February 26, 2012 may go down as one of the greatest dates in St. Louis Rams history. On that date Robert Griffin III, Baylor’s speedy Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, may have helped the struggling franchise outrun its bad luck and poor management in just 4.38 seconds.
Technically speaking, Griffin’s blistering, but unofficial, 40 yard-dash time at the combine was changed to 4.41 seconds after review. But even referee Ed Hochuli and a legion of red-flag waving execs couldn’t overturn the potential end to the Rams’ futility. The moment “sub-4.4 40” was uttered, the team holding the second pick in this year’s draft, knew they’d hit the jackpot. Friday, Les Snead, the team’s newly hired general manager, cashed in the chips.
With franchise-QB Sam Bradford already on board, Snead dealt the Rams’ first-round pick, aka the rights to RG3, to the Washington Redskins for the team’s first (#6 overall) and second-round picks of this year’s draft, as well as a first-round pick in 2013 and 2014. Read it again – three number ones and a number two. That’s more than the Giants paid for Eli Manning in 2004 and more than the Falcons gave up for Michael Vick in 2001.
Now, without ever taking a snap in a blue and gold jersey, Griffin changed the team’s fortunes.
Under previous regimes, more draft picks would’ve likely meant more disappointment. Jay Zygmunt and John Shaw helped make the Rams the laughing stock of the league come draft day. Recently ousted GM Billy Devaney was slightly less awful. He stumbled upon a few quality players but not enough to keep the Rams from staggering to the worst-five year stretch in NFL history.
However, the way Snead deftly handled the Griffin deal gives the long-suffering fan base hope for the future. Instead of the traditional public auctions teams hold for coveted draft spots, Snead took a different approach. He told the interested parties he wanted to make a deal by Thursday (March 8) and implored them to submit their best offer. Unlike most GMs, Snead promised to keep the offers private and simply choose the best of the bunch. Though many people handicapped the Cleveland Browns as the favorites in the RG3 sweepstakes, Daniel Snyder’s QB thirst reigned supreme as the ‘Skins swooped in and made the Rams and offer the team couldn’t refuse.
By completing the deal more than a month before the draft, Snead and his staff can now focus on free agency and draft evaluation rather than devoting time and energy to haggling over trade packages.
Suddenly, instead of fretting over leases, international “home” games and bounties, Rams fans are discussing potential stud draftees such as Justin Blackmon, Trent Richardson and Morris Claiborne. The confidence and competence of Snead and coach Jeff Fisher are giving beleaguered fans something to look forward to.
The NFL free agency period began Tues., March 13. The upcoming draft will take place April 28.
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