Monday, February 4, 2013
WR decisions in St. Louis
By Tim Kavanagh
Jeff Fisher's initial season as head coach of the St. Louis Rams went pretty well. Though the club wasn't all that close to qualifying for the postseason, they went 4-1-1 against NFC West foes, which meant a lot more in 2012 than it had in prior campaigns. One of the areas that will be critical as we look ahead to 2013 is the team's corps of pass-catchers for franchise QB Sam Bradford.
Two of the Rams' primary WRs are impending unrestricted free agents, Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson. Nick Wagoner of StLouisRams.com writes that the Rams would like to retain the services of both Gibson and Amendola, but it's the latter of the two who will bring about the most discussion amongst observers of the team.
On the one hand, Amendola proved to be the most reliable option for Bradford when he was healthy; on the other hand, he endured a series of injuries that limited him to 11 games in 2012, and this is obviously disconcerting for those who are considering his long-term value to the club. While this description might sound like an apt candidate for the franchise tag, Wagoner reports that the Rams would prefer a multi-year deal for the Texas Tech product. It's always possible that the Rams could franchise Amendola, then get him signed to a multi-year pact thereafter.
Due to the NFL's offseason timeline, we'll know the club's decision on the franchise tag before free agency begins on March 12. Until then, the debate over Amendola will continue.
