Jacob Bell signs with Rams

[D-Rod]

Originally Posted by toonsterwu

This could be a really telling move on their draft intentions as well. I like the move.

You could actually argue it either way.

A. It shows that they are serious about addressing the O-line, and will look to Jake Long.
B. It shows that they've added something to the O-line, and now there isn't really a place for Jake Long.

Personally, I'd suggest the latter. When there was a hole at OG, it could be argued (and was) that they could draft Long as a long-term replacement (forgive the inevitable pun) for Pace, and give him a year or two at OG until Pace retired. Now, there's no real hole at OG - though Long would, of course, be an upgrade - and he becomes something of a luxury, especially in comparison to their weakness on the D-line, which has not been addressed.

[Geo]

6 years, $36M, $13M guaranteed with a $7M signing bonus. The Rams paid a pretty penny to get the guy they very much wanted.

[art vandelay]

Originally Posted by Geo

6 years, $36M, $13M guaranteed with a $7M signing bonus. The Rams paid a pretty penny to get the guy they very much wanted.

Wow...that's a heck of alot.

[NGSeiler]

Seems like a pretty reasonable price to me. Bell was essentially the #2 guard on the market, and the Rams got him at a price much closer to the deals Woody and Smiley got than what Faneca got from New York. I'm fine with that, especially since $6 million of the $13 million guaranteed is made up of his first two years of salary.

[holt_bruce81]

Originally Posted by yodachu

Signing Tony Banks and The Boz would be a step in the right direction. A step in the right direction would be canning Linehan and hiring someone that knows a frick about football.

Yea because Injuries had NOTHING to do with how bad the Rams were last year. The hole offensive line was a bunch of 2nd and 3rd string guys.

Granite Linehan did make some bad decisions through the season, theres no denying that. But give him a healthy team, let him learn from his mistakes before you throw him under the bus.

Signing Devaney, and Saunders were great moves this offseason. And it looks like he's learned he can't win by just signing FOSL's.

[yodapoop]

Originally Posted by holt_bruce81

Yea because Injuries had NOTHING to do with how bad the Rams were last year. The hole offensive line was a bunch of 2nd and 3rd string guys.

Granite Linehan did make some bad decisions through the season, theres no denying that. But give him a healthy team, let him learn from his mistakes before you throw him under the bus.

Signing Devaney, and Saunders were great moves this offseason. And it looks like he's learned he can't win by just signing FOSL's.

We were healthy all of 2007, we were 8-8.

[holt_bruce81]

Originally Posted by yodachu

We were healthy all of 2007, we were 8-8.

So Pace didn't miss 8 games that year?

8-8 for a rookie head coach is pretty good.