St.louis

It's taken Adam Cracknell a while to prove that he has what it takes to stay at the NHL level, but the Blues have finally decided that he's a better asset with the NHL club than fighting for time in Chicago. The Blues, as per Jeremy Rutherford, have re-signed Cracknell to a one year, one way contract worth $600,000. Cracknell is the king of the one-year contract deal, never signing anything over that length of time. This is, though, his first career one way deal, and it's a nice payraise for someone who has been pretty consistent in his hard work. Cracknell played well this season with the Rivermen, scoring 17 goals and adding 15 assists in 50 games, but his best work came with the Blues. As part of the CPR line with Chris Porter and Ryan Reaves, the Blues' fourth line created chances through effort as much as they frustrated the opposition teams. Excited to be back with the Blues for next season.#longlivethenote. #greatzoo — Adam Cracknell (@ACracknell79) May 25, 2013

http://blog.stlouisrams.com/2013/05/24/rams-finish-third-ota/ The Rams were back on the practice field again Friday afternoon, going through the third OTA on the schedule. They’re nearly a third of the way through the OTA schedule already and now head off for a little bit of an extended break coinciding with the Memorial Day weekend. - From here, the Rams will not have any OTAs next week though there are some workouts scheduled. The next OTA is scheduled for June 3. The rest of the schedule includes OTAs on June 4, 6, 7, 11, 13 and 14. - Friday’s practice came under the sunshine after a somewhat chilly, overcast day on Thursday. - Feature story on RB Isaiah Pead is coming later today but here’s a quick quote from him that gives you an idea of where he is as he approaches a season full of opportunity for a Rams running back. “I look at it as an opportunity every day,” Pead said. “Whether it’s Steven being gone or somebody getting a question wrong and I get the question right. Every small opportunity that I can capture or see, I try to capture it. This one will be a bigger opportunity but I’m trying to capture it as if it was a small one.” - Had a chance to catch up with Swiss Army Knife D-lineman William Hayes for a bit today and I’ll have a story on him next week but he offered some insight into his decision to re-sign with the Rams. I’ll save the details but Hayes said he instructed his agent during the process to make a deal work with the Rams. Although he had plenty of interest from other teams and the chance for more money and even a potential starting job elsewhere, Hayes said he had no intention of going anywhere and he did what was necessary to stay in St. Louis. - As for today’s practice, let’s again issue the usual this is May and what happens now isn’t a big deal disclaimer that needs to go with unpadded practices. - If you couldn’t tell from the players talking about it, there’s an impossible to miss enthusiasm that permeates the practice field when the team is going through its work. Even DE Chris Long tweeted last night that so far this is the most fun he’s ever had in an OTA. He doesn’t appear to be alone in that. - QB Sam Bradford and WR Chris Givens had the long ball working today, connecting on at least a pair of deep passes in team drills. For the record, Givens has added muscle and appears to be better prepared for the rigors of playing and playing a lot. He made a diving catch on a deep ball in double coverage that went for about 45 yards. - From the Department of Redundancy Department: TE Jared Cook. He’s impossible to ignore when he’s on the field. - It’s clear from watching that the Rams intend to be more high octane offensively. Bradford discussed that possibility yesterday and it seemed it was very likely given the weapons that were added during the offseason. - That’s going to do it for today. - Thanks for reading and everyone enjoy your holiday weekend. http://blog.stlouisrams.com/2013/05/24/rams-finish-third-ota/ The Rams were back on the practice field again Friday afternoon, going through the third OTA on the schedule. They’re nearly a third of the way through the OTA schedule already and now head off for a little bit of an extended break coinciding with the Memorial Day weekend. - From here, the Rams will not have any OTAs next week though there are some workouts scheduled. The next OTA is scheduled for June 3. The rest of the schedule includes OTAs on June 4, 6, 7, 11, 13 and 14. - Friday’s practice came under the sunshine after a somewhat chilly, overcast day on Thursday. - Feature story on RB Isaiah Pead is coming later today but here’s a quick quote from him that gives you an idea of where he is as he approaches a season full of opportunity for a Rams running back. “I look at it as an opportunity every day,

I guess you could go back and watch the St. Louis Rams win Super Bowl XXXIV on VHS. Maybe there are DVDs of it floating around. Hell, it was the year 2000. But why do that when you can relive the experience in GIF format? Friend of TST Jeff Roman, @Jeff_underscore has done just that. He set up a Tumblr GIFing the Super Bowl. It's got all the plays you remember. God, that Hakim dropped pass still makes me wince. But then you see Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk and London Fletcher and, damn, if it doesn't just make your heart fill with that strange warm sensation. But wait, it gets better. Jeff has included some of the commercials. Bud Light was lame then too. My favorite was seeing the hey day of the early internet economy ... this wasn't too long before the first dot com bubble burst. And of course, there's Jeff Fisher, then the Titans head coach, in his mullet prime! via media.tumblr.com Go check it out.

May 14, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) looks on during organized team activities at the Cardinals Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports Sports media has essentially crowned the NFC West the toughest, most dominate division in the NFL this coming season, which is hard to argue against. The big cliche surrounding the teams’ offseasons has been the “NFC West Arms Race,” started by the Seattle trade for Percy Harvin and the 49ers’ trade for Anquan Boldin, then inflamed by the Seahawks signing of every “big name” defensive end available in free agency. The Rams’ added their two cents with the acquisitions of Jake Long and Jared Cook, and the Cardinals tagged in with Carson Palmer. The fun didn’t stop there though, at least not for some teams, especially on offense. The Rams added the most explosive player in the 2013 NFL Draft class (Tavon Austin), then took the most productive receiver in college football last season (Stedman Bailey) a couple of rounds later. In less flashy fashion, the Cardinals took a chance on Ryan Swope late in the draft, soon after the 49ers’ stole Quinton Patton in the 4th round. So, with all of these changes, what do the NFC West offenses look like right now? With a little help from our friends over at OurLads.com, here are the updated depth charts, with a couple of projected changes, via Ramblin’ Fan. Note: CAPITALIZED name designate a new starter at that position from the team’s 2012 roster. This could be a new player or a returning player that either a) switched positions or b) moved up in the depth chart. Seattle Seahawks Position Name Quarterback Russell Wilson Running Back Marshawn Lunch Wide Receiver (No.1) Sydney Rice Wide Receiver (No.2) Golden Tate Wide Receiver (No.3) PERCY HARVIN Tight End Zach Miller Right Tackle Breno Giacomini Right Guard Paul McQuistan Center Max Unger Left Guard JAMES CARPENTER Left Tackle Russell Okung For Seattle, the offensive roster is relatively unchanged, with the exception of Percy Harvin as their slot receiver and utility back. James Carpenter has had trouble staying healthy since being selected 25th overall by the ‘Hawks back in 2011. He could be the final piece of the Seattle offense line if he can stay on the field. If there were any area of concern in their offense, it was likely the tight end spot, with Zach Miller failing to show the fluidity and pass catching ability he had in Oakland. Anthony McCoy was likely to have some chance at more reps this season, but was reported today to have torn his Achilles’ tendon. St. Louis Rams Position Name Quarterback Sam Bradford Running Back DARYL RICHARDSON Wide Receiver (No.1) BRIAN QUICK Wide Receiver (No.2) Chris Givens Wide Receiver (No.3) TAVON AUSTIN Tight End Lance Kendricks Right Tackle RODGER SAFFOLD Right Guard Harvey Dahl Center Scott Wells Left Guard BARRETT JONES Left Tackle JAKE LONG The Rams did an full make-over of the offensive roster this offseason, not only through free agency, but through the draft as well. The “starters” at both running back and wide receiver have yet to be determined, but we do know that it will not be Steven Jackson lining up in the backfield or Brandon Gibson lining up out wide. Daryl Richardon, Isaiah Pead, and 2013 draftee, Zac Stacy, should all have a legitimate shot at earning the lion’s share of reps, but that is anyone’s guess at this point. At receiver, Chris Givens and Tavon Austin are locks for a “starting role,” who will fill the slot left by the departing Gibson is still up in the air. Brian Quick is likely the favorite at this point in the offseason, but it would not be surprising to see Stedman Bailey penciled in at the No. 1 position come August. The offense line will look comple

Wide receiver rushed 72 times last season at West Virginia. Also: Bradford clicks with Cook.

Much has changed in the past year for Rams running back Isaiah Pead. A year ago at this time, Pead was in his Cincinnati apartment, waiting for Rams running backs coach Ben Sirmans to contact him ...

Seahawks tight end Anthony McCoy needed surgery to repair a partially torn Achilles tendon tear. The back up to Zach Miller last season, McCoy was ranked the 12th best pass catching tight end by NFL.com. Though his run-blocking was suspect, he gave Russell Wilson an effective target. "NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Friday that McCoy went under the knife Thursday and is expected to miss at least six to nine months, according to a person briefed on his injury. McCoy simply was running when the injury occurred, according to RapSheet..." - via NFL.com's Marc Sessler It seems like there's a certain injury pops up every year that sweeps through the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers' Michael Crabtree went down with the same injury only days ago. Hopefully these two players aren't the start of an epidemic like foot injuries seemed to be in 2012. McCoy will be out 6 to 9 months, so it looks like rookie Luke Wilson will get some serious looks going into training camp. Like any injured player, let's hope Anthony McCoy gets well soon.

Uh oh. Jeff Fisher is going to catch hell from Twitter's army of draft analysts. And what egregious crime has the St. Louis Rams head coach committed this time? He downplayed the differences between left and right tackles. The world will end soon, swallowed up by the gash Fisher's arrogance made in the fabric of space and time. The subject in question here was Rodger Saffold. He is now the Rams starting right tackle, moving over after the team signed Jake Long in free agency this year. When OTAs opened this week, Saffold finally got his first reps on the right side of the field. "Football's football," Fisher admitted. "Responsibilities are the same. He's just at the point of attack when the ball goes to the right." So in Fisher's mind, the right side and left side really aren't all the different. Clearly, the Rams are doomed from this kind of backwards thinking. DOOMED! "We may have a tight end outside of him more often than the left tackle does," Fisher said of the right side. "Because with a right-handed quarterback, you're typically right-handed." Saffold is apparently responding well to the move too. His coach praised his work over there on Thursday after practice. "He's done a great job since we've moved him over," Fisher said. There are some differences. Fisher's Jedi mind trick isn't fooling Saffold. Here's what he said to the Post-Dispatch after practice about the move to the right side: "It's just a matter of getting used to it, the muscle memory, the change in stance. Honestly, it hasn't been as hard as I thought it was going to be. As far as the smaller details, that's what I'm constantly working on. It's just the second day out here, so I just want to continue to work and to learn." Wait a minute, he doesn't make the right side sound all the different from the left side either, not really. And not as hard as it seems? Well, now all of my notions of reality are shattered. Okay, I'm obviously being facetious here, just a little. The are differences in the right and left side of the protection scheme, but every year we see guys who pundits tell us must live on the right thrive on the left and vice versa. The importance of the two positions are not so different anymore either. An arms race for pass rushers and more sophistication defensively sends just as much trouble for passers around the right side as it does the left side ... the middle too, which is why teams spend more on guards and centers than they once did. I get the sneaking suspicion that if Saffold picks up where he left off on the left side last season, he'll be just fine on the right side this season.

Sometimes a little bit of a refresh is needed, isn't it? Your old clothes aren't fashionable anymore, so you go shopping for some sleaker styles. Don't be surprised if you wind up bumping into the Blues while you wait in like at a fitting room. In Jeremy Rutherford's most recent Blues chat, someone asked about the Blues' uniforms and if they will be getting a bit of a revamp like the Dallas Stars' uniforms and Carolina Hurricanes'. Here's what Rutherford had to say: I heard some teams will be having new uniforms next year (Dallas and Carolina), any plans for the Blues to do an update? I'm hearing whispers that there may be changes in store for the Blues' uniforms. Don't have any details whatsoever. But don't be surprised if we hear something. Heard Stillman is discussing probably scrapping 3rd logo. Any truth? Haven't heard that specifically but could be true. Third logo has Dave Checketts imprints all over it. I know folks who would consider that a crime scene. It'd be a shame to lose the thirds in my opinion more thanks to the color scheme than to the logo specifically, though I do like the logo. I prefer the thirds' lack of terrible Reebok Edge piping as well - it's less busy, and it gets straight to the point. I'll go out on a limb and assume that if the Blues get a re-do it won't be anything hugely different -- it'll probably be cleaning things up and ditching the piping. None of this whole "let's randomly add red!" stuff of revamps past.

In case you haven’t heard, the NFC West has had some minor or not so minor troubles the past couple of weeks, both on the field and off the field. It all started with Rams CB Trumaine Johnson who got caught driving under the influence. From then on it kind of all went downhill. Seahawks DE Bruce Irvin then got suspended four games for breaking the NFL substance abuse policy by taking Adderall. Fans have been mockingly calling the Seahawks the Seadderall Seahawks because the Seahawks have had more PED suspensions than any other team in the NFL since Carroll took over. The troubles for the NFC West did not end there however, earlier this week 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree  tore his Achilles tendon and could be out for the majority of the season. The troubles still were not over, Rams OG Rokevious Watkins got suspended week one for breaking the NFL substance abuse policy as well. Hopefully the troubles stop here for the NFC West, however this does shake things up a bit, so how do these situations affect the Rams and the rest of the NFC West? Trumaine Johnson probably wont miss any games for his disappointing situation, however he may get fined. His situation will not affect the Rams and the NFC West at all. Irvin’s suspension on the other hand might. Many were surprised when the Seahawks took Irvin last season in the first round, but Irvin has turned out to be a good player and one to keep an eye on for years to come. Irvin played mostly in passing situations last season and racked up 9 sacks and 18 tackles including the post season. Irvin would be more of a loss had the team not signed Cliff Avril in the offseason who had 35 tackles and 9.5 sacks last season. The Seahawks should survive just fine and shouldn’t be affected by Irvin’s suspension. The Seahawks play the Panthers, 49ers, Jaguars, and Texans during Irvin’s suspension. One situation that will affect the Rams and the rest of the NFC West however, is Michael Crabtree’s injury. Crabtree’s injury is the same injury that Terrell Suggs dealt with last season and ended up missing the first half of the season because of it. What is normally a season ending injury has become on in which the possibility of returning is plausible. With the expansions in medicine coming back from what were horrific injuries 10 years ago is possible. Example A, being what Adrian Peterson did coming off of an ACL tear last season. Crabtree became Kaepernick’s favorite target pulling in 665 of his 1,105 yards and 6 of his 9 touchdowns after the 49ers made the switch. Against NFC West opponents Crabtree had 33 receptions for  511 yards and 5 touchdowns. 12 of those receptions were against the Rams, and those went for 171 yards and one touchdown. Crabtree’s loss could be a big hit to the 49ers offense, and even if Crabtree comes back, he will be limited and will not be the same player. The 49ers did just sign Anquan Boldin, therefore Boldin could fill the void of Crabtree, but Boldin and Kaepernick don’t share the connection that Kaepernick had with Crabtree just yet. There may be some growing pains before it all starts to flow, and then it may be too late. With Crabtree’s absence, the rest of the NFC West may be able to jump ahead of the 49ers, especially if their offense struggles. For more informations on how Crabtree’s injury will affect the Rams, read, “Wide Receiver-By-Committee: Why Losing Michael Crabtree Will Hurt The 49ers” by Nathan Kearns http://ramblinfan.com/2013/05/23/wide-receiver-by-committee-why-michael-crabtree-will-hurt-the-49ers/The Rams play the 49ers week 4 on Thursday Night Football and again Week 13. Rokevious Watkin’s suspension wont have much of an impact on the rest of the NFC West, but it might have an impact on how the Rams’ final roster shakes out. The Rams drafted OL Barrett Jones in the 4th round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Jones has the potential to start at guard and with