Rams RB Jackson accused of beating girlfriend

Date: Thu, Jan 28, 2010

Rams RB Steven Jackson has been accused of beating up former girlfriend Supriya Harris while she was nine months pregnant with his child, according to TMZ.com.

“Steven became enraged and pushed me to the ground, repeatedly,” Harris said in a complaint filed with the Las Vegas Police Department. She went on to claim Jackson “forcibly grabbed my arm and flung me against the door. I was crying and trying to protect my stomach from the blows, as I was nine months pregnant.”

Harris said she left Jackson four months after the incident after he threatened to beat her up again at a music festival in New Orleans.

“We are aware of the situation involving Steven Jackson,” said St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo in an official team statement. “We are in the process of gathering information. We are always concerned with issues involving our players.”

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More punch at tight end could serve Rams well

Date: Sat, Jan 23, 2010

Don't be stunned if the Rams reach high in the draft for a receiving tight end capable of expanding an offense in dire need of expansion. In most discussions about the Rams' needs entering the draft, a legitimate No. 1 receiver who could provide a consistent downfield threat is mentioned more than the need for a tight end with speed and separation who can also stretch the field. But with more tight ends becoming major receiving weapons around the league, the Rams very well could consider aggressively upgrading the TE position via the draft or free agency. With aging free agent Randy McMichael not expected back, the top tight end on the roster is restricted free agent Daniel Fells, who fills the bill well as a No. 2 tight end/red-zone target with excellent hands but limited speed. Billy Bajema does a very solid job as the team's blocking tight end. A No. 1 tight end with special receiving skills could quickly turn the position into a team strength.

PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the second issue now ready for mailing and a third issue focusing on underclassmen to be published in the next few weeks. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format. You can also find details about other draft-related publications in the PFW store.

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Arrow pointing up for Rams DE Long

Date: Thu, Jan 14, 2010

Rams fans were getting more restless by the play waiting for DE Chris Long to start living up to his first-round billing the first half of the season. But once Long registered his first sack of the season in Week Eight at Detroit, the light finally seemed to go on. "He's always been pretty good vs. the run," one team insider said of Long. "And if he wouldn't have just missed on a lot of sack opportunities — Long led the team with nine QB pressures and 15 QB hits — he probably could have doubled his sack total. Will he ever be a true difference maker? Maybe not. But if the Rams draft (Nebraska DT Ndamukong) Suh, he'll flush quarterbacks to the edges, which will help Long." Long went for a prolonged stretch without starting, but in three starts at the end of the season replacing an injured Leonard Little, he was active and productive. "He played almost every snap in the (Week 16) game in Arizona," the insider said. "The more he got to play, the better he got."

PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the second issue now ready for mailing. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format.

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Rams' QB situation couldn't be any cloudier

Date: Sat, Jan 9, 2010

It sure doesn't seem like the Rams' eventual starting quarterback in 2010 is currently on the roster.

That likelihood became greater courtesy of recent well-founded rumors that QB Marc Bulger could be seriously contemplating retirement after another rough season.

Bulger, this year's starter until suffering a season-ending fractured shin bone at the end of November, was already considered by many a long shot to return next season after shooting mostly blanks for the third season in a row.

"But as far as him still being the best quarterback on the team, it's not even close," said one insider of the 32-year-old Bulger, whose release or retirement would save the team a net $4.5 million under the salary cap next season.

After Bulger went down, primary backup Kyle Boller stumbled his way through two starts before passing the baton to sixth-round rookie Keith Null for the final four games.

"I'll be surprised if Boller is back," the insider said of the unrestricted free agent and former first-round draft pick of the Ravens who continued to be primarily done in by untimely turnovers.

"Maybe it could be Null. He certainly got some great experience. He has the size and arm strength, and he's very grounded with a good demeanor. But most of the time, he looked like you'd expect a sixth-round pick from a Division II school (West Texas A&M) to look — totally overwhelmed."

The consensus is that while Null proved he could have a future at the pro level, he remains best suited at this stage of his development as a No. 3 quarterback.

As for who will enter the offseason filling the No. 1 QB role, it's anybody's guess at the moment.

If there was a franchise-caliber QB worthy of the Rams' first overall pick in the upcoming draft, he probably would be a no-brainer pick in late April.

But the consensus is that this year's QB crop is ordinary at best, which continues to make Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh the Rams' most likely No. 1 pick.

"The best option could be to draft a QB that they like high in the second or third round and get a veteran 'bridge guy' to start next year," the insider said.

A "bridge guy" like Michael Vick, who had a history in Atlanta with Rams GM Billy Devaney?

We hear that's one name that figures to at least be discussed.

PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the second issue now ready for mailing. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format.

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Rams remain fully committed to Jackson

Date: Thu, Dec 31, 2009

At different points during the season, there were rumors that the Rams might consider trading centerpiece and lone Pro Bowl selection Steven Jackson. But at no point, we’re told, did Rams GM Billy Devaney ever consider cutting the cord with Jackson, who is playing out the string with a herniated disc that we hear could keep him out of the Pro Bowl. “You knew right away he was fully buying into the new regime,” one team insider said of Jackson, who went into the last week of the season leading the NFC in rushing despite having sat out the Week 16 game against Arizona. “So many veterans had moved on and left a real leadership void that I think he had gone out of his way to fill.” While Jackson isn’t going anywhere, running back is still considered one of the team’s greater needs. We hear a No. 2 back who can do more than just take up space — something Jackson has never had behind him — is a top priority.

PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the second issue now ready for mailing. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format.

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Rams' special teams steadily improving

Date: Fri, Dec 25, 2009

As small a consolation as it might be in a season rife with setbacks, team insiders are in agreement that at least the Rams' special-teams play has shown steady improvement under first-year coach Tom McMahon. Subpar special teams had become par for the course heading into this season, even though the Rams did have two of the strongest players in the league at their positions in PK Josh Brown and P Donnie Jones. They also now have one of the league's strongest kickoff returners in ex-Eagle Danny Amendola, who has set a franchise record for single-season kickoff return yards with two games still left to play. "It helps that (head coach Steve) Spagnuolo is so committed to special teams and sits in on meetings," said one team insider. McMahon has proven to be a good teacher and quite innovative, as evidenced by the fake field goal for a TD that provided the seven-point margin of victory in the Rams' lone win, against Detroit in Week Eight.

PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the second issue now ready for mailing. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format.

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'Spags' has all the right stuff

Date: Tue, Dec 22, 2009

It's gotten tougher every week.

One costly injury after another ... an out-of-control starting guard who proved to be just too big of a handicap ... a swine flu outbreak serious enough to cancel practice.

And yet every week, despite a relatively weak roster in terms of talent, first-year Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo keeps getting stronger.

Lesser men would have folded up the tent by now or suffered a major meltdown with media heat intensifying after every loss.

Not Spagnuolo. The guy's a fighter, pure and simple. A relentless little grinder. A guy you want to go to war for.
In Week 15 against the Texans, a team that still has a fighting chance for an AFC playoff berth, Spagnuolo's troops battled like there was no tomorrow.

The vision of star RB Steven Jackson mixing it up with Houston's Bernard Pollard lingers. With blood spilling over his mouthpiece, Jackson got into it with Pollard, wrestling the Texans safety to the ground after Pollard ripped his helmet off.

Yes, the Rams were in the process of going down for the count for the 27th time in 30 games over the last two seasons. But Jackson made it clear to the sparse home crowd in attendance that he and his teammates would go down fighting.

Spagnuolo wouldn't have it any other way.

There is no doubt he remains a major work in progress as a head coach. His tactics, especially on the offensive side of the ball, will make you scratch your head more than a little bit.

But you have to love the way the Rams continue to scratch and claw and compete. Their 16-13 loss to the Texans was the seventh game this season that went down to the final possession, with the Rams still having a shot at winning or forcing overtime.

Over time, it says here, the Rams' gritty resilience will be rewarded.

"I'm definitely proud," Spagnuolo said after the Texans game when asked to comment on the adversity his team experienced last week, starting with the release of OG Richie Incognito and ending with a swine flu outbreak that offered the perfect excuse for a poor effort on the field.

"But I've been proud in every game. I love this group. Where the disappointment comes in is that they don't get to share in the reward, with all the work and all the adversity that they've overcome. Because the reward is winning, and that's the only reward."

Added Rams OT Adam Goldberg: "The effort and the drive and the want is there. We just need to turn that into more production."

Prediction: Two years from now, the Rams will be one of the most productive teams in the NFL. There is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Spagnuolo will see to that.

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