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http://sports.yahoo.com/news/n...re-drafted.html
Yet the Rams would have been far less motivated to trade that sixth overall pick had Richardson or Blackmon been available. Despite the presence of three-time Pro Bowl halfback Steven Jackson on the roster, Fisher and Snead viewed Richardson as a potential star with rare talent and would have celebrated had he slipped to six.
At one point Thursday afternoon, a few hours before the draft began, Fisher emerged from his office at Rams Park thinking such a scenario might play out. Following the inevitable selections of Andrew Luck (Colts) and Griffin (Redskins), he believed after talking to various league sources that the Vikings would take LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne with the third pick, and the Browns would follow by selecting Blackmon. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he felt, would trade out of the fifth pick for a team seeking USC tackle Matt Kalil, leaving Richardson for the Rams.
That blew up when it was reported the Browns had traded up to swap picks with the Vikings ‐ with the intention of taking Richardson. Blackmon, one of numerous receivers for whom the Rams staged private workouts the previous weekend, was now the best hope at 6.
After Cleveland took Richardson off the board, the Vikings followed by selecting Kalil, and there were fist pumps in the war room. The Rams had no interest in Kalil and were now one pick away from landing Blackmon, who'd immediately have become the most potent weapon for third-year quarterback Sam Bradford.
The Bucs, Fisher and Snead believed, weren't likely to select Blackmon. When the Rams' IT director, Bill Consoli, announced that the Jags had traded up for the fifth pick (information that was revealed in the war room minutes before television viewers received the news, as Consoli was communicating with counterparts from the league's 31 other franchises), Fisher slammed his eyeglasses onto the table and uttered a one-syllable expletive.
It didn't take long before he rebounded emotionally, conferring with Snead and Demoff about the team's options.
That morning, the coach and general manager had pulled out game tapes on the three men they were considering selecting with the sixth pick if Richardson and Blackmon were off the board: Brockers, Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and Claiborne.
First, they'd made the philosophical decision to go with a defensive tackle over the draft's top-rated cornerback. Then, impressed by Brockers' power and relentlessness, they had reversed their earlier thought process and elevated him over Cox.
Now, they had a decision to make: Brockers, Fisher and Snead believed, might stay on the board for the next several picks, perhaps even longer. The decision was made to seek a trade, and the coach and GM each picked up the phone and tried to make it happen.
Seconds later, Demoff fielded a call from Cowboys general manager Stephen Jones, who wanted to trade up to draft Claiborne. "How are you, Stephen," Demoff said. "We're interested in doing something."
Demoff had laid the groundwork for such a discussion six hours earlier, dialing Jones and telling him, "If you want to trade up to 6, consider us. We'll be reasonable. We already got such a great deal from the Redskins [in the Griffin trade] that we won't try to screw you guys."
Now, with the Rams on the clock, Jones told Demoff he'd make the deal for Dallas' first- and second-round selections: 14th and 45th overall. The Rams' COO hung up and briefly discussed the trade with Fisher and Snead, reviewing a value chart assigning points to specific picks. Then he called Jones back and said, "Stephen, it's Kevin. Would you throw in your five? … Come on. … What will you throw in as a cherry on top?"
Um … nothing.
Demoff laughed. "Alright," he said, "we'll call you right back."
Demoff redialed Jones a minute later and told him he had a deal, making a joke about how, by trading away their second-rounder, the Cowboys were mitigating the pain of the $10 million salary-cap penalty imposed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The Rams were halfway through their allotted 10 minutes and, after Demoff called in the trade to an NFL official in New York City, Fisher pumped both fists.
Yet the Rams would have been far less motivated to trade that sixth overall pick had Richardson or Blackmon been available. Despite the presence of three-time Pro Bowl halfback Steven Jackson on the roster, Fisher and Snead viewed Richardson as a potential star with rare talent and would have celebrated had he slipped to six.
At one point Thursday afternoon, a few hours before the draft began, Fisher emerged from his office at Rams Park thinking such a scenario might play out. Following the inevitable selections of Andrew Luck (Colts) and Griffin (Redskins), he believed after talking to various league sources that the Vikings would take LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne with the third pick, and the Browns would follow by selecting Blackmon. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he felt, would trade out of the fifth pick for a team seeking USC tackle Matt Kalil, leaving Richardson for the Rams.
That blew up when it was reported the Browns had traded up to swap picks with the Vikings ‐ with the intention of taking Richardson. Blackmon, one of numerous receivers for whom the Rams staged private workouts the previous weekend, was now the best hope at 6.
After Cleveland took Richardson off the board, the Vikings followed by selecting Kalil, and there were fist pumps in the war room. The Rams had no interest in Kalil and were now one pick away from landing Blackmon, who'd immediately have become the most potent weapon for third-year quarterback Sam Bradford.
The Bucs, Fisher and Snead believed, weren't likely to select Blackmon. When the Rams' IT director, Bill Consoli, announced that the Jags had traded up for the fifth pick (information that was revealed in the war room minutes before television viewers received the news, as Consoli was communicating with counterparts from the league's 31 other franchises), Fisher slammed his eyeglasses onto the table and uttered a one-syllable expletive.
It didn't take long before he rebounded emotionally, conferring with Snead and Demoff about the team's options.
That morning, the coach and general manager had pulled out game tapes on the three men they were considering selecting with the sixth pick if Richardson and Blackmon were off the board: Brockers, Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and Claiborne.
First, they'd made the philosophical decision to go with a defensive tackle over the draft's top-rated cornerback. Then, impressed by Brockers' power and relentlessness, they had reversed their earlier thought process and elevated him over Cox.
Now, they had a decision to make: Brockers, Fisher and Snead believed, might stay on the board for the next several picks, perhaps even longer. The decision was made to seek a trade, and the coach and GM each picked up the phone and tried to make it happen.
Seconds later, Demoff fielded a call from Cowboys general manager Stephen Jones, who wanted to trade up to draft Claiborne. "How are you, Stephen," Demoff said. "We're interested in doing something."
Demoff had laid the groundwork for such a discussion six hours earlier, dialing Jones and telling him, "If you want to trade up to 6, consider us. We'll be reasonable. We already got such a great deal from the Redskins [in the Griffin trade] that we won't try to screw you guys."
Now, with the Rams on the clock, Jones told Demoff he'd make the deal for Dallas' first- and second-round selections: 14th and 45th overall. The Rams' COO hung up and briefly discussed the trade with Fisher and Snead, reviewing a value chart assigning points to specific picks. Then he called Jones back and said, "Stephen, it's Kevin. Would you throw in your five? … Come on. … What will you throw in as a cherry on top?"
Um … nothing.
Demoff laughed. "Alright," he said, "we'll call you right back."
Demoff redialed Jones a minute later and told him he had a deal, making a joke about how, by trading away their second-rounder, the Cowboys were mitigating the pain of the $10 million salary-cap penalty imposed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The Rams were halfway through their allotted 10 minutes and, after Demoff called in the trade to an NFL official in New York City, Fisher pumped both fists.
