count on, and you can't have a passing game without decent WR's.  especially when your QB is strongest with a passing game.

[Red2111]

i mean, if the Rams really wanted a DE or LB on their roster, why not go with James Gayle, Howard Jones, Adrian Hubbard or Christian Jones.   ever single one of these rookie free agents are ranked higher than Sam.

[Suttree]

@ Sut - from a social and PR stand point, it makes a bigger splahs that he's not only gay but also a minority. 

 

Given the fact that the NFL is almost 70% comprised of AA athletes I'm not sure how the above holds water. I guess you could make the argument that being openly gay is more taboo in the AA community however?

 

As for rankings different services put people at different places. It's not an exact science. When things are that close though it really is a crap shoot and it's a mistake to go off what the prognosticators put out there. I do know Gayle had a torn labrum, Hubbard had a heart abnormality and Christan Jones failed a drug test at the scouting combine. . We have zero idea what the teams actually have on their boards.

[Red2111]

 

@ Sut - from a social and PR stand point, it makes a bigger splahs that he's not only gay but also a minority. 

 

Given the fact that the NFL is almost 70% comprised of AA athletes I'm not sure how the above holds water. I guess you could make the argument that being openly gay is more taboo in the AA community however?

 

As for rankings different services put people at different places. It's not an exact science. When things are that close though it really is a crap shoot and it's a mistake to go off what the prognosticators put out there. I do know Gayle had a torn labrum, Hubbard had a heart abnormality and Christan Jones failed a drug test at the scouting combine. . We have zero idea what the teams actually have on their boards.

 

 

 

which still does nothing to counter my point.  if the Rams were drafting for their teams needs, they would have drafted atleast ONE Wide Reciever.  instead, they draft for a position they didn't even need with Sam.

 

 

hence, they weren't thinking about what positions their team needed to fill; they were thinking about how to get their name in the news and make a "historical pick, like they did with drafting the first Black player"  as the coach was very quick to remind everyone when ESPN talked to him minutes after they drafted Sam; and their PR department has reminded us in every intereview since the draft.

 

 

it was a PR stunt, pure and plain.

 

 

edit - and i'm going by nfl.com's listings, so its not an arbitrary site.  they have Sam scored at a 5.1 and if you recall, his columbine stats were only slightly above average for his category (hence being a very late 7th round pick).

 

i'm not knocking him by any means.  getting defensive POTY in the SEC is a good accomplishement by any standards, especially when you go up against mosnters like Auburn, LSU and Bama.  but just because your a great player in College, doesn't mean you'll hold a candle stick in the NFL.  theres been plenty of all stars at college levels who were 1st round picks and had better scorings in the columbine that were flops once they tried to hang with the big boys. 

 

Tim Teebow, Mark Ingram, Regee Bush ....  <_< 

 

and yeah, Bush may have been good his first 2 or 3 years with the Saints ... but then he got scared of being HIT and couldn't keep from getting turf toe.  he was a 12 million dollar piece of glass that wasn't worht his contract or the draft pick, and the only reason the Saints kept him for so long was the problems he posed coverage wise for the D; which helped Brees's passing game and game him more options than he has now.

[Suttree]

which still does nothing to counter my point.  if the Rams were drafting for their teams needs, they would have drafted atleast ONE Wide Reciever.  instead, they draft for a position they didn't even need with Sam.

 

Actually the first part directly counters your point about the AA angle. Secondly you explicitly asked why they didn't choose one of those other players. Both points addressed so moving on...

 

As for "team needs" I have no idea why you would be placing so much emphasis on this as we see NFL teams draft outside of "need" on a regular basis. Heck they had three other picks in the 7th around alone in which they could have drafted a WR and chose not to. I mean the fact that they didn't pick even one wr in the entire draft makes your claim of them needing one in a "bad way" seem somewhat disingenuous.

 

Was there a PR angle? Almost certainly and the Rams should be proud of drafting the first black player etc., no reason not to trumpet that history. That said I'm not sure why you are choosing to focus specifically on this guy so much? Every year there is an example of teams doing something similar with a wrestler, rugby player or summat. The difference is this guy was an actual SEC poy and has a legit shot.

[Andrej]

I agree with Suttree here.

 

Sam has legitimate talent (despite some of his combine numbers) and I think the Rams did well to snag him when they did since he was still on the board. If teams want to pass him up because of his sexual orientation then I think that is their lose - Sam can play, as was proven this past season week-in and week-out against some of the best teams in college football. To say that they only drafted him for the publicity is kind of simple minded imo. The guy can legitimately play and the Rams were smart to nab him where they did in the draft - it offers great value. As I also said before, with the current pass-first climate in the NFL, you see teams loading up on pass rushers all the time. The Rams already have a decent D-line, Sam just adds more depth and talent to it.

 

Was their motive in gaining publicity through drafting him? Sure - I won't say otherwise. But to say he was drafted ONLY because of his sexual orientation is false and very far-fetched imo.

[Tyler Glembo]

In fact, there is recent history to show that if you want to beat the best passing teams you need to load up on the d-line with guys who can get to the QB.  Look at the Giants beating the Patriots.  Or the Seahawks destroying the broncos.

[Red2111]

 

which still does nothing to counter my point.  if the Rams were drafting for their teams needs, they would have drafted atleast ONE Wide Reciever.  instead, they draft for a position they didn't even need with Sam.

 

Actually the first part directly counters your point about the AA angle. Secondly you explicitly asked why they didn't choose one of those other players. Both points addressed so moving on...

 

As for "team needs" I have no idea why you would be placing so much emphasis on this as we see NFL teams draft outside of "need" on a regular basis. Heck they had three other picks in the 7th around alone in which they could have drafted a WR and chose not to. I mean the fact that they didn't pick even one wr in the entire draft makes your claim of them needing one in a "bad way" seem somewhat disingenuous.

 

Was there a PR angle? Almost certainly and the Rams should be proud of drafting the first black player etc., no reason not to trumpet the history. That said I'm not sure why you are choosing to focus specifically on this guy so much? Every year there is an example of teams doing something similar with a wrestler, rugby player or summat. The difference is this guy was an actual SEC poy and has a legit shot.

 

 

and what about Anthony Johnson, Jackson Jeffcoat, Tenny Paleopi, Ethan Westbrooks, Bruce Gaston, Kelcy Quarles or Shayne Skov, Max Bullough, Barrett Shaquill. 

 

every single one of these players score better than Sam, yet their in free agency.

 

and those are only the DE and LB players, you overlooked the WR (which is the position i'm stating they should have drafted), and listing why those DE's and LB's were over looked doesn't discount my point that this pick WAS NOT about the teams needs.  the team didn't need more Defense, theye needed people their QB could pass too.

 

 

i focus on needs for the team because that IS what the draft is supposed to be about.  you draft people that you believe will give your team the best building blocks to create a championship winning team and to fill the needs that free angency has created or to replace expensive players at the end of their contracts with new blood that is just as good grade wise.  you dont drafte to make a statement, you dont draft to make head line news and become the shiny new object in the media or to insert your team in a political debate.  you draft to make the team better and to give yourself a better shot at winning (this is why the worst team each year gets the best picks ... atleas tuntil trades start up)

 

 

and their other picks, aside from Sam WERE to fill spots their team needed filling.  the Rams needed to boost their offense, their drafts were about 70% concentrated on their Offense.  the Defensive drafts (aside from Sam) were focused on Safteys, which is the only Defines spot the Rams needed to focus on.

 

 

the difference with Sam is that he wasn't the best left over in that spot for the Rams to choose from, that if they wanted him that bad they should have chose him eariler than their 2nd to last pick (which btw, their last two picks were back to back so not picking him last doesn't count for much) and their putting him in a position that he's not goign to be good at.  his strength is pressuring the pocket and sheer tenacity of not giving up; he will not be able to provide pass or run protection because he's just not quick enough.

 

and i'm focused on it because i hate seeing people be used and i detest the Rams getting a pat on the back for somethign so disgusting as drafting a player not because they see him as talented, but because they're making history.  its absurd and stupid and they shouldn't be congradulated, they should be chastized for being such a-holes to use a person like that.  its had to be hard enough for him to come out, especialy being a football player and in the conference he was in; but to be used as some teams mascot is just ...  i've had my craw full.

 

 

I agree with Suttree here.

 

Sam has legitimate talent (despite some of his combine numbers) and I think the Rams did well to snag him when they did since he was still on the board. If teams want to pass him up because of his sexual orientation then I think that is their lose - Sam can play, as was proven this past season week-in and week-out against some of the best teams in college football. To say that they only drafted him for the publicity is kind of simple minded imo. The guy can legitimately play and the Rams were smart to nab him where they did in the draft - it offers great value. As I also said before, with the current pass-first climate in the NFL, you see teams loading up on pass rushers all the time. The Rams already have a decent D-line, Sam just adds more depth and talent to it.

 

Was their motive in gaining publicity through drafting him? Sure - I won't say otherwise. But to say he was drafted ONLY because of his sexual orientation is false and very far-fetched imo.

 

only 7 other DL's drafted before Sam that ranked lower than him; so its not liek he was the cream of the crop and was just passed up.  he's middle of the line and despite his award in the SEC performed slighlty above average at the Columbine (which are the stats all coaches and teams care about most.  thsi is versus about 10 other players that performed better than Sam got passed up in the draft.

 

 

it only adds to the tema if he's being utilized in a way that will play to his strengths.  his strengths are not in pass and run coverage, his strengths are in pressuring the pocket.  whcih again, says to me, that the Rams only intentions for drafting him was "to make history".   what benefit he could give the Rams is being wasted.

 

In fact, there is recent history to show that if you want to beat the best passing teams you need to load up on the d-line with guys who can get to the QB.  Look at the Giants beating the Patriots.  Or the Seahawks destroying the broncos.

 

 

i was making a case for the Rams BUILDING their passing game, given their QB's leaning towards favoring the passing game, and that when you go up against teams liek the 49ers, who have a stout D, that a passing game is your best option.

 

right now, the Rams need some decent WR's to beef up their passing game; somethine which they really need.

[Suttree]

you overlooked the WR (which is the position i'm stating they should have drafted), and listing why those DE's and LB's were over looked doesn't discount my point that this pick WAS NOT about the teams needs.  the team didn't need more Defense, theye needed people their QB could pass too.

Clearly which is why they stocked up on all those wr's before the seventh rou...errr wait.

 

They picked another defensive player in the 7th round(a safety who is rated lower than Sam for his position) shockingly the outrage doesn't include him somehow?

 

and their other picks, aside from Sam WERE to fill spots their team needed filling.  the Rams needed to boost their offense, their drafts were about 70% concentrated on their Offense.  the Defensive drafts (aside from Sam) were focused on Safteys, which is the only Defines spot the Rams needed to focus on.

Are you just making this up as you go?

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/tracker?icampaign=nfl_drafttracker_nav-tracker#dt-tabs:dt-by-team/dt-by-team-input:stl

 

Out of there 11 picks, 6 were on the defensive side of the ball. That includes 2 dl, 2 s, and 2 cb's.

 

the difference with Sam is that he wasn't the best left over in that spot for the Rams to choose from, that if they wanted him that bad they should have chose him eariler than their 2nd to last pick (which btw, their last two picks were back to back so not picking him last doesn't count for much) and their putting him in a position that he's not goign to be good at.  his strength is pressuring the pocket and sheer tenacity of not giving up; he will not be able to provide pass or run protection because he's just not quick enough.

Again you seem to think scouting is an exact science. You may want to look at the current all NFL teams and then cross reference the list as to when they were taking in the draft.

 

and i'm focused on it because i hate seeing people be used and i detest the Rams getting a pat on the back for somethign so disgusting as drafting a player not because they see him as talented, but because they're making history.  its absurd and stupid and they shouldn't be congradulated, they should be chastized for being such a-holes to use a person like that.  its had to be hard enough for him to come out, especialy being a football player and in the conference he was in; but to be used as some teams mascot is just ...  i've had my craw full.

Sorry but the above rings hollow. You are misrepresenting the situation to an absurd degree.

 

only 7 other DL's drafted before Sam that ranked lower than him; so its not liek he was the cream of the crop and was just passed up.

Which makes it even stranger that you are so upset about when he was drafted.

 

he's middle of the line and despite his award in the SEC performed slighlty above average at the Columbine

Wut.

 

thsi is versus about 10 other players that performed better than Sam got passed up in the draft.

The combine is merely one piece of many that goes into evaluating a player.

 

it only adds to the tema if he's being utilized in a way that will play to his strengths.  his strengths are not in pass and run coverage, his strengths are in pressuring the pocket.  whcih again, says to me, that the Rams only intentions for drafting him was "to make history".   what benefit he could give the Rams is being wasted.

Have the Rams made some statement that they aren't going to use him ass a pass rusher? It's the NFC West...you need solid d-line play and the guys to be able to chase down Kap and Wilson.

 

right now, the Rams need some decent WR's to beef up their passing game; somethine which they really need.

Yes they needed it so bad that they didn't draft a single one and yet somehow with this second to last pick they were supposed to magically "beef up their passing game"?! If they needed wr's as bad as you say the would have been looking long before this. Not to mention teams draft outside of "need" for any number of reasons. No one is saying pr didn't play a part in the decision but you really don't have much ground to stand on here with this line of thinking.

[Andrej]

 

 

I think you are making a lot of assumptions. You weren't in the Rams war room when they decided to pick Sam - you don't know their motive. Obviously yes, there is going to be some publicity surrounding him because of how he came out to the media prior to the draft. I will say that I think that likely hurt his image towards some teams, not because he is gay, but because of the distraction he could potentially present in locker rooms when news networks all want to cover the first openly gay player in the NFL. To say the Rams ONLY picked him in order to get their name in the media is pretty out there. 

 

The NFL is a business and revolves around winning. Sam is a legitimate pass rusher type that I think fits pretty well in the 4-3 set that the Rams run, he is listed on their roster as a DE as well. I think he'll be playing on the weakside and likely sharing snaps in passing situations. Look here . 

 

They already have a beast at both DE positions in Robert Quinn and Chris Long. Sam adds further depth and another pass rushing threat on the outside.

 

Also, to address your point about picking WRs in the draft, if you look at the roster provided by ESPN.com you'll see that the Rams have added 3 new WRs to the their team from free agency with Emory Blake, Kenny Britt, and T.J. Moe - I'm sure their head office had a plan going into next season and recognized the need they had at WR, so instead of using a pick in the draft to choose a potential late round bust, they chose a solid player who will likely be a contributor from day one and opted to bring in some league vets to help out in their position of need.

 

Sam wasn't just a good pick at where they got him in the 7th round, he was a STEAL.

[SinisterDeath]

From what I understand from the numbers perspective, the NFL may have purposely devalued him. (Because he was gay? course, that might be just as 'out there' as the rams picking just because he was...)

 

 

That all said, Congrats for keeping this thread civil! Keep it up, and there's a gold star in it for all of you. o_O

[Andrej]

I'm not so sure about that. The combine numbers are pretty legit and he didn't perform very well.

 

I would say that AND the controversy surrounding him probably hurt his draft stock, but to say he was only drafted as a publicity stunt is beyond reason to me.

 

If anything, I would commend the Rams for picking him.

[Tyler Glembo]

From what I understand from the numbers perspective, the NFL may have purposely devalued him. (Because he was gay? course, that might be just as 'out there' as the rams picking just because he was...)

 

 

That all said, Congrats for keeping this thread civil! Keep it up, and there's a gold star in it for all of you. o_O

 

*beep*ing F$&%ing *beep*ing *beeping*  s&%(ing cing *beep*ing *beep*ity *beep

 

:wink:

[Tyler Glembo]

I may have just lost my gold star :laugh:

[SinisterDeath]

I may have just lost my gold star :laugh:

You get a Platinum star for that.

[Daruya]

I'll admit I only followed the first round and checked up on second and third but that was because I wanted to see where a few specific Auburn players were going to end up:  Greg Robinson (1st round and the overall #2 pick) and Tre Mason (3rd round) to the Rams and Dee Ford (1st round) to the Chiefs.

 

Y'all are pretty serious about your football . . . !   I don't follow pro ball, only college.  My sister, OTOH, is a die-hard Cowboys fan who can't stand Romo.  She's been a Cowboys fan since Roger Staubach was QB!

[Andrej]

I'll admit I only followed the first round and checked up on second and third but that was because I wanted to see where a few specific Auburn players were going to end up:  Greg Robinson (1st round and the overall #2 pick) and Tre Mason (3rd round) to the Rams and Dee Ford (1st round) to the Chiefs.

 

Y'all are pretty serious about your football . . . !   I don't follow pro ball, only college.  My sister, OTOH, is a die-hard Cowboys fan who can't stand Romo.  She's been a Cowboys fan since Roger Staubach was QB!

 

There are a lot of us in Cowboys nation who feel that way!

 

I've been a fan since the holy-trio back in the early 90s when I was growing up. I had an Aikman jersey as a little boy and cherished it.

 

Staubach was no slouch either!

 

So I take it that you're an Auburn fan? I'm more into college football guy myself, but I love the sport in general so I follow all levels of it. Hopefully in a few years once I'm finished with school I'll be coaching on a team somewhere.

[Daruya]

 

I'll admit I only followed the first round and checked up on second and third but that was because I wanted to see where a few specific Auburn players were going to end up:  Greg Robinson (1st round and the overall #2 pick) and Tre Mason (3rd round) to the Rams and Dee Ford (1st round) to the Chiefs.

 

Y'all are pretty serious about your football . . . !   I don't follow pro ball, only college.  My sister, OTOH, is a die-hard Cowboys fan who can't stand Romo.  She's been a Cowboys fan since Roger Staubach was QB!

 

There are a lot of us in Cowboys nation who feel that way!

 

I've been a fan since the holy-trio back in the early 90s when I was growing up. I had an Aikman jersey as a little boy and cherished it.

 

Staubach was no slouch either!

 

So I take it that you're an Auburn fan? I'm more into college football guy myself, but I love the sport in general so I follow all levels of it. Hopefully in a few years once I'm finished with school I'll be coaching on a team somewhere.

 

 

Yes, I'm an Auburn fan AND graduate!  My first year there, we went undefeated but couldn't be on TV or go to a bowl game (thanks a lot, Pat Dye).  It was 1991 and Terry Bowden was head coach.  I can't tell you how many times I rolled Toomer's Corner . . .  

 

War Eagle!

[Tyler Glembo]

What amazes me about the Cowboys is how well their leadership knows PR.  They haven't been good (championship contending good) for a long, long time, but their fan base is still as strong as ever.  In fact, it might have even grown.  Marketing genius.

 

DId either of you ever read the "boys will be boys" book about the 90's cowboys?  It was def an interesting read.

[Red2111]

 

 

I think you are making a lot of assumptions. You weren't in the Rams war room when they decided to pick Sam - you don't know their motive. Obviously yes, there is going to be some publicity surrounding him because of how he came out to the media prior to the draft. I will say that I think that likely hurt his image towards some teams, not because he is gay, but because of the distraction he could potentially present in locker rooms when news networks all want to cover the first openly gay player in the NFL. To say the Rams ONLY picked him in order to get their name in the media is pretty out there. 

 

The NFL is a business and revolves around winning. Sam is a legitimate pass rusher type that I think fits pretty well in the 4-3 set that the Rams run, he is listed on their roster as a DE as well. I think he'll be playing on the weakside and likely sharing snaps in passing situations. Look here . 

 

They already have a beast at both DE positions in Robert Quinn and Chris Long. Sam adds further depth and another pass rushing threat on the outside.

 

Also, to address your point about picking WRs in the draft, if you look at the roster provided by ESPN.com you'll see that the Rams have added 3 new WRs to the their team from free agency with Emory Blake, Kenny Britt, and T.J. Moe - I'm sure their head office had a plan going into next season and recognized the need they had at WR, so instead of using a pick in the draft to choose a potential late round bust, they chose a solid player who will likely be a contributor from day one and opted to bring in some league vets to help out in their position of need.

 

Sam wasn't just a good pick at where they got him in the 7th round, he was a STEAL.

 

 

i'm glad the Rams are pircking up WR's, but with Sam were going to have to agree to disagree here then 

 

i'm looking at things differently than you, and from a stats point only surrounding him, the pick was not meant to boost the Rams chances of winning; it was targetted towards getting their name in the news for making a Historical pick and to boost sales of merchandise and ticket sales.  and i dont condone a team using a person like that, its disgusting and belittles Sam imo, because comming out in his situation was a very brave thing to do.

 

infact, looking at the stats surrounding Sam, the only way he should make the Rams is on Special Teams and even if that.  he's not starting material and hes no where near as good as the DL that the Rams already have.  he's not good for man-man coervage, he's not fast enough to keep up with most pro RB's and he's not agile enough to switch tracks on coverage; even his strength is average.  his best abilities are not abilities, but his personality, the fact he gives 110% on the field and his tenacity on pressure.

 

Yet because his pick was PR based, Sam will make the team, will bench sit most of the time, will be signed to a 1 year deal, then cut/traded after that year when the media has moved onto something shiny and new.

 

which is why i'm glad the kid is pouncing on the endorsement deals that are flying his way now, to cash in while he's still a hot comodity.

 

 

 

From what I understand from the numbers perspective, the NFL may have purposely devalued him. (Because he was gay? course, that might be just as 'out there' as the rams picking just because he was...)

 

 

That all said, Congrats for keeping this thread civil! Keep it up, and there's a gold star in it for all of you. o_O

 

*beep*ing F$&%ing *beep*ing *beeping*  s&%(ing cing *beep*ing *beep*ity *beep

 

:wink:

 

 

 

lmfao

 

 

What amazes me about the Cowboys is how well their leadership knows PR.  They haven't been good (championship contending good) for a long, long time, but their fan base is still as strong as ever.  In fact, it might have even grown.  Marketing genius.

 

DId either of you ever read the "boys will be boys" book about the 90's cowboys?  It was def an interesting read.

 

nah i grew up in Skins terriroty ...  so anything pro-cowboy was  ....  um ... burned      infact, my god mothers dad was one of the original Hogetts  (he wore the yellow moo-moo, which my mom made for him)

 

 

funny thing is ... you know what the Skins and Boys have in common ...  everyone hates their owners 

[Suttree]

infact, looking at the stats surrounding Sam, the only way he should make the Rams is on Special Teams and even if that.  he's not starting material and hes no where near as good as the DL that the Rams already have.

 

There is no "fact" when it comes to stats. Measurables are only part of the story. There are any number of combine warriors that look the part or qb's with canon arms that never amount to a thing in the NFL. Just as there are 7th rounders and undrafted free agents with low "measurables" that turn into stars.

 

he's not good for man-man coervage, he's not fast enough to keep up with most pro RB's and he's not agile enough to switch tracks on coverage; even his strength is average.  his best abilities are not abilities, but his personality, the fact he gives 110% on the field and his tenacity on pressure.

 

Your describing a skill set needed for a 4-3 lb. That is not how Sam will be used, he is going to be a pin the ears back rush the passer type player.

 

Since you used NFL.com for ratings earlier, let's look at what their expert has to say about the pick:

 

"His best thing is his first step. He doesn't have length, so he wins with quickness. He's not going to be a player in space. He'll play with his hand in the dirt. I applaud St. Louis. He'll join one of most ferocious fronts in football. Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is very good at identifying what you do well; in sub packages, he can be creative." -- Mike Mayock