Wow, Rams trade up to #1

[c_hawkbob]

What a coup for the Titans!

Titans receive: 2016 15th - 43, 45, 76; 2017 1st Rd and 3rd Rd

Rams receive: No. 1, 113, 177

Case Keenum's life just got a whole lot harder ...

https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shut ... 26636.html

[Hawktawk]

Wow is right. They must be desperate for that franchise QB. Is there one this year?

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Incredibly ridiculous move for a team that is not a few pieces away from a Super Bowl run. I mean a bevy of picks in this year's draft plus next year's 1st and 3rd? Titans should be able to reload like a boss.

A little envious, but I have to remind myself that it is very nice for the Seahawks to not have the draft position to pull off such a heist. I'll take perennial playoff attendance and legitimate Super Bowl aspirations any day of the week.

[burrrton]

Incredibly ridiculous move for a team that is not a few pieces away from a Super Bowl run.

This. Reminds me of Ditka and Ricky Williams (difference being we don't know who they're going to pick, of course).

Wow is right. They must be desperate for that franchise QB. Is there one this year?

I know Goff and Wentz are pretty highly regarded, but hard to believe the Rams would consider either of them worth mortgaging the future for.

[mykc14]

They must absolutely love one of the QB's (Wentz, IMO). I mean you have to know he is going to be a franchise QB to trade that much for 1 player, just like the Redskins knew RGIII was going to be that guy!

[burrrton]

Was just reading something from the Rams' LA Times guy that they're set on taking a QB, but they don't even know which one, Goff or Wentz, they're taking!

Bizarre.

[edit]

Although... someone else pointed out there's no way they do something this drastic without knowing exactly who they're taking, which is a reasonable point.

[NorthHawk]

Somebody else made the point (PFT) that they wouldn't officially select one player over another in the event the one they chose got hurt in the next 2 weeks.

The Rams are going into a new market and they need a face of the franchise, so the trade makes sense from that perspective. As well, I have read some of the evaluators think one of the QBs is almost on the same level as Andrew Luck. If the one they choose is almost at that level, then they will become a real tough team to play.

[burrrton]

The Rams are going into a new market and they need a face of the franchise, so the trade makes sense from that perspective.

I think that's the only explanation (making a splash = butts in the seats), but it seems hugely shortsighted if that displaced long-term success as the primary goal.

[NorthHawk]

They are built like us with a solid Defense, but lack a good QB to direct the Offense.
It may be that the Coach and GM are feeling a little heat with the new locale and not producing after the bounty from the RGIII trade, so this might be their best chance to try to get a QB that could play for a decade and maybe take them to a championship. Trying to hit a home run, so to speak.

[RiverDog]

I didn't think either of those two quarterbacks were all that good, not Top 5 material in most draft classes, but this is bizarre. They must think a lot of one of those QB's.

Tennessee could do what the Rams failed to do... turn a blockbuster trade into a Cowboys-like coup re the Herschel Walker trade.

[NorthHawk]

I didn't think either of those two quarterbacks were all that good, not Top 5 material in most draft classes, but this is bizarre. They must think a lot of one of those QB's.

Tennessee could do what the Rams failed to do... turn a blockbuster trade into a Cowboys-like coup re the Herschel Walker trade.

It's going to be interesting to see who they choose and how it turns out.

[Zorn76]

LOL, ah, man...I Love this trade made by the Rams!

The odds of this backfiring - Badly - are fairly high. In any other relatively good QB draft class, neither Goff or Wentz would be regarded as much. Both have potential, naturally, and of course this could end up working out. But I like the odds that it won't. Way too much speculation involved, even in terms of the crap shoot the selection process is.

Stl will be looking to throw this kid into the fire right away, and he couldn't land in a tougher division to to test his mettle.

I would be pizzed if I'm a Rams fan. They're gonna need RW / Andrew Luck type of rookie results to even begin to justify this maneuver.

[c_hawkbob]

I'll be shocked if it's not Wentz.

[Hawktawk]

They swept us last year and always give us hell no matter who is under center. I thought Foles might be the piece they needed but was badly wrong. If they happen to hit on one of these guys they will be formidable because there is already a lot of talent there.

[RiverDog]

I'll be shocked if it's not Wentz.

Would you be leery of taking a quarterback from a small school? I know there have been several...Romo, Flacco, Warner, to name a few, but nevertheless, you think it would make a few people a little nervous.

[obiken]

If they find a franchise QB then it can it work out for the Rams. I agree with CB that for the Titans its a no brainer, they get massive help filling a ton of holes. Moreover at 15 they can still get a good OT.
I would ask how many times has a team traded like this, for a franchise qb?

[monkey]

Northawk is exactly right in what the Rams were thinking, the trouble is the rest of you guys are all right in that, this is EASILY the most boneheaded move since they were on the other side of a world class stupid trade like this, when they netted a bunch of picks for RG3.

I will say this though, every one of you guys are badly underrated Wentz.
Wentz has everything you look for in a franchise QB, accuracy, smarts, athleticism, strong arm, ability to run, and ideal size. He's got legitimate superstar ability.
Having said that, as much as I truly believe that Wentz has the ability to become special, I also think that throwing him into the fire as a rookie is a MONUMENTALLY stupid idea. HUGE mistake!
If the Rams ruin Wentz career, I'll hate them with the energy of a thousand suns.
I'm not saying the Rams will take Wentz mind you, fortunately I think they might just double down on their stupidity, and take Goff and ruin his career.
That is my hope.
The better of the two QB's is definitely Wentz though!

[HumanCockroach]

Isn't Goff from LA? I mean if it really was all about putting butts in the seats and kick starting a "fanbase" that consistently shows it doesn't care about football, wouldn't the "hometown" kid make more sense?

[Zorn76]

Local radio here (KNBR 680 SF bay area) says it's more than likely Wentz. His upside is projected to be higher longterm, though Goff is more NFL ready right now, apparently.

I dunno. We'll see. I just think this was an all in decision that's very sketchy.

[obiken]

I am with Monk on this one I think the Rams made this deal to keep Chippy from Goff. He is not ready to be the starter and thrown the wolves. There is no sure fire qb in this draft. A great 2nd round pick would be Prescott. Playing in the SEC, the kind of pressure he faced game in and out he would be a great pickup there.

[jshawaii22]

There is no way on this earth that the Rams made this deal to 'keep Goff' from going to another team, even the 49ers.
The team needed a hail-mary as they move to the new LA Market. This is it. No more, no less.
The trade was a huge roll-of- the-dice for their future to boost the fan interest in the move. You could say the same way the Redskins did with RGIII.
It failed for the Skins and it will probably fail for the Rams. I watched Goff in a few games over the years, and he didn't really impress me and he sure wasn't in the same class as Andrew Luck or even RGIII. I've never seen Wentz, so I can't comment on that. Maybe he is the next Romo, if that's what they are looking for.

NLF Network said that their has never been a QB from a D2 orD3 school picked # 1 in the SB era and it was Ed "Too Tall" Jones in like 1973 that was the last #1 pick period, from a small college. The competition just isn't the same, especially in the speed of the game (end rush, CB) compared to, lets say the Pac10, let alone the NFL. I'll bet it's Goff.

js

[obiken]

J22, You make a good point, but I just think that they knew CK, was a former P12 guy, and he was going after Goff. I don't see them moving up for Wentz. So I guess we are in 50% agreement on this.

[RiverDog]

Northawk is exactly right in what the Rams were thinking, the trouble is the rest of you guys are all right in that, this is EASILY the most boneheaded move since they were on the other side of a world class stupid trade like this, when they netted a bunch of picks for RG3.

I will say this though, every one of you guys are badly underrated Wentz.
Wentz has everything you look for in a franchise QB, accuracy, smarts, athleticism, strong arm, ability to run, and ideal size. He's got legitimate superstar ability.
Having said that, as much as I truly believe that Wentz has the ability to become special, I also think that throwing him into the fire as a rookie is a MONUMENTALLY stupid idea. HUGE mistake!
If the Rams ruin Wentz career, I'll hate them with the energy of a thousand suns.
I'm not saying the Rams will take Wentz mind you, fortunately I think they might just double down on their stupidity, and take Goff and ruin his career.
That is my hope.
The better of the two QB's is definitely Wentz though!

I've got to respect the primate's opinion on this one. He's one of the few that predicted very early success for Russell Wilson.

But nevertheless, this is a monumental risk for the Rams as they've literally sold the farm in much the same way that the Redskins did a few years out, although I'll point out that neither team came out a winner in that deal as neither of them have won a playoff game. At this point, the Titans clearly came out with the long end of the stick on this trade, and they may not be done yet. I'll bet that they don't hold onto all of those picks.

[c_hawkbob]

I will say this though, every one of you guys are badly underrated Wentz.

Hey now.

[NorthHawk]

Their QB just has to be accurate and not give away games - at least early in his career just like Russell Wilson. Later he will probably have to make the big plays when teams start shutting down their running game but if Gurley stays healthy he could be as effective as Lynch. The last few years, it's been turnovers at important times that have killed them.
I think they are using Seattle's blueprint to take the next step (solid and sometimes great Defense, strong run game, and limit the QB to safe pass plays) as they have 2 of the 3 pieces in place. If their Special Teams are very good, they could be trouble for every team they face. It's a matter of them putting it all together.

[HumanCockroach]

Local radio here (KNBR 680 SF bay area) says it's more than likely Wentz. His upside is projected to be higher longterm, though Goff is more NFL ready right now, apparently.

I dunno. We'll see. I just think this was an all in decision that's very sketchy.

I'm not really any type of expert on college QB evaluation. I do wonder though if what I have read about Goff being "more ready" now versus the "higher ceiling" for Wentz will play in to this decision? I don't think Fischer or the Rams FO would gamble so much if they didn't believe the could win games "now" as opposed to down the road. Do you think they would make that decision on what would be best for the team three to five or six years down the road as opposed to trying to compete for a playoff spot this year?

I kind of feel like this is a last ditch attempt at drumming up fan interest in a new market while attempting to save their jobs...

[Steady_Hawk]

Yeah, this is without a doubt Jeff Fisher's Hail Mary to keep a head coach job in the NFL IMO. I can't believe the guy hasn't gotten the axe already quite frankly.

It will be nice seeing them without a slurry of picks for once.

[Zorn76]

And,or course, now there's this:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/ ... -no-1-pick

We'll see, lol.

[obiken]

I stand I by my original analysis. I think they take Goff. IF you are happy with either one why make the trade? Unless you feel that the Bears are going to draft a QB why do it? The move, hail Mary, I just don't see it.

[monkey]

I stand I by my original analysis. I think they take Goff. IF you are happy with either one why make the trade? Unless you feel that the Bears are going to draft a QB why do it? The move, hail Mary, I just don't see it.

It sure does look like Goff will be the pick. I find that doubly hilarious.
What a tragically stupid move. Bad enough that you throw away so many picks, but then to take a player who is more likely to bust than pan out?

[c_hawkbob]

Well I'll stand by my original pick too, I still think it'll be Wentz.

[Oly]

The only "pick" I'm willing to stand by isn't the boldest: the Rams will be worse off for having made the move. I think next year's #1 will be top 10 if not top 5, and they're going to regret it. Even if Goff/Wentz pans out, they're going to be talent-thin at a bunch of other places on a team that has a lot of holes to fill.

At the end of the day, though, this move should help the Hawks win the division, so I'm happy!

[RiverDog]

The only "pick" I'm willing to stand by isn't the boldest: the Rams will be worse off for having made the move. I think next year's #1 will be top 10 if not top 5, and they're going to regret it. Even if Goff/Wentz pans out, they're going to be talent-thin at a bunch of other places on a team that has a lot of holes to fill.

At the end of the day, though, this move should help the Hawks win the division, so I'm happy!

Hard to say how this trade is going to turn out, but like you, I get the sense that the Rams came up with the short end of the stick on this deal.

[burrrton]

Yeah, 'mortgage the future' moves like this rarely seem to work out, or at least I don't recall the last successful one.

[c_hawkbob]

Yeah, 'mortgage the future' moves like this rarely seem to work out, or at least I don't recall the last successful one.

The Bronco's trade for Elway.

[burrrton]

Fair point, Robert.

[HumanCockroach]

Did Denver mortgage the future for Elway. I honestly don't remember it that way. How many picks were traded? Was there multiple high picks surrendered? I seem to remember Ekway holding the Colts feet to the fire with his baseball and then not getting a ton in retuurn (compratively)..

Only one pick, three ho hum players. Different time, before a kings ransom was necessary. Not sure that would be a mortgage the future kind of deal.

https://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/trades/010716.html