Yes Suh! Top 10 Reasons St. Louis Will Take DT No. 1

There has been talk, crazy talk, in the weeks and days leading up to the NFL Combine. Crazy talk speculating that the Rams will pass on All-World defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in the 2010 NFL Draft in favor of drafting a quarterback.

There is speculation that the Rams will pick a QB, even though most scouts don't think a true franchise QB exists in this year's draft, at least not a quarterback worthy of the No. 1 overall selection.

There have been many reasons for this speculation, the most popular being that St. Louis needs to draw fans, and defensive tackles aren't "sexy." Supposedly, quarterbacks are.

Defensive tackles may not be sexy, but when the DT that you're talking about is widely considered the best prospect in 15 years, its hard to say that they aren't game changing.

These are the top 10 reasons the Rams will select Ndamukong Suh with the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

10. Winning IS Everything

With the announcement that the Rams have been sold to an Illinois businessman for a boatload of money, the talk shifted from winning games to putting fans in the seats (at least amongst the media).

What the media forgets is that fans generate revenue, and winning teams have fans (unless they're a Florida baseball team). Put a winner on the field, and you put butts in the seats.

Bradford is widely considered the "sexy" pick for the Rams, the guy that will bring in the most fans. That might work for one year, but what happens if Bradford gets injured again? You're back to square one, figuring out how to put fans in the seats to watch the home team lose games.

Winning brings the fans. Continued success keeps them buying concessions, souvenirs and jerseys—all of which generate revenue for the owner.

9. Bradford Isn't a Sure Thing

Sam Bradford is sexy. Not sexy in the traditional sense, but football sexy. He'll put fans in the stands. He'll sell jerseys, and that's the problem.

Take a look at last year's No. 1 pick; Matthew Stafford. The Lions needed a franchise draw, and they found him. The only problem was they couldn't keep him on the field because they didn't address the issues their team had.

Fans who come to see a quarterback play are going to stop coming when that same quarterback is sitting on the bench.

Bradford is to the Rams what Stafford was to the Lions. He was the pick that they needed to draw fans to the games. But the Lions made the same mistake that they've made year after year. They've repeatedly put young, inexperienced QBs behind an offensive line that couldn't block a third-string college defensive line.

Joey Harrington wasn't a bad quarterback. He had the misfortune of playing behind the porous line that the Lions never improved. He got gun shy. Same with David Carr, except Carr was widely considered the best QB in his class and worthy of the No. 1 overall pick in 2002 by the Houston Texans.

8. Defensive Woes

The Rams plain sucked in 2009. A lot of that blame is placed on the defense (although somewhat unwarranted),
and its inability to stop the other team. Most of the blame goes to the offense, and its inability to sustain drives.

What if every area of the Rams' defense could be vastly improved with one solid selection in the 2010 Draft? The defensive line, the linebacker corps and the secondary. Sounds impossible right? What if it's not only possible, but probable? Would you do it? Of course you would. So would I. So would a number of teams.

Suh is the guy to improve every defensive player on the field. He draws double teams, freeing up Chris Long and Leonard Little to rush the QB. He keeps the O-line occupied so the linebackers can stop the runners. Suh disrupts the passing game by hurrying the quarterback's throws and disrupts the running game by getting into the backfield and dragging the back down for a loss.

The secondary is improved because quarterbacks who don't have all day to throw make poor decisions on the fly. The ends are improved because of instead of trying to shed an extra blocker, they're racing to the quarterback and hitting him, HARD. The linebackers are improved because instead of dealing with the offensive line, they're working against the secondary blockers: the fullback and tight end.

Sounds like a recipe for winning to me.

7. Jimmy Clausen Is Overrated

Jimmy Clausen has been hyped as the next big star since his high school days. Problem is, scouts were doubting it even as they were spouting it. Citing the inferior competition and his superior teammates as the reasons, not to mention his poor showing in the 2007 Army All-American Game, scouts began doubting he was everything they thought he was.

Enter the Notre Dame media hype machine, and it started all over again. Add Charlie Weis (often heralded as the best QB coach in the NFL) and that just makes the hype louder and more persistent.

The problem now is that Clausen has been mediocre at best in threes years taking the snaps for the Irish. Also, the last quarterback that Weis supposedly tutored to greatness is a colossal bust living in Cleveland named Brady Quinn. Then you factor in Weis' claim to fame, Tom Brady, has continued to improve at an increased pace since his departure, and things start to go south.

Of course, Clausen didn't know how it was going to turn out when he signed with Notre Dame. Nobody at that time knew that Quinn would be a bust, and that Charlie Weis would lose his title as the "QB tamer" so to speak. Despite all that, he still made a wise business move (stupid football move, but good business move) and used the ND hype machine to increase his draft stock, not to mention the pro-style offense that Weis had him run.

Unfortunately, a lot of teams forget to look past the hype until it's too late. Hopefully that won't be the Rams' mistake.

6. Money Money Money Money! MONEY!

Quarterbacks are traditionally the highest-paid players on any team. Take, for instance, our own Marc Bulger. He was far and away the highest-paid player on the squad until Jake Long and Jason Smith were signed.

This will be the first uncapped year for the NFL in a long while. When the new cap is implemented, chances are there will be a salary scale for rookies, much like the NBA's rookie salary scale, probably next year.

Many juniors who should have stayed in school for one more year of seasoning realized this, probably with the help of their agents...I mean, "advisers" and decided to come out early, hoping for that big-time contract with all that guaranteed money.

The question that teams need to ask themselves is this: Would you rather have a solid to great defensive tackle that's overpaid, or a quarterback who may or may not be a bust who is overpaid. I know my answer. I'd rather have a guy helping the defense out being paid more than he should be than have a guy sitting on the bench making $12 million a year for doing nothing.

5. 2011: The Year of the Quarterback

The 2011 NFL Draft is considered to be very deep at the quarterback position.

The list of potential draftees includes Jake Locker, Christian Ponder (pictured), Jerrod Johnson, Case Keenum and Ricky Stanzi, just to name a few.

Widely considered to be potentially the best quarterback draft class of recent memory, coupled with the upcoming rookie salary cap, and 2011 is the time to pick up your franchise quarterback on the cheap.

4. Marc Bulger

This image should be a familiar sight for most St. Louis fans. Marc Bulger, standing in the pocket, trying to get a pass to one of his receivers, only to find himself about to be knocked on his a$$.

Many Rams' fans now consider Bulger washed up and overpaid. Some would go so far as to say he was never worth the money he was given. I tend to agree, to a certain extent.

Is he washed up? I don't think he is. He's accurate, shows touch, and with the right people around him, could once again be a successful NFL starter. Is he overpaid? Certainly. He was never worth as much money as the Rams threw at him.

Do I think he deserves one more shot with a (hopefully) much improved team in 2010? Absolutely. He's bled for this team (literally). He's taken criticism from the media, the fans and his teammates. The problem is the blame doesn't lie with Bulger. The blame lies with the front office and its failure to put a competitive team on the field.

3. Glaring Offensive Holes

I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Steven Jackson while he was a student at Oregon State, and I can tell you firsthand, that that is a whole lotta running back.

At 6'2", 240 pounds, with a 4.4 40, "Action Jackson" is the last thing most defensive backs want to see coming their way. Unfortunately for them, he's virtually the Rams only offensive weapon, which means that anytime they play the Rams, they get to see a lot of him.

The Rams have glaring holes on offense, holes that need to be addressed before a franchise quarterback is brought in. Giving a quarterback a team with only one offensive threat is like telling a carpenter to remodel your house using nothing but a screwdriver. It's not going to turn out the way you want, and its not going to be pretty.

The Rams need a new play-making wideout and a tight end that can catch the ball. They also need some healthy offensive linemen, otherwise their going to have a hard time keeping any quarterback on his feet long enough to complete a pass.

2. Sean Canfield

Unknown to most people outside the state of Oregon, Sean Canfield quietly put together a spectacular season in 2009 as the signal caller for the Beavers.

Despite all the praise heaped on the other starters in the Pac-10, Canfield earned 1st Team All Pac-10 honors from the league's coaches. He completed 67.9 percent of all his passes for 3,271 yards and 21 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. That's a 3-to-1 TD-INT ratio. His accuracy was unmatched in the nation, and he's able to scramble when needed.

Canfield is willing to take a big hit to complete a pass, which could come back to haunt him. But it makes him more valuable now, signifying that he isn't going to fold under pressure.

He throws a very catchable ball, and he's accurate on his deep routes with a good trajectory.

Canfield is literally built for a West Coast offense (which is what the Rams tried to implement last year),
where most of the routes are short and depend on an accurate, mobile quarterback who can complete passes underneath in order to set up the long pass downfield.

He's considered a sleeper in this year's draft. Some draft pundits have even stated that, depending where he goes, he could be the steal of the draft. He's projected to go in the middle of Round 3. If he's still around when the Rams make their pick in Round 3, they need to pick him up.

1. Jake Locker

Any team who is losing next year will widely be considered the favorite to win the "Jake Locker Sweepstakes". Unfortunately (but fortunately), the Rams are the preseason favorites to take the grand prize—in this case, the pleasure of selecting Jake Locker.

The QB from the University of Washington is widely considered not only the best quarterback in next year's draft, but the best all-around athlete—flat out, the BEST PLAYER in next year's draft.

If the Rams miss on a quarterback in the later rounds this year, the blow would be softened with the knowledge that Locker would be available next year. There will (most likely) be a rookie salary slotting system in place, and chances are Locker won't cost much (comparatively) as a No. 1 overall selection.

Miss on a quarterback with the No. 1 selection this year, and the Rams will be stuck. They can't afford to keep two No. 1 quarterbacks on their roster. So they would be forced to pass on Locker and pick another position should they find themselves making the first pick in the draft a year from now.

Locker would be the perfect quarterback to lead the St. Louis Rams for the next decade, Sam Bradford is not.

Draft Suh No. 1, Jordan Shipley No. 33 and Sean Canfield No. 65 this year. Paying a third-round QB to sit on the bench is far favorable to paying a No. 1 QB to sit on the bench.

Chances are the Rams won't be much improved with one draft. But stranger things have happened. If they are, then great. That means they found a serviceable quarterback later in the draft. If not, there's always Locker next year. If you pick Suh, you might not net many wins this coming season, but in the seasons to follow, Suh will be more valuable than a quarterback like Clausen or Bradford, who will be injured or benched.