St. Louis Rams: News, Nuggets and Notes at Noon (Tuesday Edition)

Good Tuesday morning to each of you and thank you for taking a look at today's St. Louis Rams daily noon update.  

As many of you now know, this daily edition is designed as the quick and consistent location (noon every day) for Rams fans to turn to for a quick update on the top few Rams and NFL-related headlines.

As for the still-vacant St. Louis general manager position, eight candidates have been interviewed.  A ninth candidate, Tom Gamble of the San Francisco 49ers, will be interviewed this week.  For a complete rundown on who has been interviewed to date and more details on the search, please look here.

The same St. Louis Post-Dispatch article points to an excepted amendment to the lease within a day or two that would allow the Rams to play a "home" game in London each of the next three seasons. 

According to this from Howard Balzer, St. Louis Rams Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Football Operations asserted that:

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We are in the process of finalizing a deal with the CVC that benefits all parties. The agreement is subject to final approval by the CVC board and RSA (Regional Sports Authority).

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Although it does not necessarily mean anything definitive, I believe that the Rams and the Convention and Visitors Convention's willingness to quickly work through this issue is a good sign regarding the bigger picture of the lease negotiations and an eventual pro-St. Louis outcome.  

As many of you know, the lease issue is paramount and the ultimate result will either seal the Rams remaining in St. Louis for a long time (probably through 2025 for now) or put the Rams in position to leave the Gateway City or utilize a year-to-year lease like the San Diego Chargers.

Getting back to on-field news, the NFL Combine is fast approaching (February 22-28) and the official invitation list has been made available. 

The University of Missouri is sending four players to the NFL Combine this year: Michael Egnew (tight end), Dominique Hamilton (defensive tackle), Jerrell Jackson (wide receiver) and Jacquies Smith (defensive end).

As was reported last week, the Rams have now officially signed former Canadian Football League offensive tackle Jovan Olafioye. Olafioye, 24, finished second in voting for the 2011 CFL's top offensive lineman award.

Most notably, the 6'6", 325-pound Olafioye did not give up a sack all season.  He is known as a very strong and aggressive player and could be a steal for St. Louis (at right tackle or guard).  

According to this report by Howard Balzer of 101sports.com, six other teams were interested in Olafioye: the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Finally, for those of you who may be having a rough day that has seen several things go wrong, perhaps these plays from ESPN will remind you that others are having difficult days, too, and put a smile on your face at the same time.

At least you showed up for work without having your pants on backwards, right?  If so, you started your work day off better than one unfortunate individual in the preceding footage.  You did not get hit where it hurts when you showed up for work, did you?  If so, again, you are doing better than some.

Have a great day, Rams nation.  

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams year-round. You are encouraged to check out the rest of his work here and to follow him on Twitter.