Cadillac Williams' name has been in the wind in the last 24 hours as a veteran option to back up Steven Jackson in St Louis. And earlier today, Billy Devaney dispensed with the smokescreens and admits: "We're trying to get him." We mentioned him yesterday as a "Plan C," with Ronnie Brown going (with everyone else) to Philadelphia. Here are three quick thoughts on the situation:

The Rams are clearly betting on a full season of health from Steven Jackson

If you're worried about Jackson not being able to shoulder the load for 16 games, you don't spend your free agent money on old players with injury history. Jerious Norwood is 28 and coming off an ACL tear that limited him to two carries in 2010. Williams has suffered catastrophic, career-threatening injuries twice in his career. Neither one is a guy you want to give 20+ carries to for multiple games on the chance that Jackson suffers a major injury.

Fortunately, Jackson is the team's Benjamin Button, seemingly getting healthier and fitter from season to season. His games played have risen stadily from 12 in 2008 to a full 16 in 2010, and since re-signing in St Louis has displayed a tremendous commitment to his offseason preparations.

Another Rams great who made this evolution was Isaac Bruce, who suffered an assortment of injuries in his first five years with the Rams, but became a workout warrior who simply refused to be taken off the field. His commitment helped provide a foundation for the Greatest Show era Rams. Now Jackson's commitment is helping to provide a foundation of leadership for the next era.

Williams is a consistently underrated player by those who only look at stats.

I admit to lukewarm thoughts on Williams as a runner. But those who really scout the game love him. Take these thoughts from a conversation between Matt Waldman and Sigmund Bloom, of footballguys.com:

The Fans in Tampa Bay are going to miss him, and his ability to protect young QB Josh Williams, if he leaves.

From fellow blogger Eric Schmidt, a die-hard Bucs fan:

Bucco40
@RamsHerd He really excelled last year in the third down back role, great at picking up blitzes. Quality person, I'll miss him.

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.

Could Jerious Norwood stand alone as Steven Jackson's backup?

According to Tony Softli, former Rams personnel man now working for 101Sports.com, the Rams have all but signed former Atlanta Falcon Jerious Norwood. He's taken a physical, and even an official team photo, and is at Rams Camp today presumably working through details of his contract.

Updated: Adam Schefter reports the deal is done.

However, Softli follows that news with this pronouncement:

SoftliSTL
Confirmed with league sources; with Norwood in the house and close to signing a deal, it is not likely the Rams still have interest in Ronnie Brown.

Most observers think the Rams should have two new backup running backs in hand, with Brown the leading candidate to act as a true "fill-in" for Jackson. (Norwood is seen as your prototypical "change of pace" back, more of an option in the receiving game, and we wouldn't disagree.) However, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the team goes into the season with Jackson, Norwood, and whoever emerges from the ranks of the young and unproven.

A quick look at Josh McDaniels' running back utilization and Jackson's career should show us why.

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.

What do Ronnie Brown and Jerious Norwood have to do with an underwater ninja, you might ask?

This has not been your typical offseason for the master of the poker face, Rams GM Billy Devaney. Typically the Rams are less like sharks in the water, flashing the tell-tale dorsal fin as they circle their prey, and more like ... um, underwater ninjas? 

Okay, so metaphors are not going to be my strong suit tonight. But as rumors about finding Steven Jackson's backup surface, you can't help but notice a curious trend in this frenzied week of signings, a trend that goes against the grain of the Rams' usual M.O.

As the gates of free agency first opened, we heard nothing on Giants' DT Barry Cofield, and end up letting him go easily to the Redskins. The name Quintin Mikell barely surfaced, though, before he was signed. This is classic Devaney. Identify your targets early, close on your top prey quietly and without any fuss, then snatch him off the board before anyone else can make a move. If necessary, throw out a smokescreen or two beforehand. In this case, the Cofield and Sidney Rice speculation ran rampant enough to where it wasn't even necessary.

But after that top tier disappeared during a nutso Wednesday and Thursday, the game changed. Suddenly, during a whirlwind Friday, the Rams were said to be "in the hunt" for Atlanta guard Harvey Dahl.

Normally, this is code for "make a fair offer but get ready to watch as the player we wanted signs with someone else." But then a few hours later, Dahl was a Ram! That same Friday, DT Justin Bannan's name hit the airwaves, and he's signed midway through the first practice. Ditto Colts DT Muir and LB Brady Poppinga. (Perhaps unexpected signings like Al Harris slipped under the radar through sheer improbability.) 

So what does that mean when we see news like this? 

ProdJoe (KFNS Fans 590)
Jerious Norwood is in St. Louis tonight. Dining at Ruth Chris. Sources claim will be signing tomorrow

Or this?

ChrisWesseling (RotoWorld)
Michael Lombardi on NFLN: #Rams most interested, doing the most homework on Ronnie Brown. They're also in on Snelling. Looking for nickel RB

Firstly, like anything you hear on Twitter, you have to take this with a grain of salt. Not every name rumored to be with the Rams has come true. But the fact of the matter is that the normal rules of engagement are nowhere to be found in this rapid-fire offseason. Players are coming in for visits, and if the team likes, it strikes. There's no time for smokescreens, no time for poker faces, barely enough time to even approach debunking a rumor before it becomes fact.

I'm not saying to believe it. But if you want to go to bed tonight dreaming of a three-headed monster backfield of Steven Jackson, Ronnie Brown and home-run threat Jerious Norwood, I've got no reason to stop you.

The first weekend of Rams training camp was a little more sparsely attended than last year's opener, which was fueled by Sam Bradford mania. I have a feeling that a lot fewer folks are driving in from Oklahoma through the baking heat. But the contingent of hard core fans remains strong, the friendly Rams PR staff remains friendly, and perhaps the reappearance of key signees this week will spark more interest.

I'm planning on attending at least one practice each week, as well as the Lindenwood scrimmage, and even when I'm not there you can catch updates from those who are by checking in with this list on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/list/RamsHerd/rams-practice. This list is curated daily to include folks who check in with their plans to attend. 

Here is this week's Rams training camp schedule (and remember, the first 200 fans at Rams Park get VIP treatment, which includes shade and free eats):

Monday, Aug 1: 1:50 Open Practice.

Tuesday, Aug 2: 5:00 Open Practice.

Thursday, Aug 4: 1:50 Open Practice -- the first for new contract signees like Danny Amendola, Harvey Dahl, Quintin Mikell and Mike Sims-Walker.

Friday, Aug 5: 5:00 Open Practice.

Saturday, Aug 6: 1:50 Open Practice.

Sunday, Aug 7: 11am Scrimmage at Lindenwood University.

For those who like to plan ahead, here's the entire Rams' Training Camp schedule, from their official site.

Brandon Gibson and his signature pink sneaks have been all over the practice field so far.

Year three is when wide receivers are supposed to put it all together. The Rams' newest wideout, Mike Sims-Walker, knows all about that. After two injury-marred years in Jacksonville he exploded for 63 catches, 869 yards and seven touchdowns in his third season. (Call it coincidence, but he spent that entire year lining up next to Torry Holt.) 

So it was interesting to hear his take on the most impressive Rams receiver so far in camp:

MikeSimsWalker
RT @illinilax: @mikesimswalker Which #RAMS WR has impressed you the most so far in practice?< Brandon Gibson!

And several other camp observers, including new RamsHerd correspondent Dane Pinkston (@danep12) would have to agree. Gibson has been running with the 1s on offense in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s, and looking much smoother in his footwork in drills and more sure when catching the ball. 

I was asked yesterday who my starting six* was for the Rams, and while it's admittedly very early, it's hard to leave Gibson off that list.