SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Ryan Van Bibber

The worst of the St. Louis Rams: Mt. Flushmore

2013-06-19T21:26:36Z

When you think of the St. Louis Rams what comes to mind? Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Greatest Show on Turf ... yep, all that stuff is there. But for folks on the outside, or long-time fans, there's plenty of not-so-fond memories as well. Tony Banks, Lawrence Phillips, one- and two-win seasons ... over at Kissing Suzy Kolber, PFT Commenter commemorated those things with the team's Mt. Flushmore.

Let me stop you right there. PFT Commenter is parody, and a damn good one at that. So before you get too up in arms, please remember that.

Anywho ... the four names on the Rams' list are pretty amusing, all part of the strong takes we've come to expect from the voice of Pro Football Talk's comment section. But there's one name that will really make your day.

Tony Softli- Tony was the Rams VP of player personell for the Rams for 4 years+ I swear to God this is his own bio, these words are him bragging by listing the best players he stockpiled from 2006-2010: "Adam Carriker, Chris Long, Cliff Ryan, Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Chris Chamberlain and David Vobora." Hey PFTCommenter? Yes. How many of those gems are on the Rams now? I dont know because I dont waste my time learning facts about Tony Softli. Oh well I know the answer. Well how many is it? The answer= 1. Whats amazing is that Softli Cerrato and Millen were all personell execs at the same time and you know Tampa hotels were a mess during winter meetings with these three stooges staying on the same floor using there own undershirts to wipe there butts and stuff.

One complaint, he forgot to add Tye Hill and Brian Leonard to the list of personnel, er, "personell" from that era.

Jeff Fisher, Tavon Austin and Phillips (of course) also make the list. Like I said, it's parody, so go and enjoy a few belly laughs.

And be sure to follow @PFTCommenter for lots more strong takes.

Jaguars announce wet, wild improvements for Everbank Field

2013-06-19T21:07:28Z

While the rest of the NFL world was busy moving the Jacksonville Jaguars to London, the team and the city were hammering out an agreement for $63 million worth of renovations to Everbank Field. Owner Shad Khan announced details for those plans on Wednesday afternoon.

A pair of new scoreboards over the end zones make up the bulk of the improvements. Those scoreboards just happen to be the world's largest. Watching Blaine Gabbert one-hopping passes into the flat on giant scoreboards sounds great and all, but let's not overlook the real centerpiece of the renovations: swimming pools.

The photo above is an artist's rendering -- the score on the scoreboard and a healthy MJD are obvious tells -- of the new-look stadium.

Why swimming pools? A few theories:

To distract from the tarps
Allow fans to practice swimming the English Channel for the team's inevitable move to the UK*
A nod to the wet jeans crowd, already wearing jorts to the game
Symbolic of a franchise treading water (so deep)
Bath salts!

*The Jaguars are not moving to the UK, but let's not allow facts to disrupt the national media narrative.

All in good fun. We love Jaguars fans around here. Besides, a pricey round of renovations is another example of Khan's Herculean effort to rebuild the franchise. It's not exactly the kind of money an owner and a city put into a stadium if they plan to pack and leave anytime soon.

Work is scheduled to being after the 2013 season, so probably January 2014.

More from SB Nation:

• Aaron Hernandez questioned in possible homicide investigation

• Uffsides: A smile-off with Hines Ward

• Can Denver's defense support Peyton Manning?

• Terry Bradshaw starring in musical one-man show

• NFL Rookie Symposium schedule and events

• Denard Robinson (sort of) ties his shoes for the Jags

Aaron Hernandez's past resurfaces

2013-06-19T20:21:11Z

Aaron Hernandez's past resurfaces

Questions about life off the field dogged the Florida tight end ahead of the 2010, dropping him into the fourth round. Those issues are in the spotlight again with Hernandez connected to a murder investigation in Massachusetts.

Redskins rookie Jordan Reed on Beyoncé, rehabbing with RGIII

2013-06-19T15:59:15Z

At the 2013 NFLPA Rookie Premiere, Washington Redskins rookie tight end Jordan Reed spoke with SB Nation's Dan Rubenstein about his surprise being drafted by the Redskins, studying his playbook, and his relationship with QB Robert Griffin III.

Jason Smith suffered for the Rams' sins

2013-06-19T14:28:12Z

You know what's hard? Being the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.

The expectations. The pressure. The fact that the team that drafted you is kind of counting on you to do your job.

For former St. Louis Rams tackle Jason Smith, it was just too much to ask. It caused a lot of suffering.

Kind of like Jesus ... except replace that whole vow of poverty thing with $33 million in guaranteed money.

Smith explained to the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

"Upon the moment I received salvation, I understood that my calling is now to suffer, just like Christ did. That's who I am."

Smith was continually crucified by opposing pass rushers, which allowed him to share that suffering with the Rams quarterbacks. All part of the plan.

There's more of a parallel here than you think. Roughly 2013 years ago, a scattered branch of Judaism selected a kid out of Nazareth with the second overall pick. Roman repression had them on the ropes. On the fringes of the empire, Zoroaster was THE GUY, the only legit competition to the Emperor.

Aaron Hernandez questioned by police investigating possible homicide

2013-06-18T22:20:52Z

Aaron Hernandez is not believed to be a suspect.

New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was questioned by Massachusetts State police on Monday as part of an investigation into a possible homicide, according to a report from Sports Illustrated. While Hernandez is not believed to be a suspect, police may want to search his home, a source told SI.

According to the report, a vehicle rented in Hernandez's name emerged as a key piece of evidence in the investigation. Police reportedly identified a rented Chevrolet Suburban in connection with a possible homicide and Hernandez's name is associated with the rental. The investigation comes after a jogger found the body of a 27-year-old man on Monday less than a mile from Hernandez' house in North Attleboro, Mass.

The investigation appears to be in the early stages as police are still waiting to analyze the vehicle for fingerprints. Hernandez did not return a call from Sports Illustrated, but a source close to the tight end confirmed he did speak to police in relation to the case.

More from SB Nation:

• NFL Debrief: The end of football?

• Denard Robinson (sort of) ties his shoes for the Jags

• What's Andy Reid's place in NFL coaching history?

• Will Juron Criner be the Raiders' new red zone target?

• Broncos blog talks to All-Pro Von Miller

• 5 quarterback battles to watch

St. Louis Rams 2013 depth chart: Brian Quick is fourth and it doesn't matter

2013-06-18T21:17:07Z

Brian Quick is fourth on the St. Louis Rams depth chart at wide receiver.

It doesn't matter.

Why? Mostly because it's June. The Rams are more than six weeks away from putting on pads for the first time this year. When contact starts happening, that's when you can start making accurate assessments about the team's depth chart.

Quick's struggles last season, following a very loud hype tour from the leadership, surprised everyone. He struggled to pick up the playbook and learn the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between playing college football at Appalachian State and the NFL. Bigger, faster, stronger, more complex and all that.

I don't think he ever made it to fourth on the depth chart in 2012. Maybe that week when Chris Givens got benched.

Right now, Tavon Austin, Chris Givens and Austin Pettis are ahead of Quick on the depth chart. Austin was the eighth pick in the draft that the Rams traded up to get; no surprise that he's up there already. And rookies rarely make an appearance in the starting lineup in OTAs. Givens was the team's top receiver last year. Again, no surprise. Pettis is entering his third season with the Rams, a time when many believe that receivers finally figure it out. A little bit of a surprise that he's in the top three, but not entirely shocking.

Of the four receivers, only Austin possesses more overall natural talent than Quick. And that's not meant to take anything away from the other two. Quick is big, athletic and has the kind of skill set that can make him a threat all over the field.

All Quick has to do is prove himself. A month of OTAs isn't enough to erase a season worth of rookie struggles.

The final depth chart might not matter all that much at receiver anyway, not with Brian Schottenheimer's promise to use a more wide open, spread-like offense. Regardless, the battle in training camp to sort out the receiving corps ought to be one of the more exciting plots to follow.

When was the last time the Rams had this many talented receivers competing for playing time?

Flopping finds UNC baseball

2013-06-18T20:26:43Z

The youth baseball coach you secretly hated always told you to call it when you went in for a catch. The guy had a point, and the UNC baseball team has a good reminder of why.

He does manage to hang onto the ball, which is impressive.

If only it had Yakety Sax in the background.

(h/t @ShaneRyanHere)