Chris Chamberlain makes a tackle in the 2010 preseason. Photo by Joe Robbins, Getty Images.

One of the prevailing offseason story lines for the Rams was the influx of linebackers added to compete at every spot besides the one locked down by James Laurinaitis. 

The team brought in Zac Diles from Houston, Brady Poppinga from Green Bay and Ben Leber from Minnesota along with the selection of Jabara Williams in the seventh round of the draft.

Now that David Vobora and Na’il Diggs are out the door, it’s time to make a case for Williams and Chris Chamberlain to make the final 53 man roster.

Starting last season, Sam Bradford, Chris Long, Laurinaitis, Rodger Saffold, Jason Smith and Bradley Fletcher began collectively fulfilling their promise, forming a young core of potential stars.

Chamberlain and Williams could become cornerstones as well, flanking JL for the next decade, but only if they are given a legitimate shot. 

A reunion of the Greatest Show on Turf in Canton. How many of these men will eventually be enshrined here? 

Fans of the "Greatest Show on Turf" era of the Rams, the first great era of pro football in Saint Louis in nearly 80 years, got to celebrate as one of their own was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Or, as Marshall Faulk calls it, "Football Heaven."

You can watch the full video of Marshall Faulk's HOF enshrinement speech here. But here are some highlights of his speech, including tributes to his Rams teammates and coaches.

                                                                                               
The Greatest Show on Turf. The Bob ‘n’ Weave.  Anyone, Ram fan or not, alive at the turn of the century remembers these phrases well perhaps more importantly, remembers who is responsible for them.  Faulk was both the driving force behind the football renaissance that took place in 1999 and it’s most lasting memory.  Faulk did more than score touchdowns and win games.  He brought football relevancy and respectability back to St. Louis.  Along with Warner, Bruce, Holt, and Pace, Faulk led the transformation from Lambs to Rams.

Marshall brought a new era to football outside of St. Louis and his impact on today’s game in undeniable. No longer is it acceptable for a RB to simply run the ball. Today’s backs are expected to pound the ball up the middle, bounce outside, catch passes, run tight routes and line up at the line of scrimmage with the wideouts. The position has also become much more cerebral. Running-Backs need to understand not just the play called but the defense they are lining up against.

I have always been a football fan but I would be lying if I said my passion for it had diminished. The football Cardinals left town when I was little and I never had a “my team” to latch on to and identify with. No team to live, breath, die, rejoice with and over. Marshall Faulk help give that to me and I can only assume countless others. Thank you for that and above all…congratulations!

Let The Praise Begin

Rams getting loud about their guy

The mind of a QB at RB

Sometimes you just need to let the numbers speak for themselves

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s, it’s… Super Ram

Warm climate, a winning team & natural grass…not what he was looking for but it got him to Canton

A Top Ten for 28

He stood alone among the best

Who better to praise Faulk than those he went against and with on Sunday’s

How I love thee Marshall…let me count the ways

And finally…the evil genius behind it all

I wasn’t always a football fan.

There, I said it.

I grew up in Utah, a state built on John Stockton and Karl Malone, the heroes of my childhood who I spent countless hours watching with my grandpa.

The beehive state is distinctively void of a professional football team with most Utahans relying on transplanted fanhood for the nearby Denver Broncos or any team with room on the bandwagon.  

This is why I want to recognize a man who inspired me to love football so much that I now want to build my career around it as a sports journalist.

His unparalleled skill and athleticism as the catalyst to one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the league drew me into the weekly Sunday ritual.

Marshall Faulk. Number 28. Superman.

Faulk, who will be inducted into the National Football League Hall of Fame this weekend, transcended what it meant to be an “all-purpose back.”

He came to the Rams as a much needed jolt to a team that finally looked to shake its well-deserved title of NFL punching bag.

With Marshall in blue and gold and the surprise ascension of Kurt Warner, the Rams rode a high-octane offense orchestrated by Mike Martz to the tune of a Super Bowl victory.  

As my eight-year-old mind began to wrap around what football was, I gravitated to the excitement and potential of the aptly named "Greatest Show on Turf" with Faulk as the centerpiece.

Admittedly, my favorite player was and is Torry Holt, but Faulk was like watching poetry in motion combined with a Beethoven symphony.

Whether it be a hand off between the tackles or a dish into the flat, Faulk could take it the distance while making defenders whiff as if he saw the play around him unfolding in slow motion.

On 340 touches from scrimmage, Faulk scored 12 times with 2,429 yards in an offense that scored 526 total points in 1999.

His impact was also measured not only in yards, but in the moments of inspiration he brought to the entire team.

His rush to pick up Az Hakim in order to stop the clock and his unspoken passing of the leadership torch to Kurt Warner resonate louder than the stats in the record books.

He went on to lead the Rams in rushing for five more seasons and was a part of the league’s top rated offense three seasons in a row, all the while exuding class and professionalism that is rare amongst top athletes.

As he goes into the Hall of Fame, it is vindication for me that he is finally recognized with the honor, accolades and timeless statue associated with entering Canton. 

Just as Faulk cemented my football fanhood, he is now cemented into gridiron legend.

Superman has crossed the goal line once more, this time scoring a place in football history.

It was all smiles early for Jerome Murphy at practice on Friday. Unfortunately, it didn't end that way.

It was a good news-bad news day at Rams Camp today. The good news is that the scorching 100-degree heat has finally broken, the cooling clouds and rain parted, and the field drained off nicely so we could actually have a practice. The bad news: this is one day that Jerome Murphy might wish had been rained out.

One day after Dominic Curry suffers a fractured hand, Jerome Murphy may be lost for a significant period of time after getting tangled up with Danario Alexander during a WR-vs-DB sideline drill.

I didn't see the play, but saw the immediate aftermath, Murphy crumpled on the field and just... not getting up. It's the worst feeling, especially at practice. Trainers came over and had his leg up in such a way that at first we were hopeful that it might be a cramp, or at worst a hamstring. But in helping him up, Murphy took maybe one step, and couldn't put any more weight on it. In the end, he had to ride the cart off the field, and a sideline report from Tony Softli is saying that the team fears he might have a fractured ankle.

It put a damper on an otherwise good day of practice, a hard-working day that stretched nearly three hours, and featured some significant hitting during 11-on-11 drills. This is a hungry team, though one that still needs to gel up front on its rebuilt offensive line. Highlights and photos after the break.

As longtime readers of the site know, I love football and I love infographics, and I especially love when they come together. I've even been known to create one or two, whenever I can carve out some spare time. 

RamsHerd reader Sean Lind of Slip and Tackle might just have raised the stakes, though. He submits this epic infographic comparing quarterbacks by decade through the Super Bowl era, of which this is only a tiny sliver:

Slip and Tackle: Four Decades of Super Bowl Quarterbacks

If you look closely, you can see some really interesting trends, such as the decade-by-decade increase in QB rating, the impact of the West Coast offense on yards-per-attempt, and how the NFL's new trend of vertical offenses (typified by Josh McDaniels and the Patriots' school) is starting to reverse that trend.

Just stunning work, and my recommended "Read" of the day.

Related: Selected Infographics on RamsHerd.com

• Stretching the field: How Josh McDaniels' offenses compare to the ultra-conservative 2010 Rams. 
• Boom, Bust or Average: A comparison of 30 years of high draft picks spent on wide receivers. 
• Measuring fan discontent with the NFL Lockout.
• Rams-Niners Game Breakdown: The 49ers' reliance on big plays. 
• Shooting ourselves in the foot: A painful look back on a lost 2009 season.

Rams fans, get ready to be showered with Haterade from ESPN. Shocking, I know.

Okay, first off, a disclaimer. ESPN obviously doesn't entirely hate the Rams or Sam Bradford, or the ratings this rising team will pull in for their two Monday Night Football appearances this year. But they're more than willing to stoke the fires of fan sentiment any way they can, while wearing the mantle of the "Sports Information Leader."

Their latest ploy? The introduction of the "Total Quarterback Rating (QBR)," which they intend to use to put the old antiquated QB Rating system to bed. Their initial story, explaining the ranking, has the helpful headline: "How to Identify the NFL's Best Quarterbacks."

And at this point, Rams fans are thinking "YESSSSSS! Now that we finally have a quarterback worth bragging about, we're about to get some love!"

Uh, no. In fact, you'll find Bradford buried in the "below average" tier, lumped in uncomfortably next to Alex Smith, Jason Campbell and Chad Henne, and just a small step away from the untouchables like Derek Anderson and Jimmy Clausen. And when challenged, ESPN's Stats and Info department is more than happy to clarify why the NFL's offensive rookie of the year is tiered closer to it's biggest busts than its elite talents.

TheFakDaddy
@ESPNStatsInfo Sam Bradford is BELOW AVERAGE??? Therefore the system is flawed.

ESPNStatsInfo
Issue w/ Bradford is air yards. Short passes w/ YAC=easy for QB

"Air yards?" Really? Let's take a deeper look.

I wasn't able to get to Rams practice today, but one who did was Zach Roman, known by his Twitter handle @BlazinBox. And he just might have come away with the juiciest tidbit of the day.

BlazinBox
Shook devaney's hand, and he said at least one more move coming "hint it begins with a R and a B"

And he clarified that he meant position not necessarily ronnie brown... #ramscamp

This adds even more weight to the rumors that have been flying this weekend about the Rams and their pursuit of a trio of available running backs: Former Falcons Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood, and ex-Dolphin Ronnie Brown.

We make a case for each, after the break:

Are you still worried, Rams fans? Click to expand these results

We got a very nice amount of responses to our web poll before the Rams actually started getting active and addressing some of our free agent fears. Thanks to all who participated! The question now is, did the moves made address your fears? Visit our Facebook page to give us your answer, or chime in in the comments below.

Wide Receiver: Rams sign Mike Sims-Walker to a one-year deal, but have not yet signed Mark Clayton.

This is really a no-risk move with potential for great reward, but it also puts several Rams receivers on watch. St. Louis now has an overload of intriguing (if not elite) talent at the position, potentially creating an interesting trade bank for themselves if more than just the top six start impressing in camp.

Sims-Walker has size and questionable health in the knees, putting him in direct competition with Danario Alexander, and may have already beaten out Mark Clayton for the right to audition. Count me among the deeply surprised if Clayton is not signed, but I acknowledge the risk of trying to sign him long-term after only a four-game audition.

Running Back: (Crickets chirping)

The Rams might be playing a waiting game here, hoping that someone shakes out of the overstuffed backfields in New England, Philadelphia, or New Orleans. Or, they might just be continuing to turn a blind eye to the problem, as they've done systematically for the last three years.

The one new addition? Utah Ute Eddie Wide, who arrived as one of the 24 undrafted free agents. Says Shane P. Hallam and Matt Waldman of the Twitter scout community: "Meh."

Mike Sims-Walker stands tall, but not yet head-and-shoulders above the rest of the Rams' receivers.

A lot of thoughts went through my head when I heard that the Rams had signed former Jaguar and perennial "breakout candidate" Mike Sims-Walker, but all of those thoughts eventually boiled down to a single word.

Why?

That simple take provoked a series of reactions, some who agreed with my pessimism, but others who are intrigued by the possibilities:

DodgerCapLow
@RamsHerd 2 years of work 14 TDs. We just couldnt punch it in for 6 at the end of our drives last yr. Coaches wanna presence in the endzone.

IamDHawk
@RamsHerd No risk, possible big reward. So the question should be, Why not?

By my thinking, when Devaney and company missed out on the elite targets potentially out there (Vincent Jackson: franchised... Santonio Holmes: re-signed... Sidney Rice: well, you know), that there wasn't much point in chasing after and overpaying for second-tier guys like Braylon Edwards, Malcolm Floyd and the like. Compared to the as-yet-unknown potential of the group we have, there just wasn't enough bang for the buck.

But an incentive-laden one-year deal for a guy with size, speed and scoring prowess? I have to say, it does make me willing to at least consider the possibilities.