THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Most have assumed the Rams would grab either an offensive tackle like Eugene Monroe or linebacker Aaron Curry with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. However, with last week’s release of Orlando Pace and Torry Holt, the team is down to just three young WRs and face a draft class with a lot of talent at the top of the WR pool? Which direction do you believe this team needs to go in the draft: Offensive tackle, linebacker or wide receiver?

JIM THOMAS
Tackle. Tackle. Tackle. Alex Barron is the only player currently on the roster with substantial experience at the position. And his contract expires after this season. Assuming that he can make a seamless transition to left tackle and Jacob Bell can step right in at right tackle without a hitch goes a couple of steps beyond optimism.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Good question. I am planning to write a column on this subject. More than anything the Rams can’t afford to be prisoners of need. They have a new GM and coaching staff in place. This is the beginning of an era. This is the start of something new, and hopefully it will be built to last. The Rams have to draft with the next 10 years in mind. They can’t worry about immediate needs. They have to go with the player who will best help them win over the long haul. So I don’t care who they draft in terms of position. They have to rely on their scouting and trust the grades they give each prospect. If the top grade conclusively belongs to Aaron Curry, then draft the LB. The same principle applies to OT, WR or even QB. Trust your scouting. Go with the best player and you won’t go wrong.

BRYAN BURWELL
If only we could see what the Rams draft board looked like, it would make this an easier task. But I think you build your team from the offensive line because the ability to run and protect the quarterback is the most important key to having a functional offense. Go with a tackle in the first round, and I’d be tempted to get a block-out-the-sun guard like Duke Robinson in the second round if he’s the best player available, too.

BILL COATS
If the Lions don’t take Curry with the No. 1 pick, he’d be my choice. Otherwise, I’d target the offensive line. It’s so important, and the Rams really need to beef things up there. I don’t want to say wide receivers are a dime a dozen, but the Rams will be able to fill out that position without much difficulty.

JEFF GORDON
It appears that Curry is a cornerstone defensive player. Since Steve Spagnuolo wants to rebuild the Rams around its ground game and defense, Curry would be a great get. Crabtree is an attractive option, too, since he appears head and shoulders above the other WR prospects. There are lots of good tackles in this draft, but its debatable whether any merit a No. 2 overall pick and the huge money that comes with it.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I like the “best player available” theory. If the Lions take anyone not named Aaron Curry, the Wake Forest linebacker would be my selection. I’ve heard far too many NFL scouting types refer to Curry as the “cleanest” player on the board to think about passing him by, plus linebacker is an area of significant need.

Also of note, the offensive line and wide receiver positions are deeper in this year’s draft. There are several receivers that could be available at the top of the second round who are attractive to teams looking for bigger receivers. I’m a particular fan of Brian Robiskie of Ohio State — he’s got size (6’3”), good hands and great football sense.

Offensive tackles Eugene Monroe and Jason Smith are excellent prospects but they’re not “the next big thing” at their position. Taking one of them at No. 2 would be fine with me as they seem to be solid players and people but neither is at the level Orlando Pace was coming out of college. Heck, a couple of months ago Andre Smith was viewed by many as the top tackle in this year’s draft class.

Ideally the team would add a little more free agent depth so they could follow the “best player available” strategy.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND NOTES

CUTLER DESERVED BETTER: Sure, QB Jay Cutler may be a little over-sensitive right now about his situation in Denver, but coming off a Pro Bowl year, who can blame the guy for being upset after finding out his new head coach was trying to make backroom deals to ship him off for another (and in my opinion, inferior) quarterback in Matt Cassell? Perhaps this is what happens when you hire a 32-year-old wunderkind offensive coordinator to be your head coach, as it appears Josh McDaniels poked a stick in a beehive he has no hope of containing at this point. Cutler has now requested a trade and the Broncos may be left to move on with Chris Simms at QB, an underachieving sort who hasn’t thrown an NFL pass in two years. If I were a Bronco fan, I’d be spitting mad at McDaniels and team owner Pat Bowlen, who sat back and allowed this all to happen.

While some Denver columnists are pointing out there is plenty of blame to go around in this mess, the Denver Post’s Mark Kiszla says “good riddance” to Cutler today. I think he’s delusional, but that’s essentially his stance. He offers up three QBs he somehow thinks the Broncos can get now that will outperform Cutler. Good luck with that. You can check out Kiszla’s column here.

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SOMETHING TO PONDER

BLUES FACE BIG WEEK: Heading to western Canada for a three-game road trip is never an easy task, but it’s one the Blues must face head-on this week. So far in recent weeks, this young Blues team has been up to the challenges it’s faced. Last week’s homestand featuring games against Dallas, San Jose, Detroit and Minnesota was vital before this team hit the road. The Blues came away with six of a possible eight points … very respectable. Canada can be a tough place to play for road teams given the raucous Canuck crowds, and the 9 p.m. starts can be tough on a team that is normally finishing up games by about 10 p.m. here in St. Louis. But the Blues must once again find a way to get two out of these three games — and it must start tonight in Edmonton. You just don’t want to start this road trip with a loss.

Coach Andy Murray has done a commendable job keeping the club focused solely on the game in front of them. If the team is able to do that tonight, and get out to a quick start, they should pocket the points this evening. And then it’s on to Vancouver …

Regardless, who among you would have believed near the end of December this team would be sitting just one point out of the playoffs on St. Patrick’s Day?

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ON THIS DATE

March 17, 2005 — Mark McGwire goes before a Congressinal committee and repeatedly tells them, “I’m not here to talk about the past.” They are words that will live in infamy in baseball lore, and have permanently damaged McGwire’s reputation among most of the sporting public. In fact, that performance is the likely catalyst for keeping McGwire out of the Hall of Fame.

Hard to believe it’s been four years already since that testimony. Time flies.