Wagoner: Rams mailbag … 5/14

@nwagoner: I have said all along and maintain that I believe the likely end game is the Rams in Los Angeles, probably along with the San Diego Chargers. It’s a sort of happy medium for the league, Stan Kroenke and the Chargers and allows the league to execute the best plan they’ve had in 20 years. There likely won’t be three teams in southern California again, so if the Rams go, it stands to reason the Oakland Raiders are on the outside looking in. However, there are a couple of scenarios that could change things though most of those are a bit too macabre for me to discuss at length here. Nothing is set in stone here yet but I still think the odds of the Rams going to Los Angeles are more probable than not. (Sorry, I’ll see myself out).

@nwagoner: I actually answered this question last week but think this is a good all-encompassing one that I can get additional information in that I didn’t have at that time. So, my understanding is that the St. Louis and local stadium groups (Oakland and San Diego) will not be making presentations at this round of meetings. Instead, the committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, which met with all of the potential new stadium groups in New York recently, will be able to update the other owners on the current situations. It doesn’t sound like there will be a formal presentation, per se, but it obviously will be discussed. In terms of actual news on this front, my primary expectation is still that the biggest “news” will be that they move up the window for teams to file for relocation from the winter to late fall. That means it would likely come at a time close to when the St. Louis stadium group is hoping to have private financing nailed down.

@nwagoner: Funny how that worked, huh? But remember that Zac Stacy had dealt with injury stuff in camp and the Rams felt Tre Mason wasn’t ready to help in pass protection and “playing without the ball” yet over the first four games. With Todd Gurley, I believe the Rams will play him as soon as he’s ready from a health perspective. Which means the question is when will he be ready? There’s really no way to know that right now but it wouldn’t surprise me if he missed the first three or four weeks. Only time and doctors will really tell.

@nwagoner: Of course. We heard the “spiel” the day the team officially promoted Frank Cignetti to offensive coordinator. But at this point, much like with this team, doesn’t seeing have to be believing? The Rams have struggled to find Tavon Austin’s fit and it’s hard to see how they’re going to do it better now that they’ve fully committed to a personality opposite of what he brings to the table. On the flip side, though, is the prospect of using him in ways that really complement that offensive philosophy. In other words, more jet sweeps, more ways of getting the ball in his hands as a change of pace to the more power-oriented style. At this point, I’m not sure he’s ever going to develop into a consistent receiver. But I guess we’ll see.