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          NFL Nation

          Morning Ram-blings: Bad contract team

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterJul 30, 2014, 08:00 AM ET
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Late last week, Grantland's Bill Barnwell posted his annual "All Bad Contracts" team. In other words, the names of the players he believes are the most overpaid.

          Earlier this week, I posted the link in these Ram-blings but wanted to take a moment to examine the piece a bit closer. For those who missed it, here's Barnwell's list for 2014.

          Conspicuous in their absence are the St. Louis Rams, a team that during the 2013 season could have qualified at least a handful of players for the list, including then-injured quarterback Sam Bradford and injured cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

          Despite a mention of Bradford, Barnwell opted for Baltimore's Joe Flacco. Here's what he had to say:

          As bad as the Bradford deal is, at least the Rams can get out of it after this season and save significant money ($13 million) in the process. Flacco is surely the better quarterback of the two, but Baltimore is stuck in this deal for years to come.

          It doesn't need to be said or written here that the Rams are hoping to use this season to determine whether Bradford's contract or a new one will be on next year's books. The fact that the Rams don't have anyone on Barnwell's team speaks to solid cap management and the "pay as you go" approach which allows them to get out from the bad deals they've made in the past.

          Of course, it also speaks to some poor decisions by other teams but that's a story for a different day.

          I.C.Y.M.I.

          A roundup of the Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com Tuesday. ... In the Ram-blings, we took a spin around the coverage of the team starting with a look at the ever-growing buzz about the defense. ... Next, we got some thoughts from Kurt Warner on quarterback Sam Bradford. ... From there, I offered a few things I'll be watching as padded practices begin. ... In this quick video, I offered a preview of the Rams in fantasy football terms. ... Finally, we wrapped up a busy day with the camp report from Day 5.

          Elsewhere:

          An ESPN panel is counting down the top moments in "Monday Night Football" history. Tuesday offered one that Rams fans won't enjoy much.

          The fines are piling up for Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch. Terry Blount writes it really doesn't matter much in the grand scheme.

          At stltoday.com, Jim Thomas takes a peek at the Rams' special teams.

          Thomas also participated in his weekly chat.

          Joe Lyons examines how punter Johnny Hekker is hoping to build on a breakout season.

          At 101sports.com, Randy Karraker takes a look at five things he's taken away from the early days of training camp.