St. Louis Rams – Blog

Browns HC Shurmur: “We Have Flexibility”

INDIANAPOLIS -

- Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur just finished his time at the dais and though he wouldn’t divulge too much information on what his team plans to do in this April’s NFL Draft, he did make it clear that they have a lot of options.

- By now, you probably have already heard the abundant trade rumors involving the Rams and Browns and their respective first round picks. The conventional logic is that the Browns can swap their two first round picks – Nos. 4 and 22 (plus another mid round pick, perhaps) – to the Rams for the second pick and the opportunity to take dynamic Baylor QB Robert Griffin III.

- As Shurmur spoke with the media on Thursday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the Rams have already been contacted for preliminary discussions about trading their pick.

- Of course, there is a lot of time between now and April but Shurmur didn’t categorically deny any possibility.

“I think we are willing (to move),” Shurmur said. “With two first round picks, we have flexibility. We can just stand pat and take two really fine players, guys that we would hope to be starters for us. And then obviously with having two first round picks you have flexibility if you want to do something. I wish I had better information for you but we are still in the phase of deciding whether we like some of the players that people are projecting that we are going to pick. It’s kind of a fun thing.”

- Cleveland, of course, is just one of the teams that has been prominently mentioned as a possible trade partner for the Rams. Rams GM Les Snead and HC Jeff Fisher will speak to the media tomorrow. It’s probably a safe bet they’ll be asked about trade scenarios as well.

Iowa OT Riley Reiff Speaks

INDIANAPOLIS -

- Iowa offensive tackle Riley Reiff is the guy most expected to push USC’s Matt Kalil as the top tackle in this year’s draft.

- But unlike Kalil, Stanford’s Jonathan Martin and Ohio State’s Mike Adams, Reiff isn’t as concerned with being the top tackle.

- “The cards will fold where they fold,” Reiff said. “First, 20th, that’s not for me to decide.”

- Reiff checked in at an impressive 6’5, 313 pounds and has a strong wrestling background. He’s widely regarded as a top 10 pick but a pocket of scouts believes he could be as good or better than Kalil.

Stanford OT Jonathan Martin Speaks

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- Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin isn’t considered to be on the level of USC’s Matt Kalil or Iowa’s Reilly Reiff but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think he belongs in that top space.

- Martin just spent some time with the media and made it clear he will take a backseat to no other offensive lineman (including teammate G David DeCastro) in the run up to the draft.

- He weighed in at 312 pounds and measured in at 6’5.

- Here are a few quick thoughts from Martin:

(On what it’s been like working with DeCastro through this process)
It’s been fun competing against David for four years and we are training again up in Arizona.

(On if he believes he’s the best tackle in the draft)
Oh yeah, without a doubt. As a competitor, you have got to think you’re the best. Matt is a tremendous player but I think I am better than he is.

(On why he believes he’s better than Kalil)
I just believe in myself as a player. There’s nothing cocky about it, it’s just that’s how I approach my game.

(On what his skill set is that makes him so confident)
I think I am an athletic tackle. I am smart, I don’t make many mistakes and I think that’s really helped me a lot the last couple of years.

USC OT Matt Kalil Speaks

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- USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil is widely regarded as the top tackle in this year’s draft and a potential target for the Rams with the No. 2 pick. Kalil spent some time with the media today and made it clear he believes he’s the type of player that belongs in those discussions as the top tackle and maybe the top player in the draft.

“I would definitely say I am the best tackle in the draft,” Kalil said. ”At my position or quarterback position or any big time position, confidence is definitely a big part of your game and I think they want to hear that you are the best tackle in the draft. I think I am. I think I have definitely worked hard and going through SC, I worked on everything I can to become a better player and I am definitely ready to take my skills to the next level.”

- Here’s a few more tidbits from Kalil…

(On having big expectations to succeed right away)
“It’s a responsibility I will have to take. All I can do is work as hard as I can and do whatever I can to excel at the position. When I get drafted I am not going to be given a spot, I’ll have to earn it. That’s going to be something I am looking forward to doing. Whatever team I go to, I am going to fight my butt off to earn a spot, earn a position and hopefully be there the rest of my career.”

(On the possibility of going second in the draft)
“Just watching the draft in the past years, anything can happen. Teams can trade, players may slide down the draft. What I have done for this draft process is do all I can to show the coaches who I am, perform the best I can over here in the combine running, show my athleticism and basically doing whatever I can to become a better player. That’s really all I can focus on. I don’t have control of who drafts me. I just focus on what I can do to become a better player and that’s all I really have thought about.”

(On the possibility of blocking for Rams QB Sam Bradford)
“That’d be all right. I’d like to protect any quarterback. Quarterback is a big part of the offense so wherever I go I am definitely going to work my butt off to make sure he never gets hit.”

(On if he pays attention to what the draft pundits are saying)
“Not that much, mostly just from watching ESPN and the news and stuff like that, just having the TV on. I just need to focus on what I can do to become a better player and wherever I go, that’s something I will work harder at.”

Ohio State OT Mike Adams Speaks

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- The first of the big name offensive linemen in this year’s draft just came through the media room and it was none other than Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams.

- After a successful career for the Buckeyes, Adams got plenty of comparisons along the way to former Rams great Orlando Pace.

- While Adams doesn’t have the profile of Pace as a player, he certainly looks the part. At Ohio State, he wore the same number as Pace, played the same position and after measuring in at 6’7, 323 pounds, cut a similar shadow to the Rams great.

- That’s no coincidence considering Adams said Pace was one of his favorite players of all time.

“Orlando Pace is definitely my favorite former player,” Adams said. ”In high school, we were at the Ohio State camp going into my sophomore year. He was actually there and sat down and talked to me and Brewster and a few guys, it was great to get to meet him there. I also got to meet him when he came back to be inducted into the Hall of Fame so anytime I get to talk to him or see him or anything like that, it was really exciting. He’s one of the best to ever play the position. That’s part of the reason I wanted to wear his number at Ohio State to try to follow in his footsteps.”

- Adams said when he first got the chance to meet Pace, he was speechless.

“I think we were sitting down and he asked us if we had any questions and none of us had anything,” Adams said. ”It was definitely a star struck moment, especially as a young kid. He’s a great football player and a great guy.”

- As it stands, Adams is expected to be either the third or fourth offensive tackle taken in this year’s draft, falling in line somewhere behind USC’s Matt Kalil and Iowa’s Reilly Reiff. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to try to fight his way to being the top tackle selected.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Adams said. “Since high school it’s been a big competition with recruiting wars and all of that kind of stuff with rankings. It will be interesting to see what happens but it’s definitely always a goal of mine to be the best I can be, to be the best period at my position. That’s what I’m going for.”

- Read more about Adams later today in a feature story coming to the front of the site on the top tackles in this year’s NFL Draft.

Schwartz Praises Fisher

INDIANAPOLIS -

- Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz was given his first coordinator opportunity by current Rams coach Jeff Fisher when the pair were together in Tennessee.

- On Thursday morning, Schwartz was the first coach to step up to the podium to address the media here and was full of praise for his former boss.

“”He is not a guy that panics,” Schwartz said. “He is not a guy that changes course without reason. That kind of perspective he has from all the things he has gone through will serve that franchise very well.”

- The “things” to which Schwartz is referring are the numerous things the Rams liked about his experience when they hired him. Schwartz mentioned Fisher’s having gone through a team moving, the ups and downs of winning and losing in the league and salary cap issues as just a few of the things Fisher has dealt with in his time in the league.

- Schwartz believes all of those experiences will only serve Fisher well in St. Louis.

Greetings from Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS -

- Good morning from Lucas Oil Stadium where the media portion of this year’s NFL Scouting Combine will begin in earnest today.

-  This is my ninth NFL Scouting Combine and I must say, now that we’ve settled here at Lucas Oil, it’s that much more enjoyable. This city is an excellent host and always has been so it was no surprise that it got rave reviews for its Super Bowl hospitality.

- Let me give you a little rundown of the Captain’s Log for the next four days.

- Today, Thursday, the offensive linemen, tight ends and kickers and punters will be coming through the media area. That group will have its medical checkups today as well with their physical workouts scheduled for tomorrow.

- Friday will be the biggest day of the event for those looking for Rams-releated stuff. Coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead will address the media at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. In addition, it’s the day for skill position players to meet the media. That means wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks – including the likes of Justin Blackmon, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Trent Richardson, etc. That group will do its physical workout on Saturday.

- Saturday will feature defensive linemen and linebackers with their media and medical day. That group works out on Sunday.

- Sunday will wrap up the media portion with defensive backs including safeties and cornerbacks. Those players will work out on Monday to wrap things up from here.

- In the meantime, expect plenty of blog updates in this space as well as feature stories on the main page. Also, for the first time ever, we’ll have video updates throughout the days with clips from interviews with players and necessary coaches and personnel guys. We’ll also have a few surprises along the way.

- One quick note on the players: Alabama RB Trent Richardson had a knee scope last week and will not work out here or at the Crimson Tide’s upcoming pro day. He’s still scheduled to be here and we’ll hopefully get a chance to chat with him tomorrow.

- Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for plenty more in the coming days.