http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000653513/article/rams-topsecret-qb-tour-bred-blockbuster-trade-for-no-1-pick

Rams’ top-secret QB tour bred blockbuster trade for No. 1 pick

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.

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.

Follow Michael Silver on Twitter @MikeSilver.

Agamemnon wrote:

This is a shrewd move by Fisher: draft a quarterback No. 1 overall, and even if the dude bombs out, he’ll still provide value by serving as Fisher’s human shield, to protect the coach from an overdue firing.

Fisher gets to buy time.

Neither Winston nor Mariota bought any time for their respective head coaches last season.

zn wrote:

I assume you’re joking?
Cause there are some who did take the initial announcement that way.

Yes. Joking… your second sentence explains why.

….GM Les Snead: Keenum will take the 1st snap in OTA’s. Mannion/Foles will compete. Nothing will be settled until we get thru draft.

I can’t believe that Snead just declared Keenum as the Rams starting QB for the next 15 years.

If they think one of the main 3 QBs is worth it, then I am for a trade up. I don’t pretend to know if either Wentz, Lynch or Goff will be worth the investment of picks required in a trade up, but I believe that the Rams need to address the position. I love draft weekend and always want the Rams to have as many picks as possible, and I agree with those who argue that the Rams have several needs that could be addressed in this draft, but this seems like a crucial juncture for the Rams and the QB position.

This move does nothing to change my opinion that the Browns are going QB with their first pick.

I don’t pretend to understand such things, but this sounds slimy.

Like any draft guy Drew Boylhart has his share of misses (ex. Tebow). He also gets some right once in a while (ex. TY Hilton, Jason Smith). With that qualifier out of the way, Boylhart likes Paxton Lynch. The Huddle Report is no longer a pay site, BTW.

http://www.thehuddlereport.com/archive/2016profiles/Paxton.Lynch.htm

Dak wrote:

Not unless we move the city to Canada.

Yes.

After the first, and seemingly last, attempt to bring the CFL to the US failed the CFL won’t be doing that again anytime soon.

zn wrote:

I like the way this board works

This board kicks ass. The absence of ego is what I love.

As far as the relocation goes I still don’t like the feeling that it gives me. Although I have no way of knowing what went on behind the scenes hearing Demoff and Kronke talk about how long they’ve been working on it just makes me feel worse for the people of St Louis. Clearly they didn’t just start thinking about it last month or last year year. I realize that it would be a long time in the planning and execution, so I shouldn’t be surprised. Even so it still rattled me a bit to hear them speak about it at the introductory PC in LA. Hollywood could probably make a decent movie about the sliminess that went on during this process.

All that said, I fell in love with the helmets as an 8 year old in 1976, so my fandom for the on-the-field Rams won’t change. I just don’t have any warm feelings of sentiment about the move.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by canadaram.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by canadaram.

I’m sick for the fans from St Louis and San Diego.

Zooey wrote:

If the Rams can’t be involved in the playoffs, then I just want to see lots of disgrace and humiliation

Yes, yes a million times yes.

I think some legitimate competition is needed, whatever that means. That said, isn’t GZ a FA this year? Can the Rams re-sign him and then cut him in August if they find a better option? I would just like to see more than a camp leg brought in this year.

After this game 49er players and gold miners everywhere will weep uncontrollably and soil themselves every Sunday afternoon for the rest of eternity.

Wow. I bet it will feel weird to cheer for the Patriots.