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I wanted to drop in and share my perspective and knowledge on the two receivers the Rams have selected from WVU. Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. Two extremely talented players, two very unique characters and two players who I am positive have a ton of star potential each in their own right. I will do this through providing thoughts on their character and abilities as well as sharing video of their entire careers here at WVU and pointing out specific examples you might find interesting. First off, so you know who this is coming from I am Doug Cross. On the internet (and sometimes in real life) people call me Dougitydog or Dougity Dog. I currently work with WVU Football in a quasi-official capacity and have long been a devoted follower of WVU Football. As such I have attended every home game of each of their careers and almost all of their road games as well. Furthermore I make videos of them making good plays (which I will share with you in a moment). Given my background obviously you should expect bias, but I am someone who is big on facts and reason and that is what I feel my judgments are based upon. I will start this analysis or breakdown or whatever it should be called with Stedman Bailey, the lesser hyped of the two names. Who he is: When you think of Stedman the one word that comes to mind is consistent. He approaches everyday with the same mentality, just like he approaches every practice and game with the same mentality. His humble dedication to working and developing at his craft is something which seems ingrained into the fiber of his being. If you follow him on twitter (click here to start following him) you will soon notice how he has built this mentality into a defining aspect of his character, and honestly this personal attitude/outlook might be his biggest strength. His constant progression as a player has been steady over his career at WVU and I expect it to continue in the NFL. How he plays: He plays with effort, passion, dedication and an attention to detail. I doubt there are many skill players in college or the NFL who carry the same mindset that Stedman Bailey does. He will lay out to make the play. He will block downfield. He will run his routes and make his cuts like his life depends on it and when he breaks a tackle or makes a diving catch and gets into the endzone you will see in his celebrations just how much passion he has for the game. Abilities: Stedman Bailey is a prototypical do-it-all receiver. Its hard to decide if he is better at making the routine plays or the spectacular ones . Though if I had to choose I would say he is the best at making the routine plays. His out routes and comeback routes are things of beauty. He can beat you deep and not because he is the fastest player, but because he will either find a way to get the separation through his route running or he will make a play on the ball and find a way to make the catch despite not having any significant separation. Stedman's abilities at the moment of the catch are his biggest strength. He will find a way to go up and get the ball at it highest point, or make an adjustment the defender is unable to make. His hands are some of the best out there (I would guesstimate top-20 in the NFL right now). Also he is deceptively shifty on his first move with the ball and has great balance that lends him to breaking or avoiding a significant number of tackles. He may not be a "YAC monster" like Tavon, but he is something slightly lesser like a "YAC machine". Forced to make comparisons I would say aspects of his game best draw from Jerry Rice and Hines Ward and while he may not end up having nearly the outstanding career of either of these players, I could certainly see him having a multiple pro-bowl career that puts him among the elite receivers in the game. Video Break-Downwatch this video or just read about the takeaways First highlights from his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons TAKEAWAYS Abilities: 1:33 - Route Runnin

The St. Louis Rams started OTAs on Tuesday. It was the first round of spring practices mixing both the rookies and the veterans from all sides of the ball along with the coaches. OTAs are not conducted in full pads, and they represent just one small step toward assembling the final team that will take the field in September, but it is something kinda, sorta close to football. We'll take it. There wasn't much news out of this week's opening session. It was closed to the media. One item that did bubble up on talk radio was that Jake Long was sitting out. The team warned in the spring after signing Long that he would most likely be out to start spring practices, as he recovered from surgery on his left triceps. Fisher told the Post-Dispatch in March that Long could return to work during the middle part of OTAs. Another pair of veteran linemen could miss OTAs this year: Harvey Dahl and Scott Wells. With Long out, it raises the question of where Rodger Saffold worked. Did he go ahead and begin the transition to right tackle? Or did he stay on the left side? Either way, with no contact through OTAs, the detail is a minor one. Here's the complete schedule of OTAs going forward: May 21May 23-24June 3-4June 6-7June 11June 13-14 The Rams eliminated the mandatory minicamp portion this year. As the official site explains, Fisher felt the additional time away was better for the veterans who are entering their second year in the same system. Hooray for continuity!

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Eduardo Sanchez has been claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs. (more…)

Cardinals rookie pitcher Shelby Miller struggled last night against the San Diego Padres. (more…)

Well so much for the offensive revival.  After the Royals out-slugged the Angels to take two of three, they finish the week at 2-4 after getting swept by the A’s.  Nonetheless, there’s a silver lining in all of this.  The club still sits at .500 and a few Royals hitters are mashing up the month of May. Best of the Week:  Billy Butler What a difference a week makes.  Big Old Country Breakfast bounced back from last week’s worst to this weeks best including a celebratory 5-for-5, 5 RBI night against the Angels.  Butler hit safely in five of six games this week and .480 overall (12-for-25) with a homer and 10 RBI.  As a result, Butler’s average has risen 45 points from .228 to .273. He joins Alex Gordon, who deserves honorable mention this week, as the Royals two hottest hitters.  Gordon also hit .480 this week (12-for-25) and now has hit safely in 14 of 16 games in the month of May.  Gordon’s current .343 average ties him with Boston’s Dustin Pedroia for third in the American League. Worst of the Week:  A-ced in Oakland What hurts isn’t so much that they were swept by a struggling team, it’s how they lost.  The Royals led late in all three games, but ultimately dropped three straight one-run games.  The Royals bullpen, arguably the club’s biggest strength, blew two of those leads in the eighth including Sunday night’s thanks to a 403 foot blast by Yoenis Cespedes. Kansas City’s bullpen still ranks third in the AL with a 3.07 ERA, so I believe this weekend’s sweep highlights the issue of their struggling offense rather than their pitching.  On paper, the Royals lineup is as deep as any in the AL including three players hitting over .300 in Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, and Salvador Perez. However, the Royals still rank 13th out of 15 in runs scored (only the Mariners and White Sox have scored less).  A lot of the struggles derive from the lack of production from the heart of the order. Butler appears to have turned things around, but Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas are in the midst of a serious slump.  They hit a combined 5-for-49 last week, a frightening .102. The Road Ahead:  Eastbound and Down Kansas City begins a three-game series with Houston on Monday night to wrap up the road trip.  Make no mistake, these are games the Royals have to take advantage of if they want to keep pace with Cleveland and Detroit. They finished off the week with a four-game home series against the Angels. Probable Pitchers at Houston Astros: Monday at 7:10 CT:  Jeremy Guthrie (5-1, 2.82 ERA) vs. Dallas Keuchel (0-1, 4.82 ERA) Tuesday at 7:10 CT:  Wade Davis (3-3, 5.98 ERA) vs. Bud Norris (4-4, 4.32 ERA) Wednesday at 7:10 CT:  James Shields (2-4, 2.45 ERA) vs. Jordan Lyles (1-1, 6.63 ERA) Probable Pitchers vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Thursday at 7:10 CT:  Ervin Santana (3-3, 2.77 ERA) vs. Joe Blanton (0-7, 6.62 ERA) Friday at 7:10 CT:  Luis Mendoza (1-2, 5.50 ERA) vs. Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.55 ERA) Saturday at 1:10 CT:  Jeremy Guthrie (5-1, 2.82 ERA) vs.  TBA Sunday at 1:10 CT:  Wade Davis (3-3, 5.98 ERA) vs. C.J. Wilson (3-3, 3.72 ERA) Follow Adam Rozwadowski on Twitter @adam_roz

May 10, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; As seen from right to left St. Louis Rams wide receiver Tavon Auston (11), wide receiver CJ Akins (19), wide receiver Stedman Baily (12) and wide receiver Emory Blake (16) take a short break during rookie minicamp at Rams Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports Am I going out on a limb here by saying the Rams’ young, inexperienced but talented group of pass-catches will be under a microscope during training camp? Maybe just a little, right? With hopes to add a spark to the offense, St. Louis drafted one of the most gifted playmakers in years. That spark is none other than the lightning in a bottle himself, Tavon Austin. The Rams will deploy him in a multitude of ways: inside, outside, in the backfield, and probably on special teams as well. The plan is to get him the ball “as much as possible.” Although the Rams are smitten with their new target, who is a smooth blend of DeSean Jackson and Percy Harvin, the mixture of talent of the Rams’ receiving core will be jockeying for position for the duration of the offseason. Besides Austin, St. Louis also drafted the other WR from West Virginia who is a star in his own right. Stedman Bailey finished his season with the Mountaineers totaling 114 receptions, 1,622 yards (3rd in the nation), with a monstrous 25 touchdown receptions. Bailey was the other receiver wearing blue and old gold.  It’s never easy trying to get a read on someone’s thoughts, but you can read between the lines on certain comments. Jeff Fisher and Les Snead both have said how rewarding it is to watch a player progress from year one to year two. As I absorb that comment, I can’t help but to think they are referring to Brian Quick. Blessed with raw athleticism, strong hands to pluck the ball out the air, and the size and leaping ability to out jump defenders, the development of Quick will play a pivotal part in Bradford’s ascent. Without a doubt, speedster and last year’s standout rookie Chris Givens is penciled in as the starter and conventional wisdom points to Quick to starting alongside Givens.  Throughout training camp last season as well as during the season, Snead and Fisher both said they have “envisioned Quick and Givens staring opposite of each other.” As much as Austin Pettis improved late in the season, he is a byproduct of the old regime. The arrival of Bailey, Austin and, a developing Quick will reduce Pettis’ production and time on the field, and not to mention the addition of TE Jared Cook who also will be split out wide a times. As it stands, here is my prediction for the Rams final WR dept chart: Brian Quick Chris Givens Tavon Austin  Stedman Bailey Austin Pettis Emory Blake

This is another busy offseason week for the St. Louis Rams. The team starts OTAs on Tuesday. For the new players, this year's rookie class, this is just another action-packed week in a hectic span that's been going on since January. But at least this week, the players have the coaches and veterans on hand as they dive deeper into the transition from college to the pros. "Oh man, it's is definitely crazy," Tavon Austin told TST last week at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles, "just to see how many different positions I have to learn. After you relax, you start picking it up, but it's still kind of hard." To be exact, Austin has three positions to learn. The Rams have him working on the outside as well as anywhere and everywhere on the inside. "We work with a chip on our shoulder because we want to prove that we're very good wide receivers."-Stedman Bailey The Rams' first-round pick has a familiar face making the jump with him: former West Virginia teammate and fellow wide receiver Stedman Bailey, who was drafted by the Rams in the third-round. The two are roommates, for now, and helping each other learn offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's playbook. "We're both learning the playbook together," Bailey said. "We get to quiz each other before we go to sleep, going over everything we went through in practice. "We understand each other very well," Bailey said of his Mountaineers teammate. "I know his strengths; he knows mine. We use our strengths to our advantage on the field. We work with a chip on our shoulder because we want to prove that we're very good wide receivers." Bailey compares himself to Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers. Both tend toward the smaller end of the spectrum for players at that position, but over the year's Smith has established himself as one of the most reliable pass catchers in the game. "He's not the tallest guy around but he makes amazing catches and plays with a chip on his shoulder every snap," Bailey said. "I admire that about him. I try to model my game after him." Austin doesn't offer a comparison for himself. Their attitude is exactly what it should be for rookies. Both players are obviously hungry to make their mark on the game, but that's only a starting point. Jumping from the college game to the NFL isn't easy, especially for wide receivers. Like most teams, the Rams have seen their prospects grapple with the transition. Brian Quick, the first player picked in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, saw his playing time limited during the season after struggling to learn the finer points of the pro game in training camp. One thing that could work in Austin and Bailey's favor is their college experience. Not only do they come from one of the larger conferences, they honed their craft in Dana Holgosen's Air Raid offense, which gave both players plenty of touches. Bailey felt like that experience would benefit him given the NFL's evolution. "The NFL is developing into more of a passing league," Bailey said. "That's something that I love. I'm a wide receiver, and that just creates more opportunities for a receiver to make plays." Obviously, it's not that simple, and more than a few players have struggled coming from a spread offense. "Throwing a ball around can be hard, so you got the right scheme going," Bailey explained. "The right players in the system. That will benefit players like myself." The rookies have someone else helping them learn the ropes: quarterback Sam Bradford. "We ran plays together," Austin said of his new quarterback. "He told me that he'd been watching film on me. He believes in me, and I believe in him. Hopefully, we get a thing going. "I can see that he's a true leader." "I love Sam," Bailey said. "He's a great guy, very humble and trying to catch us up in the offense. I'm very appreciative of that." The Rams improved to 7-8-1 last season after a year with just two wins brought about a full house cleaning. It was

Sophomore slumps are REAL. No, really! It isn't a urban myth, like the aliens visiting from the planet Glaxor to steal the secret recipe for Cheetos. They're really here to find out why In-N-Out Burgers are considered inter-galactic crack cocaine. Then there's the one about the I.R.S spying on people... OK, scratch that one. I began to think about "sophomore slumps" when I did an evaluation of quarterbacks in the NFC West. I wondered if Russell Wilson - Seattle's second year phenom - could suffer from "yearicus II slumpitis". The it hit me: The St. Louis Rams have a ton of second year players... What if Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, Michael Brockers, and Daryl Richardson all fold like a cheap suit in their second years? I left out Brian Quick and Isaiah Pead because I think they caught "slumpitis" a year early. This is serious people! We need a telethon with Simon Cowell as host. He can demean people into donating to fight this disease that strikes down the "sort of young" every year. There's actually some validity to the "sophomore slump", but it has nothing to do with an illness. A player's second year is marked by having game film for opposing coaches to study. It's an "action-reaction" kind of thing. Young players don't have vast pools of knowledge about the NFL game. Experience enables easy adaptation to changing circumstances, and second year players just don't have it. To me, the mark of a great football coach is how he manages second year players. They're responsible for knowing how to find the next level of a player. A decent example of a second season swoon would be the Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton. He shattered rookie records in 2011, only to look more than a little lost in 2012. Some of it has to do with a player's ego, and Newton has more than his fair share. He walked into his second year thinking what he'd done the prior season would serve him well. Oops! NFL coaches are wily men who study game film to find tendencies or weaknesses. They have no social lives, and make kids addicted to video games look like outdoor fanatics. They're sports geeks to the tenth power, and they find EVERY player's weaknesses. A hand that twitches prior to the snap of the ball means a pass play, or a player telegraphs the type of play called by the number of fingers he puts on the ground - every little detail is noticed by NFL coordinators and their staffs. I think it's fair to say the St. Louis Rams youth movement is going well, but the lack of experience in the young players more than offsets their talent to a certain extent. Great coaches have their work cut out for them, as they shepherd their young charges from season to season. If they don't, a player can turn into a one-hit-wonder. This year, there are quite a few rookies who face the challenge of Das Slump. Last season, 27 first round draft picks in the 2012 NFL Draft became starters for their teams. Some will stumble, and more than a few will take the next step toward stardom. Yet, when I look at the Rams, and how many young players they'll have on the field in 2013, it's hard not to wonder just how good they'll be.

This past season, the Blues showed you can have regular season success with a low payroll - a reaffirmation of what they proved the previous season. Having the second-lowest payroll in the league ($52,185,361 according to CapGeek.com) leads to having the second most money to spend in the off-season on free-agents, right? Not for the Blues. They'll do what they've always done - stand pat with most of what they have, add a few quality pieces, and try to groom their core players for more success in the next season. The trick this year is that several of those core players are up for new deals. Restricted free agents include Chris Stewart, Patrik Berglund, Evgeny Grachev, Alex Pietrangelo, Kris Russell, Ian Cole, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jake Allen, and a slew of AHL players. Obviously, the focus there is on re-upping Pietrangelo, Shattenkirk, and Berglund - and they'll get paid. Stewart fought for a decent payday all season, but his playoff performance was beyond disappointing. Taking that small sample size out of consideration, he'll probably also get paid well. I'll do a post later on the pros and cons of qualifying offers for these guys,but here I wanted to specifically focus on a few UFAs. The highest paid guys up for free agency are Andy McDonald, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Jordan Leopold. Andy McDonald Andy McDonald is a prime candidate to not return to the Blues next season. The pending UFA got paid $4,700,000 this past season, as well as the season before that. Prior to that, McDonald was paid $5,200,000, a sizable payraise from his $3,333,333 a year deal. McDonald has been the Blues' li'l waterbug, making space where none exists and zipping to the front of the net with aplomb. He's scored 90 goals in 294 games, but as of late he's been very prone to injury, especially concussions. He only netted seven goals this year in 37 games and was invisible in the Blues six-game series loss to the Kings. This is in marked contrast to the year before, where McDonald had five goals and five assists in nine playoff games; again, though, when faced with a highly physical Kings team, McDonald's output dropped off. McDonald is obviously in some sort of decline, though whether it's due to age (he's 35) or injury or both. The question is this: is he worth re-signing? The Blues need to save money for their pending RFAs, and dumping a huge salary like McDonald's is a big step towards that. Could the Blues sign him for a paycut? Absolutely. Would he still be a very useful player to have? Absolutely. However, with Dimitrj Jaskin coming up and Jaden Schwartz along with Vladimir Tarasenko presumably taking on a bigger role, having McDonald on the team isn't a necessity like it was in years past. Jamie Langenbrunner Langenbrunner missed nearly all of the 2013 season, whether benched or out thanks to an injured hip. His salary was an affordable $1.5 million, but for someone who is 37 and who now has a big question mark over his head, is that a worthwhile investment for the team? Chances are good that Langs won't return to the team either. The upshot of Langenbrunner (and Scott Nichol, who is a UFA as well) is that he brings a veteran voice to the locker room that was very obviously missed during long stretches this season and during the playoffs. Would the Blues have had as many issues with players doing their own thing had Langs been there to tell them to get over it? He traveled with the team toward the end of the season and in the playoffs, and I'll go out on a limb here and say that it was done to give him a chance to help work out some issues. I'll also go out on a limb here and say that no team will sign him next year, much like his compatriot and soon to be fellow UFA Jason Arnott. I appreciate what Langebrunner brought to the team, but I think it might be time for him to consider retirement. Jordan Leopold If there's a UFA to return, Leopold is probably it. I think it's safe to say that no one wo

I had long found it interesting that the two individuals who had been considered the primary candidates for the vaunted title of St. Louis Cardinals “closer of the future” back in 2009 have been among Major League Baseball’s most prominent Twitter users – until now. A trade to Cleveland took Chris Perez out of the Birds on the Bat and into an Indians uniform, but I continue to keep an eye on the right-hander. Outspoken and honest, the former University of Miami hurler often shared his song of the day and other thoughts via social media. Last year, he also raised the ire of some fans by wondering out loud why the Indians were not receiving more fan support. Recently, despite the first-place Tribe winning 18 of 22 games, Perez has come under increasing criticism on Twitter. As with any closer, there have been a few bumps in the road, but overall, the two-time all-star is having another fine season. Yet, personal attacks from some of the most aggressive Indians fans have driven Perez to delete his Twitter account, according to FOX Sports Ohio. Sadly, they probably do not understand it is their loss. When Jason Motte first took to Twitter, I had a conversation with a Cardinals official about the inherent risks of a player at such a prominent position interacting so directly with fans. I envisioned a Perez-like situation occurring in St. Louis when the inevitable blown saves occur and the mob mentality takes over. The official told me, “There is nothing to worry about. Jason can handle it.” Maybe he can and maybe he cannot, but the point is, why should he have to? In all fairness, Motte’s 2012 performance generally kept the waters calm. With the closer out for the remainder of this season, we should not expect any turbulence regarding him until at least 2014. It is a shame we might anticipate it at all. Follow me on Twitter. Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook. Tweet This Post