Rams sign TE Randy McMichael to 3-year deal (1 Viewer)

[Ron_Mexico]

Rams sign TE McMichael to 3-year deal

By Jim Thomas

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

03/08/2007

The Rams keep adding offensive weapons. The latest addition is tight end Randy McMichael, who recently was released by the Miami Dolphins.

McMichael, 27, averaged 65 catches over the past three seasons for Miami.

He had 62 receptions for 640 yards and three touchdowns in 2006. His career-high for five seasons in Miami was 73 catches in 2004.

McMichael, 6-3 and 250, is also considered a very good blocker.

“This has been in the works for a while,” Rams head coach Scott Linehan said in a statement. “We even considered trading for him. He is an every-down tight end and a proven starter in the league. He does a lot of things well.”

League sources say his three-year deal with the Rams is worth about $3 million per year.

McMichael played for Scott Linehan in 2005 when Linehan was offensive coordinator for the Dolphins.

His signing comes just days after tight end Dominique Byrd was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Los Angeles.

 

[Bizkiteer]

Good signing...so much for Klop and Byrd. Yep, that is the air coming the tires for those dynasty owners.

 

[harrycarey]

Will they trade 1 of the te's they drafted last year? It seems like a weak class this year, maybe they could get something decent?

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Will they trade 1 of the te's they drafted last year? It seems like a weak class this year, maybe they could get something decent?

Byrd may be done in StLouis.I would imagine he is the odd man out / cut.

 

[hitman2]

Will they trade 1 of the te's they drafted last year? It seems like a weak class this year, maybe they could get something decent?

Marc Bulger = Up (WHEN HEALTHY)? Holt = Same (still #1 option)?Isaac Bruce = Down a little bit? Drew Bennett = Down again (unless Bruce leaves soon)? :(

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Will they trade 1 of the te's they drafted last year? It seems like a weak class this year, maybe they could get something decent?

Marc Bulger = Up (WHEN HEALTHY)? Holt = Same (still #1 option)?Isaac Bruce = Down a little bit? Drew Bennett = Down again (unless Bruce leaves soon)?

I don't think the Rams are paying Bennett 4.5MILto be a 3rd string WR. I think he has the #2 slotand has a nice bump in value compared to his situation at Tennessee.

 

[ffweasel]

Another TE?

 

[BassNBrew]

Another one of the BnB value plays scores. The Rams will lay the smack down this year...at least on offensive. What an impressive set of weapons.

 

[billyjoe]

Will they trade 1 of the te's they drafted last year? It seems like a weak class this year, maybe they could get something decent?

Marc Bulger = Up (WHEN HEALTHY)? Holt = Same (still #1 option)?Isaac Bruce = Down a little bit? Drew Bennett = Down again (unless Bruce leaves soon)?

I don't think the Rams are paying Bennett 4.5MILto be a 3rd string WR. I think he has the #2 slotand has a nice bump in value compared to his situation at Tennessee.

Pretty sure Bruce is making at least 5M. So they're going to be paying someone a lot of money to be the 3rd WR.

 

[BoltBacker]

Marc Bulger = Up (WHEN HEALTHY)?

When healthy?He had an injury that forced him to miss the last 8 games in '05 but besides that injury he's played in 96% of STL games since taking over for Warner. Seems more like an isolated injury than a pattern of health risk to me.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Will they trade 1 of the te's they drafted last year? It seems like a weak class this year, maybe they could get something decent?

Marc Bulger = Up (WHEN HEALTHY)? Holt = Same (still #1 option)?Isaac Bruce = Down a little bit? Drew Bennett = Down again (unless Bruce leaves soon)?

I don't think the Rams are paying Bennett 4.5MILto be a 3rd string WR. I think he has the #2 slotand has a nice bump in value compared to his situation at Tennessee.

Pretty sure Bruce is making at least 5M. So they're going to be paying someone a lot of money to be the 3rd WR.

5 mil FOR iSSAC bRUCE ?????

 

[salmonstud]

I like the moves the Rams have made at the skill positions.

Bump up Bulger

Bump Down S-Jax. I think S-Jax is still a top 5 back....but closer to 5 than 1 in 2007. He was the #2 or #3 fantasy back in the 6 leagues I played in 2006 (depending on the scoring system).

 

[Bob_Magaw]

cross-posting from other thread...

great move for the rams... after several years of combination of cap mismanagment & some injury bad luck (warner, faulk, turley) caused an exodus of talent, rams have been able to be be players in free agency again... witherspoon last year (glover, chavous & fakhir brown were decent, probably better for intangibles), now bennet & mcmichael this year...

the rams are positioning themselves to be very difficult to game plan for defenses, & will present matchup problems on sunday...

after martz increasingly deemphasized the run, they now have proven back in jackson... they can run & pass... jackson can run & catch out of the backfield... they enhanced their three WR set with bennett, & they can also have a nasty two TE set with mcmichael & klopfenstein...

this has to help bulger... on some downs, he can throw to jackson, holt, bruce, bennett or mcmichael... OUCH!

as to rams not being a TE-friendly team, that was in martz era... linehan used them a lot, with wiggins in MIN before mcmichael in MIA...

bummer for klopfenstein owners in fantasy, but STL isn't a fantasy team... they want to win & get to the playoffs now... not sure rams aren't happy with linehan, but how many coaches are more than a bad season from the street... he is in win now mode & developing klopfenstein is probably far down his list of priorities... not sure if it is an indictment on him for future... two TE sets allow an offense a lot of flexibility (linehan drafted two high, but as noted, byrd is looking like a bust for character & off field issues)... you can run out of it, & if it dictates defense keep run defense personnel on field, it can create openings in pass game that can be exploited (if you have TE talent to exploit it)...

as to OL & D, their OL isn't bad... pace a stud, barron has potential, & trio of first year starters in interior... incognito, stetterstrom & romberg held together very well & solidified OL towards end of last season (team started & finished strong but had lousy middle of season... too bad middle ended up being most of season )... D absolutely needs help, but their strategy could be dictated by fact that defensive talent is appalingly skimpy in this free agent cycle (after obvious guys like nate clements & adalius thomas), & they may like what is available on offense better... they shrewdly traded for DE from DET already for just a 5th rounder & he fills a big hole they haven't filled since wistrom & fisher left...

no doubt they will add defense on draft & probably OL depth...

07 may be a good year to be a rams fan!

* for an example of two TE set being in vogue (& to answer questions about klopf being blown second), DAL spent an even higher pick on fasano last year, even with witten who they intended to at time & did re-sign...

klopfenstein was raw but looked to me like a poor man's heath miller & witten... good athleticism, i think ran a 4.5-4.6 at 260+ & has decent hands... while this is serious blow to his fantasy value (at least for next few seasons), in real football terms, it will help the rams if he is a player because he could see the field in two TE sets, which they might employ a lot in red zone...

as far as mcmichael signing maybe costing jackson red zone scores, its definitely possible, but it could be a wash... how many times last year did they fail to covert on third down (& jackson STILL put up freakish combo numbers)... how many more times in 07 will they convert, now that bulger also has bennett & mcmichael at his disposal?

that could mean more carries, touches for jackson (& chances to break long runs & scores), & with more sustained drives, even more red zone opportunities... so the (red zone & scoring opp) pie will be divided more ways... but the pie could be a lot bigger... hope my eyes aren't bigger than my stomach!

 

[The Shark]

Holt , Bruce , Bennett , SJAX , McMichael.

Not enough balls to go around for ALL of them to have great numbers. My first reaction is that SJAx will catch a few less balls in '07 and that McMichael won't produce numbers like he did in "05 and "04 with Miami.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

McMichael should be the best TE the Rams have had since they moved here.

If they don't get a PR/KR and fill a lot of holes on defense it won't matter though.

 

[salmonstud]

Nice post B.M. Would like to add that McMichael should be avoided in fantasy this year IMO. A TE that is no longer the #1 or #2 option will not be an impact fantasy TE. McMichael will greatly help the Rams but not his fantasy production.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Nice post B.M. Would like to add that McMichael should be avoided in fantasy this year IMO. A TE that is no longer the #1 or #2 option will not be an impact fantasy TE. McMichael will greatly help the Rams but not his fantasy production.

I'm going to agree with this in general. I think the word "avoided" is a little strong but in regards to the hype he will get now by playing on this "offensive powerhouse" and being a decent tight end in the past, I can see him not producing up to the levels he did when he was in Miami and pretty much the go to guy on 3rd downs when they were in passing situations.Will S. Jackson get the numbers he posted last season? Probably not, I mean it was a fabulous year and it will be hard to repeat that. However, that has nothing to do with McMichael. That is and was going to be hard for Jackson to do regardless.When you look at some of the top TE's in the league, they are usually there go to guy or at least right there neck and neck.Tony Gonzalez for ChiefsTodd Heap for Baltimore Algae CrumplerKellen WinslowJeremy Shockey (neck and neck with Buress)Don't get me wrong, I think the Rams getting McMichael makes them a better football team. However, I don't think McMichael is now in a better fantasy situation than he was before. He's no longer the man, the ball will be spread around and it will be hard for McMichael to live up to what now may be FA Te pick no. 5 or 6.

 

[fruity pebbles]

I think McMichael could be very good in that offense. Linehan likes to use his tight end, see McMichael 2005 Wiggins 2004, there should be plenty of redzone opportunites, and he should see a lot of open field. Think he might be a little inconsistant because the Rams have so many weapons, but he's going to have some big games as well.

 

[radiohead417]

As a Klopf owner, I'm not on the ledge - I still think he can have some value long-term. Let's not forget that McMichael isn't the most steady guy there ever was. I don't think there's any guarantee that McM is the long term answer in StL.

 

[J R]

I think McMichael could be very good in that offense. Linehan likes to use his tight end, see McMichael 2005 Wiggins 2004, there should be plenty of redzone opportunites, and he should see a lot of open field. Think he might be a little inconsistant because the Rams have so many weapons, but he's going to have some big games as well.

McMichael's stats in 2005 aren't really anything better than he did with other OCs.| Year TM | G | Rec Yards Y/R TD |

+----------+-----+-------------------------+

| 2002 mia | 16 | 39 485 12.4 4 |

| 2003 mia | 16 | 49 598 12.2 2 |

| 2004 mia | 16 | 73 791 10.8 4 |

| 2005 mia | 16 | 60 582 9.7 5 |

| 2006 mia | 16 | 62 640 10.3 3 |

+----------+-----+-------------------------+

| TOTAL | 80 | 283 3096 10.9 18 |

Anyway, I thought that was a little surprising. Linehan's record in Minnesota is more convincing.

As for Bruce, I remember reading somewhere that Bruce could be cut after 2007.

Pretty sure Bruce is making at least 5M. So they're going to be paying someone a lot of money to be the 3rd WR.

According to Rotoworld, Bruce's contract goes up to 5m in 2008.

 

[MrPhoenix]

Part of me thinks this is a great signing. McMichael does everything you want out of a tight end: catch passes well and blocks competently. For 3 mil per, I think it's a worthwile investment.

The other part of me thinks the Rams 2006 draft will suck in retrospect because they wasted their 2nd and 3rd round picks on TE's, one who may be cut and the other who will be a backup.

Still, I like the signing very much.

 

[Otis]

The biggest positive here has to be Bulger. Look at what they added this offseason to an already potent offense. Bennett and McMichael? When you consider the offensive weapons and Jackson's involvement in the passing game, you've got to figure that Bulger is at WORST the #3 QB going into next year, and that he's got potential to be as good as anyone -- including Manning.

Scary good offense...

 

[BassNBrew]

Nice post B.M. Would like to add that McMichael should be avoided in fantasy this year IMO. A TE that is no longer the #1 or #2 option will not be an impact fantasy TE. McMichael will greatly help the Rams but not his fantasy production.

I'm going to agree with this in general. I think the word "avoided" is a little strong but in regards to the hype he will get now by playing on this "offensive powerhouse" and being a decent tight end in the past, I can see him not producing up to the levels he did when he was in Miami and pretty much the go to guy on 3rd downs when they were in passing situations.Will S. Jackson get the numbers he posted last season? Probably not, I mean it was a fabulous year and it will be hard to repeat that. However, that has nothing to do with McMichael. That is and was going to be hard for Jackson to do regardless.When you look at some of the top TE's in the league, they are usually there go to guy or at least right there neck and neck.Tony Gonzalez for ChiefsTodd Heap for Baltimore Algae CrumplerKellen WinslowJeremy Shockey (neck and neck with Buress)Don't get me wrong, I think the Rams getting McMichael makes them a better football team. However, I don't think McMichael is now in a better fantasy situation than he was before. He's no longer the man, the ball will be spread around and it will be hard for McMichael to live up to what now may be FA Te pick no. 5 or 6.

Only argument here is that McMichael is currently at an ADP of 12. He's always been at the low end of the TD numbers so a bump of 3 would cover almost 200 yards.

 

[benbadman]

The biggest positive here has to be Bulger. Look at what they added this offseason to an already potent offense. Bennett and McMichael? When you consider the offensive weapons and Jackson's involvement in the passing game, you've got to figure that Bulger is at WORST the #3 QB going into next year, and that he's got potential to be as good as anyone -- including Manning.Scary good offense...

We say this now on paper, but 6 months from now after mini camps, training camp, preseason games... sadly some guys will be injured. Whether its Holt or Jackson, maybe a key lineman (Pace), or even Bulger.. dream teams like this rarely stay 100% healthy going forward 16 games. Still Bulger def has to be bumped up in fantasy drafts

 

[BigTex]

The Rams stalled too many times in the Red Zone last year, hopefully with the signings they've made the problem will be corrected.

(Bulger owner)

 

[Bizkiteer]

I think with all the weapons in STL, he may not get large amount of yards, but could easily get a TD in the redzone. Let's face it, when it comes to TE's getting a TD is huge. We settle for yards and IF you can get a top tier guy who gets yards and TD's...it's gold. He should be a redzone target easily, he just probably won't put up any consistant receptions or yards per game.