Worst Man Drafted (WMD) Tournament

[caption id="attachment_1241" align="alignright" width="220" caption="Lawrence Phillips Mug Shot"][/caption]

Our Fansided.com sports blog network has just started the Worst Man Drafted (WMD) Tournament. What is it you say? It is a field of the 64 worst NFL Draft busts of all time, in our team bloggers opinion of course. The St. Louis Rams have the #1 Seed in the South Region! Can you guess who it is? Thats right LP. Lawrence Phillips is a solid #1 seed. In the first round he is up against Ricky Williams. This has to be an easy win, LP is in the slammer and puff puff pass, Ricky is still playing in the NFL. As we know there are no sure things in brackets so head on over to NFL Mocks and start voting for Lawrence Phillips as the big draft bust. You can see the whole bracket if you Click Here


Below is a recap of LPs greatest moment to date:

Lawrence Phillips got mad about a pickup football game and drove his stolen car through a group of kids ages 13-24, running down 3 of them and narrowly missing the other four because, get this, his team was losing.

NFL Kisses Patriots Ass Again

The NFL announced compensatory draft picks today. The St. Louis Rams will not be receiving any picks this year. The picks are awarded to teams that lose free agent talent the previous year. Since the Rams did not lose huge talent, first they would need to have some, they were not given any picks. The New England Patriots will receive 3 picks including a 3rd rounder, which really pisses me off. Sure they lost Asante Samuel but I still hate them, and I hate when the league gives them anything. Let's just flat out say it the Patriots suck! There I feel much better.

As far as the NFC West goes, the San Francisco 49ers were given a 5th and 7th round pick. The Arizona Cardinals were given a 7th round pick, and the Seattle Seahawks received three 7th round picks. Once again the Rams bring up the rear. This makes the Rams 1st round pick that much more important.

Wonderlic Test Scores Announced

Some Wonderlic test scores have made their way out onto the internet. Props to Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune for breaking the news today. The biggest news of the scores released was Matt Stafford scoring 38 of a possible 50 on the test. I still do not understand way people are not higher on Stafford. This kid has it all. I believe the QB class seems so weak that teams and fans are taking that out on Matt Stafford. It is not Matt's fault the QB class is weak. People are going out of their way to tell you how great Mark Sanchez is. He has only played 16 games in the NCAA with an elite team that over matches their opponent weekly, how can he even be in the same class as Stafford, at this point? For the most point people seem to only remember the worst scores every year. This year Percy Harvin pops out with a 12, along with Rey Maualuga's 15. Andre Smith the huge tackle from Alabama scored a 17 which will not improve his stock. Smith has been dropping down the boards. Scores from other big name players like Aaron Curry have not been released yet. Will these scores affect the Rams first round pick, probably not but you never know. Michael Crabtree scored a 15 and Jason Smith scored a fairly strong 23. Local product, and future NFL star Jeremy Maclin scored a 25. Maclin could be a surprising top 5 pick by the time the draft comes around.

Take a sample Wonderlic test here:

What are your thoughts?

Rams Release Torry "Big Game" Holt

The Rams released wide receiver Torry "Big Game" Holt today. This is the second member of the (GSOT) Greatest show on turf to be released this week. Both Torry Holt and Orlando Pace have been selected to the Pro Bowl seven times. Torry Holt ranks 11th in NFL history with 869 catches and 14th overall with 12,660 yards. Leonard Little is the only member from 1999 left on the Rams. The NFL is a business, and the Rams seem to be making the right moves to start rebuilding, but it sure is sad to see these great Hall of Fame type players go on to play elsewhere.

It was a bit of a slap in the face to Holt, from the Rams by being cut well into the free agency period. I think the Rams knew quite some time ago that they were not going to use $8 million of their cap for Torry Holt in 2009. If they would have released him a month ago he may already have found a home, and the Rams would have known they had more cap space to sign key free agents. If the Cardinals do not keep Anquan Boldin I think Holt will team back up with Kurt Warner in Arizona. What is going on, Bruce in SF, and now Warner and Holt in Arizona?

The fact the Rams have not been to the playoffs since 2004 has led to many of these sad events. As a true fan there would be nothing better than watching Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt play their last game as a member of the St. Louis Rams, but that will not happen. If the Rams drafted better this decade these things never would have happened. Mike Martz lost control and focus, and had horrid draft picks. This was followed up by the disastrous hiring of nice guy Scott Linehan and his awful drafting and player personnel decisions as well. Here is just a short list of the poor decisions made by the Rams; Trung Canidate, Jacoby Shepherd, Damione Lewis, Tommy Polley, Robert Thomas, Eric Crouch, Jimmy Kennedy, Jerome Carter, Joe Klopfenstein, Claude Wroten, Dominique Byrd.

Now the latest question the Rams will have to ask themselves is what we are going to do at wide receiver in 2009. The top three receivers on the roster heading into 2009 are Donnie Avery, Dane Looker, and Keenan Burton. I smell 10 in the box already and the season is months away. The Rams will need to upgrade this core significantly to pose a threat on offense. It appears the load is already squarely on Steven Jackson's shoulders.

Now all we are left with is the memory of Torry Holt's 9 yard touchdown reception in Super Bowl XXXIV to put the Rams up 16-0, and what a great memory it was! We will truly miss you "Big Game".

Orlando Pace Released By St. Louis Rams

Today the St. Louis Rams lost another piece of their (GSOT) Greatest Show on Turf glory years. The "Big-O" Seven-time pro bowl tackle and Super Bowl champion Orlando Pace was released by the Rams today. This was actually a classy move on the Rams part, as well as being a good business move. From the business side the move will save the Rams $5.975 million against the 2009 salary cap. On the classy side the Rams did not owe Orlando a roster bonus this year and he was under contract so they could have drug this out for a few months. Now Pace will have a chance to sign with another NFL team prior to the 2009 NFL Draft. Could Pace reunite with Kurt Warner out in Arizona?

For the fans the writing was on the wall. The Rams have a new front office, and coaching staff, and are coming off a dreadful 2-14 2008 season. Steve Spagnuolo is going to try to make the Rams a power offensive and defensive team, and that means getting younger, stronger, faster and hungrier. Some sacrifices will have to be made for them to accomplish their goals. The Rams already said they would not invited Pace or Holt to participate in the team’s off season strength and conditioning program which starts next week. In addition Torry Holt is already all but out the door. Put this together and you knew in your heart that Pace was on his way out. For fans this is unfair, hopefully soon the NFL will find a way to allow teams to keep their franchise stars like Orlando Pace, Brian Dawkins, etc.

The scary thing from today's news could be what Billy Devaney had to say. Devaney on KSLG said Alex Barron will be moved from right tackle to left tackle immediately and they will take a long look at Jacob Bell, as the right tackle. OUCH, let's hope that is the Grey Goose talking. Granted there is not much he can say at the moment, the Rams are in need of more linemen. It's only March so let's see what happens.

So with Pace gone, are the Rams 100% sold on a Left Tackle in the 2009 NFL Draft? Is Michael Crabtree back in the running with Torry Holt on his way out in the next week? What will the Rams do with the 14 million of cap space they will create with these cuts? What are your thoughts?

Ron Bartell Signs With St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams resigned Ron Bartell today. According to Nola.com and the St. Louis Post Dispatch Ron Bartell signed a four year deal worth 28 million dollars. The deal includes 13.6 million dollars in guaranteed money. Vinnie Iyer of SportingNews.com seems to like the deal:

Bartell is a rising corner, and has rare size (6-0) for the position. He's a good piece to keep around for Spagnuolo, along with franchise-tagged safety O.J. Atogwe.

Bartell had also been talking to the New Orleans Saints but in the end he resigned with the St. Louis Rams. Mike Triplett, from The Times-Picayune reports that this could be because of Steve Spagnuolo.

A source indicated that both teams' offers were in the same ballpark, but the choice came down to which situation Bartell preferred, and he apparently liked what he heard from new Rams Coach Steve Spagnuolo.

The Rams have now signed Atogwe and Butler and are still looking into signing SS James Butler away from the New York Giants. Butler would be another important piece to upgrading the Rams starting roster. If the Rams are unable to lure Butler, they may look to the 2009 NFL Draft to fill their need for a hammer in the secondary. Louis Delmas from Western Michigan, or Patrick Chung from Oregon could fit the bill if available.

St. Louis Rams Just Say No......To Jeff Garcia

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that the St. Louis Rams have not been in contact with veteran QB Jeff Garcia.

But it doesn’t look like Garcia, a free agent, is in the plans for St. Louis. Granted, things can change in an instant in the volatile world of free agency. But as of Saturday afternoon, Garcia had not heard from the Rams. And league sources indicated later in the day that the team was not interested.

With the gun shy Marc Bulger, and unproven Brock Berlin as the only two QBs on the Rams roster the thought is they will sign a veteran to push Marc Bulger. However do the Rams really have enough cap room to sign a veteran QB if he is only going to sit on the bench and not really have a shot as the #1? With the Rams coming off a 2-14 season I do not see anyone below that is worth taking a shot on. We are not in a position to pick up a backup that can win a playoff game, we are in position to find our future. These guys are not the future. What are your thoughts?

Patrick Ramsey, Denver Broncos
Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh Steelers
Kyle Boller, Baltimore Ravens
Rex Grossman, Chicago Bears
Byron Leftwich, Pittsburgh Steelers
J.P. Losman, Buffalo Bills
Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Charlie Frye, Seattle Seahawks
Brooks Bollinger, Dallas Cowboys
Chris Simms, Tennessee Titans
J.T. O’Sullivan, San Francisco 49ers
Luke McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Players Missing Off Coast Of Florida

This is a just so you know post. There are reports currently all over the internet about two or three NFL players missing on a fishing boat off the coast of Florida. The below is from ProFootballTalk.com. You many also check out the major news sites for more information.

From ABC comes a scary story out of Florida. Three NFL players are on a fishing boat that is missing off the Gulf Coast in Clearwater.

One reportedly plays for the Lions, and another plays for the Raiders.

A 21-foot boat with four passengers left from Clearwater Pass at 6:30 a.m. EST on Saturday. It was due to return after dark but never arrived.

A friend called the Coast Guard at 1:30 a.m. EST on Sunday and reported the boat missing.

Per the report, officials say that the Gulf waters are extremely choppy and that it’s believed the boat is in distress.