St. Louis Rams: Thursday's Rams News and Notes at Noon

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the St. Louis Rams "News and Notes at Noon", the one-step destination for all major Rams headlines and other items of interest to Rams Nation.


Steven Jackson on Trent Richardson 

Steven Jackson would be fine with the Rams drafting Alabama running back Trent Richardson and would do all that he could to help the young halfback it that comes to fruition, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

Jackson shared his thoughts on that potential development as well as what he feels about his own career going forward: 

"

I'm at the point where my physicality has not fallen off, and my mental (game) has really taken off by leaps and bounds in understanding the game of football. I feel like I'm right there. I feel like I'm in my prime. And I'm excited about what I can do in this offense.

"

Jackson also discussed the magic number for running backs: being 30: 

"

Nearing the age of 29, you do hear the echoes and the whispers. Very few people have had success over 30 but I think about guys like Emmitt Smith that played a long time. Marcus Allen. Even Thomas Jones fairly recently ... he had a 1,400-yard season over the age of 30.

So it's doable. I've just got to continue to make sure that I take care of myself the way I have, and continue to believe in myself. When people fail is when they start letting the outside interfere with their mentality and their confidence.

"

Jackson also talked in detail about Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon. Thomas also shared some of his own thoughts and perspective on Jackson, Richardson and the upcoming No. 6 pick in the column.


Multiple Reports from Minicamp via Tom Clements of CBSSports.com

Ron Clements provides a plethora of information regarding various Rams players including Bradley Fletcher, Robert Quinn, Cortland Finnegan, Kellen Clemens, and Danario Alexander on CBSSports.com. 

One bit of information shared there is the very encouraging news that starting cornerback Bradley Fletcher, who missed most of last season with his second major knee injury in three seasons, is well ahead of schedule in terms of recovery and apparently almost completely healed. 

If he can return at 100 percent and stay healthy this year, he could make a major impact for the St. Louis defense and aid Cortland Finnegan in helping to significantly improve the Rams defensive backfield in 2012.


Jason Smith Excited About A Fresh Start

Stlouisrams.com senior writer Nick Wagoner wrote a great article on the return of St. Louis right tackle Jason Smith.

Smith shared his thoughts on how he has developed and grown over the last year and how excited he is about where he is headed in the NFL and life in general.  

Smith talked about how new offensive line coach Paul Boudreau is a technician and demands excellence, among other things. 

If Smith can turn the potential that helped make him the No. 2 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft into production, the Rams offensive line could make a major leap this season.


Kellen Clemens Has Extensive Experience in Rams New Offense

One of many reasons why I feel that the re-signing of Kellen Clemens was a terrific one for the Rams is due to his experience in new St. Louis offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's system. 

The two shared five mutual years together in the Big Apple with the New York Jets. 

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch examined their relationship.


Danny Amendola Is Happy to be Back

According to Nick Wagoner of stlouisrams.com, Danny Amendola is happy to be back in St. Louis (although he has still not signed his second round tender.)  

In Wagoner's piece, Amendola shared insight into his time spent on the injured reserve last year and what he expects going forward.

Amendola, who caught 85 passes from then rookie Sam Bradford, should return to the slot for the Rams and continue to produce at a prolific rate. 

I feel his return could be a major key for the Rams offense in the coming campaign, as I detailed in this piece.


Top Five Offensive Tackles in 2012 NFL Draft

Former NFL executive Tony Softli, who is now a contributor to 101sports.com released his 2012 NFL Draft offensive tackle rankings today and shared the criteria he utilizes to evaluate those prospects.

Softli also lists seven other OTs to watch, one of those being Bobbie Massie of Mississippi.


What Makes a Great Wide Receiving Corps? 

Former St. Louis Rams defensive tackle and current 101sports.com on-air personality D' Marco Farr presented an interesting submission regarding how NFL teams end up with solid, if not spectacular, wide receiver corps. 

Farr points to the wide receiver corps in New Orleans as just one example of how an organization can put together a great group of wideouts without using a ton of high picks on them.  

However, it should be noted that in each of his examples we are talking about teams that have starting quarterbacks in place who may go down as some of the best QBs to ever lace up the cleats.


The Difference for Sam Bradford in 2012 

In a nice piece, Mike Sando of ESPN explains what he feels will be different for Sam Bradford in 2012.  

Among many points, Sando suggests that the new system will be one that is much better for Bradford and one that he has familiarity with. 

Sando also points to the addition of center Scott Wells (formerly of the Green Bay Packers) and how his presence should help lighten the load for Sam.


Gregg Williams Attempting to Get Clarity On What Needs Done for Him to be Reinstated 

Via a report from ESPN, suspended Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is attempting to find out exactly what he needs to do to be reinstated by the NFL following the 2012 season. 

It is unclear if the efforts he clearly plans to make to apply for reinstatement will succeed after the revelation of his role in the Saints infamous bounty program, but it seems Williams is going to give it his best shot. 

It will certainly be interesting to watch it all play out.


Minnesota Vikings Stadium Update

According to various reports including this one from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Minnesota faces a real possibility of losing the Vikings if a stadium deal is not done in 2012.

Everyone in St. Louis hopes the process goes better between the Rams and the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission as things proceed here. The Rams counteroffer is due on May 1.

According to all indications, the Rams and CVC have a great working relationship.  We will all find out how good that relationship is over the coming weeks and months. 


Have a great day as always, STL Rams Nation.

Follow @ShaneGmoSTLRams

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams daily as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You are encouraged to check out the rest of his work here. Gray also owns and operates stlramscentral.com.