The St. Louis Rams have entered the Jeff Fisher and Les Snead era at full force this offseason, making impact signings of cornerback Cortland Finnegan, center Scott Wells and defensive lineman Kendall Langford.

While the moves should definitely start moving the franchise in the right direction, and fill holes plagued by mediocore play in the past, the Rams have still been unable to solve the riddle that is the wide receiver position.

The Rams were believed to be in heavy negotiations with free agent Mario Manningham before he signed with the San Francisco 49ers last night. It was also reported that St. Louis had interest in Pierre Garcon before he signed with the Washington Redskins and also chased Robert Meachem before he went west to the San Diego Chargers. Steve Smith worked out for the team late in the week, but he left without a contract.

Brandon Lloyd, who was the Rams leading receiver in 2011, signed with the New England Patriots yesterday. The Rams traded a fifth-round pick for Lloyd in October. In 11 games with the team he would go on to catch 51 passes for 683 yards and five touchdowns.

The departure of Lloyd leaves the Rams with receivers Brandon Gibson, Danario Alexander, Greg Salas, Austin Pettis and Dominique Curry for the time being. Rams slot-receiver Danny Amendola is a restricted free-agent

Whether it be message boards, sports talk radio or a discussion at a bar by buddies, the Rams failing to address the wide receiver position with an impact signing has long drawn the ire of fans.

The Rams’ offense has been booed by home fans at the Edward Jones Dome regularly in past seasons after dismal attempts to consistently move the ball downfield.

Last season, the Rams were ranked 30th in the NFL in total passing yards and passing yards per game. During the Rams miserable 15-65 run since 2007, the team has thrown the fewest number of touchdown passes with 69.

The issue goes back to the glory days of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Since then, the Rams only significant free agent signing at wide receiver was Drew Bennett for a six-year, $30 million contract in 2007. Bennett would be cut in 2009 after injuries and poor performances.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

The Rams are going to be forced into making the receiver position a priority in this year’s NFL Draft. The top players at this position include Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright, Stephen Hill and Alshon Jeffery. Outside of Blackmon, many pundits say none of the other wideouts are viewed as true No. 1 receivers, but solid No. 2′s.

Justin Blackmon may fall to the Rams at the sixth pick, but could he or any of the wideouts who may be available early in the second round make an A.J. Green impact their rookie season? Long-term improvement must be the key goal in rebuilding the franchise, yet it could be another season wasted for quarterback Sam Bradford, who the Rams handed the largest contract ever for an NFL rookie of $78 million.

In an interview with 101ESPN’s Bernie Miklasz last week, Fisher did not rule out making a trade for a veteran receiver. It would be speculative who could possibly be a target, however the Pittsburgh Steelers placed a first-round tender on Mike Wallace that would require an interested team to forfeit a first-round draft pick if the Steelers don’t match another offer.

Unrestricted free agent receivers still available include Early Doucet, Jerricho Cotchery, Jerome Simpson, Legedu Naanee, Deion Branch, Plaxico Burress, Ted Ginn Jr. and Roy Williams.

Fisher has made it known that the Rams need receivers and the team will go out and get playmakers for Bradford.

The team appears to have made positive impact signings thus far in free agency. Yet, fans will have to sit back and wait to see if some holes that have been glaring for years will be filled.

The St. Louis Rams are in a good position heading into the 2012 NFL Draft. With the No. 2 pick up for grabs the Rams don’t need a quarterback after signing Sam Bradford as the No. 1 overall pick in 2010. That means the can trade the pick to a team in need of a top notch QB, likely Baylor Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III who is expected to go No. 2 just behind Stanford star QB Andrew Luck.

While speculation has surrounded whether the team would trade for the April draft those rumors were confirmed on Tuesday when Chief operating officer Kevin Demoff announced that the team would make a deal under the right terms.

Defmoff says head coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead went to the NFL combine with an open mind but he told the Associate Press:

“I think coach Fisher and Les have been upfront that we will listen to offers for the (hash)2 pick. I didn’t see anything in the report that differed from their statements.”

League source confirmed the potential for trading the No. 2 pick when they revealed to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Monday that the Rams are already in discussions with No. 4 pick the Cleveland Browns along with the Washington Redskins (No. 6) and the Miami Dolphins (No. 8).

If that report is correct the Redskins could be ready to give up a sixth-overall pick in the draft and their No. 1 pick the following year plus two other selections in order to acquire the Rams No. 2 draft spot.

The Rams seemed most interested in picking up  Southern California offensive tackle Matt Kalil and Oklahoma wide receiverJustin Blackmon after interviewing the young men at the NFL combine. Those picks would allow the St. Louis Rams to immediately fill some big holes in their offensive structure.

Washington and Miami at this time seem to be the best bet for trading options as both teams are in desperate need of a good quarterback and coaches from both organizations interviewed Robert Griffin III after his impressive 40-yard dash ranked in the top 5 overall at the combine.

Do you think trading the No. 2 draft pick is the right decision for the St. Louis Rams?

The St. Louis Rams will play that “home” game in London later this year after settling a lease dispute with the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The deal announced late Tuesday allows the Rams to play the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 28. The lease had required the team to play all home games at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

In exchange, the Rams agreed to increase the number of football season weekends that the dome can be booked for other uses. The team will also pay temporary employees the wages they would have earned by working the game in St. Louis.

The Rams also want to play games in London in 2013 and 2014. No deal has been worked out on those games.

FINLEY STAYS WITH PACKERS: Tight end Jermichael Finley said he has agreed to a new deal with the Green Bay Packers.

Finley posted a message on his Twitter account appearing to confirm reports that he has agreed to return to the team.

Finley wrote, “I could not be happier to have the privilege of being a Packer for the next 2 yrs. Glad to be back with my team & coaches for 1 common goal.”

WARD’S DUI CHARGES DROPPED: Prosecutors have dropped DUI charges against Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward.

DeKalb County, Ga., Prosecutor Sonja N. Brown said that Ward pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was given a year on probation. She said he also was fined $2,000 and must do 80 hours of community service. He also must undergo alcohol evaluation.

The 35-year-old Super Bowl XL MVP was arrested last year after he failed to maintain his lane and hit a curb.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ST. LOUIS • After weeks of negotiations between
the Rams and the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission over
the team’s plans to play a “home” game in London each of the next
three seasons, the CVC’s board is scheduled to meet today in closed
session.

Last week, a CVC official said that negotiations to resolve the
issue were under way and that commissioners likely would vote soon
on a lease amendment at a teleconference. The CVC manages the
Edward Jones Dome, and it has maintained that the Rams’ lease bars
the team from playing home games elsewhere.

On Monday, the CVC announced that its board would meet at 2:30
p.m. today via teleconference.

The Rams, meanwhile, also face a March 1 deadline to accept or
reject a plan by the CVC to renovate the Dome. The Rams have not
yet responded to the proposal. 

After a truly dismal 2011 season, the St. Louis Rams rang in the New Year by firing head coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney. The team ended the season 2-14 and I think the whole situation could push the team to move to Los Angeles. We’re eager to get a team here, with two competing stadium projects (Farmers Field and Los Angeles Stadium at Grand Crossing) ready to start construction, once a team is named. In addition to their poor record and recent personnel changes, the Rams have issues with their stadium and I think it could all combine to form a “perfect storm” that could bring the team back to L.A.

The St. Louis arch.
morguefile.com/spiroll

The Rams poor results speak for themselves and I agree with the decision to make changes. Rams owner Stan Kroenke is a smart businessman and didn’t get to be a billionaire by making bad decisions. The team was 10-38 in the three seasons under Spagnuolo and Devaney. Devaney has been there a bit longer than Spagnuolo, and the team was 12-52 in his four years as GM. After a horrible 1-15 season in 2009, the Rams seemed to make a comeback in 2010, going 7-9 and finishing second in the NFC West. But then after coming into the season with high expectations, the bottom dropped out and here we are.

Now that the 2011 regular season is over, I think we will see another big announcement from the team very soon, and that announcement just may be the return of the Rams to Los Angeles. The Rams left Los Angeles due to stadium issues, but now we’re looking at a situation that would bring them into a brand new stadium. I’m sure this is an attractive proposition, given the Rams are having issues with their current stadium. The Rams have played in Edward Jones Stadium since their move from Los Angeles in 1995. Although not very old, the stadium needs upgrades and is not comparable to a brand new facility. They currently have a deal that forces St. Louis to come up with a viable stadium renovation plan by March 2015, or the team is able to accept an offer to move. The city must inform the team of the plan by February 2012, which is rapidly approaching. The Rams have not yet been presented a stadium plan from the city.

AEG, the developer of the Farmers Field NFL stadium, proposed for downtown Los Angeles, has confirmed the Rams as one of the five teams they’ve had formal discussions with. Rams owner Stan Kroenke (who also owns the Colorado Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets) has done business with AEG in the past, and has even bought teams from them. He is also friends with AEG owner Philip Anschutz, which would seem to make the deal easier to put together. Mr. Kroenke was part of the successful effort in 1995 to bring the team to St. Louis and helped put together a deal that had the city pay $260 million to get the team to move there. But if he can make a large profit on the the move and create much higher revenue for the team by moving them, I think he will do it. And as an L.A. football fan, I know the city would welcome their return, more so than moving a team here from another city.

Although born and raised with Eagles fans in Philadelphia, Freddy Sherman has always been a citizen of Raider Nation at heart. Since his dad got him a signed George Blanda football as child, to meeting Lyle Alzado in the 1980s, he hasn’t looked back. Follow him on twitter @thefredsherman

More from this contributor:

Chargers move to L.A. looks more likely: Local’s look

What about the other Los Angeles NFL stadium proposal? Fan’s view

Farmers Field is Coming to Los Angeles: Local reaction

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More from stlouisrams.com.

Spagnuolo coached the team for the past three seasons after being named coach on Jan. 17, 2009. He was 10-38 in his time with the team. 

Devaney was named general manager on Christmas Eve of 2008 after joining the team in February of that year as Executive Vice President of Player Personnel. 

Rams owner E. Stanley Kroenke issued the following statement this morning. 

“I would like to personally thank Steve and Billy for their dedication to the St. Louis Rams organization over the past several seasons. This was a difficult decision for many reasons. We have tremendous respect for Steve and Billy as people and football professionals. 

“No one individual is to blame for this disappointing season and we all must hold ourselves accountable. However, we believe it’s in the best interest of the St. Louis Rams to make these changes as we continue our quest to build a team that consistently competes for playoffs and championships. We wish Steve, Billy and their families the very best in the future and thank them again for their commitment to our organization and the city of St. Louis.”

The search for a new head coach and general manager is already underway.  

(Copyright 2012 by VERTEXNews/Newsroom Solutions)

The team made the announcement Monday, a day after the team wrapped up a 2-14 season that tied for the NFL’s worst.

The Rams made a six-win improvement last season and played for the NFC West title in the finale, but were just 10-38 overall in three seasons with Spagnuolo and Devaney calling the shots. Devaney joined the front office in 2008. In his four years as GM, the Rams were 12-52.

Owner Stan Kroenke fired both men with one year remaining on their contracts, and with fan interest dwindling. The Edward Jones Dome was been about half-filled much of the year.

St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is doubtful for the regular season finale against the San Francisco 49ers. Bradford has missed five games with a high ankle sprain. Bradford is actually in an interesting position. If he plays and helps his team win, he might actually save his job. If the Rams lose, they might wind up with the top pick in the draft. That means the team is likely to draft Andrew Luck and jettison Bradford. But as much as Bradford might want to play, the likelihood is that he will be on the sidelines once again.

Bradford has not returned to practice with the Rams in the week leading up to the Week 17 contest against the San Francisco 49ers. He was hoping to push toward playing but with the game just a few days away, the chances are slim to none. Bradford has been battling the ankle injury for much of the season. The five games he missed haven’t come in succession. Bradford missed Week 6 and Week 7 but returned. He aggravated the injury again and missed more time. He last played on December 12 when the Rams faced the Seattle Seahawks. Given the nagging nature of his injury, it seems all but certain that the Rams will sit him in the final game. That means that veteran Kellen Clemens will start once again for the lowly Rams.

Bradford had a nice rookie season in 2010 but he has been a disaster in 2011. He has just six touchdown passes on the season. The Rams have the worst scoring offense in the NFL and the prevailing thought is that the team will go in a new direction. Just two years after Bradford was selected first overall in 2010, he could be out of a job if the Rams select Luck with the top pick. St. Louis will get the top pick if they lose and the Indianapolis Colts win. If that happens, the team will certainly move Bradford. Even if the Rams earn the second pick, there is a chance that a new coaching staff could move the quarterback. 2011 has been a cruel year for Bradford on the football field. It looks like he won’t get a shot at redeeming himself in the final game.

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On Monday, Dec. 26, reports surfaced that St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is prepared to hire A.J. Smith as the team’s general manager if he is let go by the San Diego Chargers. Smith would replace Billy Devaney in the Rams front office.

I hope this rumor isn’t true. Smith is an accomplished general manager who did an outstanding job building the Chargers from the ground up. However, he also has a huge ego and has failed to reach the Super Bowl despite having one of the NFL’s most talented rosters for the past seven years.

I’m sure some Rams fans would be happy at this point just to reach .500. However, the franchise has had its issues over the years with people in positions of power within the front office. All I need to do is recall the exploits of John Shaw, Jay Zygmunt and Mike Martz. The dysfunction that took place in the Rams front office during their tenure literally ripped apart a championship-caliber team. I don’t want to see a repeat performance, and I think that would happen if the Rams hire A.J. Smith.

Despite building a roster full of Pro Bowl talent, Smith’s inability to get along with people has hurt his football teams. In Feb. 2007, Chargers president Dean Spanos fired one of the best coaches in the NFL, Marty Schottenheimer, because he had a dysfunctional relationship with Smith. The Chargers did this despite finishing their season with a 14-2 record. The team hired the mediocre Norv Turner to take his place, and the Chargers have gone downhill ever since.

In the meantime, Smith has struggled to get along with his own players. He alienated future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson prior to his departure to the New York Jets, and even now Smith has a more combative style than most general managers in professional football.

One of the players Smith has clashed with, Vincent Jackson, told FoxSports.com that he wasn’t certain if the Chargers were “only team that deals with (animosity from the GM) but it’s something that’s been around.”

With Smith’s inability to get along with others, it doesn’t sound like he’s the right person to stabilize the Rams franchise. I firmly believe the team needs to hire an excellent football man as general manager. However, Smith isn’t the man for the job unless we’re willing to live through the dysfunction that will likely come with him.

Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

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ST. LOUIS (AP)—Justin King became the fourth St. Louis Rams cornerback to
be sidelined with a season-ending injury.

King has a shoulder injury that the team believes may require surgery.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Monday that King was in Pittsburgh having the
injury evaluated. King, who made 10 starts, was not active for the 27-0 loss to
the Steelers.

Previously, Ron Bartell, Brandon Fletcher and Al Harris were knocked out for
the year.

Spagnuolo said quarterback Sam Bradford’s status remains day to day with a
high ankle sprain.

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Justin King became the fourth St. Louis Rams cornerback to
be sidelined with a season-ending injury.

King has a shoulder injury that the team believes may require surgery.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Monday that King was in Pittsburgh having the
injury evaluated. King, who made 10 starts, was not active for the 27-0 loss to
the Steelers.

Previously, Ron Bartell, Brandon Fletcher and Al Harris were knocked out for
the year.

Spagnuolo said quarterback Sam Bradford’s status remains day to day with a
high ankle sprain.