I've been mulling over how exactly to share my views on this for months. I've been reading all of the draft talk banter back & forth. Pro & con..........good & bad.......reasons for drafting him or not drafting Glenn Dorsey. In addition to all of the other guys we're considering at No. 2. As a long time Ram fan I know what it's like for us to be drafting early. This ain't my first rodeo, & I've been here b4. However an early draft pick, not to mention the No. 2 overall pick in the draft presents it's own set of problems. I'm sure many of us still remember the Lawrence Phillips DISASTER back in 96. We picked him as the 6th overall pick that yr. and he NEVER lived up to billing. All of the crying Vermeil did over that kid, was just a waste of time & that poor draft pick cost us for yrs. Luckily for us we turned it ALL around in 1999, w/ some key signings & the drafting of Torry in the first round.

But that wasn't the end (unfortunately) of our Rams making HORRIBLE selections in the first round. Heck even our GOOD selections are a mixed blessing IMHO. Torry Holt has been the BEST draft pick EVER in my recent memory. But what about big Orlando Pace? Ohhhhh yeah everyone loves our big LT, & I admit I've enjoyed watching him wear the horns over the yrs. But everyone seems to forget how much trouble he's given our organization as well. He hasn't always been the team player that many ppl think he is. Ohhh no there has been a Dark side to the BIG O, that alot of ppl have forgotten bc of his massive UPSIDE. (No pun intended). Heck even wikipedia doesn't mention ANYTHING going wrong w/ the Big guy prior to 99. Take a look.
Quote:
Orlando Pace was the first offensive lineman in 29 years to be drafted first overall, following Ron Yary (Minnesota) in 1968. He is widely recognized as one of the best tackles in the NFL, especially in pass protection. At 6' 7" tall and 325 pounds, Pace is well-suited for the tackle position. His strength and armspan allow him to be effective in both run- and pass-blocking, but perhaps his greatest asset is his athleticism - Pace's quickness of reflexes and speed are unmatched among NFL offensive linemen.

Pace played 13 games during the 1997 season, his rookie year. He made his first start against the Oakland Raiders on September 20, 1997 and started every single game for the rest of the season. In the 1999 season Pace played in 896 of 994 offensive plays and was elected to his first Pro Bowl. It was the first time that a Ram offensive tackle was named to the Pro Bowl since Jackie Slater did so in 1990.

Sounds all peachy king right? I had to dig hard to back up what I remember to be true. I remember back in 97-98 Pace was VERY grumpy about playing, & it took alot of coaxing by Vermeil to get him in the games. If 1999 hadn't happened who knows what we would've gotten out of him. But it did & coincidentally enough? Pace had a MIRACULOUS 3 yrs. of playing w/out a single injury. Was that just good luck? I'll let you make the call on that one. He didn't get officially hurt again until right b4 playing in SB 36. However when we had a DOWN season in 2002? Guess who was on the injury list early & often. Now maybe he just got bit by an injury bug (I don't know), & after last yr. All of us now realize how freakish injuries can just come up & bite the team. However when coupled w/ his dubious history we can almost gauge what kind of season we had, based upon if Big O played the whole yr. or not. Take a look at his injury break downs through the yrs. in this chart HERE.

Now don't get me wrong folks, I'm not trying to run down Orlando. Put down the pitch forks peeps, I'm still one of the faithful. All I'm trying to illustrate is that even a GOOD HIGH draft pick has a down side. The league & many of us fans regard him as one of the best LTs in the game. But in the league of WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY, Big O has fallen short of the promise for 2 yrs. running. To be quite honest w/ you? I'm not sure if we'll ever see him be effective again or return to form after all of these major injuries. And if that's the case then what did we get for the No. 1 overall draft pick. Sure sure we got some great yrs. out of a great LT. A position that essentially helped us win our only SB to be sure. But have we gotten pro bowl play out of that position for ALOT of yrs. like we would think we would from a No.1 overall draft pick? To be quite honest w/ you, it might sound crazy but I don't know if we have. Though to be completely straightforward I'll even admit it's borderline.

So how much paint have I been sniffing, & do I think I'll be getting back to my point w/in the next month? Glad you asked!!! My reasoning for our little trip down memory lane is simple. I'm trying to illustrate that a No. 2 or even a No. 1 pick rarely lives up to the title of GRID IRON GOD. More often than not, they fall somewhere in between a good player & a pro bowler. Every now & again there's a Peyton Manning in the bunch, but not very often. So can we please get back to Dorsey so you can complete your 27th mock draft? Sorry........my bad.........I'll get right to it. Let's quickly recall our DISASTEROUS drafts of 3 FIRST ROUND DT BUSTS in recent yrs. Granted there are still a few Ram fans who like Pickett, & one or two JK fans. Or was that BK fans? I always get whoppers associated w/ Kennedy for some reason. Anyway regardless about what they're doing now, they were a bust for US......and that's all that matters to me.

Can the Rams ACCURATELY evaluate Defensive line TALENT, & make a sound pick? That my friends is the 64 million dollar question. Up until last yr. I would've said NO. However I really liked what Carriker & Cliffton Ryan were able to accomplish their first yr. here. So now I'm not quite as wary, but even a blind squirrel can find a nut sometimes so I'm still not so sure. OK so if I don't get to Dorsey w/ in the next few sentences you really are going to give my computer a virus? Well alrighty then let's break down my Tigers' All American DT. Or do we even need to? If you listen to the BUZZ from the media this guy is the greatest college DT to ever play the game. I heard so many things that this guy could do, both LAST YR. (while watching the Tiger games) & now? Why I thought I was watching history in the making. The only problem w/ that was that I NEVER SAW IT. Never saw Dorsey live up to the hype.........never saw him rise to the challenge.

JUST SAY NO TO DORSEY. Marshall Faulk had a saying b4 games that I always liked. "Special people make special plays on special days." Well whenever the Tigers had BIG GAMES, or MUST WIN situations? I NEVER saw Dorsey step up to bat...........I NEVER saw him flash across the TV screen. I can't tell you HOW many times during last yr. that I heard the announcers CROWING about how great he was in pregame. And then those SAME announcers would comment how STRANGE it was later in the game......when they hadn't even called DORSEY'S NUMBER. Ppl Dorsey is a Paper Lion.........a Wag the Dog campaign........all BUZZ no BITE. The ppl who DO think he's a 'beast' or can 'dominate.' IMHO have never watched him play on a consistent basis. I've heard the excuses that he was double teamed, takes up two blockers consistently, etc. And that was why we didn't hear about him that much.

I'm sorry but I just don't think that's right. What's that Marshall? As a PLAYMAKER one has to be able to overcome what the other team is doing to you. I rarely saw Dorsey do this, & recall on many occasions how he would FADE in BIG GAMES. The best play I saw him make all season was when he illegally punched a Florida Center, & knocked him out w/ an upper cut. After the Olinemen went down he then sacked the QB. Oh did I mention how THE BEAST was only singled up at the time on one blocker? Yeah that happened more times than ppl would lead you to believe. And unfortunately even when he was only being blocked by one man? He still didn't make a big play for us. As a Ram fan I do NOT want us to draft this guy. We've had WAY too many problems in our organization w/ DT busts, & currently already have an underperforming tiger on our team.

As much as it pains me to bash two former LSU greats? Wroten was supposed to be all that & a bag of potato chips as well if you recall. Would you say that he's EARNED his spot on our squad? Sad fact of the matter is he wouldn't have even been here if he didn't get busted 2 night b4 the combine w/ all that weed. We thought we got us a steal taking this guy w/ a 3rd round pick. DID WE??? Remember Wroten was SUPPOSED to be first round talent, coming out of a school KNOWN for DEFENSE. Has he come anywhere CLOSE to that kind of production on the field in the PROS? NO I just don't believe he has, & while he still has time to grow? We could quite possibly have another DT bust on our hands, who was pegged as a first rounder. So what does all this mean for THIS yrs. draft, & what should we do about Dorsey? Here's an interesting Ram blog I found where someone actually compared Dorsey & Wroten. Same size, & Wroten even had a better 40 time.

The Rams have proven more times than not throughout their history that the just can't draft Dlinemen. I almost wish they'd put a freeze on drafting Dlinemen, & just let other clubs develop them for us. Signing them away for a bunch of money would be worth more, than constantly wasting draft picks IMHO. Dorsey has won a SICK amount of awards, & has been lauded by NUMEROUS analysts that never watched LSU play a down. All I ever saw him do was get blocked, & out of the play more times than not. What's really ironic is I didn't even KNOW who Dorsey was b4 this yr. When Jamarcus Russel & Dwayne Bowe were doing the Tigers proud, I never heard about a Glenn Dorsey. It wasn't until this yr. when all the media started crowing about this guy.

I know a buzz word campaign when I see one, & that's why I don't trust these bozo reporters. These stupid lemmings are the same ones who blindly followed the CHEATriots into the SB against the Giants. Scoffed along w/ Tom Brady when Plaxico said they'd only score 17 pts. And were STUPIFIED when what happened ON the field was the complete OPPOSITE of what all the supposed 'Football MINDS' said. Same situation w/ Dorsey IMHO, & I've seen nothing come from him SINCE the Nat'l Championship that has changed my mind. In fact I've gotten more validation in recent months as his stock has risen & fallen like a roller coaster. Is he hurt......or isn't he? Personally the way he played last yr. I'd think he was hurt all yr. Either he's the 'BEAST' everyone says he was playing hurt diminishing his abilities...........or he's all fluff w/ no STUFF.

Anyway one slices it? I just don't see this being a SOUND or VIABLE pick for the St. Louis Rams at the No. 2 spot. Say whatever you want, but I just feel like this would be a bigger waste than Jimmy Kennedy. And let's face it that'd be a pretty big waste, if it topped him. I'm not saying that I know Dorsey won't go on to be an All pro. He very well could be, & may turn out to be one of the better tackles in the game. Just like the reporters say he's going to be. But I just don't see him doing that as a Ram, for whatever reason we just haven't been able to groom great DTs thus far. When the last great Ram DTs that we refer to were Rosey Grier & Merlin Olsen? We don't have a long history of great players at that position. Letting Jeff Zgonina & Brian Young go turned out to be a really stupid move. I loved watching D'Marco Farr & Ray Agnew as much as the next Ram fan sure. But in terms of a Nationally recognized player for the Rams at DT. It's been a long cold dry spell.

Which is why I think the Rams should make the SOUND choice. Take the best Offensive Tackle in the draft.....If that's Jake Long then that's FINE w/ me. I outlined why I don't believe we can count on Orlando as a viable option for yrs. to come. We need to solidify our Oline NOW.......while we have this HIGH PICK IMHO. I don't want the Rams to have to pay for yet another DT bust, bc this time it could cost us BIGTIME. And no to Chris Long as well, w/ the exception of Winstrom? We're not doing so hot drafting DEs either. Sure an OT isn't a SEXY pick. But there's a REASON why LTs go at the TOP of the draft EVERY YR. And it ain't bc teams are trying to REACH w/ players like Dorsey. It's bc it's a SOUND football decision. If you want to WIN football games in the NFL? Then the game is WON & lost in the TRENCHES. And that starts UP FRONT w/ the OFFENSIVE LINE. Make the right choice this April, & we can begin rebuilding our team. Make the wrong one, & we can usher in another decade like we suffered through in the 90s.

NO MORE DT BUSTS............WINNING STARTS NOW!!!