Fisher Names Keenum Starter next year..

[RamsFan88]

I think Fisher would have the sense to use Brees in an effective manner. With Brees on the downside of his career, having someone like Gurley to shoulder the burden would make him more effective in the pass game. We need a good QB that can move the chains when he's called upon. Sitting on our ass and thinking a mediocre QB is going to do the job for us is crazy.

 

[LongtimeRamsFan42]

I think Fisher would have the sense to use Brees in an effective manner. With Brees on the downside of his career, having someone like Gurley to shoulder the burden would make him more effective in the pass game. We need a good QB that can move the chains when he's called upon. Sitting on our ass and thinking a mediocre QB is going to do the job for us is crazy.

But it all comes down to cap room...I think we'd all love to have a top-tier QB for the first time in a long time, but how do we afford one and keep enough cap room to sign other guys and stay competitive? As it is, we have to re-sign at least one of our starting CB's...That alone is going to cost a fortune....

 

[RamsFan88]

But it all comes down to cap room...I think we'd all love to have a top-tier QB for the first time in a long time, but how do we afford one and keep enough cap room to sign other guys and stay competitive? As it is, we have to re-sign at least one of our starting CB's...That alone is going to cost a fortune....

Not saying Brees, but I'd much rather have a good QB and spend the cap needed to get one than re-sign both of our corners.

 

[Retroram52]

Let me see, what else can we steal from Spanos and the Chargers????

Oh yeah, Rivers!

How about trading Saffold for D.J. Fluker, the guy we should have drafted!

 

[UVA_Guy81]

How about trading Saffold for D.J. Fluker, the guy we should have drafted!

If they want an injury prone offensive lineman, I'm sure that they could convince Jake Long to play for them for cheap without giving anything up.

 

[Silas]

Fisher isn't going to get any smarter just because the team is back in L.A.. But, he doesn't have much to choose from. It's not like he can say a Brady or a Manning is going to be his starting QB. He simply doesn't have much to work with. Let's see if the Rams go get someone else. If they don't, it will be the "St. Louis" Rams all over again.

 

[Retroram52]

Fisher is going to facilitate the move because he has the experience with the Oilers to Titans. Kroneke is going to use him like a rented goalie and if the losing doesn't stop, he'll get discarded like the same cheap goalie. Besides, Jeff is going home as well. Who knows, he may do better by being home. Let's see how the draft goes to get a harbinger of things to come.

 

[Battlelyon]

Quarterback questions follow Rams to Los Angeles

Jan. 16, 2016
Updated 6:28 p.m.


It has been reported that the Rams have “medium” interets in acquiring Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. ED ZURGA , ASSOCIATED PRESS
By RYAN KARTJE / STAFF WRITEr

After 21 years of plot twists and leverage plays, false drama and flawed pretenses, the NFL’s long-awaited Hollywood reboot is finally off the ground. But as the final details are ironed out in the Rams’ latest L.A. chapter, a close look at the team’s roster suggests an ensemble cast with plenty of talent – and a slew of made-for-Hollywood stars – but one, unmistakable, potentially unfixable, Michael-Bay-blockbuster-sized hole.

The Rams, you see, have no leading man.

And in a league of flashy, high-powered offenses and charismatic, big-armed quarterbacks, there is no worse problem L.A.’s newest football team could inherit.

For the past decade, St. Louis had been a wasteland of has-been, never-were, and never-will-be quarterbacks. Since Marc Bulger put together his lone standout season in 2006 – also the last year the Rams reached the .500 mark – the team has never finished better than 18th in passing yards per game or 17th in passing touchdowns per game. This season, they finished last in the NFL in both of those categories ... in addition to pass attempts, completions, yards per attempt, and passer rating, too.

Suffice to say this was a particularly low point in the Rams’ ongoing quarterback disaster drama. In March, the Rams sent away oft-injured, former No. 1 pick Sam Bradford to the Eagles for Nick Foles, in hopes of finding a steady hand to lead the offense. They even gave Foles an extension before the season, optimistic they’d found their answer to the franchise’s biggest question mark.

Eleven starts later, he was benched, slapped with a most dubious honor for his efforts. By almost every advanced metric, Foles’ 2015 season had been the worst in the league by any quarterback with at least 200 pass attempts.

Foles was mercifully replaced by Case Keenum, who quickly pulled the Rams out of their five-game, midseason tailspin with wins in three of their last four. It was an admirable stretch – good enough, it appears, for Rams coach Jeff Fisher to name Keenum the offseason starter. But anyone who thinks Keenum – and his career 57 percent completion rate – will last at the helm in Los Angeles is kidding himself.

Toiling in limbo without a franchise quarterback is not a comfortable position for any NFL team to be in, let alone one relocating to a new market, with new fans to win over. Consider then that that new market happens to be quite fond of marketable star athletes, and you’d could understand why it would be in the Rams’ best interest to find an exciting, new quarterback to take over their exciting, new franchise.

The problem: Finding a franchise NFL quarterback feels a little like winning Powerball these days. Free agency is often wrought with also-rans and out-of-work journeymen. Searching for an answer in the draft is usually the smartest route, but calling that process an inexact science would be kind. This year, there is no Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston types to be found, as the two best quarterbacks in the class, Cal’s Jared Goff and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, are far from sure things (and not falling to the Rams’ 15th pick, anyway). There is always the option of trading for a quarterback, but, well ... that didn’t exactly work out the last time.

“There are roses and thorns for each acquisition method,” Rams GM Les Snead said. “We will always search for competition. The guy that finished the season, Case Keenum, nearly finished 4-0. ... I’ll bet on Case competing. That’s what he likes to do, and then we’ll definitely try to add as many good players as possible.”

In other words, welcome to the dark abyss of quarterbacklessness, Los Angeles. It’s an especially frustrating place to find yourself, especially considering the talent in the rest of the Rams’ ensemble cast.

Running back Todd Gurley looks primed to be a superstar after just one season, a natural fit to follow in the footsteps of past L.A. great Eric Dickerson. On the other side of the ball, defensive tackle Aaron Donald was so good in his second season – with 42 hurries and 11 sacks – that Pro Football Focus named him their defensive player of the year over the likes of Texans star J.J. Watt and Panthers stalwart Luke Kuechly. Cornerstones such as Donald and Gurley are crucial in building a franchise, but without a viable option at football’s most important position, they can only impact a game so much. Case in point: Even with historic seasons from both in 2015, the Rams still finished 7-9.

Improving that record in 2016 might mean taking a calculated risk in free agency. With Fisher under pressure to improve on his increasingly habitual 7-9 finishes, the Rams will want to win now, and it’s probably a long shot to expect Goff or Lynch to do that right away.

It seems more likely the Rams will select a falling quarterback with their pair of second-round picks (Carson Wentz or Cardale Jones, maybe?) and/or take a swing at one of free agency’s more-intriguing-than-usual options. The chances of Kirk Cousins, Brock Osweiler or Ryan Fitzpatrick making it to the open market are admittedly slim. Arizona’s Drew Stanton is a potential option. And, much to ESPN’s delight, Johnny Manziel and Robert Griffin III both happen to be available.

On Wednesday, in fact, the Worldwide Leader ran a story suggesting the Rams would have “medium” interest in Manziel – the only one of 32 NFL teams to offer any such endorsement. A day later, ESPN lumped the Rams in with eight other teams that might offer Griffin a chance.

It’s true: Nothing would say “Hollywood!” quite like watching an unstable Manziel unravel under the bright lights of TMZ cameras. But the Rams, with a potentially elite defense and a franchise running back, are too close to being a playoff team to take such a risk. And without any sure options out there, the Rams’ first season in Los Angeles might be another spent in Quarterback Purgatory.

But if another year with Case Keenum brings the Rams closer to a charismatic, big-armed, franchise answer at quarterback, one the city of Los Angeles can call its own, then, well, maybe heaven can wait.

 

[Retroram52]

Nice read SE. I agree. The QB position for the Rams has been a source of agony since Warner and that Bulger season that was mentioned in the article. If Fisher is worth is weight as a HC, he'd better make finding the next franchise guy one of his top priorities. I think the Rams have exhausted their attempts of quick fixes. They'd be efficacious by going the Bill Walsh route and finding and developing a good QB. Mannion may be that guy.

 

[shopson67]

Any perceived interest in Manziel seems to be recycled old news. I think RG3 would be a better reclamation project at this point; he's healthy and fresh and didn't cause any issues this year for the Redskins. If Johnny Drama can get into this much trouble in Cleveland, what would happen in LA?

 

[Retroram52]

That little turd of a whack job QB is going to be out of football sooner rather than later. The Rams have figured out he is worthless and have moved on.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

That little turd of a whack job QB is going to be out of football sooner rather than later. The Rams have figured out he is worthless and have moved on.

Agreed. He can want to go to Dallas all he wants but would Jerry Jones even be dumb enough to sign him? If I had a choice between him and RGIII, I definitely choose RGIII. At least RGIII has his head on straight. Johnny will just fade away and live off his dad's oil money I'm sure.

 

[LongtimeRamsFan42]

I also wouldn't mind us giving RGIII a shot if he'd sign for a cheap price...He definitely has the talent, he just needs to learn to stay healthy. A ground and pound offense might be perfect for him since(in theory) he shouldn't take too much punishment...

 

[UVA_Guy81]

I also wouldn't mind us giving RGIII a shot if he'd sign for a cheap price...He definitely has the talent, he just needs to learn to stay healthy. A ground and pound offense might be perfect for him since(in theory) he shouldn't take too much punishment...

I think Shannahan ran him out there when he knew he was in no condition to play and that just caused further injury and probably damaged his ego and psyche as well. Since he's had this year off pretty much, just practicing as a safety for the scout team during the week, he should be ready to go.

 

[zeke2829]

I would love to have RG3 as well! But knowing the track record of this organization, we will again sit on our hands again and probably do nothing at all! They will probably just go with Foles, Keenum and Manion again!

 

[Retroram52]

Probably so Zeke.

 

[SJ76]

Thought this was an interesting article. It may belong on the negativity thread because of the round and round and round conversation but what the heck....

Coug was right, Foles was the worst QB but look who was right behind him.

Five quarterbacks who thrived -- and five who stunk -- vs. the blitz in 2015

 

[SJ76]

What's really alarming in all of this is that once again our Oline could not provide protection and once again our front office is drinking Kool-Aid hoping that our Oline will somehow suddenly click and protect a rookie QB that hasn't seen a stud college D yet.

 

[Retroram52]

What I find interesting about this article is Carson Palmer is on the top of the best QBs because of Bruce Arians who, if you believe the rumors, is interested in obtaining and working with Foles. If Arians does get his hands on Foles, I guarantee you, the Foles as QB we all hoped he would become for the Rams will be seen eventually as a Cardinal who will make life miserable for the Rams twice a year.

 

[bluepigpen]

All Arians has to do is wait for Foles to be put on waivers. He will sign because he can and Palmer has a bad health record and a good team. I don't think he will clear waivers and that may profit the Rams better then a trade at this point. Anyway you look at it though Ouch!