Well, here we are again. Another offseason for the Rams and I am not sure if I am supposed to be excited.
This off season has been a busy one though as the Rams have made some major changes with assistant coaches. The moves are of the desperation variety because if these coaches cannot work a few miracles, the head coach will be history.
Quite a challenge I would say, considering the Rams do not have a lot of talent.
Not to worry though, the Rams went out and hired a real personnel guy with credentials. Ok, they are
Start5ing to warm me up. Well, almost.
The Rams made a business decision last week that will certainly leave a bad taste in the mouths of some. They released the player who has been the face of the organization. Isaac Bruce. I was not surprised.
The Rams had planted this seed during the season in saying he might not be back.
It started in week eight and never died down.
The unfortunate thing is that there is never a good way to do this and the Rams succeeded in doing it the wrong way.
Bruce was a silent leader. He never said the wrong thing to the media, he never got in trouble off the field, he never held out nor did he throw teammates or coaches under the bus.
He was involved in St. Louis and its communities from day one and never sought attention. Yet, this is how the Rams thanked him for his service.
An offer was made to keep him according to the Rams.
The problem might be it was not what would be considered a fair offer to a person who had given so much to the game. Oh well, that is business, I guess.
This is an example of why players hold out to get every nickel they can realistically
Get. You now see how they are treated when the team no longer wants to pay them. How smart are the players who say they have had enough and get out before they can get them?
Meanwhile back at Rams Park, the Rams signed a kicker who is pretty good and a much-needed offensive lineman. The question is were they overpaid? The answer? Yes. How else can you get good players to come play for a team that had the second worst record and a coach that will be on the death watch two games into next season? Understandable for sure and as real of an answer as one can deal with. The draft is just down the road and I shall hold my breath on that day too considering some of the most recent beauties that they have selected. In all this team has a lot of work to do in order to get fans to actually believe that they are moving on the right direction. For me it a matter of when to get excited. That moment has not taken place yet nor do I have any idea on when this may take place. For the Rams, an all out PR blitz would certainly be the start of mending some fences. Not the traditional awful commercials, but something that creates a buzz. Hard work in store? You bet. So, what’s next for the Rams?
Good question that only the Rams have the answer to. We are all waiting, but not much longer.
St. Louis University basketball has even more work to do. My colleague Maurice Scott has been dead on in respect to the lack of respect SLU coach Rick Majerus has shown local athletes. Funny how when they win, he can find a way to remind us how smart he thinks he is. And when they lose, he questions their heart and skill. While many think he will someday turn things around I still wonder.
His style would not entice me to do anything but cross the street and look elsewhere. I know many think it’s time for the Billikens to move up and make another attempt at being “big time,” but is this the way to get there?
While the annointed genius has gotten the attention of some, it has been all negative. How about a little class before he can actually think anyone can take him serious.
My options are no greater with the Blues. One of my favorite winter sports teams will have a worse record than it did last season. This was the season that they were going to turn the corner. I never thought they were good enough to make the playoffs but I never thought they would regress in this manner.
Then there are the Cardinals. Ah yes, the Cardinals. While
I think it is still too early to predict an outcome, it is safe to say that this season will be a challenging one consider that the new faces along with the youth would give you the indication that there are enough ingredients to come up with a sup par season. Hold off on that one because baseball is a funny sport. One hundred and sixty-two games – and yet that still might not be enough to determine an outcome.
Having said that, the Cardinals could be interesting — provided a lot of things fall their way. Good health, players playing up to their expectations and some luck could lead to bright spots.
I warn you, we are some time away from having any idea of what we have here. This will be a season we pay close attention to – or forget completely.