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April 14, 2016 at 1:51 pm #41882
AgamemnonParticipant
Fallout from Rams-Titans trade for top pick
By Colin Lindsay | April 14, 2016Needless to say it will take hours, if not days, for all the implications of this morning’s blockbuster deal in which Los Angeles acquired the #1 pick at this month’s draft from Tennessee for a package of picks to play themselves out. and needless to say it may actually take several years for a final decision on who won the deal. Certainly, Tennessee, one of the thinnest teams in the league, has put itself in a position to address a number of issues later this month. Indeed, the Titans now have 4 of the top 45, and 6 of the top 76, picks at this month’s draft. However, on balance it may not be the haul that one would have normally expected from a move from the first overall pick to the 15th.
Indeed, a case could be made that the Rams actually got more from Washington back in 2012 when they acquired three first rounders to move down just one spot in the Robert Griffen trade. It should be noted though that using the standard NFL trade value chart, both the Titans and Rams received about the same value in this deal.
The other huge implication in this deal now is what happens after the first pick. It certainly is starting to look like QBs are going to go 1-2 with Cleveland expected to take whichever of Carson Wentz or Jared Goff the Rams pass on. In that case, Ole Miss OT Laremy Tunsil would fall to San Diego; it could also make for some happy folks in places like Dallas, Jacksonville and Baltimore which have the 4th through the 6th picks. If QBs do go 1-2 later this month, it could have the effect of pushing all the top defensive prospects one spot such as Florida State DB Jalen Ramsey, UCLA LB Myles Jack, Ohio State DE Joey Bosa and Oregon DT DeForest Buckner further down the draft. That means, for example, that the Cowboys chances of getting Ramsey, the player reportedly at the top of their board, with the 4th pick just got significantly shorter. Meanwhile, does this possibly bring Memphis QB Paxton Lynch into the mix for teams like San Francisco and/or Philadelphia, which pick 7th and 8th respectively, and have QB issues of their own. Stay tuned.
AgamemnonApril 14, 2016 at 1:59 pm #41885AgamemnonParticipantNFL Media’s Marshall Faulk reacts to the Los Angeles Rams moving up to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
AgamemnonApril 14, 2016 at 2:10 pm #41886
PA RamParticipantEd Werder said that Snead and Fisher were split over the QB–one liked Wentz–the other Goff. He felt they were leaning Goff.
I’d probably rather they go Wentz.
Ike Reese on WIP Philly hates Goff. Says he has small hands–fumbling problems.
Also–he comes from one of those spread offenses. Wentz already plays in a pro style offense. He has mobility. I’d rather they go with him–at least as of today. I have more reading to do.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick
April 14, 2016 at 2:36 pm #41889AgamemnonParticipantIke Reese on WIP Philly hates Goff.
Hates Goff, too. That would be a double whammy. Go Raiders. 😉
AgamemnonApril 14, 2016 at 4:18 pm #41894
znModeratorThe Play for No. 1: Inside the Titans-Rams Trade
Peter King
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/04/14/titans-rams-draft-trade-number-1-pick
A major move at the top of the draft, as the Titans trade the No. 1 pick to the Rams, who are surely lined up to take a potential franchise quarterback for their first season back in Los Angeles
Did the Rams overpay for the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft?
Peter King breaks down the historic trade between the Rams and Titans that resulted in Los Angeles moving up to No. 1 in the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft.Conversations between Rams GM Les Snead and his rookie Tennessee counterpart, Jon Robinson, began March 28 at the Ole Miss pro day, with Robinson there to eyeball the Titans’ presumptive top pick in the 2016 NFL draft, tackle Laremy Tunsil. Snead wanted to know what it would take for the Rams to move up from their No. 15 spot in the first round to get the first pick overall.
Robinson knew a couple of things in assessing his chance to move. He knew the Titans needed a slew of help all over the roster. And he knew Snead, who has been the boldest trader in and around draft day in his four drafts running the Rams, would do something bold. The Rams totaled an astonishing eight trades in the top 50 picks of the previous four drafts.
Talks heated up during the day Wednesday, when the Rams sent the final proposal, and when Robinson and Snead agreed on the terms of one of the biggest draft trades in NFL history: The Rams get the first pick overall in the April 28 draft, plus Tennessee’s fourth- and sixth-round picks. The Titans get the Rams’ top four picks this year (a first, two seconds and a third), plus Los Angeles’s first- and third-round picks in 2017.
Rams GM Snead (center) gave up plenty but now can choose between Wentz (left) and Goff (right) for L.A.’s new quarterback.
Photo: Getty Images (3)
Rams GM Snead (center) gave up plenty but now can choose between Wentz (left) and Goff (right) for L.A.’s new quarterback.The other day, one prominent GM in the league told me why he thought the Rams would move way up to pick a quarterback. He said they can’t compete in the NFC West (with Russell Wilson and Carson Palmer in place in Seattle and Arizona, respectively) without getting a quarterback. This was the text-message from this GM Thursday morning, upon hearing of the deal:
“Just like we said … Bravo, Rams.”The upshot of the trade that radically remade the 2016 NFL draft.
• The Titans own the next two drafts. Tennessee now has six picks in the top 76 of the 2016 draft—numbers 15, 33, 43, 45, 64 and 76. With many evaluators saying the meat of this draft is between 20 and 70,
Tennessee, depending on its board, could draft six players this year whom Robinson would consider starting-caliber. And the Titans set themselves up nicely for 2017—they’re the only team right now with two picks in the first round next year.• The Rams will take a quarterback No. 1. I can tell you a final decision has not been made as to which quarterback that will be. But they obviously felt that either Carson Wentz of North Dakota State or Jared Goff of Cal was capable of being the franchise quarterback the Rams have lacked during the Jeff Fisher era. The Rams did the precise opposite of what they did in in 2012, when they traded down four spots, allowing Washington to pick Robert Griffin III number two overall and capturing four high picks in return. The Rams moved up 14 spots his year to get a quarterback.
• To a much lesser degree, the two players who’d been in play at No. 1 for Tennessee, Tunsil and cornerback Jalen Ramsey of Florida State, now muck up the very top of the draft. One or both of them could be in play beyond the top two picks—and before this trade, no one could have said that.
It’s clear why Tennessee made this trade. Very clear, in fact. Robinson saw a team that needs help on the offensive line, in the secondary and on the pass-rush, and that needs a versatile playmaking linebacker … and he thought that subtracting one single player, a franchise tackle or corner, was worth the value of getting six choices in the first three rounds of the next two drafts. Who can blame him? Smart move for Robinson and the Titans.
• QUARTERBACK CAMP WITH CARSON WENTZ: Emily Kaplan went behind the scenes for the ND State passer’s session with Jon Gruden
But the Rams, the youngest team in football over the last four seasons and a team with many defensive pieces in place, knew they’d never catch quarterback-rich Seattle or Arizona in the NFC West with Case Keenum, Nick Foles or Sean Mannion atop their quarterback depth chart. In some ways, the price was the price. It’s ridiculously exorbitant, to be sure, but without a quarterback the Rams would face another season of fighting for third in a stacked division and putting off the inevitable search for a passer.This is a league with a greater emphasis on quarterback than ever. Teams threw the ball more often last year, and for more yardage, than in any previous season in the NFL’s 96-year history. That’s why I don’t think it was especially hard for Snead and Fisher and COO Kevin Demoff to pull the trigger on this deal. Brock Osweiler, with seven career starts and a lot of question marks, just got $18 million a year in Houston. That shows how desperate teams are to get fixed at quarterback. This trade shows that the Rams believe they’re a quarterback away—and when you watch their swarming defense some Sundays, it’s hard to argue with that logic.
Why now? Why not wait to try to get a better deal and give away less value to Tennessee? I think it’s because the Rams wanted two full weeks to investigate Goff and Wentz—to find out everything they can about each guy, on and off the field. The Rams are on the clock, and they two weeks of investigative time to spare.
April 14, 2016 at 5:38 pm #41904znModeratorRams betting big that top pick will become franchise QB
Nick Wagoner
There’s no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to the NFL draft, especially when it comes to picking quarterbacks. So the Los Angeles Rams move from No. 15 to No. 1 doesn’t come with any sort of money or draft pick back guarantee.
If the Tennessee Titans had been willing to throw in such a warranty, the Rams would have been wise to jump. Alas, the Rams now must spend the next two weeks trying to figure out whether North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz or Cal’s Jared Goff can become the quarterback they mortgaged so much of their future to acquire.
Unlike in 2012 when Andrew Luck was a safe bet for the Indianapolis Colts with the top pick or even last year when Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota came with major NFL pedigrees and reputations as franchise building blocks, both Goff and Wentz head toward this draft with their share of question marks.
Carson Wentz and Jared Goff
The Rams’ move up to No. 1 indicates they believe Carson Wentz or Jared Goff can be a franchise quarterback.
Wentz played at FCS North Dakota State, leaving some to wonder if his performance will decline when facing top competition. Goff is a little smaller but comes from an “Air Raid” offense that didn’t ask him to handle NFL progressions.For frame of reference — though it’s not a hard-and-fast evaluation shared by all NFL teams — ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. had Luck ranked first in 2012 with Winston and Mariota rated Nos. 4 and 5 on his final 2015 big board. Todd McShay also had Luck at No. 1 overall and had Winston first and Mariota fifth on his list of the top 32 players.
This year, Kiper has Goff ranked seventh and Wentz eighth, while McShay puts Wentz at No. 10 and Goff at No. 11. Even among other draft pundits and teams, there doesn’t seem be a consensus on whether Wentz or Goff is the better player, let alone the best player in this draft. Moments after the trade was announced, some draftniks reported the Rams were zeroed in on Goff at the same time others were saying the same thing about Wentz.
It’s hard to believe the Rams would make such a bold move all the way up to No. 1 and give up their first four picks this year and first- and third-rounders next year without already knowing which quarterback they prefer. At the very least, the Rams have to be convinced that both Goff and Wentz are worth the price.
Former NFL coach Rick Venturi, who knows a thing or two about big draft trades, believes the Rams have two good options even if neither is as complete as Winston or Mariota or among the five best players overall in the draft.
“There’s five freaks in the draft when you get into the Myles Jacks, the [Jalen] Ramseys, some of those guys, I think they’re freaks,” Venturi said. “But I will say that you can’t go anywhere without a quarterback. You can have a really good team but really you can’t go anywhere. And the Rams are competitive enough week in and week out with their defense and their running game, their running back is tremendous, that if they were to get a guy who can win behind the center then you are going to solidify for a real long time.”
Venturi has been on both sides of big draft trades, working for the Colts when they traded away the rights to quarterback John Elway in 1983 and then for the Saints when they gave up their entire draft and premium picks the following year to move up for running back Ricky Williams in 1999.
“Honestly, you are going to have to invest to get that guy,” Venturi said. “Now, that’s a tremendous investment, I have to get my grips on that, that’s maybe even more than we gave up for Ricky Williams, I think, I know it’s a hell of a lot more than we got for Elway in ’83. But like I said, you are not going to go anywhere without a quarterback so whether a guy is a freak or not, in that sense, I don’t think those freaks are also graded all that much higher than those two guys either.”
Neither Wentz nor Goff comes with the same hype as Elway or Williams, but they still could become the long-term answer at quarterback the Rams need. In fact, Venturi is a believer in both players.
“I really like both of these kids,” Venturi said. “I don’t think you can go wrong with either one. I like Wentz a little bit better. Both of them are great kids. Goff has a great release. Goff, people can say whatever they want but he took a terrible team and made it competitive. Wentz has won, I give him a little advantage too, that’s a real pro-style offense at North Dakota State. But if you said to me, that you will take one and I take the other guy, I’d be OK with that, too. But I really like these two guys. I think you’ve got two guys you can win with and build with, honestly.”
That could turn out to be the case but for their sake, it’s now imperative that the Rams do whatever is necessary to make sure they get the right one.
April 14, 2016 at 5:45 pm #41906znModeratorTitans win big, 49ers hurt in blockbuster deal for top pick
John Clayton
To win over the Los Angeles market, the Rams made the bold move to trade for the No. 1 pick to take a quarterback.
Moves this big create winners and losers. Let’s go to the scoreboard:
Winners
Tennessee Titans: The Titans were in an uncomfortable position at No. 1 because they didn’t need to draft a left tackle, quarterback or pass-rusher, and it might have been tough to take defensive back Jalen Ramsey there. They now have six picks in the first three rounds — four in the first two — plus a No. 1 and a No. 3 next year. They got a huge haul.
Jared Goff: Even if the Rams take Carson Wentz with the top pick, Goff has a great chance to go to the Cleveland Browns at No. 2. The trade reminds teams the value of a quarterback and might eliminate any second thoughts of Cleveland passing on a QB with the second pick.
San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys: With two quarterbacks almost certainly going in the first two picks, the Chargers and Cowboys, who own the third and fourth overall picks, know they have their choice of the top non-QBs in the draft.
Denver Broncos: Although this pretty well ends the Colin Kaepernick trade option, it could allow Paxton Lynch to become more of an option for Denver. Had the Rams stayed at the No. 15 pick, they might have taken Lynch there. It’s possible he could drop to the Broncos at No. 31 or be close enough to acquire in a trade. The trade also could put Nick Foles on John Elway’s radar if the Rams cut him.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Sam Bradford: At least he doesn’t have to worry about the Eagles trading up to take a quarterback. Owner Jeff Lurie went along with the front office, which has evaluated the top quarterbacks in the draft. Bradford would be in a one-and-done situation if the Eagles draft a quarterback in the first round. Now he might have some stability.
Titans LT Taylor Lewan: With the Titans no longer in position to take Laremy Tunsil, Lewan doesn’t have to move to right tackle. If the Titans go for an offensive lineman in the draft, they can target a right tackle.
Losers
San Francisco 49ers and QB Colin Kaepernick: If Wentz and Goff go in the first two picks, the option of drafting a quarterback ends, unless the Niners reach to take Lynch at No. 7. That’s unlikely. Whether it’s uncomfortable or not, Kaepernick looks like he’s staying in San Francisco now that the second QB in the draft likely won’t fall to the seventh pick. If he really wants out, the 49ers now aren’t in a position to accommodate a trade, unless they can somehow get a second-round choice. They need to keep Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert, which should please new coach Chip Kelly.
QB Nick Foles: With a rookie quarterback coming in and Case Keenum already ahead of him, Foles’ days with the Rams are near an end.
QB Paxton Lynch: With the Rams no longer at No. 15, Lynch doesn’t have a guarantee he would be drafted by the middle of the first round. At least he knows he’s the next quarterback teams will be targeting.
LT Laremy Tunsil: The Ole Miss star probably would have gone to the Titans with the first pick. Now he might fall to No. 6 unless the Chargers take him at No. 3. The Cowboys and Jaguars, who have the fourth and five picks, aren’t looking for a left tackle in the draft.
Rams draft junkies: What will they do in between Los Angeles’ picks? The Rams have the No. 1 pick, and then their next selection is in the fourth round, No. 110 overall. They’ll have to sit out Day 2 completely, though it will be worth it if they can hit on a quarterback at the top of the draft.
April 14, 2016 at 5:46 pm #41907znModeratorHuge flop or not, Rams had to make this deal to try to get a franchise QB
Pete Prisco
Sustainable success in the NFL comes one of two ways: With a franchise quarterback who can carry a team on his back or with an all-time great defense made up of players who are young and cheap. But even that shelf life is limited before that unit is picked apart by the free agency vultures.
So long-term success comes mainly with a top-tier — dare we say elite? — quarterback.
That’s why the move by the Los Angeles Rams to trade up to the top spot in this year’s NFL Draft, with an eye on either North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz of Cal’s Jared Goff, isn’t as crazy as it seems.
The Rams sent their first-round pick this year, 15th overall, their first next year, two second-round picks this year, theirs and one they got from the Eagles, and a third-round pick in 2016 to the Tennessee Titans for the first overall pick. The Titans also threw in two picks this year, a fourth-round choice and one in the sixth round.
It might seem like a ransom for that No. 1 pick, and it’s a good move for the Titans, who already have what they think is a franchise passer in Marcus Mariota. But ask yourselves this question: Why have the Packers, Patriots and Steelers been mentioned as possible Super Bowl teams every year the past decade, no matter what? It’s the guys taking the snaps.
Tom Brady has won four rings and the Patriots are the favorites in Vegas heading into 2016. The Steelers and Packers are both legitimate contenders again because of Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers, who have three rings between them.
The Super Bowl-champion Broncos have issues now. Why? Quarterback. They still have that dominant defense, but the quarterback uncertainty makes them look anything like a team that will repeat. PS: Their all-time great defense was picked apart in free agency.
That’s why this makes sense for the Rams. They have some nice pieces in place. They have a dominant runner in Todd Gurley, who they drafted in the first round last year. They have some stars on defense in end Robert Quinn and tackle Aaron Donald.
What the Rams don’t have is a legitimate NFL starter at quarterback. The Rams were 29th in total offense last year, and 32nd in passing. Somehow they went 7-9 in a league where passing is king and teams threw it more than they ever have last season.
That speaks to the talent of the defense in a physical division with two playoff teams in Arizona and Seattle.
Even if you or me or any Twitter draft expert might not think Goff or Wentz are worth the move, the Rams obviously do.
We know coach Jeff Fisher loves to run the football. I once debated him about the running game at a league meeting, and I asked him what a running team can do when they drive it 50 yards on the ground, then end up with a holding penalty.
“Run it harder,” Fisher said.
That’s his approach. It won’t change. But if he can run it, then drive the ball with play-action passes down the field, maybe it can work. To be honest, I think he needs an overhaul to his style of play. And if you make a deal like this to get a franchise passer, it has to become his team.
Like Brady. Like Rodgers. Like Roethlisberger.
Whoever the Rams draft, whether it’s Goff or Wentz, that player faces unreal scrutiny. The deal up makes it that way. The new city, the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, will only enhance the pressure to be great.
B-movies don’t win Oscars in Hollywood.
B-quarterbacks won’t have sustainable success there either.
I asked some league personnel people around the league about their reactions to the trade Thursday, and some of the reactions were what I expected. Several of those I asked said it was a move that general manager Les Snead and Fisher had to make. They are 27-39-1 in their four seasons together. There was some talk they could be in trouble after last season. They haven’t won more than seven games in a season with the Rams.
“They are getting fired if they don’t make it, and they will get fired if Wentz sucks,” one personnel director said. “They had to go all-in.”
Another simply said they bought themselves four more years.
If you look at the quarterbacks drafted first overall since the AFL-NFL merger, there are a lot of stars on the list, but also some busts. The Rams actually took Sam Bradford first overall in 2010, and that didn’t work out in large part because of injuries. He’s now the Eagles quarterback.
Here are the other quarterbacks who have gone first overall since the merger: Terry Bradshaw, Jim Plunkett, Steve Bartkowski, John Elway, Vinny Testaverde, Troy Aikman, Jeff George, Drew Bledsoe, Peyton Manning, Tim Couch, Mike Vick, David Carr, Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, Alex Smith, JaMarcus Russell, Matthew Stafford, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Jameis Winston.
There are 15 Super Bowl victories in that group and four who would be considered busts (George, Carr, Russell and Couch). Yes, guys like Smith and Testaverde played some of their best football with teams that didn’t draft them, but you get the point.
The risk is worth it.
If Wentz or Goff becomes Aikman or either of the Mannings or Elway or one of the greats, the deal is a damn good one for the Rams — and could be great for both, depending on how the Titans do with their haul.
If the passer they pick is a bust, then it will be the Robert Griffin III deal all over again — only this time, the Rams will be on the bad side of a mega-trade. When Griffin flopped in Washington, after the Redskins gave the Rams a haul to move up, the Rams could gloat.
In three years, it might be the Titans gloating.
Or, if the quarterback is the real deal, Snead and Fisher might be the ones smirking as they look at their reflection in their Lombardi Trophy.
It’s a passers and pass-rushers league. The Rams have their pass rushers. Now they might have their franchise passer too.
April 14, 2016 at 5:47 pm #41908znModeratorRams gave up a lot less than they got four years ago
Mike Florio
Rams gave up a lot less than they got four years ago
It would be fitting for Titans G.M. Jon Robinson to now scrawl on a whiteboard, “Build to dominate using Ram picks!” After all, that’s what Rams G.M. Les Snead did after fleecing Washington out of the No. 6 pick, two first-round picks, and a second-round selection in exchange for the deal that allowed Washington to draft its supposed franchise quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick.
But the Rams had now moved much farther — from No. 15 to No. 1 — to grab the team’s supposed franchise quarterback. And, relatively speaking, they gave up a lot less.
In addition to the 15th pick, the Rams gave up two second-round picks, a 2017 first-round pick, and a 2017 third-round pick. They also are receiving a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick from the Titans this year.
So the Rams got two first-rounders and a second-round pick to drop down four spots for Griffin, and they’re giving up a first-rounder, two second-rounders, a third-rounder — and getting back a four and a six — to move up from No. 15 to No. 1.
That’s a jump of 15 spots, from the middle of round one to the very top. For a package of picks that isn’t nearly as potent as what the Rams got for giving up the No. 2 pick in 2012, especially since the 2012 first-rounder they was nine spots higher than the pick the Titans will get.
The move underscores the importance of having a franchise quarterback, and the difficulty of finding one. The best way to even have a chance at getting one comes from picking at the top of the draft, and the Rams now have that power — courtesy of the franchise that Rams coach Jeff Fisher led for a generation.
Still, if quarterback Carson Wentz fails to pan out for Fisher, chances are he’ll be coaching the Rams for a lot less than a generation. If Wentz flat-out busts, Fisher may not be coaching the Rams by the time the last of the picks sent to Tennessee are even used
April 14, 2016 at 6:46 pm #41916
wvParticipantPrisco: “……“Run it harder,” Fisher said.
That’s his approach. It won’t change. But if he can run it, then drive the ball with play-action passes down the field, maybe it can work. To be honest, I think he needs an overhaul to his style of play. And if you make a deal like this to get a franchise passer, it has to become his team…”Overhaul his style of play? I see that a lot these days.
Maybe. But I watched Seattle run the ball with Marshawn,
play great Defense, and rely on Russell to manage the offense and make a few big plays a game. And then I watched Denver win a ring with great defense, and a crafty but old-injured qb managing the offense.I just dont see how Prisco and others can ignore the
Seattle and Denver examples. Seems to me they are ignoring
the fact that there are many roads to the mountaintop.I also dont buy into the meme Peter King and others are
putting forth about the Rams having to do this trade
because they have to have an elite QB to compete with
Carson Palmer and Russell Wilson. I dont think that computes.The Rams did/do need a good QB, but that doesnt mean
they had to trade for the number One pick. They could have
traded down, gotten more picks and picked a QB later in the draft.
Or kept all their picks and picked a QB at 15.One of the big question marks I have is — Is it True,
that Goff/Wentz is so much better than every other QB
that would have been available to the Rams later in the Draft?Do yall think no other QB in this class, picked after say,
the tenth pick will be excellent?w
vApril 14, 2016 at 6:55 pm #41920znModeratorI just dont see how Prisco and others can ignore the
Seattle and Denver examples. Seems to me they are ignoring
the fact that there are many roads to the mountaintop.Oh I could not agree more. It’s just strange that these guys got this dogma in their heads to the point where reality doesn’t manage to squeak by.
Yes, there are many different roads up the big hill. And a play action offense complementing a top defense is one of those roads.
Now, they will have a play action offense with a top-picked qb, which makes it even better.
You know if you let me start everything from scratch and allowed me to put in what I like most, I am a longtime fan of Coryell style aggressive passing offenses. I even lived in both St. Louis and San Diego in their respective Coryell days.
BUT I don’t need things to be my favorite…and so I recognize the value of play-action + defense style teams.
It’s not better, it’s not worse, it;s just one choice among choices. It works too. Like every other approach you just need personnel and decent execution.
I am always baffled by this argument that there is only one modern offense and Fisher (plus Kubiak plus Carrol) don’t “get it.”
Bah humbug. It’s just another approach and it works too.
.
April 15, 2016 at 12:27 am #41937znModeratorRams move up to No. 1 in the draft in deal with Titans
Gary Klein and Sam Farmer
The Rams’ decision about whether they will select Carson Wentz or Jared Goff probably will not be known until the April 28 NFL draft.
But the blockbuster trade that enabled them to acquire the No. 1 pick, and their impending choice between the quarterbacks, had its genesis in another draft — the selection of hotel suites for the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
That’s where the Rams and the Tennessee Titans — who ended up in neighboring rooms — first began discussing a deal that put the Rams in position to make a major splash in their return to Los Angeles.
The trade was completed Wednesday night, but the teams held off announcing it until Thursday morning in reverence to Kobe Bryant’s final game with the Lakers.
“This is the best thing for our football team,” Coach Jeff Fisher said of the trade during an afternoon news conference in Oxnard. “When you take into consideration what’s ahead for this franchise and the enthusiasm and excitement, the timing couldn’t have been better.”
The Rams moved further to get to the top than any team in draft history.
They gave up their No. 15 pick in this year’s draft as well as two second-round picks, a third-round pick and first- and third-round picks next year. They also received the Titans’ fourth- and sixth-round picks this year.
“A few storms collided,” General Manager Les Snead said. “There’s a player we like and there was a team that was willing to come back [in the draft]. And our roster was at a point where it’s young and has a foundation, so let’s go do it.”
The Rams will open off-season workouts Monday with Case Keenum as their presumptive starter, and with Nick Foles and Sean Mannion also on the roster.
But Fisher and Snead had made no secret of their desire to upgrade at quarterback. The question was whether they had enough draft picks to entice a team picking among the top five.
Snead broached the subject of a trade with Titans General Manager Jon Robinson at the outset of the combine, where North Dakota State’s Wentz and California’s Goff were among more than 300 draft hopefuls. At the combine, Snead said, teams “draft” for suite location, which are used for player interviews.
“Lo and behold, the Titans were our neighbors this year,” Snead said, “So it was easy for Jon and I to sneak out the back of the suite there and act like we were going to the restroom, and [we’d] chat about the pick.”
The talks continued through March and heated up a few weeks ago.
“They did say they were chatting with other teams as well,” Snead said, adding, “Both organizations decided, ‘You know what, let’s come together. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it sooner than later.'”
Last weekend, Snead said, he and Robinson decided, “OK, time to stop flirting and start dancing a little bit.”
They continued to speak each day. Snead said Robinson told him Wednesday, “Hey, we want to do it today.”
Fisher, Snead and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff got the blessing of owner Stan Kroenke and completed the deal late Wednesday afternoon.
“That’s when we had the conversation that, ‘We’ll keep this quiet and you guys keep this quiet,'” Fisher said. “Let’s honor Kobe and the Lakers and L.A. fans … and we’ll do something in the morning.”
Snead and Fisher said a Week 17 loss last season against the San Francisco 49ers, that included a blocked-field goal attempt, positioned the Rams for their historic move.
“If the field goal goes through upright and is not blocked, we’re picking 19,” Fisher said. “Can you get from 19 to 1? I don’t know…. But if that hadn’t happened we wouldn’t be sitting here today.”
Snead said his wife — former NFL Network reporter Kara Henderson — always tries to make him feel better after losses by saying the defeat might pay off come draft time.
“As always, she’s correct,” he said. “In April, it feels a little better than that night in January.”
Now the Rams can look ahead.
They conducted private workouts with Wentz and Goff in February and early March, Fisher said.
With the anticipated selection of one or the other, the Rams could have four quarterbacks on the roster when training camp begins. But Snead said a quarterback could be traded.
“Obviously, that’s something we’d have to look at,” he said. “We’re focused on getting this trade accomplished and getting through the draft and well see where it goes.”
So will it be Wentz or Goff?
Neither Snead nor Fisher tipped his hand, saying their choice would be revealed on draft day.
“There will be suspense leading all the way up,” Snead said.
April 15, 2016 at 12:28 am #41938znModeratorRams wisely overpay in bold move for No. 1 pick
Vincent Bonsignore, Los Angeles Daily News
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160414/bonsignore-rams-wisely-overpay-in-bold-move-for-no-1-pick
A few days before the Rams boldly made the move for the top overall pick in the NFL Draft, I wondered to a high-ranking team official the possibility new Browns coach Hue Jackson would talk his bosses out of taking a quarterback with the second pick of the draft.
The implication being, if the Browns warmed to Robert Griffin III and passed on North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz and Cal’s Jared Goff, the Rams wouldn’t have to move all the way from the 15th pick to No. 1 to get their quarterback of the future.
And maybe, just maybe, they could sit tight at No. 15 and one or the other might fall to them.
The response was more than a little bit intriguing, the gist of which being the Rams weren’t about to begin guessing what the new Browns head coach and regime might be thinking.
At that moment, it hit me like a Noah Syndergaard fastball: The Rams were seriously looking into trading all the way up to No. 1.
And in the process, they’d eliminate all the guess work and remove the elements of hope and chance that things would break right and they’d get their guy.
The Rams had essentially decided they weren’t going to let the Browns or Cowboys or 49ers or anyone else decide what quarterbacks they could choose from when their turn arrived in the first round.
“We focused in on one,” Rams general manager Les Snead said. “Because you didn’t know what was going to happen at two.”
The decision whether Wentz or Goff was the best quarterback available was going to be the Rams’, and the Rams’ alone, to make.
“If you want something, go get it,” Snead said.
It was a plan of attack whose roots were laid last month at the NFL Combine, then came to fruition Wednesday night when the Rams agreed to send their 15th pick, their 43rd and 45th picks in the second round, the 76th pick in the third and next year’s first- and third-round picks to the Tennessee Titans to acquire the first overall pick.
The deal was completed at 5 p.m. or so Wednesday night, but out of deference to Lakers star Kobe Bryant playing in his final game, the Rams and Titans postponed the official announcement until Thursday morning.
“At (the point of completion) I told (Titans general manager John Robinson) ‘Hey, we’ve got this thing going on in L.A. that’s pretty big and it’s obviously bigger than L.A., and they realized enough to say let’s respect that and we can all go watch Kobe.”
By the crack of dawn Thursday, word began spreading the Rams had acquired the first pick in the draft and a chance to choose between Wentz or Goff as their quarterback of the future.
Talk about making a grand entrance back in Los Angeles.
Nothing like shaking up the draft and putting yourself in position to secure a potential franchise quarterback, the very position the Rams need to solidify to elevate from a competitive team to a potentially dominant one, your first few weeks in your new digs.
It was a bold, aggressive move.
But it told Los Angeles that the Rams are willing to act confidently and decisively to deliver a winning product.
“Wherever we could have been, we would have done the same thing,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said, insisting the move was made for football reasons and not to make an L.A, splash.
But even Fisher admitted the storm could not be more perfect to make such a decisive move.
“When you take into consideration what’s ahead for this franchise and the enthusiasm and excitement, the timing couldn’t be better,” he said.
Not a bad way to begin a new relationship, I’d say.
It was a steep price to pay, to be sure.
But it was a necessary requirement for the unprecedented move of vaulting all the way from 15 to No. 1.
And the Rams believe so much in the talented young roster they’ve built over the past few years they can justifiably sacrifice multiple picks in pursuit of the quarterback they believe can push them to the next level.
This trade doesn’t happen if various other holes need to be filled.
But by nailing the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year in Todd Gurley after drafting the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year in Aaron Donald, and wisely constructing one of the best young defenses in the NFL and an improving offensive line, their most pressing need is singular rather than plural.
To push the Rams into playoff contention, a difference maker at quarterback was of paramount importance in this draft.
“Our philosophy has always been to build through the draft,” Snead said. “This trade is a reflection of that goal and (owner Stan) Kroenke’s dedication to assembling a winning team on the field. We appreciate his commitment as we continue to improve our roster and lay the foundation for our future through this year’s draft.”
So yeah, the Rams had to overpay.
But it was necessary.
The Rams were not about to leave the draft with Case Keenum as their best option at quarterback.
And they weren’t going to go one more season without complementing their talented young roster with caretakers at the most important position on the field.
Let alone their first year back in L.A.
This was a roster in need of a quarterback who can win games.
The brand needed a star at the most glamorous position in the sport.
In one fell swoop, the Rams hope they settled both needs.
Now they have to decide whether that’s Wentz or Goff, a card neither Fisher nor Snead were willing to reveal on Thursday and one that might not be played until the eve of the draft.
They have two weeks to decide, a task they’ve already begun.
The key is, the decision belongs to the Rams alone.
April 15, 2016 at 12:29 am #41939znModeratorHow the Rams Brought the No. 1 Pick to L.A.
By Myles Simmons
Many around the league have considered the Rams a team “close” to contention for a number of years. Though its carried a stout defense and back-to-back AP Rookie of the Year honorees, the club has still fallen short of its stated goal to make the postseason.
But with a bold move worthy of the team’s hometown, the Rams have acquired the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. And the team’s brass believes this first selection on April 28 could be a primary factor in L.A. contending for the NFC West title.
“We’re done being close,” head coach Jeff Fisher told therams.com on Thursday. “We want to get over the top and be significant.”
The blockbuster deal that netted Los Angeles the No. 1, No. 113, and No. 177 overall selections had its first seeds planted just under two months ago.
“We evaluate our roster like everybody else does,” Fisher said at Thursday’s press conference. “Mid-February, we’re at the Combine — we had a plan.”
For the event at Lucas Oil Stadium, teams are assigned suites where their personnel may gather to watch on-field drills. This year, the Rams’ and Titans’ suites happened to be right next to one another.
General manager Les Snead said he and new Titans GM Jon Robinson have essentially grown up together in the business, so there was already a comfort level between them. That may have been one factor in why Snead approached Robinson in Indianapolis about the possibility of dealing the No. 1 overall pick.
“I knew this: They had a quarterback they drafted last year. We’ve worn those shoes before,” Snead said Thursday. “I knew they might be thinking, ‘Hey, let’s move back acquire some more picks,’ because they had their QB. And I thought they might be open to it. So it started then.”
Snead added the close proximity of the two suites allowed he and Robinson to chat more than they may have otherwise.
“It was easy for Jon and I to sneak out the back of the suite there, and act like we were going to the restroom, and then chat about the pick,” he said.
And that friendship between Snead and Robinson may have aided the trade in getting off the ground.
“Anytime you’re dealing with somebody that you know or at least you respect, you probably work well. You look forward to picking up the phone and calling,” Snead said. “Now, in this business, there are only 31 other teams you can work with. So even the 10 [GMs] that you may not know as well and you may not want to pick up the phone and call just to call, you still have to pick up the phone and do business. But you may make a few more phone calls if you know the guy.”
For this deal, Snead said he zeroed in on the Titans — and only the Titans. There may have been a few phone calls to other teams with high first-round picks, but they never amounted to anything substantial.
“I did talk to people in the top five, but they’re good buddies of mine, so … on the long commute here [to Oxnard], I’ve got to have something to do,” Snead said. “But I think we focused in on [No.] 1, because you didn’t know what was going to happen at [No.] 2. And, hey, if you want something, go get it.”
But it’s not quite that simple. Snead described this trade process as analogous to writing a term paper. There are multiple layers to it, from not only finding the right trade partner, but also to making sure there’s a player worth the value you’re giving up.
“It’s probably not like going to buy groceries,” Snead said. “You don’t just walk in the store, pick them out, and go buy them. It’s more of a longer process where you’re trying to figure out values and all that. And then you go get it done.”
“We found the perfect trade partner,” Fisher said. “We felt like to have an impact and to go where we need to go, why not go up and get the best player available?”
While discussions between the two teams have been ongoing since the Combine, they reached a fever pitch this week.
“Probably sometime over the weekend, Jon and I came up with a timeline, of, ‘OK, it’s time to quit flirting and start dancing a little bit.’” Snead said. The Rams’ GM noted both teams would likely have to make adjustments to their draft preparations over the next two weeks with such a dramatic shift in first-round picks.
“We would probably check in once a day, once every other day,” Snead continued. “And I checked in with Jon yesterday, and he said, ‘Hey, we want to do it today.’ So I wasn’t necessarily expecting it, but knew it was coming toward the end of the week.”
According to Fisher, both Rams’ and Titans’ ownership gave their approval Wednesday afternoon and the trade between the teams was complete by about 5 p.m. CT.
“Yesterday as we were getting close to dotting the ‘i’s and crossing the ’t’s, we got in touch with Stan [Kroenke] and we’re very, very excited about this opportunity,” Fisher said, “not only for the potential future of our football team, but in addition to the circumstances and the timing.”
But, there was another particularly significant sporting event going on about 60 miles away from Oxnard in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday night, prompting the Rams to hit the pause button on announcing the blockbuster trade.
“Jeff and I were probably deep into football and drafts, and all of a sudden [we realized], ‘Oh yeah, it is Kobe’s last night,’” Snead said.
That’s right — Fisher said the organization wanted to do everything it could to honor Kobe Bryant’s last game in the NBA, as he finished his storied 20-year career with the Lakers.
“Now keep in mind, they were really excited,” Fisher said, adding the Titans initially wanted to announce the trade Wednesday night. “So that’s when we had the conversation where we said, ‘Hey look, we’ll keep this quiet, you guys keep this quiet. Let’s honor Kobe, and the Lakers, and the L.A. fans tonight. And we’ll do something in the morning. That’s how it went down.”
At 6 a.m. pacific — 8 a.m. central — Thursday morning, the Titans sent out a release announcing they had acquired six draft picks in exchange for No. 1, No. 113, and No. 177 overall selections this year.
And in just two weeks, we’ll find out who the Rams will take at the top of the draft to usher in a new era of professional football in Los Angeles
April 15, 2016 at 12:30 am #41940znModeratorRams’ current QBs played a big role in trade for No. 1 pick
Don Banks
http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/04/14/titans-rams-trade-nfl-draft-carson-wentz-case-keenum
Musings, observations and the occasional insight on the blockbuster trade that sent the first overall pick in the looming 2016 NFL draft from Tennessee to Los Angeles …
• The deal that changes the landscape of this year’s draft was finalized Wednesday night. But the Rams, trying to be the good new neighbor in Los Angeles, made sure the news didn’t leak out in deference to Kobe Bryant, who was playing the final game of his illustrious NBA career with the Lakers.
“We wanted to hold off. We didn’t want it breaking during Kobe’s last game,” said a Rams source. “But it wasn’t too late when it got done.”
There was no dramatic crystallizing moment in the trade negotiations, but the talks that will deliver a new franchise quarterback to Los Angeles didn’t truly intensify until Wednesday, roughly two-plus weeks after the Rams at No. 15 first broached the idea of a swap with the Titans at No. 1.
If there was any sense of urgency driving the timing of the deal, it was that Tennessee wanted to start a much deeper dive on the potential prospects who might be available to them at No. 15, while the Rams wanted two full weeks to make absolutely sure they had turned over every rock in deciding between North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz and Cal’s Jared Goff—the two top-rated quarterbacks.
The Rams are reportedly infatuated with Wentz and his game, but there is no certainty at this point that Goff is out of contention. If I’m betting on it, I’d give Wentz to L.A., but the Rams maintain that there’s work left to do in the scouting process and that no final call has been made.
The Rams obviously shipped a boatload of draft capital to Tennessee in the trade, but strangely enough, they might be able to thank Nick Foles—their 2015 Week 1 starting quarterback—for being able to swing a deal for the Titans’ pick. Rams sources say the trade with Tennessee doesn’t get made if they didn’t own an extra second-round pick this year, the one they got in the Sam Bradford-for-Foles deal from March 2015. The Eagles’ pick was the 43rd overall selection. And it was packaged to Tennessee along with the No. 45 pick the Rams already owned.
The Rams took a stab at an answer at quarterback last year by dealing for Foles, and it clearly did not work out. But in getting that second-rounder back from Philly, they viewed the extra pick as something of an insurance policy should they find themselves back in search of a franchise quarterback in 2016.
So there you go, Rams fans. You may have had to suffer through the failed Foles experiment last season, but you might have Nick to thank if the Rams’ next franchise quarterback really is their long-sought savior.
• The Rams somehow landed the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in defensive tackle Aaron Donald at No. 13 in 2014 and followed that up by drafting the eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year in running back Todd Gurley at No. 10 last season. They didn’t feel anywhere near as confident that they could continue that kind of streak this year with the 15th pick, and that was more motivation to make a deal with Tennessee.
The Rams thought Donald fell that far because of being slightly undersized for his position, and Gurley obviously was limited by his ongoing recovery from a knee injury and the fact that he plays running back in an era where few are even valued at a first-round level.
But the Rams didn’t see any undervalued bargains looming at No. 15 this year and thought it likely that no one remotely near the caliber of Donald or Gurley would be available. It also speaks to Los Angeles’s realization that Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch was not the answer to its quarterback issues at No. 15, as so many of us mock draft-types had projected.
The Titans are obviously the kings of this year’s draft, with six of the top 76 picks in their pocket: a first-rounder at No. 15, three second-rounders at 33, 43 and 45, and two third-rounders at 64 and 76. They can do whatever they want and turn that stockpile into a virtual Herschel Walker-like bonanza with some deft on-the-clock maneuvering. It’s a potential gold mine for new Titans general manager Jon Robinson in his roster-building efforts.
But the Rams feel somewhat comforted by the fact that they expect to get a compensatory third-round pick next year for the loss of 2016 free agent Janoris Jenkins, who signed with the Giants in March. That would leave Los Angeles with no first-rounder next year but one pick each in the second, third, four and fifth rounds, giving them at least a decent seat at the draft table in 2017.
This trade won’t completely kill the Rams in next year’s draft if they wind up owning four picks in the opening five rounds. And if their quarterback choice works out in the long run, allowing them to compete with the likes of Seattle, Arizona and San Francisco in the rugged NFC West, the Rams will deem their gamble well worth the sizable expenditure.
• This trade feeds the theory that the Rams wanted to draft a first-round quarterback in order to make a big splash as they return to the Los Angeles market for the first time since the 1994 season. But that kind of misses the big picture.
First and foremost, the Rams need to get their quarterback position finally fixed and stop trying to band-aid the one spot that can’t be band-aided in the NFL. And if doing so adds to the excitement and general tidings of goodwill that the franchise has engendered since January’s relocation announcement, all the better. This massive deal was about more than just recapturing their home market and selling a fresh young superstar face to the fans.
“It had nothing to do with it and that part of it was never discussed,” a Rams source said. “If the trade works out, it’s a nice bonus. But we needed a quarterback no matter where we were.”
So when will Wentz or Goff be expected to take over the starting quarterback job? And will the Rams be trying to hold on to incumbent starter Case Keenum, or will quarterback-needy Denver now come after him, either via a trade or by signing the restricted free-agent to a deal that would cost the Broncos their No. 31 pick in the first round?
The Rams gave Keenum a first-round tender in March, wisely deciding that they couldn’t afford to lose their potential 2016 starter for the last pick of the second round if the Broncos came calling. Denver coach Gary Kubiak had Keenum in Houston and is believed to be enamored with him as a potential starter.
First things first: The Rams have no advantage to gain by naming a still undrafted rookie quarterback as their starter this season. That removes some of their leverage in any potential Keenum deal and unnecessarily complicates the rookie seasons of either Wentz or Goff, both of whom could probably benefit from something of a redshirt rookie season, if draft observers are to be believed.
Whomever the Rams draft, look for the team to maintain that there’s no timetable for him to play, and that they will let his development dictate when he gets put on the field. They’ll pick him this year, see how he does, and then play him when his chances for success are best.
At least that’s the plan going in. But as we all know, plans at quarterback have a way of rapidly changing in the NFL.
• As for Keenum, the Broncos’ anticipated pursuit of him makes a lot of sense on several levels. If Denver happens to believe he’s better than any young quarterback option it might secure at No. 31—say, Lynch or Michigan State’s Connor Cook, for example—then maybe it signs Keenum to an offer sheet, potentially putting the Rams back into the first round.
More likely, trade talks between the Rams and Broncos will ensue, with Los Angeles trying to recoup some of the draft capital it just surrendered in exchange for Keenum, but nothing at the first round level. In that scenario, such a deal will either force the Rams’ rookie quarterback into the lineup sooner than anticipated this season, or perhaps require L.A. to make due with either Foles or second-year passer Sean Mannion in the lineup while the rookie develops.
April 15, 2016 at 3:17 am #41942znModeratorPeter King
The Play for No. 1: Inside the Titans-Rams Trade
A major move at the top of the draft, as the Titans trade the No. 1 pick to the Rams, who are surely lined up to take a potential franchise quarterback for their first season back in Los Angeles
vid link: http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/04/14/titans-rams-draft-trade-number-1-pick
April 15, 2016 at 5:51 am #41959znModeratorCleveland.com
Rams leapfrog Browns, reportedly targeting Carson Wentz over Jared Goff at No. 1
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/04/rams_leapfrog_browns_reportedl.html
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns no longer have the “good problem” of choosing between Carson Wentz and Jared Goff with the No. 2 pick in the draft.
The Rams saw to that on Thursday when they pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Titans, moving up from No. 15 overall and leapfrogging the Browns into the No. 1 spot to take one of the top two quarterbacks.
Now, the Browns have to hope the Rams don’t steal their man, who several sources say is Goff.
Early word was that the Rams wanted Wentz — but conflicting reports swirled throughout the day.
“There will be suspense leading all the way up to (the draft),” Rams general manager Les Snead said during a press conference Thursday afternoon. “It’ll be good for the networks.”
Sam Farmer of Los Angeles Times reported that Wentz is the leader in the clubhouse but that Goff is still heavily in the mix — and now they have time to decide. The draft is April 28-30.
“There’s a strong likelihood that’s the guy who ends up in L.A.,” Farmer told NFL Network. Farmer also tweeted that it will definitely be one of the two quarterbacks and that they will “turn over every stone.”
NFL Network’s Mike Mayock agreed that it will be Wentz, the North Dakota State product.
“I don’t think there’s a question,” Mayock said on air.”I think it’s pretty obvious, and it’s going to be Carson Wentz.”
But one league source told cleveland.com that he’s hearing the Rams prefer Goff, who’s the top choice of analytics sites such as Football Outsiders and profootballfocus.com. NFL Network’s Mike Silver and ESPN’s Adam Schefter also say the Rams will take Goff.
During the press conference, Snead and coach Jeff Fisher — who coaxed three first-round picks and a second out of the Redskins in 2012 so Washington could take Robert Griffin III — confirmed that they conducted private workouts with both quarterbacks and hinted they know which one they’ll take.
But they weren’t about to play their hand, especially with so much interest in the pick.
If the Rams opt for Wentz, that would leave Goff for the Browns at No. 2, and they may have favored him anyway. As of the NFL Combine, Hue Jackson preferred Goff, a league source told cleveland.com.
Others have recently reported that the Browns like Goff over Wentz, including Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports and former Browns senior writer Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, who remains close to those in the Browns organization.
Carucci tweeted Thursday that if the Rams draft Wentz, “Browns get the guy they really want: Goff.”
But it might not be that simple.
If the Rams reverse field and draft Goff, will the Browns take Wentz at No. 2? Or will they trade the pick?
If Wentz is available at No. 2, at least two teams will likely be interested: the Cowboys and the Eagles. The Eagles, who have the No. 8 overall pick, were the runner-up in the sweepstakes to trade up to No. 1 with the Titans, according to Fox Sports, and a source told cleveland.com they really like Wentz.
The Cowboys, who have the No. 4 overall pick, fell in love with Wentz when they coached him for a week at the Senior Bowl in January. Both of those teams will likely reach out to the Browns if they haven’t already.
The Browns now have Griffin and are optimistic about his chances of succeeding, so they’re not desperate to take a quarterback.
Browns Executive Vice President Sashi Brown told Sirius XMNFL radio on Wednesday that interest in the No. 2 pick is heating up and that they’ll listen to offers over the next two weeks.
Interest might ramp up now that other players will be available at No. 2, including offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, pass-rusher Joey Bosa and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Tunsil is believed by many to be the best overall player in the draft.
If the Browns opt to trade down they might be able to land one of the second-tier quarterbacks in the draft, such as Paxton Lynch of Memphis or Connor Cook of Michigan State.
One top NFL talent evaluator this week told cleveland.com that he believes Lynch is better than Goff.
Both Lynch and Cook are developmental projects, but could sit behind Griffin for a year or two.
The Browns might also surprise folks and pick a non-quarterback at No. 2, such as Tunsil, Bosa or Ramsey — but this option seems a lot less likely than a quarterback or trading down.
The Browns have spent considerable time scouting both Goff and Wentz this offseason, attending their Pro Days and spending private time with them.
“(Goff’s) a tremendous kid,” Jackson told NFL Network after his Pro Day at Cal. “Obviously him being here at Cal, we have a little insight as to what he is, but he’s a tremendous young man. Had a tremendous career, has a lot of poise, obviously accuracy, can throw the ball with anybody, make all of the throws, but I think you guys all know it’s more than that than just playing quarterback. That guy has to be the face of the franchise, so just kind of want to find out as much as we can and be able to evaluate it all as we go through this process.”
Jackson, who almost got Cal head coaching job in Goff’s freshman year, said he’d rely on his instincts to know if Goff can be the guy. At Cal, Goff went from a 1-11 freshman season to 8-5 and a bowl appearance in 2015.
“You try to spend as much time as you can and talk to as many people as you can and then at the end of the day it really comes down to your gut and what you feel inside about the person,” he said. “I’ve been in this league long enough to have an understanding of what those guys feel like, act like, look like, talk like. So you’ve got to try to kind of trust yourself as you go through this process.”
Jackson said he’s noticed all the intangibles about Goff, who threw 96 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
“Watching him go through his process here of starting where things weren’t as good to watch the team grow over his career and get better says a lot about him,” he said. “The stick-to-itness, the leadership, the ability to have some charisma through it all is really important and I think he’s handled that all extremely well.”
Jackson was the only NFL head coach who made it out to Wentz Pro Day at North Dakota State, in part because of a snowstorm that blanketed the middle of the country. He came away impressed, and not concerned about Wentz’ FCS status.
“We drafted Joe Flacco (when he was in Baltimore) and he played at a small school,” said Jackson. “So it’s not about that. It’s ‘Can the guy play?’ There’s a lot of players from small schools that are playing well in the National Football League. It’s about creating an environment playing great and I think we can do that.”
NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, who attended and analyzed the pro day, raved about him.
“I’m more convinced than ever that he’s the top quarterback in this draft,” said Mayock. “He’s 6-5, 237 and he’s every bit as athletic as Andrew Luck and Cam Newton.”
The Titans traded the No. 1 pick to the Rams for the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft, two second-round picks (43 and 45), and a third-rounder (76) in 2016. The Titans will also receive the Rams’ first-round pick in 2017, along with their third-round pick in next year’s draft.
In addition to Tennessee’s No.1 pick this year, the Rams will also receive a fourth-round pick (113) and sixth-round pick (177) in 2016.
“Being able to acquire six players in the top 76 this year, along with next year when you factor that into it — I am assuming five in the top three rounds — that is 11 players that we can add to this football team that should not only increase our depth, but give us good quality players at all those positions,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said.
“In the end we thought it was a decision that was best for this football team. It made sense for us to do it, and that’s why we moved on it. We talked to several teams about the pick. There was interest in the pick, and in the end we thought this was the option that made the most sense for us…We think we can really bolster this roster with the picks that we now have.”
April 15, 2016 at 1:53 pm #41991znModeratorBig trade doesn’t necessarily buy Jeff Fisher, Les Snead more time with Rams
Nick Wagoner
In making the blockbuster move all the way to the NFL draft’s top pick from their previous perch at No. 15 overall, Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead already have a pretty good idea of what they’re getting in exchange.
For now, the answer is a quarterback — either Cal’s Jared Goff or North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz — with the first overall choice as well as fourth and sixth-round picks in this year’s draft. Their hope is that it will be a franchise quarterback capable of getting the Rams over the hump of mediocrity and into the postseason.
Conventional wisdom also suggests they may have bought themselves something else: time. That might not necessarily be the case, however.
Both Fisher and Snead are entering the last year of the original contracts they signed with the team in 2012. Although the Rams have had conversations with both about contract extensions, those haven’t been finalized yet. Even if they are, it’s clear from their bold trade that they know time is running low.
Whether the Rams ultimately draft Goff or Wentz, neither is considered the type of game changing quarterback capable of lighting it up from Day 1. It used to be standard operating procedure that such a trade would allow Fisher and Snead to see their investment in the pick through.
But recent history says that might not be the case. Tampa Bay drafted Jameis Winston with the first overall pick a year ago and fired Lovie Smith after the Bucs went 6-10, which was still a substantial improvement from the 2-14 record the previous year. Tennessee took quarterback Marcus Mariota with the second pick last year and fired coach Ken Whisenhunt midway through the season.
“If you’re asking me do I think drafting a quarterback one is going to, in their minds, buy them time, I don’t think that’s the case at all,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said. “First of all, look at what happened in Tampa and Tennessee. Second of all, this franchise is moving to L.A., the focus is going to be on them, the excitement is going to be there. L.A. wants a winner. So I think they realize that they’ve got to win and my guess is that they’ve come to the realization that they’ve had so many pieces in place they just haven’t had a quarterback.”
So while it’s hard to imagine the Rams would allow their current decision makers to make such a big move without having the chance to reap the potential rewards, the status quo has changed.
Which means it’s up to Fisher and Snead to get off on the right foot by making sure they draft the right quarterback.
“One thing about this is you better be right,” longtime NFL coach Rick Venturi said Thursday. “You basically have ransomed the future. So I don’t think you can look in terms of you are going to build now, you’re going to build with players because you have given all those draft picks away. So what you have to say is our team is pretty doggone good and a top flight quarterback, though he may not win as a rookie, the top flight quarterback is all we really need to get going. I think that’s what you’re saying.”
That does indeed seem to be what the Rams are saying with Thursday’s trade but it’s also an admission that they were wrong not to address quarterback sooner. While most teams identify the quarterback and then build around him, Fisher and Snead have gone the other direction. The results haven’t been good.
Fisher and Snead came to the Rams in 2012 facing the difficult task of overhauling a team coming off a five-year stretch in which the Rams were 15-65, the worst such run in NFL history. They operated under the belief that Sam Bradford was the team’s present and future at quarterback. He turned out to be neither, largely because of injuries, which were out of the Rams’ control.
In four seasons with Fisher and Snead at the helm, the Rams have gone 27-36-1 with no playoff appearances. For most franchises, that lack of success would lead to a change at one or both positions. But the Rams aren’t like most franchises.
So the seat will likely be warm entering the 2016 season, especially if things go awry and the Rams bottom out. Although a team with a rookie quarterback trying to find his way finishing with seven wins comes with a more optimistic outlook than one starting Case Keenum, such a finish would still represent a lack of improvement.
Of course, stranger things have happened than a rookie quarterback coming in and playing well right away. Whoever the Rams draft will have the benefit of a salty defense and a dynamic running back, if not an unproven offensive line and pass-catchers.
But reality says that Goff and Wentz will need some time to develop. Whether the men drafting Goff and Wentz are there to see the finished product depends on how fast that development progresses.
April 15, 2016 at 1:58 pm #41992AgamemnonParticipantKroenke has switched to the win now mode. imo
AgamemnonApril 15, 2016 at 7:25 pm #42012znModeratorRams’ top-secret QB tour bred blockbuster trade for No. 1 pick
Michael Silver
Jeff Fisher and Les Snead arrived in Berkeley on a cloudy February morning, and as soon as quarterback Jared Goff began his private workout at California Memorial Stadium — as if on cue — the rain came pouring down like the Andy Dufresne escape scene in “Shawshank Redemption.”
By the end of the former Cal star’s sublime throwing session, all had become clear for the two men deciding the immediate fate of the newly rechristened Los Angeles Rams. And it was that clarity of purpose which, two months later, would trigger the blockbuster trade that shook up the 2016 draft and brought some serious gridiron glitz to Tinseltown.
Having flown to Northern California straight from Fargo, North Dakota — where they’d watched the 2016 draft’s other top quarterbacking prospect, ex-North Dakota State passer Carson Wentz, perform impressively in a similar session — Fisher, the Rams’ veteran head coach, and Snead, the team’s fifth-year general manager, were completing the second and final stop of their under-the-radar, Find a Franchise Quarterback Tour.
They weren’t prepared for the inclement weather, but they weren’t complaining, either. After all, one of the few raps against Goff was his perceived inability to throw a wet ball, a stigma that began early in his freshman season in 2013, when he performed so miserably on a rainy afternoon at Oregon that he was pulled from the game in the first quarter.
Even as Fisher vainly attempted to shield the footballs under his light jacket before handing them to Goff, he understood the beauty of the moment: If throwing a slippery ball were still a legitimate weakness, Goff would surely be exposed.
Instead, as if channeling the artistry of dreadlocked Cal alum Adam Duritz, Goff summoned a performance so tremendous, he might as well have crooned, “I am the Rain King!”
Goff, according to one witness, flat out “ripped it” while throwing to former Cal teammates Trevor Davis and Maurice Harris. “The ball never hit the ground,” said another person who attended the session.
“It was a great opportunity to see him throw a wet ball,” Fisher recalled Thursday morning, a couple of hours after the announcement of a pricey trade with the Tennessee Titans that put the Rams on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick. “We were just going through the process, and he made all the throws, and he was outstanding.”
Whether the Rams use the No. 1 overall selection on Goff, as I believe they will, or call Wentz to the podium in Chicago on April 28, Fisher and Snead already have made one thing obvious: After methodically building a talented defense, a process fueled by the bounty they acquired in their own blockbuster pre-draft trade four years ago, and last year bolstering the running game by selecting star halfback Todd Gurley and a slew of offensive linemen, the Rams can no longer get by with mediocrity at the game’s pivotal position.
Speaking of which: With records of 7-8-1, 7-9, 6-10 and 7-9 during their four years in St. Louis, the newly relocated coach and GM understand that they’ll have to step up it up to stay employed in Southern California beyond this season.
So Fisher and Snead, in a strategy they employed as far back as their first season in St. Louis, hit the road and got an up-close-and-personal view of what was out there. And when they loved what they saw in Fargo and Berkeley, they set their sights on the top of the draft.
With the 15th overall selection, Fisher and Snead knew it wouldn’t be easy. Not since 1984 had a team (the Patriots, who came up from 16th to land receiver Irving Fryar) moved up so far to land the first pick. But the Rams had an important chip: an extra second-round pick in 2016, obtained in last year’s trade with the Eagles that sent oft-injured incumbent quarterback Sam Bradford to Philly for Nick Foles. And while Foles’ stint as the Rams’ starting quarterback had been short and inglorious — ultimately, he was supplanted by Case Keenum, who technically still resides atop the L.A. depth chart — that extra second-rounder turned out to be a godsend.
As fate would have it, the Rams’ ownership of that pick — and the Eagles’ lack thereof — may have allowed L.A. to outjockey the Eagles for the Titans’ top pick. The Eagles, according to sources, have a high degree of interest in both quarterbacks, particularly Goff, and were also engaged in talks to trade up in the draft.
Meanwhile the Browns, who hold the No. 2 overall selection, may lose out on the quarterback they covet most — and, in response, might try to trade down to a team interested in acquiring the passer the Rams pass over.
Again, this intriguing scenario is layered with the seeds of past developments: Last March, before trading Bradford to the Eagles, the Rams — according to a high-ranking team source — believed they had a deal in place to send him to Cleveland for a first-round pick, but the Browns backed out the following morning.
Throw in the fact that Fisher closed the deal for the first overall pick with the franchise that employed him as head coach for 17 seasons, and there have been a whole lot of dramatic arcs to this story. And make no mistake: He and Snead are intent on milking the drama for all its worth between now and draft night, with organizational sources sending out conflicting reports of which quarterback the Rams prefer to numerous reporters, a process likely to continue right up until the moment when the Rams are officially on the clock.
Regardless of the noise, Fisher and Snead will get their man — and their immediate futures will likely depend on the young quarterback’s aptitude. For what it’s worth, their bosses (Rams owner Stan Kroenke and COO Kevin Demoff) were absolutely on board with the trade. As one high-ranking Rams official put it in an internal conversation, “We can go with Case Keenum and [second-year backup] Sean Mannion, and if everything breaks right, we can probably be a wild-card team. But we’re not chasing wild cards. We want to go after championships.”
To get to that level, a young man will have to guide them — and something Fisher and Snead saw in Fargo and/or Berkeley two months ago convinced them that there’s at least one quarterback in this draft who can transform their team in a hurry.
“We’re not looking over our shoulders here,” Fisher told me Thursday. “We’re planning for the future, and we’re building this team, and this is the next step. Last year we drafted Todd Gurley, and we drafted [four] offensive linemen. This year, we know what we want, and we’re going after it.”
Rain or shine.
April 16, 2016 at 1:27 am #42062znModeratorRams and Titans both win with blockbuster draft trade
Peter Schrager thinks this is the rare trade that will boost both franchises.
By Peter Schrager
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/tennessee-titans-los-angeles-rams-draft-trade-no-1-pick-041416
Four years ago, the St. Louis Rams traded the second overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft in exchange for a haul of selections that eventually led to eight players, including current franchise cornerstones Greg Robinson, Michael Brockers, and Alec Ogeltree. Now, in their first year in Los Angeles, with a gaping hole at quarterback, it’s the Rams playing the role of the aggressor, sending a haul of draft picks, including this year’s first and two second-round selections, in addition to next year’s first-round pick, to Tennessee in exchange for the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The NFL Network reported on Wednesday that the Philadelphia Eagles were engaging in “exploratory talks” for the first pick. Turns out, the Rams were having concurring ones all along. The biggest predraft trade since the one in 2012 was actually nearly finalized on Wednesday afternoon, but sources tell FOX Sports that both sides agreed to wait until Thursday morning, out of respect for Kobe Bryant playing in his final NBA game.
Looking at it from my vantage point, I love this trade.
For both teams.
With Los Angeles’ 2016 15th overall and two second-round selections, the Titans now own six of the first 76 selections in the 2016 draft. If picks are currency, the Titans — who already have their franchise quarterback in 2015 second overall pick Marcus Mariota — are rich.
Tennessee, which has been been more or less irrelevant the past few years in the below-average AFC South, can build a team around Mariota. First-year general manager Jon Robinson, a longtime pupil of Bill Belichick’s up in New England, made his mentor proud. Tennessee, which had the luxury of not needing a quarterback, is now the biggest power player in the 2016 NFL Draft.
If Tennessee did, indeed, want Laremy Tunsil, the talented left tackle out of Ole Miss, with the first pick of this year’s draft, it can still likely get at least one of the other top offensive tackles in this year’s crop at 15. If Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley and Tunsil are off the board, there’s a good chance the two next-tier tackles, Michigan State’s Jack Conklin and Ohio State’s Taylor Decker, will be on it. And if Tennessee really wants Stanley (assuming Tunsil is gone in the top five), the Titans now have the luxury of picks to wheel and deal a bit and move up to get him.
As for the Rams, the pick will be a quarterback, make no mistake about that. Whether it’s Jared Goff or Carson Wentz is not clear at the moment. Both players are viewed as top prospects and offer different skill sets to Los Angeles.
Goff, a San Francisco native, is perhaps more experienced and better suited for the Hollywood billboards and bright, flashing lights. But Wentz is bigger, faster, and has two FCS championships under his belt. Wentz would be the first FCS or Division 1-AA quarterback selected first overall in the modern era, yes, but Jeff Fisher had a lot of success with another Division 1-AA quarterback he once drafted in Steve McNair. Both are viewed as immediate upgrades over the current stable of quarterbacks the Rams employ.
This is the rare trade where I love it for both sides.
So, what about all that Case Keenum talk this offseason?
Over the last three months, Rams general manager Les Snead has doubled down and tripled down on saying that Keenum was the team’s starting quarterback. He said it at the Combine, said it at the owners’ meetings in Florida and then reiterated it on FOX Sports 1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” But Snead was playing poker this month, not blackjack. And the Rams are trying to playing chess, not checkers. Case Keenum is a fine quarterback. He’s not opening up the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Whereas other teams might have hesitated on this deal, Los Angeles’ roster is built in such a way where it can make a trade of this nature. The Rams are the youngest team in the league, had an extra second-round pick from the Nick Foles-Sam Bradford trade they made a year ago and needed a quarterback. As an NFL source put it to me Thursday, “Everyone cites that Redskins trade and what the Redskins gave up for Griffin. If Griffin worked out, you’d never hear a peep about it. Nobody ever mentions the haul the Giants gave up for Eli Manning.”
The Rams watched from the sideline as Kirk Cousins was given a $20 million deal and Brock Osweiler raked in $72 million down in Houston. They’ll pay their franchise quarterback roughly $22 million over 4 years. Not a bad deal, if you look at it that way.
In short, the Rams need to nail the pick. Goff or Wentz. Wentz or Goff. They’ve got two weeks to discuss, debate and figure it out. If their quarterback is any good (and I believe both will succeed at the next level), the Rams will have no regrets.
This is the rare trade where I love it for both sides.
The Rams are officially on the clock.[
April 16, 2016 at 10:13 pm #42137znModeratorNo price too high if an NFL team like the Rams think they can land a franchise quarterback
Gary Myers
The price is always right – no matter how outrageous – if it results in a franchise quarterback who wins Super Bowls. Is Carson Wentz or Jared Goff that guy?
“It’s always been a quarterback league,” former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi was saying over the phone last week after the Rams blockbuster trade with the Titans. “It’s a quarterback league more now than ever. If you really believe in a quarterback, then to me, it’s hard to pay too much.”
Accorsi, who retired as the Giants GM after the 2006 season, hasn’t studied Wentz or Goff, so he was not offering his opinion on whether either was worth all that the Rams gave up to the Titans on Thursday to move up to the No. 1 pick to grab one of them. He just believes if you have a conviction on a quarterback, then you have to be bold in acquiring him.
His legacy with the Giants is the franchise altering deal on draft day with the Chargers in 2004 to get Eli Manning. Accorsi believed in the Manning bloodlines and specifically in Eli and was never concerned he paid too much. He was right. The two Super Bowl trophies in the Giants lobby are proof.
The Chargers had drafted Manning first overall knowing he wouldn’t play for them, then agreed to trade him to the Giants when they were on the clock with the fourth pick. Accorsi picked Philip Rivers for San Diego. The Giants also included their third-round pick in 2004 and their first- and fifth-round picks in 2005. Interestingly, the Chargers wanted the Giants’ second-round pick in ‘04 rather than their first round pick in ‘05, but Accorsi talked them out of it. He then took Chris Snee, who developed into one of the best offensive linemen in Giants history. He also refused the Chargers’ demand to include Osi Umenyiora in the deal.
The Rams are desperate for a quarterback and desperate to make a splash in their first season back in Los Angeles. They gave up the 15th pick in the first round, two second-round picks and a third-round pick this year and their first- and third-round picks next year to the Titans in exchange for the first overall pick on April 28 and choices in the fourth- and sixth-rounds. The extra-second round pick the Rams owned had come from the Eagles last year along with Nick Foles in the trade for Sam Bradford.
Accorsi was the Colts GM when owner Robert Irsay traded John Elway to the Broncos. He was vehemently against dealing Elway, who refused to play in Baltimore because he didn’t want to play for coach Frank Kush. Accorsi picked Elway anyway and then found out the next week while watching a basketball game on television that Irsay traded him to Denver for tackle Chris Hinton, who had been the fourth overall pick in the draft, the Broncos’ 1984 No. 1 pick, which the Colts used on guard Ron Solt and veteran quarterback Mark Herrmann. The Broncos also agreed to play the Colts in preseason games in Mile High Stadium in 1984 and 1985. Irsay’s share of the gate receipts were worth $800,000.
When Accorsi begrudgingly was shopping Elway before the draft, his asking price was three No. 1s and two No. 2s. He wanted one of the first-round picks to be very high in the round. His plan was if he couldn’t have Elway, he was going to draft Dan Marino. He got neither.
Accorsi quit after the season a few months before the Colts left for Indianapolis. Elway played in five Super Bowls and won two of them. “What would you get for Elway now? Five No. 1 picks?” Accorsi said. “You can’t overpay Willie Mays. You are not going to get up there that often and if you are able to get up there, every year is not the year you get the great ones. If you really believe the guy is a great one, I’d be a complete hypocrite if I ever said don’t go do it. I just think the quarterback is so crucial. If you really believed in them, I applaud the Rams.”
Wentz is a big, strong guy with the major negative that he played at North Dakota State. One source said he thinks Rams coach Jeff Fisher looks at him and sees Steve McNair. Other say the Rams like Goff. Still another faction believes they haven’t make up their minds, which is ludicrous.
The Rams didn’t give up the guts of their 2016 and 2017 drafts without knowing who they are taking. That doesn’t make any sense. They have fallen in love with Wentz or Goff, they just aren’t saying who is the lucky guy.
GOFF FOR SECONDS
The Browns were thought to like Wentz over Goff, but with Wentz likely headed to the Rams, I think the Browns still should take Goff, who is more NFL-ready than Wentz. The Browns are 0-for-4 with first-round QBs since coming back into the NFL in 1999: Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel. They can’t count on RG3. If he was any good, he would be starting for Washington… If the Browns elect to wait until the second round to take Connor Cook or Christian Hackenberg, then they will likely go for UCLA linebacker Myles Jack or Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey with the second overall pick or trade out… Philly could be the team that tries to move up. The Eagles want a QB. Talks with the Titans didn’t go very far… Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott is the best player in the draft. But with RBs devalued in a passing league, it appears the highest he might go is eighth to the Eagles… If the Giants didn’t have so many other needs, Elliott would be a perfect fit for their offense. But 12 days before the draft, I think Notre Dame OT Ronnie Stanley makes the most sense. That would give them three No. 1 picks (Ereck Flowers, Justin Pugh and Stanley) and a second-round pick (Westin Richburg) to protect Eli Manning… Ryan Fitzpatrick’s greatest leverage in his stalemate with the Jets is that Geno Smith is currently on top of the QB depth chart… It’s heartwarming that Mike Tannenbaum and Terry Bradway have reunited in Miami. How soon before Eric Mangini joins them?
April 17, 2016 at 4:28 pm #42189znModeratorRams: What to make of the Wentz, Goff debate
Vincent Bonsignore
link: http://www.insidesocal.com/nfl/2016/04/17/rams-what-to-make-of-the-wentz-goff-debate/
After doing a ton of radio interviews across the country in the aftermath of the Rams trade for the No. 1 pick in the draft, one of the more consistent questions I get is how could the Rams part with so many future draft picks to move to No. 1 if they haven’t yet decided between North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz or Cal’s Jared Goff?
The implication being: You don’t give that much up without knowing already who you want to pick.
I agree to an extent. And if you’re asking me today who the Rams are leaning toward I’d say it’s Wentz. There is a reason they moved all the way to No. 1 – and ahead of the Browns, who have been linked to Wentz. They obviously wanted to beat the Browns to the punch.
That said, I think the bigger factor is that the Rams wanted to control the process.
In other words, they wanted to be the team that decided who the best quarterback in the draft is – the quarterback they want to stake their future on – rather than wait on the Browns or anyone else who might have moved into the No. 1 slot to make that determination and force the Rams into a reactionary position.
Had, say, the 49ers moved to No. 1 and taken Goff and the Browns taken Wentz at No. 2, the Rams would have been completely shut out of the two quarterbacks they believe can be Day One starters in the NFL.
They were not going to sit back and allow that to happen. They could not afford to, given how solid the rest of the roster is and the need to plug in a quality quarterback to elevate the Rams from a competitive team to a playoff contender.
By making the unprecedented jump from the 15th spot in the draft to No. 1, they eliminated all uncertainty and hope and chance of the process. And whether they are leaning toward Wentz or Goff or still undecided, they can now spend the next two weeks with the singular focus of reaffirming their position, or being convinced otherwise, or simply deciding who the best prospect is between Wentz and Goff.
The point being, this is the Rams decision to make, and the Rams decision alone. And while it cost quite a bit to take control of that process, having possession of it far outweighs the cost when you consider the long-range implications.
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